“Just eat that second sandwich and rest for a few minutes, okay? I’m waiting for a call from Dave and we can sit tight here until it comes. I cannot imagine what it feels like. The mere thought of Nina being…” Lex shook his head sharply. “But Tegan is my sister, I love her and you love her and we are going to find her and bring her home. You don’t get to feel guilty for eating just mere hours after nearly dying and then being transformed. Your body is going to need a lot of extra protein in the first month or so especially. If you don’t take care of that need, you’re not going to be strong enough to fight off any threat. Full moon is tonight. Man, it’s going to be a wild one for you. I’m sorry this was all forced. Tegan is going to kill me. Nina is already all over my ass.”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t care about that. I don’t know why anyone would think I’d blow off the chance to gain more strength to save my wife. Where is Nina anyway? I can’t imagine she’d stay at home. Didja lock her up in the bathroom and run for the door back home?”

Lex laughed for a moment. “Once you ran into the building, everything went crazy. I was out the door, running to the car when Nina jumped in the passenger side. She was already on the phone with our pilot and getting the plane ready. She stuck to me like a freaking barnacle until we got to Detroit. We had to refuel and since the plane took off so fast in Seattle, there wasn’t much food. I told her to run into the airport and grab us something, shoved her bag and a wad of cash at her, sent Megan after her and we took off without them.”

Ben stilled. “Whoa.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna wear a cup. I have no doubt the two of them will get here soon but she won’t be able to get a commercial flight right away. I hope. I just don’t want her in the middle of this.”

“I understand it. I truly do. I wish I’d thought of something like that with Tegan.

Damned woman. She was safe with me but she saw Gina being attacked and once they started stanching the blood and giving me first aid, she jumped into the fray. Lex, I’m going to kill Warren Pellini for having his men shoot her the way they did.”

“Was it silver? Do you think she’s…”

“I don’t. She kept moving, struggling as they hauled her up. It happened in slow motion. I tried to get up but I couldn’t. Others rushed in to help but Pellini’s people got out the door. You tell me what the hell Mancini and Meyers were thinking to let that bastard stay in the room that way?”

Templeton walked in at that moment with Jack. Jack who found himself with his back against the wall and Lex’s forearm cutting off oxygen. “You f**k! I ought to rip your head off right now and toss it on the train tracks. My sister might be dead because of your gross incompetence. You have no right to hold this spot.” Lex’s voice was barely human.

Ben blinked at the fury rolling off his brother-in-law. He’d seen Lex kill men before but he’d never seen Lex this outraged and murderous.

Templeton hauled Lex back and stood between them. “Knock it off, Warden. You’ll have me to contend with if you keep this up.”

“That’s all right with me. You’re more at fault than he is. The minute Pellini walked into that Palaver and broke the rules he should have been removed. You let him stay. You violated your oath of safety to all those wolves in that room. Cascadia is not convinced of your ability to rule at this point, Alpha.”

Ben moved to stand next to Lex. He felt odd; his insides churned and all his senses were turned up to twelve. Still, his wolf surfaced, pressing against his human skin and he understood exactly what Tegan had tried to explain before. He was no longer upset he’d been changed, he loved the way it felt, wanted to share it with his mate. And mate she was. He really felt their mate bond as a wolf. She ran through his veins like blood.

Templeton blew out a breath. “Look, I made a mistake. I thought he showed up to bluster but if he lost, we could handle it and keep him in the dark. I thought he’d blow off steam and storm out. I was sure his little show of self-importance would sway anyone who hadn’t voted by then. He still thinks we’re on his side, or in his pocket as it were.

We can use this. I am Alpha here and I will find my wolves. I give you my word that I won’t stop until we find Gina and Tegan. I’m just waiting for him to call.”

“I’m sorry, Lex. You have every right to blood me for this. I would never want harm to come to any of our wolves, especially your sister.” Jack got on his knees and exposed his neck to Lex.

The room got very still as everyone waited to see what Lex would do. He stepped back and sighed. “I will trust you. For now. And it’s not me you need to beg forgiveness from. Ben may have lost his mate today. I swear to you if my sister ends up dead, you will pay. I will burn this city down.”

“And I will help you.” Ben stood tall. “You saved me and I owe you, Alpha. But my woman is out there because your people messed up. If I lose her, I’ll have nothing left to hold me to any manners at all. Help us find these bastards who’ve stolen Tegan and let me have first crack at separating them from their lives.”

“After I clean my teeth with their bones, you mean. Boy are you two nitwits.” Nina strode into the room, looking Templeton and Jack up and down with disgust. Megan took a station near the door. Nina spun to face Lex, her hands on her hips, face a mask of fury.

“And you! I can’t believe you thought you could just ditch me when we had to refuel in Detroit. You left me there when I went to get some food. You will pay, buddy. By the way, I charged a private flight and drinks for everyone on the flight crew for getting me here so fast.”