Ravensong (Green Creek 2)

But most of them were watching Oxnard Matheson as he approached.

“Maybe he should think about putting on some pants,” Rico muttered, hanging off Bambi. “If he’s going to tell them more than we did, they should probably hear it without his dick hanging out.”

“It’s a nice dick,” Bambi said.

“Oh my god, would you please not stare at my alfa’s junk?”

“He’s pretty good with it too,” Jessie said.

Joe growled at both of them as he followed his mate.

Bambi laughed as Jessie flipped him off.

Elizabeth kneeled in front of me. Mark tightened his grip around me, and I rolled my eyes.

“All right?” she asked, leaning forward to put a hand to my forehead. It was such a motherly thing to do that I had to swallow past the sudden lump in my throat.

“Yeah,” I managed to say. “All right.”

“Saved us,” Mark grunted from behind me. “Gordo saved us.”

Elizabeth glanced at him before looking back at me. “I know. It stinks of magic.”

“Not much I can do about that,” I said, trying to keep my eyes open.

There was a pulse under her hand, and I felt green green green come through the bonds. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For keeping them safe.”

I sighed. “Promised you I would. And then you threatened to kill me.”

And she laughed. “Oh, Gordo. How I love you so.”

The other wolves came then, and the humans. Bambi looked confused when Rico kissed her forehead and left her standing next to the bar. He went to Tanner and Chris first, and though I could hear them complaining about being too manly for such a thing, they hugged for a long, long time, Rico first kissing Chris on the cheek and then turning his head and doing the same to Tanner, muttering something that I couldn’t hear to each of them.

Elizabeth sat in front of me, her hands on my legs.

Carter and the timber wolf lay on my left, Carter’s nose pressed against my thigh, breathing in my scent. Kelly and Robbie came on my right, trying to get as close to me as they could. Jessie’s hand was in my hair, and Chris, Tanner, and Rico stood behind us, always the protectors of their pack.

Oxnard Matheson and Joe Bennett stood in front of the people gathered near the remains of the bar. He looked over all of them, and Joe reached over, taking his mate’s hand in his, holding it tight.

“You’ve known me,” Ox said, “for a long time. I was just a kid when I came here. My mother, she… she did her best in the face of everything. She raised me. She loved me with every piece of her soul. She laughed. She danced. And one day she gave her life so that I could live mine. A monster came and took her from me. He also took my father, Thomas Bennett. I didn’t—I didn’t know if I would survive after that. But it was because of my family that I survived. You see, one day I met a boy. A boy who talked and talked and talked of things like candy canes and pinecones. Epic and awesome. A tornado who would never let me go. And he helped me be brave and strong. Even when my heart was breaking, I remembered that. Remembered him. And… my pack. I’m a mechanic. I’m the guy that lives in the house at the end of the lane. I eat with you. I laugh with you. I live with you. I bleed, and I hurt, and I love this town. This place. Thomas taught me there is nothing like Green Creek anywhere else in the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re human. Or a witch. Or something more. Like an Alpha.” His eyes flared red and violet, and the people gasped. But none of them backed away. None of them tried to run, which, given it was a full moon and they stood before a pack of wolves, was probably a good thing. They were scared, even I could see that, but it was outweighed by something more. “I am the Alpha of the Omegas.”

“And I am the Alpha of all,” Joe said, squeezing Ox’s hand.

“And this is the Bennett pack,” Ox said. “Our pack. And I promise you, no matter what happens, we will always be here to keep you safe. If you let us.”

No one spoke.

The fire burned.

M

y pack breathed around me.

Then Bambi spoke. “You gonna bite us?”

And because he just couldn’t help himself, Rico said, “That’s my job.”

Bambi glared at him. “Consider correcting what you just said.”