Page 66 of Rivers and Roads

And I wanted to spend the rest of my life just like that.

But we were at war, and bond or no, I had an obligation. I was still petrified of taking up the position as Head Alpha. It was only a matter of time before all of the shit hit every single fan across the world. With Kor and Misha being used as scapegoats, we predicted the eyes turning on Corland in a matter of weeks.

So far, the humans were keeping quiet about everything. The only announcement they’d made was that Kasher was running for office, and that he was attempting to disband the Wolf government and create one system of power for everyone. The world was quietly murmuring behind their computer and TV screens. The media was on edge, waiting for the next announcement.

And all across the globe, militaries were starting to prepare for another wave of attacks.

I closed my eyes and felt for Orion. He was now heading up security in Corland, and he was starting with the current residents. I hadn’t yet spoken to the rest of the Council about my suspicions, but Orion and I were both on the same page.

Sanderson had just been the start, and it was likely we had more just like him, lying in wait, waiting to strike when we seemed most vulnerable.

I felt Orion send me a pulse of affection, and I sent one back before I turned my attention to my task at hand. I could hear the heartbeats of the other Alphas inside, and I squared my shoulders before walking in.

Theo and Francisco were seated on the far side of the room, talking quietly. I was unsurprised to find Aisling not sitting with them, but the former hostility had ebbed a little, and it made me breathe a little easier. I met their gazes, then rolled my eyes when Theo waggled his brows at me.

“Not the time,” I snapped.

He laughed, though the sound was a little tense as he pushed to his feet. “No better way to heal up than a good romp in the woods, right?”

Francisco knocked his elbow into his husband, then joined him as they came closer. “You bonded?”

“We did, but we’re not making a public announcement,” I confessed. Orion and I had talked about it at length, and we decided if the public decided to turn on me, we still needed them to trust him. We wouldn’t hide it, of course, but the less attention we got, the better.

The other Alphas seemed to understand, and even Aisling, who was a stranger, gave me a nod of solidarity.

“Well, we have news,” Theo said after a beat. “We’ve gotten a message from Mikael.”

My heart began to thud. “And?”

“He has a lead on Danyal, along with several other Wolves, and they’re in Europe,” he answered, then swallowed thickly.

I swore under my breath. “How many?”

“He has no idea. He managed to…convince a human to give up some information,” he said, and I shuddered to think about the tactics he used—though I found myself struggling to condemn him at this point. “This shit isn’t in those files Orion sprung from ComTech. This is brand new and everything to do with Misha’s dad.”

“Has Kor checked in?” I asked.

“Just a text. He says they’re following a lead right now and for us to hold steady for as long as we can.” Theo dragged a hand down his face, then looked over at Aisling before he spoke again. “Aisling proposed that we sit on any action until our hand is forced.”

“But,” she said, stepping forward, “if our government decides to announce a bid to run against Alexei Kasher, we may need to do something.”

“I’m not opposed to having a government with our interests in mind, but not them,” Francisco added.

“We all know that’s what Kor went after, right?” I said. He hadn’t given us his plans, but he was also not the most subtle of Wolves.

“That’s what we’re assuming, and we just hope he comes up with something soon,” Theo said.

I nodded, then leaned back against the table and crossed my arms. “What else did Mikael say?”

“That he doesn’t think Danyal’s being hurt, but I told him that you and Talia were already pretty sure of that,” Francisco answered. “He thinks that could change soon, though, if Danyal won’t cooperate.”

I wanted to argue, but I was starting to feel fatigue. The distance in the bond was starting to strain it, and Talia had been exhausted when trying to reach him through it over dinner the night before.

“He’s following?” I asked.

Theo nodded. “He thinks he’s close, but he won’t be able to risk contacting us much in the coming weeks.”

Weeks. I fucking hated how long it was taking. They might not be hurting him, but the gods only knew what else they were capable of. Danyal was one of the strongest Wolves I had ever known, but I also knew we could only hold up under so much of the humans’ tender loving care.

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