Omar shrugs. “Walter is a byproduct of the pack system. You uphold that system. Don’t you think you should take some responsibility for the mess you’ve made?”
“If this is a pack matter then why are you here?”
“Because innocent people are getting hurt.”
Jasper, whose attention had returned to the marble tabletop, shoots a dangerous look at Omar, who pulls his shoulders back, hands clenching. Both their cheeks are red andtempers are obviously flared. Thank the moon gods there’s a sturdy conference table between these two. Still, I have to jump in.
“Calm down,” I say, squeezing Jasp’s shoulder, looking between him and Omar. “The two of you fighting isn’t helping anything.”
Omar backs down first, casting his gaze at his shoes and looking all sheepish. “You’re right, Cuz.”
Jasper huffs but relents. “Fine.” He stands up straight, turning to me probably so he can pretend like Omar isn’t here. “What did you need to tell me?”
“I—I went looking for guidance in the Lunar Plane,” I say. “And I saw ...” Jasper tilts his head, squinting quizzically. “Jasp, I saw all of the rogues in the country. Independent wolves in their thousands, hundreds of thousands.”
“And?”
“There are so many more wolves out there who aren’t aligned to Walter’s Axis Pack, wolves that might stand with us.”
Jasper squints even more, until his eyes are just two skeptical slits. “What are you suggesting?”
“Walter isn’t just after the Elite Pack,” I say. “We know he’s hurting rogues, trying to recruit them and if they refuse, they vanish. The rogues are in just as much danger as us. But if we can unite the rogues and team up with them, then maybe we stand a chance.”
“You’re suggesting I align our pack with rogues?” Jasper’s jaw is working double time, the tendons pumping in his smooth cheeks.
“I know it’s crazy. Packs and rogues don’t usually work together. But I thought under the circumstances—”
“Who’s to say they’d even want to help?” Jasper asks. “Rogues are rogue for a reason. They don’t follow orders, they’re individually minded, they can’t stand ...”
“What?”
“Alphas,” he says, flatly. “No rogue is going to listen to me or anyone from our pack.”
My mouth hangs open, my head shaking ever so slightly. Is Jasper really going to dismiss my idea straight off the bat like this? All because he still doesn’t have enough faith that rogues are decent people?
“They might,” Omar says, jumping in as words abandon me. “Since your soldiers invaded the Sanc our people have been more scattered than ever. And you’re right, we are rogues because we will not bow down and submit to an alpha. But we are not the individualists you make us out to be. More so than the packs, we believe in community, working together to build something that works for everyone.” He scoffs and clicks his tongue. “You pack wolves think because you all follow the same rules, submit to the same leader, that you’re more pack-minded. But you’ve seen the paradise we can build when we come together. And you can’t imagine the damage we can bring if backed against a wall.”
Omar seems so determined. He lifts his chin a little, proving his defiance. Jasper looks almost as impressed as I am.
“Jasper,” I say, taking his hand. “Just think of it. If we could work with the Rogue Nation, we could win.”
I can see him turning it over in his mind, his eyes darting all over the place, but something is still blocking him. Realizing that whatever it is, he maybe doesn’t want to say it in front of Omar, I give his hand a little squeeze. “Omar, would you give us a second?”
He nods and excuses himself. Now it’s just Jasper and me. I turn him to face me, cupping the back of his head. “What is it?”
“I’m not the alpha,” he says. “My father is still ... I can’t ally the pack with the rogues while he’s lying there unconscious.It’s too big of a decision for me to make. What happens when he wakes up and learns what I’ve done?”
I pull him a little closer. “Jasper, what happens if you don’t? There won’t be a pack to wake up to.”
Tears spring to his eyes, ones I know he’s been holding in while putting up a strong front for the officers and pack officials. But not ones he needs to hide from me. I wrap him up completely, letting him rest his head on my shoulder and sob. We wait like this, me squeezing him as tightly as damn possible, until his tears subside.
He pulls back, wiping at his nose and sniffing.
“Even if we did this,” he says, a sign that he’s at least contemplating it, “Walter’s Axis Pack is growing by the day, and there’s no guarantee that the rogues will come to our aid. Even if we can recruit a fraction of them, it might not be enough. We still need the Rocky Pack.”
I think this over for a second. “Let me go,” I say.
“Max, no—”
