“All was quiet until the motel in the border town. We had a lurker. Invisible, but I could still feel him or her. We tried to wander closer, but they stayed out of reach. I didn’t want to push the issue until I’d spoken with you.”
“We had one, as well. A basandere went after it but collided with a car and lost the mark. The territory’s alpha told me in no uncertain terms that we are not to hunt the mages in the border towns.
He has drawn a firm line that the pack is to stay separate from the Dick towns.”
“Except the border towns are not the alpha’s jurisdiction.”
“That thought had crossed my mind. I’d be going against his wishes if I ignored him, though, and we’ve already had a…difference of opinion. I’d like to keep the peace. I have a rough history here, and a few people have not forgotten.”
Broken Sue studied Austin for a moment, his face the customary blank that would fit in really well here. “If you send your people in secret, and someone sees them, you’ll look like an alpha who doesn’t have control over his people. A weak alpha, in other words. Or that you’d intentionally disobeyed the territory’s alpha.”
“Correct.”
I raised my hand. “It would be easy to say I had no control of my people and I couldn’t care less how people perceive me. Send my people. Besides, the mages aren’t technically on our team. They don’t count. Neither do the basajaunak, except for Dave.”
“That thought had crossed my mind,” Austin said, looking out at the square as the light dimmed.
More townspeople had shown up, scoping out the newcomers or the crew as a whole. They were giving us a wide berth, though, not that they’d probably know or care what Broken Sue and Austin were talking about. These were average Joes, not part of the pack’s defensive unit. It was easy to see the difference in how they held themselves. They also never stared for too long, not wanting to incite a challenge.
“Tristan is an issue,” Austin said. “He’s a beta. Given his abilities, though, he needs to go.”
“Would shifters care that you don’t have control over me?” I asked. “Because I’m a co-leader and a gargoyle. Tristan can go on my authority. Kingsley can thank us after we save their asses.”
“Subtlety isn’t your strong suit,” Tristan said with a laugh. “I’m fine with facing public punishment, if that’ll make things easier. Whatever the reason, Kingsley isn’t seeing things clearly.
Those mages aren’t just dangerous to the pack, they’re dangerous to the Dicks and Janes around here.
It’s his duty to minimize that threat.”
“Which would be an easier message to sell if the mages had harmed anyone,” Austin said, “or if Kingsley weren’t so adamant about leaving the Dicks to handle their own problems. We’re up against a third-generation pack leader here. This pack has mostly known peace and stability for two of those three generations. We need to keep in mind that disrupting the pack will have drawbacks.”
“If there is one thing that will go to hell quickly when those mages move in,” Broken Sue said,
“it’ll be any kind of stability. You need to talk some sense into your brother, or just take over. The alternative is both of you losing your family and your pack. Trust me, a rift as an alpha is a small price to pay for your loved ones making it out of this alive.”
It was clear that Broken Sue was facing down his demons in being here. It was also clear that he was right. We needed to push past Kingsley’s comfort zone if we were going to make it out of this thing.
THIRTEEN
AUSTIN
AUSTIN NODDED at Brochan before taking a quiet beat and looking out over the square. He felt more comfortable now, with this former alpha turned beta here. Tristan was excellent at his job and even better at reading between the lines, but he wasn’t a shifter. He didn’t know enough about pack life and the politics of being an alpha. Austin really wanted to keep this situation from turning more volatile.
To smooth everything out with himself and this pack.
Part of that, though, was to show strength and make it entirely clear that he would not bend to intimidation tactics, especially any involving his mate. He was an alpha in his own right now, and it was time for the dissenters in this territory to look at him in a new light. They didn’t have to like him, or even respect him, but they damn well better get out of his way. Brochan could help brainstorm the best ways to carve out that tricky path, pushing back on the pack but not directly on Kingsley.