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“Of course, Alpha.”
Jericho shifted back into his wolf, and Mitch did the same. Then they were off, racing through the forest toward the hunter’s cabin. The run helped clear Jericho’s head. Bennett Warren was a tricky, traitorous son of a bitch. He had worked for his father in his construction business, and Jericho could only guess that was where his late father had been poisoned. Through his grief, he had let his guard down. He’d been truthful that he didn’t know when or how Bennett had slipped him wolfsbane, but Jericho had to assume that it was in something he’d consumed.
Bennett had taken everything away from him back then, and he’d tried to do the same today. There was no way he would allow the other wolf to see the sun rise another day. When they arrived on the ridge line, Mitch pointed his snout in the direction of the cabin. Jericho raced toward it, only slowing when the wooden structure came into view.
He howled, and Mitch joined in, letting the rest of the pack know the enemy had been found. The door to the cabin opened, and Bennett stepped out holding a rifle.
“You better leave here, Jericho! A bullet travels faster than you.”
Jericho had come too far to stop now. If he let Bennettwalk away, it would show weakness to the pack. He had to get vengeance for his father and for himself. With a growl, he charged forward. Bennett took aim and fired, but Jericho dodged the bullet. Again and again, Bennett shot his rifle, but each time, Jericho sprang out of the way.
Bennett tossed the rifle aside and transformed into his wolf. The two met in a clash of viscous growls, snapping at each other. Bennett was a big wolf, but he was no alpha. Jericho channeled all his hate, focusing on ripping the other wolf’s throat out. He clamped down on Bennett’s leg, and he howled in pain. Without letting up, Jericho charged at him, and Bennett went tumbling down an incline. Wounded, Bennett stared him in the eye as Jericho charged. He sprang and landed on his back, biting down on his neck. With a savage snarl, he gave a mighty yank and bit through the neck. Blood filled his mouth. Standing on the corpse of his enemy, Jericho tipped his head back and howled his victory.
Mitch joined him. Others from the pack arrived, and they too howled, all acknowledging their alpha.
Chapter Ten
The following month gave Payton many changes. First, Payton accepted Esmeralda’s offer to be a business partner. Her position in the pack slowly metamorphosed. Through the day, the people in the community would come up to greet her, ask for advice, or give a greeting. Some people brought her desserts like pies or muffins. Others stopped by just to chat. At first, the attention was a bit overwhelming. She’d gone from being invisible to being Prom Queen.
“Don’t mind them,” Esmeralda said as another person brought cookies into the diner, waved, and wished Payton a good day.
“Why are they doing this?” Payton asked. She looked at the plate of baked goods and picked one up. She nibbled on one end. “Oh, these are yummy. I’m afraid I’m going to get fat.”
Esmeralda grinned. “They’re welcoming and honoring their Luna, the Alpha’s mate.”
“Oh! I … well, I never thought of myself like that.”
The older woman patted her hand before stealing a cookie. “Oh, thesearegood. You’re right, you’ll get fat. Might as well let me help you by taking these off your hands.”
She took the plate away from Payton and waved as she headed to the office. Payton laughed and straightened her apron before starting her shift. The night was busy, and she found herself smiling more than she ever had before.
The corpses of Bennett Warren and his omegas had been burned. She and Jericho had not attended, deciding not to give the traitors any more of their time. Jericho worked until late at night, going over all of the books, trying to undo all the greed Bennett had seemed to rack up. He had embezzled money from the pack, had forged signatures, and conned a lot of people out of their savings. How the man had stayed in power was amystery to all. It made Jericho determined that one man should not have all the power. Payton approved of all he was trying to accomplish.
An hour before closing, her parents came in and sat at a booth. Payton was surprised to see them since her mother cooked dinner every night. She figured they had to be there for a reason, so she squared her shoulders and walked over.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her parents had never visited the diner before.
“We wanted to see you,” her father said.
“We want to apologize,” her mother added.
Payton looked between them. “It’s fine—”
Her mother reached up and covered her hand with her own. “No, it’s not fine. We didn’t know, which isn’t an excuse, but we never meant to make you feel like a disappointment. Or that we didn’t love you. Payton, we only wanted to protect from any bullying or from being cut out of the pack.”
“We didn’t want to lose you,” her father said. “We didn’t want you to become a disperser.”
Payton sighed. “I was going to leave that night. I had decided to go solitary.”
Her mother blanched. “I know it’s going to take time, but we’re here whenever you want to talk. We love you, Payton.”
Her father nodded.
Payton wiped her eyes free from the tears that had gathered. It was a grand gesture on their part, and while she would take baby steps with them, she knew it was the right path to take. “Okay. Thanks for coming in. Now, what can I get you two to eat?”
****
That night, she snuggled with Jericho and told him about her parents.
