Chapter 46
A fter a warm bath in Bear’s arms, the others hovering close by to gently wash my hair and clean my skin, I was feeling considerably more human. Having all four of them in the bond with me was overwhelming, but in a good way. They balanced each other, and even with all of the worry flickering, the undercurrent was all love. I’d never felt so steady in my entire life, never been so convinced I was wanted.
Now they were all mine.
My pack.
My alphas.
My home.
“They’re here, sweetheart.” Maverick popped his head back into the bathroom, where Kit was braiding my damp hair for me. Kit finished up quickly and I pulled on the sweater Maverick offered to cover up my nightgown.
One set of paramedics checked me over, taking my vitals and performing a rapid response hormone test to confirm our claim that I had been recently in the heat and that was why no one had called for Brandon. I had orders to get checked over at a clinic if I felt worse in the next couple of days, but they otherwise had no concerns for my healing.
Bear led the recovery team with Pumpkin, and Maverick went as well to interpret as necessary. I didn’t like either of them being out of my sight, but the retrieval team would never find Brandon in the dark without them.
While they were gone, Sheriff Marks took my statement, sitting across from me at our dining room table while I sipped a cup of tea. “You’ve got some damn good luck, Ms. Harris.”
“I’d consider it luckier not to have almost died twice, but I can’t complain at having survived, I guess.”
He had the good sense to look at least mildly admonished. “We’ll add the statements and images provided by your pack to the investigation. I can assure you Mr. McLean won’t be a problem again. The video file you sent over only confirmed what we already suspected, but it will leave no doubt in the minds of jurors what his intentions were.”
“Are you going to get Maisie out? The omega Paul mentioned in the video. Or Natalie?”
Sheriff Marks sighed, averting his gaze. “It’s not that simple. The Decker compound is heavily armed. The video will help since it contains Paul Decker’s direct confession, but this is bigger than him. If we move too quickly, we could have nothing to show for it but lives lost.”
I swallowed hard. “People are suffering in there.”
“Trust me, Ms. Harris. We’re aware of what’s going on, but building a solid case takes time. No one wants us to move too soon and have the charges dropped because there wasn’t enough to put them away. That doesn’t help your friends.”
I hated that it was true. Vigilante justice wasn’t really my style, but I could see the appeal when you had to wait on the system, knowing people were hurting in the meantime. Instead of responding, I took a long drink of my tea.
“We appreciate your cooperation on all this. Mr. McLean is not directly related to the Decker compound, but with any luck he’ll sing like a canary about anything he knows.”
“Does that mean you would cut him a deal? Let him out sooner?”
“Maybe with the first attempt, but not with a second. Best he can hope for is some privileges while he’s locked up.”
My stomach turned at the thought that Brandon might have gone free if he hadn’t tried to finish the job. I couldn’t count it as a blessing that he had come back to hurt me again, but at the very least it brought me some clarity, gave me the courage to claim my pack, and ensured he wouldn’t be a threat to me any longer.
Pumpkin’s barking alerted us to the return of the retrieval party, and Sheriff Marks went out to meet them. I stayed right where I was, not remotely eager to lay eyes on Brandon again. Ryder settled at my side, taking my hand in his with a comforting squeeze.
“I’ll go see if I can get us an update,” Kit said, slipping away.
“Do you think Bear will get in trouble if something happened to Brandon?” I asked Ryder, leaning against him to tuck my head beneath his chin.
“Anyone with eyes can see Brandon physically assaulted you. I doubt Bear would get in trouble if he’d fed Brandon through a wood chipper while protecting you.”
“That’s…a visceral image.”
“Accurate, though, and no less than he deserves. Brandon’s lucky we weren’t all home when he showed up or they’d be picking up pieces of him instead of launching a rescue.”
I didn’t consider myself to be a violent person, but my purr wasn’t convinced, rumbling up a storm at the declaration.
“Do you want to call your brother?” Ryder asked.
“In the morning. If I call now, he’ll be up all night even though I’m already safe. Might as well let them all sleep.”
“Fair enough.”
We both perked up when Kit reappeared.
“He’s alive. Barely.” Kit sat down next to us. “He’s in police custody and they’re transporting him to the hospital. They want to come back tomorrow to take photos and collect potential evidence, but for now they’ll finish up interviewing Bear and head out.”
The cops sat with Bear, and Kit interpreted for him during his statement, the most important one besides mine since he was more cognizant than I was toward the end. If they had the technology to understand dogs, Pumpkin probably would’ve given the most scathing statement of all. She stuck next to me now that everyone was back inside, and we watched from the windows as everyone from emergency services departed.
“How are you feeling, little fox?” Kit planted a kiss against my hair.
“Better than expected. The bond is helping.” We were all agitated, but our connection was soothing, every touch settling me further. It was odd in many ways to feel so much more than I usually did and not want to crawl out of my skin. It was a lot, but it was right.
A bond with the wrong person probably didn’t feel this way. I imagined it to be itchy, like grains of sand in your shoe, only you would never be able to get rid of them. My bond with these alphas flowed like water, occasionally buffeting, but mostly a relief.
“Would you like some more tea, sweetheart?”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
Maverick stole a quick kiss before getting the kettle warming again. Pumpkin walked so close to me she turned herself into a tripping hazard, but it was cute more than anything else.
“I’m not going to get kidnapped in the house,” I told her. “I promise I’m okay now.”
Stubborn, beautiful girl that she was, she remained glued to my side.
“Come on, firecracker. Let’s get you tended to.”
I followed Ryder into the living room, letting him and Kit brush liquid bandage over my numerous cuts and carefully rub some arnica gel into the bruising, avoiding any of the broken skin. It wasn’t comfortable to submit to, even knowing it would help. With the adrenaline and heat hormones gone, I felt every single injury, no matter how small.
Maverick deposited a cup of tea and a glass of water next to me, Bear adding a few bottles of painkillers so I could take my choice of them. Once I was dosed, we sat together in front of the fire, my alphas alternating hot and cold packs against my aching muscles. What helped the most was their symphony of purring, soft touches, and warm cuddles keeping me relaxed.
Brandon had tried to take so much from me. After the first time, I’d been worried the forest would never be the same, and maybe this time would be different, but I trusted my pack. If anyone could help me reclaim my peace, it was them.
“What do you think about a second dog?” Ryder asked.
“For what? Company for Pumpkin?”
“Protection. I guess mostly for peace of mind. Pumpkin goes on the hunts with us, so a second one could always be with you if you didn’t want to come out with us. Plus, two dogs is twice the deterrent.”
“Do you think something else could happen?”
“I don’t anticipate it, but even in terms of wildlife it wouldn’t be a bad idea. A bear or mountain lion is going to think a lot harder about approaching a house with barking dogs.”
“I’m definitely not opposed to another dog.” I scratched Pumpkin’s ears. “Do you want a sibling?”
She tilted her head adorably, obviously not answering my question.
“A buddy of mine back in DC raises guard dogs. I bet he’d have a good fit for us. I’ll send him a message.”
My yawning drew us to bed and I slept fitfully, waking as exhausted as when I’d gone to bed. Being up ’til four in the morning certainly didn’t help.
Over breakfast we scrolled through Ryder’s friend’s website, looking at an assortment of Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois. Pumpkin looked over our shoulders as if she knew our plan, but she could’ve also just been begging for some of my bacon.
I was particularly besotted with a doe-eyed Rottie named Muffin. All of her littermates had bakery names, and most of the pups were already spoken for.
I called Cooper to let him know about what had transpired, and predictably, he freaked out, but after a video call where he could see my face, I managed to convince him he didn’t have to drop everything and drive to see me. I loved how much he loved me, but luckily his pack were there to help him see reason, assured themselves that I was safe and needed to rest. Bless them, because I really did want to chill for a long while.
My pack and I spent the day quietly. I wasn’t in any condition for more than that. The police were on the property most of the morning, Bear and Maverick taking them back up the trail where Brandon had been found.
Once the cops were gone, we put on a couple of movies I vaguely remembered from my early childhood about kids rescuing a panda cub, and after that another about kids rescuing their dad from his plane crash in the Alaskan mountains. The alphas had an impressive amount of DVDs to account for the often shitty Internet required for streaming.
I drifted in and out, cozy as hell with Pumpkin on my lap and my alphas surrounding me.
* * *
Over the next week, I healed and avoided going into town. I was a bit of a spectacle since it had broken on national news that Brandon’s trial was underway. Sheriff Marks’s cousin who had my number phoned me a few times for follow up questions, but otherwise no one bothered me too much about it unless I was in front of them.
My alphas brought everything remaining from my storage unit out to the lodge. It seemed silly not to have my things here. I wanted my pack more than my independence, and even though it wouldn’t have made sense to me a few months ago, I knew I was where I wanted to be. Every time one of them looked at me, I was practically swept away by the surge of affection. I probably did the same in return, given how often they looked pleasantly surprised whenever they caught my eye.
We all needed the reassurance that we had chosen correctly.
Rather than dwelling on everything I had been through, I tried to focus on the future. I spent hours every day working with my pack to develop new programs for the lodge. We set up additional security measures—a gate to get onto our driveway, trail cams near the lodge that would report movement, floodlights, and in a few days Muffin would be joining our ranks—so anyone coming out would feel safe.
Even despite the bad press of my second encounter with Brandon being on the lodge property, people still seemed interested. Kit put out feelers with his extended family on the reservation, getting their input on what the kids and omegas might like. We reached out to schools, community centers, and Scouts, and I coordinated with Cooper so the lodge and the ranch could promote each other. We were a couple of hours apart, but that wouldn’t be too difficult for tourists or groups interested in experiencing both options.
The more I planned, the more optimistic I became. Having a business and tourism background let me cover the basics easily, and my pack was ridiculously supportive. Educational programs might not be thrilling for some people, but experiencing and understanding nature was a way people could fall in love with it enough to protect it. More than just our national parks deserved people’s love and protection, and I was happy to play a part in fostering that.
“Email came in that Muffin is on her way to us,” Ryder said. “I also think I’ve made my final selections for the bird calendar, if you want to take a look.”
He scrolled through images of soaring eagles and brightly colored songbirds, each showing off the beauty of their particular month.
“These are so great!”
Calendars were one of my pet projects, combining my photos and Ryder’s. We’d also ordered a bunch of prints on canvas to fill up the walls at the lodge. All of them would be available for purchase or order if they wanted a different size or material. Maverick had set up an online gallery of all our favorites that could be purchased as well.
Keeping mentally busy helped me stay steady. I hadn’t really been outside; even standing in the yard, playing fetch with Pumpkin with all my alphas around me, had made me twitchy.
Baby steps.
Getting abandoned was a lot different than being directly assaulted in the woods I loved. Both traumatic, but not the same.
We settled on exposure therapy, as well as actual therapy I would attend every couple of weeks in town.
“Ready to go out?” Kit asked, popping his head into the office.
With a sigh, I got to my feet, Pumpkin rousing from her nap on the floor near me to follow.
Migratory birds had started returning, a sure sign that winter was losing its grip. In a few weeks songbirds would fill the morning, and maybe the forest wearing a new spring outfit would change it enough in my brain that I could stop associating it with Brandon. I tried not to worry about it too much. The trauma was so fresh I couldn’t expect to be free of it this quickly.
I threw a stick for Pumpkin in the dappled sunlight. Maverick and Ryder stayed where I could see them, close by, but not near enough to get nailed by the stick if I wasn’t paying attention while throwing. Bear and Kit guarded the perimeter, making slow sweeps around the lodge and surrounding woods.
When I started to waver, Ryder slipped his arms around me. “You’re safe. We’re right here.”
I stood there, going through my box breathing exercises, all four of them navigating toward me until their tsunami of love overwhelmed my incoming panic attack.
“I’m okay,” I told them, voice soft. I sent them off again after a few minutes, staying in Ryder’s embrace. Love shone so brightly in his eyes, and I hadn’t even told him yet. No time like the present to claim who was mine. I stood on my toes to brush my lips against his. “I love you.”
The surge of emotions from him almost knocked me off my feet. He held me tightly, cupping my head, cheek pressed to my hair. “I love you too, firecracker. So fucking much.”
Maverick looked curiously over, and while I wanted to say the same thing to him, I wasn’t sure if it would take away from Ryder’s moment to do so now.
“What are you worrying about?” Ryder asked.
I told him plainly and he only laughed, holding me tighter. “I’d be pissed if I stopped you and the situation was swapped. He deserves to hear it, and I’m not an insecure jackass. I know you don’t love me any less just because you’re telling him too.”
Ryder stole a kiss that had lust sparking in my core and my toes curling. He spun me around to face Mav. I took a tentative step toward him, his anticipatory excitement giving away that he had overheard our conversation.
Before I could open my mouth, he swept closer, kissing me every bit as fiercely as Ryder had done. As he pulled away to speak, he whispered against my lips, “I love you.”
I could barely breathe past the joy flooding the bond from both of them. “I love you too, Maverick.”
Old Morgan wouldn’t understand me saying those words. Luckily, she didn’t need to. She didn’t exist anymore. She had been burned away and reborn in the heat that had given me the key to everything I had always wanted.
Finally.