Chapter 105

[ 802 words ]

Hazel is a hunter

105: 105.

Hazel is a hunter Kade

I settle deeper into the chair, the wood creaking beneath my weight as chaos swirls around the table.

We’ve been in this fucking meeting for two hours already.

We went through the drawn-out acknowledgements of respect and pledges of allegiance, we talked over the things we saw at the battle, and we even came to a pretty smooth agreement to relocate all the other packs to the mountain.

It is the only sensible move.

The mountain has the best natural positioning and defense systems we could ask for.

With an impenetrable fortress ready to host more, the other Alphas would be idiots to pass up on this opportunity to keep their packs safe while we head into war.

Aria sits beside me, close enough that her warmth bleeds into my side.

My fingers lace through hers beneath the table, grounding myself as much as grounding her.

She squeezes once.

A silent reassurance.

Or maybe a silent plea.

Hard to tell lately.

With everything that has happened, it’s taking her time to work through the feelings about her mother.

We’ve all been there to help her to listen to her talk through her feelings or to give her something else to feel for a while.

At least she didn’t lose Hazel.

The past few days have proven just how much the ex-Hunter meant to my mate.

Ronan’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

“It’s unanimous, then. You will each head out, accompanied by a few of my enforcers, to assist in case of ambush and bring your packs here. We will have rooms ready for your arrival.”

A collective agreement follows.

“Good, now let’s move on to the Assembly and their partnership with the hunter,” Ronan says.

“Our two greatest enemies have joined forces.

This could be used to our advantage or lead to our end.”

“It is not something that will last,” Ryland says thoughtfully.

“They’re both selfish. I can’t imagine them both not taking the opportunity to double-cross each other when the time presents itself.”

Aria shifts beside me.

“But the fact is that they are working together.

If they decide it’s worth waiting until we’re destroyed, until they go their separate ways, we need to be ready for combined forces.”

“Aria is right.

Aldren knows we’re coming.

He will do everything in his power to make sure the Hunters stay on the same page.”

“There is still an even bigger problem to solve before we worry about numbers,” Barric says, voice rough.

Theo nods.

“We’re still blind.”

That earns attention.

Hazam leans forward.“Yes. There is no telling their methods, the weapons, and fucking magic there ready to use against us.” He flicks an eye at Aria.

“They could have used the Sypher for more than just the Vail. You told us about the poison arrows. Who is to say there aren’t more weapons with…extras on it?”

He has a point.

I wouldn’t put it past Aldren to have used Lorain to squeeze every magical dirty trick he could out of her.

And with Kane bonded to her, there is no telling what they could have done.

“We need recon,” another Alpha, Cobalt, mutters.

“I agree,” Ronan says.

“I’ll send out a team while we wait for all of you to bring your packs, then we’ll add to those teams.”

“That sounds too risky,” Hazam argues.

“It’s necessary,” Theo cuts in.

“We need all the information we can get.”

The room quiets.

Because he’s right.

We can’t go to war with so many unknowns, not if we want a chance at winning.

“We need eyes on the Assembly,” Barric says.

“How many hunters.

Their movement patterns.

Supply lines.

Weapons.

Strategies.”

“And where their camps are,” I add.

“No doubt they have some hidden bases. If we can unearth them, we could even cut down some of their limbs like limbs.”

Several heads turn toward me.

I shrug.

“If they’re planning something bigger, and they are, it’s better to know before they’re on our doorstep.”

Ben grunts approval.

A rare fucking miracle.

The ornery bastard gets a kick out of being contrarian.

Then Elliot speaks.

“I think we should get as much information from the ex-hunters we have. They’re a considerable advantage. One we would be fools not to use.”

Beside me, Aria stiffens.

Subtle.

Most wouldn’t notice.

I do.

Fear creeps into the bond.

I squeeze her hand and lean into her to whisper.

“It’s okay, love. Hazel is a hunter; you saw how she handled herself out there.”

Plus, Liam was her mate, which guaranteed her protection, but I wasn’t going to break the news to her

She gives me a small nod.

Across the table, Ben snorts.

“Oh, please,” he says, leaning back with a smug look.

“You just want your new little toy close.”

Silence slices through the room, heavy and dangerous.

Elliot’s body goes rigid, and his wolf flashes in his eyes.

The kind of stillness predators get before they rip throats open.

His voice is quiet, cold, and ominous.

“Watch your tongue, or I’ll cut it out and feed it to you.”

The threat lands hard.

Ben straightens slightly, sending the seriousness behind his words.

Because Elliot isn’t bluffing.

He’s probably enjoying it too.

Violent asshole.

My wolf huffs approval.

I would like to see that.

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