I glanced at Hector from the corner of my eye, hoping to get his attention. But he was still staring into the fire and clearly wasn’t paying attention. Frustration welled up in my chest, but I smoothed it down. Whatever was going on with him, I’d deal with it later. Right now, all of these shifters were counting on me to boost their morale and give them something to look forward to, and that was exactly what I planned ondoing.
I stood tall, and everyone - except Hector - looked upatme.
“Wewillwin this fight,” I announced. “Gunner’s dethronement has been a long time coming. It’s time for us to take back Scarlet Ridge. No more tyrants and dictators. We know for a fact that fairness-based systemswork.Just look at IndigoMountainpack.”
A few murmurs of agreement spread. Clearly stories of desperate omegas escaping to Indigo Mountain for a better life were wellknown.
“What if they helped us?” Mikey askedquietly.
“Who? Indigo Mountain?” Colin said. “We don’t need help from another pack. We have Virgil, andus. Right,Virgil?”
Mikey’s gaze fell as his suggestion wasshotdown.
“I don’t want to involve another pack unless we have to,” I offered. “I believe we can do thisourselves.”
“But there aren’t that many of us,” one of the omegas - Willis - murmured. “And only six alphas. Is that really enough to overthrowGunner?”
“Are you doubting our new leader?” Colin askedsharply.
“No,” Willis replied, looking at him. “I’m just being realistic. Even if you take downallof Gunner’s guards - which he will have - you might not have enough strength left to finishhimoff.”
I crossed my arms in thought. “Thank you for your insight, Willis. His guards will definitely be a problem, as well as his alpha army. You’re right to suggest that we’re sorelyoutnumbered.”
The omegas seemed to take this news the worst. They exchanged concerned glances. I had to boost their morale again before they becamehopeless.
“But think about this,” I began, “every alpha gathered herewasonce one of Gunner’s strongest, highest ranking guards. We were the best ofthebest.”
Woodrow nodded, and Shane said proudly, “It’strue.”
I continued, “We know the inner workings and environment of Scarlet Ridge better than anyone. His new guards are only the leftovers of the strongestalphas.”
They were nodding inagreementnow.
“So, what’s the actual plan now?” Willisasked.
I paused to consider this, then said, “I think we should sleep on it and come to a short-term plan in the morning. Everyone is tired, and tired brains don’taccomplishmuch.”
He nodded, and that was the end ofthattalk.
After putting away dishes, everyone began to filter back to their own tents for the night. Shane and Woodrow began to put up a new tent for Hector and I, which was a thoughtful gesture. The outside was thick supple deerskin, and the tent’s frame was assembled from strong branches. It was a convenient setup that must have been useful for them since they moved aroundalot.
“See you in the morning,” Shane said, waving me off. Woodrow nodded then disappeared into hisowntent.
I stood there in front of the tent momentarily feeling strange. Hector had not joined me. In fact, I didn’t even know where he was. The strange confrontation we had earlier left a bad residue in my chest. I wondered why he was stillupset.
When I found him, he was still huddled around the dying embers of the campfire,sulking.
“Hector?” Iasked.
His head moved slightly in my direction but he didn’t acknowledge me otherwise. Isighed.
“I’m sorry about what happened earlier,” I said. “I should have come right away when you collapsed. Are you feelingbetter?”
I held my breath anxiously, waiting for his response, which finallycame. “Yeah.”
“Thankgoodness.”
I stood there silently and hoped he would say something else. When he didn’t speak, I felt uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell if he wasn’t feeling well, or if he was angry with me. Slowly, I sat down next to him. I considered putting a hand on his shoulder, then thought betterofit.
