Anna let out a shaky breath, “Good, I can give it back to him when he wakes up.” She wiped at her eyes. “He truly is a good Alpha,” she told us. “We were running, trying to get to you, and I heard him. He told me that he’d learned the mark of a true Alpha is they always try to do the right thing.” More tears fell and she continued to swipe at them as Trent rubbed his head on her hip. “He trusted me to be that for the Navarre Pack. I felt him pass the mantle to me and right before I lost the connection to him, he said, ‘Hanley will never believe there’s a female Alpha.’”
We laughed, all of us hearing Caleb’s teasing voice as she said it. She shook her head. “He trusted me with the Pack, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to make sure we’d never have to submit to a Hanley Alpha.”
“Anna,” Dom spoke, his voice serious enough to catch her attention. “You can’t give it back.”
She gave him a questioning stare until his words penetrated and she started to shake her head in denial. “No, no, no….no.”
“Yes,” he answered, his expression sympathetic. “He knew it was a permanent decision.”
“But I can’t be Alpha,” she denied and within seconds Trent stood next to us, and I averted my eyes from his impressively naked body.
“There are way too many hard bodies around here,” I muttered under my breath, leaning heavily against Dom as my energy disappeared. He scooped me up in his arms, ready to leave, when I shook my head. Wait, I wanna hear, I whimpered pathetically, trying unabashedly to eavesdrop on them as Trent pulled Anna into his arms.
“You are Alpha and I may not like the puppy, but he was right in this decision. You will be amazing,” Trent told her passionately.
“I’m weaker than almost every wolf in the Pack,” Anna retorted, keeping space between them but not breaking his hold. “You’ve told me that.”
“Being Alpha isn’t just about physical strength, Anna. It’s about mental and emotional strength. It’s about cunning, compassion, and kindness. I can’t think of a better Alpha,” Trent declared, taking her hands in his.
Dom cleared his throat.
“Except for Dom,” Trent corrected himself, never taking his eyes off Anna. “But he has Jess so it’s not really a fair comparison.”
Why are we still standing here listening to this? Dom muttered, keeping his hand pressed against my side where the bullet had grazed me.
For this, I answered, dropping my head against his shoulder as Anna lifted up on her toes and kissed Trent. He froze for half a second in stunned disbelief before yanking her close and kissing the hell out of her. Definitely devouring, I judged, nodding, and felt Dom’s chest rumble as he twisted, blocking my view of them.
“No rating other people’s kissing techniques, especially not Trent,” he grumbled, striding toward Vivian’s car and unceremoniously setting me inside. “Stay,” he ordered and I rolled my eyes.
“You could say please,” I called after him and he paused, turning his broad shoulders slightly as he eyed me.
“Please.”
My mouth twisted as I tried to hide a smile at his flat response. “I’m only staying because this is the only way out. I’m reasonable like that.”
“I’m getting Caleb,” he rumbled and I pointed to where Dylan continued to play.
“What about Dylan?”
Dom sighed, shaking his head. “I won’t be able to get him to shift back right now. He’ll have to run home.”
“See if Liam will accompany him,” I suggested and he frowned.
“I was going to have Trent do it,” he argued and I held in a sigh.
“Trent is occupied. Probably for the foreseeable future. Get Liam,” I told him. He stared at me for a long moment before finally giving a reluctant nod.
You can thank me later, I told Trent, not expecting a response and not getting one.
Dom came back a few minutes later, trailed by Vivian and Thomas. He widened his eyes at me as he set Caleb in the seat next to me. Can I run back? He pleaded as Vivian and Thomas stiffly stood by the car.
And leave me with those two? Hell no.
“They’re going to be upset when I bring this rental back,” Vivian commented, eyeing the damage to the car.
“That’s what insurance is for,” Thomas noted, not glancing at her. He ducked his head inside the car, “Are you alright, Bunny?”
I nodded and he gave me a familiar creased smile. “I’m going to go back with the others then. Wren is still at the compound trying to help some of the women and children we found there. Monster is with her and Liam.”
“Okay, Dad,” I said, giving him an understanding smile. If Mom didn’t have the only car around, I’d be tempted to take an alternate route myself. I waved him off as Mom got in the driver’s seat. “How did they get us up here if they didn’t have cars?” I questioned.