Knox lifted her chin with a finger and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You know, nothing says we can’t spend an extra minute—or ten—getting dressed.”
Rachel groaned. As much as she’d love that, they didn’t have time. Giving him another kiss, she pushed herself upright, then reached over and grabbed one of the duffel bags, shoving it into Knox’s hands.
“Get dressed, lover boy,” she said. “I’m going to need your help explaining what the hell happened tonight since I missed some of it.”
* * *
Gage and a good portion of her other pack mates were standing in a group about a hundred feet from the front porch of the house—or at least where the front porch of the house would have been if it hadn’t burned to a pile of cinders. Rachel and Knox had to pause as they made their way over there to let the people from the medical examiner’s office pass with no less than eight gurneys. Some of the bad guys must have made it outside and fought with Zane and Diego. Hopefully, none of those bodies had been clawed up like the ones inside. That would be difficult to explain.
Rachel was still thinking about the bodies that would likely never be recovered from the mansion when she and Knox finally joined her pack mates. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn’t notice Brooks had drawn his weapon and was pointing it at Knox.
Crap.
Rachel immediately stepped forward to put herself between Knox and her big African American pack mate even as Knox tried to pull her back to safety.
“What the hell are you doing, Brooks?” Gage growled, moving closer and pulling the big man’s arm down as he turned to look around them. “Put your frigging weapon away before the rest of the cops see.”
That was all they needed. Half the DPD bearing down on them with guns drawn.
Brooks didn’t put his department-issued Sig away, regardless of what their alpha wanted. Instead, he held it down at his side, finger away from the trigger. His gaze locked on Knox as he ignored everything else around him, including Gage.
“He’s a hunter,” Brooks said softly, his eyes glowing gold.
The silence that followed his announcement was deafening as every single one of her pack mates regarded Knox with expressions ranging from dubious to curious to menacing. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Diego move to stand beside Knox. Zane took up a position behind them to cover their backs.
“Are you sure about this, Brooks?” Gage asked, his face unreadable. “Because from where I’m standing, Jennifer and her daughter wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for his help.”
Brooks didn’t blink or look away from Knox for even a second. “I’m sure. He was at Max and Lana’s wedding reception. I remember him because he was limping from a gunshot wound to the leg. He only got away because Rachel didn’t put a bullet in him when she had the chance.”
Every eye turned to her. These were her pack mates, her friends, her family. The hurt and condemnation on their faces was almost enough to crush her soul.
“Is this true, Rachel?” Gage demanded. “Is Knox a hunter, and did you let him get away that night?”
While her alpha was clearly pissed, there was also disappointment in his voice. If she was being honest, that cut deeper than his anger.
“Yes, it’s true,” she said softly. “Knox was at the reception that night, and yes, I could have shot him, but I didn’t. I didn’t know why at the time and it wasn’t until recently that I figured it out. Knox isThe Onefor me. I couldn’t have shot him that night no matter what. Fate wouldn’t let something like that happen.”
Gage stared at her, shock in his dark eyes. “He can’t beThe Onefor you. He’s a hunter.”
If any of this mess was funny, Rachel might have laughed at the sight of her big bad boss so baffled. He wasn’t the only one who looked stunned. Her pack mates looked like they’d been hit in the face with a baseball bat.
“Used to bea hunter,” Rachel corrected. “He had no idea what he was getting into. He never harmed a werewolf and the first time he had a chance to do the right thing, he did, by taking a bullet meant for me at the SWAT compound.” She looked at Brooks. “Knox stepped into the line of fire of one of the other hunters who was about to shoot me. That’s what turned him into one of us.”
Before anyone could interrupt, she hurried on, telling them how Knox had shown up at her apartment looking for help and how she’d agreed. One thing had led to another, and before she knew it, she’d fallen for him. She thought she’d done a good job of explaining everything, but unfortunately, Gage didn’t care about any of that.
“I’ve heard enough,” he growled. “Dallas is still home for a lot of werewolves who lost people they cared about to the hunters. There’s no way I’m letting a member of the Pack that’s supposed to be protecting them associate with a hunter, even if you claim he’s reformed—or whatever the hell you think he is. I can’t put him in jail because I don’t have any evidence, but he’s not staying in this town. Not while I’m alpha of this pack.”
Rachel swallowed hard. Talking wasn’t going to fix this. She could tell Gage what Knox had done to save her life—and her sanity—but he and probably the rest of her pack mates were never going to see past the hunter label Knox carried, no matter what good he’d done.
“Fine,” she said, reaching out blindly to take Knox’s hand and hold on tight as she fought tears. “You don’t want Knox to stay in Dallas, that’s okay. We’ll leave.”
Gage looked at her like she’d slapped him. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that. But before she could say anything else, Knox tugged her hand, pulling her around to face him.
“I appreciate what you’re doing, but I can’t ask you to leave your pack for me,” he said gently. “You told me what they mean to you, what it felt like for you to find them after being on your own for so long. I’d never ask you to give that up.”
She gazed up at him, realizing now that they probably should have had this conversation that morning they’d made love. But better now than never. Because she sure as hell wasn’t letting him get away. The thought of leaving the Pack—her family—might hurt, but not nearly as much as leaving Knox. The idea was enough to make her feel like she couldn’t breathe.
“I’m not doing it because you’re asking.” She reached up to caress his hair-roughened jaw, not caring that they had an audience. “I’m doing it because you’reThe Onefor me and I’mThe Onefor you. That means we’re supposed to be together regardless of who or what gets in our way. I love you, so stop talking. We’re leaving. Just the two of us.”
