Lakota tipped his head to the side. “What about that time you wore a Speedo to the lake?”
“Don’t mention that again,” Hendrix said with a straight face.
Mel looked between them. “Why do I have the feeling I’m missing out on all the good stories? One of these days, I’m going to get you guys to talk.”
Lakota had always been close with the twins. In some ways, he acted as their big brother. Whenever he was in town, he’d take them fishing or camping.
Tak chuckled and looked between Lakota and Melody. “So you two knew each other since childhood.”
Mel batted her eyelashes at Lakota, and they shared a private look that spanned years.
Hendrix rumpled his red hair and jerked his chin at Lakota. “Any updates on what happened to the pizza guy?”
Lakota rested his elbows on the table, his blue eyes narrowing to slivers. “The higher authority went easy on him. Five years. He deserves more than that for stalking and drugging my sister.”
Mel frowned. “I actually liked Nash. He always gave us extra pepperoni. Why are all the nice guys psychotic assholes?”
Tak put his arm across the back of my chair. “That’s what happens when men are motivated by greed. Let it be a lesson that family and morals come first. One man was driven by animosity and the other by money, and look where it got them.”
Mel, Lakota, Hendrix, and Lennon nodded in agreement. Tak had made an indelible impression on everyone over the past few weeks. Lennon and Hendrix were always looking for examples of how to lead, even though Tak wasn’t a Packmaster. I’d noticed a change in them during the past year, and I could see they were yearning for something more. It was the same look a man gets when he’s searching for purpose. They weren’t yet seasoned enough to form their own packs, but time and experience would change that.
“You should have killed River,” Hendrix said to me. “That’s what I would have done.”
Tak shook his head. “Dying is too swift a punishment. A rival’s submission is the sweetest victory.”
Lennon gave Hendrix another furtive glance, and the two men drank their beers.
“What’s up with you two?” Mel asked, pointing at the twins. One of her shoulder straps on her black tank top slid off, but she ignored it. “You’re up to something sneaky. Did you put a skunk in Lakota’s truck again? Because that wasn’t funny the first time.”
Hendrix looked at his twin, who raised his eyebrows. After a few beats, Lennon finally shrugged. Sometimes they carried on entire conversations with their eyes and body language.
Hendrix rubbed his finger beneath his eye and nodded. “Me and Lennon are taking off to Alaska.”
Mel gave them a sour look. “And you didn’t ask if I wanted to come? I’m down for another vacation.”
“It’s, uh… not a vacation.”
“I don’t get it.”
Lakota adjusted Mel’s tank top and put his arm around her. “I think what your brothers are trying to tell you is that they’re ready to leave their footprint in the world. They’re ready to take the journey that all alphas take.”
Tears sprang to her eyes—mostly drunken tears since Mel wasn’t a huge crier. “But you’re my baby brothers. You can’t leave me.”
When she pouted, both men rose from the table. Hendrix knelt to her right, and Lennon stood behind her and clapped his hands on her shoulders.
“Did you think we were going to hang around Austin our whole lives and work in a bakery?” Hendrix asked. “You knew this day was coming.”
It was an emotional moment, and I leaned into Tak. Lennon and Hendrix weren’t just going out to find themselves; they were embarking on an adventure that could be dangerous as they would encounter rogues, other alphas, and Breed in unfamiliar terrain. Strong packs required strong leaders, and the only way for an alpha to grow to his potential was to challenge himself.
“But what are you going to do?” she went on, mascara streaking down her ruddy cheeks. “You don’t have any money. All you do is spend it.”
“Maybe bounty hunting,” Lennon said. “We haven’t decided, but Alaska calls to our wolves. You know we’ve wanted to live there since we were boys.”
Hendrix put his hand on her knee. “It’s our time.”
Her mouth turned down, and she touched his forehead with her thumb, tracing it along one of the grooves. “You’re not allowed to grow up on me. What if you never come back? What if you decide to live there forever?”
Lennon leaned in. “Good grief. If we’d known you were going to get this emotional, we would have hired a singing telegram to deliver the message once we were already on our way.”
