Still laughing, Lorenzo patted him on the chest once. “You might need protection from the single women who will set their sights on a wolf as green as you. It’s not too late to get that dreamcatcher back.” Lorenzo went inside, leaving Lakota in an awkward position.
“I better check on the barbeque grill and make sure it’s not catching the house on fire.” He stormed across the porch and disappeared around the side of the house.
I gave Austin a punishing glance when he laughed. “Why do y’all always give the young ones such a hard time?”
“Rite of passage?”
I pinched him in his side, and he wrenched away. “I’ll rite of passage you.”
When he lightly gripped my shoulders, a shiver moved through my body. “After you went inside, I shared some choice words with Judas before he gathered his men and left. I’m going to ask you a question point-blank, and I’m not kidding around. I want your honest answer.”
I nodded.
“Do I have permission to kill your father?”
Conflicted for only a nanosecond, I reached up and placed my hands on his shoulders. “If that man is going to come after my family, then yes, you have my permission to put him in the ground. A father isn’t a man who’s willing to start a war for his child, but a man who’s willing to stop one.”
Chapter 18
I remained behind at Lorenzo’s house to lend Ivy my support. Austin and Lorenzo had a private meeting and invited a few other Packmasters into the room. When I was ready to leave, Austin said to go without him, so I headed back with Wheeler, who had stayed behind at Naya’s insistence. Thank God for that, because I didn’t feel secure driving home alone. Three packs had followed the Northerners to make sure they left the city, but that wasn’t enough to make me feel safe.
I unbuckled my seat belt when Wheeler pulled the car into the driveway. “Do you think Austin and Lorenzo called the Council?”
“Not much that the authorities can do at this point, unless you want them holding hands in silent prayer. This is beyond the Council—it’s about survival. Judas coming to a peace party was nothing more than exhibitionism so he could swing his dick and show us how big he is. We’ll see how strong that little pissant is when we use him as fertilizer for your mother’s garden.”
Ugh. My stomach undulated with the imagery of burying a corpse beside my mother’s tomatoes. I wouldn’t put it past these boys either.
As Wheeler parked the car, I was a little surprised to see Ben’s wolf trotting away from the driveway. Wheeler gave him a cursory glance before getting out of the car and walking around to open my door. When I got out, Wheeler put his arm around me and scanned the darkness as we moved toward the house.
“I don’t see a second wolf,” he muttered.
“Reno’s in charge, so he wouldn’t be able to patrol. Trevor’s probably conked out after healing, and I bet Jericho’s guarding his kids. Maybe you need to let go of that grudge and shift. I bet your wolf brother misses you.”
“He should have thought about that when he handed me over like a slave.”
“That was Ben, not his wolf. Don’t punish his wolf for something he had no part of. Why are men so stubborn?”
“And why are women so insistent on stirring up drama?”
“For a man who complains about drama, you sure picked the most dramatic woman I know as your mate.”
A warm smile crossed his face, and he didn’t reply. Wheeler loved Naya to bits, even though they mixed like oil and water.
Once inside, Naya greeted her man with a sexy kiss that had him lifting her off the ground.
“How’s my kitty cat?” he growled, working his way down her neck and into her silky hair.
Spartacus slinked around Wheeler’s legs, demanding attention by purring up a storm.
I took off my shoes and added them to the pile, padding my way toward the stairs.
Some of the pack was gathered in front of the television, watching a movie about space aliens. The twins were lying on their sleeping bags with a bowl full of pretzels between them. Melody looked half-asleep, curled up next to Izzy in an oversized chair. Maizy was sitting on the floor between Denver’s legs, reclining her head while he fed her a potato chip. A light in the hall tipped me off that Maddox must have been working on yet another puzzle. Packs huddled together in stressful times for a sense of security.
“I’m going to bed,” I announced with a wave of my hand. “Everyone okay?”
Denver raised his arm with a thumbs-up.
Even though Trevor was probably knocked out from all the shifting, I decided to check on him before going to bed. My skin crawled as I remembered his wolf lying lifeless in the grass.
I began the arduous climb up the stairs, exhausted and mentally drained. How the hell was I going to manage going up and down the stairs when I reached nine months? At least my nausea and dizzy spells had subsided.
When I reached Trevor’s room, I noticed that no light was coming from under the door. Not surprising. Usually when a person shifted numerous times to heal, they wanted nothing more than to sleep afterward.