Chapter 67

I sent out a call through the pack bond. Within the hour, as I’d asked, the senior members of my pack were gathered in one of the conference rooms in the pack house. Aurora, Trajan, and Evander were there, as well.

As was Holden Coleridge.

I masked my irritation at having him here. After the threats from Aurora’s grandmother, he was a necessary evil.

Once we got what we were after, Augusta DeVere wouldn’t give a shit about Fall Line anymore. Blue Ridge would be the only ally she needed.

We sat down around the table. Aurora was to my right, Archer to my left. The rest of the senior members of my pack were seated around the table, with lesser members standing to the back.

Blue Ridge had over two hundred members—no single conference room would hold us all. But I still wanted to keep what I could on a relatively need-to-know basis, and these were the people I wanted to know.

While everyone was still talking, I turned to my beta. “Archer, I know you’re not happy about how I ended things with Evelyn. She might not be with me anymore, but she’s still the chosen of the goddess, and it’s still your responsibility to protect her. At least until we find the relic and get through all of this.”

Archer’s face was almost too neutral and still as he nodded. “Of course, Alpha. I’ll make sure no harm comes to her.”

With that taken care of, I called the meeting to order. I stood, and the room immediately fell silent.

“There’s been a lot of unrest in the last several weeks,” I said, meeting the eyes of people around the table one by one.

“Unrest?” Holden snorted. “That’s what you’d call everything that’s happened since the gala?”

I locked gazes with Holden and stared silently until he looked away.

He never did have the guts to challenge me directly.

“I’ve let you all in on some things here and there. You know our High Alpine allies have come here, that they’re helping us do something magical. You know the goddess chose Evelyn, but I haven’t explained what for.”

I glanced around. Evelyn wasn’t in the room, but I didn’t blame her. It was probably better without her here. I didn’t trust her not to make this about her or make a scene.

“What are we looking for?” asked Clara, a grandmotherly woman with snowy white hair. She was one of the pack elders.

I glanced at Aurora, and she nodded. “A relic. Something so ancient it doesn’t even have a name. We all know how bloody the relations between the packs can be sometimes. This could help us establish peace.”

I nodded. But there were other reasons I knew we needed to be the wolves who unearthed this.

With a relic that allowed us to use magic, we could bring peace. Other wolves would just bring more bloodshed.

I imagined Broken Forest or Hundred Lakes getting ahold of the relic and shuddered. I wasn’t even certain if I wanted to share power with High Alpine. Augusta DeVere, by all accounts, was an old witch.

But if Aurora were Luna, maybe it would be different.

Maybe we could unite our packs. Become two branches of one larger pack that spanned two continents.

“The plan from here is straightforward. There are two more ceremonies, two more chosen. We grant them the power of the goddess. Then we’re ready to free the relic,” I said.

“Where is this relic?” Clara asked.

“Up in some of the most ancient parts of the forest, on the mountain. It’s surrounded by protections that haven’t allowed us to get close so far. But once we have all the chosen, that should be possible.”

“Will it be like last time? When we have the whole pack in the circle?” someone asked.

“Yes. All of Blue Ridge, plus our representatives from High Alpine,” I said.

“No!”

The voice came from the back of the room. Evelyn pushed through the crowd and glared at me. She pointed a shaking finger at Aurora. “She can’t be there. As the only current chosen of the goddess, I won’t allow it! The goddess doesn’t want her there!”

I bared my teeth and barely stifled a growl. “And why do you think that is?”

“Because,” Evelyn declared so theatrically I wanted to roll my eyes, “she’s going to join forces with the Fall Line Pack and steal it!”

A gasp went through the room. I opened my mouth to dismiss her words out of hand, but then Archer, my steady, trusted beta, stood.

“She’s right. We can’t let Aurora DeVere be part of this. Alpha, if you won’t listen to me, listen to the rest of your pack.”

As I looked around, everyone nodded.