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“I know you can,” I reply, squeezing his bicep. “I mean—you’re huge, Iknowyou can protect us. But until we take care of the Gulf Pack, we need to make sure we’re not defenseless. Can you teach us?”
He nods. “Anything, Peach.”
“It’s a good idea,” Will pipes up. “This is the second time in six months that the pack has been threatened, and in this world…well, we all have to adapt.”
“Agreed,” Javi says.
“Which leads to my last question,” Reyes says. He leans forward and clasps his hands, looking Javi in the eye. “How exactly did you get past our perimeter fence and patrols without being detected?”
He exchanges a look with Boyd and is about to open his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. “Wolfsbane—isn’t that right?”
He nods, though he shows the hesitancy of a man protecting his trade secret. “Yeah…we’ve skirted around plenty of lycan that way. It dulls your instincts and makes it harder to shift, but it also masks your scent. Other lycan can’t sense you when you’re on it.”
“It’s how we spent three whole days together before we figured out we were fated,” I say. “The stuff is strong.”
“Where do you get it?” Will asks.
“There’s a ‘borg in New Orleans who grows all kinds of things in the old French Quarter,” Boyd says. “We’ve got a line with her and we make regular supply runs there. Don’t know if she’d appreciate us spilling the beans, but…I feel bad enough about this whole mess that I don’t mind sharing her secrets.”
“What’s her name?” Reyes asks.
“Delphine Thibodeaux,” Javi replies. “Runs a place called the Creole Cauldron, it’s—”
He stops when Will blows out a breath.
“You know it?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Will shakes his head. “Been a long time, but yeah…I know Delphine.”
“So we have an in,” Tilda says, looking over at him.
“I wouldn’t describe it that way, but sure,” Will shrugs.
“And it’s high time we formed a relationship with the New Orleans pack anyway, right?” Reyes says. “Guess we’d better prepare for a road trip.”
“I can be your tour guide,” Boyd says. “Headed that way anyway—if you don’t mind making that road trip a cruise.”
The others nod in agreement. I look over at Javi and see him deep in concentration, his hand still on my knee. Through the bond, I can tell exactly what he’s feeling—that our sense of relief was misplaced and that our problems are just beginning.
I squeeze his hand and think about our son or daughter.
His tension eases.
“Peaches, I want you to stay here and lead the charge to get everyone trained in self-defense,” Tilda says. “I’ll be going with the others and we’ll recruit a few more wolves for the journey. And then…well, after we’ve secured an alliance with the New Orleans pack, we’ll figure out a plan.”
I nod. “I’ll get everyone prepared for the worst,” I say. “It’s good to be prepared.”
“And Javi?” Reyes locks eyes with him. “I trust that you’ll prioritize protecting our pack from now on. I’m putting my trust in you based on Peaches’ word. Don’t squander it.”
A warning—and probably one that’s deserved, given how this whole thing started out. Javi takes it to heart, though, and doesn’t seem to be offended.
“I’ll fight tooth and nail for our pack,” he says. “You have my word.”
Reyes looks around at the others. “Alright, then. Pack your things. We’ll give it until after the full moon, and then…we go to New Orleans.”
The others stand up and we join them. Arden walks off talking to Will, while Boyd grabs another pancake and drowns it in syrup. I’m about to take Javi back to our room when Reyes stops us, his hand on Javi’s shoulder.
“It’s good to have you in the pack, Javi,” he says. “Welcome.”
