Radar moves inside, flicks at the wall, bringing illumination to the room, and scans the space to ensure we’re alone.
“Either it’s movement sensitive and automatic, or they are using security from somewhere else too.” He moves across the desks with his fingers, clicking buttons here and there and trying to locate the audio control for the speakers outside.
“They left this running by itself because he’s short on manpower.” Carmen butts in and moves Radar out of the way while she too starts pressing buttons and brings a seemingly dark monitor to life. “This is the main system to access the audio feed to the perimeter speakers. It’s on a loop and comes from a frequency recording they made at the lab. I can access the main files here. We need to separate it from the new tone weakening the wolves.”
I gawp at Carmen and this new sudden ability with computers I never knew she had. I know Radar was familiar with the security and the feed as he was a sub-pack captain and often came in here, but Carmen seemed oblivious to this side of things.
“She was often on Rota for control room duties.” Radar reads my mind and nods at Carmen, making me blush at my stupidity for a moment. I forgot that all wolves, at some point, got switched around to cover almost every chore we ever had in this manor. I just never lasted long enough to get these kinds of duties.
“Why aren’t they protecting this?” One of the Luna’s guard wolves pipes up behind me, and Radar shrugs.
“Who knows. Like the main door being vacant and the grounds outside. Maybe Juan has really lost his mind and up there hiding in the shadows like a feral beast.” He snorts in disdain.
“Move, let me work. I can do this if you give me some space.” Carmen enters bossy mode, yanks a seat out so she can slide in at the desk, and proceeds to pull up different screens on the monitor. She is instantly immersed and looks competent with a keyboard as she starts pounding it noisily.
“This seems too easy. This doesn’t feel right.” I point out, and Sierra squeezes the hand still enveloped in hers. She has been silently looking around and summing things up yet doesn’t seem fazed by the progression of things. There’s a weird calm to her and a hint of fire that was always lacking. I wonder if this is how Luna Sierra of the past was and how she managed to run to save a child when she was on the verge of being ended. Seeing her this way, with silent strength and ease, I suddenly feel confident with her presence.
“We should look around. Try to make sense of what’s going on here. Alora’s right. Something’s off, and knowing him as we do, he would never just leave this so open and accessible.”
“Colton wanted us to stay put. Near the entrance until they get here.” Radar warns, but Sierra shakes her head.
“If Juan is hiding in here like some deranged coward, then we might put a stop to this if we drag him out and throw him to Varro ourselves. Isn’t that why he’s here? Look around. Does this seem like the setup a sane Juan would have?” She splays one palm wide to gesture to our surroundings, and Radar only dodges her and shrugs. That stubborn in him only adhering to orders.
We all stand quiet for a moment. Even Carmen pauses her typing as we throw one another looks. All human now as we stand in this small open doorway and narrow hall, the witch who has been pensive breaks the silence.
“From a magical perspective. The air is strange, and it does seem that living energy is faint and few. If he’s here, he doesn’t have many men left with him, and he’s certainly not down here.” It’s almost like she agrees with Sierra, and Radar hesitates. His aura is getting bristly because he doesn’t like being questioned.
“Less than half a dozen, on the upper floors. Changes nothing.” He grits his teeth and then looks away, a strange expression on his face. One of his gifts is finding bodies at a distance, even through walls, and I guess from the second we got in here, he pinpointed where all the dangers lurked. I know he’s being cautious and wants to protect us as Colton ordered, and I understand this is how he is.
“There’s more of us than them. We can do this. You know where they are.” Sierra turns to him with a pleading expression, and like always, he lowers his head to avoid her gaze. His face flushes with some color because he doesn’t want to argue with his Rema, and he will never disobey her son.
“With due respect Rema, the Alpha told us to stay by the entrance and to disable the audio tone. We are not going further in.” He turns his head away, stiff and pointed in tone, and I know how much he must hate saying No to her. Sierra digs her heels in, though, and that flash of fierce shows face as she tries to bring her small frame nearer to his tall height, her eyes ambering out.
“I trump the alpha’s commands when he isn’t around, and the only one who can say no right now is my Luna…. Whom I doubt will do so.” She smiles with a wicked and smug expression and throws me a raised brow as though challenging me to deny her. I swallow hard, eyes flickering from Radar’s bowed head to the witch and Sierra as I feel cornered about how to answer. My throat instantly dries with the pressure to say something.
“Sierra, I don’t….” I make a feeble start to reason with her, unsure what we should do, but she isn’t backing down.
“I’m going to look, so either come with or don’t. I’m not afraid of that man anymore, and I’m not without my own talents. Besides, Leyanne will come, right?” she nods to the witch, makes a move to step around him, and Radar explodes. He catches her by the shoulder and pushes her back enough to make her step back inside again.
“Over my dead body!! You stay with the guards, and you stay by my side! I’m not even joking with this bullshit. He’s up there, whether sane or not, armed or not…. you stay put and do what the alpha told you to do! There’s no arguing with this or me…. Do as you’re told!” His voice booms crazily loud, his tone enough to make even me tremble and all of us cringe. I think it’s the first time I have ever seen Radar lose his temper in such an explosive way, with a ripping, growling tone that puts the fear of God into all of us.
Sierra turns her face away, refusing to engage with the death glare he throws her way, and I blanche at the irony of this. The first time his direct look at his Rema is in anger while she sulkily looks elsewhere.
“We should look around even a little. To secure the ground floor at least.” I try weakly to diffuse the sudden tension with a soothing hushed voice, dampening the sparking air around us, and Radar softens slightly. Instant submission as he regrets his outburst, I can almost taste his apology in the air. He nods and then bows my way, returning to a respectful sentinel. Knowing that he shouldn’t disregard my request.
“I’ll take three and do a sweep while you all stay here hemmed in with the rest to stay safe, Luna. You go nowhere but right here while we scope the floor.” Radar commands, and I nod, even though I’m the one who should be issuing orders. I’m already tired and uptight, and I know Colton will explode if I disobey what he told me to do. “You three… come.” Radar clicks his fingers at the wolves standing furthest out from the door and motions them to follow. Fast to do something because I think he needs some breathing space to calm down. The others split apart to let him leave, disappearing without a backward glance into the darkness. Transforming into wolf-like giant dark silhouettes in the hallway as they go silently.
As soon as they are far enough away not to hear us anymore, Sierra turns to me with a defiant gleam in her eye, determination ebbing my way. Her posture is strong and upright, and her eyes are glowing with orange fire.
“Let’s go. Radar means well, but he can’t stop us from doing this. Juan must be found and thrown to the enemy as soon as possible.” Sierra pushes past me, marching towards the door, and despite coming face to face with a wolf blocking her path, she faces them down with ferocity. Carmen freezes and turns her head to stare while Leyanne smirks and shrugs at the sudden show of psycho Sierra. I exhale loudly, my head beginning to ache, and wonder how I ended up with a mother-in-law with a sudden death wish.
“Move or suffer.” She snaps at the nearest wolf, and I know Radar made the wrong choice in selecting his three men. He left behind those who won’t stand up to a Rema or Luna, and I know I better pick a side. One word from me, and they won’t argue. They know better. I falter, seeing the anger growing in Sierra, but the witch pushes me forward, knowing I’m at a loss. Sierra is right, and my confidence is knocked from what happened in the forest. I’m hesitating because of the babies in my belly and knowing I cannot turn.
“Come on… with me. You’re safe. Maybe we can end this quickly.” Leyanne’s voice seems to entwine inside me like a warm hug, and her soft touch on my arm calms me.
I’m pushed forward to Sierra’s side, no more thought required, and the wolves move with a click of fingers. Although I know, they are immediately linking Radar to report this, so we better run.