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Wolf wrapped his arms around me, lifted me up, and pulled me tight against him as he nodded brusquely. He looked too overcome for words, but I didn’t mind. I could feel him. The words were just gift wrapping for me. I wrapped my legs around him and held on tight.
“You don’t see how magnificent you are, Wolf, but I do. We do. Why haven’t you let it out before? Even the first night, when you looked half wild, your dominance felt nothing like that.”
He swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. “They’d drugged me that first night, and it affected my control. When I let it out in the humvee, it burst everywhere, and we ended up crashing. I didn’t want to risk hurting you or Cary.”
“You’d never hurt me.” I knew without even having to think about it.
“How do you know that?” I could feel his genuine worry.
My anger fled as I cupped his face and stroked it gently. I rarely got angry, but when I did, it was a brief, passing flame. “You sat in a cage for me for years, Wolf. And I would do no less for you. Do you hear me?”
“I’ll never let that happen,” he growled.
“And I’ll never let them have you back,” I said, softly, right before I yanked his head to mine and kissed him. It was pure bliss. I ran my hands up into his hair and tugged roughly. He groaned and kissed me harder as he swallowed me up in his arms.
When we finally let each other go, I turned to see our pack had surrounded us, with their backs to us. They’d protected us from everyone in the room while we’d been distracted and vulnerable. Even Cary was standing shoulder to shoulder between Nick and Ryder. I could see Lexie’s face peeking out from behind Sam and Pala in the corner they’d backed into.
“Holy shit, Ava. You’re a little scary when you’re mad. You didn’t even flinch at his power, either. I almost wet myself,” Lexie said, her eyes huge, and I laughed.
My body felt vibrantly alive, as if Wolf had zapped me with pure energy. I just hoped it didn’t have a hangover effect if it wore off. Like caffeine.
“Okay, back to work, everyone. We have shit to sort out,” Lexie added as she clapped her hands and motioned everyone back into their seats. She’d seen plenty of alpha tantrums before. Maybe not on that scale, but she was a pro at shaking things off.
“We need to get the omegas out of here, if you’re a target, Wolf,” Sadie said as she took her seat again, too. I could practically see the gears in her mind working. Her mates were still eyeing Wolf warily, especially Oliver, but they were following Sam’s and Lexie’s lead.
“And Ava, too,” Lexie added. “We’re too vulnerable here. We’ve stretched our resources thin, and it’s Maven’s turf. It hasn’t been sitting well with me.”
“I agree,” Sam said. “I think we need to head back to the farm. Keep our packs in one place. Ava’s right. We’re stronger together, and that means all of us.” Lexie looked giddy at the thought of having her pack together again.
“Is it defendable, if it’s a farm?” River asked. He was frowning. “At least here we have sturdy walls and power.”
“Oh, just wait until you see it. It’s perfect,” I reassured him. I couldn’t wait to get back to the farm again. The warmth of the community there called to me and I’d missed it. I felt a little bad that we’d be bringing trouble with us, though.
“She’s right. It’s not what you’re thinking, River,” Nick said, backing me up. “Damon and his mates created a refuge and a base of operations for themselves. It’s the safest place around.”
“Will Damon be onboard?” River asked.
“I’m onboard and Maia will make sure Damon is, too,” Lexie said, jumping in.
“Okay, but what about the omegas?” Ryder asked. “If having them around us right now means they’re in danger, we can’t take them with us. And we can’t leave them here unprotected.”
Sadie whistled to get our attention, and we immediately shut up. We’d been talking rapidly, almost over the top of each other. Like a family.
“I can take the omegas back with me. I have space. They’ll be protected and comfortable.”
“To the bunkhouse at the cabin?” Matt asked. “We’ll have to find a hell of a lot of food to take with us. Foraging will be hard for that many people, especially with snow still on the ground.”
“To the bunkhouse to start, for a few days until the snow clears,” Sadie said, as she winked at him before turning back to us. “That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you guys about. The Network has a secret location we’ve been taking omegas to for years. We can fit the omegas you have here, and we have plenty of food. Both stockpiled and growing. We also have medical supplies and a doctor. I can’t tell you where it is yet. That’s not about trusting you, though. I just don’t trust these walls.”
“Have you been holding out on us, tiger?” Anders asked Sadie, as he tugged on her braid.
She shot him a wicked grin. “Not intentionally. We were just busy doing other things.”
“You have a doctor?” Lexie butted in. “Maia is pregnant. It would be great if we could keep in contact. We only have a vet and some elders experienced in natural remedies at the farm.”
“For an omega pregnancy, I’ll move mountains. Consider it done,” Sadie said, with a definitive head nod. Lexie and I both looked at each other and shared a sigh of relief. Sadie was proving to be a valuable ally. I also liked her tough, no-nonsense approach. I hoped we’d get some time to get to know her better. She’d fit in well with us.
“Can you transport the omegas?” Sam asked. “Or do you need help with that?”
