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“Gunner, you have to trust me.”
This wasn’t the time to explain the full extent of Oyo’s awfulness. I couldn’t mention my grandmother’s magic in front of the assembled alphas either, not if the goal was to assure our opponents that the Atwood pack was no longer under a kitsune’s sway.
Especially since I could already see the three strange alphas turning against me. “This is your mate?” asked the fence-sitter, his face not giving away a single clue about whether my sword-wielding appearance had swayed him over to the other side of the fence.
“Yes.” Gunner was firm, but his brow remained furrowed. Meanwhile, he neglected to back up my assertion that Oyo had been the one responsible for manipulating his clan.
“And you believe she’s truly partnering with you rather than controlling you?” This was the neighbor whose apparent goal was to behead Gunner and take over at least a portion of his territory. “Then you should have regained control of your pack by now. Tell them to stop fighting...”
“...And you’ll do the same for your wolves?” Gunner wasn’t an idiot so he didn’t trust the greedy alpha as far as he could throw him. Still, his attention remained riveted on me rather than on his opponent, sienna eyes searching my face.
Gunner was buying time while coming to a decision, I realized. So I pushed as hard as I could to send information down our tether the way he’d once shared his own vision. If Gunner heard Oyo’s admission in my memory, then he’d stop looking for another solution that didn’t involve the redhead being punished for her past actions....
But the tether—still obvious and visible with Elle’s blood empowering me—remained inert beneath my hand. And, finally, Gunner came to a decision without any additional information. “I’ll...” he started, only to be interrupted by a change in the sounds of battle echoing up to us from the floor of the hall.
At first, I thought that the conflict between Atwoods and invaders had been settled. Why else would a lull be rolling across the crowd? Then I noted that the Atwood sword-wielders were still fighting frantically. It was their opponents who turned in a wave to face the doorway that I had recently come through.
And no wonder when that dark rectangle was no longer empty and open to the snowy night beyond it. Instead, Ransom stood bold and tall in its center, innumerable well-armed shifters at his flank.
Backup had arrived. Backup...or a deposed alpha ready to take his rightful place at the head of the clan he’d been ejected from. I shivered, hesitated. Gunner, in contrast, trusted his sibling implicitly.
“Stand down,” he commanded his underlings. And as the wave of discarded weapons fell from the hands of my students, Ransom’s pack mates raised their own blades to take over the fight.
Gunner had proven his control without giving our enemies the advantage. And Ransom had been the ally who made that parry work.
***
“I’LL BE WATCHING YOU.”
The least friendly neighboring alpha stepped past us as I slipped my sword through Gunner’s bonds to free him. And even though he should have been stiff and sore after hours without moving, Gunner rose as lithely as he’d leapt from the trunk of Old Red two days before.
“The feeling is mutual,” my partner growled as I stepped around the pair of them to deal with my own problems. Where was she? In the midst of the Atwood reunion and enemy outflux, it took a long moment to find the black-furred fox within the crowd.
But there was Yuki holding tightly onto Oyo. I’d been half fearful that Kira’s ticket to safety would have escaped while my attention was elsewhere, or that Yuki would have changed his mind again, taken his lover, and run. But the duo instead waited just past the edges of the fighting...beneath a clock that promised I had only nineteen hours left before my sister’s safety ran thin.
Nineteen hours and a ten-hour drive to fit into that window. Because the helicopter had departed immediately after dropping us off. Which left me so little time to spend with my never-to-be partner before leaving his pack behind for good....
I turned back around just as the third and final alpha spoke to Gunner. “Our agreement still stands?” This was the pro-Atwood neighbor nailing down details of yet another alliance. Gunner clearly wasn’t done saying farewell to his uninvited house guests, so this time I turned my attention to Elle instead.
“Can you watch them for me?” I mouthed, silently tugging on our tether to get her attention before cutting my eyes to Yuki and Oyo. I didn’t expect my friend to hear me, but comprehension dawned on her face more easily than it should have. Was this what it would have been like to be part of a pack?
Sure enough, Elle was already pushing through the crowd toward Yuki and Oyo even though her mouth was now pinched into a straight line. She disagreed with my intention to turn myself back over to Sakurako. But apparently she was willing to assist me in the matter nonetheless.
Then the community hall was emptying, enemy shifters leaving as quickly as they’d come. Meanwhile, wolves from both Atwood packs intermingled, spending a few precious minutes with one-time neighbors they hadn’t seen for several months due to the actions of their alphas.
Which left Gunner and Ransom alone on the dais...well, alone except for me.
“Brother.” Gunner held out one hand to his sibling, waiting a beat longer than I would have for reciprocation that clearly wasn’t forthcoming before allowing the appendage in question to drop back down to his side. Still, he continued attempting to build bridges. “I’m glad you’ve come home. It’s high time we learned to rule together.”
Together. It was a tremendous admission...but apparently not quite tremendous enough to mollify the older brother. Because Ransom remained dour as he eyed Gunner consideringly. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
“I will be your ally if you support my bid for the northern territory,” Ransom growled. “But don’t think I’m going to retreat with my tail between my legs to accept your scraps. You cast us out and we’ve made new lives for ourselves. Lives that don’t involve bloodlings and kitsunes and losing ground our grandfather bought.”
Beneath us, the members of both Atwood packs let their conversations falter into silence, shifter ears catching every word from up above. This wasn’t the reconciliation Gunner had been hoping for...but at least it wasn’t the coup I’d feared.
“Take what Ransom offers,” I begged Gunner silently, wishing once again that he could hear my words.
And maybe he did. Because my never-mate’s eyes slipped toward me momentarily, then he nodded graciously. “Of course I’ll support your territory, brother. I hope the lines of communication will remain open between our packs.”