“I don’t know if I can do this again, Cuz. If things don’t work out—”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“You tell me,” he says, sassily. “Has it been easy dating Jasper? And you’re at least part of his pack. You think this Mason guy’s dad is going to be up for him not only dating a guy but a rogue at that?”
I purse my lips. He’s right. Knowing Mason’s dad, this is going to be anything but a smooth ride. Still, things are beginning to change. Morven came around to Mia and Olivia being together, Jasper came around to the rogues.
“I think it will take time, but if he’s who you’re supposed to be with, it’ll be worth it. Remember, the moon gods know what they’re doing.”
Omar drops his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths, fingers massaging his scalp, then stands.
“Okay, fine. I’ll meet him.” He marches to the door like he’s on a mission. “This couldn’t have waited until after the war?”
We head out into what’s become a sunny day and my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Mason: Um WTF?? Who is that hottie and why do I feel fckn weird????
The grin I can’t help from spreading is wide AF.
“It appears Mason noticed you too,” I say, furiously texting back. “Come on.”
I tell Mason to get his butt out here and to meet us by the entrance to the woods where he saw us earlier. It feels sort of weird to be playing matchmaker while there are hundreds of werewolves all getting ready for a scary and horrific battle, but it’s doing a little to take my mind off things and if a little joy can’t be found now then, well, what are we fighting for?
We beat Mason to the edge of the woods, but he doesn’t take long to appear, leaving the lodge and heading up to us, hands in his pockets.
“Hey,” he says when he arrives and then ... doesn’t say anything else.
“Hi,” I say and glance at Omar, who isn’t saying anything either, instead he’s glaring at Mason like he just insulted his mother. “Right. Mason this is Omar, Omar this is Mason.”
Both of their faces turn instantly pink, and I honestly don’t know which is cuter. The cool, spiritual rogue mechanic, or the sensitive, sarcastic future pack beta.
“Sup?” Omar ekes out.
“Hi.” Mason half performs a shy little wave.
These two are hopeless. Is this how I acted around Jasper in those early days? Thank the moon gods there’s no video footage—at least, not that I know of.
“Okay, well, I think I’ve done my part here,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Why don’t the two of you take a nice long walk in the woods and get to know each other.”
For a long stretch of time, neither of them says anything or moves, they just stare at each other, smiling like they’re on shrooms or something.
“Does that—sound like a plan?” I ask.
Omar shakes his head to bring himself back into the present, finally registering what I’ve been saying.
“Yeah, uh, yeah, that sounds good. If—if that sounds good to you?” he asks Mason.
“A walk?” Mason asks. “Yeah, I love walking.”
“You kids have fun,” I say, hoping I won’t have to physically push them toward the path. Thankfully, Omar gestures for them to leave and turns to the woods, Mason follows. I watch as they disappear between the trees. “Watch out for the poison ivy!”
When they’re gone, I turn back to the camp, sort of thrilled that two of my favorite boys in the world could actually be into each other, but then a sort of heaviness settles into my stomach.
A plume of smoke is rising from the field between the lodge and the cabins, black and gray and marking the sky. Soldiers have kicked up the grass carrying supplies and trekking back and forth, turning it into a mud pit. Mason and Omar may have found their mates at this camp, but the rest of us ... the rest of us are here for a very different reason. I head back to the lodge to rest a little and wait for dinner.
Tonight, a banquet is being held in the dining room for the officers. The same dining room we ate in before the Mating Run, with the antlers and the buffet. The retractable ceiling has been pulled back so the moon, on her first day of fullness, can shine in. Jasper and I sit central at the long table at the head of the room. Salazar, Olivia, Mason and his dad, and Tobias are on myleft. Aisha is to Jasper’s right along with Morven and Mia and a few other high-ranking wolves.
In front of us sit more than a hundred officers, each responsible for their own squadron. Rocky Pack and Elite Pack all mixed up in a jumble of scents and loyalties. In this room are the wolves who will lead us in the upcoming battle.
