Lucien tired of this back and forth and turned to Callum.

“Your wolves are close?” he asked, and Callum looked to him.

“Close but too far,” he replied.

“The hybrid can’t sense them, Callum,” Gregor told Callum something he already knew as they’d had this discussion two days ago when he and Sonia arrived. “And the enemy can’t know they’re in wait. But in case we need them, we need them close.”

“I have an excellent memory, Gregor, so there’s no purpose in repeating yourself,” Callum returned.

Gregor took no offense and looked to his son. “Our vampires?”

Yuri nodded curtly, visibly still impatient and annoyed. “They’re amassing fifty miles south of town, to the wolves’ north.”

“I have hope Mrs. Jin will impress upon her son that he should meet with us, but there may be a need to prove we’re trustworthy,” Gregor murmured like he was talking to himself. “I just hope the losses are few should that occur.”

“Me too,” Leah muttered.

Sonia looked to her friend and gave her a reassuring smile.

“We should have sent in the women,” Lucien noted. “Leah’s human. She would be no threat and might be able to establish camaraderie with The Third’s mate.”

“Again, no use going over old ground,” Yuri said.

“I’m not,” Lucien replied. “I’m mentioning it again because it’s still a play we can make.”

“And you wish your bride and my sister to go into the den of a hybrid vampire werewolf who doesn’t trust his own kind enough that he’s dispatched every one he’s encountered, save one who didn’t meet that fate only because he ran away?” Yuri asked.

“I’d trust The Third with my wife because he did the same thing I would do if someone had touched her. He tore them apart. Even if he doesn’t know who he is and all that means, he’d not harm Leah if she caused no threat. No one could say the same for those he slayed,” Lucien retorted.

“Give them until tomorrow,” Gregor cut in before things escalated as the look on Yuri’s face said they would. Then again, Gregor had raised Sonia since she was a child, Yuri a part of that, so he too was protective of the woman Yuri called “sister.” “Then we’ll discuss Leah and Sonia being involved.”

“I’ll reiterate at this point,” Leah said, “I’m all in.”

“Me too,” Sonia threw in.

Lucien sighed and looked down at his bride, who was looking at Sonia. “I have a taste for some Chinese food anyway.”

“Me too,” Sonia repeated on a grin.

Lucien moved his eyes to Callum, who had dropped his head back and was looking at the ceiling.

“He’ll sense you as wolf, Sonny,” Yuri reminded her.