Page 57 of Oakheart

I nodded to him, then up at his alpha towering over him, posturing, trying to look frightening. I could have told him that at this point in my life, very little frightened me, let alone some soft, kind alpha who was clearly more care and affection than violence and anger. Not that those were bad things, but I would never be intimidated by Ajax Fyse.

So I told him so. Not with words, but by looking down at his adorable mate, sprawled in the grass next to Mama, and winking at him. Then I helped both of them up out of the grass.

The alpha laid his claim by wrapping his arms tight around Dakota from behind as soon as he was standing, but Dakota ignored it, smiling at me. “Thank you for saving Maia, Aleks. She’s a cherished part of our pack, and we appreciate it.”

I gave him a short bow, head and shoulders, to show my respect for him and his position. “I would never see an innocent hurt in pack power games.” Then I turned and looked at the still-ranting Grant, who seemed not to have noticed that I’d walked away from him. “Any who would, should perhaps not be in charge of a pack.”

“Damned right,” Fyse agreed.

Everyone agreed.

No one believed in Grant but Grant and his goons, and perhaps his witch allies. Or perhaps even they didn’t believe, so much as they were willing to use him while he succeeded.

Maybe even the goons weren’t as strong in their belief as I thought. Tommy might be willing to walk away from him. Who was to say others might not?

It was time for all of Wildwood to walk away from Grant.

So I took my mama and walked away from the house on fire. From Grant’s tantrum. From the goons who still stood around and waited for him. We took Viktor, and one of the trucks, and went back to the house, to wait and see what happened next.

CHAPTER 29

Cash

The scentof smoke when the pack had gotten home from their meeting with Grant had been overwhelming. Worry had twisted me up and had me crawling out of bed to peek my head out the door.

Everyone looked haggard and stunned, but they’d said that everyone was all right except Giselle.

She’d died.

There were some deaths worth celebrating. It was shocking, how much lighter I felt knowing that she was gone.

There were some assholes like Marcus who could chase atrocities on their own, but plenty more of Grant’s goons had relied on Giselle, a woman, to tell them their behavior was fine, to encourage wickedness.

The world was a better place when she wasn’t in it, so I slipped back into bed with a smile, sure that Evie was a little safer with Giselle dead.

I stayed in that room all the time.

Jax had surrendered this one space to me, and I didn’t mean to impose by leaving it. Not only did I not fully trust another pack—I didn’t even trust my own—but I was afraid that... thatold feelings would resurface, and I’d feel safer and more at home with them than I did with my own pack, in my own home.

I didn’t want to give up that easily, no matter how kind they’d been.

But if Grant hadn’t found Evie, I would. And maybe Aleks could stay here. He could bring his family and my father and—and it was hard to imagine living in a city like this, but Aleks was charismatic enough to make it work.

I didn’t know if he’d want to come with me, when he could be alpha of the Wildwood pack, but clearly, I couldn’t go back. Grant wouldn’t allow it, and even if he would?—

No, I wasn’t taking Evie back there.

So I was just as stuck as I’d ever been when there was a knock on my door early in the morning.

“Come in,” I called, already knowing it was Jax. It wasn’t his scent, but the way he knocked—soft and firm at once. He wasn’t hesitant, but he wasn’t shrinking either.

He opened the door and slipped inside. “How are you feeling this morning?”

His voice was soft, probably to keep from disturbing the others in a house full of wolves with supernatural hearing.

For me, speaking softly was just the norm.

“Fine,” I said. “I’m—ah, I’m feeling better. Mostly. I think? I know I’m taking up a bed?—”