Chapter 30 Dante
DANTE
The other cabin they found stank of rogue lions and desperation.
Dante crouched beside the overturned crate, studying the scattered papers while Callum checked the back room and Kieran prowled the perimeter outside. They'd found the hideout two miles beyond Hollow Oak's border, tucked into the woods where the Veil thinned to gossamer.
"Dante." Callum's voice carried from the doorway, tight with controlled fury. "You need to see this."
He straightened, crossing to where his old pride brother stood holding a crude map. Hollow Oak's town square had been marked with red ink, the Griddle and Grind circled, the Council Glade starred. But it was the date scrawled across the top that made his blood run cold.
Winter Solstice. Strike at gathering.
"Son of a bitch." The words came out quiet, lethal.
"There's more." Callum handed him a second paper, this one detailing guard rotations, Council member locations, even the typical crowd size for celebrations. "They've been watching us for months."
Kieran appeared in the doorway, his hazel eyes flashing gold with his tiger's rage. "Found claw marks on three trees marking sight lines to the square. They're planning a coordinated assault."
"During the Solstice Gathering." Dante's hands clenched around the papers hard enough to crumple them. "When families bring their children. When the whole damn town celebrates together. He never planned to hold a hearing on Maeve. He knew she’d never go."
"Hector wants a spectacle." Callum's jaw worked. "Prove Maeve can't protect anything. Undermine the Council's authority in one blow."
"How many?" Kieran asked, moving to study the map over Dante's shoulder.
"At least a dozen based on these notes." Dante traced the markings, his tactical training from years of enforcement work kicking in. "Maybe more if Hector calls in favors from allied prides."
Callum crossed his arms, his alpha presence filling the small space. "We need to tell the Council."
"No." Both men turned to stare at Dante. He set the papers down carefully, mind already racing through scenarios. "Not yet. If we alert the Council officially, Bram will push to cancel the gathering. Hector wins without throwing a single punch."
"And if we don't warn anyone?" Kieran's voice held an edge.
"I didn't say we don't prepare." He met both their gazes steadily. "I said we don't go through official channels. Not when half the Council still questions Maeve's authority."
Callum studied him for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "You want to handle this quietly."
"I want to handle this smart." Dante picked up the map again, committing every detail to memory. "We fortify without causing panic. Bring in people we trust absolutely."
"Emmett." Callum said immediately. "He's trained half the young shifters in town. They'll listen to him."
"Ryker too," Kieran added. "Wolf's got tactical experience and prophecy-honed instincts. If anyone can sense an attack coming, it's him."
"Good." Dante's mind catalogued names, positions, strengths. "We need magical protection too. Wards that won't be obvious but will slow them down, give us warning."
"Freya." Kieran's expression softened slightly at his mate's name. "She's been working with defensive plant magic since the blight last year. And Moira knows archival spells that could help."
"Lucien won't like being pulled into this," Callum warned.
"Lucien doesn't have to like anything." Dante folded the map, tucking it into his jacket.
They secured the cabin, erasing signs of their presence with practiced efficiency. The walk back to Hollow Oak took twenty minutes through snow-heavy woods, none of them speaking until the town lights shimmer became visible through the trees.
"She's going to be pissed you didn't tell her first." Callum's tone held a note of amusement despite the gravity of their discovery.
"She just fought three rogues while bleeding." Dante couldn’t help but feel proud in saying it, picturing her golden and fierce, defending what was hers. "She needs rest, not another battle to plan."
"You really think Maeve Cross rests?" Kieran snorted. "The woman runs on spite and whiskey."
"She'll rest," Dante said quietly.
They split up at the town's edge. Kieran headed for his cottage to brief Freya, Callum toward the Book Nook to find Moira and Lucien. Dante made for the Hearth and Hollow Inn where Maeve had reluctantly agreed to stay while her shoulder healed.
He found her in the small sitting room, wrapped in blankets before the fire with Cora keeping watch. The fae enchantress looked up as he entered, her soft green eyes assessing.
"She finally fell asleep an hour ago," Cora murmured, rising gracefully. "Freya's herbs helped with the pain."
"Thank you." He meant it. "For staying with her."
"She's family." Cora glanced at Maeve's sleeping form with obvious affection. "Callum's told me stories about when they were young. She was always the one protecting everyone else." She met his gaze knowingly. "Now someone needs to protect her."
"Working on it."
Cora smiled, ethereal and knowing in that way fae had. "I'll leave you to it then. Tell Callum I'm at the Griddle and Grind when he's done with his errands."
After she left, Dante settled into the chair she'd vacated, studying Maeve in the firelight.
Her short black hair was mussed from sleep, her features relaxed in a way they never were when she was awake.
The bandage on her shoulder showed white against her skin, a reminder of how close those rogues had come to doing real damage.
His lion growled possessively.
Mine. Protect. Keep safe.
"I can feel you staring." Her voice emerged rough with sleep, eyes still closed. "It's creepy."
"You should be resting."
"I am resting." She cracked one eye open, the gold in it catching the firelight. "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think something's wrong?"
"You smell like snow and old wood. You've been outside the Veil." Both eyes opened now, sharp and assessing despite the lingering exhaustion. "What did you find?"
There was no point lying. She'd see through it immediately. "Evidence that Hector's planning something bigger."
She sat up slowly, wincing as the movement pulled her injured shoulder. "How much bigger?"
"Big enough that we need to prepare quietly." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Trust me on this, Maeve. Trust that I won't let anything happen to your town."
She held his gaze. "If you're asking me to sit this one out—"
"I'm asking you to let me handle the coordination." He caught her hand, pressed it against his face. "You've been fighting alone for so long, Cub. Let someone stand with you for once."
Her dark gold eyes searched his, looking for weakness, for deception, for anything that would justify pushing him away. Whatever she found must have satisfied her because she nodded slowly.
"Okay." The word came quiet but sure. "But I want details. All of them."
"After you rest more."
"Dante—"
"After. I've got people to gather, plans to make. You've got healing to do."
"Bossy lion."
"Stubborn lioness." He smiled despite everything. "Perfect match."
Her snort followed him to the door, but so did something that sounded suspiciously like agreement.
An hour later, Dante stood in Lucien's private study above the Book Nook, surrounded by the people who would help defend Hollow Oak. Moira had cleared her worktable, spreading out the rogue's map alongside her own detailed charts of the town's layout.
"Protection wards here, here, and here." Freya pointed to the square's three main entrances, her copper-auburn hair catching lamplight as she leaned over the table.
Her hand rested protectively over her rounded belly, Kieran a solid presence at her back.
"I can weave them into the existing decorations.
No one will notice until they're triggered. "
"How long will they hold?" Emmett asked from his position by the window, Katniss beside him reviewing her own notes.
"Long enough to give warning and slow them down." Freya's green eyes met Dante's. "But they won't stop a determined attack. We'll need physical defense too."
"That's where we come in." Ryker spoke up, the auburn-haired wolf's emerald eyes intense with focus. "Sonya's visions showed fighting in the square, but the outcome kept shifting. Too many variables. But she's certain it happens at the Solstice."
"Then we make sure those variables shift in our favor." Dante straightened, addressing the group. "Emmett, I need your best fighters positioned as crowd control. Keep civilians safe first."
"Done."
"Lucien, Moira." He turned to the panther shifter and his mate. "Research and take notes from Maeve, Callum and Dante. I need to know everything about Hector's pride structure, his alliances, any weaknesses we can exploit."
Lucien's green eyes gleamed dangerously. "Consider it done."
"The rest of us coordinate patrols leading up to the gathering." Dante's gaze swept the room, seeing determination reflected back. "Quiet. Careful. We don't tip our hand until they make their move."
"And Maeve?" Callum asked, arms crossed but expression understanding.
"Heals." Dante's voice came out harder than intended. "And when the time comes, fights beside us. Not ahead of us."
"Good luck with that," Kieran muttered.
"He won't need luck." Cora appeared in the doorway with a tray of steaming mugs, her smile knowing. "He has something better. He has her trust."
The group dispersed an hour later, each with their assignments, each understanding the stakes. Dante remained behind, watching through the window as snow began to fall over Hollow Oak's quiet streets.