“No. We communicate the same way wolves do. We follow a leader. We make the same noises. And we read body language.”
River walked over and sat down in front of Winter. He placed one large paw on his knee and panted, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He was similar to a very large dog with frighteningly large teeth. Very slowly, Winter touched River’s paw, holding it as if holding his hand. He reached out so very slowly, pausing here and there to make sure River could see what he was doing before he finally touched his head. He stroked the top of his head and then his ear.
There was such a look of wonder and awe on Winter’s face that Bel could feel his own joy bubbling over in his heart. This was something of his brother he’d not seen in a very long time. He would never be able to thank River enough for this moment.
“Beautiful. You are very beautiful,” Winter whispered.
River nudged Winter’s hand with his nose and walked over to where he’d been sitting. He jumped up on the couch and curled up right next to Bel, head in his lap. Without a thought, Bel stroked his head. River sighed, his body fully relaxing. Bel smiled at the waves of contentment rolling off River, happy that he could give that to the werewolf.
“Have you heard any news recently about the Ministry or the latest murder?” Bel found himself asking when a comfortable silence had settled over the room.
Winter frowned, his stare falling to the coffee table in front of him. Bel almost regretted bringing it up when he saw the old shadow fall over his sibling. He’d been happy in this little escape with the wolves.
“Nothing new yet.”
“I’m not wrong in believing this was all started by the Black Wolf clan, right? Minerva admitted to killing the first three.”
The former clan leader had only been interested in seizing power and she had seen the Variks as a possible roadblock in her path. But they had destroyed her and her clan months ago.
“No, you’re not wrong. She did start this, but since no one has been eager to step up and claim a Ministry seat, the opportunity has been there for someone else to essentially pick up the torch from Minerva and carry on.”
And why should anyone claim a seat? Other than having a steady stream of income and being known for its corruption, there was little advantage to being a Ministry member. Each one lived with a target on his or her back.
“Marcus has finally arranged for Aiden to meet with the head of the Montgomery clan in hopes of restarting the alliance talks,” Winter murmured. His eyes darted over to River and down to the table.
“What?” Bel warily demanded.
“Marcus and I are concerned that the presence of the wolves could add a…complication to the talks.” Winter paused and shifted in his seat so that he was now leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees. “We’re sure that Aiden will likely be very up-front with them about our clan members and potential…issues.”
“Wyatt and River are not ‘issues.’ They’re people,” Bel snapped. Wyatt’s hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed.
“Bel, it’s okay.”
“But it’s not. You’ve been used and poorly treated by the MacPhersons and your own clan. It needs to stop now. I’m drawing a-a damn line in the sand here.”
Winter smiled at him and Bel flinched. “What? What’s that look?”
“I’m just proud of my crazy scientist brother,” Winter said.
“Oh…I…” Bel stammered. He could feel his cheeks heating, and he dropped his eyes to where he had his hand buried in River’s thick fur.
Wyatt surprised him further by brushing a kiss to Bel’s temple. “River and I are going to the kitchen to make something to eat. Shifting burns a lot of calories. Would you like something?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“Winter?”
His brother shook his head. “Thank you.”
With some nudging from Wyatt, River gave a disgruntled growl before rolling off the couch. Wyatt paused and picked up River’s clothes from the floor and took them along with the wolf to the kitchen. Bel knew without a doubt that they were politely giving him some privacy.
“You must understand that Aiden feels the same way you do,” Winter said the moment they were alone. “That he empathizes with what they’ve been through, but he has to consider what is best for everyone. It’s not just the four of us against the world any longer. There are Ethan, Philippe, Jullien, Gideon, Ryder, and Lola to consider.”
“I know, and I worry about them as well, but doesn’t there have to be a point where we take a stand? Where we have to say, ‘No more’?”
“There is, brother. And the truth is, we don’t know how the Montgomery clan leader is going to react. She could be intrigued by the wolves. She could see them as a critical strength. She could see our inclusion of them as a moral and compassionate strength. The reason we’ve even considered the Montgomery clan is due to the fact that we know they’ve been unhappy with the Ministry and its corruption.”
Bel scrubbed a hand over his face, hating the useless swirls of thought that were running in his brain. “I understand the need for safety, but I still believe there is a time where we have to make compromises so we can do what’s right.”
“I’m not against your wolves. I don’t think Marcus or Aiden are, from what I’ve been able to gather. They’re just being cautious.”
“If they were not wolves, would they have a grievance with them joining the clan?”
“Possibly.”
“How?” Bel shouted.
Winter gave him a look that clearly stated that he was being the illogical one. “Bel, how long have you known them? A month? Two? When Lola, Ryder, and Gideon had been invited into the clan, they’d been with Rafe for years.”
“But Philippe—”
“Rafe had known him for several weeks, plus we were already considering an alliance the clan because we knew they had similar beliefs as the Variks.”
“Ethan was plotting to have our family killed!” Bel threw out, though he immediately regretted the words the moment they left his lips. He adored Ethan. The man had proved his worth time and again over the past several months.
“And Ethan made up for that mistake. I don’t think any of us blames him for his choices, considering how his family was murdered. We just wish he had told us sooner.”
Bel dropped back to the cushions, his body seeming to deflate. “I know.”
“Have faith in Aiden. We’ll find a way through this.”
“I don’t know.”
“Bel—”
“Last night, after we returned from Marcus’s, we met the leader of the local wolf pack,” Bel admitted in a low, dull voice. “He wants Wyatt and River gone from the area, or the pack will kill them and me.”
When he lifted his eyes to his brother, Winter had steepled his fingers in front of his face and was lightly tapping them against his lips in thought. It should have been a dark indication that Winter didn’t seem at all disturbed that the wolf pack leader had threatened his life. But then, Marcus and Rafe had already suffered threats on their lives in the past six months. Hell, the Ministry had already threatened Bel’s life this year, thanks to his experiments.