Free Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld) by Lisa Kessler Page A

before the door opened.
    “Come in, Dad.” Jason stood up, pushing his stool back
    Wyatt Ayers came through the door with a puzzled expression, but it faded into a grin as he gave his son a tight hug before turning my way.
    Jason’s father had a hard edge to him. Outsiders gave him a wide berth, but I was Pack, family, and Wyatt had taken me under his wing. Since being taken in by the Pack, I’d learned that Malcolm, Adam’s father, had been killed in the firefight against Nero at Lake Tahoe almost a year ago. Now Wyatt and Nick were the only remaining male elders in the Pack.
    As Malcolm’s eldest son, Adam ascended to Alpha, but Wyatt and Nick were right there to back him up, offering advice and encouragement when he needed it. I didn’t know Nick as well as Wyatt. Since Jason and I had dated a few times before I was bitten, I’d met Wyatt first.
    It didn’t hurt that he gave amazing dad hugs. If I wasn’t always so busy helping with Adam’s little twins, I’d probably try to spend more time with Wyatt. I hadn’t had a father figure since I was a little girl, and being in his embrace made me believe nothing in the world could touch me.
    Wyatt wrapped me in his arms and lifted me free from the examination table, placing my feet on the floor. My wolf didn’t seem to recognize his touch as a threat. In fact, since Gareth walked out, this was the most relaxed she’d been. I drank in the comfort of his hug and smiled as he released me.
    “Nice surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He glanced at his son. “You told me to meet you for dinner. Has the plan changed?”
    Jason shook his head. “No, I was just checking Nadya’s vitals.”
    Wyatt took a slow breath, frowning. “You and who else?”
    He must’ve caught Granger’s scent. Jason met my eyes. No one in the Pack could know about the researcher from Nero. I piped up. “There was a pharmaceutical vendor restocking late so we had to wait for him to leave.”
    Jason nodded, his relief brushing over my skin. Hopefully his dad would be more likely to accept a lie from me than his son. “He left just before you got here.”
    Wyatt sat down. He looked between us and raised a brow. Maybe I wasn’t such a good liar after all.
    “So Dr. Granger is selling pharmaceuticals now?”
    I tried to keep my jaw off the floor. Thankfully Jason spoke up.
    “You know Dr. Granger?”
    Wyatt nodded. “That bastard was fresh out of college last time I saw him, but I’d never forget that smug face.” His gaze grew distant as he focused on the exam table. “We were young and thought we were invincible. Malcolm convinced all of us we could serve our country, and then the military loaned our unit to a company named Nero. You know this story.” He sat back in his chair, shifting his attention to Jason. “We’re not people to that man. You can’t trust him, son.”
    “I don’t trust him, but he’s our only chance to help Nadya.”
    “And what’s in it for him?”
    “Nadya is the first person bitten by one of their mutated squad that lived.” Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “They’re hungry for the data and blood samples. She’s no good to them dead.”
    Wyatt pressed his lips together and looked up at his son from under his strong brow. “You sure about that? Willing to bet her life on it?”
    “I made the decision, Wyatt.” I sighed. “This isn’t Jason’s fault.”
    He shifted his gaze toward me. “But my son should know better. Bringing Nero into Reno is too risky.”
    “It’s one researcher, Dad. He knows we could kill him before he heard us coming. I’m keeping the Pack out of this. Adam doesn’t know, and I intend to keep it that way. Once Dr. Granger has a serum that works, we’ll get him out of Reno for good. He can take all his research data back with him and Nadya avoids Fonthill’s fate. It’s a win-win.”
    “Only if her life is as valuable to him as it is to you, and I can tell you from experience Nero doesn’t value