Chapter One #2
Nico’s father leaned back in his chair and sighed.
He closed his eyes, and Nico watched him for a moment.
He looked tired. He was pretty sure they all looked tired.
He wasn’t the alpha yet, yet he wasn’t getting enough sleep.
It wasn’t only because he was working with his father but also because he was so worried that he couldn’t stop his thoughts long enough to fall asleep, and he kept waking up during the night, thoughts of Silas still making him anxious.
“That was a bust,” Nico’s father eventually said.
“But you expected it.”
“I did. Silas is smart, unfortunately for us. He’s not going to let himself be captured, not when he has plans.”
Nico swallowed. “So what do we do?”
“There’s not much we can do. Silas is going to be a danger to all of us until we catch him, and that’s not going to be possible if he doesn’t make a mistake. He will eventually, though. He can’t hide forever, not if he wants whatever he’s planning to work.”
That wasn’t great since it seemed like Silas was planning on killing as many alphas as he could.
Nico’s father straightened his back. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about him now, so let’s go over something else. Have you looked at the reports?”
Nico sighed. “I have.” The financial reports were the most boring thing he’d ever had to deal with, but that, too, was part of being an alpha.
He had half a mind to hand that part of the job over to his beta once he was alpha himself, but it would hopefully be a long time until that happened, and in the meantime, his father would demand he know everything about all of this.
There would be no getting out of it for Nico.
Sometimes, he wondered why he was even trying.
He knew that some people believed he shouldn’t become the next alpha because he was a carrier.
Most of the clowder supported him, thankfully, but not everyone.
He was sure it would create trouble for him once he took his father’s place, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.
It wasn’t a problem he had to deal with right now, though.
Hell, maybe he’d be lucky and by the time his father was ready to retire, no one would care that he was a carrier anymore.
His father never had. No one in his family had.
They worried, but it was because of everyone else’s reaction, not because of what Nico was.
As for Nico, he didn’t care. He’d always been a carrier, and that would never change. It was who he was, and he was fine with that.
He just hated that it would make his life harder and more complicated.
* * * *
“WHY ARE WE DOING THIS in badger territory again?” Mackenzie asked.
His brother Peter, who was driving, quickly glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Because it’s a neutral place.”
“And we needed to do this in a neutral place because?”
“Dean explained it to you, didn’t he? Why are you being a brat?”
“I’m just trying to understand what we’re about to walk in on.”
He stared at the car in front of the one he was in. He’d left his spot to Dean, who’d climbed in with their grandmother. Their parents were also in the car, which meant that it was full and that Mackenzie was stuck with Peter and his wife.
That was okay. It gave him a moment to breathe, and yes, to be a brat.
None of them knew what they would be walking in on.
He didn’t like that Dean had felt they needed a neutral place for their family reunion, but Dean knew what he was doing.
He was the only one of them who knew these people, and Mackenzie trusted him.
He just didn’t feel it boded well for their presence here.
It made it sound like most people weren’t happy to have them in the forest. They could leave since they weren’t shifters, but Mackenzie knew his family.
They wouldn’t be going anywhere, not until they were ready, and if someone tried to get them to leave, they’d dig their heels in just to be contrary.
“I think it was smart,” Brooke said. “Besides, Dean knows these people, and we don’t. If he thinks it’s necessary, then it probably is.”
“Which you can’t deny is kind of worrying,” Mackenzie pointed out.
“Can we not?” Peter asked. “Worrying about this won’t help any of us. You’re just making Brooke and me nervous, and that’s the last thing we need.”
Mackenzie pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to worry his family.
He was sure that Dean wouldn’t have let them come if it was too dangerous, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be concerned.
Clearly, though, Mackenzie’s family didn’t want to know that he was, so he’d stop over-sharing his feelings.
He hoped he was wrong. He hoped that everyone would welcome them with open arms, that their grandmother would finally see her brother again, that they could have a nice visit, and that everyone would be happy.
Something told him things would be a little more complicated than that.
He was grateful when they finally entered what had to be badger territory.
The guards waved them through, and they soon parked in front of a house.
The door opened almost instantly, as if the man who stepped out had been waiting for them.
He was in his late fifties, maybe slightly older, and he was smiling.
It helped Mackenzie relax. Hopefully, it meant that they were welcome here and that whatever was about to happen wouldn’t be a disaster.
Dean jumped out of the car he was in, then turned and helped their grandmother. She wrapped an arm around his, and he guided her toward the house as Mackenzie and the others joined them. Mackenzie wasn’t sure what to think yet, but the man waiting for them was still smiling.
“Welcome,” he said, looking at every member of Dean’s family in turn.
“Thank you for allowing us to visit,” Mackenzie’s father said, shaking the man’s hand. “I’m John, Dean’s father, and this is my wife, Samantha.”
“I’m Thomas, the badger alpha. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Your family has already arrived and is waiting for you in the living room.”
Mackenzie hesitated, but he was the only one. While his parents glanced at each other, they moved easily, and his grandmother looked more than ready to get this over with.
Thomas looked at Dean. “Jasper has arrived, too.”
Mackenzie knew that name. It was mentioned in every conversation he had with Dean, be it on the phone or by text. “Oh, Jasper? Your best friend?” Mackenzie teased, knocking his shoulder against Dean’s, sure he’d get a reaction out of his brother.
Dean narrowed his eyes at him. “I asked him to be here so he could meet you.”
Mackenzie slapped his hands together. “What are we waiting for, then?” He was still wary, but this was too good. Besides, Dean wouldn’t lead them into trouble. He trusted these people, and maybe Mackenzie should, too.
Thomas led the way inside, and everyone followed.
They ended up in a living room, and everyone inside stopped talking when they walked in.
Mackenzie’s grandmother suddenly stopped moving, her attention on an older man who was sitting on one of the couches but was already getting up. The two of them stared at each other.
Mackenzie’s grandmother moved forward.
“Peggy?” the man asked, his voice trembling.
Mackenzie pressed his lips together. He hadn’t expected to feel so emotional, but he could imagine how his grandmother felt. He was close to both his brothers, but especially to Dean, and it would have been hell to be separated from him for something he couldn’t help.
“Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me,” Mackenzie’s grandmother teased.
It reminded Mackenzie of the way he and Dean teased each other. It was almost like Mackenzie’s grandma and her brother had never been separated.
Bellamy opened his arms, and Mackenzie’s grandmother sobbed as she hugged him. Mackenzie didn’t want to cry, but it was a close thing.
Things went smoothly after that, as if their reunion had broken the ice for everyone in the room.
They were introduced to each other, and for some reason, Mackenzie was surprised to realize that he had a whole family he hadn’t known about.
Bellamy had built himself a life in the forest. He’d had kids and grandkids.
Mackenzie ended up talking to his cousin—a cousin he hadn’t known he had until now—Galen, who apparently was the future fox shifter alpha.
That was going to take some time to get used to, and Mackenzie could see that Galen was a bit wary, too, but they were family.
Mackenzie was sure they’d find a way to make it work.
“What would you all think of moving permanently to fox territory?” Jerome, the fox alpha and Mackenzie’s uncle, apparently, suddenly asked, stopping every conversation in the room.
Everyone appeared surprised, including Mackenzie’s father, who’d been talking to the alpha.
Mackenzie had no idea what to think of the offer or even if it was possible.
Would he want to move here permanently? It all depended on his family.
Dean lived here now, and Mackenzie wouldn’t want to be away from the rest of their family, but even though he was hesitant, he could see it happen.
Now that his first encounter with shifters had gone well, he wanted to get to know them and this place better.
He was curious, and it wasn’t like he loved his dead-end job back home.
He didn’t have a partner, and he was renting.
It would be easy for him to move, maybe too easy.
He understood how big it was for Jerome to offer this, though.
He was the alpha, and his word was law, but that didn’t mean that his people would be happy to have a bunch of humans suddenly living with them, even though they were related to Jerome.
They didn’t even know if the two sides of their family would get along in the long term.
Mackenzie wanted them to, though. This felt like an opportunity for a fresh start, and he desperately needed that.
“That feels a bit rushed,” Mackenzie’s father said. “We’re not saying no, but it’ll be more complicated than just us deciding to move.”
“I understand that. But from what I know, your government has been talking about permanently moving humans into the forest.” Jerome glanced at Dean.
“They have,” Dean confirmed. “But I haven’t heard anything specific yet. I can certainly look into it, but I don’t think anyone should hold their hopes up just yet. Even if the government does want more humans here, they might not choose us.”
“They haven’t said anything about you and your team settling here permanently,” Jerome said.
“Because it’s one thing to have a trained team do so, but an entirely different thing to have civilians do it, even if they are related to some of the shifters here.
I agree it would be a good idea for the first humans to move to be related to some of the shifters here, but I’m not the one who makes decisions. ”
“Fine.” Jerome didn’t sound happy. “What would you all say if this was an option, though?”
“I wouldn’t mind moving,” Mackenzie said.
“I’d move in a heartbeat if I could,” his grandmother added. “We’ve already lost so much time. I don’t want to lose any more of it, especially not at my age. I don’t have that many years left, and I want to spend those years with my family.” She gestured around the room. “All of it.”
Mackenzie grinned. If she moved, they all would. There was no way the rest of the family would let her do this on her own, or even with Mackenzie. They just needed to be allowed to do it.