He looked at me. “First up—report.”
I set my fork down and folded my hands. “The nightmares are gone, for now. Aspen’s charms worked. But before that, Brie and I had a… situation.”
Arsenal leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Define ‘situation.’”
“The last nightmare she had was really bad. ‘Cept this time I was also having the same dream at the same time. I saw what was happening to her, but I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. At least that’s what I gathered from the notes I jotted down when I woke up. Based on those; it wasn’t something I’d want to remember. But Idovaguely remember a shadow, and I caught a glimpse of who I thought could be Maltraz. It seemed like he was making Brie think he was me. Again, my notes were sketchy. My memory, even more so. We both woke up screaming.”
The details of the dream and that name sucked the oxygen out of the room.
Wrecker didn’t flinch. “Fuck, you sure?”
I nodded. “It was more than just a dream—it was like he was using us to test something out.”
Doc went full clinical. “Any aftereffects? Physical symptoms?”
I shrugged. “Tired, sore. Like we’d been fighting in our sleep. Brie couldn’t remember most of it, but she felt it, too.”
Bronc drummed his fingers. “He's clearly got something up his fucking sleeve.”
I nodded my tired head. "I agree. But I think he’s waiting. He wants us to know he can get to us, even if it isn’t actually physical yet. He's just fucking with us right now. He’s still got a hard-on for Iron Valor, but I don’t get it. He’s a fucking king of a realm. Why does he care about a pack of wolves?"
Big Papa put his fork down, expression grave. “We’ve beat him several times. He clearly doesn’t like losing. Iron Valor has his number, and he can't have that. Hopefully, that will make him sloppy, causing him to slip up.”
Wrecker caught my eye. “Aspen’s charm is a temporary fix. If he wants in, he’ll get in eventually.”
Bronc’s jaw set. “After the gallery opening, we take that fucker down. No more waiting for him to make the first move. Menace and Savannah land in an hour. I’ll discuss Maltraz with him; see if he’s noticed any weirder behavior from him with the Council than usual. Then we’ll act on our own. It would be helpful if we had Council help. Lucia had mentioned it would take more than wolves to bring him down. We’ll need more firepower. After the opening, we’ll find out what she meant.”
There was a silent round of agreement. If anyone could kill a demon king, it was these men. Or, these men and the people we were associated with.
Bronc gestured to Wrecker. “Back to the gallery opening. Security?”
Wrecker wiped his mouth with a napkin, then slid a folder down the table. “I’ve got micro-cameras up in both venues, with cloud storage. We’ll monitor everything from Harper’s office, and Arsenal will run physical sweeps. We’ve got prospects on rotating perimeter shifts, disguised as gallery staff. Two plainclothes at the front door, three more handling the parking lots. We want all hands on site in case anything goes down.”
Arsenal added, “I got local police to stand down. Iron Valor has security on lockdown.”
Bronc shifted to Doc. “What about medical?”
Doc took a gulp of his coffee and then set his mug down. “I got EMTs on standby, plus me. Low chance of violence, but better safe than sorry. There will be as many human patrons as supernatural. Need both on hand.”
Bronc asked me about logistics.
“Harper’s dance studio is the reception and food area. Temporary walls, fabric drapes, floral installations. Brie wanted it to look like a fairy tale. Prospects will set up tables that Papa didn’t get to this morning. That and chairs should be done by noon.”
Big Papa smiled, proud. “Harper did all the prep herself. She’s proud of what she and Brie have accomplished.”
“And she deserves it,” I said, not bothering to hide my affection for my new sister-in-law.
Arsenal passed me a page. “Aspen’s got the food. I saw the menu. She’s going full Southern. Delivery starts at three, set up by five. Big Papa is helping her set up the cake.”
I looked down at the sheet, suddenly overwhelmed by the precision and the planning. Every angle, every risk, accounted for.
Wrecker caught my hesitation and grinned. “Don’t worry, Finn. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
I looked around the table. These men had literally saved my life before. They were the reason I’d survived battles, the reason I could wake up next to Brie every morning. For a second, I couldn’t talk. My throat locked up, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself.
Big Papa noticed. “It’s okay to let them see you care, son. That’s the difference between us and them.”
Bronc nodded. “We’re a pack for a reason.”
