All six Clan Alphas were in attendance when I walked into the auditorium we used for Pack meetings. Everyone had stayed close to the Compound during Noah Thorne’s visit, and no one had left after he’d made the critical mistake of disrespecting our hospitality by abducting my mate.

“I want Noah Thorne dead,” I said to the room.

Growls of agreement answered me.

I took my seat at the head of the table and watched as the rest of the Clan Alphas took theirs. James and Brock stood sentry by the doors, making sure we weren’t interrupted. I didn’t want to be away from Aria long and planned to make this as quick as possible.

“He deserves a fate worse than death for what he did,” Mathias, the Alpha for Clan Feloidea, said. His mate, Eva sat beside him, her head bowed.

A growl worked its way up my throat.

“He does,” I agreed. I was furious with the two of them for losing sight of Noah and his companion to begin with. He’d been under their watch while he was in my territory, and they’d lost him.

“Would either of you like to explain how he slipped away?” I asked. My voice was deceptively calm. Inside, my tiger paced, eager to spill blood since these two were responsible for my mate's pain and suffering.

“We have no excuse,” Eva said. She placed a hand over her mate’s to hold back his response. “We can only ask your forgiveness for our failure to this pack and to your mate,” she finished. Mathias’ lips pressed into a thin line before he nodded.

“My mate is a part of this Pack. You can offer her your apologies yourself.”

They nodded and looked away but not before I saw the flash of irritation cross Mathias’ face.

I clenched my fist and chose to ignore it. Now wasn’t the time.

Aria’s place in the Pack was still uncertain. We were moving in the right direction, but until she accepted me as her mate, publicly, the others would resent her.

They couldn’t understand why she would reject me. They also couldn’t understand why my beast would choose a human when a mate bond had only ever been formed between two shifters before.

When I’d seen her lying there, dying, my beast had roared at the idea of a world without her in it. Until then, I’d seen her as merely an asset to exploit. I hadn’t even considered making her a true ally.

I’d been a fool.

I didn’t regret claiming her. When my fangs pierced the flesh between her neck and shoulder and the smallest drops of her blood reached my tongue, I knew.

She was mine.

“Does anyone know where Thorne is?” I asked.

Robert inclined his head, “Clan Canidae has tracked him back to Orlando, Florida. I had them pull back when he entered his own territory, but I can get you a more specific location if you’d like.”

I wasn’t surprised it was Robert’s Clan that had taken the responsibility of tracking. Robert was a Coyote, a trickster, and his Clan was made mostly of other coyotes, foxes,  and jackals. No shifter liked being played a fool, but Clan Canidae took slights more personal than most. I wouldn’t be surprised if his men had toyed with Noah along the way, taking pleasure in making the man feel watched and increasing his sense of paranoia.

“No. I don’t want anyone taking any unnecessary risks. I’ll—”

“You can’t possibly be planning to go after him yourself,” Yvonne said. My eyes met her amber ones, and she quickly looked away.

I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest. “And why is that?” I asked.

“I meant no disrespect,” she rushed to say.

“I’m sure you didn’t. Why don’t you explain what you did mean.” There was a warning in my voice.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat before turning her gaze toward me. Her eyes focused on my left shoulder. She was smart enough not to try and challenge me in my current mood, or any other mood for that matter. I was Alpha for a reason, and I ruled the Pacific Northwest Pack with an iron fist and had been doing so for the past nine years.

“What I meant to say was that you are needed here, in the Compound. It would be best if you sent another in your stead.”

There were a few nods of agreement, but I noticed that both Tegan and Derek Callumn, the twin-brother Alphas of Clan Wolf remained silent and unmoving.

“You don’t agree?” I asked them.

Derek answered, surprising me. He was the quieter of the two brothers, often doling out his words as if they were rationed. “You place your position in jeopardy if you send anyone seated at this table.”

Eva and Mathias were both quick to jump to their feet. “You dare to question our loyalty?” they snarled in unison.

Derek ignored their outburst and ran a hand through his close-cropped auburn hair before leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest.

He’d said his peace.

His brother Tegan continued where he’d left off. “We’re all Alphas. We all have the instinct to lead. What do you think will happen if any of us succeeds in killing Thorne?” Tegan scanned the room and rested his gaze on each Clan Alpha in attendance, one after the other. "Would any of you hand over the reins of the South Atlantic Pack to Declan? I know myself, and I know my wolf. I would not."

The last was said with the briefest moment of eye contact, demonstrating just how dominant Tegan had grown these past few years. He was unmated, as was his brother. It was unusual for two unmated males to lead a Pack, but they’d matched each other in dominance from the womb. I imagined the relationship was now chafing.

Tegan was going to surpass his brother. I’d have to watch the relationship closely to ensure that when the time came for a single male to lead Clan Wolf, that neither ended up dead.

“I appreciate your honesty.”

The brothers nodded.

“Do the rest of you feel the same?” I scanned the table and briefly met the eyes of every single Alpha in the room.

One by one, each lowered their gaze. Expressions were awash with a mix of anger and shame. I couldn’t blame any of them. If roles had been reversed, I wasn’t certain my tiger would relinquish control of a Pack to anyone either.

The fight to bring Noah Thorne down would be hard-won, and the victor deserved the position and praise that came with dethroning an Alpha.

"Send me," James stepped forward.

I lifted a brow and waited for him to pitch his case. I’d considered sending him, but I couldn’t order the Pack Hunter to do anything. He was outside of my authority. A Hunter answered to no one. This needed to be his decision.

James’ eyes turned liquid silver as he neared the table, his wolf present for the conversation. “Aria needs you here.”

“I know that,” I said. That didn’t mean I could ignore the threat Noah presented.

He nodded but didn’t look away. His gaze locked with mine, proving just how dominant he was.

I felt the challenge in his gaze, and my beast raked its claws inside of me.

A growl worked its way up my throat, and I stood from my chair. The wooden legs scraped across the stone floor as I leaned forward, resting my hands on the table’s rough wooden surface.

“I live to serve the Pack,” James said. “The Pack needs you, and Aria needs you. But the longer you take to retaliate, the weaker the appearance of your position becomes. Allowing neighboring Packs or Factions to think they can hurt one of our own without retribution is unacceptable.” I nodded my head and waited for him to continue. When he finally broke eye contact, my beast settled, realizing James wasn’t challenging its dominance and place as Alpha. “I’m just as dominant as any Alpha here, but I don’t have the drive to lead.”

That was the one quality that made a Hunter truly unique. They had the strength and dominance to rival any Alpha. James’ little display let me know that his dominance was strong enough to rival even mine.

That dominance was necessary in order for a Hunter to track down rogue shifters and take them out. A shifter had roughly a one in three chance of going rogue and giving in to the beast inside of them, losing all semblance of their humanity.

The more dominant the shifter, the higher the chance. A Hunter needed to be strong enough to take on any opponent, even a Clan or Pack Alpha. They were a necessity to any Pack’s survival.

“The Pack needs you. If you fail—”

“I won’t. Besides, if something does go wrong, Caden is showing signs of being a Hunter. The Pack won’t be left without someone capable of filling my shoes.”

“You’re sure?” Caden was a recent addition to the Pack. At seventeen, he was now a ward of the Pack, having been orphaned, held captive by the H.A.C., and later rescued by Aria and Inarus. Damn psyker. I didn’t have to like the man, but I respected him for what he’d done.

I hadn't spent much time with the cub, but I trusted James' judgment of the boy.

“You’ll have no problem handing over the South Atlantic Pack once Thorne has been eliminated?” Robert asked.

James shook his head. “I don’t want to lead. It won’t be a problem for me.” Several heads nodded around the table.

“It’s the best course of action,” Yvonne Ortiz, the Alpha for Clan Muridea, said.

“Indeed.” I looked to Derek and Tegan for confirmation. James belonged to Clan Wolf, and while I didn’t need their agreement, having it wouldn’t hurt.

Both men nodded.

“It’s settled then. James, start packing, you’ll leave at dawn for Orlando.” I knew I’d get hell for this from Aria, but it was the best option.

James nodded, and with that, the room began to slowly clear out, leaving only myself and Robert behind.

“Was there something you wanted to say in private?” I asked the coyote. Robert wouldn’t linger unless it was important. Despite growing up together in the Pack, we weren’t exactly friends. But I had a lot of respect for him.

“She needs to make a decision.”

A growl worked its way up my throat. “I’m not going to rush her.” I wouldn’t allow others to rush her either.

“You need to do something. The others are becoming restless. Uncertainty never bodes well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I knew he was right. Noah Thorne wasn’t the only one weakening my standing. If Aria continued to reject me, the Pack would begin to wonder where I was lacking. It was a thought some were likely having already.

I moved to the door, intending to find Aria. I needed to see her. To assure myself that she was okay. I didn’t trust Inarus’ intentions where she was concerned.

"Declan, Noah Thorne isn't the only one making you look weak right now. Don't make any more mistakes. You're a good Alpha."

I grunted but didn’t otherwise respond. Regardless of whether Aria needed months or years, she’d have them. I’d made enough mistakes. I wouldn’t risk losing her by pushing her before she was ready.