“How is it my fault?”
Daryl frowned and whispered, “That’s Davies and Sharp.” Both from Jenn’s unit, and both from the old Primrose Hill pack.
They carried on arguing, voices getting louder. “Because you had to mouth off in front of the fucking alpha council and now we’ve got to go on a stupid pack-bonding thing,” the first one hissed.
“Who knows what bollocks we’ll end up doing.”
A car door slammed further down, and Daryl tensed when he saw who’d got out.
Nathan and Luke.
From Rachel’s unit.
“Fuck,” he muttered. The last thing they needed was these lot kicking off in the middle of the street. Especially with Rachel away.
Cam was already marching towards them, so Daryl hurried to catch up.
It was obvious the minute Davies and Sharp noticed Nathan, now Daryl had a good view of them all.
“Well, look who it is.” Sharp pointed a finger at Nathan. “Rumour has it you suggested that both Rachel and Jenn’s units go on this fucking thing.”
Nathan eyed them both for a second, shoulders remaining relaxed, then he shrugged. “Seemed like the obvious thing to do, since apparently you’ve got an issue with us.” Luke stood beside him, looking far warier than Nathan.
“Of course we’ve got a fucking issue with you.” Davies huffed out a laugh, the sound harsh in the stillness of the morning. “Do you really think a few games in a forest are going to sort out our differences?” He took a step towards Nathan, but Cam’s voice cut through the air, stopping everyone in their tracks.
“That’s my hope, yes, Mr Davies.”
Nathan didn’t so much as flinch—obviously having sensed Cam approach—but Davies and Sharp looked terrified for a second.
“I realise this isn’t something that you’re looking forward to,” Cam continued, voice even as though he was discussing the weather. “But I’m afraid the actions of certain members of your unit have left me with little choice in the matter.”
Wisely everyone kept quiet this time.
“Now, if you’ve finished, I assume you all have places to be?”
A couple of nods and a round of “Yes, Alpha,” and the four of them went on their way—Luke and Nathan to the building next door and Davies and Sharp down the street towards the shops.
Cam pulled out his phone, typing out a text as he spoke. “Beta meeting in an hour.”
ONCE INSIDE Cam’s flat, Daryl grabbed one of the armchairs and settled into it with a sigh.
The scene from earlier replayed in his head. Davies really was a dick.
“Daryl?” Cam’s gentle voice startled him out of his thoughts. “You with us?”
“Yeah, sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair—longer since he’d allowed it to grow out for the first time in months—and sat up straighter. “Carry on.”
Cam leant against the wall next to the fireplace. “As most of you are aware, Alpha Cornell is the council member in charge of organising the pack-bonding exercises. She has a wealth of experience to draw on when tailoring activities to specific pack needs, and I trust her recommendations without question.” He paused and made eye contact with his betas. “Which is why, at her suggestion, I’m going to keep the specifics of the tasks and activities on a need-to-know basis.”
A few murmurs sounded around the room. Daryl wasn’t too surprised, but judging by the looks on some of the others’ faces, they were. He wondered if Rachel already knew this and how she felt about it. If it was Daryl’s unit involved, he’d want to know everything they were heading into. Going in blind would piss him right the fuck off.
Thankfully, it wasn’t him going.
But as beta to one of the units involved, Jenn was, and she looked less than certain about the whole thing.
“The activities are all safe, though. Right?” Jenn laughed, but Daryl heard the nervous edge to it.
“I know we all heal, but . . .” She shrugged and looked at Cam expectantly. When Cam didn’t answer straight away, Jenn bit her lip. “Cam?”
