Page 40 of Rejected Wolf

Dylan had been quiet since they sat down, his amber eyes unfocused. Now, though, he perked up. “I think I can help with that.” His declaration made everyone shift in their seats, wary of what he was about to propose.

“What is it? Why is everyone acting weird?” Morgan asked, picking up on the unease. There were a few things about Dylan I hadn’t had the chance to tell him yet.

Dylan’s smile looked pained. “Let’s just say, my father’s business doesn’t exactly fall on the right side of the law. If we’re worried about weapons, my dad can provide us with some firepower. He’ll have trained shifters to spare as well.” He huffed a little laugh devoid of humor, shaking his head. “And when all is said and done, his cleaning crew can cover it up and make it all go away.”

Shan propped his elbows on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed as he tried to control his breathing. I knew how hard it was for him to cross that line between right and wrong. In this case, though, I wasn’t sure there was a line. These men were evil, and the world would be better off without them, plain and simple.

At last, Shan tipped his head up. “We’re not mercenaries, but I have another suggestion for manpower, and it won’t be popular.” He looked to his mate, and they locked gazes for a long moment. I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment, the way they shared a deeper understanding, their intense love and devotion bared for all to see.

“It’s okay,” Brody said, nodding. “It needs to be done.” He had that haunted look in his eyes, the one he got whenever he thought about his old pack, and I realized with a sinking dread what Shan was about to suggest.

Our Alpha turned to the group. “Like I said, we’re not the only wolves in these woods. There are other packs,strongerpacks…”

My blood went cold, before swinging back to boiling hot. I gritted my teeth. “You want to recruit Silas.”

“I do.”

Silence descended over the table—hell, the whole camp, and I wondered if the others were listening from the kitchen; we weren’t exactly being quiet out here.

“After everything he did…” I began, rage surging through me. “He was Thorn’s Beta!” I snapped, slamming a fist down on the table.

“And Silas helped us take Thorn down,” Shan said, annoyingly calm.

“For his own selfish gain!” If Morgan weren’t sitting on my lap, I would’ve been up and pacing, but as it was, I was hyperaware of his fragile human body, and I kept my hold on him gentle. I didn’t want to scare him, either, though if anything, he seemed to be getting angry on my behalf, heat creeping up his neck and making his cheeks flush.

“Jude,” Brody said sharply, and I immediately felt the ripple of power from my Alpha Omega through the pack bond, and Morgan gasped softly at the new sensation. I bowed my head in respect. Brody sighed, relaxing against the table. “I appreciate that you’re holding a grudge on my behalf, but… Shan is absolutely right to consider this. They have the numbers, and they have the experience and… ruthlessness. As much as I hate to admit it, we need them. It could mean the difference between win or lose.”Between life and death.

Brody had more reason to hate Silas than I did. Silas’s Alpha, Thorn, had kept Brody as a prisoner, abused him, raped him, done everything in his power to break him—and if Brody hadn’t escaped, Thorn would’ve killed him eventually. If he’d had his way, he would’ve killed us all. In my mind, Silas was just as bad, an accomplice to the abuse.

In the end, though, he’d betrayed his Alpha, manipulating a scenario that pitted Shan and Thorn against each other, one on one. Shan won his mate, Thorn paid with his life, and Silas got exactly what he wanted—leadership of the pack—but as much as I hated to admit it, he’d likely also saved countless lives in the process, on both sides.

If Brody of all people could accept Silas’s help in this, then I had no choice but to agree. “Okay,” I said, blowing out a sigh and forcing the tension to leach from my body.

“Thank you,” Shan said. “Things are about to get rough. We need to be a team in this.”

As much as I hated it, I knew he was right. “I trust you, Alpha. I’m with you.”

To help break the tension, Tristan drummed out a little rhythm on the wood and said with exaggerated excitement, “Great! Looks like we’re going to war. Again.” He was smiling, but I didn’t miss the way Dylan reached forhim under the table. All jokes aside, he was as scared as the rest of us.

Shan stood from the table, looking grim but determined. “Don’t go calling for war just yet. First things first. Let’s go talk to the rest of the pack. I want to hear what Vesta has to say.”

It was time to take a vote.

Chapter 18

Morgan

True to Shan’s word,we all crammed into the tiny kitchen where they held a pack meeting. The room still smelled like pancakes from breakfast, but my anxiety had my stomach so twisted, I didn’t think I could ever eat again. Everyone was perched on benches, counters, or leaning along the wall to discuss what was going on and to vote on what actions we were about to take. No one seemed overly surprised by the fact that danger was coming; if anything, they seemed resigned.

Shan laid a paper map of the region out on the table, and Jude narrowed down the location of the lab, based on the memory of his escape. I could sense the lingering disquiet in him, forced to dredge up his past trauma.

The plan involved asking Dylan’s father to supply them with weapons, armor, and surveillance equipment, then toask the surrounding packs to volunteer manpower. Shan was somber but spoke with decisiveness, and I found my nerves easing. He was a natural leader. No surprise, the vote was unanimous in their Alpha’s favor. It was obvious to me that they trusted him implicitly, even in the face of war. What was surprising, though, was that I was given a vote too.

“Morgan, how do you vote?” Shan asked, turning those copper eyes on me.

“But I just got here,” I said, shaking my head and trying to back away, before finding myself bumping into Jude’s firm chest.

Shan just smiled at me. “But you’re here to stay, and whatever happens tomorrow, it will impact you too. What do you say?”

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