They’d all replied.
Hope was a dangerous thing to have, but it unfurled inside Michael as he read down the list. Every alpha they’d contacted had answered, offering their help whenever Michael and Isaac were ready to make a move.
He rested his chin in his hands as he read. They’d not used names, but each alpha had listed pack numbers and how many of them were already CEG and how many they thought were on their side.
“Well?”
Michael tore his gaze away from the screen to once again find everyone staring at him.
It was Nick who’d spoken. He’d been relatively quiet up until this point. Michael needed to remember that out of all of them, he was the most alone. Cole was his best friend, but whereas the rest of them were all from the same pack, Nick was on his own.
Michael made a mental note to include him more.
He angled the laptop so he could see, the rest of them coming to stand next to him.
Logan let out a low whistle. “That’s more than I expected, but is it enough?”
“Not on its own.” Michael glanced at the list again. “There’s plenty more packs whose alphas aren’t on our side. Taking them out isn’t going to be easy.”
“Have we got people in those packs?” Logan asked, and Michael hid his smile at thewe.
“We have, but I’m not sure on numbers. Hopefully Isaac will get the information in the next few days.”
“And we have the humans,” Cole added. “I know they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to shifters, but you can’t write them off.”
Michael raised his eyebrows at that. “Write them off?” He shook his head. “We’re going to need every last one of them if this is going to succeed.”
Cole seemed mollified by that, and Michael wondered how he’d ever thought Cole would last as a member of the HRU.
“When?” Logan asked, voice soft, but it cut through all the other conversations taking place, and all eyes turned to Michael.
“I don’t know, exactly, but we can’t leave it too long to act.” He clicked back a few pages at the picture of the whiteboard where they’d listed the alphas they weren’t sure of. “The longer we wait, the more time Simon has to persuade the other alphas that he should be in charge, that they need more stringent laws to keep the humans in check. All the things I put a stop to might get pushed through anyway if Simon can persuade enough alphas.”
Nick stood next to Smith at the edge of the group. “What sort of things?” he asked, and Michael shook his head.
“Ones that I really don’t want to have to think about ever again.” He stood and rolled his shoulders. The fact that they were confined to the cave was starting to get to him. “Let’s take a break.” He gestured to the laptop. “We can talk about this all day, but what we really need is to sit down with the other alphas and the human leaders of the CEG and hash out a fucking plan.”
And none of that could happen until they’d got through a visit from the HRU.
