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“I mean, make them put their money where their mouth is, kiddo. Take them down a few pegs or turn them out. Kick them out of the pack if necessary.”
“Really?” I asked, eyebrows raised. “That severe? And when things are so fraught with the other pack?”
“I know it sounds harsh, but if you let it get out of hand, you’re going to lose way more than one member,” Gramps said. “You can’t afford a weak link, especially when it comes to an incoming war with a pack ready to be as brutal as they need to me.”
I nodded, though the suggestion still didn’t sit well with me. It just wasn’t like me to be so exacting. Now that I was thinking about it, the last time I’d done anything so rash was when I’d ended things with Marley because of the incident at the library—a choice I’d had to walk back and was still paying the price for when it came to her trust in me.
And besides, while I trusted my grandfather’s wisdom to a certain degree when it came to leadership, there were also plenty of cautionary tales to take from his experiences. After all, it was his former strictness that had alienated my parents from him in the first place, resulting in my upbringing being mostly devoid of his presence.
I didn’t want to create an environment that my beautiful, sensitive son couldn’t thrive in. I didn’t want to make a hierarchy that couldn’t act as supportive scaffolding for my wife as she continued to build her strength and courage.
Still, the man was going through enough. He didn’t need an argument right now. Instead, he needed to feel like he still was a source of sage wisdom for me, even if I wasn’t going to absorb that particular lesson.
“Alright,” I said finally. “I’ll take it into consideration. For now, I think things are being handled alright.”
He seemed pleased enough with that answer, or at least took my subtle hint that I wasn’t really in a place where I was looking to commit to implementing any particular advice.
“How are you doing?” I finally asked. “With being unable to shift?”
“You want the publicity answer or the real one?” he asked dryly.
“The real one, of course,” I said. “You don’t have to hide things from me.”
“It’s been hell,” he said, staring at the fire again. “I’ve never felt so out of my element, so disconnected from who I really am. It’s like...I don’t know, like waking up one day and finding out you don’t remember how to read or write. Something that’s felt so natural for so long is suddenly gone.”
“I can only imagine,” I said sympathetically. “I’m sorry it happened to you while you were trying to help me and my family.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “None of this matters if I can’t help my family. I only wish I’d brought more people with me. I think we both fell victim to our own arrogance about lycanphobic organizations. It was a wake-up call I greatly needed. I’ll never take them so lightly again.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I don’t think I ever will again, either.”
“Daddy?” a voice came from behind us.
I turned around, finding Noah standing in the kitchen doorway with his blanket in his arm along with a stuffed animal Marley had gotten him.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, “What are you doing out of bed? You having a hard time sleeping?”
He nodded, pouting a little. “I miss Momma.”
“Yeah?” I said with a smile. “Me too, kiddo. Why don’t you come over here, and we’ll give her a call to say goodnight?”
Noah smiled and ran over with all the gusto of an excited five-year-old. He climbed into my lap and snuggled into me while I took my phone out of my pocket. I dialed up Marley again and put the phone on speaker.
For a while, I wasn’t sure if she would answer, but she finally did on the very last ring.
“H-hey,” she said a little breathlessly.
My brow furrowed as I paused. “Hey. You alright, sweetheart? You sound stressed out.”
“Yeah, I’m alright,” she said quickly. “Sorry, it’s just been a busy night.”
“It sounds surprisingly quiet. Where are you? Do you need help? I could call Farah.”
“I’m fine—I just ran outside so I could take the call,” she said. “I was across the room, and it’s really cold. Everything okay with you? Why are you calling?”
“Oh, we’re good here,” I said. “Noah was just missing his momma, so I told him we could give you a call. You have a few minutes?”
“Of course!” she said warmly. “Am I on speaker?”
