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Kian shrugged. “None taken. Those guys were assholes.”

Did Kian know the vamps who’d attacked us? How small was the vampyr world compared to the shifter one? Maiingan Hollow had around thirteen thousand shifters, and I knew of at least two other similar shifter communities in the U.S., but around the world, I didn’t have a clue.

Those were questions for later Marlowe to ask Archer, though. For now, we needed to concentrate on decreasing the fae population by at least one.

And speak of the devil.

He rode on his alderbeast up to the haven at a slow gait, coldly inspecting the executed shifters with the alpha army behind him. I swallowed nervously when I saw a dozen cages at the back, each holding a snarling Berserker.

The fae guards said something, but from this distance we couldn’t hear any words, only the laughs from him and another guard at the end, who poked the leg of one of the shifters with his sword.

“Can we attack now?” I asked through gritted teeth, my magic itching to be released.

We all looked at each other, the gravity and stakes of the situation sinking in. My anger slowly turned to fear at losing my pack again, because if Alaroth got his hands on them, I doubted they’d survive.

Cam stepped to my side and cupped my face in his large hands, turning it towards him and resting his forehead on mine. “It goes against every single one of my instincts to send you out there to fight,” he grumbled. “It’s my job to protect you, and I have the power to do just that more than ever before.”

“I know,” I whispered, blinking away the tears. “Trust me, I don’t necessarily want to be out there either. But I might be the only one who can stop him.”

He sighed, pulling me into his chest. “My ego isn’t so big thatI can’t agree with you there. But I won’t risk your life or the packs’, or hell, even the vamp’s, if things take a turn. So, if I get even a whiff that things aren’t going our way, you better fucking believe I’ll be ordering a hasty retreat with you tucked safely in my arms. You got that?”

“Yes, alpha,” I said with a small chuckle.

He growled a reply, giving me one last kiss on the top of my head before letting me go so I could hug the rest of the pack before we started our attack.

I headed towards Julian first. “Think you can punch out a couple of those fae assholes?”

He grinned widely, giving me a big kiss. “Yes, ma’am. I fully intend to be the first male to have knocked out four different species of people.”

Too bad he wouldn’t be able to add that to his resume. I gave him one last peck on the cheek before moving onto Nolan.

His cocky yet charming self-confidence had been obliterated in the wake of the arrival of the Conclave and their decision to “redistribute” me to their own pack, and I absolutely hated how much blame he placed on his shoulders for his mistake with the handkerchief.

“Nolan,” I said, bringing his hand up so I could rest my palm against his. The tops of his fingers curled over mine, and then he wrapped his arms around me, breathing me in deeply.

“I’ve been awful. I should have listened when you told me the kind of male you needed me to be, and…”

“Shh,” I whispered, running my hands down his back. “You have listened. I’ve seen you trying. And none of this is your fault, you hear me? When we get back to Maiingan Hollow, I want to meet with you and Megan about some ideas I have to make the town a friendlier, more inclusive place for betas, omegas, and females. Does that work for you?”

He took in a shuddering breath. “I would love nothing more.”

After a big kiss, I made my way to Archer.

“Professor,” I teased.

He gave me a cheeky smile in return. “Ms. Linden.”

I shivered. The deepness of his teacher voice really did something to me, but we couldn’t afford to get distracted by sex now.

Right?

“Your strategy is a good one,” he said placing one hand on my cheek and using the other to run his fingers through my hair. “Remember that Kian can’t hear through the bond, so you’ll need to communicate with him out loud.”

“Got it. And keep everyone on the ground out of too much trouble for me, will you?”

His lips touched mine, and I melted in his embrace.

“Always.”