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“I’m glad you want to take a stand against your parents,” I said.” I’m sure Mika feels exactly the same about the First Pack as you do. I’m from the Second originally, and I fucking hate it. Maybe we’re the generation who will tear it all down. The official packs are already splintering. Another few nudges, and it might all come tumbling down.”
“I guess we’ll see,” Crew said. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know. I didn’t want you to be blindsided when I left. Eli will keep our people on point.”
With that, Crew and Chelsey headed off. Eli drifted away to give orders to one of the scout groups preparing to head out on patrol.
As I stood there, looking around at it all, a feeling of awe fell over me. A couple of months ago, all this would have seemed like a fairytale.The Reject Projectbeing canceled. The Tranquility Council and operatives found to be corrupt. Packs splintering. Riots, much less outright war? Was this real life? As surreal as it all looked on the outside, it was the way of the world, and somehow, we’d been the ones to start it all. Unwillingly, yes, but revolutions sometimes started with a mistake or a misunderstanding and snowballed.
“We need to get this sorted out,” Kira said, pulling me from my thoughts. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry than Jayson.”
She was still gazing off into the distance, but not in the direction Gavin had run. Instead, she was looking in the direction of Fangmore City.
“You’re still thinking about Simon and Heline, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Damn straight. They’re the real threats here. Jayson is a speed bump.”
If there was one thing I knew about Kira, it was that once she had a goal, she’d never stop until she’d reached it. She was determined in a way most people could never imagine. It was nearly impossible to change her mind once it was made up.
I loved that about her, but I worried that her mind still wasn’t fully made up about me. A lot was happening, and I didn’t want to lose what we had now that we were back in thereal world.
Chapter 17
Kira
I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. When Gavin sent us word that Jayson had agreed and told us the location to meet him, I’d almost called the whole thing off. Jayson wanted to meet on the mating grounds, where he’d rejected me weeks ago.
Had it only been weeks? It was difficult to keep time in a normal frame of reference. I’d gone through more in those weeks than some people did their entire lifetime. I was not the same person who’d been rejected in front of her entire pack. That wasn’t hyperbole; I had completely changed since that day. Looking back on things, I’d built up all these walls and had kept almost everyone at arm’s length because I thought I was a monster. If I was completely and totally honest with myself, I’d been a bitch. Harsh, unfeeling, and driven to the point of obsession. Now, what really mattered and what didn’t were crystal-clear to me.
The idea that Jayson had chosen the meeting location as afuck youto me was probably incorrect. This place was neutral ground, not on any pack territory at all and almost perfectly central to both our territories. It was as close to hallowed ground as a shifter could get, other than Heline’s temples. It was actuallythe perfect place for a meeting like this, but that didn’t change how I felt about it.
My father stood beside me. His arm was still in a sling, but his silver wound was almost healed. Standing next to him were Mom and Kolton. Wyatt, along with several of Dad’s most trusted elders and his beta, waited behind us. Thus far, we hadn’t seen any sign of the Ninth Pack’s entourage. Dad and the others didn’t have a great deal of faith in our ability to negotiate peace, though they’d been pleasantly shocked by the information August had dug up.
Dad had wanted to come with just his beta and a couple of others, but I’d held firm. Wyatt and Ineededto be here—if only to prove to Jayson that we were indeed alive and home. Also, I knew it was probably best if I handled this directly rather than letting my dad do it. Jayson and I had history. Not great history, true, but more history than he had with my father.
“Are you okay?” Wyatt whispered from behind me.
“Sure. Fine.”
“Whatever you say. Give the word if you aren’t.”
Truth was, I wasn’t totally fine. As badly as I wanted to be here and deal with this, I was not looking forward to seeing Jayson again. After everything we’d learned, I was one hundred percent sure we were never meant to be together. I’d never had any real feelings for him, and I was now very much in love with Wyatt. The thought of seeing Jayson walk out into this clearing made my stomach somersault.
If this didn’t go well, Jayson and his men might decide to fight. Maybe they’d look at the situation and decide it was better to take out the entire Durst family. That would crush our pack.
It was all so tiresome—the fighting and constant battle to survive. I prayed we could get this done without any violence, but I had to be ready for anything, which irritated me to no end.
“Where are they?” Dad grumbled. “We’ve been here for twenty minutes now.”
I sighed and glanced around, searching for some sign. “He’s late on purpose. This is a negotiation tactic. Make us wait, stress us out.”
“That doesn’t sound very honorable,” Mom said.
“Kira won’t be rattled,” Wyatt said, leaning forward to wink at me. “She’s got this.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder before he leaned back, retaking his position behind me.
Mom and Dad watched the interaction between us. Over the last day, they’d slowly started to warm to the idea of Wyatt and me being together, but I could still see the disappointment in their eyes. As much as I loved them, they were stuck in that old-fashioned view of the world. They would never want me to be with someone outside an official pack, thinking it was beneath me and inappropriate. This lukewarm—and at times icy—reception they were giving Wyatt annoyed the fuck out of me. After everything Wyatt had done for us? After everything his pack had done for us? They should be treating him better.
“Finally,” Kolton muttered.
