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His words gave me pause, but I shrugged them off. “They’re part of me. I didn’t really have a choice in that matter.”
He shifted the washcloth to his forehead and winced. “Well, you have a choice now.”
I sighed heavily as I peeked over at my cousin Brody. “From this interaction with you guys? I don’t have a choice. I’d never be accepted by the pack anyway. So, yes. I want to transfer it over.”
And with a nod of his head, Brody cleared his throat. “Well, I’m happy to step up and take that position from you, assuming no one else wants to throw their hat into the bid. It’s commonplace for someone in the Inner Circle—”
“Inner Circle?” I asked.
Dean whistled lowly as Brody clicked his tongue. “The Inner Circle is an alpha’s most trusted circle of friends. When there’s a transfer of power like this, it’s commonplace for someone from that Inner Circle of the prior alpha to step up and assume the transfer of power.”
“It’ll still take time, though,” Dean said as he slid the washcloth off his forehead. “We’ll need to find a witch that can break the blood contract Colin likely signed in his will.”
I nodded. “There was blood on the contract, yes. The paper was shimmering with rainbow colors and everything.”
Brody barked with laughter. “Yep. Sounds like Colin, all right.”
Dean tossed me a playful wink. “Always wanting to have the last say. Sound like anyone you know?”
I was jealous that they knew a side of my father that I simply didn’t. “I’ll ignore that quip for now. Look into the process and figure it out. I’m on a plane in two days, so we’ve got until then to make it work.”
Brody nodded as he started backtracking out of the house. “I’ll start looking into everything. Dean? You good to do some foot-pounding with me? Or is that headache too much right now?”
He shook his head. “I’m good. I could use a nice run, anyway.”
Brody slinked out the front door. “I’ll go fill the other guys in, then. The more people we’ve got working this, the quicker we can get it done.”
I turned back toward the window. “Sounds fantastic.”
I heard the empty timbre of my voice and I knew it didn’t communicate the relief I felt. But then again, there wasn’t much relief to be had. Either way, I lost. I either lost the life I had created for myself just so I could fight against a pack that didn’t care about me, or I’d lose whatever shred of family I had left to go back to a life I clawed and scraped my way through in order to obtain.
Yet again, I’d been put in a position to lose by my parents.
And I hated them both for it.
“I mean it, Raven. You look good,” Dean said behind me.
I nodded. “I can say the same about you.”
Silence fell between us as I watched him in the reflection of the window while he spoke. “You know, I remember a lot about you from when we were kids.”
I tilted my head. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I always thought you were strong for your age, and not just physically. You were always so good about things when it came to your parents fighting. You always found a way to prop us all up, even when your life was crumbling around you. You were much too strong for an eleven-year-old, and I always admired that in you.”
My cheeks heated at his words. Had he always been that flattering? “Thanks.”
I watched his gaze in the reflection slide down my body before they locked with my ass. “I can tell you’re just as strong now.”
I grinned. “Do my ass cheeks tell you that?”
His gaze snapped up before he cleared his throat. “Anyway.”
I giggled. “Yes, anyway.”
He relaxed a bit as I turned to face him, and his voice against my ears was as soothing as warm ocean waves lapping against my toes. “It’s nice to hear your laugh again.”
I shook my head. “What do you want from me?”
