Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(88)

“Always so grouchy.”

Whatever.





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE





For the second time in two days, Makenna was in Trey’s crowded office. He was discussing battle tactics with Taryn, his Betas and enforcers, the Mercury Alphas and Betas, and via teleconference the other Alphas who would join them against Remy.

As Makenna listened carefully, she became increasingly aware of just how right Ryan was. There was a lot of strategy involved in battles. It was all completely foreign to her, and she was totally out of her element. Still, that didn’t mean she would be anywhere other than at her mate’s side when the danger came.

The door opened and Grace entered with a tray of coffee. Ryan handed one to Makenna as he said, “You sure you want to be part of this battle tomorrow?” He understood why it would drive her crazy to stay behind, and he couldn’t ask it of her now that he knew the source of her determination. Still, both he and his wolf hoped that she’d change her mind. Makenna just stared at Ryan.

Jaime grinned. “Wow, you’ve got Ryan’s serial killer look totally down.” That made all the females chuckle. “You gotta teach it to me.”

“Stop trying to talk her out of fighting, Ryan,” complained Taryn. “She’s not helpless. There might be a lot of them, but there’s a lot of us too. And we have the advantage of knowing every inch of this land. They don’t.”

Makenna smiled, thankful for Taryn’s vote of confidence. But her smile faded when an unexpected wolf walked inside. “Zac, what are you doing in here, sweetie?”

Zac rolled back his shoulders and planted his feet. “I want to be part of the battle.”

Ryan had half expected this to happen. The teenager had pride, guts, and a need to face his demons. “Zac—”

“I know what you’re going to say. I’m just a kid and I don’t have any real training. But it’s my fault they’re coming—”

“Nobody put a gun to their head and forced them to make these plans,” said Dante.

Ryan grunted his agreement. “You are not responsible for their choices.”

“I should have stood up to the Alpha a long time ago,” Zac gritted out. “I didn’t.”

Grace put a supportive hand on his shoulder. “What could you have done, Zac? He’s bigger and stronger than you, through no fault of your own.”

Makenna nodded. “You did the smart thing. You got away. I’ve told you before, it takes guts to run. A lot of people don’t try because they’re too scared to get caught. You’re not weak, but you’re not strong enough to hold your own against these *s. That’s shitty, but it’s the truth.”

Ryan grunted. He couldn’t have said it better himself.

Zac rubbed a palm on his thigh. “I don’t like that everyone is risking their lives while I hide here.”

Dominic hung his arm around Zac’s shoulders. “There’s no shame in hiding if it’s the smart thing to do. Do you judge Grace, Lydia, Hope, and Riley for staying behind?”

“No, of course not.”

“They’re not staying because they don’t have guts,” added Tao. “They’re doing it because they know their strengths don’t lie in fighting. But they can keep the kids calm and safe, so that’s what they’re going to do.”

Zac snorted. “Riley’s a fighter.”

“Which is why it’s torture for her to stay,” began Taryn, “but she knows Dexter and Savannah are so attached to her that they’d try to follow her. Staying is the smart thing to do, so she’s doing the smart thing. You need to do that too.”

His shoulders sagged. “I just hate that I’ve brought trouble here.”

“They are bringing trouble here,” corrected Trick. “Not you.”

“You have no reason to feel so guilty,” said Ally. “The fault belongs only to them. They’ve made the decision to come here and—” Ally broke off with a gasp. Her eyes turned white, and, shit, it was the freakiest thing Makenna had ever seen. Her wolf’s hackles rose and her ears pricked up.

Shaya went to their Beta female’s side. “Shit, she’s having a vision.”

Derren drew his mate to him, rubbing a hand over her back. She didn’t move or speak. It was like she wasn’t even with them. It seemed to take forever before she snapped out of it with a low gasp.

Derren cupped her face. “Baby, you okay?”

She nodded, blinking a few times.

“That vision was longer than your usual ones,” said Roni.

Trey sidled up to her, arms folded. “What did you see?”

“It was two visions—one right after the other.” Ally swallowed, her eyebrows drawing together.

Just the look in the Seer’s eyes was enough to make anxiety curdle in Makenna’s stomach and cause the hairs on her arms and nape to rise.

“Something’s changed,” said Ally. “Something’s twisted everything and changed the plans. The York Pack . . . I saw them here. They’re coming now. And they’re bringing at least a hundred wolves with them.”

The news hit the room like a bomb. Trey went rigid. “You’re certain?”

“In the vision, we were all wearing exactly what we’re wearing now.”