The following morning, we woke before dawn. Normally, I would have forced myself back to sleep, but we’d gone to bed earlier than usual after the blood bond and I was wide awake, completely refreshed. I was a new woman.
My mind was more aware of Liam. My entire being had been changed on the inside. As he was cooking breakfast, I tested our bond for the hundredth time, sending doses of love his way. My favorite part was the smirk that graced his face when he felt it. When he knew exactly how I was feeling in that moment. The gift was priceless between bonded mates.
“We should probably check in with my dad and Augie this morning.” I pushed back from the counter to walk around and get the cooked food.
“I’m surprised neither of them attempted to bust through the door last night.” He laughed.
I shrugged. “Dad knew we needed some time. It’s why I came home early.”
His eyes widened. “What did you tell him? Does he hate me now? Shit, you need to tell him it wasn’t what you thought.”
“Easy there, lover boy. He didn’t know why I was upset, just that I was. I don’t plan on telling anyone why we were missing last night, though.”
His head cocked to the side. “Should I be worried as to the reason why?”
“As of right now, people know you’re my mate, but they can also guess to the tension our mating has brought. If anyone tried to use you against me, I’d be able to convince them you meant nothing to me, hopefully sparing your life. Until we find Declan and the traitors within our packs, I don’t want them having more information than necessary.”
“It worries me that you’d feel so confident in convincing someone I didn’t mean anything to you. Yet another thing that doesn’t bode well for my self-esteem.”
I grinned. “My favorite part of my job as your mate is knocking you down a peg or two, so that works.”
He shook his head at me. Then, we finished the rest of our breakfast before heading to the pack house.
When we arrived, my dad was already in his office on the phone.
He waved us in. “Got it. They just walked in, so I’ll let them know. Yup, see you soon.”
Liam and I took a seat in front of the desk.
“Who’s coming?” I asked.
“Good morning to you, too.” He smiled. “Caleb and Jamie will be here to help out this afternoon, and Sera will be here within the week.”
As if things couldn’t get any better after our blood bond. I missed Jamie so much, and I knew Liam missed his brothers. I was also excited to see Sera and get to show her the home her son now called his own. I wanted her to know he had made the right decision in a mate and a pack.
“Do we need to go pick them up?” Liam asked.
Dad shook his head. “Caleb wanted to grab his own car from the airport. Sera said we’d see them after lunch sometime.” He picked up a paper before changing the subject. “We have two more groups being transported out of the area and then the only members present on pack land will be those trained to protect.”
I leaned forward. “What can we do?”
“Contact Aiden and see if he’s picked anything up through his resources. No detail too small,” he said. “Also, keep an eye out for the next wave of visitors. Augie might need help with getting them settled.”
Liam stood. “I’ll go give my brother a call right now. I wanted to check in with him on a few other things anyway.” He leaned down, giving me a goodbye kiss on the cheek, then shut the door behind him when he walked out.
Dad eyeballed me. “You’re feeling better. I take it your talk went well yesterday?”
I nodded. “Everything is great. It was a misunderstanding, and we worked it out.”
“You’re going to have many of those over the years. Try to remember to talk with one another before jumping to conclusions when they happen. It will save you a lot of grief throughout the years.”
“Yes, Dad.” I laughed.
It was an odd feeling, getting mate advice from my father. So much had changed in the past few months. If this was me sitting here before we lost Cord, I’d likely be getting reprimanded for something I had refused to do or did when I wasn’t supposed to.
There hadn’t been many adult conversations between my father and I over the years, and I was beginning to realize he was smarter than I had given him credit for. I’d never tell him that, but the fact that I knew it made our relationship that much stronger.
“Do you know where Augie is? I can go see what he needs.”
“He was on mid-shift last night, so he’s probably still sleeping. I told him I didn’t expect to see him before ten this morning.”
I glanced at my phone. It wasn’t even seven yet. “I’m going to head to the training center, then maybe go for a run. I’ll be back by ten to meet Augie. Tell him not to disappear without me if you see him before me.”
He grinned, causing his wrinkles to show. “What do you think about us leaving Augie a note and I’ll come with you?”
“I think that’s one of the best ideas you’ve had in a long time.”
I snatched a pen and paper from the desk, scribbling out a message for Augie. He might be butthurt that we did something fun without him, but at least he’d smile when he read it.
I taped the note to the back of the chair, so it wouldn’t be hard to miss, and then we left the pack house. I sent Liam a text, letting him know I wouldn’t be around my phone for a while. His reply was quick and sweet, telling me to have fun.
I headed for my locker in the training room and changed in the stalls, while my dad set up an area for us. When I got back out, I was even more excited, because we would be going hand-to-hand.
I slipped on the grappling gloves and bounced on the balls of my feet. I hadn’t done any sparring in a while and it got my blood pumping.
Dad laughed. “It’s scary how excited this stuff makes you. You never were one for dolls and dresses.”
“Nope. Never going to be, either. Now, quit procrastinating and let’s do this. Don’t go easy on me, either, because I won’t be going easy on you, old man.”
He shook his head at me, and we both moved on to the mats. He surprised me by not hesitating, instead, taking the first swing. I ducked and rolled, evading him, but not by much. He must not have liked my ‘old man’ comment.
We continued to jab, punch, and take each other down until we were both covered in sweat. I tapped first, completely out of breath.
“Whatever stamina pill you’re taking, I want some,” I huffed.
“Come join me in here more often and you’ll be the same way.”
I was going to take him up on that offer, as long as he changed his training time to dawn instead of four in the morning. No way was I getting up that early every other day to get my ass kicked.
The door in the training room slammed open, causing both of us to jerk our heads in the same direction. Augie was headed for us and I had been right about one thing. He wasn’t happy to have been left out.
“Did you read the note?” I asked. “I’m thinking not, because you’re doing the exact opposite of what I said.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes, I saw the note. No, it did not make me smile. I never get to see you anymore. You should have woken me up.”
Awe, poor Augie was jealous.
I patted his shoulder. “Well, you’re here now. Want to go for a run? That’s where we’re headed next.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Actually, why don’t you two kids go do that? I really shouldn’t be away from the office for longer than I already have been.”
Liar. He was trying to make Augie feel better by giving us some best friend time. I didn’t mind, though. Especially with Jamie and Caleb coming into town later today, spending some quality time with Augie was a great idea.
I gave my dad a hug. “Love you. We’ll check in soon.”
I turned toward Augie. “So, do you want to go for a run or something else? I’m up for whatever until you need to be back on duty.”
His mood seemed to be a little better now that he knew he was getting one-on-one time, but I knew I wasn’t completely off the hook for not checking in with him more often.
“How about ice cream and taking it down to the pond?” he suggested.
I laughed, because that was something we used to do all the time as kids, but it was still early. Ice cream wasn’t exactly a breakfast or even brunch food.
“Pond, definitely. Ice cream should probably wait until it’s officially afternoon, don’t you think?” I teased.
“Nope. Ice cream is acceptable at any time of day when you’re hanging out with your best friend. Didn’t you know that?”
His face was serious, but I saw the twinkle of amusement in his eyes. I was never good at telling him no, and today would be no different. Ice cream it was.
“I’ll shower and change, then meet you in the kitchen in ten?”
He nodded. “It’s a date.”
I hurried to get cleaned up, ready to spend some time with Augie. I was even more ready for life to just settle down and Declan to be dealt with, but he just barely kept slipping through the cracks. I was fed up with it. The anger I felt at watching him limp away before still simmered beneath the surface.
I’d kept it in check for the most part, but when I was alone and let my mind wander to Declan, it went dark. I was afraid of what I would sacrifice just to make sure he paid the ultimate price for all he had done.
I did my best to shake off the thoughts and focus on the much-needed time with my best friend. I finished getting ready and headed toward the back side of the pack house. Before I came all the way around the corner, I heard someone getting angry, so I slowed down and listened. By the time I made it close enough to make out what they were saying, the man began whispering, making it hard to identify who was speaking.
“I told you I’d deal with it. Don’t hound me when I’m working. There’s too many people around here. I’ve gotta go.”
I turned the corner, but nobody was there. I ran forward, but just as the man had said, there were too many people. Whoever he was, he managed to get lost in the crowd of shifters on their way from the pack house. What the hell were so many people doing out here?
Fuckery! I almost had him, but I did have clues. He said he was working. Nobody worked this close to the pack house unless they were on one of the guard patrols. Any of the farm workers would be in the fields already. The rest of the pack had jobs outside of the pack area if they even had one at all.
I needed to find Augie and ask who was on day shift. Whoever it was, I hoped it was worth it, because I’d make sure they rotted in a tiny cage for the rest of their life. Traitors didn’t deserve a quick death. They deserved to be reminded of their mistakes every day for the rest of their lives.