Page 76 of Moonlight and Mischief
“Who was left behind?” His voice drops.
“I don’t know for sure. I think Hazel was trying to account for everyone. They captured Hawthorne, and a few others. Crickett and the two girls are locked away, I think. Not sure who is with them. But they won’t last long down there.”
“We will get them back,” he growls. I nod. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
My head rests on his shoulder. “You too, Dad.”
JASPER
“This is my fault. They wouldn’t have come after us otherwise,” I say, hanging my head.
Hazel’s eyes blaze. “Absolutely not. If anything, it was revenge for what I did.”
A low chuckle emits from Heath’s reclined form. Marigold’s grandmother Sable has cut away the pants below his knee and is wiping down the gash across his shin. “Unfortunately, this grudge extends far past your recent offenses.”
“Worth burning buildings?” Hazel asks, her mouth downturned.
Heath nods. “As a child, Sienna thought she deserved to be the Alpha someday, but she was rejected over and over. She’s wanted revenge since before you were born.”
“The Granite Ridge Pack has always been in conflict with us, although it used to be friendlier. More rivals than enemies. But when Sienna went to Ferris, it got worse. And it’s been twenty years of that festering.”
Too many eyes watch me. Gritting my teeth, I slowly nod. “She’s always been unpredictable and vengeful. I’m not sure why I ever thought this day wasn’t coming. But you’re right, when it comes down to it, I don’t think this has to do with me or Hazel. It’s always been her obsession.”
“You more than most know what she’s capable of,” Sable says without looking at Hazel. Slate responds with a growl. It’s a testament to Heath’s poor condition that he does nothing to curb Slate.
“So what happened after we left?” I ask.
“We shot Zephyr to take him out for the day, and left him tied up in Nyx’s care. A group of Ironcrest wolves retreated, but Nyx has plenty of prisoners to deal with. We got your call right around the time we were finishing off the stragglers that didn’t retreat when they had the chance,” Slate says, anger curling around every sound.
“Well, we were able to pull most of the pack out. From what I can gather, most of our elders are still there, along with Hawthorne’s entire family, and Starling is with her grandmother. The rest of the kids aside from those three are all here safe.”
“Glad to hear it,” Heath says.
“My biggest concern is Hawthorne. And we don’t know about Linden either, but we know for sure that Hawthorne took the brunt of their attack.”
The room is solemn. Heath grips his chair arms with white knuckles, and it's impossible to tell if it’s over his Gamma or the pain of the wound Sable is treating.
“So what are we going to do?” Slate asks.
“Get our home back,” Hazel answers viciously, reaching over and threading her fingers through his. My lungs tighten. I don’t want to be here in a meeting, I want to be with Marigold. But this is for her.
“Jasper, what do you think they’ll do now? How will they fortify their position?” Fisher asks.
My teeth roll over my bottom lip as I try to force my thoughts in order. “They’ll centralize. Hostages, leadership, resources, everything.”
“What about defenses?” Heath wonders.
“Maybe cameras, but I think it’s too early for them to have hacked into any of our tech so they’re probably relying on patrols. And they like bigger patrol groups, so it’s easier to hear them coming.”
“We need a way to get inside and get our people out before it turns into an all-out fight and they can be used against us,” Hazel says.
“Focusing our assault on wherever the hostages are held,” Fisher begins. Slate holds up a hand, silencing him.
“The easiest way would be through the front door.” Slate’s voice drops, the determination bright in his mossy eyes. Something about his tone pushes away my conflicted thoughts. He’s right.
And with that, we begin to brainstorm a plan to reclaim our home.
The cabin given to us is a two bedroom. Slate and Hazel take the other bedroom. When I stumble into the building after my brother and his mate, I find Marigoldin the bathroom. She stands before the sink and scrubs her hands.
