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Garren’s on his feet, making his way past the Dark Hunters and toward the front of the van. He holds out his hand, and with a start, I realize that he’s expecting me to give him the phone.
“It’s Gavin,” Garren says when I don’t react right away. “It’s for me.”
I want to point out that he’s called my number and not his, but then I remember that the pack members have been asked to leave their personal belongings behind and only take the military-issued phones, guns, and knives.
With a sigh, I pass my phone to Garren, who gestures with his head for my second Beta, Sarah, to move aside so he can take her seat. Same as I was, Garren is also aware that thanks to the wolves’ heightened hearing, his conversation is the opposite of private.
“Gavin,” Garren greets his brother. “Glad to hear that your wife let you out to play.”
“Only after I promised her that I’ll kick you in the Claw,” Gavin replies with ease. While I have no idea what he’s referring to, Garren’s face contorts with phantom pain, and he subconsciously rubs his crotch as if to make sure everything is still there.
“What’s the word, Brother?” Garren asks, his voice turning serious as playtime comes to an end.
“I have to admit that Graham is a lot more skilled with his tech stuff than any of us ever gave him credit for,” Gavin says, not bothering to hide the admiration in his voice. “He called me and started talking about how he ran some algorithms or whatever the name is. He said that he cross-referenced it with profiles of known witches and their associates, ran the whole thing through our and Russian satellites, and—“
“Just get to the damn point,” Garren interrupts, his patience running thin. I’m glad he did it because I also didn’t understand much about what Gavin’s been talking about.
“Long story short,” Gavin says pointedly, “Graham confirmed that as of five minutes ago, the witches were still at the target location.”
Garren looks up, his eyes meeting mine. We both understand the value of this information and what it means for us.
“We’ll be there in fifteen,” Garren replies, then hangs up the phone.
“Alright everybody,” I say, raising my voice ever so slightly to get my pack’s attention. “No need to pretend that you haven’t heard the conversation. Shit’s getting real, so you better bring your top game.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the Dark Hunters say as one.
Garren leans forward to give me my phone and when I take it from him, our fingers make contact, the small touch conveying a vastness of unspoken words and emotions. Maybe one day, we will have time to tell them all, but for now, we have to rely on the bond to transmit the intensity and importance of what we are to each other.
I send a quick message to my sister, making sure that the Lightbringers keep their guard up from the moment we arrive at the meeting spot. While we’ll still be several blocks away from the target location, we can’t be sure that the witches don’t have eyes and ears in a wider radius. Hekate seems too smart to be underestimated.
“Five minutes away,” Blaine says with a voice that’s barely louder than the thrum of the engine.
The van is wrapped in silence as every wolf takes a moment to reflect on the size of the mission and just how vital its success is for the good of the future of our species.
I take a deep breath to control my nerves and turn off the emotions as best as I can. My wolf helps, putting our guard up and building some mental barriers that haven’t proved useful in a direct fight against witches, but if by some coincidence manages to buy me one extra second, it could prove to be the time that means the difference between life and death.
This is for Tom and Esme, my wolf says, remembering our fallen and injured members.
For Tom and Esme, I echo, then proceed to say a silent prayer to Fenrir to stand by our side as we dare enter these dangerous waters to protect and serve wolves that aren’t as strong and capable as us.
Blaine drives behind the agreed human apartment building and parks on the spot next to two other vans. Gavin and the Lafayette pack are already here. Malia’s Lightbringers park on our left, her Beta turning off the van moments before we all exit the vans.
Same as all of us, Gavin and the members of the two packs accompanying him are decked out in all black, which counts from standard-issued military cargo pants to black ski masks to keep our faces concealed from stray cameras.
“This is Joseph Jenkins, Alpha of the Lafayette pack,” Gavin introduces the man by his side.
I wave my sister to come closer. Her wide brown eyes are already glued on Gavin, but instead of appearing like a girl with a silly crush, she’s looking at him with admiration and respect.
“Malia Hunt,” she introduces herself and even slightly bows her head even though we made it clear that we’re leaving royal etiquette out of the mission. “Alpha of the Lightbringers and if you don’t mind me saying, a great admirer of the work you and the Pack of Shadows have done throughout your years of service.”
“Thank you,” Gavin says at the same time as Garren groans.
“What?” he asks innocently when all our eyes turn his way. “Try living with that all your life. Gavin this, Gavin that. Gavin, Gavin, Gavin.”
Gavin chuckles and pats his brother’s back. “Good to know that some things didn’t change.”
Garren smiles, the sincerity behind it making it clear that while he did just make a little scene right now, he doesn’t mind his brother getting the attention. The surprise on Gavin’s face confirms that this is a new and quite mature development that Garren is displaying.
