Page 53 of Wolf Roulette

You could approach the tribe,she said.

Rhona declared me dead.

She’s just one person.

The leader.

One who has lost twice. The tribe hang on by one grid.

True. If there was ever a time to negotiate an end to my exile, it was now. I’d tossed the idea around when I first realised the outcome of Grids had to change, but…I can’t do that to Rhona.

She did it to you.

And I didn’t believe in throwing a punch just because someone punched me.

Bailey and Lisa approached with Rosalie—the woman who’d protested about my lack of pack contribution.

“Some of us are heading out for a swim before our Dens shift. Want to join?”

Something was afoot. “Okay, why is everyone being so nice today?”

Bailey smirked. “You want us to be mean?”

Well. No. “It doesn’t make sense.”

No one on pack lands missed the throwdown between Sascha and meorbetween me and Alexei. Which meant they knew I’d blurted pack strategy to the tribe and that I’d failed to reassure Sascha.

Rosalie shrugged a shoulder. “You’ve proven yourself.”

When?

“Axel,” Lisa whispered. “Amongst other things.”

Oh… Were all female Luthers on the same page? I wouldn’t hold my breath about Mandy, but everyone else?

A ferocious protectiveness surged in me unlike anything I’d experienced. The force was so strong it robbed me of speech.

Lisa inhaled. “Humans. A van of them.”

“What?” I stood, dusting my jeans off.

Bailey shot me a look. “You know these guys?”

I focused on the approaching vehicle. “It’s a tribe vehicle.”

Stanley was driving.

“What’s the head team doing here?” Lisa edged closer to me.

I rested a hand on her shoulder. “I have no idea, but they’re not here to hurt anyone.” They smelled nervous, if anything. “I assume they’re here to speak with me, so I’ll skip the swim today—but thanks for the invite. I appreciate it.”

The pack females had made me feel so much better with their small acts of kindness. They’d decided to treat me as one of their own. That blew my mind.

Bailey’s shoulders tensed. “You’re sure you don’t need us here?”

“I’m sure.”

I strode into the middle of the road and the van rolled to a stop. The head team looked at me.