Emily didn’t really have much of anything since she’d shipped it all to Damon’s Pack’s Territory, and it would take weeks to get it back since there were issues with a wolf trying to subvert control from them while they were away. So, there wasn’t any point in returning to her cottage and it felt odd since she’d be leaving the man who was technically her mate.
She was so torn over this. Part of her she’d lived with for so long celebrated the idea that James finally saw her for the woman she was. Another part of her was the woman that dragged him from bars falling down drunk, chased women from his bed, made sure those same women never came back to haunt him and dealt with his unfortunate behaviour while he dealt with pack business outside of the pack. The one that outraged her most was being
Haden poured over the schedules, amazed at the detail and the practical level everything was at. He couldn’t find anything she missed. They would work steadily, contacting people and arranging everything. Janine was a marvel at how she’d planned everything and recorded every step. If only this went so far as her doing the same thing for his pack’s administration needs.He didn’t plan to leave his position as Alpha soon. Annabelle was far from ready if ever to take her place as Luna. Her mother may have been his mate, but she never made a good Luna. He’d always felt his mating with her failed his pack in too many ways to count.Silver Hills needed something better. He was too old to be effective anymore, but he couldn’t see himself stepping down unless he was sure of his successor.Annabelle’s taste in males was dismally poor, and her personality did
Everyone overflowed the small hotel room, but they ended up with eleven people in one room. Once again, they filled in the last people to arrive about their plans. As they now had one main one and two backup plans. Undercover of dark, they took the vehicles as far as they could along the old logging road. Once they couldn’t go any further, they would need to walk at the end of the way. But no shifter would walk in on two legs. Four were so much faster and far quieter. “Alright, everyone. Phones on silence if you’re taking them. I recommend we leave a few here if things go badly and others take theirs with them. Lukas, you are the least skilled at fighting. It’s your job to protect the vehicle and get it out of here if necessary. The other two just leav
“Hey, when are you coming to bed?” James stood at the door to the back sitting room, where Emily hid for most of the day. “What? Oh, since I can’t get back to my cottage. I was trying to figure out if we have any freed-up apartments or rooms. But the ones not being used need cleaning.” Emily was looking over something on her computer while she said this and wasn’t paying attention to James’ reaction to her words. “Emily.” Now she heard his feelings in his tone and everything in her brain sent warning signs that the next words out of his mouth would express exactly what he thought. “You won’t need your cottage or apartment for anything. We’re mated now. The Alpha couple always sleeps
“Your mate, Alpha, but… I’m aware of your history. There must be some misunderstanding.” Elder Ambrose failed to whisper to Alpha Thomas. Asia was just slipping into the cabin at the time while still in her wolf form. So Elder Ambrose was glad her glare couldn’t kill him, but did promise to do so if he continued. Thomas loved the fact she didn’t back down, even for an elder. It showed the signs of a genuine leader to maintain the pack and their station without resorting to violence. “Situations change and it’s currently a private matter and not a pack issue yet.” Thomas didn’t like being reminded of his failure to mate with her in the past. Elder Ambrose knew exactly what happened because he and Damon were the ones that dealt with him through the trauma he experienced afte
Janine was so pleased to hear that Emily and James were going to try to make a go of their mating. She’d always maintained that those two were meant to be together, but after the attack, everyone kept dissuading her from that notion. It was too soon to think of anything like that. James was in mourning. Emily was too ill. Later, it was meant to push them together because James may find his second chance mate. Why saddle him with a mate who wouldn’t be able to give him pups? She felt horrible for listening to the other maternals’ words. So, judgemental. Like a mate was only there to give him pups. What about his mental health? He needed a mate who could support him and be there when he needed someone special. Someone to enjoy the good times and get through the bad times with. Pups were nice, but they weren’t the be all or end all.&nb
Damon didn’t like leaving Eva there, but she was safer in a group than wandering out here and trying to avoid danger. There were strange wolves around that were for sure Damon could smell them. He started with the cars and passed on the word that everyone would go first to Elder Ambrose’s cabin before coming to the cars. That if any information reached him, it was a must get it to that cabin so that everyone could use it to protect themselves. This inability to communicate with phones made everything a hundred times harder. There were no group texts or phone trees. That added walking and effort that took time. Everything slowed down. He wondered if Henry and his pack of turkeys experienced this too or if they possessed some way to avoid their block of communications. 
Emily couldn’t believe James. No, that wasn’t true. This was James all too often. He’d do what needed doing to get things just how he believed they should be. With a sigh, she caved and accepted his t-shirt. She got into it and looked up to see him watching her. “What?” Emily could see the wheels turning in his head and she feared hearing the squeak of a hamster running on its wheel. He sat down heavily on his bed… Their bed. She winced as her own thoughts corrected themselves. “I was just thinking. No, more like remembering something.” He gave her a sheepish half-smile and began to take his boots off. “Since I don’t read minds, you’ll need to elaborate on that with a lot more detail.&rdq
Asia watched Thomas listen to message after message of similar oaths of loyalty and reports of neglect and difficulty. Henry didn’t care about the chaos he created. To Asia, it was as if Henry was blind to all of it. This was definitely not the sign of a leader, but that of a puppet. Clearly, someone else pulled his strings, and it wasn’t for the benefit of the pack. She currently pondered if this person was going after something in particular. Land? Slaves? Money? She wasn’t sure yet what the endgame of these people was. “Darling, listen to this and tell me. Does this sound like they are deliberately attempting to make it impossible for the hunters to do their job?” Thomas held a phone up and placed a clip for her as she listened again to it.