Chapter 4 #2
I made my way to the pack hall, thinking over what the druid had said, what most were saying in the pack. But Adair and the druid seemed to be the only two not afraid to say it to either Rowen or me.
I would quite happily have sex with my wife.
She was gorgeous, and I wanted nothing more than to claim her in every way possible.
But… I sighed, because it was more complicated than “one and done, and thanks for your time.” She was my mate.
Sex meant the bond was sealed. We were forever bound.
I scratched my shoulder where the wedding mark was.
I was already bound to her…in marriage and in fate.
Why wasn’t I having sex with my wife? Oh, that’s right, she hated me.
I smirked as I approached the pack hall. The druid was right about one thing: her mind said no, but her body was more than willing to submit to mine. Maybe I should push it further.
Killian met me at the main door. “Okay, I know all the things I’ve said before, but I think it’s time you just used it.”
“Used what?”
“Your Will. It’s like talking to the wall in there. We’re getting nowhere; you’re going to need to force them to listen.”
“Let’s see how we go before such drastic measures, eh?” I stepped inside the hall. I am their alpha, not their tyrant, I said to him.
I’ll remind you of that in five minutes.
Don’t be so pessimistic, beta. I nodded to Brand, who stood at the far side of the hall, glaring at anyone who dared to look his way. That wasn’t a good sign.
I looked around the pack hall. Since becoming the alpha for Blueridge Hollow and having some of Stonefang Pack join us, I had never seen the pack look so completely divided.
I glanced back at Killian, who gave me an “I told you so” look, and I fought the urge to sigh as I turned back to my pack, because they were my pack.
I stepped forward as they watched me, and I took my time to assess them all carefully. Really seeing them.
Two sides. That’s how they stood. Not openly, not dramatically—but the line was there. You could see it in the shoulders squared just a little tighter, the spacing between wolves who shared a patrol but not trust.
Blueridge Hollow on one side. Stonefang on the other. Us and them. Well, not anymore.
Keep the doors open, I told Killian and Brand, I want everyone to hear this.
I let the silence drag long enough to make a few of them shift on their feet. Then I spoke to the room as a whole.
“You have all accepted me as your alpha.” A few heads nodded. A couple dropped their gazes. “I have led Stonefang Pack through loss and fire. I returned to Blueridge Hollow because this land is part of me. My roots are here. So is my future.”
I let that last line settle.
“My mate is the daughter of the Hollow. My bond to her ties me to this Hollow. That doesn’t make me less of a leader of Stonefang.
I am your alpha.” A murmur ran through the back of the crowd—subtle, unsure.
“I’ve heard the whispers. I’ve seen the way you hesitate.
Stonefang, you think Blueridge is soft. Blueridge, you think Stonefang wants to take what’s yours. ”
I paused. Gave them all time to sit with it.
“But we’re not two packs anymore. That’s done. Over.” I scanned their faces—familiar and foreign alike. “We bleed the same. We fight the same. And you all answer to the same alpha.”
I took another step forward, moving closer to the center of the room.
“You want to live in the past? Fine. Do it outside my borders. But if you stand here, then you stand with me. Not behind me. Not beside me with a knife in your hand. With me.” A ripple went through them.
Heavier now. Stronger. “If you can’t do that,” I said, voice low and final, “then you’re not part of this pack. ”
I let the silence fall hard. No one moved or spoke as I gave them time to absorb my words.
“We are one. Blueridge. Stonefang. That history’s over. And if I hear or see this ‘us and them’ bullshit again, you’ll answer to me.”
I didn’t use my Will. I spoke to my pack.
I didn’t shout.
They were already listening.
I turned slowly in a circle, looking at every one of them, whether their head was down or not.
“I am your alpha. You are my pack, and we are under threat. Work with me to secure our territory, and together we can move forward.”
“And what of the ones you sent back?” Cale asked quietly, stepping out from the shadows of the doorway. “They have no alpha looking out for them.”
A few murmurs of agreement moved through the gathered shifters, and I let that settle.
“My focus is here, right now. Because, despite Stonefang being limited in numbers, there has been no attack there. Diesel is there, and every one of us who has had to run drills with Diesel knows how tight a ship he runs.” I looked back at Cale.
“You forget already how quickly he put you on your back last time?”
Cale smirked but said nothing further.
“The threat to this territory is now.” I met a few of the looks of the shifters who had raised their heads. “We lost Simon last night, and we lost three others a few weeks before. I will not lose anyone else because my pack is divided, thinking we are not fighting for the same thing.”
“I didn’t come here to fight for these shifters,” a voice spoke from the back, and the small crowd parted like the sea as a gnarly old shifter moved forward. “I came here because my alpha is here.”
Jericho. I hadn’t seen him in the back, and Killian hadn’t warned me his uncle was in the crowd. Not surprisingly, since he didn’t acknowledge that he was his uncle. They had a complicated relationship, one which I had always stayed out of, but that was about to change today.
“You’re not here for me, Jericho,” I said bluntly. “You’re here for a whole other reason.”
You put him in patrol rotation? I demanded of Killian.
Fucker should earn his keep.
“Doesn’t matter why I’m here, my alpha of my pack is here, and half of my pack isn’t here.”
“Your pack is where your alpha is,” a Blueridge Hollow shifter spoke up. “Wolfe is our alpha. He’s been your alpha a lot longer. He’s right. We need to stop thinking Blueridge and Stonefang; we need to be Blueridge.”
The cacophony of raised voices in protests made my wolf growl.
“Enough!” Everyone, including me, turned as Rowen walked into the hall. She looked as if she had just woken up. Her hair wasn’t brushed, her boots were unlaced, her pants were creased, and she was wearing one of my shirts.
My shirt looks good on you.
She cast me one sharp glare, and I bit back my grin.
“The Hollow doesn’t give a shit what we call ourselves,” she said as she addressed the pack, with her hands on her hips.
“Wolfe is our alpha, and we follow our alpha. He is the chosen alpha of two packs and has united them. Where you live, what you call yourself, it’s not important right now.
” She shook her head. “There are rogues out there trying to claim our territory, and we are losing every time one of our pack bleeds.” She looked at the pack she grew up with, fixing them with a glint in her eyes that was so like Malric I felt the pang of his loss once more.
She then gave that same glare to Stonefang.
“We work together or not at all,” she said with deadly intent.
I walked up beside my wife, my mate, and I took her hand, our fingers interlocking. Rowen didn’t resist my hold, and I squeezed her fingers gently.
“Let’s all settle down,” I said. “And then let’s start working on the rogue problem, together.”
I watched them as they retook seats, some making the effort to sit with others not of their original pack, and I watched them all with Rowen at my side.
She turned to look at me, and I gave her a small smile. That was nicely said.
Rowen shrugged. They have a right to be angry. Simon is dead because I changed the patrol switchover. When they question me on that, don’t defend me. I don’t deserve it.
She let go of my hand and walked over to one of the tables to talk to an elder, and just like that, she and I were back to where we’d been last night.
So much for progress.