Chapter 38
A NEW BEGINNING
“Hey, what’s the hurry, mister?” Mom calls from the living room as I bolt down the stairs, tripping over my feet and colliding with the wall.
“Ouch,” I say, rubbing my forehead.
Dad pokes his head into the hall. “You okay?” He’s wearing an apron and holding a jar of marinade. Steak sandwich season is upon us. “What’s the commotion?”
“I’m late,” I say, eliciting loving eye rolls from both of my parents. “I told Jasper I’d be in the Hamptons in like”—I pull out my phone and check the time—“crap, like an hour and a half.”
“Well, that’s unrealistic,” Mom says, letting the book she’s reading drop to her lap. “Text him and tell him you’ll be late. I don’t want you speeding.”
“Yes, okay.” I’m already grabbing the keys to my new car, an “I’m glad we didn’t die and also Happy Graduation” gift from Jasper. It’s totally too much but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Hey, you’re not too adult to kiss your mother,” Mom says. I groan but stomp into the living room to give her a hug and let her muss my hair, happy to know in some ways I’ll always be her pup.
“And one for Paps!” Dad says, standing in the arch doorway.
“You’re too sticky,” I say, looking at the smears on his apron. “How about a fist bump?”
He thinks for a moment. “I’ll take it!”
The goodbyes to my folks out of the way, I head outside into the warm sunshine of a summery midmorning.
It’s taken a couple of weeks since the battle at the pack retreat for them to stop checking in on me every couple of hours, but as I trot down the driveway, I’m comforted knowing no matter what they’ll always be there for me, standing in my corner.
There’s a tough conversation to be had about college and my plans for the future, but we’ve come so far, I know they’ll trust me to do what’s right.
I reach the car, which somehow knows to unlock before I’ve even touched the handle.
Spooky! Then I jump into the driver’s seat.
The car Jasper bought me is a red two-seater Jeep, not as sleek as his black sports car, but super cool, and definitely more my style.
He said his reason for buying it was so that I could get to him faster from wherever I was.
But part of me also wonders if he had a sense of what was coming, about what I’m planning on telling him today.
As I pull out of our driveway and onto the street I glance back at the house and find Mom and Dad standing in the open doorway, waving me off. I wave back, laughing, then drive away.
After what happened at the retreat, I thought they’d be totally freaked but they said whatever I did passed through them as well, and somehow I think it’s made them a little more chill, like it proved that no matter how much I grow up or how far I travel from them, we’ll always be connected.
I like that they know I’m always just a phone call away, even though I’ve been sort of a dick about making sure they know where I’m at—especially when faced with life-threatening situations—over the last couple of years.
It’s funny, I think as I turn off our road and head for the highway, after everything we’ve been through, I feel closer to them than ever. And just super freaking grateful to have parents as goofy and understanding as them.
Knowing they support me means I can take this next leap and feel a little less terrified.
About halfway through the drive my phone, which is mounted on the dash, lights up with a FaceTime from Katie. I hit the answer button on my steering wheel, which is, like, so futuristic.
“Hey, I’m driving,” I say, glancing at the screen briefly but not enough that I lose my concentration. “What’s up?”
“Mom and I are out shopping for my new college wardrobe; I wanted your opinion on this!”
Keeping an eye on the traffic, I take in Katie, who’s flipped her camera and is showing me her reflection in a changing-room mirror. She’s wearing a pink dress with a sheer slip decorated with butterflies over the top.
“You look great,” I say. “Very you.”
She flips the camera back around and I signal to change lanes.
“It’s not too frilly for college?” she asks. “I want to look sophisticated.”
“Maybe pair it with some glasses?” I joke. “Anyway, it’s totally Elle Woods vibes.”
“Okay good, that’s what I was going for—Mom, stop. He’s driving.” Katie looks away and for a second it looks like she’s spinning her phone in circles. Suddenly she pops back into frame. “Ugh, my mom wants to say hi.” She redirects her camera and Tanya’s face fills the frame.
“Hey Maxie! How are the new wheels?”
“Pretty smooth, thanks.”
“Are you excited for the rest of summer?”
There’s motion again, though I can’t quite focus on it as I drive, and then suddenly Katie is back.
“Staaaahp,” she says, then to me, “sorry about her. Where are you heading?”
“The Hamptons.”
“Oh,” she says, her tone ominous. “You going to speak with Jasper about you-know-what?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, good luck. I know he’ll understand and support you no matter what.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, well I better go before Mom harasses this sales assistant any more and we get kicked out of Century 21 forever.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
She clicks off the call and the car falls quiet. The road slips smoothly under my tires.
I fricking hope he understands.
Only an hour after I said I’d arrive, I pull up to the gates of Jasper’s family house in the Hamptons.
I haven’t been here since, well, since the party where Jasper was supposed to reject me and then we ended up being kidnapped. It looks the same. The gates are still tall and imposing, the driveway long and lined with trees, the house modern and sleek.
Without having to buzz or anything the gates slide open, and I park near the ever-blooming cherry tree out front.
Melissa opens the door with a smile. “Hey Max.”
It would be an understatement to say she’s glowing, her hair is longer than usual with an amazing blowout that bounces when she moves her head.
“How are you?”
She tilts her head to the side and can’t help grinning even wider. “We’re all good, thanks to you.”
Before I know what’s happening she’s pulling me into a hug.
“Thank you for saving him,” she whispers into my ear.
When I’m finally released, she lets me into the house and walks with me as we make our way past the large abstract art pieces into the living room.
The first thing I notice is the softer touches that are accenting the room and making it feel so much homier than it did two years ago.
Big ferns bend from their pots in the corners, the large gray sofas now have pillows galore and throws that look oh so fluffy.
I wonder if this is Melissa’s taste or just a sign that Jericho is loosening up.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Jodie says, entering from another hallway, Switch in hand.
“Hey, you.”
“Have I mentioned I’m so glad you’re my stinky brother’s mate lately?” she asks, not wasting any time and coming in for a hug too.
“Not today I don’t think.”
“Well, I am.” She nuzzles her head into my side. It’s so great to see the Apollo clan happy again after the last couple of months, it’s a sharp difference.
“Is Jasper in his room?” I ask. “I’m late, because, well, some things don’t change.”
Melissa bites her lip. “He’s actually down at the beach.” A small brick forms in my stomach, and I gulp. “But there’s someone else who’d like to speak with you first if that’s okay.”
The brick grows three sizes.
“Jericho is in his office,” she continues. “He’d love a word.”
I nod apprehensively, though after everything that’s gone down, I don’t know why the alpha still sends a chill running down my spine. I guess that’s why he’s the alpha.
“You can find your way, right?” she asks, gesturing to the hall that leads to Jericho’s study.
“Yeah, I’m all good.” I give Jodie one last squeeze. “It’s good to see you both.”
“Tell Jasper I’m planning on kicking his ass in Mario Kart later,” Jodie says as I head off.
“Only if I don’t mop the floor with both of you.”
The hallway is cooler than the rest of the house and my legs start to quiver slightly as I make my way to Jericho’s office, knocking on the door when I arrive.
“Come in,” his voice booms.
Unlike the living room, the office hasn’t changed at all. Large windows still cast light on the sparsely furnished room, and Jericho sits at his tall chair behind the monolithic desk at the far end.
“Max,” Jericho says, unclasping his hands and standing. “It’s good to see you.”
It takes a second to register that we’re not alone. Someone is sitting in one of the armchairs facing the desk, they turn their head as I approach, and I double-take.
“M-Mal?”
The unofficial leader of the rogues is sitting in Jericho’s office, a wry smile playing on her lips. Her gray hair is pulled back in two braids, and she’s wearing a suede jacket that holds a whiff of her passed mate’s scent.
“It’s good to see you, Blood Wolf. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stick around after the battle.”
“No, that’s, of course.” The rogues were our saviors that day, but I totally get why they vanished as quickly as they’d appeared. “I—I’m glad you’re here though, I’ve been meaning to thank you. For . . . for showing up and . . . You really came through.”
She stands too, extending a hand, not to shake mine but to hold it.
“Really, I should be thanking you. It was your words that convinced me this fight was ours as well. And it was your connection to our ancestors and to the moon gods that really saved the day. We’re all in your debt.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out,” I say. “Though of course, I know there is more to be done. Actually, I’d love to speak with you about that and about a lot of things, if you have the time.”
“For the longest time I would have laughed at the idea of working with a pack wolf, but for you Max, the blood wolf, I have all the time in the world.”
“Great.”
She gives my hand one last squeeze then releases it and returns to her chair.
“I owe you a great many thanks as well, Maximilian,” Jericho says. “You saved my life, you’ve saved our pack, and not just that, you’ve opened my eyes.”
I quirk my head sideways. What does he mean?
“After I heard about what the rogues did for us, and when I heard how it was your initiative to involve them, and well, after what you did, I invited Mal here because it’s time for some things to change.”
He glances at Mal, who nods once, slowly, encouraging him to continue.
“For too long the packs and the rogues have lived in opposition to each other, we’ve kept each other at arm’s length.
But you’ve shown me how this divide only weakened both of us.
We have nothing to gain by exiling rogues and can only gain from working together.
So I’ve decided to build a bridge. With the wisdom and guidance of Malamar”—he nods in her direction—“I have decided that from now on the Elite Pack will be a haven for rogues, somewhere they can find their place within a pack, or where they can live on as individuals knowing they and their rights are protected. Our pack will be a sanctuary for all wolves.”
My eyes have opened so wide I think they might bug out of my skull. Is this really happening?
I glance at Mal, wanting her take, but she only shakes her head as if to say she’s as bewildered as I am.
“It will take a lot of work,” Jericho continues. “There is a lot of education needed and a lot of disinformation to debunk but my recent brush with death has made me reconsider a lot of things. If I can make this my legacy, then maybe my time as alpha will have been worthwhile.”
I can’t help shaking my head in disbelief, but this is really happening.
“This is . . . This is amazing. You have no idea what this will mean to so many people.”
“Malamar and I have a lot of work to do,” he says. “And we would love your help.”
“I . . . Of course . . . Anything.”
Jericho leans a little across his desk, narrowing his eyes in my direction.
“I once warned you of the pressures of being mated to my son,” he says.
“I was perhaps wrong to do so. But you have also proven to me that no other wolf is better suited to be the luna of this pack. You’ve saved my life on more than one occasion, and you’ve sent a ripple through our society that will change things for so many for the better.
Max, you are an exemplary werewolf, and I am humbled and grateful to call you family. ”
My jaw quivers with tears that I’m trying desperately to hold back.
And I can’t help myself from rushing to Jericho’s side of the desk, protocol be damned, and giving him a hug.
At first, he tenses like he isn’t used to this much affection, but then he softens and returns the embrace.
I can’t lie, hugging the alpha is a little like hugging a king-size mattress, too big to really grasp, all firm and squishy at once.
Jericho thumps my back affectionately a couple of times as our hug ends.
“If it’s all right, I have something I need to discuss with Jasper, but I’m so excited about this and I can’t wait to help figure out how to make this all work.”
“You’re going to do amazing things, Blood Wolf,” Mal says.
“Yes,” Jericho adds, “now go, be with your mate.”
I almost skip to the door, turning back only when I reach it to give a nod to both Jericho and Mal. Outside, I close the door behind me, excited to see what comes of this unlikely alliance.
Finally, I’m free to head to where Jasper is waiting.
“Be there in a second,” I tell him via our mind-link.