A murmur of assent ran through the pack surrounding me. Hudson continued. "You're ours now. It doesn't matter what happens. And we take care of our own."
"Besides, there's breakfast and it's going to get cold if you keep debating about all this," Gabe said. "Everyone chow down, pack up. Let's get a move on. It's not safe here."
My alphas got plates from the cabinets, but I paused. "It's not safe here?"
"Lillian knows about the cabin, Tommy's aunt," Xavion said in way of explanation. "It could be that she tracks us down, finds you out, and decides to get aggressive before the Meet. No reason for it, but she's not the most sensible wolf I've ever met."
"Right," I said, waiting for more.
But I didn't get it. Instead, I was offered a plate. Giving in, I filled it up and headed off to the dining room to eat with the others. Hudson settled a bowl on the floor and Tommy shifted to his werewolf pup form, the way I'd met him the time he'd bit me, and dug in.
"Is that normal? Do you always feed kids off the ground?"
"Out here, yeah," Leo said. "Not where humans might see back in the city. They catch sight of Tommy and they might think we had some kind of timber wolf in the house. They'd call animal control and if Tommy shifted in front of them, you can imagine the trouble it'd cause."
I toyed with my fork, a pile of pancake on the end of it. "But out in the woods, you don't worry about paparazzi or anything like that? Like sure, there're curtains, but this place is unmonitored a lot of the time. It wouldn't be hard to put cameras up in the rafters or something."
As one, my alphas lifted their heads to look at the ceiling. I'd landed on a threat they hadn't thought about and it was as if I could hear a silent growl fill the room. Perhaps it was just because I was bonded to Hudson, with all intentions of bonding to the others, but I felt my blood rise to a simmer, if not a boil. The idea that someone had invaded my territory, fucked around with it, violated it?
I wanted to rip them apart.
It was my first conscious connection with the feral side. No wonder werewolves were always depicted as some sort of monster in books and movies. By human standards, we absolutely were.
Had I seen a dog react like that, been aggressive toward a person like that, the vet would have probably recommended euthanasia. Since I was a giant softie, I didn't usually do it. I accumulated scars and bites on my arms and legs working with the dog instead, slowly figuring out why there was aggression present in the animal and how to fix it. Most of those dogs were adopted to wonderful homes once the dog and I figured out the problem. And most of the time, it was based on fear or misunderstanding.
This wasn't. This was a primal need to protect my space, my home, my pack. It was something that was rooted in a deeper form of tribalism than humans could know.
And I added my voice to the soft, rumbling growl that was definitely audible by the time I spoke up. I was quieter than my alphas, but I still held true to the note.
"We leave after breakfast. We'll have a tech team come out, sweep this place before we use it again. She's right. Lillian could have snuck out here and she could be recording us right now. Cameras are the size of pins these days," Leo said.
Hudson sighed. "Sadie?"
I blinked over at him and frowned. He looked as if he were about to have some sort of breakdown. What on earth could be so bad that he was that upset?
"Are we welcome to move this to your place?"
Euphoria. The idea of my alphas crowded around me, my pack, my animals, everyone in one place, safe and sound? It was like taking a hit of something you got at a rave. I had to hold back tears. I was going home. I was going home and I was taking my pack with me. "Please. I know no one's been at my house other than your people. My neighbor would have gone over and shot them."
"Actually, your neighbor did come over and try to shoot the employees," Gabe said, helpfully. "But we talked him out of it after a few hours and a big pay-off, assuring him that the employees were there under our hire and you were being sponsored. Isn't that right, Leo?"
Leo chuckled. "I had to get the sheriff out to verify who I was. It was a blast."
"While we're there, we can make some improvements. Really see what we can do to help you. I know the roof leaks in a few places. No problem. We'll see to that." Hudson finished his plate and stood, giving me no time to object. "I'll start loading. You all finish up. Keep your eyes peeled for cameras and Sadie, keep your head down. We don't need her to find out who you are."
I shook my head. "It doesn't really matter if she does. It's not like she can go to my employer or come after me if I'm with all of you. Right?"
"Theoretically, but it's better that she never knows who you are. We don't want you bothered after the Meet, if the judges find the case in our favor."
"What if they don't?"
My alphas froze. I looked around at them and shrugged. "What if the judges don't find in my favor? I
