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a pinecone into the forest and Chase shook his head in front of them and sighed. Whatever. Even if he did have eyes in the back of his head, she would only have to deal with his bossiness for one more day. Then she’d be a ghost bear and wouldn’t ever have to do high knees again. Maybe she would haunt him for fun.
    Turning, she squinted at the clearing behind her one last time. She hadn’t believed in ghosts before, but then there had been the shade at the edge of the woods. Now she didn’t know what to think.
    Riker stood in the back of his truck, addressing the gathered shifters. Corin s kirted the edges and settled next to Joanna.
    “The treaty still holds until midnight tonight, which means none of you are to engage in a fight with any members of the Long Claw Clan.”
    “Are you sure they’ll follow through with that clan law?” Brad Barker asked from the crowd.
    “I’m having a meeting with their new alpha shortly, and I’ll make sure to reiterate no attacks on either camp tonight. To be safe though, we’ll have sentries on shift from now until dawn , and I want you sleeping dressed and ready for battle. Chase and Juan, you take first shift. Daria is setting up a medical area near the edge of the clearing, and she and Hannah will be preforming first aid there. This will also be off limits from the Long Claws, and likewise, steer clear of their injured. Other than that, anything goes. We’ll set up camp and get a good meal in us. I don’t want you staying up late. Tomorrow could be the most important day in Bear Valley’s history. Some of us won’t come home from this. Some of us will come back scarred.” He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out over his people. “I wanted to stop this war, but it isn’t in our control anymore. The Long Claws will come after us whether we fight now or next week, and I’d rather be prepared. Tomorrow we’ll fight for our land, for our people. You’ll fight for your friends and family. Help each other. Have each other’s backs like the proud Bear Valley shifters who have dotted our lineage before you. Who have battled for peace and honor, and won.” Riker nodded to Juan, who stood leaned against the truck.
    Juan turned and pulled the first tent from the back, th en he handed it to Brody to dole out to the first group.
    “ Most are sleeping five to a tent,” Joanna said. “You can stay with me and Anya if you want to.”
    “ Sure, thanks.” Except spending her last night on earth in the same tent as two newly mated couples sounded like the least fun slumber party ever. Beggars and choosers, though, so she helped Joanna wrestle their tent to a flat area thirty yards away.
    It was a simple set up that didn’t require instructions, so while the boys were unloading supplies, she and Jo put up the tent, and Hannah built hers right next to it.
    This would be fun if death weren’t imminent.
    By the time camp was set up, the smells of cooking stew simmering over several fire pits wafted through the woods. Corin was so hungry, her stomach hated her. The bear inside of her was kicking up her instincts to find the nearest blackberry bush and take food matters into her own hands, but she needed more than fruit if she was going to have enough energy for tomorrow. She needed protein.
    “Snake,” Juan said casually as he p ointed to something at her feet
    Corin screamed and fell backward off the log she was sitting on.
    “That’s your defense mechanism?” Juan asked through uncontrolled laughter.
    Corin sat up and brushed leaves from her hair. The snake in question was actually stick , which made Juan a floppy cock-face for scaring her like that.
    The gargantuan shifter seemed to be enjoying himself, his shoulders shaking as he spooned stew from the iron pot over the fire. She wanted to kick embers at him.
    “It kind of looks like a snake,” Anya said with her nose scrunched up.
    The branch was covered in leaves and didn’t look like anything other than a