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Smart man.
As Tris, Avery, and Lo introduce themselves, Sloane pulls me aside, delivering a sharp jab to my bicep. “I was trying to tell you something was off,” she hisses, glaring daggers at me. “Maybe try fucking listening to me next time. What if you’d given the order to shoot?!”
“Then I guess we wouldn’t have to take this to the council,” I grumble.
“Think I can come to this council, plead my case?” Javi pipes up, and I turn back toward him, irritated by his eavesdropping.
Damn shifter hearing.
“This is as far as you go, for now,” I say, giving him a hard look. “We’ll get your number and let you know what the council decides.”
The metallic shimmer of his wolf flares in his irises, betraying his agitation, but he gives me a friendly smile nonetheless. “I understand. I appreciate your consideration.”
Sloane’s hand slips into mine, giving it a little squeeze, and my own wolf settles in my chest. I glance down at her, but I can’t quite read the expression on her face. She’s staring at Javi in contemplation, like she sees something we don’t.
It’s enough to put me on edge, so I’m quick to wrap things up, taking Javi’s number and sending him on his way. As soon as he gets in his truck and pulls out, I turn to Sloane, arching a brow in question.
“What is it?”
She gives a little shake of her head, chewing on her lower lip. “I’m not sure,” she says softly, though I can see her wheels turning. “Can you bring me to Riverton? I think I need to talk to my mom.”
34
The ride to the Riverton packhouse is tense as we discuss the curveball we’ve been thrown and what to do about it.
Madd sees any outsider as a danger and is therefore resistant to the idea of another pack setting foot in our territory.
Avery is wary, but she’s open to the prospect of welcoming newcomers into the fold, so long as they’re fully vetted first.
Lo keeps listing off pros and cons, looking at this whole thing from an analytical standpoint like it’s a math equation she can find a clear solution to.
I’m freaked out, but it isn’t about the idea of this pack joining our alliance, per se. It’s about thefeelingI had when I got near Javi and looked into his eyes. It was reminiscent of something I felt weeks ago, and the reminder of it connected dots in my brain that I previously hadn’t, sending my mind into a tailspin. And if there’s anyone who can help me make sense of what it could mean, it’s my mom.
“The council is meeting us in Riverton,” Avery mumbles, furiously typing away on her cell phone. “Iver already messaged everyone and they’re on their way.”
“Doubt this is the meeting they were expecting to have today,” Lo muses. She’s focused on her laptop, scouring the internet for anything she can find about Javier Cruz.
Madd’s gaze flickers up to glance at her in the rearview mirror. “What’ve you got, Lo?”
She huffs a sigh, pressing the lid of her laptop closed. “Nothing yet, but that’s not a huge surprise. Most shifters keep a low profile nowadays, and the last name Cruz is super common. I’ll do a deeper search when I get back to the hub and see what I can turn up.”
Madd grunts, obviously dissatisfied with that answer. Though it’s just more ammunition for him to use in his argument against providing asylum to this pack. I get why he’s apprehensive, but part of me wonders if this is just Madd being a dick because Javi checked me out.
Yeah, I didn’t miss the way he staked his claim over me like a caveman in response.
I throw up a hand to brace myself against the roll bar as Madd whips his Jeep around the corner like a maniac, turning off the main road to head into my home territory of Riverton. Though this isn’t an emergency situation, there’s still a sense of urgency in getting everyone together to debrief and figure out how to proceed. Hence the crazy driving.
And with the council getting together, putting half a dozen alpha males in one room to voice their opinions, I can only imagine how the discussion is going to go.
This whole thing is a little bit scary since it’s uncharted territory for us. The alliance first came together over thirty years ago, and it’s always been just the original six packs residing here, sharing the sub-divided land and pooling resources. We have an alliance with my uncle’s pack in Denver too, but they’re across the state. The thought of actually inviting another pack to join so close to home is intimidating.
And there’s something about thatfeelingI got from Javi, something I can’t shake.
I don’t even realize that I’m holding my breath until we pull into the driveway in front of the packhouse, the air whooshing from my lungs on a heavy exhale. Avery and Lo immediately unfasten their seatbelts and hop out of the Jeep, heading straight for the front door, but as I reach down to unbuckle my own, Madd’s hand lands on mine.
“Are you gonna tell me what’s up?” he asks, and I snap my head up to lock eyes with him, startled by his proximity. He’s leaning over the console toward me, his face inches from mine- I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn’t even notice him move into my space.
“What do you mean?” I ask slowly.
