Chapter 25 - Noah
Sage was pregnant with my heir, the rogues had been driven out, and while the land was still failing at an alarming pace, I finally saw a way out. A way to save my pack.
It wasn't going to be easy, though. Nothing in my life ever was.
Even as I planned the future of the Silvervine pack, I was haunted by the memory of Dominic, still on the forest floor.
I was sure I'd killed him, the man I'd tried so hard to save, but when I went to retrieve his body to bury him, it was gone.
I assumed one of the rogues had taken it, a last 'fuck you' to me, making sure I'd never get any real closure. But without a body, I couldn't stop the 'what ifs' from sneaking in. What if he were alive...
It was almost a more upsetting thought than just accepting that he was dead.
But I was forced to put Dominic far from my mind, because everything was changing at a breakneck pace.
No one had said it out loud, but everything pointed to Sage staying with our pack.
As soon as that became clear, all of the animosity Joe had towards me and my pack melted away, and he was the same Alpha that had welcomed me to his territory while I healed after my attack.
With my head cleared, and Sage at my side for the time being, I felt guilty as fuck for challenging him at all.
But apologies would have to wait, because Joe had other ideas for me to mull over. Most significantly was the offer of a swath of land near his pack and the other three in the alliance.
I was shocked. Not only was the area fertile, it was beautiful, and Joe was giving it to me freely. "Are you sure?" I'd asked.
"Very." Joe's eyes had flickered towards Sage.
"You, your mate, and your pack will thrive there.
I have to check with the rest of the alliance, of course, but after we added the Blacktide pack, we quickly realized that we were stronger as four instead of three.
Which means five would be even better...
as long as you're up to the task and the trial period. "
I was speechless, and for a long moment, all I could do was stare. "This is what you've been looking for," Joe had gone on, "A fresh start."
That had been enough to snap me out of my funk, and I'd clasped his hand and shaken it firmly. "It's more than I deserve," I'd admitted, "And the perfect place to raise a family."
Joe nodded. "Talk to your father, and don't back down. I've heard stories about what he did to this pack, and I have to wonder if those bad times, the blood and the anguish he brought, were what poisoned your land here. Stand strong."
Until my dying day, I might have never understood why Joe had been so forgiving, but I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if my father was responsible for the land dying, there was no reason to stick around and force my pack to endure the misery that he had wrought.
So while Joe consulted with the Alphas of the other packs in his alliance, I consulted my Council. And my father.
I spoke to my father first. I didn't want him to hear the news from anyone else, and I'd been avoiding speaking to him about the rogue attack anyway. I could kill two birds with one stone, but I knew that Dad wasn't going to make any of it easy.
Leaving Sage behind and sending Summer away, I went to join my father for a late lunch. I wanted it to be just the two of us, so if he had any outbursts, I'd be the one to absorb it all, no one else.
"You look well," Dad said, motioning for me to sit across from him, "Considering." It was a rare compliment, even if I had the suspicion that it was backhanded. "We're alive," I agreed, not wanting to get into the particulars.
Dad was quiet as he sipped his drink. "Tell me about the attack. It's bullshit that I had to hear about it through the grapevine, so don't hold back. I want to know everything."
There was no reason for me to spare the details, so I didn't. Surprisingly, Dad gave a grunt of regret when I described Dominic's supposed death, but otherwise, he was silent, nodding along as I laid it all out.
He was totally still as I explained Sage's part and the shield that she had cast, and while he didn't speak on it, I had a feeling Dad couldn't help but have a smidge of respect for my mate.
When that was done, I shared Joe's offer and let the words hang in the air. Moving the pack was unprecedented. We'd lived on this land for generations, but I'd made up my mind. When I was done, I leaned back in my chair and waited.
Dad's jaw was tense, and for a moment, I didn't think he'd say anything at all. When he spoke, the words sounded almost foreign. "You did well." It shocked me, but I didn't let his praise go to my head. "Thank you."
"I won't lie, a few months ago, I would have said that there was no hope for you."
I thought back to Joe's approval, the other Alpha's grip on my shoulder as he congratulated me on Sage's pregnancy, and how he was the sort of Alpha I hoped to one day be.
My father was no longer the blueprint, and while his praise had struck the part of me that would always be the pup desperate for his father's approval, his words rang hollow.
I was no longer the same person, and I was okay with that. I kept my response short. "Well, you were wrong."
He was quiet for a moment, "So you've done well, yet you didn't ask my permission about mating, and now you're going to move the pack."
"I didn't ask your permission," I agreed, "Because you're no longer the one holding my leash. I'm telling you. I'm moving the pack, for everyone's benefit."
He scowled. "If I were still at the helm—"
"But you're not," I interrupted, "I'm doing it for the pack's future. And for your grandchild's future. That's all you need to know."
Shock plastered itself across his face as my words really sank in. "My grandchild?"
"Yes," was all I said, standing up from the table and looking down at my father. He'd been cruel to my mate, and I wasn't about to share my joy with the one man who damaged me the most over the years. The knowledge was all he was going to get from me for the moment.
He was still trying to speak to me as I left, but I ignored him. It felt like an anvil had been lifted off my chest, and I was ready to face the final challenge before the pack move could be finalized.
The Council.
***
Unlike the talk with my father, my mate was present for the Council meeting, sitting at my side like the Luna that she was. Summer was also there, sitting somewhere down the table, but it wasn't my cousin or Sage that I was worried about. It was everyone else.
I started with an explanation of the offer. They were shocked, of course, and there were plenty of questions and concerns, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
"I know it will take some getting used to," I explained, "but Joe's alliance will bring so much good to us. More protection means a better chance for the next generation. A place to grow, not dying land to resurrect."
"I see you've thought this through," a Councilwoman said, her tone cautious.
I nodded, "I have. My father was a cruel man, and a selfish man, and while he's gone, his mark will still be felt. I have no way of fixing the land here, and the sooner we move, the better."
There were murmurs, but no one spoke against me.
"On the other hand, I am not a cruel man.
And the Alphas of the allied packs we'd be joining aren't cruel men, either.
They've all settled down with mates and are working to bring their packs into the future.
Together, they are strong, and we have the chance to be a part of that strength.
To benefit from it, and to add to it. For generations, our pack has been comprised of farmers, fishers, and stewards of the land.
We can bring those skills to this new territory, share them with the other packs, and reap the benefits of their skills, too. "
Everyone was silent, but a few of the members had the beginnings of smiles on their faces. In the end, we took a vote, and while it wasn't unanimous, the vote passed with a comfortable majority.
Sage was quiet when we left hand in hand, but I'd grown to know her well enough to tell that she wasn't angry or scared. Instead, my mate was simply pensive, taking in all the changes coming at us rapid fire.
"Talk to me, my loud thinking mate."
"I'm just surprised." She glanced up at me. "But also happy." "You're happy?"
She nodded, her cheeks flushed pink. "I am. This has...taken a lot of turns. But I'm so, so excited for the move, Noah. You're going to love it in Crystal Creek."
Being reminded that Sage had been an official member of one of the Crystal Creek packs was sobering, but I didn't let it show.
Her anticipation of returning to the land she'd lived in for the last five years had opened up wounds that had been scabbed over since the rogue's attacks, and if we were really to have a new start, I had to acknowledge them.
"Sage..." I started, stopping in front of our home, taking her hands in mine. "I've been thinking. A lot. And, well...fuck, I'm not good at this." I inhaled slowly, looking up at the stars through the canopy until my thoughts stopped racing, "Once we make it to the new territory,
we'll be close enough to Joe's pack that I'll still be able to be present for my pup. If you want to rejoin the Brokenclaws, that is. I want you to be happy. To have the life that you want."
I looked at her, and even in the moonlight, I could see how surprised she was. "Noah..." she started, voice soft, "I only asked to go back with Joe because of the baby. Because I was afraid you wouldn't want a witch child, even if you were okay with a witch mate."
I was so stunned by her words that it was hard for me to speak. "How could you think that, Sage? How could you possibly think that?"
"Because," her lower lip wobbled, and she was blinking rapidly, "Because I had a hard time believing that someone who was raised the way you were could accept my magic. And me."
"Sage," I pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to her hair. "I was raised by a cruel, hateful man.I fucked up pushing you away the first time, but that was the first and last time I ever let my father's poisonous thoughts rule me. I'm my own man. Your man, if you'll have me."
Her tears left two damp spots on my shirt, but it was an acceptable payment to have her arms locked around me. "You're a fool, Noah, but I've loved you for years. Since before the Brokenclaws. I've wanted you forever."
"And you'll have me, sweet Sage. I love you." "I love you too, Noah. So, so much."
The kiss was sweet, but soon, it turned heated, and our bond sang between us.
We had a lifetime to figure things out, to be the mate the other needed in their lives, but for the night, I'd settle for being the man she needed in her bed.