“Why are we converged here?” I finally asked. “Shouldn’t we take this conversation into the pack hall at least?”
“We were doing that when you and Diesel arrived and…delayed matters.”
Diplomacy? From Wolfe? Was there a cosmic shift in the last twenty minutes?
My expression clearly betrayed my shock, because Wolfe laughed, the sound low and warm, and pulled me closer. He didn’t care that anyone was watching; he kissed me—slow, claiming, confident—and the bond flared in response, grounding the last scraps of tension shaking through me.
“Don’t look so surprised, mate,”he murmured through the link, smug. “I am Alpha of Stonefang. This isn’t my first time greeting a visiting pack.”
I pulled back just enough to raise a brow. “You know we’re not alone, right?”
“Mm-hmm,” he said, brushing his thumb across my jaw. “You know I don’t care. Right?”
Behind him, Killian let out a loud exhale of impatience, causing Wolfe to wink at me, laughter dancing in his eyes. He looked away from me and at Jaxson.
“Come, Jaxson,” Wolfe said, raising his voice for the group. “Rowen is right, we’re not conducting this meeting on the boundary like a pair of uncouth pups.”
Killian snorted. “Diesel is definitely uncouth.”
Diesel laughed. “Jealousy looks bad on you.”
“Not now,” Wolfe cut in, with the exhausted patience of a man used to herding cats with attitude problems.
He turned, pulling me gently with him as he gestured for Jaxson to follow. Our warriors parted to create a path—though none of them dropped their guard. Eyes followed every Emberfell Pack member who moved, assessing them with a scrutiny even I felt prickling along my skin.
I looked back, seeing Dex hovering at the boundary.
“Not him,”Wolfe told me, facing forward.“He was at the Pack Council when we were, and we don’t know how long he was there; for now, he stays outside.”
“Seems fair.”
As we walked, the Hollow pulsed under my feet—soft, cautious, curious. It seemed it also didn’t trust Emberfell yet…but it didn’t distrust them either.
Wolfe noticed my frown. “What is it?”
“The Hollow watches.”
A tic appeared in his jaw. “Is it reacting to them? Or the situation?”
I concentrated on the land under my feet as I thought about his question. “I think it’s all of us. I think it’s deciding.”
Jaxson had been paying attention to everything—and his head tilted slightly in my direction. Not submission. I saw the gratitude in his eyes, but I saw a flicker of something else, fear.
Wolfe caught the gesture, expression unreadable. “We’ll discuss the details in the hall. Numbers, injuries, routes of attack. And why you think territories are being cleared.”
Jaxson nodded. “I’ll tell you what I know.”
“And you’ll tell us everything,” Diesel growled from behind us.
Wolfe didn’t turn. Didn’t reprimand his beta. I liked that, I realized. He wasn’t afraid to let them be their outspoken, rough selves. He welcomed it.
I glanced back at Diesel and met his look. He was as solid as a rock, arms massive, smoking a cigarette, and looking like he’d just invented a new interpretation of the wordintimidating.
Killian caught my eye, and he rolled his, making me smile. How funny times had changed. Not too long ago, I wanted them gone from my pack, and now here I was, communicating with them with just a single look.
Wolfe slid his arm around my waist as we walked, his voice dropping low. “How mad are you?”
“I expect groveling,” I told him, only half-serious.
