Page 43 of Bronx

Amelia arrived less than twenty minutes later, sweeping into the suite and enveloping Cora in a hug. “Hi, Samuel,” she said, releasing Cora.

“Hi,” he said. “Is Auntie Justine coming with you?”

Amelia laughed. “I guess I have some catching up to do if I’m going to displace Justine as my new grandson’s favorite.”

Samuel blinked. “Who’s your new grandson?”

“You are,” Amelia said. “Or you will be, once your mother and Bronx have their mating ceremony.”

“Cool!” Samuel shouted. “I have a grandmother now!” He raced over to the small pile of toys he’d lined up by the fireplace. “Wanna play cars with me?”

Amelia grinned. “That’s the whole reason I came over.”

“See you in a bit,” Cora said—but Samuel was too busy with Amelia to give more than a quick wave, so as Amelia and Samuel began choosing their toys, Bronx quietly drew Cora away.

Downstairs, Cora and Bronx shared an anxious glance as they entered the lodge conference room, their fingers intertwined. The air was thick with tension, and urgency seemed to vibrate through every molecule in the atmosphere.

They sat down at the conference table, joining the other two couples, who were already there.

“I appreciate you all coming,” Steele began, his gray eyes searching the faces of his family members and their mates. “As you all know, we have a serious matter at hand. Our mating ceremony is under threat from the Idaho Pack rebels.”

A tense silence settled over the room as Mila, Ryker, and Ivy exchanged worried glances. Even with the recent joys in their lives, it seemed the specter of danger was never far away.

“Those bastards won’t rest until they’ve destroyed everything we hold dear,” Ryker growled, his fists clenching. “We can’t let them win.”

“Agreed,” Bronx said, his eyes narrowing. “But we also can’t put our own pack in jeopardy by proceeding with the ceremony as planned.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Steele asked, his voice calm but firm as he glanced at Cora and Bronx.

“Use the ceremony as bait,” Cora said, her voice calmer than Bronx would have expected. “Draw them out into the open where we can confront them face-to-face.”

“Are you sure about that?” Mila asked. “It’s risky…”

“Everything we do has risks,” Cora replied, her voice unyielding. “But it’s better than doing nothing and allowing these rebels to continue terrorizing us.”

“Besides,” Bronx added, his grip on Cora’s hand tightening, “we’ll be ready for them. We can set traps and have extra guardians on standby.”

Ivy nodded. “I like that plan. Cora and I can help you with it. After all, we lived with them most of our lives. We can use our knowledge of their tactics against them.”

“I like this idea,” Ryker said, a fierce grin flashing over his face. “And I know those bastards too—not as well as Ivy and Cora, maybe, but I lived with them too.”

“Very well, then,” Steele conceded, his gray eyes filled with resolve. “We’ll use the ceremony as an opportunity to draw out the rebels and take them out—either by exile or, if they won’t submit, by killing them in battle.”

“Are you all sure you’re okay with this?” Mila asked. “It’s our mating ceremony, after all. Do we want to have a fake ceremony to draw them out? We can plan for the real one later.”

Cora glanced at Bronx, emotion shining clear in her eyes. “Absolutely not,” she answered, her voice strong. “I think we should have our ceremony exactly as planned—we’ll just have a…a different kind of party first.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Steele, his gaze sweeping over the room. “We’ll prepare for the battle and have the ceremony afterwards.”

Everyone in the group nodded in agreement, and Bronx glanced at Cora. Pride in her determination to take care of the rebel problem swirled through his chest. And as he gazed around at his cousins and their mates, his love for them all—for his family, bound by loyalty and love and the desire to defend their pack to the bitter end—swept through him.

This is going to work, he thought.

It had to.

Chapter 18

OUTSIDE THE DRESS SHOP, Cora swallowed, breaking into a cold sweat as she considered the plan to use the upcoming mating ceremony as a means to draw out the rebels and eliminate them.

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