Page 58 of Wicked Wolf

Quinn put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

“We told them,” Gideon answered. “Finn is on his way to be here, but the others can’t come.”

She nodded, understanding. “You don’t want to make it a Pack issue by having the Alpha and the rest of the inner circle here. I get it. As for Finn? Why is he coming? He’s the Heir. He should stay home. I’ll be okay.”

Gideon merely raised a brow. “First, I can’t exactly tell the Redwoods what to do. Yeah, this is my Pack, my den, my land, but I can’t stop them from getting you and carting you away. It would start something. Not a war, but something none of us wants to deal with. The whole reason the two of you met was to ensure our Packs are working together. The fact that you two are even mated tells me we’re on our way to making sure that happens. As for Finn? He’s amazingly stubborn when it comes to people he cares about.”

She grinned at the thought of her brother. “He’s tougher than anyone I know, and I know a lot of tough wolves. I’m glad he’s coming. That means that we’re showing cooperation between the Packs without making it look like it’s Pack against Pack.”

“It wouldn’t be anyway, considering Helena is not Pack.” Gideon growled at that, and Gina had to agree with him.

“No, this is all about power plays and protection,” Quinn added in.

“And when you finish kicking her ass, that will be the last time we hear about her,” Gideon said, and Gina smiled.

“Then let’s get to it. I’m not cocky, I’m confident,” she said. “And I really want to get this over with.” Her wolf perked up, ready to fight. She didn’t know if they would be fighting as wolves or humans, but either way, she was ready. She had to be if she wanted to keep her mate thanks to archaic rules with loopholes that made no sense.

Quinn kissed her one more time, and then they were off. By the time they made it to the circle, Finn was standing with the Brentwoods.

She went to her brother and hugged him tight. “Thanks for coming.”

“I shouldn’t have had to come at all,” he snapped. “This is ridiculous.”

She rubbed his back then pulled away. “I love Quinn, Finn. I’m not going to let some bitch stop me.”

Finn smiled full out, his eyes brightening. “No shit? You love him.” He looked over her shoulder and growled. “And you? You love my sister? Because if you don’t, I’m taking her home right now.”

Gina closed her eyes and prayed for patience. God save her from dominant male wolves.

“I love her, Finn. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Are you two done?” She opened her eyes and glared at each one.

Finn shrugged. “It’ll be worse with Dad and Mark and the rest of them. Oh, and Mom? Yeah. This should be fun.”

“One battle at a time, okay?” she asked, and Finn hugged her again.

“Okay. Now kick her ass because this is fucking ridiculous.”

“Stop cursing,” she teased, needing to lighten the moment.

“Mom’s not here,” Finn whispered, and she laughed.

Quinn came up from behind her and put his hand on her hip. She sighed and leaned into him, her wolf calming at the touch.

“Where’s Brynn?” her mate asked Walker, who had come up to their party.

“She’s with Jesse,” the other man said. “She wanted to make sure he had a familiar face since he couldn’t be here.”

Gina looked up at Quinn, who nodded. “I’m glad she’s there,” he said.

“Brynn?” Finn asked. “That’s your sister, right?”

Walker narrowed his eyes at her teenage brother. Finn might have technically been an adult, but in the eyes of someone well over a hundred, he was still a pup.

“Yes.” With that short answer, Walker went back to the others.

“Did I say something wrong?” Finn asked, a smile on his face.