He stepped in to quickly remedy that, introducing each of their guests to both Elizabeth and Sheri, Elizabeth being his mate after all, and Sheri her best friend. They were as important to the pack as any of them.
David’s phone rang and he stepped away to take a call from Cameron. “Kintail and his men—ten in number—are on their way to the agency. We’re following them, but they don’t know they have a tail. We’ll slip around the back way so we’re there when they arrive.”
“The red wolf crew and the jaguar crew are here and ready to go.”
“Great news. I know Faith and the kids must be so excited to see their family. If you would let them know to go into the basement for a time, I would be forever grateful,” Cameron said.
“Doing it now.” David hung up and announced Kintail and his men would be there in a few minutes. “Cameron wants his family waiting in the basement, if that works for you all.”
“Yeah,” Faith’s dad said. “Let’s go.” He and his mate, Faith and the kids all headed inside.
“I’m going inside,” Candice said before Owen or her Uncle Strom told her to.
David kissed Elizabeth and gave Sheri a hug, and they went inside too.
Cameron roared up in his car, and he and Gavin got out.
There were handshakes all around and more introductions. David smiled. Man, he felt good.
A few of the men headed inside to get familiar with the office, while Leidolf and some of his men and Uncle Strom and most of his jaguar friends waited with Cameron, David, and Owen outside.
It wasn’t long before Kintail’s car and two others were pulling up into the parking area. Kintail got out of his car, his gaze jumping from Hans to Leidolf. Kintail’s head ticked to the side, sniffing, shifting his eyes to the other red wolves and the jaguars.
He had to understand, in that moment, exactly what he was up against: Hans siding with the enemy, David and his partners, all newly turned, standing as one with the established red wolf pack.
Kintail let his gaze return to Leidolf. He inclined his head in deference. “So we meet again. Still fighting Cameron and his friends’ battles, I see.”
“We’re united by family, if you didn’t know. Faith’s father is one of my kind and mated to one of my wolves. Though even if we hadn’t been united by family, I would have been here as their friend. Sometimes being friends with other packs is the only way to go. Isolationist packs are on their own when it comes to encroaching packs.”
David was glad Leidolf had said so. There was a time when Leidolf—being royal—hadn’t wanted David and his friends in his own pack. But in the end, they had been united with bonds that went beyond just friendship.
“So in other words,” Leidolf said, in case he had to spell it out to the Canadian Arctic wolf pack leader, “we have their back in the event other wolf packs are giving them trouble.”
“But not when they wanted to return to Seattle, I understand. A gray wolf pack wouldn’t let them stay in the city, their home,” Kintail said.
“No. The gray wolf pack had established roots there for centuries. Cameron and his friends were humans when they had grown up there. So it’s not the same. Here, this is their pack territory, their rules,” Leidolf said.
“You really don’t want to get involved in this,” Kintail said.
“Yeah, I do. Wolf pack boundaries are clear.”
Bentley moved forward, all eyes turning on him because of his aggressive stance. “Sheri is my wolf.”
Leidolf raised a brow.
David stepped forward, mirroring Bentley’s aggressive stance. “Sheri came here of her own free will. She has plans to stay with us and is finished with you, as she has told you already. She’s not interested in mating you. We don’t want a fight over this. She’s free to come and go as she pleases.” He turned from Bentley, knowing who called the shots. “You can’t force her to stay in your pack, Kintail. Think how this could impact your pack if Sheri is forced to return and she’s unhappy. How do you think her family would feel?”
“They’ve disowned her. But if she returns, they’ll accept her back,” Bentley said, casting Hans a glower as he moved to stand beside David.
“But they haven’t disowned her,” David said, giving Hans a smile. “We know the truth. Sheri has talked to her parents and they’re proud of her for taking a stand to do something she really wants to do with her life.”
“We should never have turned you,” Bentley said, growling the words.
Leidolf said, “But you did.”
And now look, David thought. Now they’d lost two more of their people to Cameron’s pack. And maybe even Sheri’s parents and her brother, too, if they decided to join them.
“You don’t want a fight on your hands,” Kintail said finally, not backing down—surely a show for his pack to prove he was still the alpha—though he did glance in Uncle Strom’s direction.
The jaguar leaned against one of the rental cars, his arms folded across his chest, looking relaxed and not like he would enjoy taking a bite out of Kintail.
It was a losing battle for Kintail; they all knew it. David just hoped Kintail knew it too. He needed to lick his wounds and return home before anyone got hurt. There were times to fight and times to give up the battle and live for another day.
To David’s surprise, Elizabeth and Sheri stepped outside, joining David and Hans as a unified force.
“We’re staying,” Sheri said.
“She’s right,” Hans said. “We’re staying.”
David sensed the smallest ripple of surprise run through his pack. He sniffed, searching for a hidden agenda, a ruse, maybe a plan to infiltrate their pack and steal Sheri away when they were least expecting it. A wolf in sheep’s clothing came to mind, so to speak.
But he smelled no subterfuge.
Proof of his sincerity came in Kintail’s shocked expression, his lips parting, a scowl spreading across his face. “How do you think your parents will feel about this when they learn both you and your sister have abandoned them?”
Hans scoffed. “Mom and Dad are showing us their support and intend to join the pack.”
David glanced at Hans. Hell, he’d better not be saying so if Sheri’s parents weren’t truly making plans like that.
But Sheri nodded, too, and Cameron said, “Yeah, it’s true. Fred and Georgia asked if they could join the pack, and we are happy to accept them as one of us. Family sticks together.”
Kintail’s mouth gaped again; then he closed it and turned a hard gaze on Leidolf, who shrugged and said, “It’s your own doing. Sure, we have to be in charge and show who’s boss—especially to upstarts in the pack. But at some point, we have to know when to let go of pack members who are ready to spread their wings and do something new. Wolves in the wild do it all the time. It might not be a perfect situation, but you’ve helped to make this happen.”