Page 74

74

Kaylee

Standing in the familiar foyer of the Oak Fur pack house, I watch omegas run around preparing a simple breakfast for all the wolves here. Everyone knows Ramos is dead now—they all felt it when he took his last breath.

Titus, Ash, Lucas, and I had stood where we were, the alarms blaring, while we took in the fact that Ramos and Marilyn were truly gone, that no one else in Oak Fur would be left feeling scared and hopeless. Titus had helped Lucas off Ramos’ body while Ash came to stand beside me, making sure that I wasn’t left unprotected. We were left alone to our thoughts. That is, until Riley came rushing to us, claiming that wolves from Oak Fur had awoken to the chaos of losing their alpha and Luna.

Lucas waved off Riley, my mate looking numb to everything around him. In the end, I was the one to order Riley to shut off the alarm and handed him a USB that contained a pre-recorded message Lucas and I had made before leaving Ivory Fangs. With a task at hand, Riley rushed away again, and the alarms were soon replaced with mine and Lucas’ voices telling Oak Fur wolves to gather in front of the packhouse at dawn as their pack had been conquered.

With that done, I went to Lucas, who instantly pulled me into his arms. His face was buried in the crook of my neck, where his mark is, and I just stood there, letting him breathe in my scent.

“It’s over?” he asks, his lips brushing against my mark and making me shiver.

“It’s over,” I confirmed, feeling his relief through the mate bond. No one would ever threaten us again.

Once Lucas regained his composure, our group of four took our time down the staircase to the first floor. No one dared to stop us, not with the scent of their dead leader’s blood clinging to our clothes. They know we were the ones who had conquered the pack and that we’ll now become the rightful alphas of Oak Fur. It did feel weird having people staring at us as we passed—the last time so many wolves from this pack had stared at me, I was being banished.

When we reached the first floor, all of the omegas who had gone to hide in the basement were already gathered. Many had various wounds and bruises that I knew had been inflicted by Ramos, Marilyn, and the wolves who supported them. It was clear from the happiness and hope filling their gazes that no one was sad to see those horrible wolves go.

“Will you be our new alpha and Luna?” Sarah had asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Alphas,” Lucas muttered, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Kaylee and I will become the alphas of this pack.”

News quickly spread of this declaration as the omegas began work. Many volunteered to clean up the mess on the fifth floor we’d made when killing Ramos and Marilyn, and I was grateful for that. The rest went to the kitchen to prepare a large yet simple breakfast.

“I see everyone is quite happy here.”

Turning towards the open door, I find Amelia, David, and Avery walking inside. Amelia’s gaze is mixed with emotions as she looks around the foyer.

“They’re happy the power-hungry bastard that led them is dead,” I state, Titus chuckling.

“I will say for certain that you two will have a long road ahead if you want to change Oak Fur,” Titus muses, giving my shoulder a bump with his.

Knowing that my friend is correct, I sigh and turn to look out the open packhouse doors. Without warning, a bottle of apple juice blocks my gaze, and I turn to find Lucas watching me, concern in his eyes.

“Dawn comes in four hours. You should rest.” His voice is firm, and I want to protest for a moment, but the way Lucas looks at me makes me think I will lose this argument.

“Only if you rest with me,” I reply, taking the bottle of apple juice and drinking it in one go.

“There’s too much to do, Kaylee. One of us needs to be up to keep everything running smoothly,” Lucas tries to argue, but I’m having none of it. Grabbing his hand, I pull him with me towards the small sitting room on the left. I can feel everyone’s amused gazes while Lucas follows me without any resistance.

“Kaylee, I need to work,” he sighs. I just roll my eyes and ignore him until we reach the large couch in the room. Turning to face my mate, I give him a look before pointing at the couch.

“Sit,” I order, not giving him a choice in the matter. “If you want me to rest, you have to rest with me. If not, we both work on reorganizing Oak Fur until dawn,” I state.

“You wanted Kaylee to be your equal, Lucas,” Amelia chimes in from the entrance to the sitting room, amusement in her voice. “That means you can’t expect her to do something you’re not willing to do,” she adds, walking into the room and plopping onto an armchair.

Lucas finally relents and sits back on the couch. He groans as he moves to sit but reaches out and pulls me into his lap, where I happily snuggle into his arms. Now that the adrenaline is gone, my body releases the soreness the battle has left in my muscles.

Lucas’ eyes are closed, his head leaning back against the couch as Titus and David file in. David informs us that Simon left to find Evette after the prerecorded message played, and Ash went to find Devon.

“Daisy is asking if we can send a wolf to the dungeons to help with something,” Avery calls from the door, a frown on her face.

“What for?” Lucas asks, his eyes still closed and his fingers drawing small circles on my back.

“They found records of ‘wolves’ who borrowed the rogues in the dungeons for their own benefits. We want to match names to the faces,” she replies, her voice tense.

“Take Sarah. She’s an omega here and knows everyone,” I answer. “You can find her in the kitchen.”

Avery thanks me before her footsteps fade away. With a yawn, I ask Amelia how long until dawn comes, smiling when she tells us we still have more than three hours.

“Think we have enough time for a nap?” Titus asks, flopping onto the other end of the couch.

“I think we do,” David groans. I open my eyes to find him lowering his body onto another armchair and chuckle. We’re all so exhausted.

“I’ll tell Alexander to keep an eye on things for now. All of us should get some rest before we face the crowd in five hours,” he adds, his words becoming distorted with a yawn.

I agree, asking if someone can set an alarm for three hours from now as the feeling of Lucas’ fingers drawing circles on my back lulls me to sleep.