Page 56 of Never Submit

“I know that!” My voice comes out sharper than I intend, and Flora winces. I exhale slowly, reining in my temper. “I know.”

The room falls silent except for the ticking of the old clock on the wall. The weight of their eyes on me makes my skin prickle. I can’t dodge the question any longer.

"If we do leave,” Dax starts, easing into the idea, “howcan we be sure Andras won’t follow? Where do we even go?”

Dax is a monster and a psychotic animal on a good day. Most people aren’t privy to his insights. He’s got a sharp mind and a keen intellect.

I run a hand down my face, hating the answer before I even speak it. “I have an idea.”

Dax leans forward, instantly suspicious. “What idea?”

I glance at Flora, whose brows knit together in worry, before locking eyes with Dax. “Torin.”

The name hangs in the air like a grenade about to go off.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Dax says, his voice a snarl. “Torin?ThatTorin? You want to ask him for helpagain?”

“He has the resources we don’t,” I argue. “Tech, security, walls that could keep Andras out.”

And he’s got Ren. If the Moonstone absorbed into her, it’s suicide to do anything but consider her usefulness.

“Torin doesn’t do anything for free, Mathis. You know this. He’s not going to just take us in out of the goodness of his black heart,” Flora insists, craning forward. “Surrendering to him can mean he can take us out—kill you and claim alpha over Grey Valley.”

“Do I look like I have a choice?” I snap, the weight of desperation cracking through my words. Dax knows I wouldn’t even consider this unless we had run out of options. And we have. “This pack needs safety, and we don’t have the time or strength to find it alone. The Steel Claws are our best shot.”

Dax growls under his breath, shaking his head. “He’ll bleed us dry. The fucker does nothing for anyone unless he gets something bigger in return.”

“He’ll bleed us drylessthan Andras will,” I counter. “And he has Ren.”

Flora speaks up, her voice calm but steady. “If it keeps the pups safe, it’s worth it. You know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my kids protected.”

Her words sink into the air. Dax glares at me, but the fight in him dulls. He knows as well as I do that we’re out of options.

We leave, or we bargain with the boogeyman.

I rake my fingers through my hair and stand, the weight of my decision settling on my shoulders like a lead cloak. “I’ll call Torin. Get the proceedings started.”

Dax curses under his breath, his frustration palpable, but he doesn’t argue. “This is fucking ridiculous.”

Yeah, I agree.

Flora nods, her expression calm but laced with worry, her hand resting protectively over her abdomen. The room feels too quiet, the silence pressing in as if even the air itself knows what’s coming.

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then so be it. I’ve been letting my pride and old rivalry get in the way for too long. It’s time for me to set all that aside to keep my pack alive.

The true question is if Torin can do the same. And if he’ll be willing to give me access to Ren in the process.

Chapter 13

Ren

Exhaustion never felt like this before. Never this intense, like any movement is going to take a monumental act of a higher power to accomplish.

What the fuck happened to me, and why does it feel like I got run over by a tank? I had a lot of great energy the other night, when I had my own Eiffel Tower moment.

Or does it only count if the guys aren’t high-fiving? I’m not really good at this sort of thing.

Carrigan would know. Hell, she’d throw me a parade for being a little slut, as she so often urged me to be back at the restaurant.

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