Page 38 of The Reluctant Alpha

Logan nodded, looking suitably chastened. "I promise."

After extracting further promises about regular check-ins and being with friends rather than walking alone at night, Stella finally seemed satisfied. She pulled Danny aside before we left.

"I'm heading straight to Carol's," she said. "Will you be okay at Emery's for a while? I know it’s a bit far to work for you. What about Easter?" Mom wasn't especially religious, but Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving, she expected everyone there.

"I'll be fine, Mom," Danny assured her. "Emery invited me, and I'll check on the house every few days."

She looked at me then, her gaze direct and assessing in a way that reminded me strongly of her middle son. "You'll look after him?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said without hesitation. The promise felt weighty, significant.

She nodded once, apparently satisfied, then kissed Danny's cheek. "I'll call you when I get to Carol's."

As we walked back to my truck, Kaylan fell into step beside me. "Nothing at the apartment," he murmured. "Kid seems clean."

I nodded, though something still nagged at me. "What about the scent at the house?"

"Could be nothing," Kaylan said, but he didn't sound convinced. "Could be it was checking the place out, looking for targets."

The thought sent a chill down my spine. If the revenant had been at Danny's house, what had it been looking for? Or whom?

Danny joined us, his expression lighter now that he'd confirmed his brother was safe. "Ready to head back?"

"Yeah," I said, opening the truck door for him.

The drive back to pack territory was mostly silent, each of us lost in thought. I couldn't shake the feeling that we'd been lucky today—that Logan's disappearance had been coincidental rather than connected to the revenant. But how long would that luck hold?

As we approached the barrier, I noticed unusual activity and a cluster of gammas and two trucks. Then I spotted Draven, and he smiled at Danny. “Danny would you come with me to Emery’s?”

"What's going on?" Danny asked.

“We have a meeting with the silver-skins,” Draven explained glancing at me. “I can take Danny.”

I turned expecting him to protest. “They can’t come inside the barrier. We have to meet them on neutral territory.”

And wonder of wonders Danny nodded, kissed my cheek, and followed Draven. I watched them drive away as Kaylan came to stand next to me.

"Silver-skins," he said quietly.

I headed towards the neutral area and pulled up beside Phoenix's SUV and cut the engine. The small gathering turned to look at us—Phoenix, Draven, two individuals I didn't recognize, and one I definitely did from when they'd come for my father. The newcomers had the unmistakable pale beauty of silver-skins.

Phoenix nodded as we approached. "Bayer, Kaylan. Good timing." His voice was carefully neutral, but I could sense the tension underneath. "This is Dimitri, Axel, and Ivan."

The silver-skins regarded us with cool assessment. The one named Dimitri stepped forward, his movement so fluid it seemed almost unnatural. "You must be the bear alpha," he said, his accent faintly European, careful, cultured.

"I am," I replied, straightening to my full height. No point correcting his assumption about my status. In this moment, I needed to project strength.

"We've come about the revenant," Ivan said, his voice melodic but sharp. "It presents a problem for all of us."

Phoenix gestured toward the clearing. "You're welcome to join us—under truce conditions, of course."

The silver-skins exchanged glances, then Dimitri nodded. "Of course. We have no quarrel with your pack, Alpha Phoenix. This is a matter of mutual concern."

Phoenix directed everyone to sit on the logs arranged around a hurriedly constructed fire pit. I remained standing, positioning myself where I could keep an eye on both Phoenix and the silver-skins. The silver-skins moved with that unnatural grace that always set my bear on edge. They were beautiful in the way a venomous snake is beautiful—mesmerizing but deadly.

"I understand you've had some...incidents in your territory," Dimitri began, his pale fingers steepled before him. "Humans killed in a distinctive manner."

"And you know something about it," Phoenix said. It wasn't a question.