Lola raised her mug. “To the females.”
Katy clinked hers against it. “To the pack.”
Miryam and Akira joined in, their smiles fierce.
“To surviving demons, green haired crazy dudes, dire wolves, whatever those are, and lion shifters,” Miryam said.
Katy nodded. “We totally got this.”
Nico had led war councils before. He’d faced down birds of prey, panthers, and even the occasional bloodthirsty ape with more power than sense. But nothing, nothing, compared to the sheer chaos of a house full of dominant males all trying to agree on a plan.
Nox’s study was a war room: maps spread out, phones buzzing, Raphael stalking the edges like he was hunting something, and Callon and Gage glowering at each other across the table.
Nico cleared his throat. “We need to focus. If we’re going to pull off a stealth extraction of two people whose exact location we don’t know, we’re going to need more than brute force.”
Rafe nodded, arms folded. “We go in quiet. Two teams: one to create a diversion near the south gates, one to go after Roan and Maddie.”
Wyatt was sprawled in a chair, looking almost bored. “And if Silk’s king and queen are in on it?”
Gage growled. “We deal with it then. Roan and Maddie come first.”
Raphael, for once, didn’t argue or have a smartass remark. “Agreed. We can’t risk a confrontation with the entire kingdom unless we have no choice.”
Nox stabbed a finger at the map. “I have contacts in Silk who owe me favors. I’ll reach out, see what information we can get on guard rotations and magical wards.”
Bane, silent but deadly, nodded once. “I’ll take point on the diversion.”
Callon looked at Nico, eyes sharp. “You good with this? Lyric could be caught in the crossfire if we don’t know where she is. I know she’s an ally of yours, even if you do give each other crap once and a while.”
Nico met his gaze. “I don’t like it. But it’s the best shot we have. We get in, get them, get out. No heroics, no bloodbaths—unless absolutely necessary. Then I’ll deal with the other shamans. They will be pissed that we didn’t bring this before them.”
Dyrstan grinned. “Define ‘necessary.’”
Gage rolled his eyes. “If you have to ask, you’re already pushing it.”
A sudden trill shattered the tension—a phone call, Nox’s burner lighting up in his hand.
He frowned at the screen. “Unknown number. Los Angeles area code.”
Nico’s gut twisted. “Put it on speaker.”
Nox did, voice gruff. “Talk.”
A familiar, oily voice slid through the line. “Gentlemen. I hear you’ve discovered some interesting information and thatone of my own has been digging. Might I suggest you bring a guest?”
Nico’s blood went cold. “Wolfgang.”
Wolfgang’s chuckle was pure malice. “Shaman,” he purred. “I have to admit, Nico, you surprised me. I honestly thought I had your loyalty.”
“I’ve never trusted you,” Nico admitted, and he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. “I may be the shaman to the Kingdom of Chaos, and I may care deeply for the members, but make no mistake, you are not the one who held my loyalty.”
“I can forgive you that,” the King of Chaos said. “And that’s not why I called.”
“What do you want?” Nox asked, his patience obviously wearing thin as his claws slipped from his finger nails.
“You need information and I knowallthe players. And I’m willing to help—if you can guarantee me amnesty.” He cleared his throat. “As I’m sure Nico so helpfully shared, me and my mate had a temporary lapse in judgment because we wanted mates for our males. Like other kingdoms, we are growing weak because of the lack of those able to shift. I am willing to let go of that plan and help you catch some serious traitors if you’re willing to convince the shaman council to overlook our lack of good sense.”
A dozen reactions exploded at once: growls, curses, the scrape of claws on wood.
