Dimitri, Lulu, and Alexei had stayed behind with a group from Narodnaya to help with reuniting everyone and keep an eye on the now Alpha-less Norwood pack until we could figure out what to do with the pack.
Skye and I filed into the aisle, waiting for the door to open for us, to disembark.
“I want to call a council meeting for this evening,” I told Rhodes as we paused by where he and Larkin were sitting. “We need to finalize everything that’s happened and figure out where to go from here.”
“No rest for the weary,” Larkin said with a shrug.
Rhodes simply nodded. “I’ll contact everyone.”
“I’ll talk to my mom,” Skye added. “We can have her bring in food for everyone.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed as the door pulled open to reveal the warm Washington morning sun. I exited first, making sure Skye was behind me, as we started down the stairs.
Skye’s soft gasp when we reached the bottom made me turn, but her eyes were staring at the crowd beyond me. A slow, gorgeous smile spread across her face, and she took off running with a laugh.
She ran across the tarmac and straight into the arms of my dad.
Relief hit me so hard and fast that I was dizzy. It had been weeks since I’d seen him upright.
He laughed as he hugged Skye back. And a second later, Katy was pushing past me to run to him, too.
I took my time, watching for any signs of weakness or problems, but my worry disappeared when he grinned at me.
“Hey, kiddo,” he greeted, pulling me into a hug.
“Are you—” I cleared my throat, swallowing around the tangle of emotions. “Are you okay?”
“Doctors gave him a clean bill of health last night,” Mom said, leaning around him to hug me quickly.
“That’s awesome!” Katy cried, hugging him again.
Mom framed my face with her hands. “You did it, baby.”
I glanced over to where Skye was hugging her Mom and then to where Maren was reuniting with her parents, and lastly to my friends gathered around me.
“We did it,” I corrected.
“We’re proud of you, Remy,” Dad told me fiercely, hugging me hard enough to crack a rib.
“I called a council meeting for tonight,” I told him. “If that’s okay?”
Dad paused for a second and then nodded. “You’re the Alpha.”
It was a strange feeling walking into the council room again. It was fuller than the last time, and now at least I had Skye walking in next to me. Everyone looked up as we entered, clearly the last to arrive.
I paused when I saw Dad standing behind the head of the table, his hands curled around the top of the seat reserved for the Alpha of the Blackwater pack.
It was strange; part of me wanted to be a kid again, but a bigger part of me had settled into the role of Alpha. Taking care of my pack and my people was a calling, and I wasn’t completely sure that I would be okay stepping back into the role of heir.
“Have a seat,” Dad said, smiling, as he patted the seat and moved back to stand near Mom and Nikolai, who sat to the side. Observing, but not technically part of this.
Skye squeezed my hand, encouraging me to sit in that seat once more, even if it was just to give it back to its rightful owner.
I sat slowly, watching as Skye sat to my left. Then I drew in a deep breath to begin.
“If I may?” William Lodge cut in first from the end of the table, raising his hand.
I stiffened, steeling myself for whatever he was about to say even as I nodded for him to continue.
“I was wrong.”
I blinked, not sure I had heard him correctly.
Lodge leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the edge of the table as he looked me in the eye. “When you first sat down as Alpha, I had a lot of doubts. Even after the challenge, I had my doubts. But I’ve seen what you’ve done this last week. You and your mate.”
Several heads started nodding in agreement and Rhodes flashed me a grin from where he sat to my right.
“Maybe we got too comfortable,” Lodge went on. “Maybe we thought Blackwater was untouchable, but you all have handled everything a hell of a lot better than I think us adults could have.”
“He’s right,” Michael chimed in from beside Rhodes with a smile.
“I may not be happy that my Ainsley is now bonded to two knuckleheads,” Lodge added as several people laughed, “but she’s found her mates. This pack is thriving because of you both.”
Skye and I exchanged smiles. She reached across the table and threaded her fingers through mine.
“I agree,” Dad said, coming forward and looking at me. “Which is why I’m not going to be stepping back in as Alpha.”
“What?” The word was out before I could finish thinking it. All my brain could process was shock.
Smiling, Dad clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Blackwater is your pack, son.”
Skye’s wide eyes looked up at him. “But what about you?”
“I still have some healing to do, but I also realized that we can’t undo what happened these last few weeks and the role you both played,” Gabe said gently, smiling at her. “You saved this pack and a lot of people. You rescued even more. I think we all feel confident moving forward with Blackwater under your leadership. Both of yours.”
“How does that work?” I asked. My mind was reeling. I had been prepared to walk into this room and hand my pack back to my father.
“We’ve been giving that some thought,” Michael said, smiling slightly. “What happened in Wyoming opened up a big void in our world. We have a lot of packs that are leaderless, and we can’t support them all long-term.”
“I know that,” I stated slowly. “The goal was never for Blackwater to be a single pack. The plan has always been to give the packs back their autonomy now that Norwood isn’t a threat.”
“But who oversees that?” Katy looked around curiously after posing the question. “Do we leave it up to the packs?”
“We think it should be mostly pack decisions, but we’re also aware that packs want guidance. There will still be issues with packs that need to be settled,” Michael replied. “Which is why I brought up to your dad and his council the idea of him taking over and forming a new shifter council for North America.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Really?”
He nodded slowly. “At first I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but after talking it over with your mom and my council, I think it makes sense. It’s going to take awhile, and it will mean I need to travel a lot to oversee the packs.”
“Which is why we also think you need to consider expanding out your council,” Michael finished, looking at me. “We’re happy to help but it would be best if you start appointing your own fulltime council.”
I frowned. “I won’t ask anyone to defer college or finishing school to help.”
“Nor do we expect you to,” Lodge added. “Members of the current council will stay and help, but with the caveat that in a few years, we’ll be transitioning out to make way for your council.”
Dad gave me a look. “And that includes you finishing college, too, Remy. We’ll make it work. I’ll work out of Blackwater to start, so I can help manage the pack while you’re getting your degree.”
I looked down at the table for a second before looking at Skye, then Rhodes, followed by Katy, Dante and Will. They all nodded and smiled at me.
“I would be honored to continue as the Blackwater Alpha,” I finally answered.
Several people clapped in response, and I stood up to hug my father.
“I’m proud of you, Rem,” he said quietly in my ear.
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled at him as I sat back down.
Nikolai cleared his throat from where he sat on the edge near Mom. “If I may?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He stood up. “As most of you know, I am the Alpha of the Narodnaya pack in Russia. What you may not know is that many years ago, there was a strong bond betw
een all the packs. Your annual Summit to discuss affairs was an international one. I propose we keep these newly reestablished lines of communication open.”
“We won’t argue with that,” Dad said, folding his arms over his chest. “We know your support was invaluable this last week.”
“We’ll need someone to act as a liaison between the packs, so I propose someone who can easily call two packs home.” He looked at Skye. “My daughter.”
Skye sat up straighter and made a small, surprised noise. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” he affirmed with a chuckle. “I’ve spoken to my friends in Europe and Asia. They agree that my daughter would be able to advocate for their interests on a daily basis.”
“I agree,” I added quickly, drawing her attention.
“Rem, are you sure?”
“Never been more sure.” I took her hand and kissed it.
“Remy and Nikolai are right,” Dad confirmed. “You’re the best choice, sweetheart, provided it’s what you want.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth, thinking for a moment before smiling slowly. “Yeah. I would love that.”
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Rhodes commented.
I nodded. “Then we better get started.”
59
Skye
It took a week after returning from Norwood for things to start to feel sort of normal again. Several packs had reformed and broken from Blackwater, but there was still a good amount of people who stayed, including most of the former Brooks Ridge pack.
William Lodge offered to step in and take over as acting Alpha of Norwood for the interim, he and his wife, along with Sierra’s parents, went to New York. Remy said they likely went to Norwood hoping they would find Sierra.
Ainsley stayed behind with Kyle and Konnor’s family to finish out the school year.
Dimitri, Lulu, and Alexei had finally returned to Blackwater from New York, but it wasn’t going to be a long visit. Just overnight and then they were returning to Narodnaya with my dad. Natasha had gone home on a plane a few days earlier, but made me promise to come and visit soon.
Tomorrow my dad and my brother would be gone. Now it was just one last family dinner.
I looked across the table at my dad, swallowing around a mouthful of chicken that my mother had made.
Weird or not, my dad had been staying with Mom while Remy and I had moved into the cabin. It was only temporary until our house was built.
A small thrill tickled my stomach at the thought.
Our house.
Pretty soon Remy and I would have our own home, which sounded crazy but felt totally right.
But it didn’t change the fact that Mom would soon be alone, and that thought kept me up at night. At least until Remy realized I was awake, then he did his best to tire me out so I had to sleep.
It usually worked.
I glanced at Mom and she gave me a tight smile.
“Food taste okay?” she asked.
“It’s great,” Dimitri said across from her, grinning.
“It’s amazing you can taste a damn thing the way you’re choking it down,” Lulu commented dryly, rolling her eyes. She smiled at Mom. “It’s really great, Ms. Markham.”
“Addie, please,” Mom corrected sweetly.
“It is fantastic,” Dad agreed warmly, taking a sip of wine.
“Remy will be sorry he missed it,” I added. He had been called into a last minute meeting before dinner. Some packs were still squabbling over territory lines, so Remy and Gabe had been trying to play peacemakers.
“It’s fine. It gives us time together,” Mom said dismissively. She looked at Dimitri. “Are you sure Alexei didn’t want to come?”
“Alexei’s a bit of a loner,” Dimitri replied. “He’s probably enjoying the solitude, but we can take him back a plate if there’s enough.”
“Of course,” Mom answered automatically. “I think I’ve gotten used to cooking for a lot of people at the new construction site. I’m going to miss it even.”
I slowly turned to look at her. “You’re quitting the cafe?”
Mom’s fork froze halfway to her mouth and clattered down. “I … Well …” She shot a quick glance at my father and then looked back at me. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I repeated. “How do you maybe quit your job?”
Mom folded her hands in her lap, her lips mashed together. “I was going to talk to you about this later, honey.”
“Talk to me about what?” Suspicion crept into my tone.
Across from me, Dad sighed and wiped his hands on his napkin before delicately laying it back on the table. “Skye, I asked your mother to come back to Narodnaya with me.”
I could feel my eyes growing rounder by the second. “You did what?”
Dimitri cleared his throat. “Lulu and I are going to head out.”
Lulu gave me a tight smile, following his lead when he stood up.
“We’ll see you in the morning,” she said softly, smiling at me.
I waited for them to leave before turning to my parents. “What the hell?”
“Don’t be angry with your mother,” Dad said quickly. “I only asked her this afternoon, and she hasn’t said yes.”
“It was a rather impulsive ask,” Mom added wryly, her nose wrinkling.
“But I meant it nonetheless,” he told her emphatically.
“Wait a second,” I said slowly. “Are you two, like, together?”
Mom exhaled slowly. “No.”
At the same time, my father said, “Not yet.”
I frowned. “Do you want to go to Russia, Mom?”
She was quiet for a long time. “I don’t know what I want, Skye. I never really had the chance to find out what I wanted. I’ve spent so long just surviving and existing that these last few months have been a struggle to find my place.”
“But you love the cafe,” I pointed out.
“I do. But I’m not sure what I want long-term,” she replied honestly. “And the last few days, spending time with your Dad, I can’t deny that there’s a connection there. One that never really had a chance.”
“Until now,” he finished for her, taking her hand in his. He flashed me a wan smile. “Sweetheart, we know this seems sudden.”
“You think?” I mumbled, looking at their hands.
But could I really fault her for that? Remy and I had a connection that rivaled the speed of a tornado when we bonded. If my parents felt even half of that pull, I couldn’t blame them for wanting to be together.
Mom licked her lips and sighed a little before pulling free of his touch and turning to face me. “I won’t go.”
“Adalynne.” The reproach in his tone bordered on disappointed.
“No, Nik,” she said firmly. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere if Skye isn’t on board. She’s our priority here.”
His eyes cut to me. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to come back with us then, little wolf?”
I couldn’t leave Remy or my pack. I wouldn’t.
I looked over at my father. “Can you give us a minute? Please?”
His gray eyes moved between us for a moment before he rose. “Of course.”
“Dad?” I stopped him when he was at the front door, waiting for him to turn and look at me. “Don’t go far, okay?”
Understanding lit his eyes and he nodded once before slipping out and closing the door.
“It was a stupid impulse,” Mom muttered, standing abruptly and starting to gather the dishes.
“Was it?” I pressed gently. “Or is this something you want?”
She dropped the dishes into the sink with a crash, bracing her hands on either side of the sink and dropping her head. “I don’t know anymore, baby.”
I got up and walked to her side, leaning my hip against the counter. “Lulu said she didn’t know if a broken bond could ever be healed.”
“Maybe it can’t be,” she whispered, shaking her head sadly. “But the connection I feel to him …
I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m trying to tune into a radio station but there’s static. Occasionally I get this crystal clear picture, and then it slips away. Maybe chasing that is crazy.”
“Or maybe you two can find what you lost,” I said, leaning my head against her shoulder.
She snorted. “Maybe. But Skye, I’m your mom. I know I’ve been a pretty shitty one lately, but you’re barely eighteen. You haven’t even graduated high school. I can’t just leave.”
I shrugged a little. “Ainsley’s parents left her with her mates and their family.”
“I’m not abandoning you,” she said in exasperation. She turned and collected more dishes, but not fast enough that I didn’t see the tears in her eyes.
I waited for her to set the dishes in the sink with the others before I reached out, grabbing her hands in mine. “Mom, it’s okay.”
Shaking her head, she sniffled. “Skye, baby, I can’t leave you here alone.”
I tilted my head, the smile on my lips wholly sincere. “I’m not alone. I have Remy. I have Katy and Larkin. Rhodes, Tate, Dante, Ryder … I have Gabe and Mallory and the twins.”
Just listing the people I had who loved me was humbling, and the list could have kept going. Somewhere in the last few months, I had truly found my family and it wasn’t just the people tethered to me in blood.
I squeezed her hands. “I have my pack, Mom. Maybe it’s time you found your pack, too.”
She choked on a strangled laugh, but hope shone in her eyes. “And you think that’s in Russia?”
I tried to pick my words carefully. “I think it could be. You’ve spent your life protecting me. I think it’s time you started living for you.”
“How can I do that when my heart is here in Blackwater?”
I grinned. “They make these new things called phones and airplanes …”
“Smart ass,” she retorted with a laugh before pulling me into the warm circle of her arms. She kissed the side of my head as I wound my arms around her waist.
Legacy (Blackwater Pack Book 3) Page 50
