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I scoot into the tent with Grace and Shay after they say their helloes to dad, all of us moving in to take a seat on the folding chairs that have been set up for us.

It doesn’t take long for everyone to get settled while dad crosses to the front of the room. My eyebrows go up when I see Cole walking with him, taking a soldier’s stance just behind and to my father’s left that clearly suggests that he’s a close second to my father’s command.

I narrow my eyes. Who the hell does this guy think he is? We’re the sameageafter all – why doesheget to be in charge?

“Thank you all for volunteering your service,” dad says, his voice carrying easily through the tent. “My name is General Adam Amir. You can all call me General.” A bunch of smiles appear around the room from the many students who have worked with my dad and called him nothing but that for years. “We’ll be working together for the next few months to bring aid to those affected by the Children of Solace and the upcoming planned assault. We will expect your hard work, discipline, and dedication to secrecy in this. If you cannot commit to that, I would invite you to leave on the transport that is departing in just a few minutes.”

Dad pauses, looking around the room, making space for anyone to object or leave. When we all stay, his face breaks into a tiny smile. “All right then. Let’s get started.”

A thrill of excitement runs through me and I straighten my shoulders, listening eagerly to my dad’s information and instruction. But even as I will myself to pay attention…

My eyes keep drifting back to stupid Cole.

God, he’s juststandingthere. Being allgood. Listening to dad, nodding quietly along with the information. What a little teacher’s pet, all focused and attentive andpolite– god, is he actually like this? Or is this some kind of goody-goody performance that he –

“Miss Amir!”

My head snaps forward, my eyes going wide as my dad barks out my name.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

“Can you please,” dad says, leaning forward with one hand flat on the table before him, glaring hard, “repeat back to me the vital information I just provided to the group?”

My cheeks flush first and then the red spreads all over my face as my shoulders hunch up around my ears.

“Well?”

“No, sir,” I say, my voice clear even as I close my eyes, wishing I could collapse in on myself and vanish away into nothing.

“Then I wouldsuggestyou pay attention,“ dad finishes, voice low and angry with me. “You’re here on probation, after all. I would suggest thatyou,of all people, attempt to toe the line of compliance with the requirements of the job.”

My blush deepens, if possible, because if people didn’t know about my probationary status before, they certainly do now. I nod briskly, though, accepting it – because he’s right. Dad is strict and demanding, but he’s always fair.

“Now,” dad says, straightening up and beginning again. “Regarding daily schedules, these will be posted…”

Dad continues on and Grace presses a warm hand to my lower back. Shayne also leans close to me, bumping her shoulder to mine as she flicks through her booklet, reading fast even while she listens to dad. I smile a little, relaxing as my blush fades, silently grateful for their support. I pointedly donotlook at Cole Kincaid again the whole time my dad talks.

“The military is actively moving on the Children of Solace,” dad continues, looking around at all of us quite seriously as he speaks. “They’re doing recon now, but as soon as they get the lay of the land, they’re going to start making their moves. And when they do, we can expect to be at work twenty-four hours a day.”

All of our eyes go wide at that because…well, I think a lot of us didn’t realize it was going to be so busy.

Chapter 7 – Contraband

Nadia

“A lot of people are going to be coming out of that place,” dad says, his voice dropping, more emotion coming into it now. “Humans, wolves, soldiers, civilians. Women, kids. All kinds. Some will be wounded, some will be fleeing the only home they’ve ever known. It is our job not only to receive these people but to give them whatever it is they need – medical care, especially, but also pointing them toward therapists and social workers to ensure that they’re taken care of emotionally and setting up for their future. Those much smaller teams will arrive later tonight and tomorrow. But it’s important to know thatyouwill be on the front line of care.”

The responsibility settles on my shoulders and I straighten them a little, instantly accepting it. Honestly, this is why I decided to take a nursing degree in the first place – there aresomany people who are hurt and damaged by the communities who are supposed to care for them.

I should know, after all. My mother was raised in one of them – enslaved as a child by wolves in a neighboring kingdom, Eryndor. She had been hurt and abused by them foryearsbefore Clytheran troops liberated her town.

The Children of Solace is different than that entire nation of oppressors, but…there are still innocent people being hurt here. And those are the people I want to help in whatever way I can. My hands twitch in my lap, eager to begin.

Dad hesitates for a moment and then sets his jaw, apparently deciding to reveal something else. “I’d also like you to remember that while you are all humans, you’ll be working to care for many people from a wolf community who may have…very false ideas about what humans are and what we’re capable of. I would ask for your patience with these people. Wolves raised in the Children of Solace come from a system that deliberately neglects their education. The situation may, in some circumstances, be challenging for you. If it is, I’d encourage you to come and speak with me and take advantage of our mental health resources yourself.”

Dad takes a moment to look seriously around the room and then nods once. Almost as one, we all nod back, agreeing to it, though some nods are more hesitant than others. After all, each of us comes from different backgrounds and experiences with wolf culture. Grace, for instance, grew up in a town that was entirely human.

I glance over at her, wondering how she feels about it. My friend gulps a little, anxious, and I bump my shoulder intohers this time. Grace looks over at me, giving me a tiny smile, thankful for my support in turn. I smile back.