Chapter 16
Brick
Madi stands naked at the French doors that open from my bedroom to the forest. “Oh!” She jumps back behind the curtain on the door to hide her body. “Are those wolves?”
“They better not be,” I growl, ready to kill any pack member who just got an eyeful of my naked mate.
“Wait, no. They’re dogs.” Madi gives an embarrassed laugh. “Well, I can’t be too sure around here. Last time I was here, I was cornered by a pack of wolves.”
I open the door and make a click sound with my tongue. “Ah ah.” I stop the overjoyed blue heelers before they can enter. They’re covered in snow, and I don’t want them in the bedroom. “Sit.”
All three obediently drop into position.
“This is Bella,” I introduce the trembling dog as I stroke her ears. Her tail thumps the ground, sweeping snow-covered dead leaves beneath it. “She’s very excited to meet you.”
Madi laughs and pets Bella.
“And this is Fritz.” I give Fritz a thump on his side. He, too, tries to frantically lick my hand as he wags his tail. “And Bobo.” I introduce the third dog. “They are Liz and Dane’s dogs, but they recognize their alpha.”
“Oh, aren’t you beautiful?” Madi croons, bestowing love and pets on each of them in a way that makes me fall in love with her all over again.
“Now, go around to your door.” I shoo them off and shut the door.
Down the hall, I hear male voices. My team has returned. I hand Madi her clothes and dress in clean clothes from my closet.
“Come on. Liz will want to feed us, and we need to circle up with the council.”
“The council?”
“The guys. My executive team is also my inner pack council.”
“That makes sense. Your father was murdered, and you took the helm as a college student. Naturally, your council would be your best friends, cousin, and brother-in-law. You needed support from people you didn’t have to pretend with.”
I gather Madi up in my arms, shocked at how freeing it is to be understood so well. To have someone else I can now be wholly myself with.
She laughs softly, lifting her face to mine.
I brush my nose along hers. “You’re everything.”
“You’re more.”
“Let’s go,” I say before I change my mind and undress her again. I take her hand and lead her out to the living room.
Ruby is there, along with the guys, who have showered and changed. Everyone’s face shows the weight of what just happened. The needless death. The near destruction of our pack.
The moment I arrive, Liz appears with a cart of steaming food that she somehow whipped together with no warning. There’s smoked ham, roast chicken, three dozen dinner rolls, a giant Greek salad, wild rice, and corn on the cob.
We serve ourselves buffet style and settle in the living room with plates piled high with food.
In another wing, I hear April’s shriek of laughter and the quieter tones of my mom. For the first time in years, her presence in the same building doesn’t rattle me–it feels right.
“You burned the place down?” I ask.
Billy nods. “There was an unfortunate explosion.”
“What now, Alpha?” Jake asks.
I shovel a huge forkful of ham in my mouth and chew. All that fighting has me craving protein. When I swallow, I say, “We took care of the problem within our pack. Now we need to deal with the Adalwulfs.”
“Well, there’s one person on this earth who knows how to beat the Adalwulfs,” Madi says.
I tense, ready to defend her if my council shows any objection to her joining the conversation, but there’s none. Everyone looks at her expectantly.
“She’s right here in this building.” Madi nods toward the door leading to the other wing.
“Mom. Yes, that’s brilliant.” Ruby nods her agreement. “I never wanted to put her in a position of having to choose between us, but Odin made the choice for her when his henchmen tried to murder her.”
“He sealed his own fate,” I growl.
Ruby stands. “Shall I get her?”
I sense Billy shift in his chair. He doesn’t trust easily, and he knows the pain my mom caused me.
“Bring her in.”
Billy nods at me. He will be suspicious as always, and that’s his job. But he has my back.
My mom returns with Ruby, and Liz takes my niece and nephew to visit the dogs.
I stand. My mom still doesn’t look well. Despite the glow of love in her face, she moves stiffly, as if her broken ribs still hurt. “Mom. I have a question for you. It’s important that you answer truthfully, and I’ll respect your answer, no matter what it is. Are you a Blackthroat now?”
There’s no hesitation from my mom, but her eyes fill with tears as she nods. “Yes. If you’ll have me. It’s all I’ve wanted since the day I met your father.”
Ruby covers her mouth to cover her tears, and Eagle pulls her onto his lap.
“Have you been bespelled by the witch? Is there anything we need to do to release you from the Adalwulf pack?”
My mom lifts her shoulders helplessly. “It’s hard to know what’s real and what is smoke and mirrors with the old witch, but she isn’t long for this world.”
“Catherine, I was just saying that you’re the one person who knows the Adalwulf’s weaknesses. I thought you could join the council while we discuss next steps.” Madi’s luna power radiates through her words. I don’t think she even knows how much authority she wields with her voice.
My mom’s eyes widen and a look of wonder comes over her. “She’s taken on alpha powers. A true luna,” she says in amazement. “I didn’t know if that lore was real.”
“Same,” Vance agrees.
“Have a seat.” I wave a hand toward a chair and settle back on the sofa beside Madi.
My mom sits down. “I think an all-out war can be avoided, if that’s what you want. Now doesn’t seem like the time to strike when your pack just took an internal hit.”
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“The Adalwulfs are in turmoil right now. My brother is about to die from the magic poisoning, and his own son can’t wait. Aiden has been amassing strength and support of his own within the pack.”
“Yes. Remember how Aiden reacted when you said he was on his father’s leash?” Madi catches my eye.
Mostly what I remember was feeling my mate was being threatened and the need to protect her, but I try to recall the conversation before I shifted.
“Right. The attack on the island was Odin’s doing. It was reckless–he sent all his best wolves, and you decimated them. That means Odin’s power base is gone.”
Billy nods in approval. “That’s good.”
“If you somehow force a showdown now between father and son–between Odin’s supporters and Aiden’s–you can fracture the pack,” Eagle fills in.
“Exactly.” My mom accepts a plate of food that Vance filled for her.
An idea begins to form in my mind. “All right.” I catch the gaze of my mate. “I know just how to play this.”