Chapter 4 [ I'm calling in a favor . ] That was all the message had said . The sooner Raze Nightbringer found out what his friend meant by that , the better . Because , despite being on the visitor's side of the protective glass , Raze wanted nothing more than to get the fuck out of there . Being in this place , surrounded by guards ; bare walls ; the bleak atmosphere ; and the scents of fear , oppression , and dejection ... it all brought back memories that he didn't want to think about . Memories that had his wolf pacing with angst . A door far behind the glass opened , and a number of shifters in orange jumpsuits began to file out , each heading to their visitors . Raze straightened in his seat when a man he hadn't seen in five years came striding toward him wearing a crooked grin . ] Raze owed Talon Holt a favor - never a good thing when the guy had turned into a sociopath . [] They'd been friends since juvenile detention , where brutal guards had broken Talon's ability to feel . Now Talon was locked up again - this time for working with The Movement , a shifter group fighting anti - shifter extremists . The thing is , cops thought they'd caught the real leaders . They hadn't . Guys like Talon were just the public face , drawing attention while the true bosses stayed hidden . [ ] Now Talon was back in a cell , and Raze wondered how his damaged friend was handling being caged again . ] As Talon took the seat behind the glass and put the telephone receiver to his ear , Raze greeted him simply : " Talon . " [] The man nodded . " Been a long time . " Although they had remained in contact over the last five years , they hadn't spoken in person . " We can talk freely . My guard kindly removed the bug from this phone . " Most likely out of blind terror , thought Raze . Talon glanced around . " Brings back a lot of memories for you , doesn't it ? " Too many . " Heard you were made Beta of the Moonvale Pack . I'd say congratulations , but I'm doubting you're happy about it . " [ ] Talon was right . Raze disliked responsibilities . Why ? Because responsibilities meant being committed to something , and being committed to something meant losing freedom and choices . It was a lot to take on for someone who was particularly averse to responsibilities . He would have turned the job down if his Alpha , Nick Axton , hadn't been one of the people who watched his back in juvie . Raze owed him . He supposed he should be thankful the pack was relatively small . Many of his pack mates had commented on how well he " fit " the role , given his personality and temperament . ] Raze had been stripped of the ability to trust a long time ago . But he didn't lament it , didn't view it as a weakness . Being wary of others , reminding himself that even the people closest to him could be capable of betrayal , would ensure he was never taken off guard again . Nick was the only person in whom he'd invested any real degree of trust , but the guy had earned it . ] i Still , confiding in people wasn't Raze's style , so he stuck to the subject at hand . " I got your message . " ]] " You always pay your debts , which is why I knew getting you here wouldn't be a waste of my time . " Talon leaned forward , resting his elbows on the table . " You remember I told you my pack was slain when I was eight ? " At Raze's nod , he continued . " There were only two survivors - me and one pup ; she was just six . I took her with me to stay with my uncles in the Brook well Pack . You probably saw her when she visited me in juvie . Brown hair , huge eyes Raze remembered a pair of mesmerizing emerald eyes . Remembered his wolf's curiosity , how the animal had wanted to take a closer look . [ ] " I got word that her packs giving her a hard time , " " Hard time ? " " It turns out she was seeing some guy the Beta . " Talon didn't sound too happy about it . " Then , a few months ago bam he found his mate . The female's been making things difficult for Ava . Two nights ago , she actually accused Ava of coming at her from behind and trying to kill her . " [ ] " Did she try to kill her ? " Kaze was expecting Talon to bristle , but the guy smiled , It was strange what Talon would be offended by and what he'd find amusing . }] " Look , my Ava's a fierce little thing I should know , I taught her every combat move she knows . But she wouldn't attack from behind . That's not who she is . " ] " Did her Alpha cast her out ? " } } No. Maybe he doesn't believe the Beta female's account , or maybe it's something else . I don't know . " ] Chapter 4 " Who is her Alpha ?" " Matt Ward . " Raze knew Matt well enough , since the guy's land bordered the territory of Raze's old pack , where Nick had once been Alpha before forming the Moonvale Pack . Although Raze didn't know the Beta as well as he knew Matt , Raze had judged Zarek to be good at his position . [] " If you're right and Ava is innocent , then what's happening is a shame . But I don't see what it has to do with " It didn't have anything to do with you before , but it does now . " Talon's tone turned grave . [ ] Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!