Page 138 of Claimed

“I need to pee. Can I go pee?” Kimmy asks.

“I’ll take her,” Eloise offers.

“That’s a good sign,” I say.

“Definitely,” Grey agrees. “Maybe the kids should go somewhere else, somewhere they don’t have to keep bein’ quiet.”

“The schoolhouse,” I suggest.

Grey nods.

I smooth Lara’s pillow-mussed hair and whisper, “Any who are up, maybe we can get them all to tiptoe quietly in afollowthe leadermarch to the schoolhouse and we’ll get everyone breakfast over there where you won’t have to be so quiet with all the sick folks sleeping.”

She nods. “We’ve been bein’ quiet.”

“You have. You’ve all done a great job, too.”

She smiles. “Can I be the leader on the march?”

“I would appreciate it if you would, Lara. One sec.” I wave Luke, who is coming out of the bathroom, over.

He comes to me, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Mornin’ Stacy. Grey.”

“Mornin’ bud,” Grey greets.

“Hi Lukey. Can you supervise the kids in the schoolhouse, and I’ll send breakfast supplies over in a few minutes? Maybe you could ask one or two of the other teens to help you?”

“No problem,” Luke agrees.

“Thanks, sweetie,” I say.

“A word, wife.” Grey tugs my hand and walks me outside.

We get out there and all the Arcana Falls people are up, some are talking in huddles.

I look at Grey expectantly, but he waits as Lara comes out, Luke behind her, and another eight children including two of the children who were ill last night following in single file moving toward the schoolhouse, which is about a hundred feet from the mess hall.

“That’s a good sign. Those two little boys were sick last night,” I remark.

“A very good sign,” Grey agrees.

The kids that walk by don’t look fearfully at any of the Arcana Falls members around the area where yesterday most of those faces were full of fear. Some of them are even smiling.

Grey touches my face to pull my attention to him. “So, we were thinking we need to get everyone stable and then move the sickest folks back to The Falls where we can look after them better. Jase and me were gonna coordinate that back home with Rye and Mase, getting people there patching up the town hall as fast as possible so we could use that since Cat’s clinic isn’t big enough for this many people.”

“Oh?”

“Uh huh.” He lets go of my face and scrubs his jaw with his fingernails, looking pensive.

“All that was said in past tense. Have plans changed?”

“Gonna get people stable here instead. That water tanker is coming this morning, and we’ll see what comes of the water and soil tests, but regardless of that… Brody has other ideas.”

“Other… ideas?”

“He’s thinkin’ about helping the pack here or somewhere else if this place is too polluted. He wants to lead. Feels it like coming here wasn’t just for Addy. Brody feels like this pack is his calling, too. Not surprised. He’s been searching for his place a long time. Always traveling, seeing what’s out there. He says he wants to claim this pack as his and build it to where it’s supposed to be. Plans to hold a town hall meeting with them once everyone’s on the mend to propose it to them. He’s already called and paid the electric bill to get things turned back on here. He’s asked for our blessing in recruiting a dozen betas from Arcana Falls or our waiting list to start. To come with him and help him build this pack into a healthy one. They can decide if they wanna stay after that or come back home.”

“Waiting list?”

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