“Yes,” I seethe. “By me. He's my Second. He should have been there.”
“The moment you saw him, you abandoned your mate. Again. You know what was riding on you and Eugenia being mated and you abandoned that without so much as a look back. You showed both packs that you would put yourself, and Parker, above the health and future of your pack that day. Parker is mine as much as you and any other member of this pack. I want him home and I want him well. But he put our future at risk. I hoped that Recovery would change that. I wanted him to find someone else there.”
My rage will no longer be ignored. “He didn't find someone else here, Dad. He's still mine, and so is Genie. They're bothmine and I'm pretty fucking sure he's hers, too. I think that's how it was supposed to be all along.”
“Then why did you run from it?” he asks.
My father isn't angry. His tone is serious, but he isn't short or condescending. He is leading. Teaching. And my anger dissipates as I try to land on an answer for that question.
In the end the answer is as simple and true as it's always been. “I was afraid of change. I was never going to give up Parker, Dad. Never. I didn't think Genie could accept that. I was afraid of changing everything. And then I was afraid of losing everything.”
“And now?”
“Now I'm not afraid of anything. I know Mom told you about Genie. I'm taking her home. As soon as she's ready, we'll start planning for the joining of the packs. All of us. I understand something now that I didn't before. The council elders who signed those treaties before we were born wanted to create a pack large and powerful enough to lead the entire region. We can do that. We're strong enough to do it. But I can already see where challenges are going to come from. Will you pull up everything we have on Pack Reeves? It wouldn't hurt to check in on Pack Steele, either.”
“Did something happen while you've been there?” he asks, concern tightening his words.
“Nothing too serious, not yet. I just don't want something to hit us out of the blue.”
I look across the foyer to where Genie is sitting so pretty in the chair in front of the windows with her bag in her lap and Parker standing guard behind her. He meets my gaze and puts his hand on her shoulder. A feeling of rightness slams into me so hard that it takes my breath. “One more thing, Dad.”
“What's that, Drew?”
“I want to change Recovery. Not what it does, but people need to understand what they're coming here for. It isn't fair to trickpeople into it. It's dishonest and people deserve to know the truth about why they're here. If I had known what I was coming here to do, I would have put more effort into doing that instead of fumbling through weeks of useless bullshit.”
Chapter Forty
Genie
The diner is in full morning swing when we walk through the door. Everyone turns to look at us when the bell jangles over our heads, sounding much louder than it has any right to. I don't usually care about the gawking stares of humans. They don't know a wolf at a glance and the three of us look no different than anyone else here. Humans just like to look. Wolves look too, we outright stare, but it feels different. Wolves look to see, humans typically look to judge. I just walked into a crowded room,freshly claimed, approaching my next heat, and the gigantic bite mark on the lowest part of my neck is barely covered by my hair and Drew's jacket. The two overprotective men flanking me are all but snarling at every pair of male eyes that land on me. They are breaths away from causing a scene.
An ancient waitress wearing fuchsia lipstick and a sweatshirt with dachshunds printed all over it approaches us with her thinning brows sky high. “Let's get you all settled into a booth. This way. You drinking coffee this morning, sweetheart?”
“Yes, please,” I answer quietly. “Thank you.”
She leads us to a corner booth. I could hug her. I slide into the seat facing the wall, allowing Drew to sit across from me, giving him a full view of the dining room and front door. Parker drops into the seat next to me, slinging an arm across the back of the booth behind me. It is both obnoxious and endearing. This is our first public outing together and I didn't know what to expect from them. I knew Drew would likely be territorial, all males are, and alphas are worse than most; but I thought Parker would stay by Drew's side like he always has. Between the two of them, I am being well protected. I like it. I can't help liking it. But it definitely isn't what I was expecting.
“Cream?” she asks, placing three menus and sets of napkin wrapped silverware on the table.
I answer for all of us again. “Yes, please.” I don't know how Drew takes his coffee, but I'll be shocked if the both of them put any less than a truck load of sugar in their coffee.
“Let me go get that for you and I'll be right back to take your orders.”
I wait until she gets out of hearing range before looking down at the menu. “I hope one of you has some money because I left my purse on my dresser back home. I didn't think I'd need it.”
Parker turns his whole body to look at me, giving me several slow blinks. “You left home without anything? No money? No ID?”
I shrug and look back down at the menu. “Recovery feeds you. There are no stores on the grounds. I didn't expect to leave before someone from my pack came to pick me up. I had no reason to think I'd need it.” I turn a page and smile when I find an entire section dedicated to different kinds of pancakes. “If you didn't bring anything either, whoever picks us up will cover the bill. It'll be fine.”
“I have money,” Drew says gruffly.
The waitress comes back carrying three coffees in one hand and a basket full of little tubs of cream, butter, and an assortment of jellies. “Here we go. Have you decided what you want? I can come back in a minute or three if you need more time.”
I smile up at her. “Can I get a butter pecan platter with bacon?”
“How do you want your eggs, honey?”
“Over medium, please.”
