"How kind of you." Remy's voice dripped with sarcasm, but he was grinning, his whole face alight with mischief. "I feel so honored to be tolerated." He pressed a hand to his chest in mock gratitude.
"Don't push it." Harper rumbled from the front of the pirogue, but there was warmth underneath the warning, his massive shoulders relaxed, his dark eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as he glanced back at them.
I laughed, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep in my chest, bright and surprised and utterly genuine. This. This was what I'd wanted. What I'd barely dared to hope for.
"Maybe you can share after all." I said softly, more to myself than to them, my voice carrying across the still water, but they heard anyway. Harper turned to look at me, his dark eyes warm. Remy's grin softened into something realer, sweeter. Silas saidnothing, but his paddle strokes steadied, sure and strong at my back.
"Maybe we can." Harper agreed, his voice rough with something that made my heart skip, his dark eyes holding mine with a warmth that felt like a promise.
We paddled the rest of the way in comfortable silence, three Alphas and one Omega cutting through the still waters of the bayou, the morning sun warm on our backs and the future uncertain but somehow less frightening than it had been before.
Gumbo followed us home, his massive form shadowing the pirogue like a prehistoric guardian. When we reached the dock, he surfaced once, his amber eyes meeting mine in that ancient, knowing way.
Then he slipped beneath the water and disappeared, leaving only ripples in his wake.
I had a feeling he approved.
Chapter Sixteen
Artemis
The Sunday after the bayou tour, I decided it was time for a formal introduction.
Not because I needed Gumbo's approval—I was a grown woman who made her own choices, thank you very much—but because if this pack thing was going to work, they needed to understand that Gumbo came with the territory. Literally. He'd been here longer than any of them, and he wasn't going anywhere.
I'd told them to come by around noon, when the heat drove Gumbo out of the water to sun himself on his favorite flat rock near the dock. He'd be sluggish from the warmth, full from the fish I'd fed him that morning, and theoretically in a decent mood.
We'd spent the morning checking the rest of my property boundaries, as promised. Harper had documented everything with that methodical precision of his, marking GPS coordinates and taking photos of any suspicious disturbances. Silas had ranged ahead like a ghost, his pale eyes missing nothing. EvenRemy had been useful, his knowledge of the waterways helping us navigate the trickier channels. We'd found twelve more stakes on the northern edge—freshly planted, bright orange flags fluttering like warnings. They were in a pile on my porch now, waiting to join the others from yesterday.
But that was this morning's problem. Right now, we had a different kind of challenge.
Theoretically.
"This feels like meeting the parents." Remy said when he arrived, eyeing the massive alligator sprawled on the sun-warmed rock with obvious trepidation, his amber eyes wide and his usual confidence notably absent. "Except the parent in question could literally eat me." He swallowed hard, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh.
"He won't eat you." I said, not entirely sure that was true, watching Gumbo's tail flick lazily in the afternoon heat. "Probably." I added, because honesty was important in relationships.
"You keep saying 'probably.'" Remy pointed out, his voice climbing slightly, his curls sticking to his forehead in the humidity. "I'd really prefer a 'definitely not.' Or even a 'most likely not.' 'Probably' is not reassuring, chere." He took a step back, putting more distance between himself and the prehistoric predator currently sunbathing like he owned the place.
Which, to be fair, he kind of did.
Harper arrived next, his truck rumbling to a stop near the cabin, his boots heavy on the dock as he approached. He took in the scene—Gumbo on his rock, me standing nearby with my arms crossed, Remy hovering at what he clearly considered a safe distance—and nodded once, his dark eyes calm.
"Fontenot." Remy greeted him, something like relief flickering across his face at no longer being alone with themurder lizard. "Ready to meet the in-law?" He asked, jerking his chin toward Gumbo, his attempt at humor falling slightly flat.
"Been looking forward to it." Harper rumbled, his deep voice carrying no trace of sarcasm, his gaze fixed on Gumbo with what looked like genuine respect. "He's magnificent." He said it simply, like he was stating an obvious fact, his massive frame relaxed despite the proximity of a nine-foot apex predator.
Silas materialized from the tree line without warning, making Remy yelp and stumble sideways, nearly falling off the dock in his surprise.
"Jesus Christ, Boudreaux." Remy pressed a hand to his chest, his heart visibly pounding beneath his thin t-shirt. "Make some noise when you walk. I almost died." He glared at the pale-eyed Alpha, who regarded him with flat disinterest.
"You almost fell off a dock." Silas corrected, his voice dry as dust, his scarred hands hanging loose at his sides. "That's different than dying." He paused, his pale eyes flicking toward Gumbo. "Though in this case, the outcome might be the same." He added, one corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.
"I hate you." Remy muttered, but there was no real heat in it, his amber eyes betraying a reluctant amusement. "I hate all of you. This whole situation is terrible." He crossed his arms over his chest, pouting like a child denied dessert.
"Alright." I clapped my hands together, drawing all of their attention to me, enjoying the way three sets of Alpha eyes snapped to my face like I was the center of their universe. Which, in this moment, I was. "Here's how this is going to work. Gumbo is family. He's been with me for years. He's protective, he's territorial, and he's an excellent judge of character." I let my gaze move from one to the next, making sure they understood the gravity of what I was saying. "If you want to be part of my life,you need to earn his respect. Or at least his tolerance." I finished, watching their reactions carefully.
Harper nodded, his expression serious, his dark eyes steady. Silas inclined his head slightly, his pale gaze already fixed on Gumbo with something like professional interest. Remy looked like he might be sick.
