“Let us be clear then,” Gina interrupted. “Great Lakes is opposed to Warren Pellini and his band of thugs having any more power within the ranks of National.”

“Cascadia agrees,” Melissa added smoothly. In the years since Carter had been killed and Melissa filled his spot, she’d become a force to be reckoned with, a quiet power.

Tegan liked her a lot.

“Well, that’s unfortunate, isn’t it?” Pellini’s drawl was affected, annoyingly fake and Tegan didn’t bother to hide a sneer.

“You’ve already violated the Palaver, Warren, that’s what’s unfortunate. Great Lakes moves the uninvited wolf in the room be asked to leave.” Gina stood but Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

“This will end now, Gina. Yes, Warren has violated the rules of the NC and the infraction will be dealt with. But you will not stir trouble here or you’re the one in violation. Now sit and be silent until we hear the votes of the other Packs.”

With a heavy sigh, Gina sat.

Jack was playing this one close to the vest. Tegan understood it but it made her angry nonetheless.

“Moving along. Yellowstone supports the candidacy of William Reed,” the Third of the Yellowstone Pack spoke, smiling at Pellini as he did.

Two more Packs to be heard from and both could go either way. Tegan breathed in deeply, centering herself and keeping alert. She’d made eye contact with the Great Lakes guards and knew they’d jump in if trouble started.

“Granite respectfully abstains. We feel it is not the place of the member Packs to decide the National Third position and we do not like being called down here to play power games.”

Tegan heard Templeton’s snort and tried not to smile. That’s who they were and you had to admire a Pack of curmudgeons. Still, it could go either way. Knowing Siskiyou was out being wooed by Pellini worried Tegan. If Reed went into the Third position, it wouldn’t be long before tensions rose to the point of inter-clan tensions and turf wars.

Briefly, she wondered just what Ben was thinking as he and Benoit listened to all this insanity.

Ben spoke on the cell to Cade. Cade’s furious bellow at Pellini’s showing up and violating the rules of the Palaver, something their kind held sacrosanct, had Ben holding the phone away from his ear.

“I get you’re angry, Cade. But what do you advise here? We’re out of our depth. Is he going to attack or something if he loses?” God, would he have to run in there and save Tegan? Would that bastard hurt her?

“I don’t know, Ben. I mean, it’s bad enough he’s there, but to cause violence would break so many of our laws, even Templeton would have to openly come out against him.

The FBI investigation would go to hell because there’d be no more undercover anything.

I have to think even Pellini isn’t that stupid.” Cade paused. “How’s Tegan holding up?”

“She growled at that f**ker when he walked in. Should have seen it. Pellini actually jerked back and she did that thing where she walked forward so fast you didn’t even see it but there she was, right at Melissa’s back. The other wolves followed suit. When Jack ordered them to stand down, she only took two steps back and didn’t lower her eyes.”

Ben was damned proud of his woman.

“Shit, Granite abstained.”

Ben relayed the info to Cade.

“We got company,” Benoit said as he stood.

They saw fifty wolves approaching the building from two different directions. The National guards were nowhere to be found. The monitors inside showed no one else had entered yet.

“There are fifty f**king wolves here, Cade. Damn it. I have to go.”

“You can’t stand against that many wolves, Ben! Wait. I’ll call and get backup. Gabe has people there, he can…”

Ben hung up as he saw the monitors. He and Benoit grabbed their vests and weapons as they ran out the doors.

“Siskiyou resents the power plays they’ve been involved in. We were already convinced Warren Pellini and his group were bad for our people but after the constant attempts at bribery we side with Cascadia and Great Lakes. The last thing National needs is yet another Pellini lackey with power in the Inner Circle.”

Tegan felt the ground under her feet vibrate. “Get them out of here!” she screamed to Dave.

Melissa stood and shoved a chair out of the way. “I stand with you.”

Eric followed suit as the doors busted open and wolves poured into the room in a mass of fists and teeth.

“Stand down! Damn it, Pellini, call these dogs off!” Jack growled, half changed, toward Pellini.

“Fuck this. You can’t handle these dissenting factions, I will. Kill everyone but National and Yellowstone wolves,” he ordered in the direction of the wolves who’d been waiting behind him.

Tegan had trained all her life for this moment. She felt no real fear as she slid her guns from the thigh holsters, flipping the safeties off with her thumbs before aiming one hand and then the other.

Wolves fell and others waded in to hand-to-hand or teeth-to-claw combat.

In the background, Tegan heard Ben’s yells and caught sight of two wolves knocking him back.

She waded through the melee to get to him, shooting, kicking and knocking the shit out of anyone in her way.

The wolves, thank God still in human form, who’d been beating Ben slid to the ground, lifeless but before Tegan could bend to grab Ben, her guns were knocked from her hands as she was sent wheeling back by a fist to her temple.