by R. E. Butler
The murmuring grew louder as some males decried the joining of the groups. Ryde growled and the sound echoed around them, silencing the protests. “I killed the mistress, and that makes me master. You may attempt to kill me if you like, but you’ll also have to kill my mate and my pack, and let’s not forget that shifters had far fewer losses today than vampires. It’s well within my rights as leader to destroy you all in the name of conquest, but I’m not doing that. I’m offering a way to have a new life, to have safety and security within the walls of Arbor, with a ruling master and mistress.”
Dominique said, “Our people will share duties, from guarding the wall to training the youth, ensuring that our people can live in harmony. It’s time for us to start a new chapter. All this death, it doesn’t have to be the end. It can be the beginning. Join with us.”
“Wolves hate us,” a soldier yelled. “They think we lie in wait for their blood. They’ll never agree to live near us.”
Ryde said, “We understand now that we’ve been running with misconceptions about your people for decades. I’m putting an end to the rumors and misstatements of fact. Hell, we didn’t even know about the manufactured blood. Now that we know the truth of your people, we know we can live together.”
“It won’t be an easy road, but it will be worth it,” Dominique said. “Join us, or leave Arbor.”
Ryde nodded. “You have until sunset tonight to make your decision. If you leave, you do so at your own discretion.”
He dismissed the soldiers to return to their homes. Argent and several others came to her and Ryde and shook their hands.
“There will be some who will leave,” Argent said, looking over his shoulder. “But I won’t be among them. Arbor has been my home for a hundred years, and my little ones need the safety that the walls provide. I’ll support you in any way you need.”
“I’ll be setting up a new council of wolves and vampires,” Ryde said. “If you’d be willing to join us, I believe you’d be an invaluable resource.”
Argent’s eyes widened. “I’m honored. Thank you.”
“Until sunset,” Ryde said, dismissing the males. He turned to Dominique. “Do you want to head back to the pack for our meeting or stay here for a while longer?”
She looked to where her sister’s pyre was blazing brightly. “I’m ready to go.”
“If you’re sure.”
She purposefully turned away from the pyre. “The future’s waiting for us.”
Chapter 13
Ryde was exhausted all the way to the center of his being. The battle had been difficult enough, but then adding in the various meetings for the elders, vampires, and wolves was draining. Plus he had to keep an eye on the sky, because his mate had a deadly allergy to sunlight. On the bright side, however, the pack members were mostly on board with the addition of Dominique to the pack as alpha female, and were especially happy to be moving into the walled city.
He knew the reason the wolves were more reasonable when it came to Dominique than they’d been before the battle was because the rumors of her saving the pack and destroying their rivals had spread quickly. By the time they met the pack near the ruined remains of his home, everyone knew she was his mate and their alpha female, and they were ready to move on to the next chapter of their lives. Although he’d rather her have been entirely safe with Bri the whole battle, and not in danger of kidnapping or death at Rodrick’s or Natasha’s hands, he knew the best thing that could’ve happened for the joint rule over both groups was for her to successfully defend the pack.
He dismissed the pack with an hour to spare before dawn, promising there would be news on the moving of the homes as soon as possible. He found Dominique staring at the charred remains of his home.
“It was too big anyway,” he said. “I was on an entirely different floor from Bri, and when I wasn’t in bed, I was in my office. It’s no wonder she wanted a mom so badly. She must have felt like she never saw me.”
“Plus there was the hidden tunnel.” Dominique cast him a smile which he returned.
“Yeah. How did I miss that?”
“The question is how did she figure it out?”
“Right. For sure, we won’t be adding secret passageways in the new house.”
“I’m thinking something nice and homey, maybe two stories with lots of bedrooms.”
He turned her to face him, resting his hands on her hips and staring down into her beautiful face. “How many is ‘lots’?”
“I don’t know. I want a big family. It was just me and my sister, and I feel like I missed out.”
“Me, too. I always wished I had a brother or sister.”
“I think Bri will make an excellent big sister.”
“I’m certain she will.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Did I tell you I’m thankful for you?”
“Oh?” She locked her hands behind his neck and smiled at him.
“Yeah. I was just existing, not really living. I thought it was all okay, but I can see now that my whole world was just teetering on the brink of destruction. Bri would’ve surely rebelled as a teenager, maybe grown up bitter and resentful. I would’ve chosen a female to mate, but I don’t know if I would’ve ever felt in my heart that she was mine. And maybe I would’ve fallen at the hands of a male who thought he could do better, and he wouldn’t have been wrong.”
“You’re a wonderful alpha.”
“I’m better with you, though. You’ll keep me grounded. I have my whole heart now. I was missing you, I just didn’t know it. You fought for me, for Bri, for our brand-new family and the pack when all you had to go on was our bond as mates. I feel so connected to you, I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Dominique’s eyes glittered with happiness. She rose onto her toes and kissed him. “You’re everything to me, Ryde. My heart, my soul, my mate, my family, my life. Without you, I was just existing, too. Now I feel like I’m really living.”
He kissed her in the shadow of his former home. In a way, it was fitting that they were standing at the ruined house, ready to start the next chapter of their lives in Arbor. The alpha wolf and his vampire mate, with their little girl.
* * *
He and Dominique had slept in the bed in the guest room next to Bri, and he’d been surprised to wake up with Bri snuggled between him and his mate, her hand gripping Dominique’s tightly and her head resting over his heart. He’d been so in awe of how being with his mate and daughter made him feel that he’d laid there for an hour, trying not to move at all just so he could enjoy it as long as possible. Bri had woken up eventually, though, and whispered that she and Comet were ready for breakfast, so he’d left his mate sleeping and went to secure breakfast from Tella. Because Dominique was a day sleeper, he decided that he was going to be a day sleeper, too, but promised his little girl that he’d be there for breakfast with her every day, and that they would eat dinner and spend time together as a family every night.
He’d spent some time that morning with the council and high-ranked males, and found out that two clans had left overnight, not wanting to be part of a pack that had a vampire for an alpha female and was planning to move into a vampire city. He’d rather them leave than be a thorn in his side when it came to his mate. And since he was a hybrid himself, part vampire and part wolf, he was sure that also had something to do with their decision. He wasn’t just a wolf shifter anymore – he was something more. Some people didn’t like change, but he was embracing it.
Once the sun had set, he and Dominique sat down for dinner at Tella’s table, with Bri between them. Judging by the smile on his daughter’s face, he knew she was in seventh heaven, and he was pretty damn content himself. Sure, he was facing uncertainty with joining the vampire and wolf groups together, and there would be bumps along the way, but he had a mate and his daughter had a mother, and he felt like the three of them could handle anything that came along.
“I’m going to die, right?” Bri asked suddenly.
Tella was so star
tled by the question that she dropped the bowl she was holding and half the salad spilled onto the table.
Ryde choked on the bite of Salisbury steak he’d been chewing on and had to gulp half his glass of iced tea to clear the blockage.
Dominique turned to Bri. “What do you mean, little wolf?”
She looked first at Dominique and then at Ryde. “You’re both vampires now. I heard someone say you’re immortal. I didn’t know what it meant, so I asked the app on Daddy’s phone and it said immortal means someone lives forever.”
Damn robotic-voiced phone.
Dominique glanced at Ryde and he shrugged. He would’ve thought she was too young to ask those kinds of questions, except she’d witnessed Dominique killing to save her life. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she had questions and even fears, especially with how different their lives were now.
“Yes, I’m immortal. I was born that way,” Dominique said. “Because Daddy and I are true mates, when we bit each other for marking, he passed on some of his wolfy traits to me, and I passed my immortality and some of my people’s strength and speed to him.”
Bri tilted her head. “It’s why you howled when you killed the bad wolf?”
Dominique nodded. “Exactly. So Daddy and I are immortal, but you’re not. You’re mortal. But mortals live a long time, little wolf, and Daddy and I will be here to keep you safe so you have a long and happy life.”
“Can you make me live forever?”
Ryde’s heart panged.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I wish I could. If I could make anyone immortal, it would be you, little wolf. But you’re too young, for starters. You wouldn’t want to be seven forever, would you? If, when the time is right for you, you find an immortal male to mate with, then he’ll change you the way I changed Daddy.”
“Remember I said you couldn’t date until you’re forty.”
Dominique rolled her eyes. “Twenty.”
“Hell no.”
Bri giggled and then sighed. “What about my brothers and sisters?”
“They’ll be immortal,” Dominique said.
“Well,” Bri said, poking her fork into a chunk of parmesan crusted potatoes, “I’m going to mate a vampire.”
“So sure, are you?” Dominique asked with a smile.
“Yep. I don’t want to be the only mortal in our family. Plus, I’m the alphas’ daughter, so what I say is law.”
Good grief.
“Not quite, sweetheart,” Ryde said, kissing her temple. “The important thing is that you love the male you choose, and that he’s the right one for you.” He glanced at Dominique and smiled. “Even if you’re not sure he’s the right type at first.”
Bri chewed on the potato thoughtfully, then said, “As long as he’s handsome, he’ll be all right with me.”
* * *
An hour later, Ryde, Dominique, Bri, the high-ranked males, the elders, and Tella trooped through the neutral zone to the walled city. The stone wall was twenty feet high and the exterior of the wall had been coated with a substance to make the surface slick to prevent anyone from climbing over. Guards walked the top of the wall during the night hours, and during the daytime, a sophisticated security monitoring system alerted guards of any danger.
“Why are there fires?” Bri asked as they crossed the field. She was holding Comet tightly with one hand and Ryde’s hand with the other.
“We burn the bodies of our dead to honor them,” Dominique said. Ryde didn’t miss that she kept her gaze straight ahead and didn’t look for her sister’s pyre.
Bri hummed but said nothing as her little head moved back and forth as she looked at the pyres. He was thankful that the fires had burned well and the corpses didn’t really resemble bodies any longer.
They reached the gates to the city, which opened upon their approach. Argent and several other males were waiting inside the city for them and bowed their heads in deference.
“Welcome to Arbor,” Argent said, gesturing to one of the guards to close the gate.
“How are things?” Ryde asked.
“One family and four unmated males left once the changes in leadership were known. Otherwise, the remainder of the city’s inhabitants appear to be happy that you’re not planning to kick everyone out,” Argent said.
“What family?” Dominique asked.
“The Rellings.”
“Oh, they have a nice house,” she said. “We could use it until our own is built. They only had two children, so it’ll be too small for us, but it would do for the time being.”
“I’ll have it cleaned,” Argent said.
Dominique smiled at Ryde. “Look at that, I already solved our housing situation.”
He chuckled. “I’m a lucky wolf to have such a smart mate.”
They toured the mansion that Dominique had called home at one time. She was upset to see that her sister had destroyed everything that had been in her room. The furniture had been smashed and every bit of clothing and linens were ripped to shreds.
Dominique let out a soft gasp as she surveyed the damage. “She really hated me for mating you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s… hard to look at this, but it’s kind of better. Now I can buy new clothes.”
Tella said, “That’s smart thinking.”
“I get new clothes too,” Bri said. “’Cause all mine are burned.”
“You bet,” Ryde said, wondering if his bank account could handle a mother-daughter shopping spree.
Dominique closed the door and let out a sigh. They continued the tour of the enormous house, which had everything from training facilities in the basement to a four-car garage to automatic metal shades that lowered before sunrise on every window.
While they were touring the building, the vampires had been gathering outside in the courtyard. When he and Dominique stepped out onto the front porch, in between marble columns and statues of roaring lions, the crowd quieted. The vampire city was one of the larger ones on the East Coast, with a population of eight hundred.
“Thank you for coming,” Dominique said. “As you know, my sister was killed last night during the battle in the neutral zone. In accordance with our laws, the killer of the leader becomes the new leader. Natasha was killed by my true mate, alpha wolf Ryde Mitchell. I am his mate and he is mine. Together, we’re both alphas of the pack and master and mistress of the coven.”
Ryde waited until the murmuring from the crowd ebbed, then said, “You’ve been informed by the soldiers that we are bringing the wolf pack to live within the city of Arbor. Pack homes will be moved over the course of the next month. The woods will be part of our city’s hunting grounds, and the neutral zone will be farmed to provide food for everyone. Any who wish to leave Arbor can do so at any time, but if you stay, you do so understanding that Dominique and I are the new rulers of Arbor, and we will have the best interests of both groups in mind as we make changes to the laws that govern us.”
Ryde thanked the people for their understanding, and then he and Dominique headed into the crowd to meet and greet. She knew many of the vampires, but there were ones she never had dealings with, so she was learning as many new names as Ryde was. Some asked questions about the school. Some asked if wolves really didn’t hate vampires as much as they used to. And some asked how they could help make the transition for the wolves easier. It was those few Ryde knew would be invaluable, and he mentally filed their names away so he could reach out to them when the pack was ready to move in.
After stopping to pick up Bri from the courtyard, where she was playing with Argent’s son, Dietrich, they headed to the Rellings’ house, which was their new, temporary home.
Ryde opened the front door and sniffed, canting his head and listening intently. It wasn’t as though he expected there to be anyone in the house, but he still proceeded cautiously.
“Hear anything?” Dominique asked.
He glanced at her and she was smiling. “Nope. Just making sure the place
is clear,” he said, pushing the door wide and stepping inside. He flicked on the lights and a ceiling fan began to turn lazily, the globe illuminating the tidy family room. A long couch sat in front of a television, and a coffee table was laden with children’s books.
“Oh!” Bri said, hurrying to the table. “I love Auntie G’s books. She has a dog that causes all sorts of trouble.”
Ryde loved to see her cheeks flushed with excitement. Her home had been destroyed, but she found happiness in books, which made him want to fill a library for her. He asked her something he’d never asked before.
“I could read that to you tonight, if you’d like?”
Bri’s head snapped up, her eyes as round as dinner plates. “You could? Yes!”
Dominique nudged him with her elbow and whispered, “You’re so sexy to me right now that I want to give you a hundred babies.”
His wolf loved that idea. Hard.
“A hundred?”
“Well, maybe not a hundred. But a lot. Lots of little hybrids running around.”
Bri joined them, hugging a stack of books to her chest. “Can you have a boy first? I’d like a brother.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Ryde said. He took the books from her and handed them to Dominique, then lifted Bri into his arms. As he carried her to the bedroom, he said, “For now, little one, it’s time for you to rest.”
“You and Mommy are going to stay up.”
“Don’t worry,” Dominique said. “The house is light-tight, so I can stay up until you have breakfast, and we can spend time together after sunset, okay?”