After Augie had finished his retelling of what his team went through, the room was silent as we all began to silently contemplate the thought of having a traitor within our pack. If it was true, it wasn’t going to be something we could easily get past, and that broke my heart.
My dad didn’t say much. He was a methodical leader. He would think this through from all angles, and make sure he had as many facts as possible before acting. It was what made him a great leader. I was mostly worried about how it would affect him if it proved to be true. Our pack had always had such tight bonds and we never had to worry about something like this.
“I see why you believe we have reason for concern, Augie, and while I agree with your points, I’m not willing to jump to conclusions just yet. Let’s do some digging and keep this between us for now. I want everyone on guard and do not discuss anything to do with Declan outside the four of us unless we all agree it’s information we can risk getting out.”
“Why don’t we specifically leak some stuff? Each of us mention different information to certain people who would have known about our trip and see if it turns into anything?” Augie suggested.
“That’s a great idea,” I said. “Let’s take a couple of days before we do that, though. We don’t want it to be too obvious we suspect anything after what happened last night.”
My dad nodded in agreement, but his face was still downturned from even the thought of a traitor. “I’ll let you two take the lead on it, then. Let me know what you decide and when you set it into motion.” With that, he got up and walked out of his office.
I ran my hands over my face, feeling my stress increase by the second. I needed something else to focus on. My dad may have seemed nonchalant about the information we had just given him, but I knew that wasn’t the case. Until we sorted this out, we were all going to be on edge.
***
The next morning, after we were done eating breakfast, I decided I needed a distraction. Sleep had been rough the night before and my mind wouldn’t shut down.
I stood from the table. “I’m going to go start packing my stuff.”
“Do you want some help?” Liam asked.
“No, I think it’s something I’d like to do on my own for a while.”
“Liam, why don’t you help me move some stuff around in my house?” Augie said, helping me out, which I appreciated.
“Sure, I can do that.”
I could tell Liam was a little hurt I wanted space, but he at least understood and didn’t push me. That meant more to me than he would ever know. He was continually impressing me with how quickly he was getting to know me.
I wanted to pack my room up on my own and he got the message without me having to basically tell him to go the hell away. I appreciated not having to feel like a bitch. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but if we were going to live together, he needed to know I wanted my own space.
I wasn’t the type of girl who needed constant attention, and I wouldn’t give up my life for him now that we were officially together. I definitely wanted to build something new with him, but I didn’t want to lose myself in him at the same time.
Once I was in my room, I picked up one of the flat cardboard boxes that I’d asked Courtney to get me yesterday before we left and started taping it up. I did this with several more before I began packing the boxes. The longer I packed, the more random stuff I found. So much history in this room with Cord and Augie.
My heart hurt when I thought about giving it up, but I couldn’t live in the past forever. I knew Cord would want this for me. He had always worried I’d never let anyone in, that I’d be content to live my life however I saw fit. I knew I had to move forward and I was beyond happy about choosing Liam to do it with.
I was about halfway through my closet when Augie showed up. “You know you’re still stubborn as ever. Why didn’t you want any help?” he asked when he sat down next to me on my closet floor. His jean-clad legs brushed up against mine as he gave me one of his goofy smiles I loved so much.
I peeked up at him with tears in my eyes. “I needed some alone time. Going through all this stuff by myself seemed like the better idea. Even therapeutic, some might say.” I handed him a picture that included him, Cord, and me.
We were around thirteen. Neither of them had gone through their growth spurt yet, so I stood between them, several inches taller and so proud of it. You could tell by the grin plastered on my dirt-covered face. We were in front of the lake, holding the fish we had caught. I remembered it clearly. It was a great day. My dad had joined us, and we stayed out all night under the stars.
“This is one of my favorite memories from our childhood.” Augie smiled and handed the picture back. “Are you really sure it’s a good idea to do this by yourself? I’m happy to help or get Liam if you want. He’s done helping me with the big stuff, but I still have a bunch to take care of at some point.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You go finish your house. I don’t want your shit in my way when I move in later today.” I laughed as I wiped the last of my tears away with the back of my hand. “These are happy tears. I promise, I’m okay. It’s also good to have something to focus on other than potential traitors and psychotic alphas.”
“I was just telling your dad how frustrating it is to sit and wait, but it’s the best move. If we don’t do this just right, more people could get hurt and we don’t want to risk losing the witches’ help if one of them happens to get caught in the crossfire.”
No, we definitely didn’t want that.
“Alright, you go work on your house while I finish up here,” I said. “We won’t get everything done today, but enough. It’s not like either of us will be far away. I’m still a little creeped out by staying in your room with Liam, though. I’m going to feel like you’re watching me every time we’re sleeping.”
“Sleeping, huh? Is that what you’re worried about?” he teased. “Don’t worry, it will feel like your own place before you know it.” Augie stood up but then leaned back down to kiss my forehead. “Call me if you want me to come back.”
“I will. Love you, Aug.”
“Love you, too, Tay.”
I watched him disappear from my room, then went back to packing. I glanced at the clock on my phone and saw it was already lunch time, but I wanted to at least finish my closet before I took a break. I decided I could look closer at stuff when I was unpacking, so I began throwing things in haphazardly. If I continued at the pace I had been going, it would have taken me at least a year to move.
An hour later, I was done with my closet and had been on such a roll, I moved on to my bathroom without taking the time to eat. I was just beginning to regret that decision when Liam appeared before me like the gods’ gift to womankind, holding a massive plate of food. He was scoring all kinds of brownie points today and I knew exactly how I was going to repay him later.
I stood up to greet him with a well-deserved kiss. He hummed in appreciation, then took my hand, leading me toward the bed, so we could sit and eat. My stomach growled loudly as the smells finally caught my attention.
I quickly took several bites without saying much to him. Feeling like an ass for devouring my food and ignoring him, I wiped my face with the napkin he’d also thought to bring and said, “Thank you for lunch. I probably would have skipped it if not.”
“I figured if I was hungry, you would be, too.” He peeked around, noticing how much I still had left. “Augie is a much faster packer than you are. The main bedroom is all cleared out and ready for your stuff. After we eat, I’ll get the guys and start moving whatever stuff is ready over to the house, while you finish packing.”
I nodded and went back to eating. Between feeling half-starved and all the old things of mine and Cord’s I had found, I was off-kilter. I had attempted to ignore most of the memories I came across, but it was hard. There were so many of them.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked when he finished eating.
“Yeah, it’s just been a long day. Missing my brother.”
“Why don’t you take a break from all this? Looks like you have the important stuff packed up. Go be with your dad for a while. I’ll take care of what is ready to go here.”
I tossed his idea around in my head for a moment and realized it wasn’t a bad one. My dad and I needed some quality time together. I leaned across the bed and pressed my lips to his. “Thank you. Again.”
“Don’t expect nice stuff like this all the time.” He gestured toward the food, then the boxes he planned to move for me. “I expect you to pull your weight around the house. You know, cooking, dishes, laundry, making my coffee.” His face was stone as he said the words so carelessly.
I couldn’t read his emotions, so I had no idea if he was joking or not. As the seconds ticked by and his face didn’t change, I began to think he was serious. I was about to blow a gasket as I kicked his ass out of my house and my life if that was the case. No way in hell would I be the mate he was describing. Some women could be that and absolutely loved it. More power to them; there was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn’t me. I would never meet those expectations.
“Excuse me?” I finally said after the initial shock wore off.
“Oh, and breakfast in bed on Sunday mornings. I like my eggs over-medium. Bacon, not sausage on the side.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right? This is a joke.”
“Kidding about what?” His tone was still even and calm, body relaxed. “My mom does those things for my dad. I expect the same from my mate.”
“Well, your wolf went barking up the wrong tree, then. You can kiss my ass if you think I’m going to be the domesticated housewife. How about you leave now before I get really upset?”
My blood was boiling. My wolf took his comments as an insult and she was hurt, not angry, which was so much worse. He had seemed to be okay with my alpha tendencies before. I wasn’t sure what happened to make him think I would be his slave at home, but it wasn’t happening.
“Taya, my wolf chose well, and it’s called payback. You might want to think twice the next time you pretend you can replace me with one of my brothers.”
Oh, that sneaky little bastard! So not cool.
“I see. Well played, Mate. I can already tell life is going to be interesting with us.” I saw a future filled with pranks and paybacks, the cycle never-ending. The smile on my face couldn’t have been bigger if I wanted it to be. My wolf began to get angry now, but she’d be okay once she had some time to realize it had all been in good fun.
“Interesting is one word for it.” Liam laughed. “Now, get out of here before I change my mind and go with my first thought of throwing you down on the bed and not letting you up until you’re putty in my hands, begging for more than I can give you under this roof.”
“Yup. That’s my cue to leave or nothing will ever get done.” Tonight couldn’t come soon enough. I stood up from the bed and settled myself between Liam’s legs that dangled off the side. “Hurry up.” I pressed against him, giving him a sneak peek of what I hoped later would entail as I kissed him senseless.
“Yes, Mate.”
I pulled away, grinning like a fool and loving that we called each other ‘mate’ now. I opened the door and glanced back at him before closing it behind me. He stared at me with so much love and admiration. His green eyes sparkled with the cockiness I had hated so much when we first met, but I adored it now. He kept me on my toes, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future brought for us.
I winked at him before I shut the door behind me. I headed down the hallway to my dad’s room, but he wasn’t there. I made my way downstairs and found him in his office, feet kicked up on the desk, leaning back in his chair and reading some papers.
“You’ve certainly bounced back into the thick of things,” I mused.
“I rise from the dead quick. What can I say?”
I inwardly cringed at his comment. “Too soon, Dad. Way too soon.”
“Sorry, Sweet Girl. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I figured you’d be packing and moving all day and I wouldn’t see much of you.”
“Liam kicked me out and suggested I come spend some time with you. I happened to agree with him, so here I am.” I shrugged.
“He’s a smart man. I like him even more now.” Dad laughed, taking his feet off his desk and facing me. “Are you doing okay?”
I really must have been wearing my emotions on my face. He was the third person to ask me that within the past couple hours.
“It was a little touch and go while packing, but I’ll be fine. Lots of memories in that room.”
“There are. Cord wants you to be happy, though. Don’t let your grief overshadow your deserved happiness, Taya. I almost did that when your mother died, but I knew I had two precious lives to care for. She would have kicked my ass if I didn’t give the two of you all I was capable of. Just remember that Cord wants you to continue to live life to the fullest. He’s glad you’ve found Liam.”
I cleared the emotion from my throat and tried not to cry. I had done enough of that lately to last me a lifetime. “I’m really glad you got to say goodbye to him. I wish I could have done the same.”
“He knows how you feel. Don’t doubt that for one moment.”
“How are you doing being back? I know it only felt like a couple days for you, but I’m sure realizing so much has happened over the last few weeks can’t be easy,” I said once I regained my composure.
“I’m doing fine. I promise to tell you if I’m not. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Right,” I drawled. “I will always worry about you just as you will always do the same for me. We’re stuck with each other for life.”
“How about we get out of here for a while?” he suggested. “Go down to the lake or something?”
I nodded, eager to get out of the house and spend some time with my dad. We decided on walking to the lake to stretch our legs, then settled in by the dock. On the way there, I reminded him of the day at the lake from the picture I had found while packing. The smile that appeared on my dad’s face at the memory warmed my heart.
We spent the next few hours enjoying each other’s company. My dad continued to be surprisingly supportive of my relationship with Liam. I had expected at least some pushback, but he let me know I had lasted a week longer than he and my mom did before they moved in together to begin their lives.
Once the growls in our stomachs became too much to ignore, we made our way back to the house for dinner. We passed by Rick on the way back to the house. His head was down, and he wasn’t looking too good.
“Have you talked to any of Davis’s team yet?” I asked, nodding in Rick’s direction.
“I did yesterday. I put Sam in charge of protection rotations and training until Augie gets settled. Rick would have been my first choice, but he asked for some time off. I’ll keep a closer eye on him, I promise.”
Losing a pack member was rough on us all, and I wasn’t surprised to see Rick seeming so down. I made a mental note to remind Augie to keep an eye on him. I didn’t want to see Rick lose himself to his sorrow. He was a valued pack member.
“I’m going to get dinner started if Courtney hasn’t already,” Dad said. “Why don’t you go get the others and we can eat together tonight before you officially move out?”
I leaned up on my tip-toes and kissed his cheek. “That’s a great idea. I’ll be back soon to help you with dinner.”
“I was counting on it.” He grinned, wrinkles forming on his face.
We went our separate directions and I found Liam, Aiden, Caleb, and Augie moving my massive bed across the lawn. I decided to stay out of the way until the bed was in its new home. I snuck back up to my room before they could see me and was blown away.
My dressers were also gone. All the boxes I had packed earlier were gone. All that was left of my childhood room was my favorite chair in the corner, the bathroom stuff I hadn’t packed up yet, and pictures on the walls. I turned around in circles a few times, taking it all in.
A cool breeze swept through my room, yet none of the windows were open and the door was shut. I smiled, choosing to believe it was Cord’s way of saying hello. I closed my eyes and whispered, “I love you, big brother.”
The breeze rolled through again and when I opened my eyes, I knew everything was going to be okay. I would be okay.