Page 91 of War Games

Instead of going back inside, I sat with my mother, brother, nephew, and all the werewolves outside, watching and waiting for news.

“You don’t have to…” I looked at Shamus and the young ones. Sure, Stacy and Kody were fully adults by age now, but they were still Shamus’s kids. Arlo and Benjamin were older teens, still certainly considered children by the conditions of immortals.

Sometimes, I was still a child when it came to immortals, and I was over forty.

“Would rather be here waiting with everyone else for our Alpha to be victorious than alone, ready to run,” Shamus said, smiling. “And you might not be a werewolf, but you’re part of this bigger family, too. It’s just as dysfunctional as yours, so you might not welcome?—”

Something made Shamus quiet. I looked at Subira to see she was unamused by the humor of Heath’s third. He’d shut his mouth once she had made eye contact with him.

“He’s teasing,” I promised her.

“I hope so,” she said, smiling but Subira was a master of the smile that meant she would turn someone into a blood splatter if they kept up whatever they were doing.

It was only a few minutes of this when Subira, of all people, had a phone going off.

“Ah.” She got up and walked to the security building, and I was the only one brave enough to follow her immediately.

I grabbed the handle, recognizing her gesture that I could, and pulled it open.

I wasn’t expecting the scene I walked into. Corissa was nearly crawling to a werewolf’s body, a werewolf who had certainly lost the fight, who left blood all over the marble floor of the now huge Tribunal main chamber. A wolf I recognized was standing over the body, also bleeding and bloodied, but the winner.

Heath had the other wolf by the neck.

“Please, just let me save him,” Corissa whispered, making me realize it was Callahan who was down. “I can’t lose him.”

Heath released Callahan’s neck and took two steps back.

“There will be a meeting once Callahan’s condition has stabilized and Heath’s injuries have been tended,” Landon announced.

My anger snapped, knowing if I wasn’t standing there, there was a chance no one would come to tell me about any of this happening until it was all well over and settled.

“I better be at that fucking meeting,” I snarled. I was staring not at Landon but at Heath, his ice-blue werewolf eyes looking up at mine, a boldness in their expression.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Landon said, grinning as he turned to her as well. “Good to see you up.”

“I mean, really?” I started down the stairs. I remembered almost too much. “I have been in a drug-induced nightmare coma for…”

“Three days,” Subira called out from the door behind me.

“Three days!” I growled. “And neither one of you assholes thought to leave a note for if I woke up? Or to wait a fucking minute before trying to get yourselves killed?”

I stomped down the stairs. Landon’s eyes went wide as I approached.

Heath, the brave man, bleeding and injured in his werewolf form, only watched my approach, not moving an inch.

“I mean, really, Heath! How am I supposed to tell you I want to get married next year if you go and die before I wake up?” I roared at the werewolf.

“Oh, shit,” Landon said.

Subira laughed.

34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“Iwill make a quick recommendation that future meetings do not need every member of the Tribunal. The moon cursed will handle the moon cursed,” Hasan said quickly as Subira continued to laugh. The others nodded, but Hasan didn’t wait for approval. I watched him come down, passing Heath’s stack of clothing, then come directly to me.

“We’re not having this argument right now,” I growled.

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