named Cain. The panther wasn't up on the politics of the various preternatural factions, but if he had to guess, Cain ran this dimension. He moved through the place with the certainty of someone who knew everyone would cater to his whims or else.
"This is far enough from my people to not cause a disturbance. You can make camp here," Cain said.
"Thank you," Cole said, "We appreciate it."
The demon looked incredulous. "I'm sorry, were you dismissing me with that? This is my dimension, and if you all think you're living here until the danger is over, I'm going with you. I want you all back in the hive within the next forty-eight hours."
"W-we might have to tell Anthony the hive's location to get our pup back," Jane said. Unlike Cole, she was trying to appease the demon.
"No. You will not. My dimension is for my demons only. This is a safety precaution. We will be fighting. The day I bend to a vampire is the day time stops. Fucking half-breeds." The demon leader turned to Z. "Are you fighting with us?"
"Oh, hell yes," Z said. He wanted to make good on his threat to Anthony. He hoped the vampire wouldn't cooperate so he could.
The demon nodded. "So myself, Jane, Cole - I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Just call me Z," Z said.
Cain ticked off numbers on his fingers as he said the names, "and... Just call me Z." He turned to the pack alpha. "Pick your five best fighters, and I'll pick my five best."
Cole seemed irritated about being given orders, but he let it go. It was Cain's dimension. Z figured it was a my dimension, my rules deal. If there had been any doubt over who the leader was here, there wasn't any more: Cain.
The demon disappeared down the path he'd led them down, Jane following behind him. The pack started unpacking their things and setting up their tents. Some of the younger pups cried while their mothers reassured them everything here was safe.
Cole looked out at the pack. "I don't know who is coming back from this, so I'm not going to force anybody. A lot of you have families, and I'm not asking you to stick your neck out for me and my pup. So I'll take five volunteers."
The unpacking stopped and silence fell, then murmurs and whispers. One of the wolves stepped forward. "Well, I'm the beta, and I'm single, so I'm going."
"Thanks, Blake"
A couple of females stepped out of the line.
"Mara, Shelly, I'm not sure about..." Cole started.
Mara spoke up. "I know. It's just... neither of us has pups or a mate yet, so it makes sense. If you end up with more than five, we'll fall back if not needed."
Cole nodded. But it was doubtful there would be a large number of volunteers. They seemed to have read suicide mission from between the lines.
A young male that looked like alpha material stepped out of the ranks. "I'll go."
"No!" A female. Possibly his girl, but there was no mating mark on her.
"Lucy, stop it. I have to go. I'll come home."
"You don't know that."
He took her away from the group, and Z watched the two of them argue, too far away to make out their words. The male came back and joined the volunteers.
"I need one more," Cole said.
"I'm going." It was Lucy.
"You're staying," her boyfriend said.
"Oh, you're my father now? If you're going, I'm going. You've talked about breaking off and starting your own pack. If you're going to be an alpha, I have to be a leader, too."
"Lucy!" The male looked to Cole, scared. Shit, this pack was terrified of him.
"It's all right," Cole said, "I've known he was an alpha for a long time. His options eventually will be to fight me or break off and form his own pack, and I'd just as soon not kill him."
***
Jane's loyalties were split. Cain was her demon leader and Cole was her mate. How was she going to be a demon and the alpha female of the wolf pack? Those two things were hard to prioritize. It shouldn't be difficult with Cole being her mate, but Cain had that charismatic leader magnetism, and crossing him would be a mistake. The peace between her mate and the demon leader was tenuous at best. She had to be the bridge that kept everybody safe.
She hoped Cole didn't think she was picking a side against him. It just made sense to go with Cain for