A long moment of silence passed before Hugo sighed and faced his mate. “Len. The choice is yours,” he said gently. “I won’t make overbearing decisions for you anymore. If you forgive Red, then I’ll listen.”
Len’s eyes softened. “Hugo…”
“When the three of us set out to create a new pack, I never wanted to be a dictator who ignored my family’s feelings and made all the decisions. But I let my emotions and temper get the best of me. I’m sorry.” Hugo made eye contact with Red. “If everyone else wants you to join our pack, then who am I to say no?”
Red’s eyes widened hopefully. “Really?”
“But seeing as you’re an alpha, I think the final decision should rest on the omegas,” Hugo suggested.
I glanced at Red and subtly scented the air. The fox had always carried a strange scent that made it difficult to discern his status, but he didn’t deny Hugo’s words.
“Ah, r-right,” Red said with a nod.
Hugo turned to the others. “Len, Sage and Morgan. What do you say?”
“I’ve already said it’s fine with me a hundred times,” Len said with an exasperated laugh.
“If he’s gonna laugh at my jokes, then hell yes!” Sage exclaimed.
My mate still stood beside Red. The final choice rested on him now. Red’s gaze wavered with hopeful uncertainty.
“Well, fox,” Morgan began, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I wasn’t there for your troubled past, but I know who you are in the present. You saved me during my labor, and you saved my son now. That’s twice now you helped me and my child. I’d be a fool to say no to you.” He winked at the rest of the pack. “Let’s say we keep him around, huh?”
A warm, genuine grin broke out on Hugo’s face, leaving no trace of the icy feelings he had for Red before. “That settles it, then.” Hugo strode up to Red and gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder. “Ah, but just one more thing.”
Red nodded tightly, obviously willing to do anything at this point.
“Lose the gun, all right?” Hugo asked.
In one smooth motion, Red smashed his boot through the rusted barrel, breaking the old hunting rifle in half. “Done.”
Hugo looked pleased. “Welcome to the pack, Red.”
And so, we returned to the grove with plus one member in our diverse, misfit pack.
