Page 25 of Redeemed Wolf (Grim Wilds #4)

Shan and I agreed that holding a joint summer solstice party would be good for morale and building a sense of community between our packs. And, since there simply wasn’t room at Grim Wilds for everyone, I’d offered to host it at Overlands. This was one of the main reasons I’d been working so hard all spring at fixing up the more rundown homes. Now I had guest quarters for everyone.

We’d constructed a huge bonfire in the middle of the field behind the community center, large enough that the heat warmed my body where I stood ten yards away. The sun was just letting out its final golden rays, shifting into midnight-blue sprinkled with stars, but the kids showed no sign of slowing down. All the kids from both packs were busy on the play structure, playing a game I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t figure out the rules, but it seemed to involve running back and forth touching the wooden pillars then racing to the top of the tower and shouting “I win!” even though the game continued and didn’t seem to have a clear winner. Malachi was busy telling the others what to do, acting like their leader already, but I noticed that he did it in such a way as to be fair to give each of them a turn. He would be a good Alpha one day, I could see it already. Even Pax, usually so quiet and mild-mannered, was running and laughing at a pitch that had my wolf wincing.

Their explosive joy made me feel lighter than I had in a long time.

I couldn’t wait for my own kids to join them. Kris was asleep in my arms, his head on my chest, his breathing slow and even, and I rocked back and forth without even making the decision to do so; it was just the way my body moved now, always aware of what my family needed. I hummed a tune under my breath as I watched the absolute joy surrounding me.

Shan came to stand beside me, his eyes on the kids. “Thanks for this. They’re having a blast.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I just know they’re going to be begging for a play structure at home now.”

I laughed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you could all make it. I hope everyone’s comfortable? If you need anything, just ask.”

He waved me off. “Are you kidding? Private bathrooms with bathtubs and all the hot water we could ever want? Brody might never leave.”

An unfamiliar warmth kindled inside me at the casual praise. “You know you’re all welcome to come for a visit whenever you want. I’ll owe you forever for everything you’ve done for me and my family. Anything I can do to repay you, it’s yours.”

Shan turned those rich brown eyes on me and offered me a generous smile. “Don’t be ridiculous. You put yourself in danger and brought our family home. We are more than even. Besides, it’s not a competition.” His smirk told me that Tristan was probably still keeping score.

I might not have become a part of Grim Wilds in the way I’d hoped to in the past, but this was so much better.

When the kids’ energy began to flag, the parents went and retrieved their children to take them to bed. There was plenty of whining, but then Damon reminded them they were all coming to his guesthouse for a sleepover, and that led to another round of cheers. Damon, Isaac, and Stuart had volunteered themselves as overnight sitters, since Stuart was pregnant and said he would rather sleep than party with the adults.

Andy looked to Amelia, his eyes full of gleaming hope, to make sure he was allowed to go too, and she nodded, urging him to go along. That poor child was still learning to trust that he was home and wasn’t going anywhere. We still had no idea what kind of shifter he might be. Sometimes I swore I smelled wolf, but it must’ve just been rubbed off on him from the others, because other times, he smelled more feline. Time would tell, but no matter what animal he became, we made sure to let him know that he would be loved and accepted.

Once the kids were gone, the party took a turn toward being more rowdy. Joe brought out a keg of wolfsbane beer, and I could almost feel any lingering tension in the air dissipate.

Everyone had come for the party, even Melissa. She’d been working for Joe in Fairhome ever since he picked her up. He said he was glad to have a human in his employ, but this was the first time she’d felt comfortable enough to join us out here in the woods. She sat straight down next to Morgan in front of the fire, full of questions about what it was like to live as a human among shifters, like they had their own secret club.

Carter locked eyes with me across the fire, and he made his way toward me, a note of heat in his gaze that was impossible to ignore. He looked even sexier with our daughter in his arms. As soon as we put the twins to sleep tonight, I had every intention of trying for another pup. We’d both agreed that we were ready for more.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” he said cheekily, nibbling coyly on his bottom lip.

Tristan snorted in laughter where he stood beside me, but I put a hand to his shoulder and shoved him off, not subtle at all in telling him to beat it. “Hey, sexy. Come here often?”

Carter’s giggle was beyond adorable. We both lowered onto one of the log benches we’d set up around the fire. These little babies of ours weren’t that big yet, but I swore they got heavier the longer you held them, defying the laws of physics. I groaned at the change in position, glad to sit for a bit.

“Having fun?” I asked as Carter leaned his head on my shoulder.

He sighed contentedly. “You know what? I really am. I never had friends like this in the city. It’s nice. It’s like a whole support system right next door. I didn’t even know I was missing this until I found it, but it must’ve been my wolf’s relief after being disconnected from his pack for so long.”

My eyes panned across the pack he’d mentioned. Pacey was standing across the fire with a beer in hand. I was glad to see he’d drawn Greg into a conversation. The ex-guard—ex-human—had been having a hard time adjusting to his new life. He hadn’t chosen to be one of Eric’s experiments, but it was that or death, and he’d justified that he would be in a better position to help us from the inside. That didn’t make him any more comfortable in his skin, but until we could find a lab for Carter to try deciphering some of his father’s notes to work on a cure, he was stuck. He seemed grateful to be living in Overlands, though. At least here everyone accepted him as he was now.

On the bench beside us, I heard Melissa talking with Morgan. She was looking over at Greg, her friend from another life. “This is all so crazy, you know that, right? Werewolves are the stuff of myths and legends—or more like nightmares.” She didn’t seem afraid, though. She’d been more curious about us than anything. “Are you positive you’re human?”

“Yeah, why?” Morgan asked.

“Oh, no reason… just wondering about the whole, you know, wolf-human sex thing. All the… bits are compatible?” That was when I realized she wasn’t look at Greg, but Pacey, and he was staring right back.

How had I not noticed their connection? Was I so blinded by my own mate that I couldn’t see what was right in front of me? “You should totally go for that,” I said, interrupting their conversation.

Her eyebrows jumped, cheeks heating, but she didn’t break eye contact with him. “I should?” Her voice was a bit raspy, breathless as her chest hitched on an inhale.

“Definitely. He hasn’t shut up about you all night. Honestly, you would be doing us all a favor if you just gave in already.” That wasn’t exactly true, but I knew my Beta, and there was no way he would push himself on Melissa if he thought she wasn’t interested. They just needed a little nudge.

“Sure. Thanks,” she said, shoving her drink at Morgan and standing from the bench.

Morgan laughed but didn’t take it personally. He understood all too well the draw of a bond with a shifter. He hopped up from his spot and made his way toward his own mate, Jude, who was rolling his eyes, caught in a conversation with Tristan.

“Huh,” Carter said, an adorable frown on his face.

“Huh, what?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. I just didn’t realize Pacey was into women. I actually thought he had a thing for you when I first met him.”

That startled a laugh out of me, the sound making Kris sigh in his sleep. “You did?”

“Oh yeah. He was always hanging around, doing anything he could to make you happy or proud. I didn’t have a clue about shifters or pack hierarchy. How was I supposed to know? I just thought he was clingy. I was super jealous,” he admitted.

That made me grin. I loved it when he got all possessive on me. “Oh yeah? Was that why you marked me? You wanted to show Pacey who I belonged to?”

He nudged me in the ribs with an elbow. “Don’t get all cocky on me. I didn’t understand what biting meant either.”

“Hey, guys.” Jesse and Joe came over to join us. I tried not to acknowledge the blatant look of hope on Jesse’s face. He’d been trying so hard to reconnect with all his children, but while Isaac and Amelia had been eager to get to know their dad, it had been a lot harder for Carter. His memories had been a jumble at first, buried under a layer of brainwashing, but we’d spent a lot of time talking things out. He’d been learning to forgive Eric for his misguided beliefs, to forgive Jesse for not being able to save him, but even more importantly, to forgive himself for not being strong enough to break free on his own.

“Hey,” Carter said, a new kind of smile on his face. When Vesta began to fuss, Carter stood and closed the distance to Jesse. “Wanna go see your grampa?” he cooed to Vesta as he repositioned her to be passed over to Jesse.

“Grampa? Really?” he gasped, scared to hope as he reached to take her.

“Yeah, of course. Is that okay… Dad?”

Jesse’s eyes went glassy as happy tears pooled. “It’s more than okay.”

“In that case…” I said, passing Kris over to Joe so quickly that he whipped his arms up to catch him. “Are you guys good to watch the twins for a bit? I wanna take my mate for a quick run.”

I didn’t wait for them to respond before I grabbed Carter by the hand and dragged him toward the woods. “Come on, baby, keep up,” I hissed over my shoulder.

“Where are we going?” he asked, laughing but doing his best to jog faster.

I stopped at the tree line and started to peel off my clothes as quickly as I could. “We’re going to see about making a baby, that’s where.”

“Shh!” He slapped a hand over my mouth. “They’ll hear you!”

I smirked behind his hand, licking his palm, and he pulled it away with a needy gasp. “If I do my job right, in a few minutes, they’ll be hearing you scream.”

“You’re such an alpha,” he said like it was a bad thing, but his fingers were trembling as he reached for his belt buckle.

“And you love me,” I said.

“I really, really do,” he said, pausing in his undressing to give me a lingering kiss. His fingers moved up my torso, following the path of my scars up to my mating mark.

Carter made me feel alive in a way I never could’ve anticipated. I’d always been the bad guy, the one who took the blame and always came last. Through my mate, though, I’d finally found where I belonged. I’d found my redemption and made peace with who I was.

Together, we shifted and ran as wolves, side by side, partners in this life we were making for ourselves. The future of these woods was bigger than us. Bigger than me and Carter, than shifters and humans, all the packs and towns. Fate had brought us together for a reason, and while I couldn’t tell what the future would bring, I knew our children would be a part of it and that it would be magnificent.

The others eventually joined us, filling the woods with their howls of love, happiness, family… of pack. I couldn’t wait to see what came next.

The End