Chapter Twenty-Four

Nomad

After the initial meeting on pack lands twelve hours earlier, they'd come to some decisions. As a town, collectively everyone understood they couldn't fight this alone. Risks got weighed up and to prevent Bash's cover being blown, they'd agreed not to mention his involvement in what was going to happen tonight.

Bash had reached out to several of his contacts. Bree, Nomad and Harley had done the same. The endless presession of cars heading through town going towards the pack lands didn't raise an eyebrow when the whole town had already gathered on the Bree's land. They were rallying their own army of sorts .

Fight fire with fire. The council was all about public displays and they were about to get one the likes of which they'd never seen before. Their point of attack would be global. The impact through the news networks blasting them all with the facts would ensure everyone knew what they'd done before they attempted to stop it. By giving different raw footage, this prevented anyone—or so the hope was—from saying they'd fabricated it. There was just too much of it to have gone into such an elaborate scheme, and they expected it to show the depth of deceit to the shifter population. On sharing with those coming tonight, they'd already created outrage and disgust.

They needed to build on that, ensuring that no one directly involved in the awfulness—something they could thank the owls for as they had captured everyone who interacted with them—would walk away and be able to continue the atrocities.

"Do you think they'll all help us?" Harley murmured, ever watchful as someone signaled that was the last car to arrive and park at the back of the property.

Nomad watched the pack wolves patrolling the perimeter, looked toward the skies at the circling birds of prey watching over them before he turned his attention to Harley, satisfied for now they'd covered all their bases. "I believe they will."

Bree's expression was wary and so she should be, no one wanted to drop their guard after they'd spent interminable hours reaching out to endless contacts they'd formed and working on getting them here tonight. The urgency of the situation weighed heavily on them all. They wanted the element of surprise and as they couldn't be sure an owl or two hadn't escaped, the clock was ticking.

"I believe that was the last arrival." Bree's voice came from the steps above them. The riding crop she held slapped against her thigh repeatedly .

Nomad double checked the list of car plates they'd created to ensure no one snuck in and nodded his affirmative when satisfied. "Looks like."

Bash's appearance out of the last vehicle stopped him saying more when there were four men with him that Nomad had not met before. All as big as Bash, Nomad surmised they were all rhino shifters as they approached.

When they came to a halt, Bree came down the steps and held out her hand to the oldest looking dude. Gray hair hung to his wide shoulders and weathered skin suggested he'd been around the sun cycle a few times. "Evander, good to see you."

They shook hands, and Bash did the introductions. "Evander, this is Harley and Nomad, they work—worked for the council."

Nomad took the hand before Harley, the grip was firm and said a lot about the shifter when he did not try to show dominance. Nomad gave him a curt nod.

"Evander is the head of the crash. That's Agro and Benedict, the crash enforcers," Bash continued, looking around and lowering his voice. "And Troy works for the Realto news network and has already initiated what we've discussed."

Impressed that Bash gave little away, Nomad eyed Troy, who had a face that he'd say was perfect for TV. Attractive, yet not too pretty. Dressed to impress in a suit that was cut to fit his broad shoulders and was more in keeping with an office setting than a pack house in the middle of nowhere. Right now he wasn't smiling, but the lines around his lips gave the impression he liked to, and often.

"Any blow back?" Nomad was interested to see if the folks he worked for had agreed to air the information. This would determine whether or not they were pissing in the wind .

Troy shook the hand Harley offered, answering Nomad. "No. The station heads reviewed it and legal. They all agree you can't dispute the authenticity because of the condition of the eye you gave us. They're coordinating with other networks to distribute what Bash supplied to me separately as we speak." The depth of gravity came across in the dismay he didn't hide. "It's royally fucked up."

Nomad couldn't have agreed more.

"Shall we leave this conversation for the meeting?" Bree suggested in a tone that said it wasn't a question.

Everyone nodded before she strode off in the direction of the area in the forest they were using to reduce the chances of being spied on.

Cosmo, who'd disappeared off with Asher when they'd arrived, he spotted in the middle of the clearing in the forest. There around him were several of the Littles, besides Asher, from the club, some looking more fretful than others.

Cosmo held up his arms to Harley when he reached Cosmo first. He lifted him effortlessly off the ground, jean-clad legs hooked around Harley's waist. Cosmo grinned and slid an arm around Harley's neck, looking like a cat who'd got all the cream.

His curls a messy array bounced around his pretty angelic face as he puckered up to Nomad. "Kissy," he wheedled.

Nomad didn't hesitate and kissed Cosmo, giving him a little more than the boy expected when he nibbled on his lower lip and bit, tasting his blood before lapping at it.

Oh Daddy…

What, sweetheart ?

Harley

Don't! Harley gave an internal groan when Cosmo projected exactly where he wanted Nomad's bity teeth to go next. I swear I'll spank you both. We need to focus.

They were definitely establishing a theme. The threat of a spanking did nothing except gain laughter from both mates when Harley knew they could hear his desperation. They grinned at him, neither repentant.

"Shall we get started?" Bree's voice carried over the crowd and the noise died down.

Even outside, Harley had felt waves of anxiety and concern for what this all meant for everyone in attendance. It was why he'd picked up Cosmo, needing something to keep him grounded in all the charged energy coming from the crowd. Asher, who was like him and picked up on others' energies, didn't look to be fairing much better, he was all but glued to Gabai's side.

Nomad was ever watchful at Harley's side, as was the man he held in his arms. They were all assessing the faces of those who'd come.

"First, thank you all for coming. For listening and for the risk you've taken in agreeing to what we are proposing. At any point, if you want out, there will be no blowback on anyone. Let's be clear about that."

"How can you say that?" a voice called from the back.

Harley trained his gaze on the lion who'd spoken. Ethan, a lion shifter, was a leader of an enormous pride who owned his own TV station and one Harley had worked with occasionally when it suited them both to share information. Ethan didn't do bullshit.

"Because everyone here came of their own free will. A free will we want to continue to foster despite what the fucking council is doing." Bree held Ethan's stare in challenge and the air became charged with tension. "This isn't about holding any of you accountable, but the council for what they're doing without recourse. "

Evander stepped forward in the crowd, Bash moved with him, his dark eyes vigilant. "Ethan, we all want the same thing I'd suggest, as we are all here. Clearly, we want to work together on a formative plan of delivery on the information Cosmo, Nomad and Harley risked their lives to obtain."

At the mention of their names, Cosmo's hand tightened on the back of Harley's neck. Every head turned in their direction and Harley took his time to read expressions.

"The owl's attacked and poisoned me." Nomad stroked a hand down Cosmo's back, and he purred in Harley's mind. "We did what the council trained us all to do, we fought and the gruesome discovery in those eyes we had to rip from the dead, proves that we are at war. A war we didn't choose. If we don't fight now. Take a stand, there will be more victims, and it might be your pride, Ethan." Nomad's gaze moved from Ethan to Theo, who had a large skulk. "Or your skulk, Theo." He raised an arm and waved it at all those watching them. "No one is safe. We have the upper hand right now. We need to use what we have and strike hard enough it cuts the fucking council off at the knees so we can rip their damn heads off and shove them up their fucking ass's."

There was tittering as Nomad paused, and Harley reached out to take hold of Nomad's hand, connecting the three of them. "Will you stand for what's right for the shifter community?" Harley asked, wearing a fierce expression. "Are you with us?"

Cosmo

Hearing the voices around them rise up in a cheer and agree to join forces chased away a twinge of Cosmo's anxiety. But not all of it, not when there was a little one standing as near to Cosmo and his mates as he dared without touching. Alone, with no one to look out for him, because he was rare and extremely special, was a rhino, but one with two horns. Smaller than other breeds, the Sumatran Rhino was one of the rarest shifters within the community, so rare they didn't have a crash of their own.

This one had sought out Cosmo because he'd helped Bash recover several stolen young rhinos and his name often got whispered among the community as someone who fought for those who couldn't fight for themselves. It was the littles one shot at being safe, because unlike the young rhinos Cosmo and Bash had helped, Romy had no one, the council had already caused his families' deaths.

"The council is targeting the rarest among us," Cosmo announced from his perch in his Daddy's arms. "Romy here is proof of that, as is Zaire."

As he said their names, Cosmo pointed to each of them. Zaire was a vaquita, a porpoise shifter who'd gotten netted and experimented on until they'd mistakenly turned him loose in what they thought was a controlled body of water, only to discover that the porpoise could leap higher than they'd imagined. He'd cut himself up badly in the process, but he'd made it to them as whispers of Cookietown being a safe haven were rapidly being circulated.

"They began experiments on me," Zaire said, in a small, slightly terrified voice that grew stronger when Romy took his hand and held on tight. "They wanted to use me to infiltrate cave networks where other aquatic shifters gathered to speak freely away from the council's ears. I would never betray my kind, but they forced me to endure the body modifications they did to me until I could free myself. I'm willing to allow a safe doctor to examine me to collect evidence and photograph the differences and everything they've done to me. "

"We have to do all that we can to protect each other," Cosmo said. "Because we're all we have. No one else is going to care about what happens to us but our own community."

There were murmurs of agreement, whispered words of planning, and pacts being made between smaller factions to work together as they moved forward.

Now Cosmo lowered his voice and nuzzled back into his Daddy Nomad's neck again. "Daddy," Cosmo murmured. "Zaire and Romy are little like me sometimes. They need a place to stay where they will be safe, can you help me find them one?"

"Of course," Daddy Nomad murmured. "We'll keep them close to us until we're done here, then figure out who best to ask."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"No, cutie, thank you for always caring about those around you, even when you're under fire, too."

Nuzzling beneath his Daddy's chin, Cosmo let his thoughts drift to Bash and the rhinos he'd brought with them. They had a strong crash, one that might take Romy if Bash would speak to them on his behalf. But Cosmo didn't know any other marine shifters, or if there was something special Zaire would need, like access to a regular place to swim. How to help him occupied his thoughts as much as the conversations going on around them. Everyone sounded willing to go forward, but somewhere along the edge of the crowd, there was a voice that sounded distressed.

Wiggling, Cosmo got himself set down and grabbed his mate's hand, leading Nomad towards the sound until Nomad understood what Cosmo's issue when they located the origin of the noise which came from a small rhino in shifted form, leading an even smaller one.

Oh no! Where had they come from?

Cosmo glanced about urgently seeking any signs of parents while he gathered them close and lifted them into his arms, struggling because, despite being small, they were still heavy in their animal form.

"Can you see any others, Daddy?" he huffed as the two he held wriggled and shook. Were there others wandering the woods, lost and terrified, searching for sanctuary?