Their enclave was near the ocean. The anti-shifters went at night, and it was a slaughter. Lizard shifters didn’t have the same advantage that wolves, bears, or panthers did. They shifted into creatures that were small and inherently less dangerous. The destruction of their pack hit me harder than it should have, but I’d had dealings with lizard shifters before. Two of them had gone to Europe with me and the others. They’d put their liveson the line to rescue Maddy. They were good people and didn’t deserve what happened.
Footage of the latest attack rolled over the screen, showing how bad it was. Maddy was beside me, silently crying, unable to look at the screen. The worst was the small black body bags. Children. Kids killed by psychopaths who thought they knew which beings were allowed to live and which weren’t. My eyes locked on the bags as the footage showed EMTs loading them into coroner vans. I didn’t hear a word the reporter was saying. All I could think of were the innocent lives that had been lost.
Maddy being pregnant with my child made it all the worse. I refused to allow that to be our child. I’d do whatever was necessary to prevent that from happening here in our pack. I’d die before that happened. I made the promise to myself then and there that I wouldn’t allow it to happen.
I tugged on Maddy’s arm until she was nestled in the crook of my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Sniffling, she nodded. “Yeah. I fucking hate this.”
Before I could say more, the news report switched to a live report from the White House.
“Let’s see what this guy has to say.”
The president stepped forward and laced his fingers together before resting them atop the lectern.
‘Good afternoon, my fellow Americans. As many of you have seen, the anti-shifter movement has again brought terror to our cities and towns. My heart and prayers go out to the Sanchez panther pack in New Mexico and the Brennan lizard clan in South Carolina. I cannot imagine the heartache and devastation these two familial groups are going through right now.
“FEMA has been dispatched to both locations to assist with temporary housing. What I want to tell you all today is that this scourge must come to an end. As the leader of freedom in the world, The United States was founded on the ideal that allmen and women are created equal. Those of you who believe otherwise are traitors to the ideals of this nation and, as such, will be branded as traitors.
“As of today, Congress has enacted the Every Shifter is American act. From this moment onward, any citizen, immigrant, non-immigrant visa holder, or visitor who participates, facilitates, or assists with any anti-shifter activity will be tried as a traitor to the state. For any who are not clear on what it means to be convicted of treason in the United States, I want to remind you that the penalties are severe and can include death. Congress has taken this extreme step, with my blessing, as a means to ensure that all shifters everywhere know that weareon their side.
“We are still working with worldwide law enforcement agencies to find Viola Monroe and her collaborators, but as of this moment, we have not made any inroads we can discuss here. Again, I call on her to turn herself in and stop the tragedies that are unfolding.
“In the meantime, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and FEMA are in contact with the United States Military to supply and retrofit closed military bases into housing and safe havens for any shifter populations who want the fullest protection of the US military. As of ten minutes ago, a link has been put up on USA.gov for any shifter alpha who wants to apply for their pack’s acceptance to their nearest housing facility. Other updates will be forthcoming. No questions.”
The president turned and walked off the stage to a chorus of questions. I sighed and slumped against the back of the couch, rubbing Maddy’s back.
“Do you think people will take him up on that?” Maddy asked.
I shook my head. “I doubt many will. Those who do will probably be really small packs or those who live a more nomadicexistence. If you have no home base to hunker down in, it would be a hell of a deal. Most of us are gonna be too amped up and paranoid. Hell, three months ago they were telling us FEMA would have collection facilities, and we were gonna be rounded up against our will. Now? Oh, now they want us to go there so they can protect us. Nah, I don’t like it. It’s probably not a trap, but it feels like a trap. I think most of us will stay put.”
Most of us. That didn’t count the ones who we’d brought here. Sinthy had been true to her word and, over the last week, had brought most of our allies here. The final pack was a smaller wolf clan from near Daytona. Sinthy was completely exhausted. I doubted I’d ever be able to thank her enough. Neither could the other alphas. They’d be even more in her debt after today’s news.
We’d almost run out of room, and the newest pack alpha, Norman, was being housed with my parents. His people and betas were all spread out among my brothers’ homes. They were all resting, which was good since we’d need them to start training soon. I wanted everyone on the same page if something went wrong.
My phone rang, and I was surprised to see Javi’s number on the screen. He’d been running for cover for a few weeks, moving his pack around the county, trying to stay hidden.
“Javi?” Maddy looked at me questioningly.
“Hey, friend. How goes it?” Javi asked. His voice sounded haggard.
“Sounds like it’s going better than you,” I said.
“Yeah, listen. My pack is tired. We’re scared. I hate asking this, but is there anything you can do for us? I’m getting the creepy crawlies up my back. I can’t get over the feeling that Viola’s actively searching for us. I don’t even want to know what she’ll do to me if we’re found.”
Javi’s pack had been one of the few shifter packs that pledged fealty to the royals hundreds of years ago. His pack had donetheir bidding until the whole thing went down with Maddy. Eight months ago, I’d have assumed Javi was trying to get close to slit my throat. Now? He’d proven himself a friend and ally after turning his back on Viola and her group. Still, Javi was a stubborn son of a bitch. I’d offered him sanctuary at the beginning when Sinthy first put up the wards, but he wanted to protect his pack himself. I couldn’t blame him for that. If the roles had been reversed, I would have hated relying on someone else.
“I think I can help. You remember Sinthy, our pack witch?”
“Hell, yeah, I do. That’s part of why I called. I remember you talking about the forcefield or whatever she had around your land. We need protection, Nico.”
“All right. We’ve been bringing in packs from around Florida, our closest friends. Mostly the alphas who came for the big gathering a few months back. I’ll be honest, we’re bursting at the seams, and this is gonna sound shitty, but all I have left is an old barn on the far end of my property. You and yours will have to sort of camp out, but you’ll be within the wards and safe.”
“I’ll take it. It doesn’t matter. Whatever you got,” Javi said without hesitation.
His quick acceptance told me all I needed to know about the state of things out in the world. Javi’s original pack lands were right on the city limits with Clearidge. It was fine as a location when relationships between humans and shifters were civil, but now? Who knew where they were hiding out? And God only knew where they were getting supplies. His pack was smaller than mine, but the stress had to be taking its toll.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” I said. “Get someplace safe, and I’ll contact you when Sinthy is ready so we can bring you in.”
