Page 13 of Deception

She followed, if only to escape the clutches of Gretchen and Mett, and shot a sidelong glance at Thomas. If Mett worried her with his sick beliefs, Thomas worried her with his charisma and inborn strength. The man was an alpha through and through. If he was to take over the leadership of this pack, everyone would follow like blind sheep, exactly as she once had. And who knew how radical his beliefs were?

She watched Thomas surreptitiously. Was he capable of horrors like those perpetuated by the Whytes?

“How does it feel to be back home?” Thomas asked.

Home? Hope Springs wasn’t home. The Blue Moon Saloon was. She’d only spent a short time in Hope Springs — another brief stop before Emmett and his gang set off again on their crazy quest.

“I guess I’m still trying to figure out where home is,” she said truthfully.

Gretchen appeared out of nowhere and patted Summer’s arm with her long, bony fingers. “We’ll rebuild, honey. One step at a time.”

Exactly what she was afraid of. She looked at Thomas, wondering where he stood.

Thomas murmured in agreement. “One step at a time.”

Man, was he impossible to read.

Three pickups drove into the compound and parked by the ramshackle barn used as a meeting house. Summer watched as several shifters she didn’t recognize exited their vehicles.

“Time to get started,” Thomas said. His nostrils flared, and his shoulders grew stiff.

“Started?” Summer asked.

He nodded toward the barn. “The meeting. Why don’t you come?”

She froze and stared at the barn. Community meetings in this pack were a men-only thing. Only a select few women attended — like Gretchen, of course. Summer had never been to a meeting, and with the Whytes in charge, she’d never considered asking to attend.

“Please come,” Thomas said in a softer voice. “I’d like you to come.”

His eyes were softer, too, and for a second, she thought she caught a whiff of the telltale scent of a wolf’s arousal.

Her stomach flipped. Shit. Thomas couldn’t be interested in herthatway, could he? She didn’t want the attention or the complication.

I just want Drew,her wolf cried.

Gretchen scowled in open disapproval.

“Sure,” Summer said, following Thomas. What choice did she have? “That would be great.”

The scratch of hurried footsteps behind her said Gretchen was coming, too, and when Thomas held the door open for her, Gretchen shouldered through first.

Summer sighed. That woman was as into hierarchy as the worst of the men.

Thomas winked at her, and her gut roiled. What if her whole plan went wrong and Thomas forced her to help in more attacks? After all, Emmett and Victor Whyte had been considered charming in their day.

She glanced over at Mett and hid a frown. Obviously, charm could skip generations, too.

When Thomas touched her arm, she wanted to run. Instead, she took a deep breath and followed him. But when he took a place at the front, she slipped around behind the crowd and tried melting into the woodwork as she scrutinized every face.

There were a dozen locals there already, most of them older men who’d gone along with the Whytes’ sick dream without actually participating in any attacks — at least, as far as she knew. The newcomers seemed to have come separately, and more were still filing in. Wolf shifters, all of them. The men shook hands and leaned in close to each other in private conversation.

Can’t wait to go kill some more innocent shifters,she imagined one saying to another. Or was the man saying,It’s about time we dissolved this crazy-ass pack?

The strongest alphas — those who might vie for leadership of this pack — were easy to spot. They were the ones exuding testosterone with every bold step, every sidelong glance that put others in their place. As more and more shifters arrived, she gaped. How did she miss that this meeting was going to take place?

She shook her head at herself. Of course, there’d be a meeting sooner or later. And of course, no one would have told her about it because it wasn’t her place. She looked up a second later, determined not to slip into her old ways. She’d tune in to every word, analyze every gesture.

“All right, let’s begin.” One of the older locals called the meeting to order. “We’re here for nominations for leadership of the Blue Blood pack.”

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