This is the pack I want. Not a cult of personality, but a living, evolving family.
I watch Jacob as he works the sidelines, bantering and trash-talking the exhausted pups while he tosses out water bottles. Jacob has a way of intimidating others, even when he doesn’t mean to; it’s a habit he’s developed over years of playing enforcer. But today, they’re just looking at him with awe after he put them through their paces in the drills. The field is loud with laughter, but it’s the right kind of noise. Even the ones who lost every round are grinning, showing off their bruises and bloody lips with pride. The only one who hangs back is Colt, the youngest son of the Simons family, who’s been shadowing Maddox for years and, by all accounts, never really fit in anywhere else. He hovers at the edge of the huddle, uncertain, and I make a point to walk over and hand him a bottle myself.
He flinches, just a little, when I clap his shoulder, and his eyes dart to mine, wary. “You did good today,” I say, then, lowering my voice, “don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He nods, and I see the moment he decides to believe me, because his shoulders drop, and the wariness in his eyes flickers out. Small victories.
I head over to where Jacob is restocking the water and grab one for myself. Jacob claps my back, leaning against the store. “This is exactly what they needed,” he says, voice pitched low for my ears only. “Get them sweating, remind them what a real pack feels like.” He glances sidelong, a half-smile ghostinghis mouth. “You did good today. Your father would approve. He’d have loved this setup.”
I grunt, but the words settle something inside me. I watch the kids sprawled in the grass, faces shiny with exertion, and the edge of my mouth lifts despite myself.
Jacob unscrews a bottle and takes a long swig. “Any word from Maddox?”
I shake my head. “Not a trace. He’s either holed up waiting for the challenge or perhaps quietly trying to gauge support before he shows his face. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t show for the formal call-out, though. I think he’ll wait and make a spectacle at the ceremony.”
Jacob wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “He’s not the only one watching. The elders are already discussing the need for extra security. You want more guards for your place?”
I frown, thinking of Ava and Emily back at the house. Ava’s unwavering calm and protectiveness of Emily have been tugging at my heart ever since last night. Seeing her with my sister made me see her place in my family clearly for the first time, and the way she told me not to worry reminded me of how she always made my wolf feel calmer. I know she’s fighting her omega nature, but perhaps she’s not the only one fighting the union. My wolf always wanted her. Hell, I think every part of me did. I already have one beta watching the place because of how intense Ava’s heat is, but adding more now feels almost like admitting I can’t look after my own. “Maybe. But I don’t want the whole pack to think I’m hiding behind guards.”
Jacob arches an eyebrow. “Folks will just see you’re protecting those that are vulnerable.”
“That I can’t look after myself?” I snap, harsher than intended.
Jacob sighs. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”
He’s right, of course. I take another swig of water before nodding. “I’ll see to it nearer to the ceremony, if he hasn’t shown his face before then.” I look over at Jacob, the exhaustion of the day etched on his face, too. “I want to thank you for being there for Emily. I dread to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been passing when you did. I never should have let him near her.”
I don’t miss the way Jacob’s hand tightens on the water bottle, crushing it as he drains its contents. “He was never good enough for her. Maddox’s entire problem is that he thought he was.” Can’t say I disagree with that. “Is she still with Ava, at the house?”
I shake my head. “She was down to help out at the library and didn’t want to miss it. I’ve got Garrison taking her there and dropping her back at hers, getting some extra security installed too.”
Jacob watches me for a moment, and there’s a glint in his eye that’s equal parts mischief and something more serious. I don’t trust it. He wipes his mouth, tosses the empty bottle onto the growing mound of plastic, and leans a little closer.
“So, be honest, how’s it really going with Ava?” The question is low, but I can hear the curiosity and care behind it, even if he tries to cover it with a grin. “You going to have her bred and nesting before the ceremony?”
I roll the water bottle between my hands, not looking at him. “It’s complicated,” I say, and the words sound so stupid, so adolescent, that I almost laugh. “She’s…she’s not like I remember.” I wince, knowing how lame it sounds, but Jacob doesn’t mock me. Instead, he just waits, letting the silence drag out until I fill it.
“We were together, before she left,” I say, softer than I mean to. “A long time ago. Nobody knew. And when her family got cast out, I let her go. Let everyone believe I barely even knew her.”
Jacob’s expression looks a lot less shocked than I was expecting. He simply gives a slow nod. “I did wonder when you picked her so damn fast. Thought you had to know something.”
Jacob leans back against the field house, arms folded, regarding me with a new intensity. “So, what, you’re ashamed you wanted her?” His tone is blunt, but there’s nothing cruel about it. If anything, he sounds exasperated on my behalf.
I can feel my jaw clench, a heat prickling up my neck even as I try to brush it off. “I’m not—” I start, but the protest collapses under its own weight. I scrub a hand through my hair, watching the last of the pups drag themselves upright as the next round of sparring is called. “It’s not that simple,” I say. “Her family, my father—”
“Your father’s dead,” Jacob interrupts, and for a second, I want to hit him, but he holds my gaze, unflinching. “You’re the alpha now, or you will be. You get to decide what matters. You picked her, you want her? Own it.”
I look down, wondering if I can find the words, then back up at Jacob. “I do want her,” I say, finally, and the words feel both like surrender and relief. “I always did. Even when I shouldn’t have.” The admission tastes strange in my mouth, but seeing her with Ava earlier and the way she makes me feel when we’re together only confirms it’s true. I brace myself for Jacob to laugh at my sudden vulnerability.
Instead, he just grins. “Then go claim what’s yours, man. Properly. Hell, do it now.” He claps me on the shoulder,surprisingly gentle, then turns back toward the field. “I’ll finish up here. You’ve done enough.”
I start to protest, but he cuts me off with a wave of his hand. “Go on. I’ll run them through the last drill, and you owe me a beer for every one of these young pups who doesn’t puke.” His grin is feral, and I know he means it.
There’s nothing left to do but leave. The thought of returning to the house, to Ava, fills me with a kind of nervous heat that momentarily makes me forget all about Maddox. I haven’t let myself really think about what it will mean to finish this—her heat, the unspoken promise of finally knotting her and telling her that I want this to be a genuine mating.
I head for my truck, knowing I’m finally going to do the right thing. Something I should have done long ago, and just owned what my wolf demands and Ava deserves.
Chapter 16 - Ava
I wait until Emily is out of sight, heading for her shift at the library while Ronan upgrades the security on her place, before I rush back to my room and begin throwing a few essentials into my tote bag.
