Nathan glanced up. “Some may feel you’re working for both sides.”
“I took an oath that I would give my last breath to see this tribe succeed, and I won’t forget that oath. My actions on the tribe’s behalf prove my loyalty.” I held his gaze. “The pack took me in when this tribe threw me out. I care for many of them now. That, as well as knowledge of these foreign threats, has changed my definition of what success looks like for all. I believe compromise is the only safe way forward for tribe and pack.”
He nodded and—to my surprise—almost smelled accepting.
I held up the thick contract before me. “We have a lot to discuss in coming days. A land proposal. An alliance. A different ending for our stewards. As a starting point, here’s the draft contract from King Julius. It needs a lot of work, and I’ll need your help to do it. On Monday, I meet with him for further talks. Pascal, Wade, and Stanley, I’d like you to sit in on that meeting. Sascha Greyson will join us also.”
The three of them nodded.
“If any of this goes ahead, it will be a lot for the tribe to take in, Andie.”
Roderick’s point was valid.
Wade took the Vissimo contract and thumbed through it. “I guess what Ro is asking is how do we explain this to the stewards?”
Good question. Not everyone in this room was on board with me. The next couple of days would show whether they came around or not. One thing was certain—I couldn’t unload everything on the stewards at once. Yet time was a massive issue. “Both sides love this land and want to protect it. Neither side wants to face uncertainty in the future once the game ends. We know each other far better than we know demons or witches. Those are the points to hammer home. As for timing… we need to figure that out.”
Pascal took the contract from Wade. “This could take months to finalise.”
“I’ve seen what the pack and tribe can achieve separately. Imagine what we could do together?”
She regarded me with a peculiar expression.
“Yes?” I arched a brow.
“Just thinking that I was right. You are the leader that we needed.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I straightened. “I need your honest opinions and reactions over the next few days. All of them—every negative thing you can think of. If this works, it’s because we did our part to troubleshoot, so don’t hold back.”
“We surely have some time to think this over?” Stanley said uneasily.
“On Sunday, I plan to turn over a grid with penalty points. Next Wednesday, I plan to win Victratum. We have six days to figure out a truce between pack and tribe, an alliance with the Bluff City vampires, and the tribe must be brought up to speed in that time also.”
Trixie’s heart thundered. “We’ve won Clay three times in one hundred and fifty years. We’ve never turned over Water.”
My life since accidentally discovering werewolves had revealed one clue after another. Since living on pack lands, I’d started piecing them together.
The plan wasn’t perfect, but if there was ever a chance to win one of the two remaining grids, this was it.
“You know,” I said conversationally, “the Victratum contract specifically states that mercenaries can’t be hired to fight for either side. It says nothing about freely offered supernatural aid that doesn’t involve them engaging in fighting at all.” I grinned. “Interesting, don’t you think?”
27
Who needed sleep anyway?
Not me.
I rubbed my temples. “Alright, tribe gathering on Sunday morning and Tuesday night.” It was the best we could do with so little time.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Trixie said.
Yep.
This morning, the majority of the head team voted that the possible threat from demons and witches warranted a change in our approach to the end result of Grids. It was a small but significant win.
Wade patted Trixie’s back. “Makes you realise how shocked our ancestors must have been all those years ago when they discovered werewolves for the first time.”
And they’d lived with Luthers for decades before discovering the truth.
I gathered my papers. “We have a plan to roll out information to the stewards. Let’s meet again tonight to discuss a land proposal.”
Wade raised his hand. “I have final Deception Valley Ball stuff to do after our pamper day. Can I be exempt?”
The pamper day and ball were the last things on my mind. “Of course. Is everyone else available?” I counted the nods. “Great. I know we’d arranged to have this day off, so thank you. Let’s meet at 6:00 p.m. after dinner.”
After the meeting, Wade walked down the hall with me. “You’re still good for ten?”
“Sure. I need to put some things in order for the day first. Meet you outside in… forty-five?”
“Done. This is just what you need. Trust me.”
I forced a smile. “I look forward to it.”
Hurrying to my office, I started pouring over our plans anew.
Am I missing anything, girl?
Booker usually slept after our extra early morning run. I received a grunt in reply.
“Have you got a minute?”
Rhona stood in the open doorway.
“… I have a few minutes.”
She entered as if unsure whether the bookshelves would topple down on her head. “You’re going out with Wade and Cam for the day, I heard.”
Was she planning a coup? “I am. How can I help you?”
Rhona lingered by the chair opposite my desk until I gestured for her to sit. There was a whole heap of shit between us, but I hated seeing her so uncertain.
She scratched her cheek and jerked a thumb at my saxophone. “Do you get much of a chance to play? I’ve only heard you the once.”
“Out at Foley’s cabin?”
“I’ve moved out. I’m in the cabin you had for a bit, actually, but I was at the river at the time. Heard you underwater and all.”
Right. “I don’t play often, no.”
Rhona opened her mouth and closed it. She opened it again. “I wanted to congratulate you on the Sandstone turnover. You understand head stewardship in a way I didn’t and never will.”
To be fair, she only had a few weeks in the seat.
“I’m not sure never is the right word.” I leaned back. “That wasn’t the best time for you to try the ropes.”
“Dad was right to change his will,” she whispered. “I let his choice get under my skin. I convinced myself the tribe needed me, but really, I became so obsessed with proving he made the wrong decision. My actions were selfish, and in the end, all I did was prove he made the right choice. It took nearly losing Grids to make me see the truth, then when I realised what I’d done, I ran instead of owning up to my mistakes.”
Whoa.
Fucking whoa.
I never, ever expected to hear those words.
What should I say? “You returned to take responsibility in the end. That means something. And you found the strength to tell me all this today. That means something too.”
Rhona looked at her clasped hands.
My turn. “I played a large part in making you feel alone and helpless, and I’m so sorry for that. I lied to you for selfish reasons, and because I couldn’t find the courage to face you. We both ran away, Rhona. Just in different ways.”
“I did horrible things to you.” Her voice broke.
“You were pushing me away. I knew that. I’d done it myself in the past.” If there was one thing a relationship with Logan taught me, it was that.
“How can you ever forgive me?”
This was the moment I’d hoped for and never expected to get. Rhona could do the same horrible things to me in the future. Except when it came to my sister, I’d been a fool so many times, it didn’t make sense to be smart now. “You’re forgiven.”
Tears spilled from her emerald eyes. “Why?”
“You tell me.”
She
choked on the words. “Because you love me?”
“Yes. I do. I can’t easily forget what happened, but with time and effort from both of us, we can rebuild trust.”
Rhona wiped her face. “I want to do that. I don’t know how.”
“For a start, how about you join me in the observation tower next Wednesday? I valued your input during Sandstone.”
“I’d like that.” She paused. “I saw you screaming when Greyson hit the ground.”
I watched her closely. “I thought he was dead.”
“You love him.”
“I do.”
She took a thin breath. “I was remembering what you said a while back about him dying if you were killed. You said his death would break you, right?”
I shuddered at the thought. “It would.”
“It sounded like it when you were screaming,” she said quietly. “I’ve been speaking to the tribe psychologist about Dad. Obviously, what he did was fucked up. I’m trying to wrap my head around it all, and it sometimes makes me think about what Ragna did to you.”
“I’m not sure how to process that,” I admitted. “It’s this massive roadblock in my head. Kind of scared to crack it open.”
“I heard Murphy was a werewolf. Do you think Ragna was mated to him?”
“She was.”
“Then that explains how shitty she was growing up, right?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure it excuses it. The gambling, perhaps. But she never had the guts to tell me I wasn’t her daughter.”
Rhona grimaced. “Your scream when Greyson hit the ground just made me think; what if Ragna was screaming like that inside after Murphy’s death? What if she was screaming until her last breath? Dad had no excuse for what he did other than hatred, and I wish so badly there was something to justify his lies. But you know your mum wasn’t in her right mind. I don’t know if that makes a difference to you, but it would for me.”
People wanted to know why I was so forgiving of Rhona.
This was why.
No one could speak to me the way she could.
“It wasn’t the gambling or finding out she had a secret family in Deception Valley.” My voice wavered. “It was finding out I wasn’t hers. I could take everything else but that.”
“Being a mother isn’t about sharing blood, it’s about the bond they share with a child. She was your mum.”
I stilled. “You think so?”
“You never cared about Dad’s part in the lie—or my mum’s. You only cared about Ragna’s because you loved—and still love—her so much. Let me ask you something. Your mother fought through years of cancer when death would have finally freed her from grieving Murphy. Why did she do that?”
My eyes blurred. I swallowed several times before my voice worked. “She loved me?”
“More than the escape of death, Andie. Judging from that scream I heard, managing what she did was no small feat.”
It really wasn’t. I’d tasted that consuming horror for a few seconds.
“If you have any profound revelations about Herc, you’re welcome to share them.”
I wiped my eyes, laughing slightly. “Not yet, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
She stood. “I just wanted to let you know that I came back to fix what I did and make amends. I thought I’d struggle most with you being a Luther, but you’re not all that different.”
“You were raised to hate werewolves. It takes a lot to undo that way of thinking. Recognising there’s a problem must be the first step.”
“Yeah.” Rhona sighed. “You should know from the get-go that I probably won’t forgive Sascha Greyson for what he did. Every time I look at him, Dad’s death comes rushing back.”
If someone killed Ragna, I wasn’t sure I could forgive them either. “Whatever you decide with Sascha is between you and him. As long as you can respect my feelings are different to yours, then our relationship can be a separate thing.”
Wade burst into the office. “Bitchhole, you better—” He stopped short, looking between us. “Aw, shit.”
I grabbed my jacket and bag. “Are we late?”
“Uh, we will be if we don’t leave now.”
Rhona walked around Wade to the door. “Have a good time.”
I’d have a far better time now.
Things felt right again.
Not completely, but more than before.
I rushed past my saxophone but wrenched to a halt as Rhona’s first words echoed in my mind.
Oh my god.
“Rhona?” I called.
She glanced back. “Yeah?”
“Are you free around four this afternoon? I want to test something out and could use your help.”
28
I frowned.
“Please stop thinking about head steward stuff for five seconds.” Wade hissed. “You know what, make that all night. You don’t have any meetings until tomorrow. Switch. It. Off.”
This was his big night. “Sorry. I will. You’re right. I’m really excited to see what you’ve pulled together.”
Wade had kept the ball preparations hush-hush. Aside from the colour of my dress and his matching outfit, I knew nothing.
I should be worried.
He kissed my cheek, and Cam, curling my hair, shooed him away.
“I’ve got to run final checks.” Wade smoothed the front of his shiny gold suit. “I’ll meet you two there. Text me when you’re outside, so I can make a proper entrance.”
I tucked away my grin. “We will. This is going to be great, Wade, seriously. I know how much effort you’ve put in.”
He flashed me a nervous smile before sweeping out the door.
I met Cam’s gaze in the mirror. “I feel the population of Deception Valley is about to be enlightened.”
She clipped a pin in place. “I’d say so.”
Studying my appearance in the mirror, she then pinned a wispy piece of hair away. “There.” She took a photo of the back and showed me the picture. “Tell me how good I am.”
“How the hell did you do that?” The thick, loose braids circled my head like a tiara. I couldn’t see where one braid began and the other ended. The rest of my hair flowed down my back in soft waves.
“Skill,” she replied. “Are you good to do your make-up?”
“Sure. Can I help you in any way?”
She licked her lips. “You can get one of the drinks from my bag. And one for you.”
I vacated the mirror spot and riffled through her bag. “I’ll join you, but alcohol really doesn’t work on me anymore.”
“I’ll live for us both.”
Stealing a corner of the mirror, I brushed on foundation as Cam started on her hair. I never put much thought into my make-up, but this felt like a big occasion, so I paid careful attention. Wade would absolutely kick me out of the ball if I made him look bad.
Contemplating the assortment of eye shadows, I decided on a light brown for my crease and blended a dusty pink over most of my lid. I dabbed a shimmering gold at the inside corner.
I’d already put on liquid eye-liner—because women who could do that after their eye shadow were elite. I swept on mascara and stood back.
Thank you, YouTube tutorials.
“That’s perfect,” Cam murmured, already applying her lipstick. “Sascha will get a massive boner.”
“That’s what I’m going for.”
“Actually though. Are you?”
“I’d be offended if he didn’t get a semi.”
She chuckled and proceeded to put on false lashes like a pro. “Have you guys sealed the deal?”
“Many deals. Sex? No.”
Cameron’s jaw dropped. “I thought for sure you’d tapped that months ago.”
I walked to the wardrobe and freed my dress from the hanger. “Tell me about it. Sex is the last mating meet though. It means a lot to Sascha. And me too.”
Cam checked her appearance and left the mirror to help me slip into the pale gold dress.
; “Does the thought make you nervous?” she asked.
Hmm. “I’ve always enjoyed sex, but this feels a lot more like we’ll make love. I don’t know what to expect.”
I was nervous.
And felt silly for feeling that way too.
She drew up my zipper, and I arranged my boobs for optimal cleavage. The dress had a low square neckline with straps the thickness of my thumb. That’s where the simplicity ended. At the waist, the dress flared out in thick, dramatic pleats that would keep everyone half a metre from me on all sides unless they dared to crumple Cam’s creation.
“It fits like a glove,” I ran my hands over the pale, sparkling gold. “Thank you.”
“You look so beautiful.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “And that makes you want to cry?”
She sniffed. “I’ve seen what you’ve fought through, Andie. For us. Others may not say it, but thank you so fucking much. Wade’s right. Tonight, forget about everything and just have a good time.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’ll do that, Cam. I promise.”
Tonight, I’d just be Andie.
Cam’s strappy, plum-coloured dress was harder for us to get in place. When we’d managed that, time was short.
Shoving into our heels, we booked it to Ella F.
“This is not the ideal car for ball dresses,” Cam muttered as she helped to shove my dress inside the vehicle.
Laughing, we set off.
I could feel my excitement building now I’d promised to let loose.
Sascha would be there. What would he think when he saw me?
I stole a few peeks into the rear-view mirror to check my appearance.
“Hey,” Cam said when we reached the outskirts of town. “I wanted to say about the sex thing. You shouldn’t worry, but if you have any questions about sex with Luthers, let me know.”
I had no idea when the last meet would happen, but I wouldn’t mind a few pointers. “I’ll take you up on that.”
A steward playing valet for the night waved us forward. I directed Ella F to a parking spot right by the front doors of the hall.
Cam dug out her phone and texted Wade.
Sascha was inside. I could feel him.
Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle Page 25