“Gustavo, Anna, Crina, and Adam,” Fane made eye contact with each. “You’ve got the pixies.”
Anna groaned. “Of course I do.”
Fane knew that there was no love lost between the healer and the pixies. But Gustavo was powerful, and Adam had a way with words. Crina would keep Adam in check, and Anna, well, she’d have more of a positive effect on the pixie king than she realized.
“Boain and Lorna will stay here in the human realm,” Fane continued. “You’ll seek out any hybrids you can convince to join us. Lizzy and Finn will join you. Lizzy, make the hybrids see they have a stake in this fight, too.”
Lizzy and Finn nodded, their expressions firm and resolute.
“Alice and Maxim.” Fane shifted his gaze to them. “You’ll focus on finding rogue wolves. Convince them to join us. We’ll need all the strength we can get.”
“We’ll find them,” Alice said quietly.
Maxim crossed his arms, his dark eyes gleaming. “And we’ll bring them back.”
Fane could feel the rogue alpha’s determination and knew Maxim would do whatever it took to get any wolves on the fence on their side.
“Bethany and Drake.” Fane met the pair’s gaze, and they dropped their eyes. “You will take the kids. Peri’s house. It’s the most secure place for them. With the fae in each group, we can flash and see them as often as we need to. They have to be protected.”
“I’ll double the wards,” Peri said.
“We can add our own power to that,” Synica offered.
“Dillon, Tanya, Jeff, Tyler, Drayden, Antonia, Aimo, Angus, Dragomir, Arturo, and Victor.”
“Good grief, I don’t know how you keep up with all these freaking names,” Jen cut in.
“It’s a gift,” Fane quipped and then looked back at the wolves he’d addressed. “Return to your packs. Prepare them for what’s coming, but don’t lose sight of the battle already at hand. Demons, hybrids, vampires, and every other supernatural being drawn to Celise’s promises are wreaking havoc on the human world. And now, with Raja joining the chaos, the stakes are even higher. I know it’s a lot to ask of you.”
Dillon held up a hand, a silent request for Fane to pause. “Nothing is too much to ask, Fane. Not for this.”
Fane bowed his head slightly to the other alpha, and his father-in-law. Then Fane looked over the assembled groups, his chest tight with the weight of what he was asking. Their grief was raw, their losses fresh, but there was no time for hesitation.
“This isn’t just a fight for survival. This is a fight for everyone we’ve lost—and everyone we can still save. Go. Do what you have to. Bring back anyone willing to stand with us. If we don’t stop Raja, no one will.”
Jacque squeezed Fane’s hand and said softly,. “We’ll do this. Together.”
“We will do this for the pack.” Decebel stepped forward, his wolf peering out through his glowing eyes.
“We will do this forallpacks,” Jen added. “Others might not realize that’s what they are: family, friends, those who are willing to die for each other. Wolf or not, they are all packs.”
Fane held up a fist in the air as he roared. “For the packs!”
His declaration was echoed by everyone in the clearing. Determination etched across their faces as every single member of this pack accepted their place, their purpose at this moment in their lives. Their lives were not their own, and Fane would lay down his if that was the Great Luna’s will.
Chapter 17
“No matter how dark it gets, no matter how far we’re scattered, I’ll always find my way back to you. You’re my home, Fane. You and Slate—always.” ~Jacque
The room was quiet, the kind of silence that wrapped itself around Fane like a balm to his frayed nerves. The faint glow of moonlight spilled through the window, casting soft, silver light over the simple but elegant furnishings of their room in Peri’s home. The faint scent of lavender hung in the air and mingled with the earthy undertone of Faerie itself—a scent that always smelled like a mix of rain-soaked moss and wildflowers.
Slate’s soft, even breathing came from the crib near the bed. The sound should have soothed Fane but didn’t quite reach the storm inside him. His son was safe. His mate was safe. And yet the weight of the past weeks still pressed heavily on his chest.
Fane ran a hand through his dark hair, his claws partially extended as his wolf stirred beneath his skin. The earlier phone call with Dillon echoed in his mind. The alpha’s voice had been steady, but Fane had felt the cracks beneath the surface. Dillon had lost not just his beta, but his brother in all but blood. Jewel, the healer who had been a lifeline to his pack, was gone, too. And yet Dillon had reassured him:We’re okay. We’ll be okay.
Fane wasn’t sure if he believed that, but he had no choice but to accept it. There was no time to dwell on what they couldn’t change. No time to mourn the way they should have.
He turned his gaze to Jacque, who stood at the foot of the bed, her red hair spilling over her shoulders like fire against the pale fabric of her nightgown. She was folding Slate’s blanket, her green eyes distant, lost in thought.
