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“When Quincy Houghton brings his army to Evergreen, we’re gonna tear from his brows the laurels he’s won. We’re gonna teach the world what happens when you violate the territory of the Evergreen pack. And when we’re done—then, we’re going to have our goddamn peace.”
At this, the response from the crowd was loudest of all. Fists were raised, chests thumped, and howls split through the air against the sound of a hundred voices, all rising in unison.
At my side, Dylan was smirking and shaking his head.
“What’s so funny?” I asked him, and he laughed.
“That last bit,” he revealed. “He was paraphrasing Napoleon.” His smirk broadened as he stared up at Xander. “Guess he listened to us after all.”
* * *
The hours following Xander’s speech were a blur. The low murmur that we had interrupted when we entered the lounge before Xander’s speech had swelled into an energetic din of voices, all clamoring to be heard. Every pack member wanted to shake Xander’s hand and offer their assistance toward the war efforts.
We hadn’t even fought a battle yet, but the pack was ready to prepare for our first.
I stayed by Xander’s side as he gave Dr. Garcia his blessing to begin training people on dressing wounds and applying emergency first aid. The idea was floated that Gena and I might be able to help. I wasn’t opposed to that idea, though I tried not to think about how, if my services as a nurse were required, it would likely be because someone we knew and loved was hurt. The Riley boys offered their hunting and butchering services, which Xander also accepted. If we were forming a militia, we’d need to feed one. Becca Reed, blushing and stuttering, offered to serve as Xander’s personal secretary, which he politely declined. When Ambrose Reed stood before Xander, he lowered himself to one knee and pulled a bowie knife, which he moved toward his own arm like he intended to slice his skin. Xander relieved him of the knife just the nick of time.
“No more blood oaths, Ambrose.” Xander passed the knife off to Kingston, then helped Ambrose back to his feet. “We’ve had enough of those. You’ll follow me because you want to, not because you’re bound to it.”
Ambrose protested but eventually relented. He had little other choice since Kingston refused to return his knife.
“Do you think it worked?” Xander asked me once the wave of eager pack members streaming toward us finally ebbed.
“Xander…” I stared up at him with confusion, then gestured to the pack. “Every one of these people is behind you on this. If you ever doubt that, just look around.”
Xander’s gaze followed the path of my hand. The lodge was still full. It bustled and swelled with life. There had been no walkouts, no protests. Even the bristle of fear and worry that had hung in the air before Xander had spoken had dissipated.
He pursed his lips, his brow furrowing as he turned his gaze back to me.
“It’s hard to look at them,” he admitted. “I feel like I’ve just sentenced them all to death.”
“I don’t think you have. The opposite, actually.” I raised my hand to his cheek, brushing my fingertips against the stubble of his beard. “You reminded them what they’re living for.”
“Mm. Maybe so.” He folded his hand over mine and pressed my fingers to his skin a little harder. “Bu when Quincy attacks… if we fail…”
“Can you just shut up and drink your own Kool-Aid for a second?” With my free hand, I slapped his other cheek gently. “Quincy wants three months to build his army. Three months is what he needs. But, Xander, your army is already here.”
He drew back slightly. “Are you saying you think we should attack first?”
“I’m saying that if you can harness this energy here tonight while Quincy is still scrambling to get his shit together…” I cast a glance over my shoulder at the crowd, where toasts were being raised to an Evergreen victory. “Maybe you can’t prevent a war. But when it starts, we’ll be ready. More ready than he is. We can be organized and collected and strong. We start off holding the high ground.”
He had a peculiar look in his eyes and stared down at me for a long while. I couldn’t tell if he thought what I had just said was the most brilliant thing he’d ever heard, or the most ridiculous.
But then his irises blazed. He pulled me to him and kissed me hard.
“The high ground,” he breathed when he broke the kiss. “You’re right. Of course you are.”
Xander turned, his hand blindly seeking mine as he scanned the crowd. When he spied Kingston and Dylan, he headed toward them, tugging me along behind him. He only paused when the path between the bodies became too narrow, and he had to turn his body to shield mine from the crush of the crowd.
We were pushed together by the others, our bodies so close our hips were touching. Xander placed his arms around me protectively and hunched over me slightly, encapsulating me. If it had begun raining inside the lodge at that moment, I wouldn’t have felt a single drop.
The pressure of the crowd decreased only a few seconds later but Xander lingered. His eyes were closed, his chest rising against me. He squeezed my hands extra tight.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For being mine.”
Then we were off again. Whatever fire I’d lit under his ass had clearly caught.
“You two. Over here,” Xander barked to Dylan and Kingston, then cocked his head for them to follow.
