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Garth wanted a rematch, and not only was he bringing backup, but he was bringing enough to crush them. It put her mind on high alert.
“Take a breath,” Lucas whispered to her. He patted her hand softly.
She looked at him, knowing he could tell she was nervous. He could sense everything about her since they slept together. She was grateful for it at times.
She took a stilted breath, and her eyes went around the room, taking everyone in. All the pack leaders had come to the meeting at the restaurant. The building was full of people, and she suddenly forgot what she was going to say. What could she say?
How did she tell people that if they didn’t come up with a plan, they were screwed? They would be out of a home and a living. How did you gracefully tell someone that?
She could handle tough situations. She was good at taking charge and finding a solution to a problem. She’d done it many times before. She handled the death of her father. She took charge after her uncle’s death, and yet her mind faltered now with so many different and powerful alphas in front of her. She wasn’t experienced with this kind of responsibility. What was she supposed to do? She suddenly was in over her head. Even her wolf whimpered.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Lucas spoke up, his eyes going around the room. He glanced at Lio and Lorissa, who arrived early. “This is Tao, who is back from the mainland. He will be your next alpha. You all know Eliana. And I’m Lucas, and just sticking around to help for a few more days.”
She looked at the other pack leaders, who were all waiting for wise words to be said. They all stared at her.
She hadn’t given the leaders any clue as to what the meeting was about besides it was urgent. She wanted everyone to be there so there was no incorrect meaning from one person to the next.
Looking at them now, it twisted her up inside. She knew each leader and their families. She’d grown up with their children or their grandchildren over the years.
Vinny was the other wolf pack leader. He had a daughter her age who just got married. Vinny and Uncle Phil grew up together and had a deep history.
Abulo, the leader of the bear pack, had arrived with his wife, Ullana. Despite his imposing figure, Abulo was known to be the kindest person she had ever met. His wife was no different.
Billy was the newcomer in town. He led a pack of diverse shifters who arrived on the island after the others. Despite having nowhere else to go, they seamlessly integrated with the locals as if they belonged there all along.
Each alpha brought along a right-hand person or a loved one. She knew every person in this room, and they all looked to her for guidance.
“Eliana, why are we all here?” Vinny asked, waving a hand. “You hardly gave us a reason.”
She swallowed. Lucas looked at her from the right, and Tao turned to her from her left. All eyes were on her, waiting for her to answer the question.
She was picturing all of them losing their lives and their homes. She could see them being ripped away from the land they had rested on for so long, and it ached deep inside her body.
Lucas spoke up, taking charge. “We are here because Phil’s death was not an accident. We knew this, and that man Garth who runs the golf resort, is not only after Phil. He is after the position of alpha.”
Everyone fell silent.
She wet her lips, knowing she needed to speak up. “It’s true. We thought we had the situation under control, but it seems it has only escalated. Garth is now bringing in more shifters to fight for him. He plans to force everyone off the island.”
She knew Garth wanted people to follow his orders, and no one in that room would. So, he would have two options. He would force them to leave, or he would kill them.
“Are you sure he’s the murderer?” Billy asked, his face straight. “We read it was an overdose.”
Eliana shook her head. She hated Garth for making it look like her uncle was a drug user. He had taken her uncle’s great name and dragged it through the mud. “No, my uncle didn’t use drugs. You all knew him. You spoke with him. He loved this island and the people more than life itself. He would never have done that.”
Lucas nodded next to her. “Garth paid off the police officers. That’s how deep his power runs here. This is a highly dangerous situation, and if we don’t handle this together as a group, we are all done.”
Eliana moistened her lips and gazed at her aunt, detecting a deep sorrow in her eyes. Leaving and dying were not feasible alternatives.
Abulo spoke up in his deep tone. “If he has the police paid off, what are we able to do? What is the problem with knuckling under?”
She frowned at his words. She’d never seen Abulo knuckled under pressure. He did the opposite, actually.
Lucas shook his head. “That’s not a good idea. Garth isn’t an alpha who is going to care about others’ well beings. He is going to abuse his power. And he will do so and run this island dry, and when he has nothing left, he will leave you all to die.”
Abulo went quiet. She looked at him, perplexed by his reaction.
“What are you asking of us?” Lio asked, looking at Lucas. “You’ve called us all here, so what do you want us to do?”
