back and do nothing, Tak?”
Maybe I need to ease on out of here. It looked like the pack was embroiled in a family dispute, and I didn’t have any desire to be around a pack of angry wolves. Shikoba could wait, and maybe Hope could call him later and smooth things over. The way the man in the next room was slicing his dagger and spewing curses was all I needed to make my decision.
As I slipped out the door and crept along the wall, the chatter died.
Completely.
It was so quiet that the board creaking beneath the weight of my foot sounded like falling timber. My heart galloped when every last man in that room had his eyes on me.
“Who let in the white woman?” the man with the knife spat.
The one called Tak replied, “Shikoba’s doing business with her.”
“Don’t play me for a fool. She left yesterday with her tail between her legs.” Before I knew it, the man crossed in front of me and blocked my exit. He pinned me with a hostile glare, making the hair on my arms stand up.
Tak raised his voice. “Let her go, Kaota. She’s not our concern.”
Kaota gripped my arm painfully. I tried to wrench away, but his hold was iron. “Our trouble started yesterday with her arrival. She’s a dark cloud and brought death to our people.” He nodded at two men, who then hurried out the front door. A few of the others looked torn but didn’t interfere.
We were standing halfway in the main room, a circle of about ten people around us—mostly men. No one stepped forward to help, and that sent panic racing up my spine.
“I was leaving,” I said, my voice steady and calm. “Shikoba wasn’t expecting me, and it looks like I’ve come at a bad time. I didn’t mean to interrupt, so I’ll just go and let you get back to your meeting.”
I twisted my arm, but Kaota’s large hand wrapped all the way around it, making it impossible to break free. Without the Packmaster present and not knowing who was second-in-command, I needed to remain calm and not instigate anything. If the local Council had no authority over them, then that meant they followed their own rules.
Tak stepped forward and leveled Kaota with one look. “Let the woman go,” he said slowly, dangerously.
A wave of energy rippled in the air, and in that moment, I realized Tak was an alpha wolf. Aside from children, packs didn’t have more than one alpha. Then again, it was more of a tribe than a pack. At least the alpha was on my side.
For now.
Kaota reluctantly let go, and the two men stared each other down. Before anyone changed their mind, I fled out the front door, my arm still sore from Kaota’s grip.
When I reached the bottom of the steps, I skidded to a halt. “Hey, those are mine!”
Kaota’s buddies were stalking away from my Jeep, one of them holding my quiver and bow over his head to show the others.
“You bring weapons onto our land?” Kaota bellowed. He marched down the steps behind me, anger flickering in his eyes.
For a moment, I thought about running to the car and leaving. But that quiver was sentimental—my aunt had given it to me.
Tak cut between us and faced his packmate, his arms outstretched. “Ease up, Kaota. She didn’t bring them into the house. We’re all hurting here, but she has nothing to do with this. An angry warrior never hits his intended target. What kind of man takes his anger out on a woman? That’s not our way.”
“According to the news, it is,” Kaota retorted. “How long do you think it will take for the local packs to figure out that the wolf was Koi? They know our wolves by sight. They’re going to point the finger at us for killing that woman.”
“On what proof?” Tak countered.
Teeth clenched, Kaota walked forward. “They’re looking for someone to blame for those murders.”
“What if it was Koi?” someone asked.
Kaota exploded into action, shifting into a brown wolf and lunging at the man who’d raised the question. He also shifted, and a fight ensued. They rose up on their hind legs, teeth gnashing, viciously barking and growling as blood stained their fur and the gravel below. I clenched the strap of my purse.
Tak charged into the fray and grabbed Kaota’s wolf around the neck, holding him in a viselike grip. “Enough!”
Energy crackled in the air, and I stayed catatonic. My wolf was