“We’re already big targets,” Asher stated, unworried. “This will simply make them think twice before coming at us again.”
I hoped he was right. Though I barely knew them, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Chase and Asher.
They were deceptive when we met, but they’d been upfront about many things since then. If I was being honest, they were probably too upfront. They didn’t know me any better than I knew them.
“Were you going to tell me about your magic if I’d agreed to team up with you guys?”
“Possibly,” Chase winked. “Like we said, we haveskillsthat can help you in these games.”
I rolled my eyes at the flirty innuendo, but I couldn’t hide my smile. His easy-going nature hadn’t been an act.
Without stopping to second-guess myself, I declared, “Fine. We can be allies for this first competition. But that is it.”
Their eyes widened.
“S-seriously?” Chase sputtered. Asher stayed silent, but I felt his piercing eyes scan my face.
“Seriously,” I replied. Though made quickly, I was certain of my decision. “The Badlands Pack changed everything by implementing a point system. Each game is no longer an all or nothing victory. Having help to ensure my pack earns points in the first game is good strategy.”
Obviously, I hadn’t discussed the idea with Hunter or our fathers, but they would agree with me. We had better odds of earning points, and potentially winning the games overall, if we didn’t compete on our own.
“What will your partner say?” Asher’s tone cooled with the mention of my pack’s next beta.
I lifted my chin. “If you’re asking if Hunter will honor my agreement, he will.”
“What agreement will I honor?” Hunter’s voice preceded his arrival. I hadn’t noticed the doors behind me open.
Hunter brushed my arm as he moved to stand next to me. His biceps flexed, and he scowled at the Wilds Pack shifters.
“We’re allying with the Wilds Pack in the first game,” I told him without preamble, then swiftly tried to change the subject. “The sun is nearly up. We should make our way to the forest’s edge so we aren’t late.”
I took a step in that direction, but Hunter’s hand latched onto my elbow.
“We’rewhat?”
I sighed. It was too much to hope Hunter would make this easy.
I repeated my agreement with the Wilds Pack, leaving out the shifters’ nifty magic tricks. I wasn’t sure if Asher and Chase would want me to reveal the information to my partner, especially when he didn’t seem too keen on honoring the deal I’d just made.
The two Wilds Pack shifters stood, unmoving, as they watched our exchange with blank expressions.
Hunter’s scowl deepened when I finished my explanation. “Are you forgetting that they are supposed to be our competition?” He growled under his breath. His voice portrayed anger, but worry lines pulled at his mouth.
“I know that,” I replied softly, hoping my calm would rub off on him. “I also know the rule change calls for a change in strategy. We’re good hunters, but so are the other packs. There’s no harm in getting help to ensure we earn points in the first game.”
The meeting hall doors opened. Shifters walked out, beginning the short hike to the forest’s edge to start the first competition.
A quick glance revealed my father and Beta Nathan were at the back of the crowd, moving to the exit.
“I don’t like it, Blair. We’re giving them a leg up the same way they are giving us one.” Hunter paused. Seeing the interested looks from the passing shifters, he pitched his voice lower and added, “And we both know what happens if they win.”
“It’s one game,” I tried to reassure Hunter, but the words were also meant to reassure me.
Maybe I would look back later and realize I’d been too hasty to team up with the pack whose victory would rob me of my future as the Summit alpha. But it was done, and I wouldn’t go back on my word.
Besides, I truly believed the arrangement could help me and Hunter make a monumental first impression with the other packs.
When Hunter didn’t offer another objection, I placed my hand on his arm and nodded toward the moving crowd.