Page 31 of Pack Rage
Finn shrugged again. “Maybe.”
“Is he strong enough to take out your mother? Will he be?” Luke asked. Finn didn’t answer.
I thought for a moment about the ancient shifter in the lower levels. Though I hated to admit it, he might be the key to taking care of Callaway, and possibly even releasing the Hilliers. We’d definitely need him on our side when it came time to face Elina. Still, I wrestled with the idea of trusting him.
If he truly was on Flor’s side, on our side, he would want to keep her safe. And he’d shown exactly how far he’d go to get revenge on her enemies.I wouldn’t mind seeing Callaway’s entrails twisted up like roses.
But it felt beyond foolish to have faith in such a creature. He was just as dangerous as Elina, or more so.
Luke spoke quietly to Finn. “If we can’t sneak the Hilliers out, and I can’t get down there to kill Callaway, what do we do?”
“We wait.”
“Until when?”
Finn’s eyes met mine, and I could see my silver-white orbs reflected in his green ones. He straightened, whispering, “The full moon. That’s all we need, all of us.”
My wolf lifted its ears, curious. Finn was an exceptional strategist. “What do you mean?”
“Father wants to force you to pledge to him, then have an emergency Council meeting to take down Bradley before there are witnesses to his political maneuvers. So I’ll make sure those things can’t happen.”
“How?”
Finn arched an eyebrow at me, then went to his bedside table and withdrew something small from a narrow, almost hidden drawer. Plugging it into the bottom of his phone, he began typing. “I’ll use the technology your pack dislikes so much to give Father a financial crisis that will take his mind off what’s going on inside his own house.” He mumbled about backdoors and weak SEC regulations, his fingers never stopping for a long moment. Finally, he stopped and smiled grimly at the device. “That should keep any emergency meetings off the table. Father will start calling within the next few minutes, once our stock starts crashing. Or the bank calls him, whichever comes first. You two will stay here, and gather your strength. I’ll need both of you to be able to fight at my side when the moon is full.”
“At the Council meeting?” His eyes flashed as he nodded, and I could tell he had a plan.“Fight who?”
His smile was sharp. “Anyone can challenge under the full moon. Luke will fight Callaway. I’ll fight Bradley.”
Bradley?“You’re going to fight another fake challenge?” I asked, remembering his epic blunder when he’d ended up fighting and losing to our little mate in the ring at Southern. “You’d have to kill Bradley to get him to give up his pack to you.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Not necessarily. You didn’t kill your dad.”
I hummed. Maybe he was right. But pulling that same trick again seemed unlikely, especially surrounded by enemies. It had taken power from all of us—even the serial killer—to accomplish it at Mountain. “What about Aidan?”
“Once Luke and I are Alphas, any one of us can challenge him as Council Head.”
“That’s not legal—” Luke began.
I let out a low whistle. “It is, though. The old ways allow for any Alpha to be challenged, and the power he holds transferred, under the moon, before witnesses. Just because the Council always transferred power by vote doesn’t mean it’s the only way it can be done. Or should be done.”
Finn explained, “The Council Head position is a manufactured title, but by law it’s an Alpha position, one that can only be held by strength or consensus. Aidan challenged Bradley once for the spot before, years ago, and was voted down. If he had challenged under a full moon, by strength?—”
“The way any shifter should gain power,” I interrupted.
“—then Bradley would have killed your father, and none of this would be happening,” Luke finished softly. “The new ways really have gotten us into a shitload of trouble.”
“We’ll fix that,” I promised.
Finn nodded. “The only caveat is that only a reigning Alpha can put himself forward to take the Council Head. One of us will need to challenge my father as soon as we become Alpha.”
“Or I could challenge him before either of you step into the ring,” I reminded them.
“You could, but…” Finn’s gaze dropped to my hand, to the fingers trembling on the arm of the sofa.
Shit.“Right.” There were a lot of things that could go wrong, but it was a decent plan. With the smaller packs assembled,Aidan would be forced to abide by the law. He would have to fight. “If I’m strong enough, I’ll fight Aidan,” I murmured.
Finn sighed. “You’ll have a bigger battle on your hands first.” I blinked, not understanding. “You’re going to need to fight your instincts, in the lower levels.”
