Page 19

Moving On

Tomorrow, everything in his life and his mate's will change.

Tyne and Moe would explain to them precisely what the plan was and what part they played in it.

Xantos wasn't an idiot, and he had a good idea that it involved his father, who was a pack alpha in northern Nevada.

He also knew that he would be risking his life and possibly hers if he decided to follow through on this.

This was something he'd always wanted to do but had never thought he'd have the opportunity or the courage to follow through on.

Some would call it justice, and others might call it revenge, but whatever you called it, he needed it and had needed it since his mother had died.

The bastard had cost him the one person that he had loved more than anyone until he had mated.

That male was pure evil, and he could understand why they would want him taken out and why they wanted it done before they tried to do anything in California.

They would need the support of all the surrounding alphas before they made a move on such a powerful one.

There was also the possibility that, once everything was settled in California, those in the state would fall into line and do what was expected of them.

Waiting was the most challenging part, but they wouldn't have to wait for long.

It was finally the day, and they were coming.

The aroma of some great breakfast foods had awoken him from his sleep.

It was either pancakes or waffles, and he could scent the sausage that she was cooking with it.

There were other smells mixed in, so it was impossible to know what she was cooking.

He could also smell the coffee, which he had become addicted to, even though they said that didn't happen to paranormals.

What did they know anyway? All he knew was that he felt the need to have it every morning, and even though they said it made no difference, he felt like it woke him up and gave him energy. Isn't that what most humans said, too?

Once he was ready, he headed down the stairs to get this most critical day started.

No one else was here yet, and that was alright because he preferred to eat before the others arrived.

The field personnel's day would begin late, but everyone except Xantos would eventually get out into the field and start setting up security systems. They would be joined by a group, a specialist that Tyne would bring with him.

A large enough group, with the hope that they would catch up on all the backlogs.

Sally had piles of pancakes set on the table and a plate full of sausage patties.

He wondered if she would have enough food for the large group.

That was why she’d started cooking early.

The others who were already assigned to the office began to appear.

They filled their plates and began to eat, but none of them were finished before the guests started arriving.

Tyne and Moe arrived with Harry and a couple of others that they did not know.

Harry would have to eat a large meal before she could go back and get the rest. They sat at the counter after filling their plates and began eating immediately.

His mate just kept cooking because she knew that more would arrive.

Since he had finished his food, he went over to her and took over the cooking so that she would have time to eat herself.

She shot him a grateful look before filling a plate, sitting down, and beginning to eat.

He was not always the best cook, but she had everything ready, and it just needed to be fried, and he could do that.

Since everyone who worked in the field office had finished eating, Tyne took them to the meeting room and provided them with the necessary information.

It was obvious once they were done because everyone came out, got up, and headed out in the trucks.

It was odd knowing that they would soon be gone. Harry had said they would leave as soon as they agreed to whatever Tyne proposed. Xantos was sure that they would. He thought he had a good idea of what would happen. They were just waiting to get more information and make things official.

"It's time," Harry said.

She led the way to the meeting room. Only Harry, Tyne, and Moe were in there. All of them sat down. It was finally time to finish this.

“I think you know what this is about," Tyne observed.

Xantos nodded. “Your father is the pack alpha of northern Nevada.

The old wolf council allowed many pack alphas to continue doing dark and horrible things.

Changes in the air, and it is time that we bring justice and decency to all areas of North America.

We couldn't do it all at once, and we started in Washington.

Now we have arrived at your father's pack.

You are in a unique position to challenge him because of what he did to your mother and you.

What we need is for you and Sally to agree to follow through on this.

It's true that he's been challenged many times over the years and that his challengers have often been killed the moment they stepped into the circle. We can assure you that that will not happen this time because the witches will take control of the circle, and cheating will not be allowed. What do you say?”

He looked at his mate, who nodded, then he looked back at Tyne, and he nodded.

“I need to hear you say it.”

“I will challenge my father.” Xantos declared.

Everyone looked happy, except for him and his mate, because a major undertaking like this would scare anyone with a brain in their head.

There was so much that could go wrong, and even though those in the past had managed to do this, that was no assurance that things would go well for them.

Sally had no experience as a pack bitch, and managing an office was a long way from running a pack.

His knowledge was when he was young, and it hadn't been a good experience because his father had made it difficult for him every step of the way.

It was true that he had picked up life skills along the way that he would need, such as fighting and working with the business.

Right now, the fighting was what he needed the most, and once that was done, provided he was successful, it would then be necessary to utilize the other skills.

"Harry will help you prepare and take you there," Moe explained.

“I hope you don't have too many bags to carry," Harry observed.

“I'm not sure most of what I have is worth taking," Sally mentioned.

“I've got one bag, but it's a big one," Xantos admitted.

“I'm going to need a whole lot of food.” Harry declared.

“Why don't we start with some of the bags, and you can finish up all the breakfast leftovers?” Sally suggested.”

“That's a smart plan.” Harry agreed.

Two hours later, all their stuff was moved, and Harry was well-fed and ready to take the trip with both of them.

Tyne and Moe plan to stay until after everyone returns from the field, and then Harry will fly them all to where they need to go.

Meanwhile, they would be meeting with Damon and Marissa near the pack that Xantos’ father ran.

He would be working and talking with Damon while Marissa would take Sally to get her hair done and get dressed appropriately for a pack bitch.

When he won, his mate would have to be appropriately dressed and ready to step into the position.

He wondered what she would look like since he'd never seen her dressed up like that.

The thought excited him, and he thought that she would look fabulous.

Sally seemed to be handling things well, and that made him feel better. He only hoped he could handle things that well. Marissa took Sally away as he sat down across from Damon.

"This was a long time coming," Damon observed.

“I never thought I’d see this day.”

“I’m sure you thought about it often enough.”

"I did, especially after my mom died," Xantos admitted.

“Use that anger. It will serve you well.”

“You know, if this turns out the way that you want it to, neither I nor my mate knows anything about running a pack.”

“Most of the other ones knew little, but they learned quickly. You two will do the same.” Damon offered.

“I've heard that this was done successfully in the past, but eventually, you're going to have a circumstance that will not work out.”

“That's possible, but it won't be you.”

“What do we need to do for now?” Xantos asked.

“The first thing we are doing is we are calling and challenging him. This fight will be tomorrow, so he does not have any time to prepare and make plans.”

“I will not have time to make plans either.”

“You will have everything you need. His plan is to cheat, and that will not happen," Damon explained. "My assistant will take you to your room, where your mate will join you when the girls are done. All of us will meet for supper, and we will go through the plan and anything else of importance.”