The family all filed outside, through the wonderful-smelling kitchen. Heinrich put the stew on a low simmer and caught Ryan’s shoulder as he walked past.
“Congratulations, Ryan,” said the big blond Viking of a man. If he weren’t so tied up in his restaurant in Tulsa, Heinrich would have made a fantastic alpha. As single as the day was long, and even more single-minded than he was single. He knew how to let everything else fall away and only focus on what mattered. Ryan had always admired that.
Unfortunately, for Heinrich, “what mattered” was Polish food. Not quite a mesh for pack leadership. Still, he made the best pierogis in a ten-state radius. There had been national press about his restaurant at one point, and he’d been featured on the Food Network. The man knew how to do his job.
“Thanks, Heinrich.” Ryan punched his cousin’s shoulder. He was the only one of the Pollacks who seemed to have taken a shine to their new would-be alpha, but they got along great. Ryan only wished his entire pack could get along so well.
“She’s hot,” his cousin whispered, even though it was obvious the whole family could hear him.
“Thanks,” Kate piped up, a smile in her voice. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should.” Heinrich nodded, like his comment had been completely normal and sensible. Of course, he was right as hell. But his cousin was strange. Still, Kate just took his behavior in stride.
A pang shot through him. He thought about what Aaron VonBrandt had told him in the dining room in Texas. About how Tonya made him a better alpha. He knew Kate would make him a better leader, and he only wished his family would give him a chance to prove it.
Bracken called the meeting to order. Dee and Will and Ellie were still missing, but Bracken wasn’t waiting for them. Clearly, he thought everyone was ready to start.
“I want to start off by discussing what transpired yesterday with the Quade family,” Bracken began, stretching his arms out. He was backdropped by the low, golden sun, and it gave him a gravity that his alpha magick almost couldn’t compete with.
This was how their pack meetings always started. Near sundown, in the backyard of the alpha’s house, all of them arranged in a circle, with Bracken at the head. Everyone equal, but submissive to the alpha’s leadership.
If only they could all be this way, all the time.
“We’ve all heard,” called out Uriah Culver from off to Ryan’s right. “Beau called us.”
“And Dee called us,” said Tim Young.
“And Rosalee called us,” said Soren Pollack.
“It’s war, Bracken,” Ma finally said, filling the silence that followed. She looked at her brother, shaking her head. “They tried to kill one of ours. I think you’ll find the Trewitts are ready to put our differences aside and unite behind one man.”
Bracken nodded solemnly as he looked around the circle, and when his eyes finally landed on Ryan, he said, “I couldn’t agree more.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ryan looked around the circle, stunned by the certainty on everyone’s faces. All these families, who usually argued about their own rights until the proverbial cows returned, were suddenly quiet. Not a contrary word. Not an aggressive stance. They were just…united.
He felt a blast of pride shoot through Kate’s body, lighting almost every part of her, and the completeness of it just about brought Ryan to his knees.
The pressure of her fingers on his hand was nothing compared to that. But it was an outward show of what she felt on the inside. She had seen this coming, and he loved her all the more for her optimism. For her unshakeable belief in him.
“I know I’m not a Trewitt officially yet, but I want to pledge my fealty to Ryan Travis of the Trewitt pack, to be my alpha. From this day, until my last day,” Kate said, her voice cutting through the silence like a sharp blade. She sank down to one knee, bowing her head until he couldn’t see those beautiful eyes of hers anymore.
He wanted to pull her to her feet, to look into her face. But he wouldn’t diminish the power of her gesture by telling her not to do it. She’d read the moment and reacted to it.
“So says the Young family,” said Tim, sinking down to one knee. He shot a look at the big swathe of Youngs who stood on either side of him until they all did the same.
“And the Pollacks.” Soren’s tall, graceful frame led his wife and brothers and their wives and children into a similar posture.
It took a moment for the black-and-silver-bearded old Culver to tear himself away from the low, whispered conversation he was engaged in with his two daughters, but finally Ma yelled out, “Oh, Uriah. Put the past behind you and bury the hatchet. Get on your damn knee.” She took a big breath and followed up with, “If I can forgive, then you can forgive.”
“We’re not forgiving anything,” Uriah said in his thick accent, sticking out his hairy lower lip. “Your husband killed my son and my grandson. This isn’t about forgiveness.”
“It’s about loyalty.” Candace Culver stepped out into the circle. “Ryan Travis has been working hard to help our family survive. To make up for what his daddy did to my mate and my son. And I respect that. Out of respect for Ryan, we’re going to bend the knee, and we’re going to fight alongside the rest of the family if need be. We all have Trewitt blood from a hundred years back, and nobody spills Trewitt blood without retribution.”
“You’re damn right,” said Uriah, like a cheer.
“We pledge our fealty to Ryan Travis.” Candace stepped back, beside her father, and the three of them sank to the ground together.
Ryan was bowled over by wave of relief so large, it felt like a cat-five hurricane. He could barely stand against it. He had been working for years to foster this kind of solidarity to foster between the families. He’d never considered that they would band together because of an outside threat.
But his mother had. And Beau and Dee had. They’d apparently laid the groundwork for this to happen by calling each one of the families after the fight with Phillip Quade. And as he looked at his pack, his family, sitting on their knees in front of him, Ryan had never felt so emotional in his life. And so certain. And so confident.
This was the right choice for all of them.
“I accept your pledges of fealty, and promise to discharge my duties as your alpha with the utmost fairness and courage. I will lead this pack to a better tomorrow.” He nodded, making eye contact with each of them as he spoke.
“Does everyone know the pledge spell?” Bracken asked, looking around the circle. When everyone nodded, he made intentional eye contact with Ryan and nodded. This was the moment they had been preparing for. The pack would finally be transferred to Ryan’s shoulders.
“I don’t see everyone,” Ryan said, counting family members. If he discounted Kate, he was still coming up short.
“Will and Dee aren’t here,” said Dee’s mom. But he knew that.
“And Ellie,” said Candace Culver. He knew that, too. There was still one…
“Wait.” Bracken used his finger to count the Trewitts again. “Where’s Jace?”
“I haven’t heard from him since y’all left Texas,” Ryan said, touching his pockets. “And I still don’t have my phone. It’s possible he texted me.”
“Did he ride back with you?” Bracken asked Dee’s two youngest brothers, who had also been in Somewhere. Both young men shook their heads.
“I thought you took him,” said one.
“He said he was going with you after we got the horse,” said the other.
“We’re sure he didn’t go with Dee?” asked Judson.
Tension rippled through the group. Jace had actually been in Somewhere, with the rest of the family, and could have had any number of run-ins with the Quades. What if they’d taken out their anger toward the Trewitts on him?
“Here I am.” Dee’s voice rang through the air behind the circle, and they all looked back at the house to find Deirdre and Will running toward them. She had something familiar in her hand. “I
s this yours?”
Ryan looked at the little electronic device and suddenly recognized it as his cell phone. It had the same sticker along the back with his name and home number on it that it had always had. The screen was a little cracked, but it was otherwise intact.
“Yeah.” He reached for it. “Where did you find this?”
“Near the Hummingbird Diner, sort of in the alley.” She took her mate’s hand and stepped into the circle. “We picked up Ellie’s trail again in town. It ended at an empty parking spot near the diner, and there was blood all over the alley that smells like it belonged to the wolf whose scent we picked up.”
Ryan looked down at Kate. She mouthed, Christian, and he nodded to her. He wasn’t sure whether to tell the pack the whole story, or save the details for another time, but before he could decide, Dee kept talking.
“Ellie’s scent stops there. We tried walking all over downtown, but we couldn’t smell her again. It just kept leading us back to that spot. So we found Ryan’s phone, and we thought it might all be connected.”
“I think we know who has her,” Ryan said, shaking his head. After her search had come up dry, Ma had called around to everyone, and no one had seen Christian. With the lack of a trail to follow, and no more blood, he’d assumed the wolf had run off.
It had never occurred to him that Christian would take his human cousin along.
“Who?” Dee asked.
“Not the Quades.” Ryan held out his hands, trying to put everyone at ease. There would be no reason for him to take Ellie to the Quades. She had no rodeo-royalty blood. Plus, Kate had told him how much they looked down on humans.
“Her truck is gone,” Beau offered, trying to be helpful. “What if she went to go pick up Jace in Somewhere?”
“She wouldn’t do that without calling me,” Ma said, shaking her head. They were all still kneeling, and Ryan felt ridiculous leaving them in that position for so long.
“Bracken, why don’t you say the spell that will transfer the whole pack’s bonds to me, instead of having everyone pledge one-by-one. This way, I’ll be able to track Ellie and Jace, and we’ll get this handled and make sure the Quades aren’t responsible. We’ll find everyone.”
“I’m going with you,” Dee said.
Will stepped up beside her. “I’m going too. I’m your enforcer, and I’ll help you find them.”
“Okay.” Ryan looked at his alpha. “Let’s say the spell so we can get on the road.”
Bracken stood, placing his hands on Ryan’s shoulders. While everyone continued to kneel, he said two long Gaelic phrases, pausing on the words that carried the most significance. A collective light, not unlike the shimmer of a shift, billowed around them, and Ryan felt an unimaginable power coalesce inside him. It was heavy, but it filled him with the confidence and surety he’d always known would be his when it came time to lead.
He was the one. The pack looked to him. They trusted him. He was going to be the alpha they needed. He would find Ellie and Jace. He would end this war with the Quades. He would do whatever he had to do to make his family safe and prosperous.
Kate’s hand found his again, and he pulled her up beside him. She was going to be his rock. He could already tell. In all this, she had been the one to believe, when all odds were against her, and when it looked like she’d never have the happy ending she deserved. Her faith in him was unshakeable. She had always believed, and he would love her for that for the rest of his days.
And there would be many, many days left for them. Days and nights and years and decades, and he would never stop loving her. Fate had shown him the truth: he would never be the alpha he needed to be without her.
Thank Fate, he’d never have to try.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The bonds were done. Ryan was her alpha. Their whole pack had united against her family. The Quades deserved it, but she still worried for them. Why she didn’t know. Her parents never cared about her. She was just the extra girl they had after their perfect boy—Daniel. Daniel was as bad as her grandfather. As bad as so many of the men in the Quade family. Not all of them had been poisoned by Grandfather, but most…
She squeezed Ryan’s hand as they walked around the side of the house away from the noise of the crowd. Eating and drinking. Celebrating that Ryan was their alpha. That they had a common enemy instead of each other.
“Busy couple of days, huh?” she said, a hint of a smile tugging up the corners of her mouth.
Ryan chuckled and then sighed. Then slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. He patted her hip and tensed.
“Why do you have that ring?”
Kate felt a rush of guilt through their bond. He certainly didn’t need to feel guilty. “Dee gave it to me. She found it in the truck where I left it.”
“I’ll mail it back to him,” Ryan said, his voice gruff.
“No. Julian said to consider it his wedding present to us.”
“What? Really, but that’s got to be worth…I don’t know,” Ryan said, doubt running heavy in his voice. “You should give it back.”
“It’s enough for me to buy the dress I want. It will not be wasted or returned,” she said, letting a little giddiness into her tone. “He told me he wouldn’t take it back. He said he was moving forward from that memory and the ring is mine. He would have thrown it in the river if he hadn’t given it to me.”
Ryan growled, though he didn’t object again. She could feel his fluctuating emotions—he wasn’t quite okay with Julian’s generous gift yet, but he was on his way. Because he wanted her to be happy.
She loved that nothing was hidden between them anymore. Kate had never felt so perfectly at home her whole life. Bonded to Ryan twice over as her mate and her alpha. She had a new home. New family. They liked her. Even his mother seemed to really like her.
She would help Ryan get his dream ranch off the ground—one that would help support all four families of the Trewitt pack equally. There were still some kinks to work out, but it was a good plan and she couldn’t wait to get started on it. First…there were a few things that would have to be straightened out. Like Christian…and the threat her old pack presented.
This war with her family would be ugly, but the Quades had been on a path of self-destruction for a long time. This conflict between the packs would likely have happened regardless of what she’d chosen. Perhaps it would have happened because of Will and Dee, if it hadn’t been Ryan. Now Ellie and Jace were both missing. She could only hope… No. They were okay. Ryan knew they weren’t injured. As their alpha, he could feel them. Nothing had happened. Not yet. There was still time to fix everything.
She glanced away from Ryan to the rolling hills up from his house. This was home now. And it was beautiful. She was glad Will was here in Durant with the Trewitts. He was one of the good ones. He deserved a second chance and Ryan seemed willing to give it.
Kate wondered how many of her other cousins back home would sacrifice an appendage to be in Will’s place. There were plenty who completely agreed with her grandparents’ way of doing things, but there were also many who didn’t drink the proverbial Kool-Aid as well. It was too bad her brother would almost certainly not be among the friendlies.
“What’s running through the mind of yours now?” Ryan said, his voice a low rumble.
She turned to her mate and sighed. “Just thinking how split the pack back home is likely be. There are some who would switch their allegiance if given the chance…”
“But?”
“The other half are more likely to kill the deserters than let them leave,” she said, her tone breaking with emotion. Either way the chips fell, she was going to lose people she cared about. Her childhood home had been broken for a long, long time, but it still felt different to see it fracture in truth.
“I promise you, we’re going to figure this out. One person at a time, Kate.”
She nodded. “I know. I know.” She squeezed his hand back, grateful for the calm he pushed her w
ay.
He reached for Kate’s other hand, turning her to face him. “Believe in me, Kate.”
“Always.” She breathed a slow sigh as his warmth and love filled her completely. The stress of the current situation filtered out of her mind until all she could feel was Ryan. His dedication and determination to get through whatever came their way.
And whatever came, they were in this together.
THE END
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ENFORCER SERIES (Moonbound Series)
Book 1: The Werewolf Cowboy
Book 2: The Werewolf Bodyguard
Book 3: The Werewolf Ranger
Book 4: Chasing a Wolf
Book 5: Seducing a Wolf
Book 6: Saving a Wolf
Book 7: Broken Wolf
Book 8: Hunted Wolf
Box One (Enforcers, Books 1-4)
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VONBRANDT PACK SERIES
Book 1: To Save a Mate
Book 2: To Love a Mate
Book 3: To Win a Mate
Book 4: To Find a Mate
Rodeo Wolf: Fated Mates of Somewhere, Texas (#2) Page 25