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I crossed the room and pulled Evan in for a hug. He laughed, firmly patting my back. “Yeah, it’s been a while, buddy.”
“No kidding.” As I pulled back, my grin at seeing my old friend dimmed to a small smile. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
Usually, Evan only came around when there was an obvious threat to the Wargs, which helped to keep his cover so that he wasn’t disappearing from the Kings pack all the time. Dom, evidently, had brought him in now because he knew that I needed everyone I could trust on deck. I appreciated the gesture.
“Same here, Night.” Evan patted my shoulder, and then crossed his arms. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and ripped jeans. He wasn’t as muscular as me or Dom, despite being a fighter. But Evan was wiry and strong. I’d seen him take down wolves twice his size, so his skills as a fighter went unquestioned. Evan had almost become my beta, but Dom had come out on top in that battle.
“I’m sure you all remember what things were like at the end of Peter’s rule as Alpha,” Evan said. “Food was hoarded, everyone was on edge, construction projects were abandoned, and Peter himself was a ticking time bomb.”
Everyone in the room nodded. We could all recall how difficult it had been to exist in a pack that was run by a selfish, paranoid Alpha, and we’d had to endure it for months.
“Then you all will understand the way things have gone for the Kings. Ever since Troy took over, the Kings have been suffering. The man has done nothing but accuse wolves of being traitors left and right without any evidence. He then challenges these so-called traitors, but before the challenge can take place, Troy and his closest wolves beat him within an inch of his life.”
“So they’re no match for him by the time the challenge happens,” Kai said, his voice dripping with disgust. “The coward.”
Evan nodded. “He’s doing this to show the pack that he’s powerful, but all he’s done is sink pack morale. The only members of the pack who are doing alright are those who were already in Redwolf’s favor. Everyone else is struggling to stay alive at this point. Wolves are trying to leave, but that’s hard to do when Troy keeps his own pack under constant surveillance. Women, children, it doesn’t matter. If they try to leave, he wants them either killed or captured for interrogation.”
“Damn,” I said. I hated hearing how the innocent members of the Kings pack were suffering, but this would make it all the better when we took Troy down. His people would want someone better to lead them. “Do you think they would support a change in leadership?”
“Absolutely,” Evan said. “The pack has always had some semblance of respect for the Redwolfs because at least the pack was prosperous. They believed that Troy would continue in his father’s footsteps, but obviously that hasn’t happened. Troy’s run out of all the goodwill his family name had, so yeah, I think they’re eager for new leadership.”
“Why would he attack his own men?” Redford asked.
Evan shrugged. “He’s always been a little…off, but he hasn’t been the same since Gregor died. It’s like he’s been let off his leash, and no one can rein him in.”
“Sounds like he’s trying to reestablish his Alpha status,” I said, the gears in my mind turning. “He probably felt pressure to be just like his old man, to provide in the same way, but he hasn’t earned the respect that Gregor had. So he wants to prove to the pack that he’s the strongest to compensate for that.”
“The only way he knows how to rule is through fear,” Dom said.
I nodded. “He’s also probably trying to weed out those he thinks are weak so he can try to take us down.”
“I see what you’re saying.” Evan scratched his chin. There was a five o’clock shadow growing along his jaw. “Troy has been snapping at just about anyone and has shifted and killed countless fighters from his own pack, especially in the last few days. He walks around like a fucking maniac, and even his usual group of followers are avoiding him. Well, aside from Harlon and Samson.”
The changing dynamics of the Kings pack meant that the information Bryn had given me before wouldn’t work for us now. Evan’s being here was perfect timing. Without him, I risked going in blind.
“Our priority should be to rescue Bryn and Tavi,” I announced. “I’ll deal with Troy after they’re safe.”
“But taking the Kings over is still part of the plan, right?” Kai asked.
I felt a flash of annoyance, but I quickly tamped that down. I couldn’t get frustrated with my own people for asking clarifying questions. “Of course. The plan hasn’t changed, we’re just taking a slight detour. Once Tavi and Bryn are safe, I’ll kill the fucker, and the Kings pack will be ours.” As I finished speaking, the room began to spin.
I steadied myself by placing my fingertips on the table. My body was growing weaker by the day, which made our window for making all this happen much tighter. If we didn’t find Bryn and Tavi soon, I’d be too weak to win against Troy.
“Are you alright, Night?” Kai asked.
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
Thinking of Bryn made my wolf whine, and I felt an echoing ache in my chest. Bryn. I missed her so fucking much, I could hardly stand it.
I pushed away from the table and addressed Evan. “What about Bryn and Tavi?” I asked. “Has there been any talk of where Redwolf is keeping them?”
Evan shook his head. “I’ve tried to look around, but it’s impossible to dig too deep because of Troy’s state of mind as of late. There have been talks of him coming for you, Night, but no plans have been shared with us yet.”
Dammit! I resisted the urge to take out my frustration on the table. Evan’s intel on the Kings was vital, but his lack of information about my mate and my sister almost rendered that intel useless. My own trackers hadn’t found a trace of them because their scents had been too closely mixed up with Troy’s and the other wolves’.
We weren’t going to give up. I knew in my bones that Bryn was still alive, but I had no idea how long that would last. I hoped against hope that Tavi was with her, too, and that she was safe.
“If he’s so unhinged, maybe now’s the time to strike,” Vince said. “He won’t be expecting it if he’s this unbalanced.”
