“He might. I’m a panther.”

Prince’s jaw slackened.

“He values me at a high price.”

Prince curled his lips in and began rubbing his hand across his mouth. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind why he looked uncomfortable. Ancients like him had seen the darker side of our past—had lived it. Prince gave Austin a judgmental stare, but Austin merely sat up straight and centered his eyes on him.

“If I take out Delgado, will I have your full support?” Austin asked. “Your protection?”

“My absolute protection—as much of it as I can offer. The laws are in place to create order, but sometimes we have to take the law into our own hands. Discreetly, of course. It’s important you don’t make any mistakes, because you might only have one chance. Too many failed attempts will draw suspicion to your court—too many eyes you can’t afford to have on you. When things like this happen, you want to keep that knowledge to a limited few, such as those sitting in this room right now. Your pack will remain unified, regardless if you conceal information from them. You’re their leader, and Packmasters have no obligation to disclose the details behind our orders. We protect our packs, and that’s why it’s better to only have a handful that could be held accountable if something goes wrong. Your goal is to protect as many of your packmates as possible.”

“I’m all for keeping this limited to our private little party,” Wheeler said.

Austin lowered his voice. “This isn’t the first time Delgado has tangled with our pack, but I’ll make damn sure it’s the last. To hell with the laws if they protect a man like him.”

The slander laws were frustrating. Within the Breed world, an accusation without evidence was a punishable offense. The dynamic in the Breed world was so different than for humans because social chatter built reputations. Our population wasn’t as massive, and because of our extended lifespan, slander could financially damage someone in a way that couldn’t be undone. It’s the kind of thing that could follow a man for seven hundred years, preventing him from forming alliances or offering his services. So our laws decreed that warrants couldn’t be issued without substantial written or physical evidence. Jail space was limited; therefore, only serious crimes resulted in a sentencing. The higher authorities had no desire to be held accountable for a botched arrest. We had to be careful not to draw attention to ourselves, and concealing a prison was a tremendous task. Vampires worked for the higher authority to make sure any suspicious humans had their memories scrubbed. We also had spies working in the human world, and hackers erased documented evidence of Breed business.

“Keep me abreast of your actions, Cole. Now that I’m involved, consider me an investor.”

“I have my pack leaving in groups of two. I’m not about to shut us in here because of that bastard.”

“And you shouldn’t,” Prince agreed. “Keep your pack moving and split up. When you have an enemy upon you, the worst thing you can do is huddle together as a single target.”