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As the murmurs of agreement died down, Brett Longtail stepped forward with his ever-present smug grin. The wind ruffled his sandy-brown hair as he raised his hands for silence.
“Listen up, everyone.” He drew all eyes to him. “I have some good news that will make our fight against the hunters even easier.” He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. “I’ve successfully negotiated with the witches who were helping the hunters. They’ve agreed not to empower any more humans with hunter abilities. Giselle is the only witch still siding with them.”
Brett’s chest puffed out with pride as if he’d single-handedly saved the day. I forced myself to back up his story, since it was part of our agreement. “That’s right,” I said. “Thanks to Brett’s efforts, we won’t have to worry about more magically enhanced hunters joining their ranks.”
Though a few pack members and some of the newcomers bought into Brett’s claims, many exchanged dubious glances, clearly skeptical of whether he’d actually accomplished this feat. As long as the other witches stayed out of the fight, I didn’t care if the truth came out.
The atmosphere in the clearing shifted, a newfound sense of anticipation settling over those gathered. It seemed my pep talk had done its job, and everyone appeared ready to follow our plan for evacuating the humans and defending ourselves.
“Excuse me,” Martin Greenthorne said, his nasally voice cutting through all the chatter. “Why don’t we just evacuate along with the humans to avoid the hunters’ attack? Wouldn’t that be safer?”
Tori scoffed, rolling her eyes as she turned to face the portly man. “Martin, you pompous moron,” she said, her green eyes blazing with frustration. “The hunters are aftershifters. That’s us. If we run away, they’ll track us down. Now is the time to finally stand our ground and fight instead of running away like we’ve had to do for so long. Anyone with young children will notbe expected to fight. Children do not belong on the battle lines, and they need their parents.”
Her words resonated with everyone present, and I watched as one by one, faces hardened with resolve. As I looked around at the gathered shifters and other supernatural beings, I knew we were ready to face whatever challenges the hunters might throw at us. I watched Tori, so fierce and resolute, her green eyes flashing. She was a natural leader, even if she didn’t realize it herself.
“Attention, everyone,” Diana Bogford’s voice rang out, her call for quiet cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. A petite woman with short-cropped red hair, Diana was one of the most respected members of the Northeast Pack. “It seems we finally have a luna at long last.” Her gaze rested on Tori, admiration shining in her eyes.
As if on cue, the members of the Northeast Pack bared their throats to Tori in a show of submission and respect. I sensed Tori’s discomfort at the sudden attention, but she held herself with grace and poise.
“Enough of that,” she said, her voice carrying across the gathering. “We have work to do, and we need to stand together if we’re going to face this threat.” Her words were met with nods of agreement and murmurs of approval.
“My mate is right,” I told them, my own voice firm and strong. “Now more than ever, we must stand united. There is strength in numbers, and together, we will prevail.”
A growl of assent rippled through the crowd. The time for second-guessing and doubt had passed. Now, we prepared for battle.
“Let’s split into our assigned groups.” I swept my gaze over the sea of faces. “Work together and remember, communication is key. We’ll reconvene in an hour to ensure all preparations are in place.”
The crowd began to disperse, the various factions moving off to attend to their designated tasks. I caught Tori’s eye and offered her a small, reassuring smile. She returned it with a quick nod.
As we moved through the throng of people, I marveled at the woman by my side. It was clear to me now just how truly remarkable she was, not only as my mate, but as a leader for our community. The shifters had recognized her strength, and they were rallying behind her, ready to follow her into battle.
I could only hope that we would be able to protect them all. For now, though, we had preparations to make, and every moment counted. With a final glance at Tori, I turned my attention to the task at hand, my resolve steeled within me.
We would stand.
We would fight.
We would emerge victorious.
Chapter 49
Ridge
I drove slowly through the town, my hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as Tori sat beside me, her eyes scanning our surroundings for any signs of life. We were making a few final rounds to ensure all the humans had been evacuated due to the “emergency” we’d fabricated. It was necessary, but it had left me uneasy.
Tori stifled a yawn, and I glanced over at her worriedly. She looked exhausted. Dark circles marred the delicate skin beneath her eyes. The stress of the past few days had taken its toll on both of us, but I feared it was affecting her more than she let on.
“You should get some rest,” I said gently. “We’ve been up all night.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, Ridge. Besides, we need to make sure everyone’s gone before the hunters show up. We have a duty to protect the humans in the town, maybe even more than the shifters because they are completely unaware of the war barreling towards us. Besides, you’ve been up as long as I have. I’ll rest when you do.”
Her courage was admirable, but it felt like I was failing her somehow. As her mate and alpha, it was my duty to protect her, yet here we were, driving through an empty town on the brink ofwar. Besides being an alpha, she was the pack’s luna now that we were mated. She had the same need I did to protect the people—humans and shifters alike—in our care. I couldn’t force her to rest, but that didn’t stop me from worrying about her.
She gestured at the empty playground. “It’s so strange seeing Blackwood Creek like this. It’s normally so lively and full of people. Seeing it so deserted makes it feel like a ghost town.”
I nodded. Our once thriving community was now a ghost town, and it was all because of the fucking hunters. Shifters, witches, and vampires weren’t the evil monsters the hunters seemed to believe we were. All we wanted was to live our lives in peace, without having to look over our shoulders all the time. It was the hunters who brought violence, trying to eradicate our species, not caring what humans witnessed or if they got hurt or killed in the crossfire.
“Everything will be okay.” I wasn’t entirely convinced myself, but I said it, anyway. “We’ll protect our people from the hunters and rebuild Blackwood Creek as the safe haven it’s supposed to be. For everyone—shifter, human, vampire. Anyone else who seeks safety.”
