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“I’ll try to figure something out.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Did Vira tell them about Margo, do you think? Or did we alert them to our pack by reaching out to them in the first place?”
“Either way, they’ve tracked us down, so we have to deal with them,” Nathan said. “But we can’t fight them here. It will draw too much attention to us. How would we even fight them? As wolves? We can’t do that out in the open.”
“Vira said she’d be back for an answer,” Ryan said. “That doesn’t mean there has to be a fight.”
Vira’s defeated look made me sure things wouldn’t end on an easy note.
“We have a month to consider our options.” Byron sighed. “The Hardings need to know what happened. Ryan, follow Vira’s scent and see where it takes you. Amelia, see if you can come up with some added protective measures that might ward off the harbingers. Nathan, come with me to the Hardings.” Byron sighed. “There’s a lot to do.”
Ryan immediately set off. He was a great tracker. He’d have no problem following Vira.
“What about me?” I asked.
“Come with us to see the Hardings, too. They trust you.”
“Uncle,” Amelia said hesitantly. “She wasn’t like Margo. I don’t know what I’m up against. I’m not sure if—”
“Try your best,” he said in a reassuring tone. “You can do it.”
“She’s similar to Margo,” I said. “Colder, somehow, but still similar.”
“We don’t know if Margo’s power is like theirs. Vira was never forthcoming, never made that much sense. Why do they want Margo? Do they know something we don’t?” Amelia’s frown deepened. “What if they think they can turn her into a weapon they can wield against us?”
“Vira spoke as though they would control Margo,” I recalled. “Maybe Vira’s being controlled.”
“We only know for sure that Margo gets hurt when she stops death,” Amelia said. “What if causing death did the opposite? Fuelled her, gave her power. Anything is possible now.”
I shivered at the thought.
“Let’s not test that theory,” Byron said grimly. “Let’s hope Vira maintains contact and gives us more information.”
But Vira had behaved as though she had completely given up. Despite acting in ways that conflicted with her words sometimes, she had ultimately done her best to keep Margo away from her people. Why had she suddenly shown up to make sure we gave her back? How did that make sense? What had her people done to her to change her so thoroughly? The thought of the same thing happening to Margo disturbed me.
As though he knew what I was thinking, Byron reached out to squeeze my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Nothing will happen to Margo. If the harbingers think to attack, they’ll have to split their defences. If it comes to that, we’ll be here, protecting Margo, while my son attacks their compound. The harbingers must realise this. They won’t be foolish. Things will work themselves out.”
But my stomach turned over. It already felt as though we were preparing for war. I exchanged a worried glance with Nathan. Whatever he had been preparing himself for all this time, it certainly couldn’t have been this.
CHAPTER3
Margo
Dorian’s textwarning me of his imminent arrival had me pacing in front of the windows. A jeep soon pulled up outside. My stomach sank to see both Byron and Nathan get out of the vehicle with Dorian. They didn’t visit us unless something was wrong.
And yet, a sense of security surrounded me when they stepped through our front gate. As long as they were on our side, things would be okay. When had I started relying on them so much? I hurried to greet them, eager to hear what was going on.
“Mam, Dad!” I shouted as I ran downstairs. “The alpha’s here.”
Mam was first to the door, wearing a familiar pinched look again. While my fascination with the pack kept growing, she seemed more distrustful of them by the day. Dad nudged me reassuringly as she opened the door to greet our visitors.
“We need to talk,” Byron said in his usual low, steady tone. “Can we come in?”
Mam hesitated, so Dad gently manoeuvred her out of the way. “Of course,” he said warmly. “Come into the kitchen. I’ll put the kettle on.” He led Mam inside.
Byron and Nathan passed me by, alike in the way they held themselves. Nathan shot me a sympathetic glance that sent my stomach tumbling over. Something big. Something bad.
I caught hold of Dorian’s hand as he shut the front door behind him, giving him a questioning look.
“Harbingers,” he mouthed, squeezing my hand without letting go.
