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Hudson chuckled. “No, not quite. We will be home soon, though. Slide back down. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Hannah smiled, nodded, and melted into her pillow, hugging her stuffed polar bear.
Hudson knew his words would wake Nora. But he didn’t dare look her way. His heart would melt, and so would his fortitude if he took in her beautiful face.
I have to figure things out. Take it one step at a time.
He grabbed his mug and took another sip. Guilt clogged his throat.
There’s nothing to figure out, dude. She’s a human. You’re a shifter. Done and done. Heavy the head that wears the crown.
The saying did revolutions in his head. He wished he could go to sleep like Hannah and not think of a thing. But to be an alpha demanded so much more. Hudson had to not only be a leader but a shining example to every member of his clan. If he could not walk the walk, how could he expect others to do so?
Hudson wheeled the SUV down the long drive and stopped outside the front walk. The log cabin mansion looked the same as they had left it. Nothing was out of place. It appeared quiet and still. The snow crunched underfoot as he raised the tailgate and took out the luggage. The frosty winter air woke Hannah before he had a chance to wake her himself.
Hannah grabbed her pillow and polar bear and slowly made for the front door, with Nora following behind to keep Hannah steady on her feet.
We’re home, like any other family. Only we aren’t any other family.
Hudson should have been smiling. He should have been over the moon at their romantic getaway. But reality stabbed him in his gut, and all he felt when he looked at his daughter and her nurse entering the home was emptiness. It was a hole inside of him as though he hadn’t eaten for a century.
The work week began the next day, and Hudson found himself at the office once more. His inbox was full. His focus on how he must think and act was far less demanding.
The CEO kept himself busy with contracts and bidding applications for clients and suppliers. He initialed and signed his way through the day. And when the thought of Nora and her angelic vision seeped into his brain, he swept it out, quick and fast. His world had to be all Hannah and all business and nothing and no one else.
Later that evening, Hudson called a meeting of some of the top men in the clan. The attendees were his beta Logan and trusted lieutenants, who had started an investigation of the mysterious plane crash on his orders. As usual, they met in the clan lair.
“So, men, what have we found?” Hudson sat erect at the head of the table.
Logan started the conversation. He knew his pal well enough to recognize when Hudson meant business.
“I talked with the NTSB and the aviation specialists who built and maintained the plane. And both parties said it was in perfect working order.”
“Any evidence we can hang our hat on?”
“Not yet, but they are still gathering the pieces in their examination hangar. The one NTSB guy said there was oil residue on the broken plane parts and the ground. He wouldn’t say it officially, but he suspected a severed oil line.”
“And what would that do?”
“According to this rep, quite a lot. It could freeze up any number of parts, including the wings, the rudder, even the landing gear.”
A murmur rose between all the men. Their faces were red with simmering rage.
“Hmm…”
“What, Alpha?”
Hudson leaned forward. “Even if all that is true, it doesn’t answer the question of why. Why go to all that trouble for a couple who were already ousted from the clan? Frank and Alice were effectively personas non-grata at this point. Frank couldn’t produce a shifter heir. None of this makes sense.”
A lieutenant piped up. “Weren’t you scheduled to be on that flight as well?”
Hudson’s eyes lit up. “Yes, you’re right. I forgot about that. I was headed to the construction conference out east. But then that snafu with the Coeur d’Alene Washington customer happened. He is such a big client of ours. I had to stay back and settle the issue.”
“So you missed the flight,” Logan said.
“So I missed the flight. Last minute. No one knew I would not be on that plane.”
The men fell silent. Hudson knew they were all thinking the same thing. He said it so no one else had to.
