“I do not begrudge your desire to have my parents back, Luna,”Fane told her.
“I have no doubts concerning you, Fane. You’re going to be an amazing alpha. I miss them.”
“I know, love. I miss them, too.”
Jen continued to cry as Jacque held her. Decebel looked like he wanted to push Fane’s mate away and pick Jen up, but he seemed to understand that his female needed her friend.
“We are all hurting,” Fane said as he stood up straighter. “And it will be a hell of a long time before that pain eases. But we will get through this, just like we’ve gotten through all the hell we’ve faced in the past. This won’t destroy us unless we let it. And if we do that, we disgrace my parents’ memory and teachings.” He let his eyes meet the eyes of each person in the room. With every glance, the eyes of the others dropped to the floor. Not even Peri held his stare. “We will take the time the Great Luna has offered us to grieve, and we will do just that. We will mourn, lament, ache for our loss, and yes, probably cuss our current situation. But when it’s time, we will pick our asses up off the floor, and we will be ready to face those who think to stand against the Great Luna. We will not let our losses keep us from doing what is right.
“There’s more to talk about, but I’ve decided tonight is not the night. Go home, or go to your suites and rest. Take comfort in the arms of your mates. Hold your children and be thankful that we have a next generation to raise and teach the things that our alpha pair taught us. Jacquelyn and I will check on everyone”—he looked at each of the non-wolf members of the group—“because whether you live here in this mansion or not, whether you areCanis lupusor not, you are a member of our pack and you are mine.” Fane let the statement settle in for a moment, allowing them each to bear the full weight of his power. The power granted him was still new, but it didn’t feel foreign. It was as if he’d known the pack magic was there all along, lying in wait for the time when he would need to step into his place.“Our alpha knew that we would one day rule,”his beast rumbled in his mind.“Yes. He prepared us,”the wolf continued.“We need to do what he taught.”
Fane agreed, though he didn’t respond to his wolf. Instead, he turned his attention to Peri and Lucian. “I would ask something of you.”
“How can we be of service?” Lucian asked as he took Peri’s hand.
Fane didn’t miss the formality with which his uncle spoke to him. He hoped at some point he could rein in his power. Fane knew it was making everyone a little uneasy, like a handshake that was just a tad too tight to be comfortable.
“Cut yourself some slack, mate.”Jacquelyn’s wolf spoke through their bond. His wolf rumbled in response. He liked it when their she-wolf spoke to them.
“I would ask that you act as an ambassador for our pack,” Fane said to Lucian. “I realize the ceremony ended with little discussion among the other packs. They may have questions,” Fane explained. “I don’t have a lot of answers at the moment, but perhaps letting them know that they aren’t going to be hung out to dry would go a long way in keeping the peace.”
His mate’s ears perked up at this. “What do you mean keeping the peace?” Jacquelyn practically growled.
Slate stirred in Fane’s arms, and he bounced the boy gently as he met his mate’s fierce gaze. Apparently, she felt extra protective of him and their pack.
“He means,” Disir, the high fae spoke up, “that there will likely be plenty of alphas that are none-to-happy about being told to submit to a new authority. The Great Luna made your mate the alpha over ALL alphas. That is going to be a difficult thing for some of them to accept.”
“It’s a mouthful of humble pie for them,” Peri added. “It’s wise for you to reassure them that you aren’t just going to waltz in and start giving orders.”
Fane nodded, his eyes still on his mate’s.“Do not worry, Luna. I will be fine.”
Jen seemed to have gathered herself as she sat up straight and wiped her cheeks. “Are you saying there will be more challenges than just those from these mysterious, cowardly packs that have been hiding out all these years?” Jen met his eyes for three seconds and then dropped her gaze to Slate.
“Some might,” Fane said. “Alphas don’t submit easily.”
“But you’re more dominant than them, right?” Jacquelyn asked.
“I am.” Fane wasn’t being conceited; it was a fact. “Lucian is also more dominant than most, if not all, of them, as is Decebel.”
“Are you going to try to reach out to the unknown packs?” Sally asked. She’d moved to the love seat, Titus now asleep in her lap.
“I haven’t decided,” Fane answered. “That is something I will be seeking council on from this group, but I don’t think it’s a discussion for tonight.”
“Agreed.” Jacquelyn patted Jen’s hand and stood to take her place by Fane’s side. She took Slate from him and addressed the room. “We all need rest in order to think clearly. The pups are exhausted, and our emotions are running high. Let’s meet again in a couple of days. Any decisions that need to be made can be addressed at that time.”
Fane placed a hand on her back and ran it up and down her spine. His wolf needed the touch as much as the man did.
“We stayed behind because we wanted to offer some protection to your pack,” Disir spoke again. “We can put a ward around the forest that circles your mansion. If you have wolves that don’t live here, we can also ward their homes.” He glanced at the ground, his face suddenly downcast. “If we had offered our power sooner, things might be different.”
“We should have done something, and if we had heeded Peri’s warnings…” Gwen said.
“No,” Fane said firmly. “What has come to pass is as it should be. We may not like it or understand it, but I don’t doubt the Great Luna’s plans, even if at the moment they hurt. However, we would greatly appreciate the protection now, especially while my pack is dealing with such a significant loss.”
Fane was familiar with regret, but he was also learning that it served no purpose other than to keep them from moving forward. Regret could freeze you in your tracks faster than stepping into freshly poured concrete. Fane drew his cell phone from his pocket and pulled up a list of grouped contacts. It was all the pack members that were living off the pack property. “I just sent Peri the addresses of all our pack members that don’t live in the mansion,” he explained.
Peri took out her phone, and it dinged with the confirmation of receiving his message.
“Thank you.” Jacquelyn’s voice rang with sincerity. “It means the world to us.”
