Which miserable fate would I choose?
We must remain calm, Booker urged.
I steadied my inhales and exhales.
That’s it, she said.
“Andie?” Cameron touched my shoulder. “Five minutes to go.”
That was my cue. I found a decent-sized boulder and jumped on top.
A sea of nervous faces watched me. The stewards were dressed in thin black wetsuits.
I had to believe in the win or no one else would.
We were ready for this. Iron was our strength.
I pitched my voice higher. “Ni Tiaki, if we lose Iron tonight, we’re done. Tomorrow, the pack will take over the guardianship of this valley, and we will begin the process of vacating the homes and land we have loved alongside our ancestors for centuries. We’ll forfeit the burial sites of those who are no longer breathing. This is our last chance.”
I could feel Sascha close by. Luthers surrounded us.
They were listening.
Good. I wanted them to hear this. “In two hours, this tribe could hang at the mercy of those we’ve attempted to exile for over two centuries. After this war between us, do you expect them to show mercy?”
I inhaled their fear. “You should be afraid. This is the first time in our history that four grids have been in the pack’s possession. Victratum has very real consequences that our ancestors didn’t live to experience. But we might. We could lose in two hours.”
Their fear and uncertainty swelled.
“Remember what you feel now,” I told them. “Remember that fear and uncertainty in the future. But today, use it to fuel you. Enter Iron and leave nothing behind. By your efforts, we can win, but only if we enter as people desperate not to be ripped from their homes. Because the people we face are desperate not to be ripped from their home, too, and they’re so very close to success.”
I raised a fist as I’d done in the past. “This grid will not slip away from us.”
They murmured it in response.
“This grid will not slip away from us,” I shouted.
They shouted the chant back, and the sound echoed through the Iron quarry.
Boom.
I hadn’t heard the cannon in weeks.
Fuck, this was it.
Stewards streamed past in their units, working with a precision that bordered on frightening. They slipped into the water to swim to their stations.
Don’t you dare join them, Booker growled.
I won’t. My trip over the falls with Wade and Cam showed me how easily submersion in water could panic wolves. Not so much of a big deal when the wolf expected it, but without preparation…
I followed Pascal up to the observation deck, and we watched the tribe work in terse silence.
Sascha would throw everything they had at this grid tonight. In an ideal world, they’d overcommit financially, and the tribe would still win, which would weaken the pack in future grids.
As for our strategy, I’d approved three new strategies.
Time dragged cruelly as I agonised over exactly when to make each move.
I had to nail this.
“Five minutes, Head Steward.” Pascal was furiously tapping on her tablet—as always. Who knew what she was doing on there? Probably playing Candy Crush.
I spoke into my walkie. “Big Red. Get in position. Over.”
Four versions of “Roger that,” chimed through. The team leaders confirmed completion of my order three minutes later.
The second boom rent the air and my heart took off in a full gallop.
Luthers entered the grid from the beach we’d left, and my eyes tracked Sascha’s movements through the red water.
We couldn’t shoot the pack there at the risk of losing points for serious injury or death. We had to wait until they climbed to the first level. From there, we’d always relied on the steep ascension to the top level to win the grid.
Not this time.
The first pack members reached the cliffs, and I grinned as Leroy attempted to climb. He slipped and disappeared under the water’s surface. Luthers queued at the edges of the lake, waiting for those ahead of them to exit the water.
Hard to climb with environmentally friendly surface lubricant coated over the iron ore cliffs. We only had time to cover the areas where pack tended to ascend.
But it was working.
Hairy punched his claws into the cliff.
My grin widened as he slid downward.
There was a reason the pack used their hands to climb in this grid. Iron ore was soft. Our claws were too sharp and cut through the substance.
Sascha howled.
What’s that mean? I quickly asked.
They’re going up another way, Booker replied. That’s all I can get.
I clicked on my walkie. “Big Red. Prepare for Operation Open Day. Over.”
Grappling hooks exploded from a series of large guns. The hooks hurtled upward and embedded into the ore.
I studied the long ropes extending between the higher tiers and lake.
The hooks wouldn’t hold as well as in Sandstone, but the ropes would help the pack climb faster. Luckily, it was a move the head team anticipated.
Wolves grabbed onto the ropes and pulled themselves up. When the first Luthers cleared the first tier, my stewards opened fire. More pack members took to the ropes as others slowly ascended up the cliffs using their claws.
I waited a while longer before delivering another order. “Initiate Operation Open Day.”
Red balloons filled with wolfsbane rocketed down the ropes. Luthers at the front saw them coming and dropped onto the first two levels.
Wolfsbane exploded on those behind.
Ouch. That shit stung.
I didn’t wait for Luthers to start up the ropes again. “Big Red. Initiate phase two. Over.”
One by one, the ropes were cut. There were pack members on the first two levels now, but that was inevitable.
I scanned the lake. “Damn.”
They’d discovered a section of cliff not covered in the lubricant.
Sascha howled.
Spread out and search, Booker translated.
I brought my walkie to my mouth. “Big Red. Prepare Operation Wet T-shirt. Over.”
The pack spread out to search for better routes. I gripped the barrier of the observation tower.
You knew they’d figure it out, Booker said.
Soon, Luthers ascended the cliff faces with ease. My gaze shot to the wet T-shirt stewards hidden behind mounds of iron ore that we asked quarry workers to form yesterday.
I licked my dry lips. “Big Red. Initiate Operation Wet T-shirt. Over.”
The stewards leaped out from their hiding places.
Within seconds, water roared from ten huge cannons I’d agreed to splurge on this week. The water slammed into the faces of the top Luthers.
“Illegal shift,” Pascal called out. “And another.”
Those able to resist the shift were still panicking as I’d once done. The climbing pack members lost their grip, toppling back to the red lake.
But the cannons had a major weakness, and Sascha would find it in short duration. Five more minutes could mean the difference though.
Some pack members on the tiers were engaged with stewards higher up. We could handle them while the cannons were still working.
“Big Red. Reindeer, direct close members of your team to aid west. Over.”
“Reindeer. Roger that. Over.”
One of the water cannons cut off.
Fucker!
The cannons were fed via pipes from the lake. Something Sascha figured out faster than was ideal. We’d painted the pipes the same colour as the iron ore, but that was all we could manage at short notice.
Another cannon stopped working. The wet T-shirt steward manning it raised his tranquiliser gun.
I checked the time.
Twenty minutes left.
“What’s the score?” I had to know.
Pascal didn’
t stop her frantic scanning and tapping. “Unconfirmed score is sixty-five to eleven.”
The pack would never reach the levels where most of the tribe shot from. Not enough of them to make a big difference.
Good.
Sascha could have something up his sleeve though.
My stomach churned as the last water cannon shut off.
I lifted my walkie. “Big Red. Wet T-shirt stewards. Retreat to higher ground. Over.” One toppled unconscious to the ground as the order left my lips.
“Big Red again. Immediate cover for wet T-shirt stewards. Over.” My shoulders eased as the Luthers turned their attention to dodging darts from above instead of chasing down my team.
Trouble, Booker snarled.
A pack member was toppling backward off the first level. A horrified steward stood before the falling woman, his tranquiliser gun raised.
Oh my god, she was unconscious.
“She’s going into the water.” I listened for shouts, but the pack was focused on climbing.
Shit!
I launched over the railing of the tower, hands windmilling as I free-fell.
You said we wouldn’t get wet, Booker snapped.
Water closed over us, and I kicked upward, then wasted no time cutting through the water toward the cliffs.
The water was murky, but my eyes were unbeatable. I caught sight of dark skin ahead. Drawing in a huge breath of air, I submerged again and kicked downward.
This lake was fucking deep. My lungs strained as I gripped her arm.
I’d had my fucking fill of drowning. Utilising every inch of my supernatural strength, I propelled us to the surface.
We broke through, and I gasped for air.
The woman was an omega. Lisa’s friend.
I held her nose and breathed twice into her mouth. I couldn’t press on her chest out here. Treading water, I thumped her back hard.
The woman vomited red water. I rubbed her back until she was done.
She coughed a few times and settled into deep unconsciousness again. Oh, yeah. I pulled the dart from the woman’s chest and towed her to the muddy beach.
Half in the water, I rested the omega on her side. She was breathing. Her pulse was steady.
She was okay. I sagged over her, panting hard.
Every time you say we won’t get wet, we do.
My wolf was sulking. She would have died.
Don’t care.
Unsurprising. Booker didn’t feel the same protectiveness for the pack women and children.
I studied the fight on the surrounding levels.
Boom.
The final cannon.
My knees nearly gave way.
The two teams ceased fire and went their separate ways without a blink. Why was it so damn hard to do between times?
Pascal waved from the observation tower and held her thumb up. She must be certain of the win to do that.
I allowed relief to crash over me.
The weight crushing my chest didn’t lighten—today was just about staying in the game.
For whatever reason Sascha was keeping his distance.
And that meant I had work to do.
13
The gardeners shrieked when Booker trotted into view. The stewards started early, and our run ran overtime today.
Taking over, I sat back on our haunches and lifted a paw, waving slightly.
One laughed, and the others relaxed.
Resuming our trot, I relinquished control to Booker again as we entered the manor.
Let’s change. I have a meeting soon, I thought at her. Wait. Where are you going?
She beelined for the kitchen.
The cooks screamed, scrambling back.
Booker inhaled the scent of bacon and nudged a plate of it with our nose. One of the younger staff members inched forward and dangled a few slices near our mouth.
Don’t bite off his fingers, I told her firmly.
She took the bacon offering gingerly and chomped it back. Activity in the kitchen resumed as the boy gradually fed us the entire plate full.
You about done? I asked.
That will suffice.
Gerry yelped as we loped down the hall. We trotted up the stairs and entered the bedroom door that I made sure to leave open before shifting.
After shifting, showering, and changing, I jogged to my office.
“Chantel just arrived,” Tip-Toe Eleanor said from behind.
I jumped. Jesus.
Even with my ears, she was fucking quiet. “Please send her in.”
Wade’s mother entered soon after. My friend inherited his father’s height and his mother’s looks.
“Chantel. Thanks for coming.”
She sat opposite me. “Wade said that you wanted to know more about the council. I’m happy to help however I can.”
Truth.
“I appreciate that. When I took over this role the first time, I was learning the ropes. I have a handle on the day-to-day things now and I’d like to be more active on the council.”
“Of course. That’s your right. You hold the tenth seat on council.”
My brows shot up. “Really?”
She cracked a grin that reminded me of her son. “Really. Due to the demands on your time here, we essentially run the council in your stead, but you’re the mayor of Deception Valley.”
What the hell? Seriously?
“I read the quarterly report. Everything is operating smoothly.” I’d never met anyone outside of the pack who had a bad thing to say about the tribe. The council kept the public parts of this valley in great nick.
“As you probably saw, most of the gathered taxes go into road maintenance. The terrain doesn’t make repairs easy or cheap.”
I opened the report and studied the printed pictures of the council. Margaret Frey was on there, too, which was ideal. I’d met two of the other stewards. None of the locals rang a bell. “What are the council members like to work with?”
“The team fits well together. There hasn’t been a new face there since the passing of Ted Harrington, a local who sat on the council for thirty years, so we’ve known each other a while.”
That could prove to be a good or bad thing.
She hesitated. “It’s your right to join the council, and your presence would be welcomed, I assure you. Is there a specific reason you wish to join?”
Yes. I’d like to help our enemy out.
I closed the report. “I believe we’re limiting the reaches of our businesses. There are projects that could be introduced and developed to aid us in Grids, and the valley would prosper as a result too.”
“Like?”
Might as well test out the reaction. “This valley’s weakness and strength is our remoteness from other towns and cities. People pay more for the quality of our resources but exporting to surrounding areas takes up valuable human resources. Not only that, I’d guess our trucks ruin the roads far more readily than car traffic. In Grids, we’re often restricted by what equipment can be delivered in a short timeframe. We need to stop relying on roads alone. I believe an airport would benefit the tribe greatly. In exports, with imports, and to bring more business to our region.”
Her eyes rounded. “An airport?”
“Correct.”
She blinked. “An airport helps us, but it would also help the Luthers. They could also bring in equipment and export goods.”
“The tribe can’t take the risk of funding this alone and I’m guessing the council won’t want that either. We go in together. As a term of the final agreement, Deception Valley Exports would exclusively manage exports and imports via air. The public will have access via our company, but the pack will be forced to continue using roads and trucks for Valley Trade Services—or pay us for use of cargo space.”
Honestly though, there would always be a market for offering land transportation at a lower cost. The pack could navigate the change. The tribe and pack would just fulfil different niches.
Chantel smile
d. “It’s ballsy.”
“Luthers and tribe alike would have access to the passenger seats,” I said in a casual tone, grateful she couldn’t hear my heartbeat. “The public may suspect anything else.”
I held my breath.
Chantel nodded. “There’s no harm in that. The environmental impact would need to be assessed per the ideals of our tribe, but council decisions don’t count toward Grids. The pack couldn’t come after us. Terrie, one of the public council members, brings up an airport each year. Herc always shut it down.”
Probably because he’d observed the wolf population decreasing and suspected they weren’t just leaving. “When’s the next council meeting?”
“Next Monday. If you’re serious about this, you’ll need to put forward a thorough proposal.”
Crap. In what time?
“Knowing how busy you are, I’d like to offer the services of our tribe council members to take on the task.”
I blew out a breath. “Honestly, I’d have no idea where to start, but are you sure that won’t overload the five of you?”
“I have a feeling that the other Ni Tiaki council members will be as excited as I am, and we’re old hands at proposals. As I said, Terrie submits an airport proposal each year, and I’m certain she’ll happily work with us on it too.”
I walked around the desk. “Thank you so much, Chantel. I’d still like to be as active in the proposal as possible. Perhaps we could all meet each afternoon at 2:00 p.m. to discuss details? I’d really like to present this next Monday.”
She smiled warmly. “We’ll see it done, Head Steward.”
I watched her leave the office and returned to my seat.
If the airport came together, the pack would have a way to find their mates, a way to prevent their extinction if they stayed in the valley, and a way to leave if the tribe won and wouldn’t agree to a truce. Assuming I could get my stewards to agree to a delay while the airport was constructed. Which wasn’t certain.
It was a start.
Thursday mornings were relaxed. Our strategy teams were hard at work, and I’d listen to their initial ideas later.
I had a few hours to study.
Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle Page 12