“Run?” She tapped her cane against the toe of her brown shoe. “When did running away ever bring our kind peace? Running is a show of submission, and I will show no man my back.”
A commotion erupted in the other room. Shouts, commands, and footsteps tromping across the wood floors.
We rushed out the door and into the living room. Everyone was moving about in hurried steps, a fearsome look on the men’s faces. I went to the front window and peered out.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
Beneath the cold light of the full moon were the shapes and shadows of hundreds of men—stretching far beyond my sight. Despite the number of men at the peace party, we were outnumbered. Lorenzo’s pack poured outside, taking positions to secure the house.
Lorenzo moved toward the front door with a purposeful stride. “Ivy, come with me.”
She fell into step beside him and moved outside with poise.
I suddenly turned, and Austin was right there. “Stay close to me,” he said.
I caught sight of Izzy, her arms encircling the twins. Jericho trotted down the stairs with Melody shadowing him. Lakota led Hope toward the back of the house with the second-in-command joining him. The rest of our pack instinctively huddled together, keeping the children in the middle. Peace party or not, we had several packs from the territory assembled together, and shifting could turn deadly.
A man branched apart from the sea of Shifters, advancing toward Lorenzo and Ivy. He was of average height, and a brown beard covered most of his face. His long hair was loosely pulled back, but a few wild strands had fallen askew. He was mature in appearance and looked in his forties, which meant he was probably a few hundred years old.
Maybe it was the regal manner in which he walked that led me to believe he was their leader.
“Villains always wear black,” I murmured, noticing his dark pants and shirt.
“That so?” Wheeler asked.
I glanced at his black getup, all the way down to his boots. “Yeah. Maybe you should try wearing green to a party for once.”
“It doesn’t go with my eyes,” he quipped.
Austin moved closer to the window and looked over his shoulder. “Reno, how many weapons did you bring?”
“Just the gun. And my mate.”
April had been practicing her Mage skills with Charlie almost every day, and by the courageous look on her face, it was evident she’d mastered them enough to hold her own in a fight.
When Lorenzo returned, everyone stood to attention.
“Alexia, come with me,” he said, gesturing me over with a wave of his hand.
Austin gripped my arm. “She’s not going out there.”
Lorenzo moved close to Austin and lowered his voice. “We don’t have a choice.”
“Then I’m coming with her.”
Lorenzo inclined his head. “That’s up to you, Cole.”
My stomach flip-flopped as we followed behind Lorenzo. I suddenly wished I hadn’t worn such a small shirt, which accentuated the curve of my belly.
Lorenzo’s men parted to let us through. When we spaced apart from the safety of the local packs, I drew closer to Austin. Lorenzo slowed down, and Ivy stepped aside, revealing a stranger who looked oddly familiar.
“Is this her?” he asked Lorenzo.
Austin replied, his teeth clenched. “Who wants to know?”
The man lifted his bearded chin. “Her father.”
Chapter 17
For the first time, I saw myself in someone else. My birth mother had been murdered by her husband, and I’d never been interested in meeting distant cousins who probably didn’t care I existed since I was part of a dark family secret that brought shame to their pack. This man had my brown eyes, my mouth, and even tapped his fingers against the side of his leg. It had always been a habit of mine when I was angry or impatient.
“So you are the child,” he said, appraising me.
“And you’re the sperm donor,” Austin barked out. “Good to meet you. Now what the fuck do you want with my mate?”
“I always knew you’d seek out an alpha,” he said, ignoring Austin. “When your mother found out she was pregnant, she said she wanted nothing more to do with me. The last thing I needed to tether me down was a pregnant bitch, so I never had a problem with her request.” He tilted his head to the side. “You don’t look like her except for the stubborn chin and small frame.”
When his eyes drifted down to my stomach, I curved my arms in front of it protectively.
“I’m not here to fight,” he said, addressing the Packmasters on either side of me. “You are greatly outnumbered, so it would be an unwise decision on your part to make an aggressive move. But war is coming, and I’ve come to claim my daughter.”
“The hell you are,” Austin growled, standing in front of me.
Lorenzo widened his stance. “You have no name, therefore you do not exist in our world. You are a spirit standing before us, one who has nothing but an army of lost souls.”
“You can call me Judas. I dropped my surname years ago since I had no intention of leading a pack. An alpha should aspire to more than just a house full of pups.”