I stood there and took a few moments to center myself and gather my wits before going in to see everyone. That vision kept replaying in my head. It was weird to have spent my whole life living in my mother’s shadow and now, here I was with my own big purpose to fulfill. To be honest, I was scared shitless. I just couldn’t believe that the humans would ever harm us. But the second I thought it, my hand went to the tattoo on my neck that branded me different from them. A tattoo they required for me to be in public with them.
“Shit.” I breathed. Who were those humans at the club last night and what did they want? What if it wasn’t an isolated incident? What if it was about to become a frequent occurrence? Snippets of the vision with Nahuel kept flashing into my mind. Chewing my lip, I knew I needed to warn my dad. He would get word to the wolves and warn the right people. I hated to even think it, but maybe we needed to start watching our backs around the humans.
Taking one last breath of the beautiful forest, I went inside. My dad’s baritone voice could be heard from the back door where I stood.
“I’m going to have to insist, sir. Gavin is linked with my daughter and I must protect them both. You’re welcome to bring your wife and stay as a family in one of my homes on the mountain.” I could tell my Alpha father was trying to make it sound like a request but it wasn’t.
Gavin’s grandfather sighed. “No, my wife wouldn’t be comfortable among so many of your kind. Gavin looks better since we brought him here, so I will have to trust that you can care for him now.”
I came into the living room and saw my father stand and shake Tom’s hand. “We will. You have my word.”
Gavin stood there awkwardly, but for once in his life Jaxon did something kind. “And you can visit anytime. Call every day,” Jaxon told Tom.
Tom smiled. “Thank you, son. That will be nice.”
So Gavin was coming to live with us? What the hell? I was gone three minutes. When did this happen?
“Okay, I can drive you home now.” I tried to usher the craziness out the door. Tom, Gavin, and Jax filed outside, but my father caught my upper arm.
“Young lady, is there something you need to tell me?” My father’s eyes were yellow. Holy shit. When he did that, I wanted to blurt out every bad thing I had ever done. I smoked one of Gretchen’s clove cigarettes with Jax when I was fourteen, I stole his car one night when I was fifteen, ahhh.
My mother saved me. “About the vision with Nahuel. Your energy is all over the place. Was it bad?” she offered.
Relief crashed over me and my dad was frowning. Thank God, Mom taught me to lock him out of my every thought when I was ten. “The vision, yes. It’s pretty bad. Dad, you should probably assemble the council. I will fill you all in when we get back.”
My father balked. “The council. Okay …”
I kissed his cheek. “Thanks for protecting him, Papa.”
When I pulled back, I saw emotion written all over his face. Before this talk could get serious, I bee-lined for the door. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”
*
The drive to Gavin’s house was equal parts comical and awfully sad.
Tom tried to speak quietly but Jax and I heard it all.
“They brought the fever down, so they must know what they are doing.” His hand was on Gavin’s knee.
I looked in the rearview mirror at Gavin as Jax drove. Gavin simply nodded and stared out the window.
“So, you’re like them?” Tom whispered.
Gavin met his grandfather’s eyes. “Kind of.”
Tom nodded, patting Gavin’s leg. “I hope you’re not upset that I declined the big guy’s offer to live on the mountain, but you know your grandmother.”
Gavin chuckled, nodding. “It’s fine.”
Tom smiled. “I read somewhere that when the wolves shift to their animal form, they get nude. Can you imagine your grandma hanging the washing on the line and getting an eyeful?”
Gavin full on laughed now and I found myself smiling at his brief bit of happiness.
Tom was quiet for a while then he turned to Gavin once more. “But you’ll be okay now, right? They can help with the …” He indicated Gavin’s arms.
Gavin mustered a fake smile. “I’m gonna be fine, Pop. Don’t you worry.”
My heart broke for my mate then. He must be scared; he heard Nahuel tell him he was a dead man walking and now he was coming to live on a mountain full of werewolves at the stern request of one of the most powerful Alphas in the world. My father. Yet, he still held strong to reassure his family. A worthy mate, I could do no better, I was sure. It was in that moment that I knew I would fall in love with this man. This man I would most likely spend the rest of my life with. I was just hoping it was longer than the four days we had been given by Gretchen.
