I remained unfazed by them on the outside. The only alpha that was better at it than me was Cade. He had the best poker face, but all eyes were on me.
"We want Flynn back," the evil one spat, and I tightened my fist. I refused to allow anyone, Keeper or not, to disrespect me in front of the people who trusted me to lead them.
But before I could say anything, the older Keeper beside him whispered something to him and stepped forward. He was the oldest out of the five. Maybe he was the one in charge.
"Excuse Travis. His people skills aren't great," he said without any animosity, which took me a little by surprise. "We are here to ask for the return of our missing friend."
I think he lacked a lot more than just people skills—like a soul.
"Your friend was captured for killing rogues in the area," I responded, not revealing that we knew more about them than I was letting on.
"I understand your concern," he acknowledged. "My name's Harrison. We are Keepers and we are here to protect humans from rogues."
I folded my arms while I listened. Cade did the same beside me.
"So why now?" I asked. "Rogues have always been around. What's so different now?"
No one knew the answer to that. Harrison seemed to contemplate my question for a few moments before responding.
"The grouping and uprising of rogues recently is rare. It was concerning to say the least. It was the reason why we were sent to handle it."
It was starting to make sense.
"So you guys came in to clean it up," I murmured, understanding their presence in our territory. It was unbelievable that, even in death, Keri's father, Victor, could still cause us so much trouble.
"Yes," he said with a nod. Travis glared at me, but I ignored him. "We are here to minimize the number of rogues so it doesn't happen again."
"And what happens when you're done?" I asked.
"We leave."
And I wished it were that simple. My mate and what she really was wouldn't allow that to happen. Cade threw me a disbelieving look.
This would only work if Flynn didn't tell them about Crystal's existence, but I knew that wouldn't happen. There would be no releasing the Keeper and it would lead to war with them.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Travis barked, stepping forward. A couple of my fighters shifted into their werewolves and began to growl.
Stop, I warned them without looking back.Back down.I couldn't allow a mistake to lead to a premature fight with them.
Travis stopped but his eyes were fixed on someone behind me. I turned to see Dean.
"He is one of us," I told them when I turned back to face them.
"Is she here?" Travis asked, scanning my pack members. I was thankful I had told her to stay inside.
"Who?" I asked, knowing full well he was talking about Crystal.
Why was he so interested in a human girl? I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Did he somehow know what she was? But if he had known, he would have killed her already.
"The human girl." His eyes studied me for any indication of whether I was lying, but I was better than he was at this game.
"Our pack member was returned to us. We know nothing of a human girl," I lied effortlessly.
Travis' eyes narrowed. Despite the fact I lied so well, I could tell he didn't believe me.
"We are only here to request the release of the Keeper," Harrison said with determination, as he threw a look to Travis.
It was hard to determine which of them was in charge. One of the Keepers behind them stepped forward. He was tall and blond.
