“Maybe there are other options; I don’t know. Packs my size may not want or need additions, and that’s fine. But we should at least encourage the larger packs to offer up reinforcements as a show of solidarity. I have strong men and women in my house, but others may not have that same luxury. Maybe they have more kids or older members. If this war goes down, it’s us against them. Period. I’m willing to bet they’re sending scouts to size up our territories and take notes. I’m asking you to step in with a solution. If nothing happens, then at least we have a plan for the future. Who knows? Maybe temporarily merging packs might strengthen alliances. Have you ever been to Colorado?”
Turner crossed one leg over the other. “Can’t say I have. I’ve heard it’s cold enough to freeze your nipples off.”
“They’re organized. If all the big cities operated like them, then we’d have one hell of a defense.”
“Easier said than done. Tell you what, Cole. I’ll put something in force, but only on the condition that you help smooth out the kinks.”
Austin appreciated Turner’s willingness to include him. “I’ve worked hard over the years to forge alliances, so I’ve got influence. I can sway any packs that resist. I wanted to bring them all in for this meeting, but out of respect, I’m speaking with you privately. Regardless of what you decide, I have a right to warn my allies, and that’s what I plan to do when I get home.”
“And when should this all begin?” Romeo asked as he stood up and circled behind the sofa. “If the scouts are here, they’ll notice we’re preparing. Let us not make haste in our decisions.”
He had a point. It wasn’t advantageous to let the enemy know your plans.
Austin replied without hesitation. “We’ll start with voluntary donations from the larger packs; no one’s watching that closely. If we have time, we can move people over slowly—even put up fake For Sale signs. If anyone here has any better ideas, then I’m all ears,” he said, emotions rising at the thought of his family in danger. “Let’s include the Packmasters so they can contribute their ideas and put something in force. We can’t organize this alone. That’s the advantage we have over the rogues. Our packs are strong, and when unified, we’re even stronger. They’re a bunch of men following a single leader, and that’ll fall apart eventually. I don’t think the larger packs up north are a part of this; they have too much to lose.”
“He has a point,” Turner said to Romeo. “It won’t take long before they disband again, especially without Packmasters to keep order. I’m willing to give up a couple of my men, but not my strongest fighters. That is the best I can offer.”
Romeo rested his hands on the back of the leather sofa. “And what of the rogues who already live in our community? Some are good men, and we might sway them to side with us before it’s too late.”
“Well, we need to know if they’re with us or against us,” Turner said. “The sooner the better.”
***
A growl vibrated against my stomach, and I rolled over, wrinkling my nose. It felt good to sleep in, even though I’d woken up a couple of times from the kids racing down the hall or Denver imitating Tarzan’s yell.
I cracked my eyelids open, rubbing the sleep away. Something heavy pressed against my body and I glanced down. Trevor’s wolf stretched his front leg across my hip. As I scooted up on my elbows, my eyes widened at William lying at the foot of the bed, using my feet as a pillow.
“Get out of here!” I yelled, glaring down at my packmates. “This is not an orgy. I go away on a short vacation and you act like I’ve been on a milk carton for the past twenty years.”
Trevor’s multicolored wolf sneezed and then rolled onto his back.
William sat up, his short brown curls in a mess. He rubbed his liquid-brown eyes and yawned. “When Trevor’s wolf came in this morning, he picked up your scent on Austin, so he went looking for you.”
“How many times have I said no wolves in the house?”
“Indeed,” he replied with a look of mischief. “One can hardly implement that rule in a Shifter house. You should go downstairs and eat breakfast. Mustn’t spend all day sleeping.”
I stroked Trevor’s hind paw, and he wiggled. “Where’s Austin?”
“He left. Your in-laws are waiting downstairs.”
Oh, God. The in-laws. I’d completely forgotten. I really liked Austin’s parents, but his mom and I had a tendency to butt heads. I’m sure it was natural for a mother to want to tell her boys what to do, but this wasn’t her house, and I was the Packmaster’s mate. The men were often conflicted between listening to their mother or obeying their alpha female. The last time I asked them to clean the table, she’d told them to go relax. Everyone has responsibilities in the house, so I had a big problem with that. She wasn’t exactly the homemaker type, but she firmly believed that men should be off somewhere hunting boars or fashioning weapons out of sticks, not doing dishes or cleaning the toilet.
I got up and put on a pair of grey sweats. “Why are you in here?”
“Thought I’d keep an eye on Trevor—make sure he didn’t piss on your floor.”
A likely story.
William didn’t exactly snuggle up in bed with people, so the whole situation was awkward.
“Trevor, get down,” I snapped.
His wolf obediently hopped off the bed and trotted into the hall. William stretched across the covers, his shirt rising up and exposing the thin trail of hair below his navel.