CHAPTER 12

VENUS

The pack was clearly on edge with not one, but two Knights sitting in their version of a strategy room. We were getting quite a few curious looks, mostly aimed at the irritatingly unphased Knight captain sitting at their table. The one who tried to kill their Beta only yesterday.

River had a large conference room, complete with a long wooden table made to seat twelve. The row of windows making up one wall let in copious amounts of natural light while the surrounding forest, only feet away, filled our peripherals with a wall of deep green.

There was no whiteboard in here, no maps or anything else likeable to a war room. It was homely and comfortable, like everything else in the pack house. A place for a family to sit and discuss.

Not all the wolves made it to these meetings, just the more active ones in higher positions that worked as a sort of council. Twelve seats for twelve wolves. An extra two brought up to squeeze at the end so Griff and I were directly opposite River seated at the head. Five shifters were seated on one side, with Zander on River's right, and six had squeezed together across from them, Axel to his Alpha's left with Skylar beside him.

River had wanted me to sit with him at the front. But this was a meeting between the pack and us, so I thought it best that the Knights distance ourselves from them a little, to make the pack more comfortable—at least while we got through this first meeting and they divulged information to us.

There were a few other wolves under River's command who still attended pack runs but weren't actively involved in the day-to-day. Three of them—Aubrey's parents and an older female—were from the town over. Another handful who had been close friends with the previous Alpha lived nearby in Saint Claire, and a small number ofyounger or newly shifted descendants were kept sheltered by their families, given their age.

Riv's mum was part of this pack once upon a time, but she was gone before I'd even met him. We didn't talk about her anymore. She and River's dad were not true mates but chosen. And when she found her soul's counterpart—an Alpha of a pack on the other side of the country—she left for him, giving in to that fated bond.

I think that was part of the reason Riv never stressed about us being together. He vowed he'd never leave someone he chose for a true mate. Not after his mum abandoned them.

It wasn't uncommon for wolves to pick their life partner and later find their real mate, but it usually didn't happen like that for Alphas, who traditionally waited for their fated.

I knew it broke something in Riv and the rest of their pack when they lost their Luna. His dad ran everything on his own following her departure … until he passed away.

When a wolf didn't end up with their true mate, it was often only because they had picked someone else, or they hadn't survived long enough to meet them. Most of the time fate intervened in the crossing of their paths, so those were generally the only reasons they wouldn't be with their intended. I wasn't aware which one it had been for the previous Alpha, but as far as we knew, he hadn't found his soul mate in his lifetime.

It had been a long while since this pack had a Luna.

The pack house itself was only actually home to River, Zander, Axel and Sky; with Aubrey basically an unofficial tenant.

The same could have been said for me no more than six months ago.

The other shifters had their own dwellings, though the pack house was a central hub they all used.

Only one elder sat in on these meetings now. A quiet and wise older man named Tanner, who was seated close to us at the end of the table. Tanner had his own place on the edge of the property, a small little cabin perfect for one. Even so, he took on the unofficial role of grandfather to River and was technically the figurehead of the house for all official and legal purposes—so it didn't look like a twenty-two-year-old lived here alone with his friends.

I guess that"s how they never managed to get caught as a pack, because unlike others, they all lived separately yet in close proximity, coming together as one as frequently as needed. It made it harder to spot, unlike a frat house in the woods on the border of the town. That would have definitely caused some interest and talk amongst the townspeople.

Tanner side-eyed me a few times, even though his face remained neutral. Come to think about it, he'd always been hesitant around me. Passive, but not necessarily friendly. I wondered now if it was because he knew I was a Stone; a Gray Knights legacy. As an older member of the pack, that probably meant something to him, and although he never said anything to me, I was willing to bet that he was likely never happy to have me around and would have made that known to River.

I wondered how Riv justified it to him—to any of the wolves for that matter—to let a supernatural hunter in, even if she herself wasn't aware of it. But River's dad was the Alpha at that time and had somehow accepted me. What he said, went. There would have been little grounds to argue, even if they weren't happy about it.

I wondered how much any of them really knew about me. If River had filled them in on the nitty gritty details of our separation.

I'm sure they put together the Knight part, if he didn't already explicitly tell them.

While a few of them seemed surprised to see me again, especially at a pack meeting, none of them seemed shocked that I was here as a Knight. So he must have told them something. Probably that I'd left to join the Knights on my mother's request, or something along those lines.

I'd have to ask him about it later.

Nevertheless, they all welcomed me to the meeting with various "Hellos", and while some of them seemed a little more cautious around me than they used to be, I wasn't met with any harsh words. Again, likely River's doing.

It was odd. I had grown up with these shifters. Hung around them before, during and after school because of my relationship with their Alpha. It had made us friends and brought us close. I'd never felt like they'd treated me differently—apart from not sharing specific pack business. So I had no way to know how much they actually knew about me growing up. And sitting here now with that running through my mind, and many of them sneaking glances my way, was a weird situation indeed.

I completely understood their curiosity and possible concerns. It was just odd to be back here and feel so normal yet be in completely different circumstances.

I had seen a few of the pack members over the past couple of days, but this was the first time I'd seen them again as a whole group; the last time being that eventful pack run night. It was also my first time in one of their meetings, since I'd never been invited to one when I was just a human who didn't need to worry about any of their issues.

I took them in from my spot at the table, Griffin quietly observing everything from his place beside me. Even as he leaned back in his chair feigning boredom, I knew he was acutely aware of our surroundings and mentally strategizing and cataloguing—from the number of wolves and their dynamics, to their tells and possible weaknesses, and finally potential escape routes if things went south for us.

Beside Zander sat Dalton and Koda Maddox. Brothers, and the sentinels of the pack, they both had the same fair skin that tanned easily, lush brown hair and brown eyes. Both were also tall and domineering in stature, making them the perfect guards. Dalton was older and slightly broader, but Koda was that little bit taller; an occurrence that seemed to be the case for most younger siblings in my experience. He had leaner muscles and a more athletic build.

Only a year apart, the older of the two had deeper, dark eyes and chocolate brown hair that was cropped slightly shorter, while the younger brother's eyes were a chestnut colour that matched his slightly lighter and longer hair. Their wolves took on the variations of brown in their fur.

They were a good-looking pair—as humans—and had no shortage of admirers when we were in school. Girls and boys alike fawned over them, and they lapped it up with their golden retriever energy.

Dalton was a bit more serious than his playful younger brother, but when they were together they had two moods: mischievously spirited or incessantly bickering, usually because Koda was too carefree.

Given their role, these two lived close to the edge of the border where they could best perform their duties. Although, that didn't mean they weren't around a lot. They were a frequent source of entertainment for us, especially when they were in Zander's presence.

On Koda's right was Aubrey—Axel's preppy mate, who was officially an Eta now—followed by Raven; an edgy looking girl with short blue-black hair, pale skin and blue eyes. Also one of Skylar's Eta warriors, Raven was a fiercer wolf than some of the others in the pack and definitely more guarded, but still surprisingly friendly when you got to know her. She was one of the few members that had wandered here from another pack not long ago and sought out River. He took her in with open arms, as he would anyone that needed a home or family.

As such, she dedicated her fierceness to being loyal to him. Looking at her now, she kind of reminded me of a Knight with her rough demeanour and assortment of piercings. I'd seen her in her dark grey wolf form and had no idea where things like piercings went, but I guessed they disappeared with the magic of it all and returned when the human did—perhaps because they were essentially part of the body itself.

The wonders and complexities of the wolf shifters still stunned and awed me.

Opposite Raven was Tanner, followed by Sage, Bear, Blaze and then Axel and Skylar.

Sage was the Healer of the group, an earthy blonde with long golden hair and forest green eyes. The soft-natured, Zen female had hair that always looked like a mermaid's, with small plaits scattered throughout the gorgeous waves. She always wore multiple beaded bracelets and an array of necklaces and crystals, with many whimsical gold piercings along her ears. She was drop-dead gorgeous, like all wolves, but had this earthy and ethereal nature to her, and was in charge of fostering healing in the wolves, tending to injuries with various natural remedies and tinctures passed down through generations of shifters.

She lived in town, in a cute little bohemian-style crystal and plant store that had a studio apartment in the back. I'd been there a few times and her home was the coolest place I'd seen, with an eclectic array of rugs, cushions and furniture, as well as an abundance of greenery.

Bear and Blaze were mates. Bear—not to be confused as anything other than a wolf—was the Hunter of the pack. Still considered a warrior, he was fierce and grumpy and largely resembled a young Henry Cavill: tall, broadly built with bulging muscles, strong facial features, a scruffy beard, blue eyes and wavy dark hair that curled slightly at the back of his neck. Given that he seemed utterly massive, he was actually similar in size to Zander—a true testament to the Beta's stature—but Bear had more of an ‘all-work-and-no-play' vibe that made him more intimidating and less approachable. I'd known him for years and was still weary of him.

Even though he looked more like Henry Cavill in Man of Steel—before he shaved—his personality was very much that of the Witcher, often responding in grunts and annoyed grumbles. He was a man of few words and did indeed remind me of a bear.

I had no idea what his actual name was. For all intents and purposes it actually was Bear, even though I was almost certain it was a just nickname. Almost.

His counterpart, Blaze, was his perfect opposite and bought out the soft side in him. Unlike her mate, Blaze was indeed her birth name. A fucking cool name for a fucking cool girl. Bold and sweet and caring and humble, she just had this energy about her. She was tall, yet appeared short compared to her mate, with lengthy limbs, tawny skin and dark almond eyes. Her naturally auburn hair was always dyed a fiery, copper orange, so striking you could spot her from a mile away.And yet, even with the bountiful energy, she seemed to have this ability to chose to fade into the background—unless she wanted to be seen or heard.

Her family was always close to Rivers, and as such, they grew up as good friends. Blaze's mother was one of the wolves that lived in town, and she had two other younger daughters that carried the wolf gene. The older of the two, I'd been told, had just shifted for the first time during my absence.

At some point, there had been quite a few wolves around their mother's age in the Saint Claire pack, but most of them stepped down and chose a life of retirement, wanting to live the rest of their existence in peace. They were now scattered around the state but technically still tied to their new Alpha.

I'd learnt in my time at the compound that River's pack was considerably large, albeit spread with many unactive members. Most packs ranged from seven to fifteen wolves in total. Of course, there were exceptions to that rule.

Amelia was a member of this pack now too. Unofficially of course, but a member at heart.

Speaking of Amelia …

"Amelia's probing has provided our pack with some key details about the rogues and how they operate." River's authoritative voice broke me out of my thoughts and initiated the meeting. His tone was so very leader-like. Similar to Griffin's, if I was being totally honest. "We can confirm that the rogues are turning humans to build an army and are in fact working together."

"So the Knights were right," I muttered, mostly to myself but also to the group at large.

"Do you know why?" Griff interrupted. Already thinking one step ahead and wasting no time shifting into strategy mode.

"Not yet. There are higher ups giving Amelia and the other newly turned rogues orders. But at her level, they're not privy to that information. So we don't have answers yet in terms of motive. At the moment, it's about gaining numbers. That's basically as much as they'll tell her. But there's something big coming, they keep mentioning it, either to scare them into submission or hype them up, depending on their willingness and perception of the cause," River explained.

"I thought rogues can't return to their human form. How is it possible that they're working together and that shifters like Amelia can be among them?" I questioned, causing everyone to look in my direction. I tried not to baulk at the attention. I knew these wolves, even if it had been a while. Though I couldn't lie and say I was comfortable being on this side of things and sitting in on these meetings with them.

"You're right, Vee." His warm eyes held mine. "Normal rogues can't turn. They are stuck in their wolf forms due to prolonged time as their animal. But that isn't the case for newly turned wolves, even if they are turned by rogues. They start as normal shifters and it takes time—weeks, if not months—of being solely in their wolf form before the process of shifting back becomes irreversible. Amelia spends a lot of time as her wolf to keep up appearances, but regularly changes back to keep that shift fresh and prevent the wolf from taking over full control. Given her new positioning in the pack, it's working fine … for now."

Sky cut in, "It has been something we've been brainstorming with her. A problem we need to eventually solve. We won't be able to go on like this forever and will need to get as much information from her as possible before we pull her out for good. Before they can figure out what she's playing at and her lack of change becomes concerning to them." Her bushy brows were scrunched in distress.

My mouth popped open. Dangerous. The game Amelia was playing … it was so dangerous. And every day that passed made it more and more risky for her. They'd catch on soon—when her wolf looked too fresh and sane to be a rogue. It had already been months of her doing this. I wondered how much longer she had.

"The rogues in their pack communicate solely in wolf form and given their nature, they can't communicate directly to the new shifters while they're human. So the newbies need to be in their canine forms to get their orders, or they receive smaller commands from other shifters. It's harder to communicate like that when their pack bonds are not as strong though. The fact that there are multiple types of wolves—rogues, shifters and newly transformed—in their ‘pack' would make their links weaker. Rogues just aren't meant to be in packs," River added. "But they're trying … for whatever reason. They meet up in smaller groups of around eight to ten members and in different locations each time. Sometimes in other pack territories, sometimes in No Man"s Land. The newer shifters, once initiated in the pack, are allowed to live on their own. At least, that's been the case so far with her group. They go through their induction phase and then they're required to be available whenever they are needed. They convene mostly at night—almost every night—but don't get the location until around twenty minutes beforehand, unless it's further away, giving them just enough time to get there."

He continued, "At the start, she was looked over more closely. All the surviving victims from the area were put in a pack house, and other, slightly more experienced but still recent shifters who had previously gone through the process chaperoned them, teaching and helping them with the transition, as well as showing them how to look after and train the future newcomers. Even so, they've been busy, and their numbers are still limited, so they haven't been watching closely enough to notice Amelia sneaking in phone calls or occasional trips to the nearest town. They're not that extreme, at least not as far as we know. Although, they have given them all their own phones to make communication between the shifters easier during the early stages. So far it hasn't seemed to cross their minds that their pledges could have a second phone—or they haven't acted on it. But we're not taking risks with their company phones in case they are monitored. They seem to have developed a whole process to this turning and shifting. She's been told that there are many other little packs like hers scattered around."

Griff looked contemplative. "Makes sense given the spread we've seen in attacks."

River nodded at the hunter's statement. "Her little crew has met up with a few others before, no more than thirty at a time on special occasions. Though it seemed more like a bonding experience than anything else. There was some talk of the bigger things to come, but they were super vague according to her. More like our version of a pack-run to make them feel like they're all in this together or some crap."

"A way to boost morale," Axel provided."They're really trying to sell the lifestyle."

Zander added with an annoyed growl, "So very un-rogue like. Fuckers are meant to be lone wolves."

"How did Amelia even get back to them? After you guys bought her here?" I asked River, wondering how on earth they'd played this and found a way to communicate with her.

"Well, we killed the rogues that turned her. She stayed with us for no more than a day before Dalton and Koda sniffed out the other wolves that were scoping the area. We knew they were looking for her and their fallen friends. So we went over our plan and planted Amelia in the woods where they hadn't yet checked, making it look like she ran and hid. There"s an abandoned park ranger shed we know of, so we set her up there and when they found her, she played the part well."

Amelia had been into theatre at school, so it made sense she was able to act, at least enough to save her life and play the terrified and confused victim.

Riv went on, "She'd pretended that after she was attacked, she took off fuelled by adrenaline as soon as more wolves had come, using the distraction to her advantage and slipping away unnoticed by any of us. She claimed she didn't know what had come to be of the rogues that turned her but that she found the shelter and had been too injured and afraid to leave, slipping in and out of consciousness due to the transition, until they found her. They explained what had happened to her and promised they'd look after her. Gave her this whole spiel about being part of a bigger picture and reaping the benefits of being supernatural, which she went along with. We didn't give her a phone or anything, only a few of the pack mobile numbers and some cash, and she promised she'd get in contact as soon as she could. Technically, she couldn't officially take the step to tie herself to my pack. They'd know. So I couldn't mind-link her." He looked pained. "After an agonising week of not knowing if she was even still alive, she finally reached out on a burner phone."

"Wait, so there are many of these normal shifters in their ranks? Enough to send them out?" I voiced. "And they're like you lot?"

I saw Blaze nod from the corner of my eye. "Essentially just the ones they've turned recently. They turn them and once they're truly mind-controlled into believing in their kooky mission statement, they get them to do all the groundwork with the fresh transitions that come in, to hone in that sense of loyalty and get them comfortable with their wolf forms before they meet the rogues."

"We assume they are expected to remain wolves after a certain point and become rogues like the others. Eventually all becoming wild and untamed," Axel tagged on.

"The world"s craziest pyramid scheme," Griff grumbled beside me.

The Maddox brothers chuckled but it was Koda that said, "Pretty much, bro."

"And we don't know who's in charge?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.

River held my gaze as he filled me in. "From what Amelia has told us, they have a sort of Alpha who isn't actually a rogue. As far as we know, he's the only other shifter apart from the newly turned ones that still holds his humanity—if you can even call it that. But he doesn't come across as new at all. He seems to be a wolf that has left his pack only to go straight into this, gathering a following of rogues and clearly promising them something in return for them making him their Alpha. Or they just decided they were sick of being on their own and he offered them leadership and structure that they were happy with. We don't really know."

"And do you know what he looks like? Who he is?" Griff questioned, sitting up with his elbows resting on the table and his chin lowered to his steepled hands.He was definitely a captain and his brain worked like one. It was kind of hot seeing him in action. Honestly between the two of them being all leader-like, I was feeling a little flustered. But now was not the time for thoughts like that.

"We've got a description and a blurry photo. Amelia tried to take one but we need her to be trusted so we haven't pushed her to try further until we're ready to pull her out. But it needs to be timed and planned. So until then, we've convinced her to lay low and do what she's told. We don't want to raise suspicions before we have as much intel as possible. He's a large man, early thirties it seems. Cinnamon coloured hair and caramel eyes that are reflected in his wolf form apparently. I've personally never seen him in any of my interactions with other packs—maybe a lower-level wolf that wanted more?" He shrugged. "But we have no idea where he's originally from. It could be anywhere. Makes it harder to figure out his motive."

He slid something along the table towards us which Griff caught. A blown up, blurry picture of the man described, walking somewhere, like Amelia had taken it from her car or hiding behind something. No recognisable face or features.

"Can I show this to the Knights?" Griffin asked, voice low and gravelly.

"Be my guest," Riv replied. "We have copies."

"Maybe he's already on your radar?" Dalton asked, his interest seemingly piqued for the first time since the meeting had commenced.

Griff looked up at him and then nodded. "There's a chance." He rubbed his chin as he resumed examining the picture further. "I'd have to get Thea and the other officials to take a look. He doesn't look familiar to me."

The strategy meeting turned into a lunch, because we all knew that the wolves loved to eat. The formal nature of the meeting clearly wasn't their style and I didn't complain when they ushered us to the decking outside and promised a meal while we continued our discussion.

Griffin grudgingly followed.

Whenever there were this many people around the pack house, a barbecue was always the go-to in order to feed all the hungry, yet never-satiated, mouths.

It felt like old times.

Except for the odd fact that Griff was here.

Yet his presence somewhat soothed me—regardless of the butterflies that never seemed to fade.

He himself did not seem soothed or relaxed in his current situation. He lingered on the outskirts of the group, finding the railing of the deck a suitable spot to lean on. He wasn't visibly stressed or strained, his outward appearance still holding his usual air of effortless confidence, but he seemed more than happy to put space between himself and his current company.

The deck out the back was large. It needed to be in order to accommodate the pack. The raised platform that the glass dining room doors opened out to was bordered by a wooden rail on either side before a few steps led down into the sprawl of grass beyond. Around us was an array of seating options and an outdoor table, ideal for days like today when there was enough of us around but not as many as the monthly bonfires.

While River took up his usual spot manning the barbecue, I remembered what Thea had said in her office when she gave me the update on my hometown and their rogue problem. There had been so much to digest and discuss the last week that my brain was in a scramble to remember all the questions I had swirling around up there. So whenever a new one popped up, I needed to jump on the opportunity to ask it or I'd lose the train of thought to the chaos that was our lives.

Turning to River, my eyes twinkled in nostalgic amusement when I saw the apron he wore, giving me an intense wave of Déjà vu. Kiss the Cook.

I had ordered it the night of that bonfirebut didn't stick around long enough to actually see him wear it until now.

I smiled knowingly at him.

"Nice apron," I said softly.

"It was bought for me by someone with amazing taste," he grinned, dimples and all, and it felt like I was the only person in the world. Or at least the only one in his magnetising orbit.I had forgotten what that felt like with the lovable Alpha. His allure.

Until a pointed cough from Griff pulled me out of it.

I looked in the Knight's direction, and sure enough he was surveying the item of our attention with an unamused expression.

It sobered me up enough to ask the question I needed to. I cleared my throat. "We heard rumours of more deaths in Saint Claire. It was how Thea and the others like my mum put two and two together about the rogues being a problem here. Is it true?"

His brows pinched before he answered, though he kept his gaze down on the food he was tending too. "Yes, failed transformations. Not only in Saint Claire but in some of the other smaller towns too. Mostly in Woodstock though. Since it's bigger, they got away with more."

"How many deaths here?" I asked.

"Two. But almost three," he stated solemnly. "There's been a few other cases of missing people in the area though, which means they likely succeeded in some of their transitions. There was just no physical proof for us to find."

"And you couldn't stop them?" It was Griffin who now questioned the Alpha from across the deck and I bristled at the accusation in his tone.

"We tried. But the rogues have better wolf senses then us, and larger numbers it seems. Every time we think we know where they're going to strike, we seem to miss them. Plus, if a transition was unsuccessful, they'd just try another one while we were distracted. We managed to save one, based on Amelia's intel of where they'd be attacking."

"Was it anyone we know?" I dared to ask, not really wanting to know the answer yet needing to.

"Not the deaths. Sage's younger brother was the ‘almost'. Their ancestry has the wolf gene, so they probably scented it on him and figured he'd survive the change even though he's shown no sign of shifting himself yet."

I grimaced. "How old?"

"Seventeen." Sage answered, walking up to us with her beautiful face uncharacteristically somber.

"I'm sorry," I directed to her.

She gave me a weak smile. "Nothing you need to be sorry for, Vee. Thankfully he's alright."

"They went right under our noses, targeting essentially one of our own while our forces were elsewhere. Luckily Dalton and Koda caught their scent before it was too late, so we were able to re-route our patrol," Riv added.

Sure enough, the brothers, seated on two separate lounge chairs, looked proud at the small feat. Although, I could see the hint of grief that lined their faces—at the people they weren't able to save. All of the wolves scattered around the decking wore similar faces at the topic of our conversation.

"How many came to attack?" Griff inquired, putting all the pieces together in that intelligent brain of his. That brain seemed to work as non-stop as mine, but in a whole different way. His was full of strategy and thought and gathering intelligence, where mine was just useless overthinking. Maybe one day mine would also come in handy. A girl could only hope.

"Three this time: one a shifter, the other two rogues. Prior to that they seemed to work in pairs," River responded. The two of them engaging with each other with surprising civility.

"If they're sending two to each territory they have a lot of wolves to spare," Griff observed.

"Yes," the Alpha confirmed.

Griff contemplated, rubbing his jaw. "What about other packs? Have you been in contact?"

"We've spoken to the few surrounding us. But between trying to predict the next attacks and meeting with other packs, on top of trying to cover up the deaths …" Riv briefly glanced in Griff's direction with what looked like unease at the admission. "It's been tough."

Axel cut in while on his way to the cooler, pulling out a few beers and proceeding to hand one to his Alpha and Beta. "We've managed to get an arrangement going with Alpha Luca's pack, as well as Alpha Cara's. Those are the two bordering territories. At the moment, it's just covering each other's tracks and blind spots by knowing where scouts and patrols will be around the full moon. It helped the last time, allowing Dal and Koda to ease up on those sides, which essentially led them to sniffing out the scents. Bear was able to hunt them down after."

With an extra drink in his hand, he stopped in front of Griff, offering it to him with a welcoming close-mouthed smile.

The hunter didn't exactly smile back, watching the drink a second too long with apprehension before eventually accepting with a nod and then replying.

"That's good. Keep trying to contact as many packs as you can. The more that are aware, the better odds we'll have at stopping this thing."

Axel furrowed his brows as he took a seat. "There's only so much we can do with our numbers spread on holding down the fort. We'd need to send most of our pack out to scope and liaise with the others to reach as many as possible."

"We just don't have the numbers to do that and keep our own territory safe," Sky added from her spot at the table where she casually poured herself a drink from a pitcher of iced tea, her long legs crossed and her foot tapping mindlessly.

I leaned on the railing near Griffin now, my own glass in my hand, grateful for the refreshing cold to combat the warmer weather.

"Too bad you don't have an army of Knights on your side," Griffin replied sarcastically.

"Griff," I warned, nudging him in the side.

"What?" He glared at the spot where my elbow met his ribs.

I ignored him, turning to the others gathered around.

"What Griffin means to say is that we're here now and we'll help with that side of things so you can send out whoever you need. In a few days, the planned task force should arrive from the city. We'll station them around the town and at any border bases you might have to help with protection and patrols."

Raven gave me an incredulous look from where she lounged on a deck chair, leaning forward now with purpose. "You're telling me that a bunch of wolf hunters are going to help protect us?"

Everyone else kept silent. Zander in particular was unusually quiet, especially considering he was around food. But he clearly wasn't comfortable with Griffin's presence yet and after yesterday, I didn't blame him. That didn't mean it wasn't weird seeing my loud, obnoxious friend so docile and broody.

He came up to River's side and took over the cooking, allowing Riv to give his undivided attention to us.

"Yes," I said, attempting to keep my voice firm so she knew how serious I was. "I don't know how often this has happened in the past, if ever, but the only way to get through this and keep as many people as possible safe is to work together. I know it might be a bit foreign to everyone, but we'll find our footing and make this work. You guys have done nothing wrong, and the Knights have no reason to turn on you when we have a larger enemy on our hands. Thea has already said as much. So yes, the ‘wolf hunters' will help you and hunt the wolves that actually need hunting."

I hoped I sounded confident enough. This was all so unnatural to me, but I'd do my best to be helpful. I couldn't let my shifter friends deal with this on their own. And I definitely couldn't let innocent people die.

The dark-haired wolf turned her wary pale blue eyes on Griffin, as if she questioned his ability to protect them.

Placing his beer on the railing, he folded his arms but made himself comfortable, his disposition indolent and bored. "Look, we're here to make a treaty of sorts. So calm your farm, Birdy."

That earned him more than a few glares, including from myself. He really didn't make things easy for us. But he was here and trying so I had to give him that at least. Literally in the wolf"s den.

River cleared his throat, causing our attention to snap back to him. "We are grateful and appreciate all the help we can get. You'll get no resistance from my pack." The last sentence was said with the aura of his Alpha tone, forcing the command into his wolves so they knew to obey. They all nodded their heads in submission, including Raven.

Zander looked to Griffin and I, and then back to his Alpha. "Alright, so what's the plan?" His tone was deep and serious and very not-Zander like. I always wondered how he was ever serious and seeing it in action was as disconcerting as I'd imagined.

Griffin was the first to reply. "The Knights need as much information as possible to come up with a plan of attack on the rogues, but more than that, we need to figure out what their motive is while we all collectively defend the humans and the innocent packs. We've made a good start today and I'm sure the information will be critical in our efforts."

"Yes," River agreed. "We'll make arrangements to send out as many wolves as possible to the surrounding territories. Packs can turn on each other in an instant. We need allies, so it's important that we start reaching out and working together. Axel, Aubrey, Raven, Blaze and Tanner will act as our main messengers. Bear, Zander and I can rotate out when needed, making sure either Zander or myself are here at all times and all three of us are around closer to the full moons."

A low growl came out of Bear, draped across a lounge deck with Blaze. Presumably at the mention of his mate needing to leave without him. She patted his chest comfortingly.

The Alpha turned towards the large, intimidating wolf. "Bear, buddy, we'll need your hunting skills around here as much as possible. You're invaluable. But I need Blaze out in the field. I'll do my best to make sure you're not separated for long."

A gruff sounded in response and confirmation. River didn't even need to use his commanding aura this time. They talked things through like a family and had a compassionate Alpha that heard and considered their concerns. As a result, his wolves respected his decisions.

Satisfied, Riv continued, "I'll see if some of the older wolves can aid in visiting other packs too, as I'd prefer none of my wolves to go alone. We need Sage around. I can't sacrifice a healer being gone, especially if I'm not always around. At that rate, it will take us a few months to reach most, if not all the packs, and sort out an alliance. In the meantime, we'll continue to gather and feed the Knights information so we can move to attack and not defence."

"That will work," Griff nodded, his face grave and serious.

"In terms of healing, we can probably see if the compound has any alchemy solutions that might help," I offered.

Riv smiled warmly at me, his eyes full of pride and gratitude. "That would be amazing, Vee. Thank you."

"Of course," I smiled back as he brought around a tray of food, filling my plate before offering it to Griffin and then passing it down the line so everyone else could dig in.

As soon as the tray was out of his hands, his gaze returned to mine and I blushed at the adoring look on his face.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Griffin turn towards me, gaze locked on the side of my face—which I pointedly ignored, keeping my attention on the wolf who continued to stare lovingly at me.

After years of knowing him, I could tell what River was thinking: that I was handling myself surprisingly well and that he was proud, and probably a little guilty that he hadn't involved me in plans in the past. But despite that flicker of guilt that I knew plagued him, I could see that my presence here—my help—had him in high spirits.

The emotion on his face was contagious. I could feel it suffusing through me, giving me all the happy brain chemicals. A much-needed reprieve from all the stress and anxiety I had been feeling recently. And I was grateful for the relief, even just for a moment.

Realising we weren't alone, River cleared his throat and changed the subject. "We have faced these rogues a few times now, it might also be a good idea to train together whenever possible," he suggested, not tearing his eyes off me.

Griffin's face snapped back to the Alpha just in time to witness the pleased smile gracing River's face. I could only guess the thought of the two of us training together was the reason behind it.

Before Griffin could mutter something unnecessary or decline, I jumped in.

"Yes, I think that would be a great idea. All us Knights will need to keep up our training while here, so whichever ones are not on duty could cycle through and train with any of the wolves that are available." Riv nodded, even as I asked, "Is there anywhere on the property we can set up a bit of a base for training, even when the wolves might be occupied?"

"Of course." He didn't even take a moment to think about it, gesturing to the expanse of space past the decking. "The back of the property where we hold the bonfires can be used whenever the Knights need. There's more than enough space to set up a few training activities and whoever needs it, Knights or wolves, will be free to use it whenever they want."

The more sceptical wolves looked back at River with surprise clear on their faces. Zander held a hint of annoyance, which he then directed towards Griffin.

Turning to the hunter beside me, checking to see if he was appalled by the idea of it all, I saw him return Zander's glare with a full, devilish smirk.

Zan flipped him off before hastily digging into his food.

"Oh, this will be fun," Griff announced, almost salivating at the idea of getting physical with the wolves, even just for practice.

For a moment, I wondered if I'd made a huge mistake.