Epilogue
Hank and Gage were already upstairs with Ronan while Dominic stood behind his new glass display case and register counter.
His previous one had been completely smashed when Wyatt threw him into it the night they fought.
His healing had taken care of the deep gashes from the glass shards, but he wished he could have simply replaced the panes in the metal frame instead of buying a new case.
This one was far too wide, but it allowed for deeper shelving inside to display more wares.
The people of Tolstone, shifters and humans, rallied behind Dominic’s efforts to bulk up his inventory again.
Donations came in every day from attics and old storage units.
He had a few auctions already listed on his calendar and a massive estate sale out of town in the coming month that would boost his stock, and he was grateful for the overwhelming support he’d received.
If only this damn insurance business could be taken care of.
He had moved all the forms and inventory lists from his office to the front counter moments ago, so that way he would be near the front when Erica arrived with the food.
He didn’t condone eating in his shop, but he figured now would be the perfect time to introduce her to the upstairs apartment, if she was comfortable being around so many alphas and betas.
Thankfully, while he got a handle on all this shit, Hank and Cole stepped up to compensate for his absence in pack affairs.
Something in what he said to them the night after the fight with Wyatt must have stuck in their minds.
He finally put his foot down about needing the pack to distinguish what was a problem they could handle themselves, what was a job for a beta, and what was his responsibility as Prime Alpha.
He didn’t need another pack coming into Tolstone that would tie him up the way Wyatt’s had. They had to share the load somehow.
His father ran this town differently, but they were due for a change in policy. That’s what they would discuss during this alpha meeting. All they needed was Cole and Shane, who were to arrive any minute.
The front door opened, and by the pull of his mating bond and smell of greasy burgers and fries, he knew it was Erica without looking. Yet, it wasn’t the food that caught his attention. The residual scent of tears is what made him drop his pen and move around the counter to her.
Erica’s beautiful hazel eyes weren’t rimmed in red, and her nose wasn’t puffy, so it must have been a good while since she’d cried.
“Are you all right?” he asked after taking the plastic takeout bags from her.
“Uh, yeah.” Erica replied in that way she always did when she thought he was acting a bit strange. That look came up less and less as she was introduced to more of the shifter culture, and she understood his methods and reasons more fully.
“I thought maybe you got upset earlier, but I wasn’t sure what it was about.”
Their mating bond was another dead giveaway.
Something had happened shortly after they hung up, and perhaps that was what had made her cry.
This was a totally different sadness than he had ever experienced.
Nostalgia, joy, and that trademark grief that came whenever she thought about her mother.
Dominic had learned all the different shades of her emotions, and he knew the moments when she missed her mom and when he knew he had done something wrong.
Erica gave him a warm, reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I just … I found a letter from my mom, and I probably shouldn’t have read it so soon, but I’m glad I did.”
He set the food down on the counter and let his gaze roam across her, searching for any sign of a lie.
Sometimes, she’d lie so he wouldn’t worry, but he sensed nothing.
Erica really was okay. He leaned forward to kiss her, loving how the spark between them hadn’t faded even after almost a month of sleeping at one another’s houses and all the craziness in between.
If anyone was to suffer through this rebuilding process of the antique shop, it was her.
He hadn’t been the most attentive mate lately.
She gave in to the kiss, but pulled away, her hand resting on his chest. “Now, don’t get me going when you have a meeting in a little bit.”
He shot her a sly look. “I’ve got a quiet room in the back if you think you can keep all that screaming to a minimum.”
Erica bit her lip and grinned. “I don’t think I can.”
“Damn it.” He pouted.
The front door opened, and Cole and the newest alpha, Shane, entered the shop.
The Kansas alpha was tall and perhaps a little leaner than Dominic had expected but built as strong as any other shifter in town.
The dried mud on his boots and stains on his jeans all confirmed what his application had told them.
He was a laborer who must have worked with livestock or farming on the flat plains.
There was a blend of nervousness and hesitance in the way his eyes roamed around the shop, looking at anything but the Prime Alpha and his mate, as if bracing for someone to jump out or making sure he knew all the escape routes.
Cole, on the other hand, smiled and nodded in greeting.
When he and Erica locked gazes, he could feel her side of their mating bond tense and then relax.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been since they last saw one another.
If they ever met or interacted after that night by Jade Lake, Dominic didn’t know about it.
Erica never spoke of him, never asked about him.
It was as if she was trying to pretend the cop didn’t exist. Several times, Dominic thought about bringing it up in conversation, just to see if she had accepted the undeniable truth that she was related to him.
They hadn’t had much time to adjust or talk over it since their interrupted camping trip.
Every given chance, Cole asked about Erica.
If she was all right, if her business was going well.
Of course, Dominic always answered that she was fine and very busy.
That saved Cole from making the first move toward getting to know one another, just in case Erica wanted nothing to do with the man.
By the way she faced him now, and the utter lack of awkwardness on her end, Dominic suspected that things might have been making some headway in nurturing something more.
Cole greeted Dominic and then gestured to the new arrival. “Dominic, this is Shane Snyder.”
He offered out his hand. “Glad you made it here safely.”
Shane finally turned his brown eyes upon the Prime Alpha and smiled. “Thanks for letting us come. I didn’t know how long it took for an application to go through, but I was sure glad when Hank called that night.”
“I’m just sorry it took us so long. I hope you didn’t have too much trouble with the move.”
With Dominic’s hand still in a firm handshake that said more about the alpha’s assertion of dominance than any eagerness to please, Shane continued, “No trouble at all. Cole’s been helping us get settled, and everyone here is friendly.”
At this, Erica chimed in. “Tolstone’s a great place to live. You’re going to love it.”
All three men looked at her and beamed with gratitude for her encouragement.
“Thanks, ma’am. I’m sure we will.”
Finally, he let go of Dominic, and Cole directed him toward the back stairs that led to the apartment meeting space as they discussed something about their living arrangements.
“We’ll be up in a minute, Cole,” Dominic said before turning back to Erica for a little more of that kiss.
Erica had other ideas. She quickly snatched up the food and followed after her father and the new alpha. “No need. I don’t want you to be late.”
He gave her a pathetic, heartbroken look. “I thought we were going to—”
She silenced him with one look, one that promised things for a later time. Hopefully, the meeting wouldn’t take too long. All four climbed the stairs and walked in on one of Ronan’s anecdotes about an emergency call made by one of the elderly citizens of Tolstone.
Erica went to the kitchenette and separated the food containers while Dominic made the introductions. Gage started in with questions about Kansas, while Hank was more concerned with how the women were settling in their shared apartment.
Dominic watched as Cole nodded his greeting to Ronan and then made his way toward his daughter as she pulled out a cold can of soda from the refrigerator. He, likewise, grabbed a bottle of water.
They looked to one another, and Dominic stiffened, waiting for any sign that she was uncomfortable. If Erica was already upset after reading a letter her mother wrote, there was no telling how she would take to Cole making conversation. A passing look was one thing, but talking was another.
From his spot on the other side of the apartment, he listened.
“How’s your business doing?” Cole asked.
“It’s good. I’m booked for the next few months, and I’m taking pictures at the Martin wedding next weekend.”
“Great. I’m glad to hear it.”
They looked away from one another, both with something to say, but neither of them willing to come out with it first.
Erica, being the brave woman he loved so much, finally said, “I was wondering if we could get coffee sometime. You know, catch up on … everything. I still owe you for the alternator.”
Cole’s lips pulled into the biggest grin he had ever seen on the man. “That would be nice. Are you free tomorrow evening?”
“Yeah, I’m free. I’ve got a shoot that afternoon, but we can meet up later.”
He nodded. “That works perfect.” Then, Cole walked away and went straight to sit by his beta. The change in the alpha was clearly noticeable, his smile contagious.
Dominic released the breath he had unconsciously been holding as he waited.
All this time, he thought Cole would be the first to seek redemption for the past. Instead, Erica was the one who offered it first. Whatever had been going on in her head for the last few weeks, or whatever her mother’s letter said, it must have worked a miracle in her.
It should have taken much more time to bust down the framework of distrust her mother had built.
He thought it would be months, maybe even a year or two, before Erica could fully bring herself to take the first step toward forming a new relationship with her father.
If Dominic weren’t surrounded by other shifters, he might have been tempted to sweep his mate into his arms. He had never been prouder.
Dominic wasn’t the authority on good parental relationships.
God knew that he and his father ended things on terrible terms, but Erica needed Cole just as much as Cole needed her.
It was closure. They could grieve together and even heal together in the way Dominic and his father never had.
Hank was about to draw his attention away when he saw Erica bag up one of the containers and make toward the stairs. He ignored his beta and went straight to blocking her path.
Dominic swooped an arm around her waist to keep her in place. “And where are you going?”
She looked up, startled. “This is an alpha meeting. I’m not an alpha, so I was just going—”
“You’re my mate, which makes you the Prime Alpha female. If you want to be here, you can stay.”
Her eyes darted toward Hank, but Dominic didn’t care what the beta thought.
Erica had just as much of a right to be there as he did, and that would be the first thing to change.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake that Cole and his father did.
Dominic would include his mate in every decision, every aspect of the Tolstone community, as long as she wanted to be involved.
No more keeping his personal life and his shifter responsibilities separate.
There was no reason he couldn’t keep both, no reason he couldn’t merge the two into one.
Besides, he knew Erica well enough and realized that she would bombard him with questions the moment he walked through the door after every meeting.
Might as well have her listen first-hand.
Such a change wouldn’t be exclusive to his mate. If any alpha ever found a mate for themselves, they would be welcome into the apartment above Renewed Relics.
Perhaps she saw approval in Hank’s eyes, or maybe she was of the same mind as Dominic and decided not to care what anyone else thought. Either way, Erica turned back to him and nodded. “All right. I’ll stay.”
The End