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“Where’s the rest of the government in this?” Grayson asked.

Naran shook his head. “We don’t know. Rumors are some have quit, but no official statements have been made. Fact is that most of the ministers haven’t been spotted in at least a week.”

“We suspect quite a few of them are no longer alive,” Palani said. “We saw it ourselves, how the media never showed how desperate the situation in the capital was. When Bray went on his mission, he reported devastation far more widespread than we had concluded from the news. We think Armitage has controlled the news for a while before shutting it down completely. And Mostyn told us about rumors of camps, about people disappearing.”

Isam’s blood had run cold when Bray had mentioned that to Isam on the way back. Camps? People disappearing? It was hard not to assume the worst when hearing that. Nothing good could ever come from putting people in camps, no matter the justification those in charge would provide. They were still doing it outside the judicial system, violating people’s civil rights in the most egregious ways.

“So, what do we do now?” Kean asked. “It will take him a while to set up something resembling a government, but after that, we’ll be high on his list of targets.”

Lidon rose to his feet. “That’s our conclusion too. The bleak reality is that we don’t know what we could do. If Armitage attacks us with a larger group of trained soldiers, we won’t stand a chance. We can’t fight off a group that big.”

“What’s the alternative?” Rhene asked. “Do we run?”

“I won’t run,” Lidon said. “This is my land, my pack. I will defend it. But all of you have a choice. We won’t deny the future looks dim, so if any of you wants to leave, you have our permission and our blessing to do so.”

Leave? Abso-fucking-lutely not. Isam would stand with them, with the pack, until the very end. Even now, he could feel Lidon’s power in his body, in his veins, humming there with a quiet resonance. That wasn’t just a man or just any alpha. That was Lidon Hayes, the True Alpha. Isam would follow him into death itself.

Lidon’s mates stepped up, including Vieno, who was holding little Hakon. “We don’t know what the future will bring,” Lidon continued. “But I have faith in the wolf shifters. I have faith in us. To me, that’s enough not to give up hope yet. The wolf shifters have survived for a long time. It was destined we would rise again in this time, so the same power and magic that makes us shift, that closed Jawon’s grave, that has made the impossible possible, will help us survive.”

By the time he was done, Isam had goosebumps, and his eyes had filled with tears—and he wasn’t an emotional person by any standard. But he was so damn proud to be a part of this pack, of this amazing group of people. His brothers. His family.

Pack members were quiet as they filed out, some in small groups, others by themselves. When he spotted Mostyn, looking a little shellshocked as he sat by himself on one of the wooden benches, Isam made his way over and sat next to him. “You okay?”

Mostyn looked sideways. “I don’t know. What attack was Palani talking about? I talked to Kean yesterday, but he didn’t say much about it.”

Isam’s heart squeezed painfully. No, Kean wouldn’t have. The beta was still haunted by what had happened that day, even though none of it had been his fault. “The ranch was attacked by a group of armed men, and we lost two men that day. One of them was Jawon, who was Lidon’s cousin. Kean watched Jawon get shot, and he held the man as he died. It was very traumatizing for him.”

Mostyn paled. “That’s horrific. Was anyone else hurt?”

“Adar, my best friend, was shot and needed surgery, and Kean was beaten up pretty badly. Most of us had minor injuries, nothing serious. But the emotional impact was massive. Losing Jawon was a hard hit.”

“I’m so sorry.” Mostyn was quiet for a while, his shoulders slumping. “I guess this isn’t as safe a place as Bray made it out to be.”

Isam could lie, but what good would it do? You couldn’t build a relationship on lies. “No, but you’re still much safer here than anywhere in the capital, especially as a beta. And you won’t be alone here. We take care of each other. We protect each other. Jawon died protecting the main house and the omegas and babies hiding there, and that matters, you know?”

When Mostyn met his eyes again, they were full of tears. “I don’t want to leave here,” Mostyn whispered. “I can’t explain it, but I feel like I belong here. Like this could be my family.”

Hope bloomed inside Isam, where it mixed with pure joy. “We could be. You’d fit in well here.”

“I came to the same conclusion after what Kean told me.”

“Oh? What did he tell you?”

Mostyn smiled through his tears. “Something about live porn shows in the main house.”

Isam grinned. “Yeah, that’s definitely a thing. Though Kean has no right to judge after the very public claiming ceremony he did with his mates.”

“I’m afraid to even ask.”

“Bray alpha-claimed Kean and Ruari…in public…naked…in front of the whole pack.”

Mostyn’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “Get the fuck outta here.”

“I swear to god.”

“You guys are all crazy.”

Isam shrugged. “Yeah, but we’re the right kind of crazy, you know? The fun kind.”