Page 88 of Wolf Roulette
Precarious.
“I want both sides to reach a truce. Sascha doesn’t share the same view. He believes there will never be peace between tribe and pack. I need to win Grids to be in a position to negotiate for the pack while ensuring the wellbeing of the Ni Tiaki too.”
“What exactly will you negotiate for the pack?”
Good question. “I’m focused on keeping the tribe in the game for now. When my younger sister discovered I’d become a Luther, she exiled me and weakened our position drastically.”
Basilia arched a brow. “This wouldn’t be the sister frequenting my club for the last ten days?”
I straightened. “You’ve seen her?”
“Some of my Vissimo employees work at the club. They noticed her last name and passed it on. Quite the bender she’s having.”
“Rhona’s okay though?”
“I wasn’t interested enough to notice after watching the camera footage. She’s nothing like you.”
Wade exhaled loudly. “Thankyou.”
I shot him a quelling look that bounced right off him. “She lost our father recently. Her mother a few years back. Me becoming a Luther was the final straw.”
Basilia regarded me. “Then perhaps I judged her too quickly. I’m an orphan too.”
“Make that three of us,” I mumbled.
Tommy delivered our drinks.
Then Wade got more.
Then Tommy.
Both of them got steadily drunker. I couldn’t feel any buzz, but the drinks tasted nice. Vampires must burn off alcohol fast, too, because the billionaire opposite me was just as composed as when she first arrived.
Our besties, rolling on the floor, erupted into loud laughter.
Basilia’s lips crooked. She moved to sit in the armchair next to me. “An alliance between the clan and pack. The idea could hold merit.”
“The two races could pose a serious threat to both of us.” The more I thought of it, the more concerned I became about our neighbours.
“The problem being that there are less than one thousand werewolves in the pack, my mate tells me. We number upward of fifteen thousand. We’d bring far more to an alliance.”
Not strictly true. “Your numbers are indisputable, yet your territory is far removed from the demons and witches. You only found out about them tonight, for example. We hold great value in our proximity.”
“As scouts.” She tapped her bottom lip.
“The differences in our powers could also prove beneficial. A Luther’s senses are unmatched—as is our endurance. We’re natural strategists. In wolf form, a pack can communicate over huge distances too.”
The vampire pursed her lips.
I kept going. “The demons and witches are keeping their existence a secret from your clan. Whether because of your sheer numbers or for more nefarious reasons, I’m unsure. But why not keep your own secret in case they do mean your people harm? An early alert from the pack could make all the difference, as could an extra thousand supernatural bodies who are designed for a siege. That’s not to mention all the information we could gather as scouts.”
The vampire tapped the rim of her glass. “I assume you’re suggesting this alliance in preparation of the pack remaining in this valley beyond the game.”
“The idea never entered my head before tonight. I’d just hate to win the game only to face another fight in the near future.”
She hummed. “I’m not ready for another fight either. Ingenium was a shit show.”
I set my cocktail on a side table. “Let’s see where this goes then. If King Julius is interested in talking further, get in touch.”