Rejection: Moon Fever Book One (Redfern Shifters 1) by Olivia Concord

Author:Olivia Concord [Concord, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eton Field
Published: 2022-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Sixteen

Jasper looked at the other pins on the map—there were at least a dozen, maybe twenty. “Is that where you think they are?”

“It’s where I know they are,” Hugo said. “They aren’t hiding. They want a fight.”

Jasper looked around the office. “Where’s Florin?”

“Out doing his little brother’s work. Time for you to relieve him.” Hugo stood, gave him a quick glance, then tapped an area on the map that didn’t have any pins. “We need to search the far southwest—the other side of South Fork Road. Pick somebody to go with you, one of the good trackers, then come back here and update the map.”

Jasper was eager to defend the pack, but the area he’d indicated was ten miles away. “That’s so far,” he said. “Will that really help—?”

“We need to know how many of them there are,” Hugo said. “We’ve counted twelve so far.”

That couldn’t be true. “Twelve big cats?” he asked. “Where did they come from?” None of the wolf shifter packs would’ve allowed that many to live so close to their territory.

“Who knows why cats do anything? They’re freaks,” his father said.

“And I thought they were solitary,” Jasper said.

“They are. This won’t last. After we make a point of killing a few, the rest will leave. Have you ever seen an adult cat defend the life of another? Doesn’t happen.” Hugo snorted in disgust. “Selfish animals. I’ve warned everyone here already, but I’ll remind you too—don’t touch any kittens. That’s one thing they do care about. Leave those alone, and they won’t care enough to keep fighting.”

“You’re sure they want to hurt us?”

Hugo’s face turned red, his lips pressing together. He didn’t speak for a moment. “We’re sure,” he said. “Eight months ago, they torched Old Sutton’s house. Just before dawn after your Fever Night. Only ashes left. We think they got Sutton too. Hasn’t been seen since.”

Jasper held his breath. His father didn’t know Sutton had died on the beach. He didn’t know Jasper had killed him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jasper asked.

“We thought we’d scared them away at first. We chased a few and didn’t see any sign of them for over six months.”

“I wish I’d known,” Jasper said.

Hugo spread his hand over the map and snorted. “You had problems of your own. Escaping a fate with Nightrock’s daughter. Finishing school.” He glanced up. “You graduated, right?”

“Yes.”

Hugo shrugged. “Hope it was worth it. College degrees aren’t worth much here, but I suppose it makes you feel good.”

Jasper was too relieved to be hurt by his father’s dismissive words.

He was safe.

His relief didn’t last long; other ideas swirled through his mind. Both he and Stella had been freeing his captives—could there have been somebody else from Redfern who worked in secret?

“How do you know it was cats?” Jasper asked, trying to sound casual.

“The tracks reeked of feline filth. Fresh and unfamiliar, new to the area. Now you go. Take your car to save time. Bring food and water so you don’t have to hurry back. This is all coming to a head soon.

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