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“They knew she was pregnant, though. Did they question where I went?” I ask.

“They looked for you for weeks,” she says. “Eventually, they gave up and presumed you had died during birth. She turned herself in, hoping to lead them away from you. She also figured it’d be a quick death if she turned herself in rather than getting caught trying to hide.”

“It was not quick,” Dad says with a frown.

“No, Brion Morwen got to her,” she says. “He has an awful reputation with how he treats women in general, but he’s… fox shifters and witches are his favorite ones to hurt.”

“No kidding,” I say, and she frowns at me.

“What has he been up to? Has he surfaced?” I ask.

“Yeah. He and the councilman that was fired have been leading the protests, demanding that you be found and executed.”

“Yeah, they’ll be wanting way more than just an execution,” I say. “So, how am I supposed to accomplish anything if I’m at risk of getting killed the moment I go out in public?”

“You just make sure you are never alone,” Daemon says. “We will make the call to the shifters we think will join us. Just focus on getting the witches and foxes here. We can do a broadcast to reach them. Word of mouth will spread quickly.”

“All they have to do is get on the property,” Leli says. “If they can get here, the other witches coming in can help me put up a barrier so we can at least keep things protected here.”

“We can’t just stay here while they take over everything else,” I say. “We will have to go out and fight at some point.”

“And we will,” Dad says. “But we need to come together first so everyone can be on the same page.”

“Okay, so we need to get the witches from Voradia here first so we can get the barrier up. Is there a way to have it up but they still be able to come through?”

“I’ll talk with the others, and we can make sure they can get to us. Don’t worry about that,” Leli says reassuringly.

“Okay, so once this barrier is up, I’ll announce that all witches and fox shifters are welcome to seek refuge here while the guys reach out to the other shifters,” I say. “Then I guess I should talk to everyone.”

“That’s a good place to start,” Dad says.

“Will the shifters even listen to me?” I ask Kael.

“They will follow you. Doesn’t matter if you’re a witch. If they come here, they still see you as their queen,” Kael says. “I don’t think we will have an issue. Shifters tend to be loyal to their own, so once we make the call, I fully expect for them to all show up.”

“Okay. Well… Let’s start by making sure people have somewhere to set up camp. We also need to be concerned about feeding everyone.”

“I can handle that,” Dad says. “You greet the witches and do the broadcast. I’ll handle food and assist where I’m needed.”

“Where do you want me?” Striker asks.

“As people come in, we need to make sure they’re organized. If something happens, we need to be able to get everyone gathered quickly. I don’t want any of this bullshit where the foxes or witches are shoved to the side either,” I say.

“I can handle that,” Striker says.

“Okay. Let’s go outside so they know I am here,” I say as I stand up.

…

I am walking through the courtyard looking at the setup that Striker has started. He is meticulously organized, so I think this is a good thing for him to do. He has set up stations to make sure we are organized and can keep the peace. There is also a central hub where I can ensure that things are on track. I can’t afford to get lost in the details.

“They’ve agreed to come,” Daemon says when he stops beside me.

“How many?” I ask.

“All of them,” he says.

“All?” I ask with a bewildered look on my face.