I drag a hand through my hair to ease the frustration in me. “They’re connected, or could be overlapping, at least. The rogue group is organized, and Hayes isn’t going to ignore something like that on his territory if they aren’t his.”
“No, he won’t,” Luke agrees quietly.
After a beat of silence, Zeke glances toward the house. “And now we’ve got her here.”
I don’t respond immediately because we all know what he means.
Naia.
She’s at the center of it, whether she wants to be or not.
“That group targeted her, and I know that’s not a coincidence,” I say finally.
“Exactly,” Hunter says. “Which means they’re going to keep targeting her.”
“If those wolves took her without Hayes’ knowledge, and he didn’t get anything out of it, there’s going to be hell to pay,” Caleb comments. “And when he finds her, this won’t stay contained. It will spill across all the packs.”
I look at them sharply, feeling as if my inner wolf bristles all over again. “So what’s your solution, then? Sending her back just to be humiliated again?”
“That’s not what we’re saying,” Luke says.
“Sounds like it.”
“We’re saying you need to handle it,” Caleb corrects, using his usual authoritative tone. “Before it escalates.”
I let out a quiet, irritated breath. “Handle it how?”
They don’t answer right away, since there isn’t a clean answer, especially not without pissing me off.
“There isn’t one,” Hunter mutters.
“Exactly, so don’t stand here acting like I’ve got some easy fix. This is bigger than it was.”
“We’re not,” Luke says evenly. “We’re just saying you don’t get to ignore it.”
“I’m not ignoring it.”
“You brought it here,” Hunter counters. “That means it’s yours to deal with.”
“I am dealing with it,” I snap with a step closer, anger flaring. “You think I don’t know how bad this could get?”
“We know you do,” Luke says.
“And we get it,” Caleb adds. “The bond complicates things.”
“Complicates is one word for it,” Dominic mutters.
“But it doesn’t change the situation,” Hunter says. “If anything, it makes it more volatile.”
I can’t argue with that, yet, from my perspective, this conversation isn’t helping me in the slightest. The sooner it’s over, the better.
“It also means you’re not thinking clearly,” Caleb says. “You’re letting this get personal.”
“It is personal.”
“And that’s exactly the problem.”
I stare at them for a long moment, then shake my head to force away whatever doubt they’re trying to instill in me. “I’ll take care of it.”
