Page 75 of The Reluctant Alpha

Bayer

I followed Phoenix out of the door and yelled orders to three gammas to go inside the packhouse. The alarm had sounded then immediately stopped, so I hoped that meant as soon as the thing had triggered it, it had left.

“Go inside,” Phoenix yelled as she-wolves started heading for the underground shelter. “Just stay in.” They all looked alarmed but needed no urging as they turned back.

“Do you smell that?” Simeon grunted, joining us. I nodded, smelling blood, and followed the distinctive scent to the woods that marked the edge of pack lands.

Draven swore as he arrived at the bloodied form lying on the ground. “It’s Karl,” Phoenix said as he turned the man over, missing half his throat.

Neither Draven nor Simeon said a word for what seemed like endless seconds, but then Phoenix glanced at me, stark pain in his eyes.

An hour later, the pack held an end-of-life ceremony for Karl and Doran. Esther invoked the goddess’s blessing, and I hoped it made Raven feel a little better about her father—Karl—dying. She had finished her heat, and she and Kasim were officially mated. And then this had happened to spoil their joy.

All the pack attended the ceremony. Raven had an aunt, and Kasim seemed related to most of Curtis River. Their elder, Graystone, was very frail now, and I knew both Emery and Phoenix went to see him, but he didn’t leave his cabin and could no longer shift.

Phoenix came up to me as the ceremony ended. “Fancy a walk?”

I eyed him carefully just as Kaylan joined us. “Is this a private party,” Kaylan drawled, “or can I join?”

I grunted. It felt more like a Phoenix intervention. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Kaylan smirked. “I wanted to ask what my new alpha wanted of me.” Phoenix immediately looked stricken, and Kaylan nudged his shoulder. “You saved my life, buddy. You don’t get to feel guilty about that or I’ll begin to think you don’t like me anymore.”

I glanced over at him. "Don't get me wrong, but isn't your pack wondering where you are?"

Kaylan snorted. "Well, apart from the obvious reason that I'm happy to stay here, the elders already decided to invoke the emergency threat provision."

I frowned and glanced at Phoenix, but he didn't look surprised. "Which is what?"

"The council can basically halt everything for another six months, even though I'm now thirty. They're using the threat of the silver-skins, and to be honest, I'm not even sure I want it anymore."

Phoenix did look surprised at that, and I was astonished. "But Kaylan, you've waited for this for years."

He met my gaze. "Maybe I just got sick of fighting him."

"Is this about your uncle?" Phoenix asked.

Kaylan didn't bother replying, but we knew it was. Kaylan's uncle was one of the elders, and we knew he wanted to be alpha himself. He pretended to be running the pack for Kaylan's benefit, but we knew he was digging in. He'd placed all his cronies in positions of power, and guilt suffused me when I realized I'd been so caught up in my own battles that I hadn't once supported my friend.

Of course, that meant I had to get him in an immediate headlock and ruffle his carefully styled hair. Kaylan whined and tried to get me off.

Which made Phoenix smile. “What I want is you both at this meeting that starts at noon,” he said. “Dimitri will be there. Rhys will accompany him here, give him permission to enter.”

Kaylan frowned. “Where? Because I know you won’t use the packhouse.”

“One of the empty gamma ones.” Phoenix looked over at Kaylan. “What about the rest of your pack?”

I watched as Kaylan shrugged. “Kaylan, don’t,” I said gently. “Not with us.”

“I have no idea what to do about them,” Kaylan admitted.

“I was actually thinking about calling a Gathering,” Phoenix said. I glanced at him in shock, but Kaylan looked resigned. “The revenant is a threat to us all.”

I opened my mouth but then closed it because even if he did succeed and kill me, it wasn’t like he was suddenly going to stop murdering.

“I agree,” Kaylan said. “But hold it here. Make those lazy bastards come here for once.” We usually held the Gathering in Kaylan's pack, as it was the most out of the way.

“Will they know?” Kaylan glanced at me, knowing what I was asking.