Once the Beasts had confirmed Brody had done as he was told and left Liverpool, Harry detailed them to make sure he wasn't within ten miles. The further away, he said, the better we would all be, with war between the Keystones and the Saltwaters more imminent now. If the Keystones were defeated, Brody would be coming after us next with a vengeance.
As for myself, I decided to reach out to Micah so we could talk things out and clear the air. Micah agreed, and the following week, he came out to Liverpool with his acting Beta Jordan and his acting Gamma Lee. I'd never really gotten to know either of them during my time with the Keystones, but they seemed sensible enough, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to accept them.
"We never meant to stand by and let this go so far," Micah admitted, as we sat in the courtyard to enjoy the autumn sunshine. It was surprisingly warm, but there was a chill in the air, and I was grateful for the jumper I'd thrown on upon getting up that morning. "But Sarah was... well, Sarah, and she had half the bloody pack eating out of her hand. So those of us not in her circle figured we were better off letting sleeping wolves lie. We regret that now."
"Did any of you have anything to do with the attacks in Blackpool?" I asked.
Micah shook his head. "That was all Sarah's work," he said, his voice grim. "By then we were starting to realise she was unhinged, and we were getting ready to flee and become rogue when Ben and Sarah were apprehended. This left a bit of a vacuum, so I stepped up as Alpha, and appointed Jordan and Lee the Beta and Gamma respectively. With Ben likely to be behind bars for a good while yet, we sort of figured it was wiser to have someone with a more level head in charge. All of Sarah's cohorts got a very stern talking to, and they've agreed to toe the line."
I sighed in relief. It was good to know her bitch friends were finally walking small after years of following in Sarah's footsteps. "I still can't go back, though," I admitted. Sadly, GiGi had confirmed that Mum had been a casualty in Sarah's ongoing vendetta against me; after she'd been re-arrested following her murder attempt, she'd put the word out, and Mum had been killed, thus removing one of the very few family members who still gave two shits about me. Perry was, fortunately, still okay, but he was choosing not to contact GiGi or I, just in case Sarah still had any lingering "plans". I was going to talk to her, of course, but I wasn't prepared to forgive her, not for a good long while. "But I will come and visit when all this is over," I added.
"Of course," Lee said, smiling. "You're still our cousin, and we'd love to get to know you and your cub better."
I smiled. "In that case," I said, "I'm going to go out on a limb and ask; would you like the help of the Darkshard pack?"
"Hell yes," Jordan said, and Micah nodded.
"Definitely hell yes," he said. He smiled. "I can tell you've been well accepted by them in the two months you've been here; I don't think it's going to cause too much of a ruckus."
"I shouldn't think so," I said, grinning. "Ashley pulled me aside this morning and told me in no uncertain terms I was to offer the pack's help. Plus given the bad blood between the Keystones and the Saltwaters, I figured you could use all the help you could get."
"That's good news," Micah said. He sighed. "The Lightshards are in on the act as well, just in case you weren't aware. Brandon is still sore after Ashley got away from him, and if you know that sordid little tale, you'll also know Brandon is willing to do all he can to get Ashley back."
I sighed in frustration. "Well, they can try," I said, "but we're getting the Whitewaters, the Redwoods, the Rainbow Hearts, and the Blackwaters in on our side. Have you heard from the Brindlebones?"
"Marcus has sworn to help us," Micah said. "The moment we told him what had happened, he said he was ready to stand with us to the end."
"Good," I said, relieved. "If we get more allies, let us know. We've already got a solid contingent ready to step up to the plate thanks to the aforementioned packs, and I know Stephanie and her allies have each got about a half dozen other allies they can call on, plus the Windsong pack as well. So that bolsters us up considerably."
"We're really going all out, aren't we?" Lee observed.
I nodded, grim. "I want to put an end to this feud," I said firmly. "And I also want to give Brody a hiding for being such a slimy little bastard."
Micah took my hand and squeezed it. "You weren't to know," he said gently. "Trust me, it came as a shock to us as well. But we're on your side, and we'll do all we can to make sure this feud ends for good. And if it means eliminating Brody and his pack, then so be it. I for one am sick of it, and the sooner it's over, the better."
"We've already agreed to no quarter," I said, feeling ill again. But as Harry had said that morning, it was better to wipe the Saltwaters out altogether, rather than risking a surviving member or three escaping and garnerning support elsewhere. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Harry had been firm on that point, and though I knew this came from necessity rather than cruelty, it still stung. But he was right. And though I was saddened by the prospect, I knew it had to be done. I definitely didn't think any less of Harry for that decision. He, at least, had a heart. Brody didn't.
Lee and Jordan looked grim. "We figured it would come to that," Lee said.
Micah nodded. "If that's how it is, then that's how it is," he said. "I don't like it, but it has to be done."
"Sometimes you have to go all out," I said, rising with a bit of difficulty. Micah put a hand under my elbow to steady me, and I smiled. "Thanks," I said gratefully. "And listen. If there's anything we can do for you, let us know."
"We will," Micah promised, giving me a warm smile in return. "Just so long as you ask us if there's anything we can do."
"If I think of it, I'll mention it," I said.
I just hoped, as I watched them go, that this feud could be ended. If not...
I cut off that line of thought. It would be ended, one way or another. 148Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIFmNtqruq
