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“That old man would have packed your bags for you,” Dad said when he took a breath. “Just to get rid of us.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me, too, releasing at least some of the tension we were holding. It wasn’t funny, not really, but sometimes it felt like such a relief to be able to laugh.
“They wouldn’t have been good in this situation,” I said.
“Okay, having the pack on our side has been nice,” Mam admitted. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”
Dad teased her relentlessly until I started yawning.
“All right, that’s enough messing,” Mam said. “Up to bed, both of you. We need a decent sleep to face the day.”
I was too tired to protest. Eli didn’t visit my dreams anymore that night. I slept well, grateful that we ended up in the same place at the same time as Dorian and his family.
CHAPTER12
Dorian
As soon asthe Hardings left, Byron called a meeting between a small group of pack members. Although I expected to be sent away with Victor, I lingered.
“Dorian should be there, too,” Nathan told the alpha.
Byron looked at me then sighed. “I suppose that’ll save him getting into trouble somewhere else. Come on, boy.”
Grinning, I followed Byron and Nathan to the alpha’s house. Amelia, Ryan, Cecilia, Jorge, and a couple of others joined us there.
“That harbinger threatened the entire town, not just us,” Byron began, jumping straight into the main issue as he paced in front of the room. “This is our home, our territory. We can’t allow anyone to be harmed or accosted. If the locals are at risk, then our lives here are at risk, too.” He took a seat. “Thoughts?”
“We can’t protect everyone,” Cecilia said from a chair in the corner. She had been different since Dominic’s death, less brave and more unsure of herself, but the fact that Byron had invited her to the meeting said he still had confidence in her. “The townies won’t see it as protection either. They hate us, despite everything. If we invade their space, show our faces too much, they won’t be happy. We have to be careful.”
“Our reputation is pretty good right now,” Nathan countered. “Helping with the community centre problem smoothed over a lot of bad blood, and the teens are doing much better now.”
“I’m not particularly interested in our reputation right now.” Byron repeatedly tapped the arm of his chair, the only outward sign of his agitation. “Safety is more important. We can’t be afraid to get in anyone’s way for fear of offending somebody. It’ll be worse for all of us if innocent people get hurt.”
“We aren’t the cause of this though,” Cecilia said. “This isn’t our responsibility. We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Neither has Margo,” I said as smartly as I dared.
Cecilia acted as though I hadn’t spoken. “We shouldn’t have to go through any of this. I’m sorry, but if it’s one girl versus an entire town, then we all know what the most efficient answer is to this problem.”
“I don’t agree,” Jorge said without hesitation, which I loved him for. “We can send away any of our pack members who don’t want to take risks, but we can’t sacrifice a kid to save ourselves. I’ll stay here and protect that girl until the end.”
“You’re saying that because of Pavel,” Cecilia said in a dismissive tone.
“I admit I owe her,” Jorge said. “My brother hurt her, so I feel responsible, but—”
“If it wasn’t for her, your family would be here, with you,” Cecilia pushed. “She’s already caused so many problems.”
Jorge’s expression tightened. “My brother made his own choices. So did my family. So did I. So did you that night when you also chose to stand between her and my brother. Even if that had never happened, it wouldn’t sit right with me to let her go with those people. I don’t think it would be easy for you to live with that decision either. There’s something disturbing in that man’s soul.”
“I agree,” Ryan said in his quiet, even voice. “We’ve learned the hard way what can happen when well-meaning people stand aside and do nothing.”
Inside, I was punching the air. The meeting was going better than I expected.
“I’m not saying I want anything bad to happen to her. She’s a good kid,” Cecilia said. “I’m saying we should explore our options. Those harbingers give me the heebie-jeebies.” She shivered. “Ireallydon’t like the cold.”
“We’re circling,” Byron said. “Let’s get back on track. What do we know?”
“They headed straight for the airport,” Ryan said. “Whether they leave the country is another thing, but that man will be back, no matter what. He knew his intentions before he arrived, and he was happy that we said no. The whole time they were here, he kept looking at Margo.”
