She nodded solemnly but there was an amused glint in her eye. Now why did that have to charm him instead of adding fuel to his outrage?
Damn witches.
Chapter Two
Warren couldn’t fathom what Kiara had created or how she’d done it without his knowledge. He would have been furious except for the underground burrow’s purpose. It was a refuge that rehabilitated abused wolves and helped them reenter pack society.
He moved slowly down the broad stone stairwell. It had a slight curve and opened onto a large underground foyer. Couches, chairs, and lamps filled the space, all in shades of dark gray and green. The wall to his left had been constructed of smooth, light gray rocks, each at least eight-to-ten inches in size. A half-inch of mortar filled the spaces between.
The burrow ceiling was tall, at least twelve feet, the right height for shifting wolves. He’d known more than one dominance fight to end abruptly because of low ceilings and severe concussions.
He sniffed the air. It was fresh which meant Kiara had constructed her compound with strong ventilation. He caught the scent of wolves that had been exercising. “Wait. You have a running track down here?”
“On a third level. It’s part of the healing process and very necessary. So, yes. I built a track. It’s not very big though and pretty boring. I’ve seen the one at the Caldion compound. Yours is amazing. Mine is, I guess you could say, serviceable.”
He had a private track below his bedroom as well. Shifting and running were critical components to any alter wolf’s life. Kiara seemed to understand what wolves needed.
“When did you say you built all this?”
“Two-and-a-half years ago, when I connected with Ralph.”
“You know Ralph well, huh?” Ralph was a warlock who’d made a life for himself in Savage, highly unusual. He owned a shifter sex club on the Strip. Everyone knew Ralph. He was a good man who took care of his workers.
“Who doesn’t know Ralph?” Kiara said. “He might run a questionable enterprise, but he’s saved more at-risk female wolves than anyone I know.”
He waved a hand encompassing the space. “And you bring the women here. In secret.”
“I do.”
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, he tried to process what he was seeing. “But the wolves don’t stay here long, do they?” His wolf nose caught at least a dozen different scents, all of them female. If he understood Kiara, she’d been rescuing wolves for years.
“The average stay is only two months, then they’re moved to safe houses in different territories, all in good neighborhoods. In time, they’re ready to assimilate back int
o Savage. But I don’t run a charity. Everyone works and pitches in. It’s a slow process to get my rescues ready for normal life again.”
He turned all this over in his mind. “Ralph has sent me several wolves over the past two years. Are you saying these wolves came here first?”
“Yes. That’s the process. Ralph was always the perfect liaison. He knows the gossip on The Strip before anyone else does. His mate, Susie, is equally well-informed. The women confide in her so she’s aware of the abuse that’s going on in the various clubs and who’s at risk. The system works. They call me, then take the women to a random location that we’ve agreed on. Once a time is set, I pick them up and bring them here.”
“I had no idea. None. I thought I knew everything that went on in Savage.” Warren ran prospective wolves through a battery of tests before they joined Caldion. Wolves that came out of sex clubs couldn’t always adapt to pack life. But Ralph’s could. Warren had somehow supposed Ralph had taken pains to get them help before he sent them over. Looks like he did.
He shifted his gaze back to hers. “No one knows about this, do they, except Roberts?”
She shook her head slowly. “It was the only way to ensure I could keep the women safe. If the refuge ever becomes known, I’ll have to shift strategies on how it’s used, though I prefer it this way.”
“But Ralph knows?”
“Not the location, or even to what kind of facility I take the women. Only that I get them out of harm’s way. He and Susie didn’t want to know the specifics and with good reason.”
His nose caught the scent of Mexican food and his stomach rumbled. “Sorry.”
She chuckled. “Don’t apologize. I need to eat, too.” She lifted her nose as well. “It smells like something spicy. I have the best cook here. She was a chef in her former human life and got kidnapped into a sex club shortly after turning wolf. The woman is amazing. When Ralph sent her here and she prepared her first meal, I had to keep her on. Fortunately, she was willing to stay.”
He checked his internal clock. “It seems late to have the kitchen lit up.”
“She does this for me when she knows I’m in the field. She always has a pot on the back burner for me and for anyone else I might bring home at a late hour. Come on. I’ll give you a quick tour ending in the dining room.”
As soon as he started across the floor, he dropped his gaze. The flooring wasn’t made of the usual stuff. “What am I walking on?” He felt connected to the material, which didn’t make sense, but his wolf loved it.