This time, Danny and I went for a walk away from the rest of the wolves. Emotions were sky high with Whitney openly claiming me as her mate, the rumors of her pregnancy, and all the adrenaline falling off from the battle.
It felt like old times…yet it didn't. I had killed something between Danny and me, and whatever it was was dead and buried, never coming back. But maybe an equilibrium could be found. Hate, but without violence. It wasn't what either of us had envisioned for our friendship, but it was what we had to work with.
Again, Danny spoke first. "The pack only mobilized because of Whitney. I'd never have been able to get the Red Canines out if it had just been you."
It hurt, but I'd expected it. "No surprise there."
Danny sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He looked tired, but also heartsick. "Come on, Man. Can't you see how fucked up that is? You were my second less than a year ago, and now the majority of my wolves want you dead."
I shrugged one shoulder, letting his words roll off me like water. "It is what it is."
The silence stretched, broken only by the sound of our boots in the leaves.
"How…" I licked my lips before trying again. "How is Naomi?"
Danny turned on me in an instant, teeth bared, voice venomous, "Don't you dare speak her fucking name."
"Or what?" I shot back, refusing to be intimidated by the man who'd once been my closest friend.
He growled, and I saw his hand tighten into a fist at his side. My old packmate was itching for a fight, but I wasn't going to give him one. Not today.
We stared at each other for several long moments, the silence between us growing thicker by the second. Danny was breathing hard, rage radiating off him in waves, but he made no move toward me. Finally, I sighed and took a step back.
"I don't want to fight you," I said, forcing myself to keep my tone calm.
"Then leave. You're not welcome here anymore."
"I thought you wanted to talk. Let me guess, you expected me to grovel?"
"You should grovel." Danny snapped.
"I won't. But…I'll apologize if you'll hear me out."
Danny said nothing, but his eyes narrowed slightly. I took his silence as acceptance, and continued, "It was wrong to try and mess with Naomi. It was a stupid decision made in a fit of anger. I hadn't forgiven you for changing the pack so much—hell, I don't think I ever will—but trying to make you see your mate was vulnerable was one of the worst moves I could have made. It was a child's decision, not a man's. Not an Alpha’s."
"If that was an apology, it was pretty shitty. You almost killed her. You've got some fucking nerve coming here after what you did."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. "You're right. I've got a lot of nerve. But I'm also sorry. And I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me for being a selfish asshole. I know I screwed up, Danny."
His jaw clenched, and he looked like he was ready to attack me again.
"It doesn't change the fact that I ordered the poisoning, but I swear to you that I told them to use a mild sedative. I never, not in a million years, would have ordered them to use wolfsbane. But…I guess we see now why they did."
Danny stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?"
"You must have been fighting elsewhere, but the ringleaders of that demon group were Rick and Tanner."
Danny sucked in a breath, his face growing pale. "Rick and Tanner? I knew they were the ones that hurt Naomi, but they were possessed? How didn't you see it before all of this shit went down?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but if I had to walk Danny through the truth, I would. "Danny. Man. Think about what you just asked me. They were possessed when they were Red Canines…when you were their Alpha. So if you want to ask that question, then you need to ask yourself too."
"Shit." Danny cursed under his breath, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're right. Shit. I'm so fucking stupid. Why didn't I realize something was wrong? They were my wolves."
"We all missed it. And we both fucked up as Alphas by doing so—you were obsessed with Naomi, and I was obsessed with revenge and getting the Reckless Stalkers started."
"It was right under our noses."
I nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. We both looked like idiots, but I wasn't going to throw Danny under the bus anymore. We'd both messed up.
Silence stretched between us. I didn't know what to do or say, but I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted…I needed things to be right between us.
"Are you sure about Whitney?" Danny asked finally, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?"
"She's…" Danny hesitated, "I don't know her that well, but she's kind of a…a warrior woman. She's going to resent you if you try to protect her."
"Ha. Yeah, she's told me that a time or two. But I'll figure it out." I laughed, but it was hollow. I wasn't afraid of Whitney being a warrior woman—she could handle herself in a fight, and I didn't doubt her abilities as a demon slayer. No, I was afraid of her resenting me for trying to keep her safe.
The walk back to the abandoned house was quiet, but before we crossed into the clearing to join everyone else again, Danny asked quietly, without a lot of the malice from earlier, "So you really didn't mean to try and kill Naomi?"
I frowned. "No, Danny. I might be an asshole, but I'm not a killer." Then, to break the tension, even just a little. "Hey, did you hear Laura stole Saul's truck?"
"Yeah. Because he had to ride bitch with one of the other wolves to get here."
We parted from each other laughing—not on good terms, not even close really, but there was a crack in the wall of hate on both our sides. And if I looked hard enough, I could see a little light peeking through.
***
One week later
It took a few days of rest to completely recoup, which Whitney and I spent in my old apartment eating, watching movies, and having sex. But we couldn't stay in our love nest for long, because the real world, and all of the danger within it, were calling.
After a lot of long talks, and tears on Whitney's end, we decided we'd give the whole mate thing a shot. In order to do that, she'd have to officially leave the Silverfangs and become a Reckless Stalker. I could see how much it bothered her, but my mate was brave. Plus, she'd have to take time off from her demon slaying while she was pregnant anyway—at least the slaying portion.
We couldn't avoid the Silverfangs forever, either. Whitney needed to pack her things, and we had to talk to Hector and Faye about the portal spell we heard the demons talking about. If anyone could dig up information on it, it was Faye. Plus, since she was the main target, she deserved to know.
The day of reckoning came sooner than either of us liked, but it was inevitable. We left the apartment early in the morning, picking up Laura on the way. It was a long drive north, but after this, we'd finally be free of other pack politics. At least for a little while.
Whitney had been silent most of the ride, and it wasn't until we were about ten miles away from the Silverfang Creek pack house that she spoke up.
“I’m going to miss it here,” she said quietly, staring out at the trees as we drove through the forest.
“I know you are,” I replied, taking my right hand off the steering wheel and reaching for her. She put her hand in mine, and we laced our fingers together. I could feel the tension in her body, and I wished there was something I could do to make it go away. This was all new territory for me.
We’d talked about what being mates meant, but now that she was actually leaving the only home she’d known, it was obvious she was scared. And I couldn’t blame her. There had been a lot of change in a short amount of time.
I squeezed her hand gently, trying to be comforting. “We don’t have to leave immediately if you don’t want to.”
She shook her head. “No, we need to do this. I’ve been putting it off for too long already.”
My brave demon huntress. Funny what things were harder for her—she’d face down a hoard of demons without blinking, but when it came to those she cared for, all bets were off.
***
We stayed with the Silverfangs for two days. It might have been longer, but everyone still hated me with a passion.
I didn’t care, though. I had the acceptance of the only wolf that mattered—my mate.
Faye was a good hostess, but Hector had a harder time pretending he was comfortable with me in his territory. But he was satisfied with the patrols I’d set, and it gave me a little leeway with the Silverfang Creek Alpha.
While Faye and Whitney talked baby stuff, it was decided she’d only take her essentials back to Reckless Stalker territory and the rest would be packed into storage for her to get later. There was a tearful reunion, and then goodbye with the rest of her team, who she promised she’d still be happy to work with after the baby had arrived.
I wasn’t so sure about all of that, but I didn’t dare voice my thoughts in front of her.
I watched them all from afar, drinking a beer and letting them have their time together. It was hard as fuck, considering I didn’t want to leave her for a second, but if I wanted to keep Whitney, I had to give her the space she needed. Even if it pissed me off.
Hector found me, coming to stand at my side with his own beer. Annoyance about my presence still rolled off him, but he really was making an effort. “She’ll never settle down, you know. Not really.”
“That’s fine. If she roams, I’ll roam with her.”
Hector took a swig of his beer. “Not the best practice for an Alpha.”
“I’ll figure it out.” I drank too, the liquid cold in my throat. “What I can’t figure out is how to make this hurt less for her. It’s fucking killing me to see her hurting so much about leaving.”
The Silverfang Creek Alpha gave me a side-eye glance. “You can’t. She might make a home in whatever hovel you’ve got your pack in, but this is also her home. She’s going to be split for a long time.”
“First, it’s not a hovel. Second…fuck.”
“You know,” Hector’s tone was casual…way too casual for what he was about to say. “She might feel more secure in all of this if you made things official.”
I tapped my bite mark with my beer bottle. “We’re both marked, my man. It’s official.”
“No…I mean human official. Marry her. Make her a wife and a mate. Trust me, it makes a difference.” His voice went wistful, no doubt thinking about his wedding to Faye. “And the honeymoon. Whoo boy. Make sure you stretch beforehand.”
I was silent, mulling over his words. A wife and a mate.
I wanted to give Whitney anything and everything I could. If the title would make her happy, then so be it.
Whitney Payne. My wife. If I had been possessive before, that thought ratcheted it up tenfold.