Alpha's Moon (Shifter Ops 1)

The sarcasm barely registers. “Yeah.”

“That last voicemail was something else.” He pauses, and I don’t say anything. If he’s waiting for me to apologize, he will have to wait the rest of his life.

My father clears his throat. “Now that I have you on the phone, I want to talk to you about Scott. I think—”

Oh my God! Will this man never listen?

“I only dated him for you,” I interrupt with sudden, blazing clarity.

“Excuse me?” My father sounds affronted, but I don’t care. If anything, it’s a bonus.

“I only dated him for you,” I repeat. “You were nicer to me when I was with Scott.” It’s true. All the barbs, the little digs, the insults—they stopped when I was with Scott. I used Scott as a shield between me and my dad just for some relief. Except Scott was worse.

“You both treated me badly.” I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.

“Listen—”

“No, you listen. You don’t get to treat me like I’m a child or someone lesser. Those days are done. I don’t need Scott. And I don’t need you.” I hang up.

Already I feel lighter. My instincts aren’t wrong. I just never listened to them before. It’s time I stop listening to other people. They don’t know what’s best for me. They might think they do, and they might have some good advice, but my life is my own. My choices.

And my happiness is available, right in front of me. I just have to reach out and take it. No one’s going to hand it to me, and it doesn’t matter. I can choose happiness for myself.

That’s how I find myself in my car, coaxing my little Hyundai up the mountain road. The little engine is slow to propel me forward, but slowly we gain elevation. And then I’m turning into the road for the lodge and speeding down that thickly wooded way. I pull into the parking lot in front of the garage big as an airplane hanger. Deke’s black Mercedes G63 is there, and so is his bike. My heart squeezes and thumps.

Here goes nothing.

Deke

“It changes nothing,” I rasp at my alpha. But he keeps grinning at me.

“You’re in control, Deke,” he says. “You always have been.”

I step back, away from Rafe, and glance at Lance, at Channing. Both my packmates are nodding.

“But what does this mean?” I know what I hope for, but it’s too good to be true.

Rafe must know I’m reeling because his voice is gentle. “It means you have a mate.”

A mate. I run a hand over my head, trying to catch my breath.

The sound of an engine makes my eyes snap up, alert. A little white Hyundai rolls down our drive and up to our garage. I only know one person who drives a car like that. My legs weaken, and I'd fall to my knees if I wasn’t so wounded and my wolf wasn’t so adamant that I not show weakness right now.

Sadie’s here.

Sadie

I get out of my car and startle when I realize Deke’s right there on the lawn, a few feet away from my car.

“Sadie?” Deke calls. He’s naked with blood marring his skin.

He’s all ripped up. Has he been fighting? Behind him Rafe and Lance are tugging on their jeans. I see blood on them, too, and they all look shameful. I’ve broken up quite a few scraps on the playground, and I know those guilty looks.

There’s a huge brown and white wolf behind them, lurking on the edge of the woods. Channing? Geez, these werewolves are big.

“Who did this to him?” I demand in my best teacher voice. I glare at his friends who all grow more sheepish. My legs tremble, but I hold my ground.

Deke makes a sound low in his throat and steps between his alpha and my line of sight. I refocus on him.

“Deke. Have you been fighting?”

“What are you doing here?” His voice is rough, like it hurts him to talk. I take a step towards him. I want to soothe all his wounds. “I’m here for you. For us.”

He tilts his head in that wolfish way of his. I can’t read his expression.

“You can’t get rid of me so easily.” I fist my hands at my sides. “We had something good together. You think you’re dangerous to me, but I know you’re not. You would never hurt me. You won’t.” I shake my head for emphasis.

Deke’s packmates slink back, giving us some space.

“Deke, I want this. I want you. And I'm going to figure out what it takes to have you. We don’t have to go too fast. We can take it slow and—oof!”

In two strides Deke has me up in his arms. I throw mine around his shoulders and hang on. Behind us, Rafe and the rest of his pack are grinning. Rafe nods, and Lance winks and gives me a thumbs up. Then Deke and I are in a garage.