Redemption: Montana Wolves, Book Three (Montana Wolves series 3) by Chloe Cole Page A

and I don't like it," Liam said, his tone matter of fact as he searched Billy’s face for answers.
    "I get that. And you know what your options are.” Billy leaned closer to Amber. “I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."
    Everyone in the room went silent as the ramifications of the men's exchange set in.
    Amber flicked a glance from Liam to Billy and back again.
    "Wh-what are you talking about?" She turned to face Chandra. "What punishments?"
    Billy wanted to explain. To reassure her, but he was pretty sure nothing he could tell her was going to help. Because what everyone else in the room knew that she didn't was that Liam had the authority to handle this a number of ways.
    He could stand by Billy and they could handle it together, as a pack.
    He could turn his back on him and excommunicate him.
    Or he could kill them both and be done with it.
    By standing toe to toe with him now, Billy was letting his alpha know that he wanted to stay in the pack, but if that wasn't acceptable, he would leave with Amber. And if Liam chose option three? Well, then it was about to go down. He would fight to the death to protect Amber if he had to.
    The idea of fighting his family sickened him and the idea of watching them kill his true mate sickened him even more, but no matter how many ways he'd examined this problem, once the other packs had become suspicious of Amber, she had been marked for death. He had opted to put his faith in himself and his pack to protect her and do what was right.
    Now, all that remained to be seen was whether his faith had been misplaced.
    "We need to prepare," Liam said, his face solemn as he rose from behind his desk. Amalie stood and took his hand, nodding in agreement, relief washing over her face. “You’re right. The days of behaving like barbarians and killing humans on a whim is over. We’ll stand for Amber now as we stood for Amalie then. And we’ll fight."
    His words were a balm to Billy’s soul and he sucked in a steadying breath to thank him, when a short, harsh laugh had him turning his head.
    "You can't be serious." Maggie's flat tone as her gaze flicked from him back to Liam again, was enough to have his hackles rising. “She nearly got Chandra killed.” She wheeled around to skewer Jax and Chandra with her glare. “Are the two of you going to stand for this?”
    Jax pursed his lips and stayed silent but Chandra patted his leg and lifted her chin. “We are. Amber was as much a victim in this as I was. I won’t see her harmed.”
    “This is bullshit,” Maggie spat.
    That was the final straw. She was pissed. He got that. But enough was enough.
    "Who the fuck are you?" Billy demanded, slipping an arm around Amber's shoulder. "This isn’t your decision to make. And if you don't like it, you know where the door is."
    "Have you all lost your minds?” Maggie spun in a circle to treat the entire pack to her glare. “Do you realize the Pandora’s box you’ve opened? Our enemies are coming for us, and we're going to have no choice but to fight. There hasn't been a war of this size in a hundred years. And all this for what?" she demanded, her eyes wide with incredulity. "Because the boys in this pack can't keep their dicks in their pants?"
    Amber flinched and white hot rage poured through him and he stepped toward Maggie, a low growl reverberating from his lips. "Watch yourself, woman. You have a lot to say about love considering it’s a subject you know nothing of."
    She flinched like he'd slapped her. "Screw you, Billy. This isn't about me or my love life. This is about family. Our pack. Every pain we’ve suffered in the past few years has been because of humans." Her voice broke and he saw something he'd only seen once in his whole life. Tears in Maggie’s eyes. The only others he’d seen her shed were for Sara.
    Shit.
    "Mags—"
    "Don't." She stepped back with both hands held up defensively like she was warding off an attack. "I don't know what's happening