“Kneecap!” I shout as the big man rushes at our old friends. “Stop! That’s an order!”

Kneecap skids to a stop right in front of a terrified-looking Rigs and Colton. They just saw what he did to that dragon, and they both know they don’t stand a chance against Redemption Creek’s toughest shifter. That’s why they both shoot me a look of thanks.

“Come on, boss,” Kneecap whines. “We’ve been waiting for years to pay back these guys.”

Rigs gulps as he stares up at his old crew mate.

“They lived with Bledsoe for six years,” I say with a shake of my head. “I think that’s payment enough.”

“Thanks, Maximus,” Rigs says, looking ashamed as he meets my eye.

“I knew there was still some good in you guys,” I say.

Lachlan laughs. “And I’m glad you picked that moment to bring it back out.”

I nod. My head would have been a pancake if they hadn’t helped me out.

“We never should have picked him,” Colton says, shaking his head. “That was a mistake. A big one. And although I don’t appreciate getting stabbed in the freaking collarbone with a knife, I’d like to bury the hatchet with The Grisly Grizzlies. I’m sorry, Max.”

“I’m sorry too,” I say, letting it all go. The anger, the hurt, the bad feelings. It all just fades away. It’s time to start over. “If I was a better alpha, you would have stayed with me.”

“We were all young and stupid,” Rigs says. “We all could have been a little bit better.”

I hold out my hand and Rigs shakes it. “Friends?”

“Friends,” he says, nodding proudly.

I reach out to Colton next. “Friends?”

“Are you going to apologize for the knife in the collarbone?” he asks with a grin.

I shake my head. “Nope.”

He laughs as he shakes my hand anyway. “That’s okay. It barely hurt.”

“What are you guys going to do now?” I ask when we’ve all made up.

Rigs looks around the ranch. “I guess there aren’t an extra two cabins lying around?”

“Uh uh,” Kneecap says with a fierce glare. “Once you’re out, you’re out.”

“Fair enough,” Rigs says, dropping his eyes to the ground. “I guess we deserve that. We have a lot to atone for.”

Colton nods in agreement. “We helped Bledsoe and that no-good dragon even if we didn’t know what they were up to. I think we have to try and reverse some of the damage we’ve done.”

“Maybe we’ll find that General Hunt and shove his secret program up his ass,” Rigs says.

Colton grins. “Right after I shove my foot up his ass.”

“You’ll need a crew for that,” I say. “I hear that Redemption Creek is a good place to set up.”

“Really?” Rigs says, his face lighting up. “You’d let us stay in the town?”

“We’re friends, remember?” I say with a grin. “You’re welcome to stay and visit anytime.”

“What do you say, Colt?” Rigs says as he turns to his buddy. “Want to start our own crew and hunt down some evil generals?”

Colton grins. “That sounds like fun.”

“Hold on.” I run over to Kennedy’s car and grab the bag that’s on the passenger’s seat. The money that Vesuvius gave us earlier is in there and I grab it. “Here’s a little something to get started,” I say, handing them the money.

Colton’s eyes widen when he sees what’s in the bag. “Seriously, Max?”

“Just make sure you put it to good use.”

They thank me again and make peace with the boys, all except Kneecap who growls at them when they try to get close.

“Why would you give them that money?” Caleb asks when they leave. “Have you seen how old our trucks are?”

“That was dragon money,” I say, glad to be rid of it. “And we’re going to need all of the crews we can get if Vesuvius’ brothers or General Hunt comes looking for vengeance.”

“What are we going to do if Galeras and Kilauea come flying around?” Tito says, looking unsure. “Kneecap is a dragon killer, but we only have one of him.”

“We still have the info to blackmail them with,” I say. “But I think Vesuvius was working alone on this one.”

Lachlan swallows hard. “And if he wasn’t?”

I take a deep breath and exhale long and hard. “Then we’ll have to hope that the shifters of Redemption Creek are ready for a fight.”

Kneecap grins as he slams his fist into his palm. The skin on his left arm is still hanging off in sheets. “I’m ready for a fight.”

“We know, Kneecap,” I say with a laugh. “We know.”

“That’s the end of that,” I mutter as Lachlan tosses the last of the dirt onto Bledsoe’s dead body. We brought what was left of Bledsoe and Vesuvius into the mountains and buried them deep.

It’s officially over. My enemies are dead, my crew is safe, and most importantly, my mate is back by my side. Well, not exactly by my side. She’s waiting back at the camp for me. I didn’t want her to see Bledsoe any more than she had to.

When I wake up tomorrow, it will all be behind us and we can officially start our lives over. The pain and darkness are behind us, and all we have now is clear skies ahead.

“You okay?” Lachlan says as he slaps a hand on my shoulder.

“For the first time in a long time,” I answer. “I’m glad it’s over, but I still can’t help but feel that I failed him.”

“Who?” Lachlan asks, jerking his head back. “Bledsoe?”

Maybe only an alpha would understand. I was Bledsoe’s alpha after all and the buck stopped with me. If he turned bad it was partially my fault.

“Don’t blame yourself, Max,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re a good alpha. You always have been. Anyone who stuck with me during my dark alcoholic days or who refused to give up on Kneecap and his crazy bear is a good alpha. Some shifters just can’t be led. They’re more wild than civilized. I think Bledsoe was always one of those. You did your best, but the animal inside him won.”

“Yeah,” I say, finally letting it all go and forgiving myself. For Bledsoe, for Skin, but especially for Kennedy.

I failed her once, but she needs me and I’m not going to push her aside again. That would be the true failure on my part. It’s time to be a man and to be the shifter she deserves, and that means letting everything go and starting over with the woman I love.

We check on the boys who are finishing up burying Vesuvius on the other side of the hill. Tito and Ronin are acting out the fight, telling an unimpressed Kneecap how they helped defeat the dragon shifter.

“I must have been at a different fight,” he says with a frown. “All I saw was you two constantly flying off. You three were as deadly as fleas on a dog.”

Caleb laughs. “I’ve always been more of a lover than a fighter.”

Kneecap grins. “Let’s hope you make love better than you fight or I’ll feel sorry for Abigail.”

“You guys ready to head back and grab a couple of cold beers?” I ask.

They all turn and smile when they see me.

“You buying?” Tito asks with a grin.

I nod. “Definitely.”

The girls are waiting by the campfire with a cooler full of beer and some hot pizza.

“We thought you sexy men would be hungry after that big brawl,” Jessie says as she runs up to her man. Lachlan gives her a deep kiss on the mouth.

“I’m hungry for you,” he growls as he grabs her ass.

“Pizza first,” she says, handing him a slice. “Then me.”

He grins as he takes a bite. “Deal.”

Kennedy rushes over when she sees me and wraps her arms around my neck. My heart does a little flip when I look down into her gorgeous amber eye. She’s so fucking beautiful. I can barely take it.

I still can’t believe that I’ll wake up with her by my side for the rest of my life.

“It’s all over?” she asks as she gazes into my eyes.

I shake my head. “It’s just beginning.”

She smiles as she steps on her toes and kisses me.

“I love you,” I say when she pulls away.

She grins. “I know.”

Just what I wanted to hear. “Good.”

She laughs and kisses me once more. “I love you too.”

My chest rumbles and vibrates as my bear lets out a groan. Kennedy lets out the cutest little laugh. “I love you too, Grizz,” she says as she places a hand on my heart.

We sit around the campfire and relax with a few beers and everything is right in the world.

“This sucks,” Nora says with a frown. “I could really use a beer right now.”

“You’re pregnant with Kneecap’s child,” Lachlan says with a laugh. “Your kid can handle a beer.”

“As a fetus?” Nora says, looking unsure.

“I bet your fetus could beat Caleb in an arm wrestle,” Tito says.

Caleb laughs. “After what I saw that big guy do tonight with that dragon, he may be right.”

Ronin laughs. “Your kid will probably be doing keg stands when they’re a toddler.”

Kneecap grins proudly as he listens. He’s going to make a great father and I can’t wait to see it.

When the cooler is empty and the fire has died down, we all get up and head to bed.

I don’t know about the others, but fighting always makes me horny and I can’t wait to get my girl in between the sheets. And from the look on Kennedy’s sexy face, she seems to be feeling the same way.

“Let’s go to bed,” I whisper, grabbing her hand. “And remember, if you want to be in this crew, you have to obey the alpha. Every. Word.”

She licks her lips and grins. “I think I’m going to like being in this crew.”

“You sure will,” I say, smacking her ass. “I’ll make sure of that.”

After the goodnights, everyone heads to their cabins. We’re kissing in the living room when I hear a door slam back open.

“What the fuck happened to my roof?” Caleb shouts.

I laugh when I remember seeing Ronin flying through it.

“My bad!” Ronin yells from his cabin.

“Still going to like living here?” I ask Kennedy with a grin on my face.

She grabs my shirt and pulls me into the room.

The look in her eye says yes.