Page 8 of Ascension of the Pack

Her eyes softened and a sigh slipped past her lips. She turned to me. ‘Please?’ she asked, eyes begging for mercy. Clearlyshecould judge her father for following orders when she had not, but I was not afforded the same courtesy.

I understood: I could complain about my mum and dad as much as I liked but if someone else said a harsh word about them, I’d be in their face before you could say ‘I didn’t mean it’. Families can be tricky things at times.

I rubbed my forehead. Clearly, I wasn’t doing as well as I thought with the loners if they truly thought that I was going to slaughter thirty wolves just because they’d had the misfortune to be born in the wrong place to a very wrong alpha.

We just killed their alpha and two others. They have reason to be fearful,Esme pointed out.

One other!I objected.Ares smashed the other one.

Only because he got there first.Her tone was distinctly sulky, but she was right. I’d been going for intimidation and I’d achieved it. Yay me.

I turned to the kneeling wolves and scoured their ranks. ‘Is there any here that objects to me being their alpha? If so, now is the time to speak up and leave.’

This time, we kill anyone that leaves,Esme said firmly.

Yes,I agreed darkly. I would learn from my mistakes if it killed me – or someone else.

No one moved. Thirty wolves to take in or send home. I didn’t want another pack to look after and I was sorely tempted to send them on their way, but something told me to keep them close. They’d come here for a coup; without Rain, who knew who they’d try to puppet onto my throne? No, it would be better to keep them here, where I could keep an eye on them and assess if any of them remained a threat.

I looked dubiously at the manor, then at Nina. We were already bursting at the seams with wolves, where was I going to house another thirty? As if she felt me thinking of her, a shudder ran through the seat of power.

I stepped closer and touched her walls.Okay Nina?

I’m okay. I can house them if you bring me some more wood.

Are you sure? Some of them tried to burn you.

If they try anything like that within my walls, I will put them in the basement prison quicker than Terrance can light a flame,she said with dark satisfaction.

You have a basement prison?

What kind of seat of power would I be if I didn’t have a place to hold your enemies?

Put like that, I guess it did make sense.Does the wood have to be good condition?I asked, thinking of all the charred wood that was now on my lands. If Nina could use it, that would be something: waste not, want not.

I’m not sure,she admitted.Try it and we’ll see.

Great – it’s a plan. Thank you, Nina.

I’m not doing it for me,she said shortly.

I patted her walls and turned to my wolves. ‘Collect any wood on the land and feed it to Nina. She’ll be needing more resources to house our new friends.’ I turned to Rain’s pack. ‘Get comfy,’ I snapped. ‘You’ll be staying a while.’

Greg was still with Grandy in the shadows where we’d phased in. When I caught my grandfather’s eye, his face told me of his pride in me in a way his words never would. I smiled at him and he inclined his head towards me before he phased away. I guess he’d decided his presence wasn’t needed any longer.

I walked across to Greg. ‘Assess the wounded and call the witches if we need them. Once we’re sure everyone is okay, get names and ranks and settle in the Cheshire pack. Let me know if you think any of them will be a problem.’

He nodded solemnly. ‘Yes, my Queen.’

God, but the title rankled coming from him. We had an audience, though, so I simply turned on my heel and stalked into the mansion. I met Daniella in the hallway, anxiously pacing back and forth. Like Nova, she was lone from the Cheshire pack.

‘Hey,’ I greeted her softly. ‘You don’t have to see any of them if you don’t want to.’

‘It’s not that,’ she half-sobbed. ‘It’s whether they’ll want to seeme.I left them to him. I left them with no healer, with nothing.’

‘They’re wolves, they have rapid healing,’ I pointed out, unsure if I was helping or not.

‘I know.’ She took a shuddering breath. ‘But some things a shift won’t fix, not properly and certainly not painlessly.’ She blew out a long breath. ‘My dad’s a healing wizard. I have some IR, which is useless as hell when it comes to fighting, but in a pinch I can heal a wound. It might knock me out for days, but I can do it. I can save lives with it. And Ileft.’

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