in the government to see if we can get the videos shut down somehow.”
I gave him a doubtful look. The government was in shambles right now, and policing the internet wasn’t exactly a priority when cities were overrun with violence. Half the country was starving, and our entire infrastructure was fractured. If it weren’t for dedicated techies across the country, I doubted we’d still have access to the internet at all.
“Maybe we should consider reaching out to the humans ourselves,” Caleb suggested.
“No,” Austin said bluntly. “If we reveal what we are, we risk making ourselves targets. Hate groups will come from all across the country just to take us out. We can’t afford to get tied up in that fight, not when we have an even bigger one looming in the distance.”
“Austin’s right,” I told Caleb reluctantly. “There might be some people out there who’d be willing to listen to a positive message right now and open their hearts to us, but there are far more who won’t.”
“The Morrigan has everyone’s heads clouded right now, bro,” Cody added. “They’re not thinking rationally, and we need to protect ourselves.”
“It feels selfish,” Caleb blurted out. “We have food, weapons, and a safe place to live, while they have nothing. They’re alone, scared, and hungry. Of course, they’re going to lash out.”
Cody and Austin exchanged a glance. I knew Caleb was right, but I also felt deep down in my bones that doing the right thing would doom us all.
“We need the humans on our side,” Caleb insisted when no one responded to him. “If we win them over, then the Morrigan won’t have any power over them.”
“We can’t protect them, Caleb,” I said quietly. “The Morrigan is too strong, and humans don’t have magic to combat hers.”
“The best thing we can do is look for a long-term solution,” Austin said gently. “Handing out food or launching a PR campaign would only put small patches on a large, festering wound. We need to cut out the infection entirely.”
Caleb snapped the cover of his iPad closed with a click and then stood without a word. He looked between the three of us with pleading eyes, but when he was clear we weren’t going to agree with him, he turned and left.
I stood to go after him, but Austin grabbed my arm.
“Anna,” Austin said gently. “Caleb knows what’s at stake, and he knows we’re right. He’s just having a difficult time accepting it. It’s not easy to keep fighting the long battle when you see everyone falling around you, but we need to push forward.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “But I don’t like it either. I don’t want to watch people suffer while we struggle to figure this out.”
“It’s not easy for any of us,” Cody said hoarsely. “The veteran suicide rate is almost triple what it was before the Morrigan broke out of her prison, and I feel like I’m failing my brothers and sisters at arms.”
I sat on Cody’s lap and wrapped my arms around him. Cody was passionate about helping service members successfully transition from military to civilian life. It wasn’t easy, especially for combat vets, and a lot of our own packmates struggled to adjust to life stateside.
“They survive the worst of war,” Cody said into my hair. “Only to fall to the enemy within.”
I didn’t have words that could comfort him, because I knew how it felt to feel frustrated and helpless. Nothing I could say would take away the guilt and sense of failure that Cody was battling.
“It helps,” Cody murmured. “Having a purpose. It keeps me going, gives me a reason to wake up in the morning.”
“Hey,” I said softly as I raised Cody’s face to mine. “You’ve changed so many lives, guided so many out of darkness, and onto a path of hope. You’ve done a lot of good in this world, and we need you. I need you.”
Cody breathed my scent in deeply. “And I need you.”
I brushed his hair back and looked into his beautiful eyes, dark with sadness.
“Never doubt my love for you,” I whispered as I cupped his face in my hands. I lowered my mouth to his and gave him a soft kiss.
He let out a breath and leaned his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. “I lost two of my old battle buddies this week,” he confessed. “I should have checked in with them. I usually do, but with everything going on here…”