Chapter 2 #2
“Aye,” Badger gravely said, his one-eyed gaze making contact with Duncan’s.
“But looking at it from the other side of things, I can tell ye it’s livable.
If it’s any consolation, think of it as a firm countdown until yer dreams hopefully come true.
Not many can say that. I damned sure wish I could, instead of addin’ up each day of my misery. ”
“Da, why can’t you come with us?” Chelsea asked as Duncan loaded the last suitcase into the trunk of the car.
He smiled down at his youngest, who’d just turned thirteen last week.
Louisa was taking all four of their daughters on a week-long trip to Seattle to visit family and have fun.
Hiking, exploring the forests and beaches, enjoying museums and other attractions that weren’t available to them here in Idaho, or even in nearby Spokane.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I have a lot of work to do. I told you that. We’ll spend time off together soon.”
Louisa rounded the back of the car, an eyebrow arched as she leaned in to kiss him, touching his arm.
“Sure is funny how you send us all away every year when you have a group of Enforcers and others arriving for meetings,” she said through their mate bond. “Badger assures me there’s no funny business, though.”
He pulled her in for a hug. “I have my reasons, my love.”
“Is there danger?”
He couldn’t outright lie to her, but he didn’t want to mislead her, either. “Pack Alpha business.”
She looked up into his gaze. “When do I finally get to know the reason?”
He sighed. “I need a couple more years.”
Her gaze sharply narrowed. “Who do I need to neuter?”
Heat filled Duncan’s face because he knew she’d long suspected the truth, just not the details. “No one, love. As long as you work with me. Please?”
Louisa’s gaze finally softened, and she hugged him one more time, this time speaking aloud, albeit whispering. “Is he a good man? Is he worthy?”
He nuzzled his chin against the top of her head. “He’d long ago be ashes and dust if he weren’t.”
She snorted, smiling and tipping her head back to kiss him. “Don’t make me regret this, mate.”
Ah, he loved her spirit, her fire. She kept him on his toes and made him always want to become a better man, make her proud of him. She was a strong Alpha wolf in her own right and had more than a few times proven herself to be every bit as strong as any male Alpha wolf.
“Drive safely and please call me when you arrive,” he said. “If you can’t reach me, try Badger or one of the others on the phone tree so they’ll pass word to me.”
“Always.” She nuzzled the tip of her nose against his. “Love you.”
“Love you more.”
After hugs and kisses with the girls, he stood in the yard and watched as they drove off. He knew Louisa wouldn’t push him more than she had today. She was satisfied with his answer and that he was on top of the situation.
Charlie and some of the others would arrive late that evening, driving in from Salt Lake City, where they’d spent last night. Charlie was driving from Florida and had stopped along the way to pick up three other Enforcers to ride in together, the last from Salt Lake City.
The last thirteen years had been tricky in terms of juggling logistics, but Charlie had buckled down and rightfully made a name—and a small fortune—for himself.
He was already seen as an equal to Badger by their packmates, which is exactly what Duncan wanted.
Badger would likely be Charlie’s second once Duncan eventually handed over control of the pack.
Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen for several decades yet. He wanted Charlie and Chelsea—if she felt a reciprocal bond with Charlie—to have plenty of time to build their own family and enjoy their pups’ childhoods, if they decided to have any.
Their pack was wealthy far beyond what people already knew, including their own packmates.
He’d been careful to conceal the extent of their wealth with dozens of shell companies.
Only he, Badger, and Louisa knew the full extent of their holdings at this time.
He wanted their pack to know they were doing okay and could—and did—take care of their own.
But he didn’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention from the wrong kind of wolves.
It’d been years since Duncan had to eliminate someone sniffing around with aspirations of killing him off and taking over the Targhee Pack by force.
His willingness to extend material and financial aid to other, smaller packs when they needed it, without expectations of them automatically joining the Targhees in return, had gone a long way to building trust and goodwill around the world.
It didn’t make him weaker as Pack Alpha.
On the contrary, it spoke to his confidence and strength that he didn’t view other packs as threats.
Ironically, several smaller packs had approached him in recent years, asking to merge with the Targhee Pack. Duncan had welcomed them in.
The only potential troublemaker on his radar was the elder son of the Pack Alpha in Australia.
Samuel Dorland had confided in Duncan that he was setting things up so his younger son, Harvey, who was a Prime Alpha, could take over in a couple of decades.
But he worried his older son, Ray, only an Alpha but not a Prime, wouldn’t react well to that news.
Samuel had asked for Duncan’s assistance in advance, if he felt he needed it, and of course Duncan had agreed.
Maybe it is better I only had daughters. At least that was one worry Duncan didn’t have, them trying to slit each other’s throats for control of the pack.
It was bad enough listening to them fight every morning over the bathrooms while getting ready for school.
For the four days Charlie and the others would be here, none of them would set foot on Duncan’s property, much less inside Duncan’s house, or even any of his vehicles.
They’d hold their meetings at the pack compound’s new meeting hall.
With over twenty of them in attendance, it was the logical choice.
Charlie would stay with a friend of his at the compound, meaning no chance of him stumbling across a strong scent of Chelsea that he could easily track back to Duncan’s house.
Somehow, throughout the years, Duncan and Badger had managed to keep Charlie focused on the bigger picture and only that she was in their pack, not that she was Duncan’s youngest daughter.
Late that night, and after taking a shower and donning fresh clothes so he wouldn’t accidentally carry Chelsea’s scent with him, Duncan headed over to the hall for their first meeting. He knew from Badger that Charlie and the others, the last scheduled to arrive, had safely made it.
Tonight would be drinks and socializing more than business, Duncan setting the agenda for the next several days, and then a group run afterward for everyone to stretch their legs.
The next several days would be packed full of meetings to maximize their limited time together. He planned to travel to Seattle at the end of the week as a surprise for the girls and take a well-needed weekend off. Louisa knew about it, but other than Badger, she was the only one.
He didn’t want there to be any slip-ups regarding Charlie and the girls’ location.
Duncan was one of the first to arrive at the hall, Badger beating him there by mere seconds.
Within twenty minutes, almost everyone was present, including Charlie.
The man acted subdued, bore a grave air about him, but Badger had already warned Duncan that was par for the course for the man now.
Especially when he had to visit the compound.
At least Charlie was taking things seriously, and that was what mattered most to Duncan. That their pack would be in safe, competent hands once he decided to step down.
Correction—what mattered most to Duncan was that Chelsea would be safe and well-loved with Charlie.
Even better? He knew their packmates were seeing Charlie in that light as well, as potentially their future Pack Alpha.
“Who are we still waiting on?” Duncan asked Badger.
He pulled out a small, battered leather journal where he kept his notes. “We’re still waitin’ fer Amos, Darren, and Kellen. They should be along momentarily. They’re stayin’ with Darren’s brother, Malachi.”
They all looked up as the door opened and the three men walked in.
“Aye, thassit, then,” Badger said, tucking his journal back into his pocket. “We’re all here.”
“Excellent.”
Darren led the way to shake with Duncan. “Oh, and Malachi sent this with me,” he said, handing Duncan a paperback book, A Tale of Two Cities. “He said Darcy borrowed it from Chelsea, but she wasn’t in school today. She asked that I return it to you because she’d promised to return it today.”
Duncan’s hand froze in mid-reach, his gaze meeting Badger’s. Then, unable to help themselves, they looked over to where Charlie sat.
He’d already perked up, his nose flaring, gaze bright as he stared at the book.
Well, shit.
Duncan forced himself to take the book. “Thanks. I’ll make sure she gets it.”
Now Charlie’s gaze met Duncan’s. It left the Pack Alpha wondering if he’d need Badger’s help subduing the man.
To Charlie’s credit, while he sat ramrod-straight in his chair during the brief meeting, and his gaze rarely left Duncan, he didn’t move from his chair except when everyone stood to get glasses and pour drinks for the toast before heading out for their run.
And when everyone else made their way outside about twenty minutes later, Charlie remained standing near the bar, the glass in his hand.
Badger looked from Duncan to Charlie. “What’s the word, then, sir?” Badger softly asked Duncan.
“Go on outside, please, and keep everyone busy for a couple of minutes. We’ll be right there.”
He nodded, looked at Charlie one more time, then left.
Charlie didn’t move, staring at the glass in his hand where an ice cube remained. Duncan watched how his chest inflated, deflated, the way he obviously struggled to remain still and not react.