“Thank you. Um.” I cleared my throat. “I know that I came here to tell you how awful these two men are,” I said, waving a hand at Rick and Lincoln.

“The issue is that I don’t know whether Rick Masters would have done any of this if not for his father.

That does not excuse him. The man he warped and twisted with narcotics murdered innocent women.

That can never be forgiven, but I would ask that you take a small measure of pity on him.

He’s an addict, and if you turn him out now, he’ll fall even further into that pit.

” I swallowed hard. “I ask that he be taken to a recovery facility. Rehab and detox. Once he’s had some therapy to get off whatever he’s been taking, then he can be sent on his way.

Maybe if he begins with a clean slate, one day he can redeem himself in some way. ”

Standing there, I waited to see how the men reacted to my suggestion. For their part, the alphas looked dubious. But JC smiled sadly.

“I think that can be arranged,” he said. “I don’t want to be the one perpetuating the cycle of something like this. We’ll have him taken to the nearest facility when this meeting adjourns.”

Nate grinned at me and winked.

“I have something else to say,” I added.

This time, JC didn’t look surprised. If anything, he had a knowing smile on his lips as he glanced from me, to Nate, and back again.

“Proceed,” he said, doing his best to hide a smile.

“Lenny Nash,” I began, scanning the room, “was a lone wolf. He’d been cast out of his pack, mostly due to his drug issues.

If his pack had simply taken pity on him and tried to help, things might have turned out differently.

I’m a new shifter, and in the short time I’ve known about this world, I’ve grown to like it, and hopefully that will continue.

The one thing that doesn’t sit well with me is how you treat lone wolves.

That ostracism only exacerbates these problems people have.

“I understand that, like now, sometimes people do things that require this kind of punishment. Punishment is one thing, cruelty is another. How many lone wolves are out there who have done nothing wrong? People who were born to the wrong family, or had issues outside their control that caused them to be cut off from the pack they desperately need? Your—er, um— our society pushes them away, and eventually they become feral. We should support people, not neglect them. None of us wants to see another feral, but that’s what these laws and rules create if there is no change. ”

Once done, I took a steadying breath, trying to calm myself. When I glanced over, JC was grinning at me, giving me a nod of approval. All around the room, the other alphas were deep in thought, their brows furrowed.

“You’re right,” one man finally said. He was a huge, hulking man with deep brown skin.

“I am?” I said dumbly.

He nodded and scanned the others in attendance.

“She’s right. I don’t care if any of you want to hear it, but it’s true,” the man said.

“My own cousin was a lone wolf. He was cast out because he embezzled money. Is that good? Of course not, but does it warrant this type of reaction? I don’t think so.

I’ve thought this for a while now, and hearing this woman speak only makes it clearer. ”

To my utter shock, the others nodded in agreement. Not all of them, though. Some still had dubious frowns on their faces, but they weren’t speaking up. Possibly, they were waiting to see which way the current was flowing.

Spurred on by what I saw as signs of acceptance, I continued. “Since I became a shifter, all I’ve heard about is how much the pack is family. Well, turning someone out for things they have no control over is not something family does. Are you a family or not?” I asked, glaring at them all.

Rick had lost his vacant and depressed look. He now stared at me in confused awe.

“Why are you doing this?” Rick asked me, his voice low and miserable. “I’m a lone wolf. I’m disgusting. I’m worthless now.”

“Goddamn right, you are,” Lincoln snarled, but didn’t lift his eyes.

“You aren’t worthless,” I said, giving Rick a pitying look. “You were raised to be who you are. You’ve done despicable things, and I can’t forgive you for all of it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get a second chance to prove who you really are. Don’t waste this.”

Rick stared at me for several seconds, his head tilted as though trying to make sense of some riddle he didn’t understand.

Finally, he nodded faintly and lowered his head to look at his hands.

His fingers trembled, most likely from the withdrawal of the meth or other drugs he’d been on, but more than likely from emotion.

“This isn’t a one-time thing,” I said, continuing to address the alphas around the room.

“The laws need to be changed. People should be able to move between packs. You’ve created these isolated communities that damn near shun each other.

Open up things. Allow shifters to move around and be free to join whatever pack they want.

From what I’ve gleaned, the way it is now to move packs, you force everyone to jump through so many hoops that it’s basically impossible.

You’ve created a system that creates these lone wolves you’re afraid of and disgusted by.

” I stared at each alpha in turn. “Change. Please.”

Unsure what else to say, I backed a few steps away, allowing the men at the table to discuss. The debate began almost immediately. Nate rose and joined me, standing behind me. He took my hand as the powerful men around us argued.

JC was the most vocal, and within five minutes, he and Alec had mostly turned the tide in my favor.

“We can’t just let in any wolf,” one of the holdouts said, his face a mask of incredulity. “That would cause anarchy.”

“Peter,” JC said patiently, “wouldn’t it be more chaotic to allow men and women to turn feral by turning our backs on them? Being turned out as a lone wolf should only be for something unforgivable.” He pointed toward Lincoln. “Like what this man has done.”

Peter opened his mouth to retort, but apparently thought better of it. Closing his mouth, he heaved a heavy sigh, then nodded. “I suppose you’re right, when you put it like that.”

JC glanced at Lincoln and Rick again, waving a hand at the two while addressing his enforcers.

“Let’s get them out of here. Take Rick Masters to the nearest shifter-run detox facility.

As for him…” JC pointed at Lincoln, who glared back indignantly.

“Drop him at the outskirts of our pack lands. Let him call his wife and explain to her what’s going on. ”

Two of the enforcers pulled Lincoln up. If he was a broken man, he didn’t show it. Rather than going quietly, he thrashed and struggled against the men.

“You little prick ,” he growled at JC. “You think this is the end? I’ll be back. You hear me? I’m going to make your life hell.”

JC crossed his arms, a self-satisfied grin spreading across his lips.

“One thing I forgot to tell you, Lincoln. Since some of your crimes were against our pack members, we’ve put a freeze on all your assets.

All that money you love so much? I’m going to make sure it gets transferred to the pack charity fund. ”

Lincoln’s sneer dropped, and a look of abject horror settled on his face. He sank into the arms of the enforcers. “You what?”

“All those millions will build quite a few parks and schools and feed a bunch of people. Hell, there’ll be enough for us to donate to human causes as well.

I’ll have twenty-five thousand dollars released to your account,” JC added.

“I’m not cruel. I’ll give you that much to start a life somewhere else.

” JC’s eyes darkened. “Somewhere far away .”

Lincoln looked more horrified about losing his fortune than being turned out of the pack. As the men dragged him from the room, I whispered into Nate’s ear.

“Can JC do that? Does he have that ability?”

Nate shrugged. “Shifters have been keeping themselves hidden for centuries. We’ve figured out a lot of sneaky shit.

My guess is JC can get almost all of that money.

It won’t be legal in human terms, but he can do it as long as they cover their tracks.

And from what I’ve seen of JC, he’s real good at covering his tracks. ”

Once Rick and Lincoln were gone and the door closed again, the other alphas continued discussing changing the laws around lone wolves and ferals, and moving from pack to pack.

“JC,” one of the men said, “I’m all for opening up pack transfers.

We all understand how things get hazy, especially when people find their mates.

No one wants to break up a relationship just because of some backwards law.

My issue is with the lone wolves. I get that many aren’t feral, but there is still the possibility that they will become so. ”

“That’s prejudice talking,” JC countered. “You wanna know how you stop a wolf from going feral? You bring them into the pack and make them family. That’s the one way to stop someone going feral.” He turned to me. “Cameron, you had something to say to everyone?”

Nate shot me a confused look. “There’s more?” he whispered.

“There is,” I said, then turned to address the council again.

“This man,” I began, placing my hand lovingly on Nate’s chest, “saved my life. He kept me safe and put his life on the line without hesitation. His name is Nathan Zane. Or, at least, that’s the only name he’s ever known.

He was an orphan. Turned out, ostracized, and looked down upon by all of shifter society because he had no pack.

But we’ve discovered that Nathan Zane is not his real name. ”

The men around the table glanced from JC, to Nate, and back to me, obviously bewildered as to where this was going.

“And what is his real name?” JC prodded, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“His name is Nathan Bishop,” I said. “The son of Jacob and Rosa Bishop. Grandson and nephew to the last two Toronto-Ottawa pack alphas.”

A shocked silence descended on the room. Nate sat, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He was basically Canadian shifter royalty, and had been living his life as a wandering outcast for the better part of two decades.

The older, dark-skinned alpha rose from his seat and pointed at Nate. “You? You’re Jake’s boy? But…” He glanced around at the others like a man looking for shelter in a storm. “Jake’s boy died in the crash.”

“Wrong,” I said. “He was assumed dead in the crash. A death certificate was registered for him along with his parents. Due to what was most likely negligence or incompetence with the government foster system, Nate was lost in the shuffle, and the connection was never made.”

JC walked over and clasped Nate’s shoulder.

“This man is the grandson of the greatest alpha Toronto-Ottawa ever had. He is the nephew of one of the most respected alphas this pack has ever known. Had his father not died, and he not been lost all these years, there is a good possibility that Nate would be your alpha right now.” JC shook his head in disgust. “We, as a species, have shunned this poor man his whole life, and he is one of the best of us. What does that say about our kind?” He scanned the room. “Anyone want to answer that?”

All around the table, the other men either bowed their heads in disgrace or stole curious glances at Nate. Reaching over, I took his hand again, and he clung to my fingers.

“Our laws were put into place because we wanted to stay safe, but all I see is that we’ve done ourselves a disservice,” JC continued.

“They are now a detriment to us and our way of life. As the reigning alpha of Toronto-Ottawa, I move that the laws against lone wolves being accepted into packs be stricken from our books. Do I have a second?”

For a moment, no one moved, but one hand shot up after a second of hesitation.

“I second,” the man said.

“I third,” another said.

JC nodded once. “All in favor?”

Every hand in the room slowly rose until each man in attendance had voted.

Nate shook his head in disbelief, his grip on my hand growing tighter with each passing second.

JC threw a glance at Ollie, who looked like he’d just won the lottery.

Alec gave the young alpha a single nod of approval, the mentor congratulating the student on a job well done. My smile was so wide, my cheeks hurt.

“Nate,” JC said, turning to level his gaze upon us. “Nathaniel Bishop, I, as alpha of the Toronto-Ottawa pack, hereby grant you the full rights and privileges of an official and binding member of this pack. Effective immediately.”