It wasn’t long before Jess found her.
“You were amazing!” she gushed.
“Was I? I think I blacked out.” Holly laughed nervously. “Thank you so much for the dress. I never actually thought I’d need a gown in this situation.”
“A girl must always be prepared.” Jess grinned and looped her arm through Holly’s. “What’s the word on the war?”
“I don’t know.” Holly shook her head. “Keller’s been in charge of strategizing. I’ve been busy learning how to wield a stick.”
“A stick?” Jess snickered. “How’s that going?”
“About as well as you’d expect. I haven’t taken so much as a self-defense class before this.”
“There’s a gym in town,” Jess said. “It’s small and kind of sad, but it’s better than nothing. We should go sometime! I’ll whip you into shape if you’re allowed to leave the house.”
“I’m allowed to leave,” Holly said. “It makes the men nervous, though. I went for a walk in the woods one night, and it was kind of a disaster.”
“I bet.” Jess frowned. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in your position. What are you going to do?”
“About what?” Holly sighed. “The war? The prophesied child? The rest of my life? The answer to all of those is: I have no idea.”
“Forget this!” A roaring voice tore Holly’s attention from Jess. “I say we grab our guns, charge into the silver mines, and show no mercy!”
“Excuse me,” Holly muttered to Jess before pushing her way through the crowd of giant male shifters.
Keller stood at the head of the dining room table. Four shifters flanked him. All of them looked to be at least fifty years of age. They must’ve lived here when the Golden Oak shifters invaded fifteen years ago.
Holly understood their anger, but she couldn’t allow them to storm the silver mines. “I will not have needless slaughter,” she said with the most confidence she could muster.
“The Golden Oak shifters didn’t seem to care about that when they came in the night and slaughtered families!” One of the shifters slammed his fist down on the table so hard Holly feared the wood would splinter.
“Are we like the Golden Oak shifters?” Holly asked. “I thought we were better than that. If you allow yourselves to stoop to their level, then aren’t you giving them exactly what they want? They want to disregard their humanity and act without morals. They want to take what they want, hurt who they want, and destroy whatever they please. Are you willing to let yourself turn into them to defeat them?”
Keller stared at Holly, opening and closing his mouth as if he wished to speak but couldn’t find the words.
Holly spotted Loch standing in the back corner of the dining room. His eyes glimmered.
Thank you, he mouthed.
Holly offered a smile before turning her attention back to the shifters surrounding the dining table.
“Well?” she said. “None of you have pled your case. Can you tell me how storming into the mines like the mindless animals I know you aren’t counts as a victory?”
“I lost my wife of thirty years,” a shifter with a drawn face and pale-blue eyes spoke. “They have to pay for that.”
“They will.” Holly nodded. “Anyone who died on that terrible night will not die in vain, I swear to you.”
“Then what would you have us do?”
Holly’s gaze shot to Keller, who nodded.
“I would have us go to the silver mines,” Holly said. “But not to kill. If the Golden Oak shifters want to live like beasts, then we cannot stop them, but they will not do it within our borders. We will push them back and keep them back. They will know not to set foot in our territory again unless they mean to go to war. If they do so, then, and only then, will we give them the slaughter they so desperately want.”
“And what of those in the mines now? The ones who have already crossed our borders and broken our laws? Do they just get to slink back to the hole they came from?”
“We have to be careful in the mines,” Holly said. “One of our own is there. Not just anyone, a firstborn. Trevor Charmain.”
“Charmain?” an older shifter male said. “I haven’t heard that name in an age.”
Holly briefly considered letting Elise come forward but decided against it. Elise’s survival was tied to her ability to stay hidden. If she chose not to reveal herself now, then Holly had to respect that.
“They moved to Golden Oak some time ago. The firstborn son, Trevor, needs guidance. He needs the wisdom of the Maiden to bring him back to reality. I will not see him harmed.”
“If he’s turned his back on us, why should we show him mercy?”
“Because, when it comes to the fate of the firstborn sons, it’s not your decision. It’s mine. I will not see him harmed.”
“You can’t argue with the prophecy,” Loch said from the back of the room with a shrug. “If you kill one of the firstborns, you might be destroying our only chance at peace between all of the bear clans.”
“He makes a fair point,” Keller jumped in. “Who among us can say with utter certainty that Trevor is not destined to father the Maiden’s child?”
Holly took slow, steady breaths to control the blush quickly rising in her cheeks. Talking about the prophecy among her four shifters was one thing, but discussing her future child so publicly surrounded by strangers was another beast altogether.
Luckily, the other shifters didn’t need more convincing.
Johnny appeared at Holly’s side. He brushed his hand against hers.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “If you need a break, say the word and I’ll take you from the
