Page 9 of Ascendant King

“I need contact information for everyone who would be my ally. Then, we make a plan to take the House Bartlettcompound. When Leon is defeated, we’ll have full control of Thorn production and be able to shut it down.” I looked around the circle.

“I meant what’s your plan for convincing the rest of the packs that you should have the throne,” she said. “You can’t be emperor with only the support of us here. If you can get all of West Coast, then you have to get East Coast as well. It’s going to be years of work. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

The question was valid, and under the light of Cade’s stars, it felt heavy. My mother had spent most of her adult life collecting the support she needed.

“I think that, like my mother, I’ll have to prove to most that my words are good with action to back it up.” I looked at the alphas with me. “But I will remember you, who trusted me by my words.”

The elderly alpha laughed. “Ah, well. Indio Pack might be small, but we are one of the oldest packs in the state. What we miss in numbers, we make up for in experience. Mayra Perez.”

I shook her hand. “Miles Castillo.”

“You one of the younger boys or the older?” She shook her head. “I could never keep the lot of you straight, and your mother was too protective to foster any of you out.”

“I was in the middle.” I forced a smile, even though thinking of my family was poking an open wound.

“You should go home,” Mayra said.

The words hit me, two well-placed bullets that left me breathless. “What?”

The look she gave me was more mothering than I’d like. “You need to collect what’s left of the Castillo Pack and give them a home in your new pack.”

“They were all killed by Ghost Pack.” The words were flat, my lips numb.

“You can’t kill everyone,” Mayra said. “And even if they could, you need to go home, pay homage to your mother. Some of us only supported you because of whose whelp you are. Find out if anyone from your mother’s pack is left.”

I nodded, unable to think beyond the image of my dead siblings. I knew she was right. If anyone heard I was starting a pack and hadn’t offered a place for survivors from the Castillo Pack, it would look like I was turning my back on my mother. Still, I saw Miri’s face when she opened the door, when she stood back and watched us die.

“Take your pack.” Mayra looked over my shoulder to where Cade was still standing in shadow.

“Ghost Pack took the territory.” I dragged my eyes away from Cade back to Mayra.

“Yes, but you’re the emperor now. You should be able to go anywhere.” She raised her eyebrows in a challenge. When I squared my shoulders, taking a long breath in, she smirked. Tugging my chin down, she said, “More of your mother in you than I thought.”

“Thank you for the advice, Alpha,” I said.

She snorted. “All right, I don’t suppose anyone thought to bring a pen this time so our new emperor can get our phone numbers?”

Cade stepped forward, and I didn’t miss how every eye locked on him. Mayra looked between us, and her nostrils flared, but we didn’t smell like each other anymore. Nothing about us said we were lovers, except the ghost of a touch that I felt on my skin when I looked at him.

I wished we could go back to a time when things were simple. I needed to go back to a time when things were simple. Part of me wondered when that had been: When we were both lying to each other? On the run from House Bartlett?

No, things had never beensimplebetween us, but there had been a sliver of time when they’d been hopeful. When some part of me had thought we might get through this together.

“Give me your numbers.” Cade unlocked his phone, looking around when no one said anything.

“A lot of things someone can do with a phone number,” the alpha of Three Lakes East said.

“And a few of them end up with you getting the wrong sort of screwed,” the alpha of Three Lakes West said.

“It’s fine.” I crossed my arms. “I’ll make sure he gives me the numbers and then deletes them.”

“When this is all over,” Cade said, “I don’t want any more to do with you than you do with me.”

There was still some grumbling, but then the alphas came closer, listing names, packs, and phone numbers. After that, there was an awkward moment before the alpha I’d first gotten to submit, the alpha of Pineridge Pack, looked around before sighing.

“Are you going to require us to swear loyalty to you?”

I had expected the question, rehearsed my answer under Nia’s judgmental gaze, and knew what I needed to say. I needed to say yes; I needed to say that I was emperor, and they needed to kiss the proverbial ring.