There’s only a few problems we need to discuss,” Brenton whispered, closing the door. Zachary fell onto the couch and sighed.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “I’ve heard the chatter.”

“I think everyone has,” Andrew sighed. “Though, those three don’t realize what a big deal it is.”

“Other Prides view us as politically weak right now,” Brenton said without preamble. “Using SSTF protection against hunters, having a bear as a public ally. Then, there is letting wolves stay in our home, in our town.”

“Do we count Thomas and them as allies?” Andrew asked, leaning on Brenton’s desk.

“Not officially,” Zachary answered, giving a shrug. “But I think we would be fools not to consider them friends. They know we did them a huge favor by letting them stay here until they figured out where to go and what to do.”

“They can stay here permanently, for all I care,” Brenton said with without a care. “Thomas is a strong Alpha. James is intelligent, good with numbers, and a likable guy. Antonio is a hard worker and easy to talk to. They aren’t trouble-makers. If they were, they would already be gone.”

“I’m visiting them tonight for a couple of beers,” Zachary reminded Brenton. “You can come.”

“No,” Brenton laughed. “Take Riley, she likes them.”

“She and Thomas have some connection,” Andrew chuckled. “You notice that?”

“They did the impossible together,” Brenton sighed. “Coming back for us? I’m not going to question that friendship, even if he’s another Alpha and that…”

“Little jealous, brother?” Zachary teased. “Won’t happen. Riley wouldn’t. Plus, he’s a wolf.”

“I know, which is why I am not questioning it. It is why I don’t tell her she needs to stay away from them, and it is why I don’t go hang out with them. I do not think being there, watching them be friends, is good for me, so I don’t. One of you can, one of you not threatened by another Alpha.”

“Thomas is an easy-going guy. He doesn’t flex the Alpha in him enough, in my opinion,” Zachary laughed.

“So, what’s our play?” Andrew shifted them back to the correct topic. “We have allies, none are feline. We burned all our bridges years ago on that front. A bear who has a human wife, and he’s law enforcement. He’s really only in this for Riley, as it stands. Finn is our employee, not an ally. He’s also just a fox.”

“Foxes are cunning when they get the bug for it,” Brenton said, pointing at Andrew, who just shrugged.

“Do you see Finn being helpful for the next year? Hell, the next decade?” Andrew groaned.

“No,” Zachary muttered. A fox was a great asset, but Finn was fucking useless. Zachary dealt with him on upgrading their vehicles. He was happy when it was over because that fox could bring anyone down from the best of moods. Not that Zachary could blame him. If Zachary had lost any of the guys or Riley in that hellhole, he’d be a fucking mess.

The Pride had gotten lucky. So had the wolves. Only the twin, Huck, didn’t make it, and that left Finn young and alone, with only some new friends to keep him walking in the world of the living. And none of them were particularly close with Finn because he was, by nature, elusive and reclusive.

“Thomas, James, and Antonio,” Andrew continued, leaving Finn to be a thought for another time. “We need a show of force. Something that says we don’t think this is a big deal. It might not work, but it’ll be a start.”

“We need to get back into Denver,” Brenton added. “Also, I hate when you are in politics-mode.”

“You hate when I’m in any mode except calm,” Andrew laughed. “Come on. We can start really getting back into Kingson Inc. We’ll hit every meeting. I’ll hire humans to work on the diner, fuck shifters. They are all gone now, and I need contractors ASAP if I want to stay on schedule.”

“I hate it when Andrew gets like this, too,” Zachary groaned. “We bought him the diner to keep him occupied.”

“You bought me the diner because we were coming back home so none of us would have to deal with this anymore. This was my role before we came back,” Andrew chuckled. “We didn’t want me to wander the house with nothing to do.”

“House-husband mode,” Brenton said, with an exaggerated raise of his eyebrows. “We didn’t want him permanently in house-husband mode.”

“The fact that the boy once called the help is our political strategist honestly terrifies me, sometimes,” Zachary mumbled, giving Brenton a pleading look. “Please stop him.”

“He is good at it, and he is right,” Brenton said without meeting Zachary’s eyes. He went and sat down. “So, we start moving back out into the world. Go back to our schedule while Gabe slowly picks apart what we got from the SSTF. You hire human contractors, a middle-finger to the shifter community. We keep our friends, and we keep this shit out of Wild Junction.”

“That’s right,” Andrew said with a nod. “It might not stop more aggressive action from any enemies we have, but it’s a show of force.”

Zachary remembered why Andrew in this mode bothered him. Andrew was a dangerous man when he started thinking. He was calm, peaceful, and the kindest man someone could have the pleasure knowing. Until someone threatened him.

Until someone threatened Brenton. Brenton and Zachary were ruthless in their physical strength, but it was Andrew’s idea to blackmail Cameron to hell and back. It was Andrew’s idea for them to be the rule breakers and make names for themselves before they could get squashed under larger prides.

They needed to get Andrew back in his fucking diner, or the man was going to start master-minding a rise to power for Brenton that no one could stop. With Gabe’s intelligence, Troy’s jack-of-all-trades ability to get shit done, and now, Riley’s own cunning aggression, Zachary could see the wheels turning behind Andrew’s eyes. Their Pride could be unstoppable, if they let Andrew off his leash. And Zachary felt like Andrew was itching for it. For over a year, he’d held back, kept his head down.

But there was a reason Andrew was Brenton’s second until they were in their early-twenties.

“Andrew,” Zachary growled. “Please. You’ve done really well for the last couple of years. Don’t slip back into it all.”

“Slip back into what?” Andrew scoffed. “My job? Maybe if I had been doing it better, none of this would have happened. I would have been able to head shit off, like the hunters, before they became a real threat to us.”

“None of us could have known about the hunters, Andrew,” Brenton said quietly. “And Riley hates when we start playing the blame game with ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Andrew sighed. “Yeah. That was out of left field.”

“It was,” Brenton said with finality. “Zachary, talk to the wolves. See if they would mind going public as our allies.”

“I can do that,” Zachary nodded. “Meetings later this week in Denver?”

“I’ll get them all scheduled. We’ll all go, full Pride,” Brenton said, looking through the large calendar on his desk. “Take Riley with you… and pick up Abigail. Those two have been hanging out a lot, and I think the doe might need something I have heard called a life.”

“You mean a love life, don’t you?” Zachary chuckled. Andrew was holding back a smile.

“I do,” Brenton grinned. “She only spends time with Riley. For a mental health professional, that’s not very healthy.”

* * *

“I do not know why I am coming with you both,” Abigail sighed, as they turned down the dirt road to the farm house the wolves had claimed.

Zachary drove in silence as the women gossiped. He enjoyed seeing Riley have a friend, again. She’d drifted from the humans in her life, and the Pride had never intended to sequester her away from the rest of the world.

“You need to get out!” Riley laughed, sitting in the back with the doe. “You can’t just keep dragging me to the girly things and not seeing anyone else.”

“But the wolves?” Abigail said with disdain.

“What’s wrong with Thomas and the boys?” Zachary asked, curious from the driver’s seat. The farm house came into view, and Zachary grinned. Time to drink some beers and kick up his feet.

And deal with some politics, but that would be easy.

“They’re wolves,” Abigail sighed.

“We’re all predators,” Zachary reminded her as they pulled into the driveaway. Riley made an agreeable noise.

“They’re wolves,” Abigail pressed. “And I’m a doe.”

“I’m missing something,” Riley said, sounding confused.

“So am I,” Zachary chuckled.

“It’s nothing. Thomas and his little pack aren’t a problem,” Abigail said, trying to dismiss the topic.

“Do you not feel safe?” Riley asked, and Zachary could smell her concern. But what interested him wasn’t that, rather it was Abigail’s nervousness. There wasn’t any fear in it at all. It was the same type of nervous Riley felt with… the Pride.

He needed to tell Thomas about that… and Brenton, since Brenton was a nosy son-of-a-bitch when it came to people in Wild Junction. It had gotten them Riley.

“Oh, I feel safe,” Abigail muttered, and Riley began to laugh harder than before.

"Safe, she says," Zachary chuckled. She was probably hoping for that big bad wolf fantasy. Zachary was definitely telling the guys this one.

"Very funny," Abigail groaned.

"Okay," Riley snickered.

"We're here," Zachary snorted, "Let's go bother some wolves. Riley, I've got some shit to talk to Thomas about, so he and I are going to disappear for a moment."

"Yup," Riley said and hopped out of his Range Rover before he turned it off. Abigail sighed.

"So, what's really going on, Abigail?" Zachary asked, looking into the backseat.

"Nothing," she mumbled, getting out and leaving him alone in the vehicle.

Women were odd, he thought to himself. Just strange. At least Riley had been open and honest about everything in the beginning.

He got out and saw the wolves walking out. He grinned as Thomas gave Riley a hug, only to get smacked.

"You haven't visited the Estate like you promised!" She growled as Zachary and Abigail got closer.

"I've been really busy," Thomas laughed. "I'm sorry, little cheetah. Next time, I'll be sure to come annoy you at your order."

"Good," she huffed and then turned to give the others a smile. "Where are my hugs, guys?"

"Ah, yes, our little savior wants hugs," James chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. Antonio went next.

Zachary shook Thomas' hand with a smile.

"Got enough beer?" Zachary asked as he watched the wolf Alpha look toward Abigail, hanging out behind Riley.

"I should," he mumbled absentmindedly.

Well, wasn't this interesting? Yeah, he was going to be gossiping to Brenton like a teenage girl the moment they made it home.

"Let's get inside," Antonio said with a rumbled laugh. "Come on, we've got barbecue going."

"Yes!" Riley laughed, and Zachary watched her go inside behind Antonio and James, holding Thomas with him. Abigail took one look at them and decided to follow her friend inside as well, without a word to Thomas. Rude.

"What's going on?" Zachary asked Thomas quietly. It snapped Thomas out of watching Abigail walk away.

"About?" Thomas frowned at him.

"Any of it," Zachary said with a shrug. "Finances, future, politics, your brother... or maybe you can tell me why you're watching that doe like you want to eat her."

"The new Alpha in South Dakota agreed to give us something to use to restart, compensation for our previous positions in the Pack," Thomas sighed. "In return, I had to agree to never go after her, either by myself or helping Chris. She gave me the money and told me to stay here in Wild Junction, far from her. She doesn't want a fight, and we're not allowed back in the state."

"Have you touched base with the Colorado Pack?" It wasn't really Zachary's business, but he also knew that the Colorado Pack could run Thomas out of Wild Junction if they wanted to. And he wanted the wolves to stay.

"I was told that as long as I was here," Thomas said with a wave around the property, "that I would be fine. But I can't try to expand. I'm okay with that. I never wanted any of this, so I'm just looking to give me and the boys a place to relax and live out our lives."

"That's good," Zachary sighed. "I wish we could help more-"

"It's no big deal," Thomas laughed. "You and the Pride have helped enough. Speaking of, what does Brenton need?"

Zachary admired the fact that Thomas knew exactly why this wasn’t a social call.

"He wants to know if we have you as an ally, publicly, in case things get hot."

They were both silent for a moment. Thomas was weighing his options, and Zachary knew what that meant. The Kingson Pride tended to have trouble. Lots of it. If Thomas said yes, he not only got a huge boon from being associated with the Pride, but he also got the side-eyes and the Pride's enemies.

It was a dangerous place for him to be. Sheriff was almost a protected citizen in the shifter world due to his job and just being a bear. He would never leave Wild Junction and hunt down their enemies. Purely defense and a strong deterrent. Thomas would be seen as an active threat to the Pride's enemies.

"Yeah," Thomas whispered. "It's not really a question. I'm never going to leave you out in the cold, for the sheer fact that your girl didn't leave me out in the cold. If you guys need anything, call me. I'm not sure what me and the boys can really do, but you just ask, and we'll make it happen."

"Thank you." Zachary inclined his head in respect for the Alpha. "So, the doe. Abigail."

"Oh, man," Thomas laughed. “She wouldn’t appreciate me telling you."

"So, something has happened!" Zachary roared in laughter. "Please, my man."

"You know, does are quite fast in their shifted form," Thomas chuckled, looking a bit sly.

"No shit," Zachary said with a roll of his eyes.

"We were out on a run, and she must have wandered onto our property. We hadn't marked the scent boundary, yet. She freaked out. We chased.”

"I can imagine," Zachary chuckled. "Let's get in before James and Antonio try to eat her. Riley wouldn't appreciate it. They're friends now."

"God have mercy on us," Thomas continued to chuckle. "And Zachary, if those two were planning on eating Abigail, she wouldn't be telling them no."

"Pervert," Zachary snorted.

"Says the big white tiger with a girlfriend and four brother-boyfriends," Thomas laughed, dodging Zachary's shove. "Seriously! You know, I expect a relationship like yours from a wolf pack, but felines? You guys are possessive as hell, and you somehow all share a gorgeous girl like Riley. It astounds me."

"Yeah," Zachary huffed. "We make it work, and it's been the best thing to ever happen to us."

"Oh, wait a minute," Thomas said, seeming to remember something. They both stopped walking toward the door and Zachary frowned. "I've been hearing the chatter."

"So have we," Zachary growled, "and let me tell you, right here, right now, the Kingson Pride is not, nor will it ever be, weak."

"Perception is important, Zachary," Thomas sighed. "Brenton knows that."

"Everyone in the Pride knows it, and we're working on it. The SSTF leaves tomorrow. They've decided the hunters aren't a threat anymore.”

“The SSTF leaves tomorrow?” Thomas said, a bit shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah? Why?” Zachary frowned at him.

“I’ve been avoiding the Estate because they were there,” Thomas mumbled. “I didn’t want Riley to know her dad and I have history…”

“No fucking way,” Zachary growled. “No.”

“He tried to recruit me to the SSTF. He and a few members of his team showed up at my house. I didn’t put it together until the plane, hearing about him a bit more, and I damn sure didn’t think he was going to show up here,” Thomas sighed. “I would have warned her, but now I just feel like an ass.”

“I can tell her for you,” Zachary offered. “When were you supposed to tell her? The plane? After what we’d all just been through? The very few days between getting here and her burning a fucking house down? She had some other shit she needed to work through without him being on her mind. And how were you supposed to know that he would oversee our protection detail? She won’t be mad. I think. I hope. I want your house to remain standing, so let’s just not tell her right now. I’ll tell her later.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Thomas chuckled. “We’ll tell her tonight and that way, if she tries to burn down my house, we have Abigail on standby to talk her down.”

“We’re never going to let go of the fact that,” Zachary snorted with a smirk, “she burned down that mother fucker’s house.”

“She did,” Thomas said, covering his mouth to hold back the grin. “She is terrifying, you know that, right?”

“Yeah but joking about it makes it feel like she didn’t go completely off the rails on us,” Zachary told him. It was the truth. The Pride had wondered if she would ever really hit that point of no return in their world. They had avoided it, given themselves a life where it wasn’t necessary.

“You guys used to be like that.” Thomas was whispering, as if he were trying to keep it a secret. “I might be wolf, but everyone knew that this new generation of the Kingson Pride wasn’t afraid to break the rules and get dirty. People used to be scared of you. You used to be terrifying.”

“Used to be,” Zachary whispered as well. “A long time ago, it feels like.”

“A couple of years isn’t a long time in our world,” Thomas said, looking off into the distance. “You might have to be terrifying again. The world thinks you’ve been brought to your knees by the hunters. By getting this female who went out and handled a problem for you.”

“I know,” Zachary growled. “Brenton, Andrew, and I have been talking about it.”

“Good, and I take it you have a strategy.” Thomas didn’t phrase it as a question.

“We do,” Zachary murmured, a bit dangerously, “and we need you as an ally.”

“You got me, like I said. We need allies too, so it better be reciprocated.” Thomas smiled when Zachary just nodded. They wouldn’t leave the wolves out in the cold if they helped the Pride when the Pride called. This partnership had to be equal. “Let’s get inside. I’ll talk to Riley, and let’s keep our fingers crossed I still have a house after it.”

“Let’s,” Zachary gave a dark chuckle.

“What kind of trouble have you seen already?” Thomas asked as they made their way to the front door.

“Small shit,” Zachary growled. “Shifters are cutting out of business contracts with us. Like the diner? We’ve lost everyone working on it. Troy and Gabe lost a couple of clients, but it’s harder for them to attack those two. Brenton has had a few challengers on military contracts, real estate deals going a bit sour. Money things.”

“Trying to take advantage of the distractions with your safety being the priority,” Thomas groaned. “Felines. Wolves, we would try to kill each other.”

“Oh,” Zachary snorted, “it’ll get there if we don’t get this shit under control. Eventually, someone is going to look at us and decide it’s time to play the game to its finale. And then things will get messy.”

They let the conversation trail off at that. Once inside, they watched James dish up ribs for the women, and Zachary went to push Riley around to steal off her plate.

“Zachary!” She laughed at him, swatting him away. “Get your own!”

“I don’t want to,” he growled playfully, licking a bit of sauce off his finger from when he nearly snagged one. “Please, give me one.”

“Fine!” She huffed with a grin and held out a rib for him. He grabbed it in his teeth and growled. She let go of it, and he ate it quickly. She didn’t start eating, though, and he raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think the wolves are going to poison us, babe,” he whispered. She sighed and waved him away.

“I know,” she chuckled. “I’m waiting on you.”

He blinked and began to nod.

“My bad,” he mumbled, wandering off to get a plate of food from James. “Thanks, man.”

“Here,” James laughed, handing him a beer as well. “Thanks for coming and hanging out.”

“Yup,” Zachary grunted, went to the couch, and dropped down next to Riley. A bit of sauce was on her cheek, and he grinned. He leaned over and licked it off her, and he watched the blush creep up her neck and cheeks.

“We’re with company, in someone else’s house,” she hissed, and he could barely hold back the laugh. “Zachary!” She smacked his leg.

“They don’t care,” he chuckled, kissing the blush. In front of the other guys at home, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but this wasn’t home, and these weren’t her men. He still didn’t regret it, though. “I’ll stop embarrassing you, promise.”

“Sure,” she said with an eye roll. He started eating and made sure she was too. His eyes fell to Abigail dodging a question from Antonio before she sat on Riley’s other side.

“So, have you texted Phoebe yet?”

“Not yet,” Riley sighed. “I’m going to wait for things to settle down. And I’m not sure I want to be in the position to keep secrets from her…”

“About being a shifter,” Abigail finished. “You’ll find a balance. We all do.”

“Yeah,” Riley mumbled, continuing to eat her food.

“Now might be a bad time to bring this up,” Thomas came over and fell into a recliner. “But, no time like the present.”

“Here we go,” Zachary groaned softly.

“I knew your dad was in the SSTF,” Thomas said quickly. “But I never had a chance to tell you before he showed up.”

“Oh,” Riley gaped for a moment, and Zachary watched her blink a bit.

“I’m sorry, and I feel like a total dirtbag for not saying anything sooner-”

“It’s fine,” Riley cut him off, waving a hand. “He and I don’t deal with each other, and it’s been a hectic time. You have your own thing to worry about, and… yeah, it’s just a crazy time.”

“We cool?” Thomas asked, looking concerned. Zachary had to give it to the wolf, he respected the hell out of Riley.

Who wouldn’t when she’d been so ready to storm a building with nothing but her own fury? And her love. Zachary could never forget that her big, amazing heart led her back into that place for them.

“We’re cool,” Riley told him with a smile. “It’s fine, Thomas, really.”

“I didn’t like him, by the way,” Thomas explained to her. “He was a prick back then, too. He had a general distaste for shifters. Honestly, I think his sense of justice is the only reason he didn’t become a hunter himself.”

Zachary nearly choked at that comment. Well, that was some impression Keith left on Thomas.

“Well, fuck me sideways,” Zachary coughed.

“No, thank you,” Antonio joked from the other side of the room, and Zachary glared at him, making the wolf bare his teeth in a grin.

“He’s an ass,” Riley muttered, full of spite. “A total fucking prick.”

“Zachary said they leave tomorrow?” Thomas asked her. “You going to try and keep in contact with him?”

“No,” Riley snapped. “I won’t. Though, I’m going to talk to him before he leaves. See if there’s any way to get some… resolution to it all.”

The conversation continued, and Zachary just listened to Abigail, Thomas, and Riley talk about the difficulties of her family situation.

All in all, they had a good time. Zachary threw an arm around Riley’s shoulders and watched Abigail nervously avoid the wolves for the entire evening.

“That’s so silly,” Riley chuckled as Abigail accidentally bumped into James and nearly dropped her plate. “It’s adorable.”

“You ran from us a little bit,” Zachary teased her, remembering that first few awkward moments they had with each other.

“You all looked like trouble,” Riley laughed. “And I was right.”

“Too bad you’re just as much trouble,” he purred, kissing her softly.