“Shhh,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me. “Everything is fine. It was just a lot more intense than I imagined. I’m okay.”
I lifted my head back up. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” He turned toward Aiden. “How about you, brother?”
Aiden grunted. “You could have warned me.”
Liam laughed. “I wasn’t prepared, either. I figured you could handle it.”
Aiden pushed up from the chair and flipped Liam off before walking away toward the others.
“What should you have cautioned him about?” I asked.
“The reason for my tears wasn’t because of how much the process hurt physically, but emotionally. When I became alpha, my sense of our pack members increased exponentially. Even though I only had access to it for a couple days, watching them all disappear from inside me was quite the experience. Overwhelming to say the least.”
I let out an audible sigh. Liam and Aiden were okay. I still worried Liam would one day regret this decision, especially after what he just said, but for now, I would take the win that they were both alive and we were moving forward. I stood up and reached out a hand to Liam.
“Why don’t you kids go get cleaned up and ready for the burial?” Sera suggested. “Meet me in the family room in an hour.”
“We’ll at least take some of this bigger stuff back to Criselle’s first,” Liam said as he picked up the chair he had been sitting in.
His brothers did the same, Aiden taking the other chair and Caleb taking the stand that had been between them.
“Thank you, Criselle,” Liam said before we left.
She smiled. “It wasn’t a hardship for me. I want to see you boys happy and I’m glad to help.”
We left then, taking a small detour to drop the items off at Criselle’s home. When we got back to the house, he explained their pack preferred more traditional funerals and he had asked Addie to get me some outfit choices.
I was glad he had, because I would have stood out like a sore thumb in the items I had brought with me. Nothing in my bag would have been appropriate for what he described.
I chose black pants and a grey blouse over any of the dress or skirt options. If things went sideways at any point and I needed to defend myself, I much preferred the pants options.
I went into the bathroom to get ready and, when I came out, Liam was already dressed in a suit. The sight of him took my breath away as I leaned against the doorframe taking all of him in.
“You should wear a suit more often. It’s sexy on you,” I said.
“When this is all over and I can take you on a real date, I’ll wear another one just for you, as long as you wear a dress.”
I nodded. “I’ll take that deal.”
We met in the middle of the room and he held on tightly to my hand as we headed for the family room. It hadn’t been an hour yet, but there was no point in staying in the room by ourselves.
Liam was still quiet, and I hoped that even if he wasn’t ready to talk about how he was feeling with me, that he and his brothers would at least open up to each other. Aiden and Caleb were the only ones to know exactly how Liam was feeling.
We were the first to arrive and took a seat on the curved sectional couch. Aiden arrived next, followed by Caleb and Jamie. She wore a black dress, similar to the one that had been laid out for me, and looked stunning with her blonde hair pulled back. It made me feel a bit underdressed, but I was comfortable and to me, that was more important.
Sera arrived last, and my heart hurt for her when I saw her appearance. She was dressed appropriately, and everything on the outside was presentable, but the hunched set of her shoulders, the haunted look in her eyes, and the black runs from old makeup told another story. She’d done her best to cover it up, but there was no hiding three days of heartbreak.
I stood and welcomed her before the guys could. I opened my arms to her and she practically fell into them. I hugged her tightly and silently cried with her. We were quickly joined by the others, which caused Sera to start laughing.
“That’s enough hugging for now,” she said. “I have to make it through this, and then I’ll lock myself away and take the time to mourn, but my time isn’t yet. The pack still needs us all together.”
Each of us nodded and we followed her out the front door. There was an SUV waiting and we all piled in. The driver took us to the burial ground on the pack property.
There was already a crowd gathered when we arrived a half-hour early. Liam had explained earlier that the burial would be just for Elijah today. Tomorrow, there would be another service for the other fallen shifters, but I could already see the plots. There were seven lost. Seven too many.
A row of seats had been left empty for us, but Sera led us to the back to work our way through the crowd and proceeded to thank people for coming. She held her head high and handled herself with a grace that I knew I wouldn’t have been able to summon had it been my mate we were burying.
Liam gently grabbed her elbow after a while. “Come on, Mom. It’s time to take our seats.”
She nodded and let us guide her down the remainder of the rows without stopping. There was a sleek black casket with silver adornments on risers, along with flowers and a few well-placed photos of Elijah with his family.
I squeezed Liam’s hand as I admired the happiness showcased in the photos and hated that he would get no more happy moments like those with his father.
An older man began the ceremony, followed by several pack members who spoke in high regard to their alpha. Finally, it was supposed to be Liam’s turn to speak as the new alpha, but Sera had decided that since the pack was all present, there was no reason to pretend things weren’t changing.
She, Aiden, and Caleb joined Liam on the platform as a united front, though Liam was still the one to speak first.
“Thank you all for coming to remember my father for the great alpha he was. We couldn’t have asked for a better dad growing up to show us how to be the men we’ve become. I’m deeply sorry my brothers and I weren’t here when the attacks happened, but I promise you we were doing everything possible to put a stop to all this. We had just finished fighting Declan and some of his people, putting a serious hurt on his ability to best us again. We won’t let him get away with what he has done to the packs.”
Murmurs of agreement ran through the crowd as Liam paused.
“I know I am supposed to be up here as your new alpha, but I must announce that is not the case today. While I was away tracking down Declan, I met my mate and have decided to join her pack, making Aiden your new alpha.”
“You’re leaving us when we need you most?”
“Why are we just learning this now?”
“Why can’t your mate move here?”
Questions from the pack members shot out in rapid fire. I hung my head forward, unwilling to meet any of their stares.
Liam cleared his throat and waited for the crowd to quiet. “It was not an easy decision, but it was one we made together as a family. I truly believe Aiden is the better man for the position. Don’t forget how involved he has been, right alongside me during my trainings. I’m not leaving you to fend for yourselves. My mate and I will be fighting Declan, but it won’t be from here. We will be wherever we need to be to track him down and help to protect the West Coast pack that has also suffered great losses.”
Sera stepped forward. “We’re sorry to throw this information on you now, but we didn’t want to lie today as we said goodbye to my mate. I hope you can understand there was no time to do it differently.
“We have a reception planned at the pack house and we welcome anyone who has questions to please join us. Aiden and I will be available the rest of the day. As my son previously said, we thank you for being here. I know Elijah would be proud of the way we have all come together, and I hope this announcement does not change that. Do not let what Declan has done to our pack tear us apart. We are better than that.”
Liam stepped down from the podium and took his
seat next to me as Aiden, then Caleb, stepped up and said their piece. The pack members had calmed some, but I was sure there would be trouble later. I hated that our love had done this to their pack, but Liam hadn’t wanted to be alpha, even before I came along. It truly was for the best. I tried not to feel guilty, but it didn’t work, no matter how much I knew it was right.
When the speeches were over, Liam, Aiden, and Caleb, along with a few of their close pack guards, lowered Elijah into the ground. As people left, they each took a handful of dirt to throw on top of the casket. Sera and her sons were the last to drop the dirt after Jamie and I took our turns. Two of the men who had helped lower the casket took shovels and finished the burial.
The ride back to the house was expectedly somber. A decent amount of their pack was already present by the time we arrived, and I saw Addie flitting around the open family room, making sure everything was as it should be.
When we entered the room, several eyes turned in our direction and the whispers began. Liam tugged me closer and I tried to ignore the stares once more.
Sera pulled us aside. “If either of you feel at all uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay here. Most of them mean well; they’re just curious.”
I smiled. “I told my dad we wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, so there is no rush today.”
For the rest of the late afternoon, we let people come to us instead of intruding on those who might not be ready for the change. Most of the pack was pleasant; only a few snide questions were asked, which Liam quickly deflected.
As everything came to a close, Liam spent some time with his brothers, and I stayed with Jamie and Sera.
“Thank you both for being here and loving my boys,” Sera said. “I’m not sure they would have gotten through today without you. Aiden has always been the resilient one. Caleb likely would have made a scene with one of his inappropriate jokes, and Liam might have punched someone if neither of them had their mates to keep them in check.”
Caleb overheard that last part and butted in. “As much as I wish to deny that statement, I can’t, but I can take my mate and head for bed. It’s been a long day and we’re up early tomorrow to take Liam and Taya to the airport. Our normal pilot had to cancel due to repairs.”
We said our goodnights, and then it was just Sera and me. I was glad I wasn’t uncomfortable around her anymore.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be leaving so soon?” I asked. “I can schedule some meetings with my dad by phone, and I’m sure we can get some things done from here, too.”
She laid her hand on top of mine. “I think a clean break from the pack at first is what they need. If Liam hangs around for too long, it might interfere with what Aiden needs to do. There’s a traitor we must look into and, from the sounds of it, you need to do the same. It’s best we all begin doing our part as soon as possible.”
She was right. In the back of my mind, I had been wracking my brain for who we needed to really look into first when Liam and I got home, and the only person who had stood out to me was Rick. He hadn’t been behaving normally since Cord died.
I had previously chalked it up to grief, but now that I had more information, I was afraid that wasn’t the case. We were in for some hard decisions when we arrived home. I feared how deep the betrayal went and knew that once we had answers, our pack would never be the same.
I wasn’t stupid enough to think that Rick was our only defector.
Chapter 6
I fought back tears as I hugged Sera goodbye. Our first meeting hadn’t gone as planned, but her hugs did something to me on an emotional level that I hadn’t expected.
“I’m going to come visit you two soon,” Sera said as she pulled away.
“I’d really like that, and I know Liam would, too.”
Caleb honked the horn; he and Jamie were already waiting in the truck. I gave Sera another quick hug and let Liam have one more moment with his mom alone. I slid into the back seat with Jamie, glad that she had sat in the back, waiting for me, instead of in the front with Caleb.
Liam got in the vehicle with a smile on his face. It made my heart happy to see it there. We’d all been through too much over the last couple months, and I was ready to find a new normal that didn’t consist of hunting down rogue alphas.
“It feels weird not knowing when we’re going to see each other again,” Jamie said. “I don’t like it.”
I held my phone up. “That’s what technology is for. We can video chat every day.”
“It’s not the same,” she pouted.
“I know. How about this? We plan a trip to somewhere with a beach and little umbrella drinks. We can start thinking of ideas now, so it gives us something to look forward to after we’re done kicking the asses of Declan and all his pansy spies.”
“I’ve never been to a real beach with an ocean, so it sounds perfect to me,” Jamie admitted.
I shook my head. I hated that she’d been under Declan’s thumb for so long. I was glad she had Caleb now, though. I knew he’d treat her right and show her the world. If he didn’t, he would wish he had balls of steel, because I’d be throwing cheap shots if he hurt my girl.
We continued down the property line and hit the mountain roads. The nearest airport was a couple of hours away and it wasn’t even five in the morning; I considered taking a nap but didn’t want to waste my time left with Jamie.
We continued to talk about random stuff, sticking to lighter topics. We began discussing how the climates were different between Raven Point and the Catskills, and Caleb wondered idly if Liam would lose his fluff.
I laughed, mostly because I’d never called any of them out on their longer wolf coats, but also because I couldn’t picture Liam any other way. I hoped he would stay just as he was.
Before we could dive too far into the science of it all and nerd out as if Augie was with us, our front tires blew out. Caleb was quick to react and maintain control of the vehicle, but not before we slid into the guard rail on the opposite side of the road. I peered out the window, grateful we hadn’t flipped the vehicle, because there was no end in sight beyond the rail. It was a straight shot down the mountain.
“Is everyone okay?” Liam called out.
I felt for Jamie, finding her slumped beside me. When my vision cleared, I saw a cut on her head.
“Jamie hit her head, but I think she’s just passed out.” I felt her neck. “Her vitals are fine.”
Caleb let out some choice words I hadn’t heard before but made a mental note to remember them for future use. He was blocked in against the rail and couldn’t get out to check on her without climbing over Liam, which I fully expected him to do until I heard pinging sounds against the exterior of the truck.
“Get down!” I yelled. I knew that sound like the back of my hand. Someone was shooting at the truck, and we were sitting ducks with nowhere to take cover.
Twatwaffles!
Apparently, I was using Caleb’s words sooner than I thought.
Liam pulled out his phone. “Get people down on the main road now. We’re being ambushed.”
I didn’t know who he was talking to, but whoever they were needed to arrive quickly, or we would all be dead.
I unbuckled Jamie and guided her to the floor, out of the way. As soon as we were out of sight, the shooter stopped wasting bullets. We had two choices: sit in the truck and wait for them to come closer or get out and hope we could find cover before landing back in their line of sight. Neither of those options was ideal.
“Caleb, can you push that door out at all?” Liam asked.
Caleb cracked it open a couple inches, but it didn’t budge much further. He twisted his body, so his feet pushed against the door and Liam had his back. Together they used brute force and I heard the guard rail groan in response.
Before we could claim victory, a shot broke through the window, whizzing right next to Liam’s head. I was pretty sure my heart stopped. His hand went up to clear the broken glass and came away with blood.
> I started to panic, but he shook his head. “Just nicked my ear. I’m fine. Caleb, again.”
They went back to pushing and I tried to do the same with the back door. It was fine and dandy if they got out, but I wasn’t too keen to be left behind in the truck. Though, I was afraid to leave Jamie alone in the truck with no idea what was happening. She could wake up and get herself killed if she didn’t stay hidden. I wouldn’t risk it.
Finally, the door opened enough for Caleb to slip through. He began pulling on the back door, while I pushed. The guard rail was already compromised, from us crashing into it and the additional damage they’d done when they got the front door open, so it was easier to get the back door free.
Caleb moved me out of the way and pulled Jamie into his arms. She was finally starting to come around but was severely disoriented.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“We need Jamie on her feet. Then, we move and stick behind these trees as much as we can,” Liam answered.
“What’s going on?” Jamie asked.
Caleb cupped her face. “We’re being attacked. You hit your head when the truck crashed. Are you okay?”
Her eyes widened in fear. “Put me down.” Her voice was full of the strength I knew she had in her. “I’ll be fine as soon as we kill these dickbags.”
That’s my girl. I grinned at her confidence.
Caleb shook his head but complied. “You two have spent too much time together.”
More shots rang out, coming from two different directions. Whoever was out there, they weren’t working alone. We bent further down behind the truck and I peered out in front of us. The closest section of trees to hide behind was at least ten feet away. It left us in the open for longer than I liked. Now that we were out of the truck, my gut told me staying put was the better plan and I said as much.
“Taya is probably right. They’ll get impatient and come for us. Our only chance is hand-to-hand fighting. Our wolves aren’t bulletproof,” Liam said.
“How long until help arrives?” I asked.
Liam pulled out his phone again. “Ten minutes or less. Not soon enough.”
Shades of Deceit (Raven Point Pack Trilogy Book 3) Page 4
