Austin stopped behind her and ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders. He kneaded slowly, further draining away her tension.
“Actually, that’s why I’m here early,” Tristan said. “Gerard sent his own connection request to Evan. Patty called to let me know. Sorry, I should’ve led with that.”
“So, he’s going to take our slot or something?” Jessie asked in confusion.
Tristan shook his head. “Apparently, Gerard has kept tabs on you since he helped us with the battle at Kingsley’s. You gave them a taste of what they were meant for, being a battle species, and he doesn’t want to be left out of the next fight. I think he cares about that more than joining the convocation.” Tristan chuckled. “Anyway, when he heard you’d sent Evan a connection request, he sent one of his own. Obviously, there is no way Evan would turn Gerard down, since Gerard is one of the other three top cairns. Gerard needs a week or so to get there, and Evan needs to prepare for another leader, so we have a little buffer.”
“Oh.” The breath gushed out of Jessie followed by a relieved smile. “That’s great news! For meeting the cairns, at least.” She leaned her head back against Austin and looked up at him. “What does that mean for your plans?”
He gazed at her for a quiet moment, drinking her in, Tristan knew. He ran his thumb along the edge of her jaw and his eyes softened. Her smile turned serene. He didn’t need words to make his love for her known. Tristan needed to take notes.
“I’m good,” he finally said. “I’ll make it work. Rather than hang around here, though, maybe we can swing by and check out that rogue. It’s not all that far away from our destination. I’m curious about him, not to mention I feel sorry for him.”
Her brows pinched together, but she didn’t comment.
He bent to kiss her forehead, a comforting gesture. “No one is going to take me down, baby, I promise. Not in”—he glanced atthe oven clock— “half an hour, and not when I meet that rogue. I got this.”
Tristan had the utmost faith that Austin did. When Austin was the one being challenged, anyway. He wondered how Austin would handle it when an alpha challenged Jessie, something that might happen very soon. He couldn’t imagine the big man would take it lightly.
Then again, in the world of shifters, he also didn’t have much choice. And if she wanted to lead, neither did she.
17
Austin
He knewof every single alpha at this meeting. He’d sought out Drex specifically because he had the ear of these shifters. They were tough, they were vicious, and they clawed their way toward prosperity. They were the muscle—the packs that could pivot on a dime and were used to hard times. None of these men and women had been handed anything. They’d all started with nothing, unlike Austin himself. Unlike Jess.
They also wanted Austin to prove himself, and they’d be hard judges.
Fine. He’d show them the side of him that he tried to keep buttoned up when in the presence of generational alphas with their trust funds and their sprawling, largely peaceful packs. He’d show them what had earned him the bad reputation while also showing them how he would overcome it. He wouldn’t have guessed this just two days ago, but going into this meeting and expecting violence, he was in his element. He didn’t have to hide who he was, the wildness that lurked within. He could display the way he came to have a pack and how he’d keep it movingforward without hesitation. He’d show them how he could protect them all.
By the time Austin arrived, orderly lines of hard-eyed shifters waited outside of Drex’s house, and at the head of each waited an alpha, he or she facing the inlet of the street. As before, Drex stood on his porch, his upper tiered enforcers spread out on either side. Just like at the meetup with Kingsley, these packs wanted to see Austin’s arsenal.
Austin parked the Jeep at the curb. His people followed suit. He got out first and crossed in front of the vehicle, stopping at Jess’s door. He opened it and waited for her to get out before taking her hand. He showered her with his full attention and kissed the inside of her wrist, a show of devotion for his mate and co-leader.
It was also a warning.
These alphas should know the rules of a meeting like this, but that didn’t mean they always followed them. If they broke code and endangered her in any way, he’d kill them without hesitation or remorse. Now they knew.
Her wariness crept through the bonds. She read his mood and sensed the danger.
“Treat this as you have past meetups,” he said as he walked her to the center of the street. “As you did Kingsley’s. If anything kicks off, react however you need to, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll handle whatever comes.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
She squeezed his hand. “I love you, too.”
His people separated into their lines, gargoyles on one side and shifters on the other. Shadows curled around Tristan’s large frame, and Brochan walked with his shoulders rolled forward, as though headed toward a brawl. Their lines created a V, inthe middle of which flocked Jess’s crew. Surprisingly, however, they didn’t form a loose hoard like at the last meetup. This time, they walked in a mostly straight line until everyone as a group stopped, and then they jostled into a few uneven rows. Indigo didn’t even trip.
“Alpha Steele.” Drex inclined his head in greeting. To Jessie, he allowed a tiny smile before putting out his hands. “No muumuu? I wore mine.”
She returned his smile, albeit nervously. “I confess, I didn’t know it was an option. While we’re talking about dress code, I don’t think flip-flops would go amiss.”
