Luke studied him as he asked the question. Blake was calm and seemingly unconcerned on the surface, but he could see the reluctance the leader of the Enforcers felt even asking the question. Luke could tell he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“I have no interest in being the alpha of the pride. I love being an Enforcer—it’s my calling and where I belong. That being said, I think I will make a trip home. There’s a family who are naturally next in line. They’re good people, and I want the pride to feel like they can pledge to them with no issues. I’ll formally renounce my claim and endorse them. And it’d be nice to see some of my old friends and touch base with the pride. They were my whole life at one point, and it’s never sat well with me that Noah and I just disappeared.”
Blake nodded, relief briefly flashing through his dark eyes. And Luke had to admit, that felt good. It was nice to be wanted—not just because he was the alpha of a pride, where he hadn’t done anything to earn his position except be born. Who was adored based solely on that position.
But to be liked because of who he was as a person. To know he had a place with the Enforcers because he earned it—not because it was given to him.
To know that if he were to leave, he’d be missed.
“I’ll let the other six lions go home, then. The one who was on Jerry’s side is already en route to the Washington prison. And Jerry will be left for you to take care of. Whenever you’re ready, he’s yours.” Blake looked over at Tarun. “Thank you for everything you did. Not just coming here to warn us because of your gift, although of course, for that as well. But for not hesitating to help protect Luke and the other Enforcers, without even once worrying about what could happen to you. This crew is my family. And you have my undying gratitude for helping them.”
Blake nodded to them and then left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Luke glanced over at Tarun, taking in the tears filling her hazel eyes, the wetness making the green rim appear even brighter than usual.
“You have my thanks, as well. I know you would have done the same even if we weren’t mates, and that means the world to me. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to be your mate, but I’ll never stop counting my blessings.”
A few tears spilled down her cheeks and she wiped them away with shaky fingers, giving him a wobbly smile. “Oh, stop. I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done.”
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her head, her dark hair silky against his lips, the red highlights gleaming in the light.
“You’re wrong about that, but I won’t argue with you about it. Just know you have my thanks. Thank you for being you.”
She didn’t reply as she snuggled in closer, but that was okay. The important thing was telling her those truths, and making sure she understood just how amazing she was for doing the things she had—not her reply.
Jerry had committed horrific atrocities against Luke’s family. And then, he’d set his sights on Luke himself, ready to slaughter his crew to get to him. Luke had thought those threats were the worst possible thing that could happen, because it meant his makeshift family were put right in the path of danger and destruction.
And that was true. Yet, at the same time, it was those threats that brought Tarun to him. There was a struggle inside him to reconcile himself with the situation, because it was both the best and worst thing to happen to him.
Tarun was the best thing to ever happen to him. But to find her, his whole crew had to be threatened, and were involved in a battle—to save him. Which was the worst.
Maybe he didn’t have to choose between those two halves. Maybe it wasn’t a matter of deciding which emotion he should feel, or which took precedence.
Maybe it was about just being thankful that he was blessed with something—someone—so beautiful, even though it came out of such a fucked up situation.
He would never take Tarun for granted, and he would devote the rest of his life to loving her as completely as he could. He didn’t think it could ever be as much as she deserved—that he could ever be as much as she deserved.
But he was going to try his fucking best to make sure she never regretted her life with him.
There was still so much they hadn’t sorted out—things like where they’d live, what they’d do—but none of that was really important to him.
What was important was that good had triumphed over evil. That his Enforcer family was safe. And that he’d found his mate, and she was gorgeous, kind, fierce—the most amazing woman he knew. They loved each other, and no matter where they were or what they were doing, they had each other. And that was enough.
Everything else paled in comparison.
Tarun felt like her heart was going to burst as she watched Luke and Jameson. They were standing by her brother’s truck as the War Cats prepared to go home, and it was a completely different scene than it had been when they arrived.
Jameson laughed at something her mate said, and she watched as they each clapped a hand to the other’s shoulder, smiling. And, unbelievably, her heart swelled even more. It was all she could have hoped for when she started out on the journey to warn the Enforcers—and even more than that. Because she never imagined that she’d find her mate, that she’d end up so happy she thought she must surely glow with it. Her life had become enriched immeasurably.
And it was perfect.
The lion pride had been defeated and her mate was safe. Yeah, it’d gotten dicey for a moment, and there had been a terrifying hour the night before when she didn’t know if Luke was going to make it.
The fight had been pretty brutal, and there had been injuries sustained by both the Enforcers and the War Cats—though none as bad as Luke’s.
And she’d had to take a life. Something she never in a million years thought she’d do. Something, if she had thought about it, she’d have said would wreck her mentally and emotionally, and she wouldn’t be the same.
In a sense, that was true. She wasn’t the same. But it wasn’t because she was upset. On the contrary, she felt victorious.
Before the battle, before coming to the Enforcers with knowledge of the threat, she would have said no one deserved death. Despite the tribe she was born into, despite the constant wars, the evil tribe members, she’d grown up surprisingly naïve and optimistic.
They weren’t called the War Cats for nothing. They were a tribe of warriors, constantly battling others and themselves. The old Alpha had fostered a community of distrust, and the majority of the tribe had been corrupt. Somehow, it never affected her, though. Maybe it was because she’d grown up with Jameson—who was always so different than others in the tribe—but the evilness never touched her.
She never believed that anyone deserved to die, no matter what they did. Punishment, yes. Death, no. It was the shifter way, to put someone down if they were evil and had committed horrific acts. She’d never agreed with it, but it was a fact of shifter life.
But she understood now. There were some people who couldn’t be redeemed. And there were some acts that were unforgivable.
When the battle was clearly over and that lion went after Luke anyway, that was unforgivable. And someone who carried that kind of hate and evilness in his heart didn’t deserve the blessing of a life.
She felt zero guilt or remorse.
And believing as she did now, she hadn’t even thought for a second about talking Luke out of killing Jerry. Yeah, she thought it was one thing to kill in the heat of battle, when it was kill or be killed, like it was the night before.
It was a whole other thing to plan what to do to a person and then kill them when it wasn’t a life or death situation.
But the situation with Jerry was a horse of a different color. That was a man who, in cold blood, killed Luke’s whole family. Not because of a perceived slight, or because they’d done him wrong, or because they were bad people.
But because he wanted the power they held within the pride.
As if that wasn’t enough, he decided the
power he acquired wasn’t complete. And he set out to kill Luke, vowing to take out anyone who stood in the way, even if they were total innocents.
Luke was completely justified in taking Jerry’s life. Not only for the things he’d done to him, but because there was a very good probability that Luke wasn’t the only one Jerry hurt. Wasn’t the only one he’d tried to kill, or the only life he’d tried to ruin. And if he’d succeeded in killing Luke, he would have gone on to continue taking out anyone he thought stood in the way of what he wanted, whether they really did or not.
That was why, when they got up that morning and Luke kissed her goodbye with a grim look in his golden eyes, only to return an hour and a half later, his light blue gaze calm and at peace in a way she hadn’t seen before—she asked no questions.
She knew he’d taken care of Jerry in whatever way he’d decided was best, and she’d bet her life savings that he no longer tainted the Earth with his presence. But she wasn’t going to ask about it. If Luke wanted to talk to her, wanted to let her know what happened, she’d happily listen.
But either way, no matter what happened, she was okay with his decision and whatever he’d done.
Maybe if she were human, she’d feel differently. Humans had a different set of rules they lived their lives by. But in the shifter world, that was the brand of justice they delivered. And it was just that—just.
Karis and Vynn walked up to her, each hugging her in turn, saying goodbye as they put their bags in the backseat of the truck.
“Make sure your mate no longer feels guilt over this,” Vynn said quietly, gesturing to his scarred cheek. “It was my fault, not his. And I no longer blame him. I never should have. I like the scar now. It reminds me of the man I want to be—the man I’m trying to be. I talked to Luke this morning and told him that, but I know he wasn’t sure whether to believe me or not. Make sure he eventually does.”
She nodded as he patted her arm and got in the truck, her heart full. Vynn had changed so much from the bitter, almost crazed man he’d been. She knew he gave his mate, Ashley, all the credit for that, but she thought he should give himself a little more of it. He put in a lot of work to become the man he was after finding his mate.
Tears were pressing against her eyes again, and she turned her attention back to Jameson and Luke, surprised when Jameson pulled him into a quick hug.
It was one of those man hugs, where they basically bumped their chests together as they hit each other on the back—but it was a hug. And it was more than she’d hoped for—especially since her calm, laidback, always-liked-everyone brother had decided he didn’t like Luke.
In that moment, she honestly didn’t think life could get any better than that.
Jameson walked up, stopping next to her as he threw his bag in the truck. Facing her, he searched her eyes for a long moment before nodding, like whatever he’d seen pleased him.
“I’m proud of you, kid.”
And just like that, with those five words, her nose was stinging as she fought a fresh batch of tears. “I only did what anyone else would have.”
“You need to learn how to accept a compliment.” Exhaling, he lost his smirk as he glanced around them, looking at the clubhouses, the Enforcers, and finally Luke before turning back to her. “I know I haven’t acted like it since you came here, but the Enforcers are good people. I guess if you had to leave Durga, this is the place I’d want you to go to.”
She smiled at him, still trying to keep the tears at bay. “How painful was it to say that?”
He half smiled as he reached out and ruffled her hair. “Brat.”
“It looks like you made up with Luke.”
He nodded, glancing back to where her mate was talking to Liam. “It was never really him I had an issue with. It was you being in danger, and knowing you weren’t coming back to the War Cats. I’ve been thinking about this a lot since I got here. You were right—the last thing I’d want is for you to mate a War Cat. The tribe members have changed a lot, but they still aren’t men I’d pick for my only sister, since all the truly good ones are taken.
“And I like Luke. Always have. He’s a good man, and I know he’ll take care of you. If it takes you leaving Colorado and moving to Nevada to find the kind of happiness he can give you, then I’m okay with it. As long as you come visit often. I know Cady will want to see you, and little Laney is going to miss her aunt.”
She nodded her head mutely, the tears winning for a moment as her throat closed up tightly. “That works both ways, you know. Y’all can come see us, too.”
“We definitely will,” he replied with a smile. “And I can rest easier, now that I know you’re not in danger anymore. I know being mated to an Enforcer can put you in a precarious position, but I assume he’ll leave you here when he goes on missions. Your happiness and safety are my major concerns, and since those bases are covered, I’m good with this again. With Luke. I know you technically don’t need my permission, but I’m giving it anyway.”
“No, I don’t need your permission. But I want it. I love you, big brother. And your okay means the world to me.” She bit her bottom lip and nearly groaned as his eyes zeroed in on it.
Eyes narrowing, he stared at her. “I know what that means. You bite your lip when you’re nervous, thinking about something hard, or there’s something you’re not telling me. Out with it.”
“Welllll,” she drawled, her eyes darting to Luke, smiling inside when he winked at her. “See, it’s like this. I think most Enforcer mates would stay behind, but the thing is, well—Luke and I haven’t really discussed it seriously yet, so I’m not sure, but—”
“Just spill it, T.”
“I want to be an Enforcer. And Blake said there’s a spot for me if I want it. And I do. Want it, that is.”
The words came out in a jumbled rush, but she knew he caught them because his eyes widened as his face turned red. He growled low in his throat, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly but no words coming out for a long, tense moment.
“Hell fucking no, Tarun.”
She kept her voice gentle as she responded. “It’s not up to you, Jamie. And I’m good at this. My gift can help them, and you saw me fight yesterday. Plus, you know Luke and the other Enforcers wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“Just being there on a mission puts you in danger,” he bit out between clenched teeth.
Reaching up, she put her hands on his shoulders. “Just take a few deep, even breaths. There you go. It’ll be okay, Jamie. Don’t react right now. Take some time and think on it. Just like with everything else, you’ll realize this is what works for me. It’s what I was born to do.”
He shook his head as he stared at her, his face slowly softening. “Only two women in the world can talk me down that easily, Tarun, and you’re one of them. I’ll think about it, but I can tell you now, my mind probably won’t change.”
“As long as you take some time to calm down and think about it. That’s all I ask.”
Jameson shot a glare at Luke. “Can’t believe he’s okay with this. And just when I was starting to like him again, too.”
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. “God, I love you, Jamie. You’re the most amazing brother anyone could ask for, and I was majorly blessed to be the one who got you.”
“Fuck, Tarun,” he said gruffly, arms tightening around her. “I feel that way about you, sis. I love you too, and I’m gonna miss you like crazy.”
“All right, y’all have taken long enough. Let’s go, Jameson. I want to see my mate.”
Laughing as Vynn’s irritated voice washed over her, she pulled back and smiled at Jameson. “Look at us getting all mushy. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. Heck, most of my stuff is still in Durga, and I’ll have to go get it soon. Now go home, kiss Cady and Laney, and give them my love.”
“I will. See you soon, then, brat.”
Nodding, she backed away as he climbed into the truck. Luke came up beh
ind her and wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him as Jameson pulled away, his arm lifted in a wave.
“You okay?” Luke asked as she sniffed, trying to pull herself together.
“Yeah. That was more emotional than I expected. Coming here was the first time I ever left Durga, and it was supposed to be just a quick trip. I didn’t expect to stay. I guess I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to Jamie.”
“We’ve never really talked about where we’ll live. We’ve both mentioned staying with the Enforcers, but… if you’d be happier in Durga Valley, we can live there. We can live wherever you want. Whatever makes you happy. I’ll follow you anywhere, baby.”
Shit, she was going to tear up again, and she’d just gotten herself under control. Turning in his arms, she looked up into his beautiful light blue eyes. He was completely serious, she could see that in an instant, and warmth flowed through her veins at the realization.
Luke loved being an Enforcer. His crew were like his siblings. His family. Blood and Bone. And yet, he’d leave it—them—behind if she asked him to.
Our mate is special, her tiger purred inside her. There’s no one else like him on Earth.
I agree with you a hundred percent. You did good when you picked him.
Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, running her fingers through his beard, the short strands looking even redder than usual under the bright sun. His hair, also looking a shade redder, was loose and messy, the ends curling around his neck, and a lock was hanging by the side of his face, the light wind blowing making it dance around his chin. She pushed it back away from his face as she stared into his eyes, willing him to hear the truth in her words.
“I don’t want to go back to Durga. I want to stay here, with you. You love being an Enforcer, and I’d never want to take that away from you. And before you say you don’t want me to make this decision based on what you want, let me say that this is what I want, too.
“I love it here. I love your crew, and I feel like one of them. That blood and bone thing you told me about—I feel it with them, too. I know you’ve heard me and some others talking about me becoming an Enforcer, but you and I haven’t really discussed it. You might not be comfortable with it, and I understand that. But, just so you know, I want it. I want to be an Enforcer. I never really felt like I belonged anywhere in Durga. I didn’t have a purpose. But, here, I finally feel like I do.”
Control (Blood & Bone Enforcers MC Book 1) Page 20