Holding Honor (Ashland Pride Nine)

by R. E. Butler

  Ryan winced as he straightened and cleared his throat. Daniel stood on one side of him, and Frank stood on the other.

  “First, I want to say to Honor and Hope that I’m sorry. I know I can’t apologize enough to make up for what happened to you, and I can’t even really explain why I did it.” He told his story, breaking down several times as he detailed his desperation to see Carolee, and the hope that Victoria had given him. “I knew in the back of my mind that there was a chance she’d betray me, but I thought that if there was a way to see my daughter again, it was worth whatever I had to do.”

  He looked at Honor, his gaze luminous and full of sorrow. “I’m truly sorry.”

  Honor glanced at Hope, who was looking down at the floor, her arms folded and her posture rigid.

  Daniel cleared his throat. “It’s been brought to my attention that many males in the pride want Ryan to be expelled from our ranks and driven out of King for his betrayal. I bring it to the pride for a vote at this time. Those in favor of expelling Ryan from the pride and town, raise your hand.”

  Honor looked around at the hands that shot into the air. Jax caught her gaze.

  “Do you want him gone?” he asked quietly.

  “Not necessarily.” She stood slowly, and the crowd quieted. “I don’t really forgive you, Ryan. At least not yet. What you did happened less than twelve hours ago. Yeah, you suffered for it, but so did Hope and I. But I don’t believe that kicking you out of the pride and town will benefit anyone.”

  “Thanks, Honor,” Daniel said. “We still need to vote, though. So those in favor of allowing Ryan to stay?”

  Hands lifted, and Honor saw that it was going to be a close vote. When the votes were counted, it was a tie. But she and her mates hadn’t voted yet.

  “You’re the deciding votes,” Daniel said.

  “Does he promise to never be in contact with the females again?” Honor asked, casting her gaze toward the males in the front.

  “I swear on my life,” Ryan said. “I know that it was foolish to try to reach Carolee. I won’t stop hoping that she’ll someday find her mate and the curse will be broken for her like it was for you, but I promise I won’t try to reach out to her again.”

  “Then I vote he stays,” she said, lifting her hand.

  Jax and Holden lifted their hands in agreement.

  Hope stared at the male for a long, quiet moment, then slowly lifted her hand. “I vote he stays. If I’m allowed to vote, since I’m only fifteen.”

  “Pride rules are that you can vote once you’ve had your first shift, which you did, so you’re able to vote.” Daniel said. “Then the motion passes and Ryan is allowed to stay in the pride.”

  A smattering of applause followed, and Honor stood and hugged Hope. “That was really sweet of you, honey.”

  “Yeah, well, I was just thinking that if I’d been in his shoes I could understand why he’d want to do anything to see her. If I could have reached out to you? I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “I don’t think you’re the sort of person who would betray the pride, though,” Eli said. “Not if you knew that the plan involved kidnapping and torture.”

  “No, but love is love, isn’t it? He loves Carolee and he was grieving her loss all these years. It’s not too farfetched to understand why he did what he did.”

  “You’re pretty smart, kiddo,” Jax said.

  “I take after my mom.”

  “You sure do,” Eli said. “And it’s entirely hereditary.”

  Honor rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Let’s go get some ice cream.”

  Hope let out a little woo hoo and hooked her arm through Honor’s. “I love that idea.”

  “I thought you might.”

  “Weird day. But it ended well.”

  “Yeah. You okay?” Honor asked as they left the hall.

  “I think so.”

  They’d spoken to the police counselor earlier that day, both separately and together. Hope was struggling with her feelings about the events, and so was Honor. They’d keep seeing the counselor for as long as they needed. Talking helped a lot. It was also good to know the pride was on their side.

  “I’m thinking cookie dough with hot fudge,” Hope said as she climbed into the back of the SUV.

  “Sounds very sweet,” Honor commented as she sat in the passenger seat and buckled up. “I’m ready to put a fork in this day.”

  “That makes two of us,” Jax said.

  “Three,” Holden agreed.

  “Four,” Hope and Eli said at the same time.

  “Okay, make that five.” Eli chuckled. “Ice cream and then bed. This old male needs his beauty sleep.”

  Chapter 15

  The following Friday, Honor and Hope were accompanied to the coffee shop by Jax, Holden, and her father. She’d been tempted to skip it altogether, because she didn’t want to think about how close she’d come to losing her daughter. But her mates had been supportive, promising it was better to face the fear head-on than hide. When the five of them arrived in the parking lot, she was surprised to see the lot nearly full, including several police vehicles.

  The pride males stood all around the perimeter of the parking lot and across the front of the shop.

  “What’s going on?” she asked as Jax parked in one of the empty spots in front of the shop.

  Jax just hummed and didn’t answer. She wanted to ask him what he knew, but he got out of the truck before she could. She climbed out and looked at Daniel, who stood at the shop’s front door.

  “Morning ladies,” he said, pulling the door open.

  Hope joined Honor, giving her a wide-eyed, curious look.

  “Morning, Daniel,” Honor said. “What’s going on?”

  “We talked to your mates and father earlier this week about how you and Hope were feeling about coming to the shop. My brothers and I mentioned it to some of the males, and before long, a big group wanted to be here to support you and Honor.”

  Tears stung her eyes at the sweet gesture. She looked at her mates and father, who were smiling in encouragement, and then swept her gaze to the rest of the males. She was overwhelmed.

  “You and Hope are part of the pride,” Frank said, stepping forward. “You two never should have been in danger. We failed you, but we won’t fail again.”

  “Thanks, everyone,” Honor said, blinking back the tears. “It means the world to me and Hope that you’re here.”

  Holden held out his hand to her, and she and Hope joined him, with Jax and her father behind them. “Ready for some coffee?” he asked.

  She leaned against him when they stopped in front of the register. “Yeah. Thank you.”

  “It was actually Daniel’s mate’s idea,” Jax said. “She worked at a bank a few years ago and was held up at gunpoint. She was scared to go to work, but her family needed the money. Even though she was human, her parents reached out to the pride to ask for help, and Daniel and his brothers volunteered to escort her and hang around for a while.”

  “Is that why they’re mated?” Hope asked.

  “Yep,” Holden said. “According to Daniel, he took one look at her and vowed she’d never be afraid again. He went to the police academy so he could help others, too.”

  “That’s sweet,” Honor said.

  “The pride really came through for our family,” Eli said. “There’s a silver lining to what happened to you two, and that was the pride getting to witness firsthand the difference between a cursed female and one whose curse is broken.”

  “They could have taken our word for it,” Hope said, rolling her eyes.

  “Yeah, but seeing is believing for some people,” Honor said. “I’m glad they’re here for us, and I’m thankful the threat to our family is put down.”

  She had no doubt that the females left behind in Canada would be fine. Gretchen and Julia had wanted to just live their lives away from the males, and with Victoria and her cronies out of the way, they’d get their wish. She wasn’t sure how long
it would take for them to realize Victoria’s group wasn’t coming back, but it wasn’t her problem anymore.

  Once she and her family had gotten their coffees, they sat at a table and chatted until it was time to head to work and school. The pride members had stopped by their table to say hello to them, and she was humbled by the sweet nature of the males.

  After the school day ended, she was surprised when Hope didn’t show up in the office. They’d all made plans to go to dinner and see a movie, and she’d promised to give Hope a ride home. She sent a text asking where she was, and a few moments later received a reply.

  Library.

  Honor stuck her head in her dad’s office. “Hope’s in the library. I’m going to grab her and head home. Do you want us to pick you up for dinner, or meet us there?”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  “Six o’clock,” she reminded him.

  “I’ll be there with bells on.”

  “You know,” she said with a chuckle, “I actually believe that.”

  Honor walked into the library and greeted Mrs. Jordan, who had been librarian when she was in school. The human female’s long gray hair was woven into a thick braid, and she wore reading glasses on a chain around her neck.

  “Hello Honor,” Mrs. Jordan said. “How have you been?”

  Honor looked around the library, inhaling the scent of old books and papers. “Good. You?”

  “I can’t complain. As long as I have books and students eager to read, I’m in my happy place.”

  “I heard my daughter was in here.”

  “She’s in the mythology section.”

  Honor hummed in curiosity as she walked through the aisles until she found Hope. She was sitting on the floor with several books open around her, and one in her lap.

  “Hey honey,” she said, squatting down.

  “Oh, hey Mom.”

  “Whatcha reading?” She picked up one book and read the title out loud. “Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology.”

  Hope sighed and leaned her head back against the bookshelf. “I was thinking about the goddess’s curse on the females.”

  “Oh? What about it?” Honor sat down and leaned over, looking at the open book in Hope’s lap.

  “I was just wondering if there was a way to break it.”

  “We know how to break the curse,” she pointed out. “With blood sharing.”

  “Yeah, but that’s breaking it individually. I wanted to know if there was a way to break the curse for every single female. Like all at once.”

  Honor hummed. “I don’t know if that’s possible. We’ve been speculating about the curse and the goddess, but I’ve never thought about whether the curse itself could be broken for everyone. The original curse happened eons ago, and the knowledge of the curse itself was lost to the generations, so no one – male or female – knew about it. It’s only because the panthers are shifter historians that we have any information about it at all.”

  Hope leveled a long look at Honor. “You think it’s not worth looking into?”

  “I didn’t say that. If you want to research mythology, I think you should. Maybe you’ll be the person who figures things out.”

  “Figures what out?” Mrs. Jordan asked from the end of the aisle.

  “The curse on the female lions,” Hope said.

  Honor and Hope gathered the books and stood, and Mrs. Jordan joined them, taking a volume from Honor and looking at it. “I heard about the curse from one of the males who teaches here. I had no idea the reason the females behaved as they did was because of a curse from a goddess. You can read all you want to about them, but I’m afraid that curses and their antidotes are not of our realm.”

  Honor’s brows furrowed. “Antidotes?”

  “My brother is a bit of a mythology expert, and when he and I were discussing the mountain lion curse, he told me that the only information available in our realm is on the gods and goddesses themselves: their lineage, powers, and wars. But curses leveled by them are hidden in another realm.”

  “There’s another realm?” Hope asked.

  “I’m sure there’s more than one,” Mrs. Jordan said. “But specifically, my brother was talking about the fae realm.”

  “Fae, like fairies?” Honor asked.

  “Yes. Curses are powerful things, and fae are as close to gods and goddesses as we can get without living in the heavens.”

  “Do goddesses live forever?” Hope asked.

  “I don’t know the answer to that,” Mrs. Jordan said, shrugging. “But curses never die, that much I know. The curse would have to be broken by the goddess who cast it.”

  Hope let out a dejected sigh. “I guess that wraps it up, then. It’s hopeless.”

  “Nothing is hopeless,” Honor said, giving her a hug. “If there’s a way to end the curse once and for all, then maybe someday someone will figure it out. The important thing is that you’re not fully cursed, and I’m not cursed anymore.”

  “I hope I meet my truemates soon so I can stop being cursed entirely,” Hope said.

  “I wish the same thing for you,” Honor agreed. To Mrs. Jordan she said, “Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime.”

  After returning the books to the shelves, she and Hope headed home. Holden and Jax worked until five, so she and Hope had time to partake in their new favorite activity – baking. After finding a recipe for mini apple tarts, they got to work, and soon the kitchen smelled like apples and cinnamon. The time passed quickly. She loved the times she got to spend with her daughter alone and just talk. The conversation in the library was rehashed, but Hope didn’t think anything would ever come of that little bit of knowledge.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever stop wishing things were different,” Hope said.

  “Me too.”

  “Do you think I’ll meet my truemates soon?”

  “I don’t know. Do you think any of the males in King are your mates?”

  She hummed and then shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Well, if I hadn’t been cursed, I might have known Holden and Jax were mine back then. It would have been wonderful to grow up with them.”

  “Yeah. I guess I’ll just wish for that, too.”

  Honor chuckled. “While you’re wishing for things, how about for everyone to hurry up so we can get to dinner?”

  “Seems like a waste of a wish, but okay.”

  Hope dissolved into laughter, and Honor hugged her and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Sweet lioness,” she murmured, smiling at her daughter’s bright eyes and sweet grin. “All my wishes have come true. I hope yours do, too.”

  Chapter 16

  By the time the school year ended, Jax and his family had settled into a comfortable routine. Hope was now staying with them most of the time, and he and Holden truly considered her their own daughter. She’d taken to calling them both dad, which he loved to the core of his soul.

  They were leaving for Ashland the following day and staying for two weeks. Hope was only staying through the weekend, and would be returning with Eli so she could spend the summer working at a day camp for shifter kids. It was sponsored by the King police department, but all shifters were welcome, not just mountain lions. She thought she might like to work with kids as an adult, so it would be a good experience for her.

  Aside from getting to spend time with their niece Melody and her family, and their friends in the pride, they were going to marry Honor in a ceremony in the backyard of the boarding house. They were skipping the honeymoon until they were finished with their visit to Ashland, but on the way back home they were going to spend a long weekend at a resort in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

  “Ready to get on the road, honey?” he asked Hope when he walked into the kitchen with his suitcase.

  “Yep,” she said, looking up from the tablet they’d bought her for the trip. “I just finished downloading three movies and a whole season of my favorite show.”

  “Didn’t you alr
eady binge-watch that with your mom?” he asked, arching a brow.

  “Yeah, but the new season starts in September, so I have to rewatch it.”

  He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. “Sounds like a great use of free time.”

  “It’s summer,” she pointed out. “And it totally is. I’m sure I missed things the first two times I watched it.”

  “You’re adorable, and a little delusional.”

  “Runs in the family, I think.”

  “What does?” Honor asked as she joined them. She slid her arm around Jax’s waist and gave him a squeeze. His cat purred at how good she smelled.

  “Adorable delusions,” Hope said.

  “Oh?” Honor asked.

  “Rewatching TV shows before they start a new season.”

  “Ah, that’s totally important. I also reread books in a series before a new one comes out.”

  He shook his head at his mate and daughter, kissed Honor, and went to make coffee for everyone.

  “Dad’s on his way,” Honor said, looking at her phone. Eli was driving separately so that he and Hope could return to King in time for her to start her job at the camp. “He’s stopping for bagels.”

  “Oh, yum,” Hope said.

  When Eli showed up twenty minutes later, the truck was packed and they were ready to go. Jax got behind the wheel, set his travel mug in the cup holder, and gave his sesame bagel with veggie cream cheese to Holden, who sat next to him. Honor and Hope were in the back, headphones on as they stared at the tablet. Holden looked back at them and smiled. Jax backed out of the drive, waved at Eli, and turned onto the road, heading out of town. It was hard to believe that they’d been in King for a few months already. So much had changed, and while he was looking forward to being in Ashland, King was his home now.

  Despite the early start they’d gotten, they didn’t get to the boarding house until nearly eight on Friday night. Every light in the big house was on, making it stand out in the darkness like a beacon. There were cars everywhere; he knew that everyone who could be there would be. He stretched and rolled his neck as they got out of the truck. Thankfully he and Holden had taken turns on the drive. Honor and Hope had ridden with Eli for part of the drive as well.