Epilogue
During the first week of September, the request that Jason had extended to several wolf packs in other states was answered by only one wolf. The position of fifth ranked in the pack was fought for by those wolves in the pack over the age of eighteen and included the new male wolf, Logan, who came from a pack in Tennessee. Logan was looking for a change from his old pack and had come from a much larger pack than theirs.
Logan made Michael wary in the way that wolves who are large and powerful enough to smash through car doors can. Michael didn’t doubt he could defend his position against Logan, but he didn’t want to fight again in front of Shyne unless it was absolutely necessary. She’d seen more than her share of the darker side of shifters, and he didn’t want her to get a skewed view of what pack-life was really like.
When the rank fights began, Logan stepped up to challenge for the fifth position. Although he was taller and more muscular than most of the other wolves in the pack, that didn't stop the lower ranked wolves from taking their turn against him for the coveted fifth rank position. He fought well, using his strength to subdue the males until they submitted, never purposely causing damage or harm. He had excellent control.
Jason stepped up to him back in the clearing where they held their full moon gatherings and spoke loudly and clearly, "Logan Anderson, do you accept the rank of fifth in the Tressel Pack and vow to do all in your ability to protect and honor the pack?"
Logan's dark brown eyes swept the crowd once and his deep voice rumbled, "I do."
The pack cheered, and he, Linus, and Bo welcomed him into the upper ranked. Some of the younger wolves were disgruntled at not getting a higher rank, but no one was willing to argue or fight Logan again.
Back at Jason and Cades' home, while four grills were loaded with meat and picnic tables had been arranged to accommodate everyone, Logan joined Michael as he reached down to grab a beer from a cooler.
"I'm not going to try for a higher rank, if you're wondering," Logan rumbled.
He knew he looked confused because for just a moment, Logan smiled. "I was going to go rogue when I saw the offer for this pack. My old pack was full of in-fighting; the ranks shifted constantly because the alpha got off on watching his people fight. A month ago he invited some humans to watch the rank fights and charged them admission," Logan's eyes darkened further, and his jaw tightened, "as if we were animals in a show. I decided to leave."
The silence stretched for a moment as Michael debated what to say. It was clear that Logan was well trained, but he also looked tired, and he probably was. Tired of fighting. Tired of never knowing where he stood with his own people. There was consistency within the Tressel Pack because Jason didn't tolerate anything else.
"I just want to live my life in a pack, find a mate, make a home. I'll defend my position, but I have no designs to move higher. Your pack works. Your people respect your alpha and you guys, and I know that it's because you have proven in the past that you would come to their defense. Packs that worry about the intentions of their alpha and high ranked...it makes for a really unhappy group."
He knew that Logan would fit right into the pack, and it was clear that the single females in the pack found him very attractive. Michael thought it was strangely funny that he seemed uncomfortable with the attention, when he had stated that he wanted to find his mate. Perhaps, like Michael, he already could sense that his mate wasn't within the group. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't find her eventually. Michael soundly believed there was someone for everyone — human, wolf or otherwise — and he was so glad he hadn't pushed himself into a mating with anyone less than his truemate.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?" Shyne chided him, sliding her arms around him and cuddling close as he stood on the deck in the setting sun and looked out over his pack.
His arms went around her, and he took a moment to breathe in the sweet scent of her and revel in the rightness that settled over him whenever she was near. "I was just thinking that the new guy is going to work out just fine."
"He certainly is popular with the ladies," she mused.
"Don't go getting any ideas, woman," he tipped her chin up. She grinned.
"I have lots of ideas, Michael. You'll have to be more specific."
He chuckled, loving the way she could charm him — man and wolf — with a simple turn of phrase. "Do tell, love."
* * * * *
"I never did ask," Michael said, resting his beer on the railing of Jason and Cades' deck and casting a glance at his brother as he flipped steaks on the grill, "how you decided on her name."
Jason's eyes crinkled whenever he spoke about his daughter. "Well, Cades' name is musical, so she was looking for something similar. Eventually, she settled on Lyric and said that when she's older she'll probably want to go by Riki. She decided she didn't want to give her a middle name, and said that when Lyric gets married that she'd want her to take Gerrick as her middle name, as a way to keep our family connected."
"That's really cool." Michael was impressed.
Lyric was a bare two weeks old with hazel eyes like her mom and a bit of dark blonde fuzz like her dad. He'd melted into a big pile of goo when Shyne held her for the first time, watching her eyes close in bliss as if she'd just touched an angel.
When dinner was ready, they ambled into the house and found his sweetheart laughing with Cades in the kitchen. When the two saw them, they stopped laughing for a moment before bursting out in peals of laughter.
Jason shrugged and set the platter of steaks down on the kitchen table, and the girls joined them, trying unsuccessfully to cover their snickers with coughs. Lyric was sleeping quietly in the swing near the table, a welcome addition to the family.
Jason held up his beer bottle and the others lifted theirs, Cades drinking a tall glass of milk. "To our first official Friday night cookout and our two new family members, my daughter Lyric and my new sister, Shyne."
They clinked their glasses together, and Michael winked at Shyne when she grinned at him. She didn't really know what family meant because she'd been so young when she lost hers. He was teaching her slowly that family meant a lot of different things to different people, but to wolves and their mates, it meant love above all else.
Their wedding, a simple affair for the pack, a few of the bar workers, the band, and Trav, was set for just after September's full moon, and they were going to a small bed and breakfast in Tennessee for a few days. He already felt married to her because of the marks on her neck and wrist, but he knew it wasn't official until she had his last name. He couldn't wait. He felt like he was standing on the cusp of his future, and the world was his for the taking. Anything was possible with Shyne by his side. She truly was his perfect mate, strong where he was weak, and more patient and loving than he deserved.
The End