Killian barked out a laugh. “It is exactly their fight. You think the Hollow and Stonefang are the only territories where a little bit of Luna’s grace still sleeps in the soil?” He looked at me as if I were an idiot. “And even if they are, the Pack Council is trying to claim your packlands. What’s to stop them from claiming just yours? Placing pack leaders of their choice. Not alphas.”
“You think that’s their plan? To remove alphas?” It would never work.
Killian shook his head. “No. But to surround themselves with pack leaders loyal to them? Absolutely.”
“That’s…ambitious.”
“It’s doable.”
We held each other’s gaze for a long moment, our minds contemplating the same problem but with different approaches. That’s why we worked together so well—one problem. Two solutions.
“Why Cody?”
Killian shrugged. “He’s practically your fourth beta.”
“Why not Axel?”
“Not as grounded as Cody—Thalia keeps him honest.”
I grinned. It was true.
“Cale?” I asked because I knew there were still many in Stonefang who thought he should have been a beta.
“It’s your party, Alpha, you get to invite whoever you want to sit beside.” Killian looked out the window. “It spoils the cake when there’s too much bloodshed.”
I gave him a flat stare. “I don’t want to kill him.”
Killian’s eyebrow rose into his hairline. “Huh…I call bullshit.”
I wanted to deny it. I did. I wanted to believe he was wrong…he just wasn’t. “Who do you think we should approach first?”
“Nice switch,” he said, sitting forward. “Smooth.”
“Fuck off and answer the question.”
“Four Winds,” Killian said, not blinking when I didn’t hide my surprise. “We don’t know what bullshit the PackCouncil told Tyler. Let’s see if his father or his brother, the next alpha in the pack, knew of his intent.”
“It could be suicide to send someone in there.”
“It could be.” Killian shrugged. “Or it could be a move so brilliant it gains you a very pissed-off pack as an ally.”
I smiled, and he did the same. “Devious.”
Killian grinned. “Aren’t I just?”
“I’ll send Brand.” I thought about it for less than a second. “And Cale.”
Killian snorted. “You’re ridiculous.”
Indeed, I was, but I didn’t feel guilty. Brand would save himself before he saved his cousin; his alpha demanded it of him.
Chapter 21
Rowen
Ever since the attack,the Hollow had turned into a machine.
A bruised, exhausted, overworked machine—but still moving.
