“Skye said you have more people coming?” I asked, quickly doing a headcount of the people in front of me.
“We do, provided you’re all right with that. We have another two hundred men that can be en route as soon as I call and check in with my beta.” He inclined his head towards me. “Again, only if you agree.”
I glanced down at Skye and she looked back, nothing but trust and surety in her gaze.
I looked back at Nikolai with a nod. “Good. If you can arrange to get them here, we’ll work out where they can sleep.”
“All right,” he agreed easily. “But I can assure you, my men are quite accustomed to sleeping outside. Their wolves prefer it, to be honest.”
“Right,” Nikolai said smoothly. “You already know my son, Dimitri. This is my wife, Natasha.”
“Welcome,” I greeted evenly, skipping past Dimitri and smiling at Natasha.
“Are we done with the formalities?” she asked, looking briefly at her husband.
His smile tightened. “Depends. Are you planning to behave?”
My eyebrows lifted as Skye snorted, shaking her head.
Nikolai’s gaze met mine once more, his eyes sliding down to where Skye’s hand was tucked into mine. “I suppose we are family.”
“Exactly,” Natasha said brightly, stepping away from him and reaching for Skye’s other hand. “All this formality is stifling, Nik.”
“Mama,” Dimitri grumbled.
“I swear, Natasha,” Nikolai started, shaking his head.
Skye was fighting a smile that loosened some of the stress gripping my gut.
“Is that her?” Natasha’s eyes widened as her voice dropped to a whisper. She craned her neck, looking between Rhodes and I.
Glancing back, I saw Addie had stepped around Ryder. She was pale, and I could see the way she was trembling from here.
“She’s pretty,” Natasha remarked, almost awed. She glanced back at her husband with a scoff. “Too pretty for you.”
Nikolai looked ready to strangle her, but he hadn’t told her to shut up.
“Tasha,” Skye warned, her eyes narrowed. She looked worried as she looked from her mom to her stepmother.
“Ryder,” I called, barely turning around, “take Addie back to the car.”
Natasha’s eyes widened, her hand fluttering up to her throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean … Oh, hell.” She sighed, dejected, as Ryder led Addie back to the line of waiting cars.
“Are you pleased with yourself?” Nikolai asked sourly, glaring at her.
To her credit, Natasha didn’t flinch. She tipped her head back, meeting his glare with her own. After a beat, she relented, rolling her eyes and stepping back with an annoyed huff.
Nikolai turned back to me. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Remy,” I corrected him, still not used to having the formal title of Alpha attached to my name.
“Remy,” he repeated. “One last matter to discuss. You have cells here, yes? For holding people under arrest?”
I frowned. “Of course.”
Every pack did, but I could honestly say that Blackwater’s were rarely used. We didn’t have a high crime rate, and the shit that did happen was usually handled by my dad. The last person who had been in one of those cells was Rhodes’s dad, and that had been over a year ago.
In one of his rarer moments, he took his drunk ass to the bar in town and got wasted. He’d gotten into a fight, and Dad had put him in a cell so he could dry out for the night.
I wasn’t sure why Nikolai felt the need to ask until I caught movement coming out of the plane.
“Fuck,” I swore, my blood running cold as Elias and then Linden were led down the stairs.
Skye’s hand tightened around mine. “It’s okay.”
“What the hell are they doing here?” I demanded, my gaze swinging from Nikolai to Skye.
She opened her mouth to answer, but Nikolai beat her to it.
“I thought you might want to question them yourself,” he explained, almost happily.
I glared at both of them as they approached. Linden met my stare defiantly, his mouth pressed into a grim line. Elias hung his head, looking like he was walking to be executed. He refused to look up.
Skye’s hand squeezed mine, dragging my attention away from them.
“Let’s get them settled and then we can all talk,” she said softly.
I nodded slowly, not liking the flicker of fear in her eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling me.
“Okay,” I said sharply. “We’ll get you all settled for the night. We can meet later tomorrow to discuss a plan.”
I motioned to my pack with my hand. “Will and Michael will handle your sleeping arrangements and take you