“My name is Dale Bray, Alpha of the Silva Clan,” he said. He then introduced his Beta, Head Enforcer, and the four enforcers standing behind him.
Shaya turned to Vinnie. “Could you please introduce yourself and your companions?”
Lazily drumming his fingers on the table, he said, “Vinnie Devereaux, Alpha of the Olympus Pride. On my left is one of my omegas, Bree Dwyer. Behind me are my Beta, my Head Enforcer, and one of my enforcers. Bree’s partner stands behind her.”
Dale’s eyes snapped to Alex and briefly widened ever so slightly. Her involvement with someone should be enough to communicate to him that Paxton was not in her life. Of course, Dale could think it a bluff, but it was highly doubtful that he’d say so—offending a wolverine wouldn’t end well for him.
“Thank you,” said Shaya. “Dale, can you please outline the issue that prompted you to request this meeting?”
“It is two-fold, really,” replied Dale, his eyes on Vinnie. “Firstly, let me be very clear that I have no wish whatsoever to harm Miss Dwyer or cause her any upset. I simply wish for her help in finding a certain someone—nothing more, nothing less.”
“Bree’s already explained she can’t help you,” said Vinnie. “Not sure why you can’t just accept that. This shit’s getting old.”
Dale sighed. “I can understand the reason for your animosity. I heard of the attempts to snatch Miss Dwyer. I know you believe I was to blame, but that is not the case. I have never meant her any harm.”
“You sent the wolf,” Bree pointed out. “He said I had no choice but to go with him. He was ready to force me to get into his car.” Her cat hissed at the memory.
Dale’s brow furrowed. “I did not tell Frasier to take you by force. I simply made it clear that I was intent on speaking with you.”
“And you did speak to me … over the phone.”
“Yes, and you told me the same thing you told me that day in the street: Paxton Cage is dead. But I’ve heard through the shifter grapevine that you may not believe that anymore.”
“Maybe he is alive, maybe he isn’t. In any case, you’re wasting your time with me. I am not, nor have I ever been, in contact with Paxton since he left the pride. I have no wish to ever see him. And, quite frankly, I’ve no idea why you would.”
Dale rested his elbows on the table. “Let me tell you a story. My daughter was snatched at the age of eleven only to be dumped near the border of our territory by her kidnapper a few days later. She was unharmed. Didn’t have a single scratch on her. She told us that her captor fed her, kept her blindfolded, said little to her, and never once so much as threatened to harm her. All she was able to tell us about him was that he smelled of bitter apples, smoked wood, and black pepper.”
Bree’s stomach twisted. That was Paxton’s scent, all right.
“She once overheard him talk on his cell to a man he called ‘Desmond,’” Dale went on, his voice remarkably flat, considering the subject matter. “This happened to be the name of the Alpha of a rival hyena clan. We managed to capture the bastard. It took a while to get him to talk, but he admitted that he’d hired a lone shifter to kidnap my daughter and kill her in the most brutal way possible. A shifter known for sadistically torturing and maiming his victims until they are almost unrecognizable. A shifter named Paxton Cage.”
Fuck.
“I’d heard of him, of course,” Dale continued. “He had never been known to spare anyone but, according to Desmond, Paxton had refused to kill her. I eventually traced him back to your pride. I wanted to thank him. And, yes, I wanted to understand why he hadn’t harmed her. I found out that he had a true mate he’d never claimed. I found what information I could on you, Miss Dwyer. And then I understood. You see, my daughter is an omega.”
Bree’s breath caught, and her cat stiffened.
“I believe he couldn’t bring himself to harm my daughter because she reminded him of you. Perhaps she even made him think of the life he could have had if he hadn’t left you. I think he then gave up a very profitable lifestyle because he wanted to deserve you.”
Bree snorted. “Such a pretty theory. Come on, use your brain. If he felt that way, he’d have come out into the open and tried to claim me. He clearly has no instincts compelling him to do so.”
Dale twisted his mouth and his eyes darted to the side for a moment.
“If Paxton is alive, he is not at all in contact with me, so all the money you spent hiring people to take me was for nothing.”