Big Bad Wolfie

•••Jason's POV•••

  "What the h3ll do you mean he's back?!" One of the seven alphas and masters hollered as he stood up from the office table we're all sitting around.

Well this is going well.

"We wiped out practically their entire army!" Another yelled, the confusion clear in her voice.

"Practically is the problematic word there," Maria spoke up, rubbing her temples.

Everyone's screaming at each other, talking about how it's not possible or how we should have known or blah blah blah.

I know no one's actually mad at each other. They're mad at the situation.

Dare I say, even scared.

  I don't know.

But people's reactions were some of the most unnerving things I've ever seen.

People that don't get scared, that aren't shaken by anything, or at least haven't been as long as I've known them, are turning pale and on edge about a knife. About what the knife apparently means.

It's all just putting things into perspective for me.

These people — the ones that used the daggers — coming back would be a very very bad thing. So this thing turning up, apparently freshly used, is a cause for alarm in even the people that never saw a battle in this war, let alone the people that did.

  It's also doing a number on Maria. I can see it.

  H3ll, I can feel it, and it's making Ki mad at the world.

I looked around at my conference room full of nervous and on edge powerhouses and sighed.

We came all the way back to my pack grounds to have a meeting with surrounding territories and allies. People we thought could help us going forward with this situation.

And as much as I hate to admit it, Maria's been one of the main contributors.

I mean, Ki and I love seeing it. It's fun watching her be all smart and leading, but it's too fun. She's not supposed to be good at this. It doesn't fit with the narrative in my head that's keeping me from claiming her as mine. I really, really, really wish she was mine. Especially right now.

Especially when she's especially bad at hiding her stress, like at the moment.

And she's still killing it.

  Speaking of my mate being the death of me, she's the one who came up with the idea we ended up going with.

  She proposed every few territories creates a group of elites who go out into the unclaimed territory and find wherever these hybrids are hold up, where their base is.

  And if it's not hybrids that were responsible for the dagger turning up, the consensus is that it should still be looked into, so either way the plan is to find some bad guys then come back and tell everyone about it.

time and energy finding someone, then not do anything about it? I think we should develop a plan for the group to execute if they find the base or the clan or whatever. Something swift and easy that the small number of people can complete. But

They all wanna "take it slow" and

figuring out the logistics while putting my two

has to be dealt with urgently,

***Maria's POV***

freaking

all going out into unmarked territory

  And it was

it.

just really really wish we

in a group. How could I not? I didn't train my entire life to be useless in a time like this. In a s**tty, s**tty time

yet, when Wolfie heard there was no way in h3ll he was convincing me not to go, he volunteered as well. So now, I have him

  But

is

  "Okay, everyone take tomorrow to organize the teams and brief and such, and

of butterflies erupted in my stomach at the

He

of mind to nod like everyone else, but I do know that I sat there as they all

the back of my neck and lead me to the room across from his, just like at my house. Jazmine came in a lent me a pair of

I found Wolfie standing in the middle of the room on my way out. He stood and stared me down

  Of course I

  Are you kidding me? With all of this

•••Jason's POV•••

course she didn't sleep a

craziness, she needs to be at her best. Especially if she wants to act all brave and

  No.

I've changed my

not putting herself in danger, d@mmit.

to convince her this is crazy, and if she doesn't agree to

***Maria's POV***

his room for the morning, so I turned

a change from his

a sigh and felt him

I could feel his eyes burning at the back

doesn't he just say something? Try and wake me

Another sigh.

I know is that he feels calm. Calmer than I think I've ever felt him. But heavy, I wouldn't doubt there's a weight

There's a weight on

But I'd bare the both of ours so he didn't have

Also, I've excepted the fact my feelings for

so I'd do

the only