Free Pack Security (Were Chronicles) by Crissy Smith

Cassie turned so she could watch Max.
    He was standing between his brother and Alpha Shawn, talking and gesturing. His tight T-shirt was stretched against his chest muscles and damn if that sight didn’t make her mouth water.
    Max glanced over at her and the heat in his eyes called to her. She licked her lips, watching as his gaze followed the motion.
    Peyton bumped her arm. “Well, let’s go join them.”
    As they made their way over, Alex declared the burgers were ready. The next several minutes consisted of everyone filling plates and grabbing new beers. The group settled at the wooden picnic table.
    Cassie was filled with love. This was what family was all about. These people had come together to figure out how to protect one another and the entire Pack.
    She sat between Max and Alex and felt one hundred percent safe. Of course, having a successful show would really prove that she had gotten her life back after the break-in. Let whoever was responsible know that they hadn’t won.
    She’d felt compelled to bring Max’s wolf to life for him. There was no way that she would let that piece of art go into the show, though. The canvas of Max’s wolf would be for Max alone.
    Even if he wasn’t able to shift into his animal, sometimes she could sense how close his wolf was to the surface. Even at a young age, she’d known that Max was different. It wasn’t until the night before that she’d really started to understand, though. She’d always taken the ability to shift for granted.
    Now she was seeing things differently.
    There was so much more to Max than what she had first considered.
    “So, I spoke with the Council and they are sending out two guards to aid us in the investigation. The leader of the Church for Humanity was arrested in Nevada, but the Council has been keeping an eye on the other locations. However, owing to a problem with one of the people, they’ve pulled out all the shifters they had under cover in the church,” Alpha Shawn told them. “Now they have to watch from the outside.”
    “What about the Coalition?” Max asked.
    Shawn shook his head. “They said we can wait. The Council has dealt with the church before and the two guys they are sending already brought one location down. Since we want to remain in secret, we won’t bring in the Coalition until we have no other choice.”
    This was great. At least it wouldn’t lead her Pack to having to reveal themselves. There were a few humans who lived around the canyon or in town, but not many. Luckily their community was mostly made up of Pack.
    “With the security measures we’ve taken here and in town, I’m confident about what we’ll be coming up against,” Alpha Shawn assured everyone.
    She felt Max’s hand on her back and leaned into his touch. She hoped they caught whoever was causing the trouble quickly.
    The others spoke more about who could be involved and why, but Cassie just listened. She finished her burger. She accepted her bottle after Alex stood and grabbed another round of beers.
    They were connecting the church with the break-in to her studio, but Cassie couldn’t really see the link. Okay, so the church didn’t like the art that featured animals since they were fighting against shifters, however there was no actual proof that her art had any association to shifters at all. It was a great chance someone from the church had to take.
    No, the culprit had to be closer to home.
    She didn’t realize that she’d spoken out loud until everyone turned to her. She flushed while ducking her head. “Sorry.”
    “No,” Max said. “We want to hear your ideas too.”
    She glanced over at their Alpha and saw him nod.
    “I just don’t see how the church could know enough about me to break in.”
    “They would have had to be watching.”
    “How?” She motioned, indicating the property. “Our land isn’t easy to get to. And if strangers were wandering around, someone would have scented them.”
    Alex and Max shared a look