Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Dewi
After visiting everyone she wanted to see, Dewi stopped by Asia and Trent’s.
To be honest, she was ready for a nap and knew Ken was trying to work this morning. She could nurse Lyssa and then hopefully have someone watch the baby for a couple of hours.
Maybe one of these days taking naps won’t make me feel guilty.
And damn Peyton for inviting people over tonight and then leaving the fricking country. Dewi knew Gillian hated schmoozing as much as she did, if not more. But as Head Enforcer and head of the expanded Pack Council, she knew she had to attend.
At least she knew everyone, and they were all people she didn’t mind spending time with. Despite the number of Enforcers in attendance tonight, hopefully there wouldn’t be any work to discuss and they could all just chill and be a normal family for a couple of hours.
She carried Lyssa and her diaper bag into the house, not bothering to knock first.
Tamsin and Asia were sitting in the living room, with the three sleeping babies, and—
Dewi winced. “Sorry,” she softly said. “Guess I’m not a kid and should have knocked first.”
Asia made a face at her. “What’s gotten into you? That’d be like making my kids knock before coming in. Get in here.” Asia was already reaching before Dewi even set down the diaper bag. “And gimme that little peanut!”
Dewi handed Lyssa over. “I figured you’d be tired of babies by now.”
Asia smiled. “She’s your baby, kiddo. I’ll never get tired of her.”
Dewi’s face heated. “Can we save the mushy stuff for tonight?” She set the diaper bag next to the couch. “Also, can I nurse her and leave her here with you while I nap?”
Tamsin smiled. “Nap? Or”—she made finger quotes—“‘nap-nap’ with Ken?”
Dewi snorted. “A nap-nap menage involving me, myself, and I. He’s working and I don’t want to disturb him. I know he’s trying to fill in while Gillian’s taking time off and that rat bast—eh, rat booger of a brother of mine is on yet another European jaunt.”
“Absolutely, we can,” Tamsin said.
“Not too much, is it?” Dewi asked, pointing to a sleeping Adair. “I’m guessing Gillian’s at home?”
“You just missed her by a few minutes,” Asia said as she rocked Lyssa and made funny faces at her, getting the baby to laugh.
“Ken had a work issue to talk to her about. Don’t worry—we’ve got this.
Take advantage of the free babysitting while you have the chance.
” She arched an eyebrow at Dewi. “And since I know I can’t talk you into moving to Idaho, I’m going to greedily spend as much time as I can hogging this little munchkin.
Yes, I am!” she said to the baby, earning her another smile.
Dewi mentally swiped away the twinge of guilt she felt. Yes, she loved her brothers and her sisters-in-law. And her nieces and nephews, obviously.
And, yes, sometimes she missed Idaho and the freedom and safety living in the pack compound provided.
But over the years, Florida became her home, not just her mailing address. While visiting Idaho was—yes, she’d admit it—a welcome change of pace at times, it wasn’t where she wanted to live.
Especially not in winter.
Her seed might have sprouted in Idaho, but her roots had deeply sunk into the sun-warmed Florida soil, and she felt loath to uproot herself.
Besides, now they had more packmates than ever living east of the Mississippi, especially in Florida. They needed a permanent leadership presence there.
Despite knowing if she floated the idea Ken would have them packed and ready to move before she even finished the sentence, leaving Florida wasn’t what she wanted.
Especially now that Nami’s family had adopted her and Ken and the rest of them.
They were family. And no shade to Badger or the rest of her kin, but for the first time in her adult life Dewi felt like she really had a close-knit family.
The last thing she wanted was to leave them behind, even though it meant living across the country from her blood kin.
Dewi hit the bathroom, drank a glass of water, and then set up on the other end of the couch to nurse Lyssa after finally coaxing Asia into returning her.
Something else she never saw herself doing before meeting Ken—having a baby.
She’d secretly started to worry if there was something wrong with her, even though she knew that was a preposterous mindset.
She’d watched Asia happily embrace motherhood over the years, heard countless stories from her brothers and nearly everyone else in the pack about what a good mom her own mother had been.
That had been another secret source of guilt for Dewi, that she’d known Beck eventually wanted pups of his own, and she had not only not wanted any back then, but she couldn’t see herself having any with him.
Not for any lack on his part.
Back then, to her, having children ran counter to her priority as Head Enforcer for the pack.
The countless lectures she’d received from her brothers to put herself first didn’t matter because that was impossible for her.
Because she knew the love she felt for Beck wasn’t a mate bond, and even if she had kids, she damned sure wouldn’t do it unless she was mated.
Which, back then, seemed an unlikely possibility.
Until Ken.
Until now.
Now she couldn’t imagine her life without Ken or Lyssa in it, and she didn’t even want to try. Because this was perfection.
Minus the psychotic corgi shifter she wanted to decapitate, and the asshole drug cartel, and the bullshit secret scientists wanting to experiment on shifters.
Other than that, life was fantastic.
She was only five minutes into nursing Lyssa when she received a text from Ken.
Are you busy?
She didn’t like the way her hackles perked up, and not in a sexy-funtime way, either.
Just started nursing L. I’m over at Asia’s. Why?
He took about a minute to reply.
When you’re finished, can you come over to Peyton’s? Pack business. No rush.
That should have relaxed her, but it didn’t.
Because it sounded a little too casual, and she couldn’t explain why. She replied.
Can we discuss it on the phone?
She fought the urge to nervously tap her foot while awaiting his response.
Needs to be in person. Whenever you’re done.
She took a moment to scroll through her texts. She’d muted her alerts earlier that morning during her visits, but a few—like Ken, Peyton, Trent, and others—would ring through regardless.
No response from Peyton to a text she’d sent earlier that morning to see if he had a status report for her.
Hmm. She texted Ken.
Asia offered to watch L after I’m done nursing, so I can take a nap. Or should I bring her with me?
Another interminable wait for his reply.
No, you can leave her. I’m bogged down right now.
Dewi wished she could reach through the phone and grab hold of him and figure out what the heck was going on. At this rate, next door felt like the next planet over.
“What’s wrong?” Asia asked.
Dewi glanced in Tamsin’s direction before looking at Asia. “Guess they want to talk pack business with me, too,” she said.
Asia tried and failed to hide the dark cloud that briefly flitted through her expression. At least where Dewi was concerned, although Tamsin probably didn’t notice. Still, this close to the other woman and knowing her the way she did, Dewi felt her confusion and growing concern.
Asia nodded, casting a knowing glance to Tamsin and then back to Dewi, her meaning clear.
Dewi sat close enough to her that she could reach out with her free hand and touch Asia’s hand. “Keep her here, please, until I find out what’s going on.”
Asia nodded.
At least one thing comforted Dewi—her sister-in-law was also uncomfortably troubled by this casually non-committal “pack business” excuse suddenly being employed twice in a short amount of time without any further clues being dropped as to the nature.
Less than an hour later, Lyssa had finished, Asia happily took her back to handle the diaper change, and then Asia shooed Dewi next door. Dewi slipped out Asia’s back door and fought the urge to run across the backyard to Peyton’s.
The past and present merged as she quickly strode the once-familiar path and she remembered countless times as a kid running back and forth between the houses.
She was still a kid herself with a few years of childhood ahead of her and she remembered when Charles was born, thinking of him more as a cousin than a nephew. Then Kent.
Then her childhood effectively ended one evening when, at dinner at Peyton’s house, he’d said something any adult might say to a child about finishing their food—she couldn’t even remember what it was now—and she’d instinctively bared her teeth and growled at him.
Just for Badger’s hand to literally shoot out and snatch her by the scruff of the neck from where he’d sat next to her, shaking her—hard enough to rattle her teeth—as the full force of his Prime poured into her.
“Apologize, pup. Now.”
She didn’t know who’d been more shocked, her or her brothers, because she remembered the wide-eyed look approaching horror on their faces, and Asia’s and Gillian’s, as Badger had corrected her.
And for the first time in her life, she witnessed Badger shushing Peyton when he tried to speak.
“No, lad. She might be yer baby sister, but she’s eleven an’ a Prime Alpha. An’ she cannae be sassin’ back atcha. Not at this age. She’s not a harmless, playful little pup anymore.”
She also remembered the deathly heavy silence that settled over the table, the hot tears rolling from her eyes because she’d exasperated Badger plenty of times growing up, but he’d never taken her up like that before, especially with his Prime.
Ever.
She hadn’t even meant to growl, much less bare her teeth—the reaction had popped out of nowhere, and she couldn’t explain it.
“I-I’m sorry, Pey—”
“NO!” Badger roared. “Ye apologize to the Pack Alpha, pup. Ye may be a Prime Alpha wolf, but ye will mind yer place! Ye will show yer throat to the Pack Alpha and apologize proper!”
All with those thick, heavy fingers of his digging in. Not quite painfully, but with the threat of it riiiiight there.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she managed to tip her head back—quite the feat with Badger’s grip on her scruff—and said the words. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“Ye tell ’im yer sorry fer disrespectin’ him!” Badger ordered.
“I-I’m sorry I d-disrespected you, sir.”
He’d released her with a final warning shake and stood, pointing at Peyton and Trent. “Office, if ye please, gentlemen.” Then he turned to Dewi and leveled a finger and dire one-eyed glare in warning. “Sit there an’ finish yer dinner. We’ll talk later.”
When the office door swung shut behind them, Gillian and Asia immediately stood and swooped in to surround Dewi, hugging her as she cried.
Beck hadn’t been there to witness that humiliation—thank the Goddess—he’d been next door babysitting Trent’s kids, because Trent, Peyton, and Gillian had wanted to discuss pack business and, for once, had included Dewi.
She’d felt like such an adult, and then she’d felt like a shamed baby.
It didn’t help that she’d just started her first period a few days earlier, and it felt like her emotions were all over the fricking place.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Gillian said.
“I d-didn’t m-mean to d-do it!” Dewi sobbed. “I don’t know why I did!”
Asia kissed the top of her head. “You’re okay. Hormones can run crazy. You have to learn to control that urge.”
She’d mostly calmed herself by the time the men returned. Trent returned to his seat, but Badger and Peyton walked over to Dewi and leaned in to hug her.
“Ye cannae do that, fuzzball,” Badger gently said, making her tears return, hot and heavy. “I love ye, but I cannae let ye do that. Ye cannae challenge the Pack Alpha. We know ye didn’t mean it, but this is one of the things ye gotta learn, bein’ a Prime.”
Peyton stepped in to hug her. “I know the last thing any big brother wants to talk to his baby sister about is periods, but Badger’s right, Dewster.
Dad pounded into my head growing up that at some point I’d start feeling like I wasn’t in control, and I had to expect it and train to remain in control.
It looks like we’re heading into that with you now. ”
“I’m sorry, Peyton. I don’t know why I did it.”
“We know.” He cupped her face in his hands, looking down at her.
“I’d hoped we’d have a few more years before we start dealing with this.
We need to talk about training. Not tonight, but tomorrow.
Alphas have to help protect the pack. Prime Alphas doubly so.
Dad and Mom both would crawl out of their graves and beat the everlovin’ snot out of me if I didn’t take care of you. ”
That finally prompted a tearful laugh from her because it was common banter between them.
She remembered staring up into his eyes, eyes the same color as hers.
“I love you, Dewster,” he said. “I’d die for you, but part of that is I’m responsible for your well-being and the well-being of this pack.
I’m not trying to plan your future for you, but we’ll have to make some decisions over the next few months.
Meanwhile, Badger will set up a rigorous schedule for you outside of school to begin serious training.
I’m not talking basic judo throws with your classmates, either.
I’m talking combat fighting, weapons, tactical skills, all of it.
Enforcer training. Not saying you have to do that for a living, but until you’re mature enough to control yourself, we have to channel that energy in some way.
And cooking and sewing lessons won’t cut it.
You’ll have strong energy that needs strong control to master it. ”
She nodded. Part of her had always envied the Enforcers as she’d crept through the shadows during night gatherings around the fire pit when stories were swapped.
Now that the reality was starting to sink into her brain…
A roaring buzz filled Dewi’s mind and she shook her head, clearing it, to realize she’d reached their back door.
Stepping inside, Dewi immediately spotted Badger, Da, and Trent in the dining room with Ken, and a sad thought hit her.
Badger never calls me fuzzball anymore.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to gently close the kitchen door behind her and walked over to them as Dewster retreated to the shadows and Dewi Bleacke Ethelbert, the Head Enforcer and head of the expanded Pack Council, stepped into her brain and stiffened her spine.
From the thick, somber soup of emotions rolling from the men, she didn’t know what, but she knew who.
She focused on Trent, not as little sister to eldest brother, but as Head Enforcer now speaking to the Pack Alpha’s second in command. “Tell me what happened to Peyton.”