“Really, I should be thanking you. It was your words that convinced me this fight was ours as well. And it was your connection to our ancestors and to the moon gods that really saved the day. We’re all in your debt.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out,” I say. “Though of course, I know there is more to be done. Actually, I’d love to speak with you about that and about a lot of things, if you have the time.”
“For the longest time I would have laughed at the idea of working with a pack wolf, but for you Max, the blood wolf, I have all the time in the world.”
“Great.”
She gives my hand one last squeeze then releases it and returns to her chair.
“I owe you a great many thanks as well, Maximilian,” Jericho says. “You saved my life, you’ve saved our pack, and not just that, you’ve opened my eyes.”
I quirk my head sideways. What does he mean?
“After I heard about what the rogues did for us, and when I heard how it was your initiative to involve them, and well, after what you did, I invited Mal here because it’s time for some things to change.”
He glances at Mal, who nods once, slowly, encouraging him to continue.
“For too long the packs and the rogues have lived in opposition to each other, we’ve kept each other at arm’s length. But you’ve shown me how this divide only weakened both of us. We have nothing to gain by exiling rogues and can only gain from working together. So I’ve decided to build a bridge. With the wisdom and guidance of Malamar”—he nods in her direction—“I have decided that from now on the Elite Pack will be a haven for rogues, somewhere they can find their place within a pack, or where they can live on as individuals knowing they and their rights are protected. Our pack will be a sanctuary for all wolves.”
My eyes have opened so wide I think they might bug out of my skull. Is this really happening?
I glance at Mal, wanting her take, but she only shakes her head as if to say she’s as bewildered as I am.
“It will take a lot of work,” Jericho continues. “There is a lot of education needed and a lot of disinformation to debunk but my recent brush with death has made me reconsider a lot of things. If I can make this my legacy, then maybe my time as alpha will have been worthwhile.”
I can’t help shaking my head in disbelief, but this is really happening.
“This is ... This is amazing. You have no idea what this will mean to so many people.”
“Malamar and I have a lot of work to do,” he says. “And we would love your help.”
“I . . . Of course . . . Anything.”
Jericho leans a little across his desk, narrowing his eyes in my direction.
“I once warned you of the pressures of being mated to my son,” he says. “I was perhaps wrong to do so. But you have also proven to me that no other wolf is better suited to be the luna of this pack. You’ve saved my life on more than one occasion, and you’ve sent a ripple through our society that will change things for so many for the better. Max, you are an exemplary werewolf, and I am humbled and grateful to call you family.”
My jaw quivers with tears that I’m trying desperately to hold back. And I can’t help myself from rushing to Jericho’s side of the desk, protocol be damned, and giving him a hug. At first, he tenses like he isn’t used to this much affection, but then he softens and returns the embrace. I can’t lie, hugging the alpha is a little like hugging a king-size mattress, too big to really grasp, all firm and squishy at once.
Jericho thumps my back affectionately a couple of times as our hug ends.
“If it’s all right, I have something I need to discuss with Jasper, but I’m so excited about this and I can’t wait to help figure out how to make this all work.”
“You’re going to do amazing things, Blood Wolf,” Mal says.
“Yes,” Jericho adds, “now go, be with your mate.”
I almost skip to the door, turning back only when I reach it to give a nod to both Jericho and Mal. Outside, I close the door behind me, excited to see what comes of this unlikely alliance.
Finally, I’m free to head to where Jasper is waiting.
“Be there in a second,”I tell him via our mind-link.
BACK TO THE SHORE
The salty air is refreshing the second it hits my lungs, and my feet catch in the sand as I make my way onto the beach. The ocean is calm and laps at the shore in easy waves. Jasper is standing down at the edge of the shore, just out of the water’s reach, and he turns as I approach as if he knew I was there.
“Took your time,” he says, smiling and pulling me into a kiss.
