a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “You’re doing everything you can, and you can’t be everywhere at once.”
“I know,” Cody said in frustration as he looked over at Austin. “But it might have been a five-minute phone call that made a difference. Five minutes.”
Austin squeezed Cody’s shoulder. “We mourn for those we lost, but we have to keep fighting. We can’t falter before the battle’s over. We owe it to the fallen to finish what they can’t and to protect those that are left behind.”
Austin’s phone went off, but he ignored it. I gave Cody a kiss on the forehead and stroked his back to comfort him.
“You should probably get that,” Cody mumbled when Austin’s phone went off again.
Austin picked it up with a sigh but worry furrowed his brow when he read the message.
“We need to move,” Austin said as he stood. “My father’s pack came under attack earlier today. The survivors are requesting our aid.”
I slid off Cody’s lap so we could stand alongside Austin as he texted. I peeked over his shoulder so I could snoop while he typed.
Austin gave me a distracted smile. “They have transport and are on their way here. I’m sending a team to meet them and escort them here safely.”
“I’ll go,” Cody volunteered.
I opened my mouth to argue but changed my mind when I saw the look on Cody’s face. Yes, he was going through something right now, but having a mission would help.
“Go,” Austin murmured. “Take Team Three with you.”
Cody nodded and jogged out the door, only hesitating to give me a quick kiss on the forehead.
“Be safe!” I called after him.
“Always,” he replied through the bond, sending a wave of love along with his words.
“I’ll coordinate with Lori to take care of them when they get here,” I told Austin. “How many are in the pack?”
“After everything with Justin,” Austin had to clear his throat to continue. “There might be sixty left?”
“I’ll start setting up,” I said confidently, even though my heart sank. We were barely able to support that many people now and doubling that number would put a strain on all of our resources.
“How many are injured?” I asked Austin. “I’ll need to set up a triage station and prep the clinic.”
“Minor injuries,” Austin murmured to me as he rapidly typed on his phone. “Those who were hit didn’t make it out.”
“Hit?” I asked nervously. “What happened?”
“We’ll find out more when they get here,” Austin said. “They just tossed their phones to avoid being followed.”
I took a deep breath. It seemed like we were facing disaster after disaster and not making any progress in a positive direction. But now wasn’t the time for worries, now was the time for action.
“I’m tightening security,” Austin warned me. “Stay close to the house and be ready to move quickly if anyone follows them here.”
“I’ll meet you in front in a few,” I told Austin. “I’m going to grab Lori and some medical supplies.”
Austin nodded and then reached for the others through the pack bond as I left the room. We were going to need the entire pack on hand to handle the trouble heading our way.
Chapter 7
Austin
I strode forward, Anna at my side. It felt good to have my partner, my mate, stand with me against any threat that came against us. The rest of my pack had our backs, but Anna, she always stood with me.
My eyes skimmed over the small group that stood before us, and I frowned. My father’s pack was much larger than this. Where was everyone else? There were ten pups between the ages of four and twenty and maybe another ten adults. Most of the pack was still missing.
“Austin,” Sanders said as he stepped forward. “We’ve come to ask for sanctuary.”
“Are the others coming as well?” I asked. “I’d like to address everyone at the same time.”
Murmurs floated through the crowd as they all looked among each other.
“This is all that’s left,” Sanders said roughly before clearing his throat. “Our pack lands were attacked-”
His voice broke, and a young wolf spoke up for him.
“We decided to save the pups instead of fighting to the death for our territory,” he said with an angry glower.
Sanders nodded in agreement. “Yes, Theon, thank you. We were overwhelmed with their numbers, and our pups would have been left vulnerable and alone if we hadn’t run.”
His head hung in shame as he spoke, and I saw some of the other males doing the same. The pups were all in their wolf