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“I… I did too. For your packmates. And mine.”

The flash of anger receded as I mulled on Gavin’s confession. The softness with which he said it convinced me of its truth. Gavin had always been weak to his wild emotions, so I didn’t doubt that sorrow could grip him as intensely as the rage I usually witnessed. It was strange solidarity we had never shared before then. “Thank you.”

“Look,” sighed Gavin, “there has been this wall between us for as long as I can remember. But Aislin… she’ll have to choose between us, and whatever her decision, I don’t want it to alienate us further. Especially now. We have to be strong if we’re going to survive what comes next with David.”

“I know, and I agree.” I leaned back in my chair and pushed my hair aside, closing my eyes to focus. Letting my anger get the best of me may have proven my humanity to Gavin, but it wasn’t going to help me reestablish the alliance that had become so badly damaged by David’s attacks. “What do you think about the idea of merging?”

“Long-term, I don’t think so. But until we deal with David… maybe we should try it. Divided, we’re weaker, but if we unify, we might stand a chance.”

“Do you think both of us could remain Alphas?”

“Yeah, I think we could. But we have to ensure we’ll be able to come to agreements. We have to be on the same page about how we’re going to protect ourselves.”

“What are your thoughts?”

“Maybe it is best that the remaining members of Grandbay seek refuge in Eastpeak. The terrain is more difficult, and we’d be sharing less of the perimeter with Dalesbloom. We would be able to hunt and we’d have more numbers to patrol. If David turns Lycan, we’ll be all be clustered together, instead of spread out and easier to pick off.”

When he suggested everyone staying in Eastpeak, my chest lightened with relief. “I could make accommodations for you and your pack,” I told him.

“We can’t just be hiding, though. We still need to locate David. Muriel is in danger, she only has until the next full moon. Would the Mythguard continue to assist us?”

“Yes.”

“Then that sounds like the best approach.”

There was another pause as we both digested this solution. I wondered how Aislin would react to it.

“The caller who warned you about Dalesbloom’s attack,” Gavin continued, “you didn’t recognize them, right?”

“No.”

“And there was no caller ID, nothing to identify them by?”

“No.”

“Is it possible they had warned us to help us?”

“The way they worded it didn’t sound like they’d called us out of pity.”

“But if they wanted to intimidate us, they would have called your cellphone, or mine. They would have addressed us directly, instead of calling your office phone, hoping you were there.”

I chewed on these facts. Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about the intentions of the caller before then. “No, because if they called you directly, you might have had even more time to evacuate. They called me without knowing if I would warn you, ensuring Dalesbloom had at least enough time to launch the attack, while also serving as a warning. They might not have intended for us to avoid the attack altogether. But perhaps they meant to let us know that there is somebody in Dalesbloom who sympathizes with us.”

It was very possible that could be a bit of a stretch. That exact thinking was what had gotten Taylor killed, but if there was even the slightest possibility that we might have an ally within Dalesbloom, I wanted to explore it. That might be our only shot at stopping David, if we couldn’t access him from the outside.

“Do you know anybody that could trace the call to a phone number?”

“I can reach out.” That was usually Taylor’s job, but I had a few contacts who I thought might be able to help. We couldn’t get a GPS location, but really, a phone number was all we needed.

“Okay. I’ll get my packmates together this evening. We’ll make the move to your place tonight if all goes well.”

There was another small ember of hope sizzling within me. Once more, we had a plan, only this time Gavin and I would be collaborating on the survival of our packs. “Keep me updated.”

“I will.”

When I hung up, it felt like the weight on my chest had shifted slightly. It wasn’t gone by any means, but it felt just a little lighter. A ray of sunlight was peeking in through the devastating overcast that had darkened my mind. Maybe it was just that I would get to see Aislin again tonight.

I wouldn’t waste any more time regarding our relationship. She had to know everything I felt about her—the entire truth. That I wanted to mark her, and that I loved her. If she pushed me away, then I’ll have deserved it, but it wouldn’t stop me from working hard to build up this new alliance with Gavin.

Aislin had taught me that I needed to be more open and trusting. Even if she rejected me to stay in Grandbay, the experiences I’d gained with her would shape the future of our packs. Grandbay and Eastpeak would emerge from this stronger than ever.

We would survive. Of this I was certain.

Chapter 29: Aislin

G

avin gathered his remaining packmates together in the pack cabin, though there weren’t many of us left. With Wendy, Philip, Barbara, and Casimir out of town, Niko and my father dead, and my mother in the hospital, it was just me, Billie, Albin, and Gavin. Four wolves from the ten that there initially was, two months ago before this had all started. Albin was bandaged up around his stomach, the gunshot wound swiftly closing, but still not in prime condition, while Gavin, Billie, and I were in various states of banged up from the fight. We looked like a sorry lot, and we felt like it, too. 

With a sigh, Gavin stood before us all and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “There’s no easy way to say this. We can’t stay here. It’s not safe since David has Muriel in his possession and we no longer know where he and his followers are hiding. They could strike any moment to wipe us out and ensure that they complete the Lycan ritual without interruption. For that reason, Everett and I have agreed to relocate the remaining members of Grandbay into Eastpeak territory until further notice.”

Each word Gavin spoke made my heart sink further. I knew he was right, that we weren’t safe anymore, but I didn’t know what he intended to do for a solution and I wasn’t expecting it to involve Eastpeak. Everett’s name made me flutter and shattered me all at once. I caught my Alpha’s eye, deciding there was no need for secrecy when there were so few of us here. “You spoke with Everett about merging?”