Chapter Twenty One
Brodie
T he Ramirez pack was lovely. Jessie, the Alpha, was both glowing and tired as fuck—her words—because of the new addition. The baby was cute, too. Jessie’s betas and the rest of the pack who were home and not at work or school seemed like good people.
We chatted a while about my pack and how I’d “snatched” Holden to join mine instead of hers, and it was all done in good humor.
We’d just been served coffee when my phone dinged in my pocket.
“Excuse me,” I said, knowing that she’d understand. Alphas had a responsibility to be reachable almost all the time, after all.
Rian. “Visitors. NQ SOS.”
My heart jumped into my throat and I showed the message to Holden. We’d had time to fill Jessie in with the weird vibe we’d gotten off the warning Holden’s boss had given us, so when we told her we needed to go, she nodded.
“If there’s anything we can do?”
“I’ll let you know. Thank you. We’ll try this again—”
“Go, go!” She smiled, but her eyes were filled with worry for us.
We were in my truck in no time, and I started toward home.
“Take the backroads when I tell you. It’s gonna be faster and less cops,” Holden said.
I nodded, my fingers white with how hard I was squeezing the steering wheel.
“What was the NQ in the message?” he asked after we made it through the long winding driveway, the pack’s property being in the middle of nowhere much like ours.
“Oh, it’s something Rian uses. Not Quite.” I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to stay in control. “I wish I’d never seen it in this context, though.”
“Huh.” After a minute, Holden said, “I think not quite SOS is still better than SOS.”
“Yes, but we both know who those visitors are, and….”
Holden put his hand on my arm and squeezed. “Alpha, breathe. It’ll be fine. Our pack are all strong and capable people, and from what I know about these idiots, they well, aren’t. Not strong, and definitely not capable.” He chuckled a bit darkly. “And you have two betas and a vampire. What do they have? Those sorry excuses Rusty called betas and a couple of humans?”
I hoped he was right, and turned to a backroad where I could speed up enough to feel like I was actually moving instead of sitting behind a soccer mom or a fucking tractor.
It took me ten minutes less to get home than if I’d driven at normal speed. I decided that it was worth it and if Holden wasn’t scolding me, it was fine. Not that he would’ve. Not because I was his Alpha, though. He was a reasonable man and knew that even though he was an officer of the law, those laws really meant nothing in this case.
I threw the truck in park and got out, barely registering the signs of vehicles having left the yard in a hurry. The stench of unwashed, drugged up bodies made my nose wrinkle, but I had no time to dwell on any of that.
The relief I felt when I could see my pack in one piece, looking happy and proud, was immense. Luckily my mate was intelligent and pulled me away from the kitchen.
I’d always been a strong man, physically and mentally. I’d had to be, with what life had thrown at me.
My life with Kye was just starting, and the fact that I was here, in this big old house, starting over and making better memories, happy even in my imminent little breakdown, seemed like a miracle.
I didn’t have to be strong here, in his arms. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
A n hour later, we gathered on the couch for a pack meeting.
“We really need to figure this out,” Kye said firmly, holding the iPad to Carys who was ready to take notes if needed.
“So, let’s go with the assumption that my boss was trying to warn you guys off,” Holden started and sipped his coffee at the end of the couch.
“Warn us off,” Kye told him firmly. “You’re part of this now.” Then he stuck his tongue out at Holden who rolled his eyes fondly.
“Fine. Us. ”
“Good boy,” Kye deadpanned.
“So what we think,” Rian interrupted them, “is that Gerrell had some sort of a deal with Rusty. We also heard one of the betas mention the sheriff, and the leader hushed him pretty harshly, right?”
“Yeah, it was very strict and a big fuckup to mention him,” Kye said thoughtfully. “I say he’s definitely in on this. But what could he be wanting? There’s nothing here for him.”
“He got money before, but sending some thugs to intimidate us doesn’t give him money,” Max pointed out quietly.
“Right,” Kye replied.
“What about the house itself?” Carys asked.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well you know how you automatically got the property when you became Alpha. That’s the law, isn’t it?” At my nod, she continued, “What if he thinks if he can take you out, he’ll get the house through the betas or something?”
“Let me do some research on the laws,” Holden said, holding up a finger as he started to scroll on his phone.
“I doubt he wants to be an Alpha himself,” I murmured. “I got the vibe that he thinks we’re shit on the bottom of his shoes.”
“The language the thugs used wasn’t very pro-wolf, either,” Kye said lightly. Too lightly.
I was immediately on alert. “What did they say?”
“It wasn’t for polite company,” he hedged.
“Fuck polite company, what did they say?” I rumbled, because nobody fucking insulted my mate.
Kye looked stubborn and stayed silent.
Carys cleared her throat and helpfully stated, “I believe the exact phrasing was ‘dog fucker faggot bitch.’”
Four growls rose from us wolves, and she seemed very happy with herself. Kye facepalmed, and Rian snickered.
“Okay, settle down, boys,” Kye said, glaring at his sister. Then he smirked at me. “I mean, it’s not like he was wrong?”
Ben guffawed, and this time it was me who wanted to facepalm.
“Right, so here’s something interesting,” Holden said in his no-nonsense tone, even though he still looked a bit amused. “If a property is either abandoned by a pack or the Alpha passes away without the Alpha power moving onto someone else and there’s an absence of a will and testament, the property automatically transfers to the local town. Within two weeks of such event, the town has to hold an auction where the highest bidder gets the property and whatever is on it.”
“Wait, wait,” Rian said, leaning forward as he frowned. “So let’s say someone like Gerrell wants the pack’s property and gets us to leave. He can make sure nobody else bids for it or someone bids like twenty thousand dollars and he bids twenty thousand and one dollars, he gets it?”
“Is there anything about fair value?” I asked before Holden could respond.
He scrolled a bit more, then snorted. “Rian, you’re correct. There’s a mention that the law has been valid for over a hundred years, and it hasn’t been updated, and back in the day people didn’t necessarily have good money, but could drive away packs to get their properties for like a dollar.”
“I think that’s a good starting point, even if it wasn’t what he’s up to,” Kye said thoughtfully. “I mean we can’t be sure, but we need to start thinking about this logically and take every precaution just in case.
“Yeah, exactly,” Max piped up. “I don’t know what he’d want with this place, other than the property value might be higher than we think, but we better be sure he can’t yoink it out from under us.” He looked determined, and his brother squeezed him briefly.
The fact that Max was comfortable enough around us to use his voice like this felt damn good to me. I was proud of him, of Ben, and I’d told them earlier. The self confidence they both had now was day and night from when I’d first arrived in town, but the change was even more obvious in Max.
I dug out my phone and made a call.
“Brodie? What’s wrong?”
“Hey, Ayesha. I’m in need of some urgent legal stuff, nothing is wrong but it’s a precaution.”
Rian grinned. “She’s awesome,” he whispered to the others.
“Oh, absolutely. Baby girl? Go watch your movie, Mommy is going to talk to Uncle Brodie for a bit in the office.”
“Hi Uncle Brodie!” her Little, Kate, yelled.
“Tell Kate I said hi back,” I chuckled. Then I glanced at Rian. “And Uncle Rian says hi, too.”
I heard Ayesha forward the message for Kate, who squealed happily. Then I heard the door to Ayesha’s home office close.
“Okay, what can I do for you?”
I explained the situation to her . She’d known I was an Alpha now, because she’d met with Rian before he joined us in Pennsylvania, and she was on top of our case immediately.
“Okay, I’ll send you a template for a wolfy will. You can fill it in, get it notarized there, and send it back to me for safekeeping. Keep copies there in town as well with trusted people. Who do you want the property to go to in case of your demise?” Her tone was a bit snarky, but that was just who she was with me.
“In case of my death, my mate, Kye. Then after him it would be Rian, then Kye’s sister, Carys and my cousins Ben and Max jointly, after them, my beta Holden.”
Ayesha whistled. “That’s a decent lineup. Someone would have to get rid of a whole lot of people to get to the point where it can be auctioned off.”
“Oh, and add my sister Bella to the end of the list, too. Well, I’ll list them, but you know.”
“Absolutely.”
“I know she wouldn’t want it, but in case everyone else dies, she would keep it in the family. I know I don’t need to file it, and that it being somewhere people could produce it after my death would be enough, but I’d rather be able to say it’s all legal and set already.”
“Right, I understand. Okay, well if that’s all, I have a Little to entertain after I send you this template.”
I let my smile through into my voice. “That’s all. Thanks so much, hun. I know your time with your girl is precious.”
“That’s true, but friends are family, you know that.”
“I know. Thanks again.”
“Tell Rian and everyone else I said hi. Bye!”
“Bye!”
When I ended the call and gave the others my full attention, they all looked more or less stunned.
“What?” I asked, confused.
Without saying anything, they piled on top of me for hugs. Even Holden leaned closer to get his hand to my knee through the rest of the cuddlers and squeezed.
“You’re the best Alpha,” Kye stated.
I didn’t have time to object, when the others all agreed with him, loudly.
The happiness inside me felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
I grunted when someone kneed me in the gut and I got elbowed in the neck, but I wouldn’t have changed the moment for anything.
“Now I’ll just smoothly drop that information where the Sheriff can hear it and I think we’re done,” Holden mused. Then he frowned. “I got a feeling he doesn’t like me, so I think there’ll be more trouble in the future, but at least we can relax with the pack things.”
“We’re here for you, Holden,” Kye promised solemnly, even though he was smiling a little. “Nobody gets left behind.”
“Ohana!” Carys squealed too close to my ear, making me yelp.
T he next day, Holden went to meet Sheriff Gerrell to inform him about how these criminals had been trying to intimidate the McRae pack, but hadn’t quite succeeded. He said that the good sheriff had tried his best to appear surprised and upset on our behalf, but hadn’t quite managed to hide how pissed off he was. It had only intensified when Holden had told him that there was a will being filed as they spoke, and that there was now no way anyone could take the property for themselves.
He’d left Gerrell in his office with a vein throbbing in his forehead while he grimaced, trying to smile politely.
Holden started the drive back to his own station and called me on the way.
“So that’s handled,” he said in a tone that was so self-satisfied I laughed.
“Holy shit. I almost wish I could’ve been there to see his expression.” I grinned as I listened to him with Kye standing next to me.
We were outside, looking at the spot where the barn had been, and I had Holden on speaker.
“You’re the best, Holden,” Kye said cheerily.
I could tell Holden felt pleased by the praise. His tone was quieter and almost shy when he replied, “Thank you. I’ll talk to you later!”
“So, chickens?” I asked Kye when I’d put the phone away.
Carys joined us. “Can we have, like, ducks or geese?”
“Geese are evil,” Kye and I said at the same time.
“Okay, but ducks? They’re cute and not scary.”
“As long as it doesn’t evolve into bunnies and mini pigs and whatnot,” I grumbled, having heard too many stories of people giving into their spouses or kids.
“I can have a cat though, right?” Carys beamed at me with feigned innocence.
“Chickens and ducks in the spring. Cat for your birthday in December,” Kye said firmly.
She hugged us both, then ran back inside. “Lina, I’m getting a cat!”
We were almost done with the winter preparations. The storage room was filled to the brim with my stuff and a bunch of Rian’s.
Everything was falling into place, and I squeezed Kye to my side.
“What?” he asked, smiling.
I leaned in to kiss him, tasting him properly.
“Oh, that,” he exhaled the words when we separated.
The flush of his cheeks wasn’t only the cold, or the snow that started to fall around us.
Rian’s SUV rolled into the yard.
“I swear to god if you bought any more stuff, I’m gonna strangle you, Rian Flynn!” I called out to him as soon as he got out of the vehicle.
He cackled and grabbed a few shopping bags from the back seat, including a—
“Is that a litterbox?” Kye blinked at him.
“I knew you’d cave immediately and wanted her to be prepared.” He flounced inside, calling for Carys.
Kye groaned and pressed his forehead against my chin. “Is there a way to parent a two-hundred-year-old vampire?”
I chuckled. “If there was, I haven’t found it yet.”
“Great.”
W hen I curled up with him that night, and every night after, I felt contentment like I never had before.
The house I’d called home for years as a child and a teenager finally felt like home. Not a home, but my home. The one where I could live happily with my pack and my mate.
Rian had to go back to Seattle for one event or another every now and then, but he came back as soon as he could.
He found a solid donor in town and a couple of potential backups as well.
Kye started to make plans for a greenhouse and how to make the rose garden flourish. He hoped that growing veggies, fruits, and berries on the property and getting chickens would bring down our running costs.
Rian smartly chose not to mention how he could pay everything for everyone forever and not see a dip in his bank balance.
I couldn’t wait to see what everyone I loved, my family, would choose to do with their lives.
Holden and Ben had jobs. Max and Carys wanted to study more. Rian did his philanthropic things from a laptop in the family room, and Kye wanted to better our property with the skills he’d learned at college and maybe even finish his degree one day.
Me? I kept building and renovating. Reclaiming every piece of my home, one at a time with my mate right beside me.