“She did. We are planning her funeral. I would like to stay for that if you will allow it.” She held her breath, waiting for his refusal.
“Of course, you must stay.”
Tanya’s mouth dropped open as she glanced at Austin, Trevor, and then Daniel, knowing with their wolf senses, they could all hear their alpha. What alternate universe had she just stepped into?
“If Tyler is willing to allow you to stay, I mean,” Jeremiah continued, “then you should. It would be irreverent not to pay your respects after she’s been such a good friend to you. We never want it said that a Colorado pack member would show such offense. And definitely not my own child.”
Tanya nearly growled but managed to hold her wolf’s tongue. Of course it was about him and how others would perceive him and his pack. It had nothing to do with the fact that Tanya was hurting beyond words and that Lisa deserved to have a funeral surrounded by people who loved her. “Thank you, Dad. I don’t know exactly how long it will be—”
“Don’t worry about that,” her father interrupted. “Just keep me posted. As long as Daniel, Austin, and Trevor are with you, then I know you’re safe.”
Tanya lifted her other hand and pinched her arm so hard that she winced. She was sure she must be asleep. She wished it were a nightmare and she would wake up to find Lisa alive and her dad calling to demand she come home. That would be better than this hell.
“Okay,” she said, though it sounded like a question. “Give my love to Mom, please.”
“I will. And Tanya…” He paused. “I really am sorry.”
Tanya closed her eyes. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek, leaving a cool trail. Large arms enveloped her, and she buried her face in the familiar smell of Tyler, the alpha she had wished so many times was her father.
“Tanya,” Dillon’s voice sounded strained in her mind. She knew her pain was probably radiating through the bond, causing him physical pain, but she couldn’t block it. “You don’t have to block it. That’s what a true mate is for.” She felt fingers on her face, and they weren’t Tyler’s. “I’m here.” His love surrounded her just as sure as the Missouri alpha’s arms did. Tanya tentatively reached through the bond and let him feel her gratitude. It was intimate and terrifying but so comforting that she nearly begged him to come to her.
“Our mate,” her wolf said with so much longing in her voice that Tanya felt guilty for asking him to stay away. “Only he can give us what we need.” Tanya knew her beast was right, but she wasn’t ready to face all that would come with Dillon when he finally stood before her.
She hadn’t realized her father had ended the call until Tyler took the phone out of her hand. Tanya had just been standing there, holding it with the dial tone ringing in her ear. She patted the alpha, stepping out of his embrace, and then walked over to the kitchen sink. Tanya pulled off a paper towel from the roll, wet it with cold water, then pressed it to her face. The heat that infused her face from her tears and emotions cooled a bit, and she pushed the whole weird conversation with her father into a box and shut it—for now.
When she lowered the paper towel and turned to face the room again, the eyes of her pack mates, Tyler, and several of his pack members were on her.
“Let’s go pick out Lisa’s casket,” she said, feeling a little stronger. “She deserves the best.”
Tyler nodded. “And the best she will have.”
Dillon’s chest ached over his female’s anguish. It was eating him alive to have to hold back his instincts. She was shattered, and he just wanted to help hold her together. He picked up on her feelings for the Missouri alpha, and even though she saw him as a father, it grated against Dillon that Tyler possessed his female’s affections. Is it wrong for me to feel that way? Yes. Does that matter to my irrational wolf? Nope. Dillon kept a presence in her mind but also refocused on the matter at hand.
He and the three other pack members—Kevin, Rusty, and Gabe—had been searching the forest surrounding the Colorado pack mansion all day. So far, they had found nothing—not a single trace of any rogue wolves. As he knew they wouldn’t. It just didn’t make sense for rogues to be attempting to attack or encroach on a pack this size. It must be some sort of test to see if Dillon would blindly do as he’s told, even if he thinks the alpha is full of shit. Dillon was pretty sure Jeremiah saw the skepticism in his eyes when he’d been in his office, though Dillon did his damndest to hide it. To Dillon’s delight, the other wolves had been amiable all day, even pleasant. They weren’t side-eying him or acting as if paying him any sort of attention might get them smacked across the face like a child who’d asked the same question one too many times to an irrational parent. They seemed like different people away from the mansion. It was as if they could lighten up and be themselves out from under the heavy shadow that Jeremiah subconsciously cast over the entire headquarters.
“You guys ready for some lunch?” Dillon asked the three males.
“Are we going to jog to a fast-food restaurant?” Kevin asked.
“What?” Dillon frowned. “No, I mean, let’s hunt up a meal.” He found that he was eager to hunt with a pack. He’d been hunting alone for so long, he hadn’t even realized that his wolf was starved for the companionship of other pack mates.
Kevin looked at Rusty and then Gabe.
“What?” Dillon folded his arms across his chest and met Kevin’s gaze, who lowered his eyes immediately.
“Jeremiah doesn’t like us to hunt,” Kevin said. “We can phase and let our wolves run, but he doesn’t want us taking down prey.”
Dillon’s arms dropped as his head tilted. His wolf perked up at this bit of information. “Hold up.” He lifted a hand. “You’re telling me your alpha doesn’t allow you to hunt?”
All three males nodded slowly. None of them looked at him; their eyes stayed on the ground. Dillon realized his irritation was leaking power out of him. He’d been doing so good at keeping it under control, but between hunting and now this bit of information, his wolf was beginning to get agitated. Dillon took a deep breath and pulled back, forcing his wolf to calm down. Kevin’s shoulders relaxed first, then Rusty and Gabe followed suit.
“Apologies. I just don’t understand. Why wouldn’t he want you to hunt?”
Kevin glanced around the woods as if he were afraid Jeremiah might jump out at any moment. When he looked back at Dillon, his eyes glowed with his wolf. “Hunting strengthens our instincts. It draws our wolves to the forefront. It brings out the—”
“Dominance,” Dillon cut him off. “It forces everybody into their rightful place in the pack.” He shook his head as he realized what their alpha was doing. By preventing his pack from hunting, which would naturally organize them by dominance for the hunt, he prevented the wolves from knowing their place in the pack hierarchy. It basically just kept everyone beneath Jeremiah, and by threat of death, no one engaged in dominance fights.
“Yeah,” Rusty said slowly, his eyes darting around.
