There was a slight murmur at this. It wasn’t done often, and I was glad Dad had thought of it. Asking for another layer of protection for Liam and Aden would be like giving the boys a second set of parents. People who would die to protect them.
“I’ll keep them as my own,” Mary said from beside us.
“We will,” Gregory agreed.
I should have known it would be Mary and Gregory. They’d quietly done the same for Jim and me when we were younger.
Thomas nodded to Gregory. As if it were a sign, people started to leave. Many of them looked back to study Michelle before they quit the room. They were probably asking themselves the same thing I had. How many more gifted women like Michelle, Gabby, and Mom were out there?
After the room emptied, Mom turned to Michelle.
“I’m sorry about that. We needed to lay down the law right away so you wouldn’t run into any trouble.”
“And my brothers?”
“That’s what Mary and Gregory are for. While you’re here, they will be an extra layer of protection. Mary and Gregory will always be close by; if you need to leave your brothers for any reason, they will step in while you are gone, protecting Liam and Aden even more ferociously than you could. They were guardians for Jim and Emmitt while they were growing up.”
Michelle’s hesitancy to accept their help wasn’t just in her scent but in her expression, too, making it easy for Mom to read.
“Nana Wini also spoke a command to the room. No one will harm them.”
Michelle gave a slight nod.
“Now that that’s settled, we are hoping you will discuss your past with us. We want to help you,” Mom said, motioning for Dad to lead the way.
Just what are we going to discuss? I sent to Winifred.
We need to know where Blake is. His men found her. There’s no hiding anymore.
Michelle wouldn’t like it. I smoothed my thumb over the side of her hand as we followed everyone to the conference room. It was the only place we could talk without fear of being overheard. Well insulated, even werewolf ears wouldn’t pick up on normal conversation within the room once the door was shut.
Winifred and Sam were already inside waiting for us when Dad opened the door.
Michelle glanced at Sam as we entered.
“Michelle, this is Elder Sam,” I said as I held out a chair for her.
“Hello,” she said quietly, before glancing questioningly at me.
“This room has been soundproofed, so we won’t be overheard.” I sat beside Michelle and Mom and Dad sat across from us.
“Nana Wini told us the Forlorn ignored her command to leave,” Mom said, cutting right to the point. “That is cause for concern. But, I’m more concerned about the things you said on the way here.”
Michelle gave me a sidelong glance. In turn, I gave Winifred a meaningful look.
“You shouldn’t need to live in fear,” Mom said. “I’ve seen these people do amazing things. Let’s face this together. But in order to do that, we need to know everything you know about those men. Do you have any idea why they could ignore an Elder?”
“How could I possibly know anything like that? I’ve known about werewolves less than a month.”
“Emmitt mentioned you thought Blake was one of us. You were near him for more than four years. Tell us about him,” Mom said gently.
Michelle looked down at the table.
“I don’t know what you’re looking for,” she said after a minute. “I thought Blake was just like everyone else. Human. But, he was mean. He’d come over and ask me about my premonitions. He sometimes asked if I saw anything other than market tips. I always wished I did see something more. But it wasn’t until...”
She glanced at me then looked back down at the table. Her scent changed subtly, and her pulse quickened. She’d realized something.
When she looked up, her expression was fierce.
“No. You’re wrong,” she said, looking at Winifred.
“About what, dear?”
“Pack leaders control the pack. Elders keep the peace between the packs through the pack leaders,” Michelle said slowly. “Yet, there are some of your kind you have trouble communicating with. Before the night he shifted, I thought Blake’s control over the men he brought with him was just a businessman’s hold over his lackeys. But that night, it was more. I think he’s their leader. A pack leader. Those were his men. I think Blake is different. You can’t communicate with him, and because of that, you