Page 95 of Feral Werewolves
“Never,” I said. “I don’t ever want to let you go.”
She smiled, snuggling into me. “Don’t, then. Never let me go.”
I tightened my grip on her.
Kestrel and I met each other’s gaze, and I knew her words had galvanized him the way they’d galvanized me. He got up and stalked off into the house.
22
paladin
WE’D GONE THROUGHand discarded four or five different strategy ideas. We could not rush the house, because there were too many of them, and it would be a slaughter. We could not sneak in, because there were too many of us. Plus, after I’d snuck in today, there was probably tighter security. The best idea we had was a siege, all of us surrounding them with guns, but we felt like this could go on for a really long time and it wasn’t ideal.
We were all together in a room in the top of the farmhouse that had a pool table and dartboard. There were some mismatched easy chairs all gathered together in a semi-circle in one corner. That was where we were all sitting now. Me, Liam, Greg, and several other wolves who’d lost mates the night before.
“I mean, we’re taking a risk with this,” I was saying, “because if we say that we’ll lower the siege if they let our mates out, what’s to stop them bringing our mates out and threatening to shoot them if we don’t lower the siege. Two can play that game, so I think we need to think of these issues as distinct. The first step needs to be getting the mates back and the second step needs to be worrying about the leadership in this region, toppling Red, whatever.”
“Well, if you want us to support your bid for wolf boss,” Liam said, “then you get us our women back, Paladin.”
I blinked at him. What had he just said? “Wait, you don’t think thatI’mtrying to be boss.”
“Well, who else?” said Liam.
My lips parted, and my mind went entirely blank.
The door to the room opened, and Kestrel came in, walking toward me with a purpose.
I let out a laugh. “Kestrel, tell them I could never be wolf boss.”
“You couldn’t,” said Kestrel immediately. “Can I talk to you?”
“I mean, I need a chore chart,” I said with a little laugh.
“Alone,” said Kestrel.
Liam eyed Kestrel. “You got your girl back, but the rest of us are not so lucky, so if you don’t mind, that’s priority number one right now.”
“I need to talk to you,” said Kestrel, glaring at me.
I got up, lifting a finger. “I’ll be back, guys.”
“But we’re in the middle—”
“He’s pack,” I said. “And he’s my pack leader, so…” I gave Kestrel a grin. What abouthimrunning the place? What about him as the boss? Huh. It had possibilities.
Kestrel yanked me out into the hallway, and he shut the door to the room we’d been in. “We need to think about what’s best for Clementine.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Well, if you were the boss, that would—”
“Lazarus and I think we should run.”
“Run?” I was stunned.
“Take her and go. Far away, where no one knows us. We’ll start over.”
I scratched the side of my neck, not saying anything at all. Then I wandered down the hallway to look out the window. It was evening now, and the sun was starting to sink on the horizon. I gazed out at the rolling farmland, at the sky turning purple.
There was a car approaching.
