Page 84 of Anders
The council members exchanged glances, absorbing the gravity of the situation.
What do you recommend?Malcolm asked, deferring to Anders’s expertise.
A two-pronged approach,Anders said without hesitation.First, secure communications with the targeted packs to warn them and extract the assets.Second, gather evidence to expose Chimera to the appropriate human authorities—evidence solid enough that even the government can’t sweep it under the rug.
You’re assuming the human government isn’t on board with these tests?Nick asked.
Malcolm growled.If they are, we’ll know soon enough.
If the government supports this kind of experimentation, we’ll need to let all the packs know,Anders said.
And then?Una asked.
And then we might have to let humans know what kind of problems they could face if they come up against all the wolf-shifter packs in the world united against them.Anders gave a cold, hard smile.But I don’t think we’ll be facing that.Not once we discuss it with military leaders.
Admiration for her mate swelled up in Etta’s chest.This was Anders in his element—strategic, focused, unflinching in the face of daunting odds.
I can help with the evidence gathering,she offered.The neural interface may have been removed, but I still have access to memories of the facility, the personnel, the procedures.Details that could identify key players.
It’s too dangerous,Anders objected immediately.You’re still recovering—
That’s exactly why I should be involved,Etta said, meeting his protective instinct with calm logic.I’m already familiar with their technology.I know their methods from the inside.And I have the strongest motivation to see them stopped.
She’s right,Larissa said quietly.Etta has insights none of us could possibly have.We’d be foolish not to use that advantage.
Anders’s jaw tightened, but he nodded once, reluctantly.Under strict safety protocols.And not until Dr.Weiss clears her medically.
Agreed,Malcolm said, looking to the rest of the council for confirmation.We’ll need to define those protocols clearly, establish secure communication channels with the other packs, and develop contingency plans for various scenarios.
The meeting continued for another hour, the group hammering out details of what would essentially be a coordinated resistance against a government black ops program.Throughout it all, Etta was struck by how readily they included her—asking her opinion, weighing her suggestions, treating her as a valuable ally rather than a compromised asset.
It was more than she’d dared to hope for.
As the council meeting concluded, Malcolm and Larissa remained behind with Anders and Etta while the others filtered out to begin their assigned tasks.
There’s one more thing we need to discuss,Malcolm said once they were alone.Etta’s formal status within the pack.
Anders tensed beside her, his protective instincts rising again.Etta laid a hand on his arm.
I understand I’m in a complicated position,she said carefully.I was sent here as an infiltrator, however unwitting.My presence puts the pack at risk.If you need me to leave—
That’s not what he meant,Larissa interrupted.The mate bond between you and Anders is genuine—that much is clear.By our oldest laws, that alone gives you a place here.What we’re asking is whether youwantthat place.
The question caught her off guard.I…don’t understand.
You’re Eliana Thornwood of the Silverleaf Pack,Malcolm said.Your heritage, your bloodline, belongs to a pack that may still exist in some form—though, I’ll be honest, I don’t know anything about them.
Still, you have every right to seek them out, to reclaim that connection,Larissa said.But if you choose to stay…She glanced at Anders, then back to her.If you choose to join the Sunburst Pack officially, we would welcome you.
Emotion clogged Etta’s throat, rendering her momentarily speechless.After everything—the spying, the betrayal, the danger she had brought to their doorstep—they were offering her home.Family.Belonging.
I—She swallowed hard, trying to find words.Her hand sought Anders’s, gripping it tightly.I don’t know if the Silverleaf Pack still exists.My memories of them are fragmentary at best.But what I’ve found here feelsrightin a way nothing else has.
Anders’s fingers tightened around hers, his emotions flowing through their bond—hope, joy, a fierce possessiveness, but tempered by his respect for her autonomy.
Then it’s settled,Malcolm said with a small smile.We’ll make it official at the next full-moon gathering.Until then, you have the protection and resources of the Sunburst Pack at your disposal.
AS SHE ANDANDERSexited the Old Packhouse, Etta paused on the steps, drawing in a deep breath.Her enhanced senses picked up a thousand details—the faint botanical scents she now recognized as sage and creosote, the distant call of hunting birds, the subtle movements of desert creatures.
