Page 152 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

“No, he’s right,” Griffin said. “If Shadow Ridge arrived here first, they deserve to be part of this conversation. After all, not only were Dove and I at risk, but their alpha, too.” Griffin straightened his back, his trepidation wafting into me.You’re right, but damn, why is this so hard?

Because it’s easier not to upset anyone.And I had a feeling the more we rattled Dick, the quicker he’d show his true colors. But a confrontation had always been inevitable. That man was determined to take control. He’d been going slower and easier only while Griffin had been compliant.Especially someone you grew up believing had your best interests at heart.

Dick huffed, and his jaw twitched as his composure slipped. “Now, Griffin, you asked me to handle things while you finishedschool and goofed off. Why don’t you stay out of this and let me take care of it like usual?”

God. He was such a prick. He’d purposely used that term to undermine Griffin in front of everyone. I opened my mouth to defend my mate, but he surprised me.

“You’re right. I did.” Griffin’s face was smooth as if he didn’t have a single worry, but the vein in his neck bulged. “And effective as of this moment, Dove and I plan to become more involved.”

You handled that perfectly.If he had told Dick we were ready to take back control, it would have pushed him over the edge, and we weren’t ready for that. Not yet. We needed to move the needle slowly and gauge the fallout. Someone as vile as Dick could cause even more chaos for us, and the others needed to see Griffin begin to take the reins so they’d feel comfortable backing him when the time came.

Dick’s mouth dropped before he closed it, and his beady eyes landed on me—Griffin had taken him by surprise. He swallowed hard and rolled his shoulders as if the suit was suddenly too much. “I think you have something to do with that decision.”

I’d never had someone look at me with such disgust. It both unsettled and thrilled me. Dad always said that whenever someone met you, if they didn’t either love or hate you, you’d done something wrong because you’d blended into the background—been unmemorable. Silver wolves were about taking a stance and doing the right thing, so we should never go under the radar unless we did so purposely. Between Dick and his daughter, Luna, I’d definitely followed Dad’s advice. “Nope, this was all Griffin.” And that was the truth. I’d only grounded him, which enabled him to see what the future should be.

“Whether she did or didn’t is irrelevant,” Griffin said with annoyance. “The fact remains that it’s solely my decision to make. On that note, my mate has been rescued, and we almostdidn’t make it through, so I think it’s best if we get our cars and head home. We’ll take care of the rental tomorrow.”

Dick’s jaw twitched, but he nodded, unable to do much else.

“Billy…” Killian leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, effectively showing I was under his protection too. “We need a handful of guards available at Griffin’s in case something goes awry.”

Unlike Dick, Billy flashed a proud smile. “I can send them there now.”

My body tensed. Julius was there. If the guards saw him, there was no telling what kind of problems that could cause. I understood we needed protection, but if the enemy found out where Julius was staying, they could try to kill him. We had no clue yet who was working against us—we needed those answers from Julius. And the fact that there were at least two people who’d killed themselves rather than be caught spoke volumes about what his controllers would do if they got ahold of him.

The thought of Julius being injured upset me way more than it should.

It’ll be fine.Griffin obviously understood what was roiling inside me.Rosemary should already be there with Julius. I gave her a key this morning in case we had to split up, so no one will see him come in.

I hadn’t considered that. The enemy wouldn’t expect an angel to be flying Julius around. Having the guards could work in our favor. I heaved a sigh. We should be okay.

“If you’re okay with that plan, I’ll link them myself.” Killian rubbed my shoulder for a second before removing his hand.

“Kill, they’re your pack.” Billy patted the hood of the SUV. “You don’t need my permission to act as the alpha.”

And that was the largest difference between Dick and Billy. I already liked Billy and could easily view him as a friend or even a family member in the future.

“Lars, do you mind coordinating a few Shadow City guards, too?” Griffin didn’t even bother looking at Dick and spoke directly to the guard. “It would be good for the two forces to work together.”

“Of course, sir.” Lars's face reminded me of a kid’s on Christmas morning.

“Wait.” Dick shook his head as his hands clenched. “Why do we need to involve our guards when Shadow Ridge’s can do the job just fine?”

“Because pooling resources is always smart, and Shadow Ridge has already given lives to the cause,” I said. I hated the man. “Why should Shadow Ridge always risk themselves and their pack for both cities? Don’t you think there should be more of a partnership?”

“This is how things work,” Dick spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Excuse me.” Griffin’s voice laced with alpha will as he stared the prick down. “You will not speak to her like that again. Do I make myself clear?”

Dick grimaced and growled. “Perfectly.”

“As I was saying, please send at least two guards to help out the Shadow Ridge guards,” Griffin said stiffly to Lars. “If you have any questions or problems, link me directly.”

Lars’s head bobbed like a doll’s, and Griffin pulled forward, heading straight to the vehicles.

This whole day had been a shit show, and it still wasn’t over.

Griffin pulledhis vehicle into his garage, passing three pack members standing guard out front.

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