“I agree, which is why we’ll do our best to keep things calm.”
That was Chance telling Seth to keep his mouth shut.He could do that.
Probably.
The problem was that he was even angrier by the time they reached town and parked the car.He’d been thinking about the coven and everything they’d done, and he hated every part of it.They’d attacked a dragon clan that hadn’t done anything to them.Hell, the dragons hadn’t even known the coven existed.The mages had destroyed the clan, killed numerous people, and didn’t feel any regret.The leaders had ordered their people to hurt others and hadn’t thought twice about their safety.People like Ryan and his sister had lost loved ones.Ryan’s niece had lost herfatherand would never know him.
It wasn’t fair.
But Seth had to be careful because if he wasn’t, he might start a war, which wasn’t why he was here.He was here to protect Chance, and that was what he’d do.He wouldn’t give James the satisfaction of knowing he’d been right about him.He might be impulsive, but he wasn’t an idiot.
They climbed out of the car, and Seth looked around.Thankfully, it was the middle of the day, so the playground wasn’t full.Most of the kids were no doubt in school.There were a few people walking their dogs, but they didn’t linger.
“What now?”he asked.
“I believe they’re already here,” Chance said softly.
Sure enough, a small group of people stood by the entrance of the park.A man and two women were huddled together, talking.The man looked angry, while the women appeared annoyed more than anything.There were two other people close by, and the way they stood told Seth they were guards.
He was glad he’d insisted on coming.They were outnumbered, and it would’ve been worse if Chance had only come with James.
Chance looked like he was taking a stroll in the park—which he was, actually—as he walked toward the mages.The man looked up and scowled, then said something to the women, who turned to face Chance.
James and Seth stayed just behind Chance.They were close enough for them to hear the conversation.
“Thanks for coming,” Chance said, inclining his head.“My name is Chance.I’m the alpha of the local pack.”
The man’s scowl deepened.Sethreallywanted to slap him.
“I’m Maureen,” one of the women said.Her blonde hair was tied back away from her face, and she was looking at Chance as if he were shit at the bottom of her shoes.She didn’t offer him her hand to shake.None of them did.
“Eldora,” the second woman said.“And this is Raymond.”
Chance didn’t introduce James and Seth, for which Seth was grateful.He didn’t want these people to know his name.He didn’t want these people to know anything about him.They weren’t here to make friends but to ensure that more people wouldn’t die, but Seth was pretty sure that if these people had their way, the meeting would turn into a bloodbath.
* * * *
RYAN GRABBED THE TWOgrocery bags and nodded at the woman behind the till.She nodded back before turning to the next customer, and Ryan headed out, relieved to be able to leave the grocery store.He didn’t like being away from home.
He knew it was fear speaking.The problem was that there was nothing he could do to get over it.Only time would convince him that his family was safe, even when he wasn’t with them.They were deep in pack territory and had no plans of leaving it.That meant that the coven leaders couldn’t get to them.
Hopefully.
Unfortunately, Ryan knew the three well.They wouldn’t hesitate to attack the pack if it was in any way feasible.They’d kill dozens of people to obtain what they wanted.
And what they wanted right now was Chance and his people dead.
It wasn’t even a guess.Ryan was sure that was their plan.He didn’t know why they hadn’t put it into play yet, but it probably had to do with the fact that they’d lost a lot of mages.They didn’t have as many people doing their bidding as before, so they needed to regroup.Ryan had no doubt they would attack eventually, though, which meant the pack needed to be prepared.
Luckily, Chance knew what he was doing as an alpha.He had people training to protect him and the rest of the pack, including mages who kept up spells on the area to protect it.Ryan hadn’t offered to help with that yet, but he’d been thinking about it.He didn’t want anyone to die, and he was willing to do anything to protect his family.Besides, he’d been forced to use his magic in ways that made him want to throw up.Maybe now, he could use it for good, like protecting people.
He opened the trunk of the car he’d used to come to town, dropped the bags inside, and slammed it shut.He stepped toward the front of the car to climb in and drive back, but movement caught his eye.He glanced in the direction of the park, briefly wondering if Seth would enjoy coming here to shift next time, only to freeze.
What the fuck were the coven leaders doing there?
That was an easy question to answer.They were talking to Chance, who looked like he had nothing to worry about, even though he was facing three powerful mages.The leaders weren’t alone.Two mages hovered behind them, ready to intervene if one of them said or did anything that warranted it.
And what the fuck was Seth doing there, standing next to James?He wasn’t a guard.He had no reason to be there, staring a hole in Raymond’s forehead.
