Chapter 28
“Yeah, clay pad is still solid. Let’s drive the pilings into place and get this one moving.
Single family capable of transitioning to a multiple person temporary home.
Three beds, two baths. An option to pull a collapsible accordion wall down the middle of the master to make two smaller bedrooms out of it, and we’re revising the living room area to be able to open up pocket doors to separate it from the rest of the first floor to create a bedroom in there that’ll sleep at least four.
Everybody on the same page?” Titus asked.
Yeps, yes sirs, and you know its answered his question. He’d pulled both his crews to work on this house and get it done as quickly as they could and all were present and accounted for this morning.
“You do know you can take a break. You need a break. You’ve been working almost around the clock,” Dane said.
“Not necessary. Had a lot of people to house, we got it done. Now we need to provide for visitors, which is this house. After we get this one done, I’m splitting the crews and we’ll be looking at renovating Rance’s home, a serious renovation and/or rebuild on Niko’s family home, and whichever is finished first, most likely the crew on Rance’s house, will be putting up a small cottage near Three and Findley for Brinnley.
Our own people still need the option of new housing as well, as they claim mates and want a place of their own, so we’ll get back to the original request Jack made before we absorbed the Gamieyon people into our Pride.
We’ll put up half a dozen or so single family homes, some two bedroom cottages, some three bedroom full size houses.
“For now everybody’s got a place to live. You need to give yourself some grace. Jack’s house is right over there, we can see it from here if we need something. Go get some sleep for God’s sake! What’s it been since you slept? A week?” Dane asked.
Titus turned his head and looked at Dane, blinking his eyes slowly as he considered whether or not he deserved an answer. “Why are you still standing here?” he finally asked. “Work or go away.”
The sound of tires crunching in the distance as a vehicle approached had all of the males working construction grabbing their phones to look for messages letting them know that someone had been given permission to drive up the mountain.
When there was none, they all walked over to where Titus stood, watching expectantly down the dirt and gravel road where the vehicle would first make its appearance.
“Y’all spread out a little,” Titus said, his eyes glued to the place he knew they’d see the car first. The males moved down, putting several feet between small groups of two or three of them, as they prepared for whatever was coming toward them.
They heard a door open and close and a quick glance told them that Jack had walked out on his porch some two hundred feet away and was standing there sipping coffee as he looked out over the morning.
“Jack, you should go back in. Unannounced vehicle just about here,” Titus warned, tossing his hammer and catching it again with one hand as though it weighed nothing.
“I know. I approved it.”
Titus turned to look at Jack and noticed the smug grin he wore as he too waited for the vehicle to make the curve and come into sight.
About that time a brand new black 4-door Jeep Wrangler came into view and slowly made its way toward them. The windows were dark, but Titus had the distinct feeling that its occupants were looking directly at him. “I can stop it,” Titus shouted.
“Nope,” Jack yelled back.
The Jeep passed him and his crew slowly on its way to Jack’s house, where it came a stop and after a few minutes, turned off its engine. A few moments later the driver’s side door opened and Feral got out. He grinned at Jack and started toward the porch where he stood.
“Welcome back!” Jack called out.
Feral’s smile was huge as he reached the porch and Jack came down to meet him, shaking his hand and pulling him into an embrace and patting him on the back.
“You doing good?” Jack asked.
“You just don’t have any idea how good,” Feral said.
“I can imagine. We’re glad to have you join the Laighin Pride,” Jack said. “How’s she doing?”
“Nervous. Afraid he’ll reject her.”
On seeing Feral get out of the Jeep and be welcomed by Jack, Titus having just been reminded by Feral’s arrival that Hail could be there if she chose to be, and didn’t, turned his back on them both without another word and went right back to work, his males following suit.
They didn’t see the passenger side door of the Jeep open, and first one, then another feminine foot clad in women’s tennis shoes step out and rest on the ground.
They didn’t count the heartbeat in time before their owner finally worked up the courage to get out of the Jeep.
Hail stood there for a few seconds in the open doorway of the Jeep, looking Titus’ way before closing the door.
At the sound of another car door closing, Titus glanced back over his shoulder expecting to see that Feral had gotten back in the car, but instead found himself locking eyes with the very reason he’d been unable to sleep for the last week.
He turned completely around to face Hail’s direction as his heart thudded to deafening levels in his chest.
Hail held his gaze for only a moment longer before she broke eye contact and turned away from him, making her way the few steps over to where Jack stood waiting on the front porch of his house.
“Alpha Jack,” Hail said as she approached.
“Just Jack. No title is necessary. Welcome Hail. It’s good to see you again.”
“Thank you for welcoming me. I know you weren’t expecting me, but Feral said he was coming back and I couldn’t miss the opportunity, so I begged a ride.”
“You’re always welcome here, but what opportunity in particular are you referring to?” Jack asked, still wearing a smirk.
Hail swallowed nervously, looked away for a brief second before returning her gaze to Jack’s and looking him directly in the eye.
“I don’t want to live in Alliance anymore.
I want to live here. I want to be a member of your Pride and contribute in any way I can.
Even if Titus won’t have me, I don’t want to go back to Alliance.
Can I live here? Can I join you as Feral has? ”
Jack grinned at her and extended his hand. “Welcome to the Laighin Pride, Hail. All you had to do was ask. We’re glad to have you join us.”
Titus started toward Jack’s front porch where Hail and Feral now stood. He couldn’t quite hear what Hail was saying, but he’d seen Jack smile at her and shake her hand. “Why’s she here?” he whispered to himself, moving toward Jack’s house a few hundred feet away.
“He was angry when I left. How is he?” Hail asked.
Jack’s gaze flicked over her shoulder then back to Hail. “I think you’re about to find out.”
She turned quickly and saw Titus coming her way.
“Excuse me,” she said, as she turned away from Jack and walked slowly off the porch and into the yard just a short distance from where Feral and Jack stood.
She didn’t want to assume and run to Titus, but she didn’t really have to because he was picking up speed with every step in her direction.
Titus stopped about six feet from her, forcing himself to give her a wide berth just in case she hadn’t returned for him. “Why are you here?”
“Feral said he was coming back. That Alpha Jack had given him permission to join the Pride. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more so I begged to come along.”
“And?”
“Jack gave me permission to join the Pride. I’m going to live here now,” Hail said.
“And?!” Titus asked again, this time less patiently.
“And, I was thinking that if you haven’t replaced me yet, maybe we could try to pick up where we left off and…”
Titus lunged toward her before she was even finished speaking. He grabbed her, wrapping both his arms around her, and holding her body against his as he buried his nose in her hair. “Can’t replace you. There will be no other.”
Hail threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek as he held her tightly and kissed her hair, her face, her lips.
“You won’t leave me again!” he insisted.
“I won’t,” she agreed. “Unless I have to go on mission or something.”
“You’re not in that world anymore!” Titus said. “They can do it without you!”
“Unless they call me and need my help, then I can’t turn them down. They’re my friends.”
“You are not going without me,” he said, thinking it was a fair compromise.
“Hopefully I won’t get called to go on mission. It’s not a very high likelihood. They’ve got other teams,” she said, looking up into his eyes as she laid a hand along his cheek.
“Are you tired? Do you need to rest?”
She thought it was a strange question, until she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She focused on Dane who’d moved closer to them and was waving his arms to get her attention and nodding exaggeratedly at her.
“Yes?” she answered, though it was more of a question.
“You couldn’t sleep without me, either, could you? Come, we’ll go home and sleep. First. Then we’ll make sure this mating is finalized.”
Dane darted back toward the rest of the crew and stood there innocently.
Titus turned toward the new home they were building for visitors to the Laighin Pride, but he didn’t even get a chance to speak.
“We got it! We know exactly what to do. Just go sleep, please!” Dane said. “If there are any questions at all, we’ll call you.”
“I’d rather you ask than assume,” Titus said grouchily.
“I know. We won’t do anything we don’t know for sure is the plan.”
Titus nodded, then turned back to Hail. “You will accept my claim? Live with me?” he asked, realizing he’d told her he was going to finalize their mating, rather than ask her.
“I was hoping, but I could live with Alison if you’d…” she said.
“You will live with me!” he said firmly, interrupting her.
“A mate should always live with their mate,” Hail said.