"This 'messenger' tonight proved one thing and one thing alone," Elma says, voice calm but still loud enough to carry over the others. "There are bigger, scarier vampires in this city than Blackwell. We're not safe here. We never will be. We need to leave."
"And go where?" Addie steps forward. "We were barely feeding ourselves in our old territory."
"I don't have the money to just pack up and leave," Nikolas says. "Grace and I just paid the deposit on the apartment. We won't get it back if we break lease. And we sold our camper. We'll be homeless."
"We'll make do. We always have."
"We're werewolves," someone yells from the back of the pack. "We don't run from a vampire!"
"We could die!"
"You think we'll be safe if we run? Are you that delusional?"
"Fuck you!"
"Hey!" Addie snaps. "Knock it off!"
"Easy," Elma says, her voice quiet but somehow carrying to every corner of the room. "It's the moon. We're all a little tense right now. It's okay."
"A vampire with a business card doesn't mean shit," Sergi growls. "I'm not leaving this city until Blackwell is ash."
A rumble of agreement from the pack.
"How many of us will die to protect this territory?" Elma asks.
Another rumble, this one more uncertain.
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"The kids won't be safe," Minjo mutters. "No matter where we go."
Instantly the pack is silent.
Minjo's sitting at the dining table, one hand wrapped around her pregnant belly, the other clinging to a cup of herbal tea. Her hair is unwashed. Her dark eyes rimmed with red.
She looks tired. Really tired.
"He wants the kids," she whispers. "Why else would Blackwell take us after he killed Alek? Why else would he keep a stray as a pet all these years? Why did those other vampires take Nik but keep JiAn, Izzie, and me?" She sucks in a shaky breath. "He wants werewolf cubs. I don't know why. I don't want to think about why. But he does. It's the only explanation."
You glance around at the faces of your pack. You see fear, anger, disgust, confusion...
Minjo takes a slow sip of tea. "He'll follow us. I'm sure of it. If we leave he'll follow us. We chased off his pet. He needs a replacement. He needs wolf cubs... and he knows we have two." Her hand runs over her belly. "Maybe three."
"What other option do we have?" Ed asks. "We don't know where he is, we don't know how to flush him out."
"He attacked us when we were vulnerable," Minjo says quietly.
"What are you suggesting?"
Minjo doesn't look away from her tea. "I don't know. But there must be a way to make us look vulnerable again. If he thinks he can grab the kids he might fall for it."
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"I still think we should leave," Elma says softly. "I'm sure Roe will let us stay in their territory, if we asked."
"If we begged more like," Ed says under his breath.
"We're not going anywhere," Sergi growls. "Especially not to some other pack's territory."
Everyone starts talking at once.
"Minjo's right! There must be a way to trick him!"
"Yes. We stay! We fight!"
"No! Elma's right. We should go!"
"Fuck that. This is our territory."
"That creepy vampire wants our kids. The least we can do is put some damn distance between him and them!"
"He tries to take them we'll rip him apart!"
"What are we going to do with this invitation?" Ed's voice rises above the crowd.
"Burn it," Sergi says.
"No," Addie snaps. "We meet the king. See what he has to say."
"No," Elma insists. "This is too risky. We nee—"
"I said NO!" Sergi yells.
Instantly the pack is silent.
Sergi hadn't just yelled, he'd howled too, loud enough that the echo of it is still ringing in your ears.
nonononononono
A werewolf doesn't usually howl like that... unless...
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"No," Addie growls back. "NO."
Sergi flashes his teeth.
From outside you hear Marco and Grace's confused howls.
whatwhatwhatwhatwhat
Elma doesn't say anything, but she takes off her horn rimmed glasses, a sure sign she's planning on shifting soon.
Holy fuck. This is happening. This is actually—
"Not at night!" Ed yells, throwing his hands up.
Everyone turns to him.
"We're being hunted by vampires, for fuck's sake," he cries. "If we have to do this, if we have to fight over who's going to be Alpha, can we at least do it when the sun is up? Please?"
"He's right," Vicky says, and it's the first thing she's said since walking in here. "We need to stay unified, stay alert, at least until daybreak."
The pack murmurs in agreement but their eyes are still flicking nervously between Sergi, Addie, and Elma.
Around you, the pack slowly, reluctantly disperses.
You see Ed slump down on the sofa and rub at his face. Vicky's with him. Not sitting, not saying anything, but standing nearby, which is Vicky's way of showing support.
On the other side of the room Addie and Elma are making a quick escape into the kitchen.
Nikolas and Sergi's escape is less quick and into the hallway.
Minjo stays sitting at the table, staring at her tea.
You take a deep breath and make your escape.
Your room is quiet and empty. You've clipped the curtains closed with clothes pegs so not even a sliver of moonlight spills into the dark. It feels safe. Or as close to safe as anything does right now.
You kick off your shoes and collapse onto the bed.
You're not tired, but you should be. You've been awake for way too long. A memory bobs unbidden to the surface of your mind.
The Alpha. Dark eyes, dark hair, scarred arms crossed over his chest.
"Sleep. I know you've been awake all night."
"But..." you'd protested.
"That's an order."
That was the morning after receiving the letter from Blackwell. God, that feels like a lifetime ago.
You roll over and bury your face in the pillow, inhaling the warm familiar scent. It'll be okay. You don't know how the fuck it's going to be okay. But somehow... it'll be okay...
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