Page 90 of War Games

“Killing Jenny and sending her head would have been enough, so why did they go to the Tribunal?” I suddenly needed to see Heath. Subira noticed the change in me, keeping herself in front of my closed bathroom door. I got up and grabbed the clothes, throwing them on, only to face her there.

“Answer, please,” I pleaded. I could have handled him being gone for a moment, but the need to see him was overwhelming.

He was supposed to be here. I’m not home yet. I need to see him.

“You’ve been distracting me from his absence,” I accused.

“Just a little,” Subira confirmed. “For your benefit and his. Not to meddle but for safety.”

“Subira—”

“Jacky, you were accidentally hurt by an attack on him from the Tribunal Alpha werewolves. They are dealing with other packs who are rejecting their authority. You weren’t the target, but you were hurt. Heath has every right to set this straight and make sure it never happens again.”

“The only way to stop the power jockeying of werewolves is to fight it out until everyone feels like they are in the right spot!” I yelled, and once it left me, I knew that was exactly what was happening.

I had known it was possible one day but hadn’t thought far enough ahead. I thought I had time, thought it might never actually happen, that Heath could live quietly with me in my territory outside of the werewolf nonsense unless it came to our door.

It did come to our door. It left me fighting through my worst memories…

“He could die,” I whispered, reaching around Subira to get the handle. She moved to the side and let me run past.

“Worse,” Subira said as I ran out of my bedroom. “He could win.”

That made me stop at the top of the stairs, looking over my shoulder at her.

He could become a member of the Tribunal. He would be the most dominant male werewolf in the world.

“And you can’t stop it,” Subira said. “Or help him.”

I kept going, running down the stairs, going through my friends, and nearly running over my brother. I got outside and was nearly at the door when something stopped me and pulled me back hard.

“You can’t interfere, Jacky!” Subira snapped, having followed me outside, stopping on my porch. She held up a hand as I looked back at her.

“Fuck that stupid rule!” I growled, getting back up to go into the Tribunal if I could.

“It’s not about the rule, Jacky. It’s about distracting Heath and getting him killed!” Subira’s thunderous words made me pause. They also brought out everyone else. Everyone in both my home and every supernatural in Kick Shot was now moving toward me.

I looked at Niko, who was resigned. He had known. Carey was there, rubbing her arms, also worried, but not surprised by any of this. Dirk was even more worried; his now-husband was there with Heath.

Landon might watch his father die…

I turned to see Shamus with the younger werewolves, walking down my driveway, drawn in by Subira’s thunderous words.

He’s keeping them together in case they need to leave before other Tribunal werewolves show up to dismantle the pack.

Teagan slipped out, Olivia beside him. Ranger hobbled out last, not wearing his prosthetic.

“I assume you’ve been getting paperwork ready for whatever might happen,” I said to the old werewolf, the gentle soul who chose our little rogue pack over going back to the bigger packs he’d once known.

“I am,” he confirmed. “And setting up a contract for Olivia to continue to work with us as a healer, so long as we lend werewolves to her animal rescue.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” I said, feeling a little crazy as he had turned this into a very casual conversation.

Dirk trotted down the steps and approached me, wrapping his arms around me.

“I just want to see him,” I whispered, shaking as I wrapped my arms around him too. “I just want to know he’s okay.”

“I know,” Dirk said, rocking me a little.

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