I rolled my eyes and stood up. “Hi, George. We’re so glad to see you.”
George was more of a hugger than Katharine, so he gave me a tight squeeze and a friendly smile. “How’s my girl?”
I loved George; he was the father I’d always wanted. He resembled Reno, only more rotund and a smidge shorter.
“I’m great. Just a little sleepy.”
“Vacations will do that,” he said with a wink. The kind of wink that embarrassed the hell out of me because of what it implied.
He glanced down at my bunny slippers, and his chest rocked with a subdued laugh. Then he hummed melodically, something he always did at the end of a laugh.
Reno slammed the back door, sweat stains on his blue shirt—the kind of stretchy fabric that hugged every muscle. “The wood’s chopped.” He wiped his forehead with a rag and smirked. “Have a good night’s sleep, Lexi?”
I pressed my lips together and crossed the kitchen, ignoring the chuckles from the men. “Katharine, why don’t you sit down? You’re our guest.”
“If I sat down, nothing would get done. I brought my bow if you want to hunt with me later.”
Katharine was a skilled archer, and not for sport. She killed the food she put on her table.
“I need everyone in the kitchen,” Austin boomed from across the house.
The front door slammed, and Spartacus scrambled into the room, knocking into his food dish and scattering little brown pebbles across the floor. The pack trickled in and stood in front of the table. Trevor had shifted back to human form and obviously had on someone else’s jeans—they hung too low on his narrow waist and didn’t carry a designer label.
Austin stood next to me, our backs to the row of counters along the wall. “I’ve been busy this morning and haven’t had a chance to see everyone, so we’ll catch up later. Right now, I need to fill you in on something important. What I’m about to tell you stays in this house.” He quieted for a moment and made sure everyone heard his command. “While we were on vacation, Colorado was attacked.”
“And boom goes the dynamite,” Wheeler said, rising from his seat. He walked around to the front of the table, arms folded.
“Who?” Izzy gasped, wrapping her fingers around her left wrist and rubbing at old scars.
“Northerners.” Austin met everyone’s gaze. “The war… has begun.”
A thunderstruck silence fell across the room.
“I’m going to guess that has something to do with why you two showed up out of the blue,” Austin said to his parents, who were seated on a bench.
Katharine held George’s arm. “The rumors were rampant in South Dakota. Our pack is large, so we shared our concerns with the Packmaster. He agreed we should come here and fight alongside our sons.”
Jericho folded his arms, his long hair slipping in front of his eyes. “Why here? That’s a long journey to bypass all those other states.”
Katharine looked to Austin before answering. “We kept hearing Colorado and Texas mentioned. The rumors changed, but everyone seemed to think they were going for the power states.”
“Well, they didn’t succeed in Colorado,” Austin interjected. “We don’t have any information on when and how this is going down, but the Council thinks we have enough time to prepare.”
Wheeler sat on the table and propped his bare feet on the bench. “So what’s the plan, honcho?”
“The Council’s working something out for our territory, and if it goes well, they’re going to share it with other neighboring Councils. This is our turf, and we’re not running scared. I’ve got one request for Maddox and Naya: If you want to let your animals out, then you’ll need to shift off the property.”
Maddox crossed one boot in front of the other from his spot in the doorway. “And why’s that?”
“Because I don’t want to tip off any scouts that we have two cats in our pack. I prefer the element of surprise, and that’s what’s going to give us an edge. You can shift in the heat house if you want, but I doubt your animal will care for that.”
“No, and I won’t care for him chewing up the coffee table,” Lynn said.
Maddox chuckled and locked his arm around her waist. “I’ve got plenty of land at my old house. You can put your mind at ease; I won’t be nibbling on your fancy sofa pillows.”
Austin rubbed his face, and I wanted to send him to bed. It didn’t look like he’d gotten much sleep. “Anyhow, we may or may not be getting a couple of temporary packmates. We’ll see. You’re my eyes and ears, so if you notice anything suspicious, I want to know about it. Especially you, Denver. The bar might pull in a few rogues with loose lips. In the meantime, think about ways to set traps on the property and secure the house. Looks like the folks will be here for a while.”
Wheeler lowered his head to his hands, and I struggled not to laugh about his future sleeping situation.
Naya sat down on the bench beside his feet, crossing her lovely legs, which peeked out from the long slit in her black skirt. “You’ll be fine, Mr. Grumpy,” she said, patting his knee.