Page 57 of The Sacred Wolf

She did not. And I felt a prickle of mostly irrational fear. Sebastian had kept the word he gave my friends on the subway and we’d been careful… all three times… and would continue to be for a very long time. Regardless of any ideas she might be getting. I blushed though. What was Sebastian’s version of this feeling? Did he dream of hunting buffalo on the plains, dragging a big bloody carcass back to his first litter…

“Elyse, are you listening?” Sebastian asked gently. “Father is speaking to you.”

I shook my head and swallowed hard. I did not care for this at all. “Sorry. I’m just… distracted…” I waved at the TV screen as a cover.”

“Yes, well, I know I told you otherwise yesterday,” Max continued now that he had my attention, “but things have gotten considerably worse. The crowd he’s commanding contains close to a thousand humans now. We have to stop him now before he gains momentum.”

“What are you proposing?” I asked, confused.

“That we go down in force and show the humans that shifters generally can be trusted, just not that shifter.”

“You mean… reveal ourselves?” I said, my heart rising into my throat.

“Yes, it’s time to come out of the shadows.” Max nodded as if he was sure this would work just because he wanted it too. “We will leave them alone if they leave us alone.”

The room was silent. I looked at everyone, seeking some sort of protest, but the rest seemed resigned to follow their Alpha. It was like a dream and a nightmare rolled into one. Part of me had always wanted this, but after being attacked time and again, I had my doubts now that the humans would want to live peacefully side by side. Even without Damian’s control.

All eyes stared back at me, and it occurred to me that Max was addressing me specifically, out of all these shifters, and I was washed with a prickling sense of anxiety, my skin growing hot and muscles tense.

The air turned heavy, as if it were exerting more pressure on me from all directions. Despite the clarity that he would make the final call in his territory, the Alpha of Manhattan was asking me what I thought of his plan.

Because I was also an Alpha, the rightful leader of another pack, and a victim of Damien’s attacks, and…

Because I created Evan. I was one of the Promised Ones.

I swallowed against the dry knot in my throat.

This is what she meant.

Who? My wolf stopped her cavorting for a moment and tuned in.

Kiana. This is what she meant about pressure. What if others agree with me, that Max’s plan may be flawed?

There’s only one way to find out.

She was right. I shook my head. “But I thought—”

“Part of being an Alpha is being willing to change strategies when the times demand it.” Maximo said. “I believe that the best strategy now is to show we mean no harm and that Damien is an outlier who we will take care of ourselves.”

I stopped and considered again. What choice did we have? If we let Damien continue, he would have millions of humans hunting us by nightfall. I sighed.

“The human police may beg to differ on that last part,” I replied. His brow furrowed. “But I suggest you go ahead and call the Bronx pack. If there’s going to be a confrontation with Damien, Kiana won’t want to miss it.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A voice buzzed through Kenzo’s radio, and the words clipped. “SecPack Commander, this is Bravo pack. We’ve made our way to the left flank of the crowd and are in position, over.”

Kenzo rolled his eyes, turning it down to a tinny hum. “I swear, man, the Security Pack has been dying to do something like this for a decade. If Mike goes any more Special Forces on us, I’m going to have to remind him who used to dunk on him in gym class.”

“You mean Barry?” Sebastian quipped, his lips tight.

Kenzo snorted but didn’t respond. I appreciated his restraint. You didn’t have to be a lifelong friend to feel the energy rolling off Sebastian. The closer we got to his mother, the antsier he got.

“SecPack Commander.” The radio whined again. “All packs are in position and awaiting orders.”

My chest tightened. From our location in the stand of oaks north of the Turtle Pond, we couldn’t see our forces fanned out around the actual humans, but that last update meant that the time had come.

As if to make this point, Kenzo came to a halt. “This is your stop, you relatable kiddos.”

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