Chapter 23 I knew that cowering would have eased the pack leader’s displeasure, but a fox can’t afford to submit in the face of a larger predator. Instead, I squared my shoulders and stood a little taller. Then I told Ransom—and all of the werewolves arrayed around us: “I didn’t come to disrupt. I came to join.” Bracing myself for another eardrum-shattering roar, I was surprised to instead see Ransom’s lips curling upward into the same subtle smile Gunner graced me with whenever I fell for one of his practical jokes. Only, the younger sibling had always been laughing with me during those past episodes. At the moment, I got the distinct impression I was about to become the butt of the older brother’s joke. “Did you now?” the pack leader purred, pacing toward me and slipping one finger be