The drive back to Crimson Hollow had allowed them some alone time without any pressure. Roger was glad to be almost home. He wanted his mate to be safely tucked away behind the fence and additional guards. More than that, he wanted her home where she belonged. His home. There was just one thing he had been putting off since he’d found her and he was running out of time. He had to tell her now, before they pulled through the front gate, and Karri or one of the others had a chance to tell her first.

“You got quiet on me.” Arlene fiddled with the string that went through the hoodie. “If you’re worried about what Jase is going to do to me, don’t. I can handle myself. If he wants me to leave—”

He pulled his truck to the side of the road, shoved it into park, and turned toward her. “I told you that’s not going to happen. Even if it did, you’re not alone. We’re in this together.”

“I can’t do that to you. You’ve worked hard to prove yourself to Jase and the others. I won’t have you risk your position for me. You’ve already done too much.”

“Sweets.” He stretched his arm out across the middle divide and took her hand into his. “You’re my mate. I’d risk my life to keep you safe. This—”

“You’ve already done that.”

“We’ve got this, you and me, we’re a team. But there’s something we need to talk about before we get home.” His thumb teased over her knuckles and his gaze stayed locked on her. “I told you Jase and the others went to take care of your parents and the other members of your hometown.”

“Yeah, you said they had to turn around because things had been taken care of. Honestly, I didn’t care about it at that moment, but I thought about it a little since then. Very little, but still. They’re dead, aren’t they? The Saviors…”

“No.”

“Jase?” she asked before he could explain.

“No. Your parents and most of the town was arrested. Evidence of their support and plotting with The Saviors was turned over to the police department. Law enforcement agencies were able to swoop in before Jase and the others had a chance to deal with the situation.”

“Deal with the situation? What does that even mean?”

He took his gaze away from her and stared out the window of the truck for a moment. There was nothing to see but darkness and trees. They were in the middle of nowhere with another thirty-minute drive ahead of them before they’d reach Crimson Hollow. The driver side window was cracked and he couldn’t smell anyone out there, yet unease settled onto his shoulders. Was it because of the conversation? Or was something coming? He wasn’t sure but his lion was edgy.

“Your silence is enough of an answer.” Her tone sounded cold, holding no emotion, but her eyes held a hint of sorrow.

“They weren’t going there to kill your parents.” He squeezed her hand, offering her a little comfort. “Kaden stripped their bank account so they could no longer financially support The Saviors. The money was placed in an account for you and Karri. Jase and the team were going to deliver justice to someone else.”

“The Gutternburg brothers.”

He nodded. “Pat and Polo Gutternburg were the target that night. Pat made the bombs and Polo planned them at Becky’s house. Jase couldn’t stand by when they’d attempted to kill his mate. None of us could.”

“I wanted to go. When I learned what they did, I thought I could go back to uncover more evidence, I guess you could say. Evidence that we could take to the authorities and bring them down. There were financial records detailing the activities of my parents and other members of the community but that would only do so much. They wouldn’t see as much jail time as they would for bomb-making, blowing up Becky’s house, and whatever else I could have found.”

“I know but you didn’t have all of the information.” He hated bringing up a topic that hurt her deeply. She’d mentioned her parent’s betrayal earlier and what it did to her; it was part of the reason why she could never turn against the tribe. “The bounty on your head wouldn’t have allowed you to return home. Even if there wasn’t that, I don’t think they’d have believed your story that you realized how dangerous shifters were and wanted to be on the right side. Your loyalty would be in question. They knew you’d saved your sister and while your parents might have accepted that as a sisterly bond, the rest wouldn’t and The Saviors sure as hell wouldn’t have. You’d have been walking into a trap. A death trap.”

“Doing nothing would mean Pat and Polo might walk free.”

“They’re not walking anywhere.” He lifted the middle divider and pulled her hand. “Come here.”

She scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing her against his body. “The Gutternburg brothers are dead. Once they were no longer any use to The Saviors, they were killed. But something good came out of all of this.”

“Really? What? Because I don’t even see a ray of sunshine in this dark nightmare.” She rested her head on his chest and relaxed into his embrace.

“Pat knew something was going to happen. He suspected he was going to die. The night before it happened, he dropped an envelope off at his sister’s house. She wasn’t home but there was enough evidence in the package to make sure The Saviors would no longer be a threat. Law enforcement agencies across the country swept into action and arrested people.”

“What about Wayne? Why wasn’t he arrested?”

He rubbed his hand lightly down her arm, careful not to hurt her. “Kaden is looking into that. I’m not sure if he was one of the main characters in the organization and therefore, he wasn’t one of the first picked up. Or if he was one of the few that escaped arrest so far. It doesn’t really matter right now, as he’s dead. The second guy, I wasn’t able to ID but, based on my description, Kaden discovered that the police have been unable to locate him. They checked his home and office and he wasn’t at either. Now we know he wasn’t even in the same state.”

Silence filled the cab of the truck for several minutes before she tipped her head to look up at him. “So, what does all this mean? If The Saviors are being arrested, does that mean there’s no longer a threat to shifters?”

“Sweets, I’m sure there will always be a threat to shifters. We’re different and until something else comes along, someone will always take offense to that.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “The threat from The Saviors is diminishing. There are still small groups that have survived; some of them have gone into hiding, but they’ve lost their power. That certainly diminishes the danger to us now.”

“That is some good news. Though we have to make sure they don’t regain their power. We can’t let our guard down now.”

“Even after everything you’ve been through, you’re still ready to fight for us.” Part of him loved the strength and courage to stand on the side of shifters, while the other part of him wanted to protect her. Keep her safe and hidden away from the dangers that might always be coming for his kind. She was his mate and it was his duty to protect her. They had been given a second chance when he found her and their lives together were just starting. He wasn’t going to lose her now. This was their chance and no matter the dangers they’d face in the coming days, weeks, or even years, they’d overcome them together.

“Do you expect me to just sit on the sidelines?” Holding her side and careful not to jar her ribs she twisted on the seat so they were facing each other. “These assholes kidnapped and tortured me to get information about you. I want to see their organization destroyed, so they can never do this again.”

“I don’t expect you to do anything, but I’m not going to stand by while you take off again like you did this time.” The idea of her taking off again was enough to enrage his lion but what gave him the most pause was the fear that next time he might not be as lucky to find her before she ended up dead. After he claimed her as his mate they’d have the connection and it would be easier to track her—but that didn’t mean they couldn’t kill her before he could arrive. A mate would be perfect bait to lure a shifter out. No matter what the Alpha ordered, a shifter wouldn’t be able to stop him or herself from going after their mate.

“It took me a while to find you, but it would have taken longer if Brett hadn’t seen you leaving. We got lucky and your scent trail was easy to follow, at least until you started hitchhiking.” He shook his head. “What the hell were you thinking? Hitchhiking? Do you realize how much danger you put yourself in?” He hadn’t wanted to fight with her about it and had tried to let the whole situation go because there was no doubt that Jase would give her a lecture of his own. Karri would add in her voice and most likely Noah, too. She didn’t need it from him as well but now that the subject was out in the open, he couldn’t drop it.

“I was angry and the only thing I could think about was confronting my parents.” She looked down at her lap and let out a soft chuckle. “Look at me! Don’t you think I realize that now? It was stupid and I’ve been berating myself for it for days. I really don’t need you bitching at me, too.”

“You can’t just rush off in anger. Not now, not when you’re connected to shifters. It’s too dangerous for you. If we sprang to action every time something happened, more of us would be dead. You need a plan first.” He cupped the side of her face, tangling his fingers in her hair as he did. “Just like we were going to deal with the Gutternburg brothers, we weren’t going to let your parents get away with their part in things. You’re family and we fight for our family.”

“Jase would have never let me go.” The anger in her voice disappeared.

“You’re right, and if you’re going to be pissed at him you might as well be mad with me as well. I wouldn’t have let you go, either.” He rubbed along her temple, working upwards toward her hairline. “I’ve known for weeks that you were mine, but I wouldn’t face it.”

“Why?”

“I thought about that a lot over the last few days.” He took his hand away but kept his arm resting on the back of the seat, leaving the offer open for her to cuddle against him again. “At first I assumed it was because you’re young, just left home for the first time, and you were catching up with your sister after two years apart. I didn’t want to intrude on that. I wanted you to get your feet under you before you realized what you were to me. But when I thought I might have lost you, I realized I was denying what was happening because I wanted to keep you safe, as if you not being my mate would have kept you safe. It wouldn’t have; you were connected to the tribe, and The Saviors knew you were a shifter supporter. You were in danger, even if you weren’t my mate.”

He took his gaze from her and stared out the windshield, watching nothing and everything. His lion crept forward, torn between wanting Arlene and yearning to go after any of The Saviors left alive. The urge to end it all and make her safe overwhelmed him. They were supposedly safe from The Saviors now but it had been so long since he didn’t have the constant worry of something happening, he wasn’t sure how to handle the change. To him, it still felt like there was something coming, a threat lurking, waiting to attack.

“Our playful flirting was not enough…” She scooted toward him.

“I know. My lion was growing irate because that was as far as things went.”

“I found myself making excuses to go outside when I knew you were out there. Early in the morning, I’d sit by the window in my bedroom, so I could watch you train with the other guards. It had become my morning ritual to watch the sun come up and glisten across your naked chest.” She slid her hand up his chest, teasing along the contours. “The day I left, that was the same day I watched as you…”

For a moment, he wasn’t sure if she stopped talking or if the sound of her frantic heartbeat drowned out what she had said. It wasn’t until the rush of mixed emotions poured off her that he realized something was wrong and he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. “Arlene? What’s wrong?”

“Blood…” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Forget it.”

“No, tell me what’s going on. What blood? What are you talking about?”

“That morning you were stabbed. I saw the blood. The training…that’s all real. Real weapons. You could have been killed.”

“Oh sweets.” Instantly, he knew what she meant and he slid his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him. “Not all the time but yes, sometimes we use the knives or swords as we would in battle but we never do it at full strength. We’re careful and guns are never used on each other.”

“You were stabbed!”

“It was a scratch that healed shortly after.” He wanted to press her tight against him but with her injuries, he couldn’t risk hurting her. “We have to train for different situations so we’re ready when a threat comes. Those training sessions made sure I was prepared to do what I had to in order to save you.”

“They prepared you to kill.” She shook her head, gently hitting his chest. “I should be appalled by that. You killed to protect me. No one should have to do that. Even though my brain tells me that others would be horrified, I’m not.”

“You’ve witnessed enough to know life isn’t a bowl of cherries.” He rubbed a soothing hand down her arm. “If I hadn’t killed them, they’d have killed us. I wasn’t planning on dying today and Karri would be pissed at both of us if you weren’t there to see her children grow. We’ve all got to do what we’ve got to do.”

“How did I go from a protective little community where the worst crime we have is a drunk getting rowdy at the bar, to living with the threat of violence around every corner?”

“It’s a change for you, I understand that. No one is pressuring you to accept this life.” In that moment, he realized he’d go anywhere for her. As a lion, he wanted to be part of a group of shifters, a tribe or a lion pride, but if it meant losing his mate, he’d give it all up. Even though it would cost him deeply, he’d keep his beast hidden from the rest of the world, because it would cost him so much more to lose her.

“I’m terrified of what the future holds for us and all shifters, but I want this. I look at what Karri and Noah have and I want that same kind of love and relationship. The devotion they have for each other can be seen every time they look at one another. For them, it’s like the world revolves around their family. I know Karri worries about Noah, but he does what he can to eliminate her fears. Every moment they have together, they cherish. I want that.”

“We’ll have that.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Our world is different but everything you want is still possible.”

Her face was unreadable when she glanced up at him. “Not completely…I can’t have a white picket fence.”

“Huh?”

“Did you know, every little girl dreams of a house with a white picket fence, two and half kids, and a husband who will always be faithful?” She chuckled. “At least, that’s what I’ve always been told. The girls I went to school with wanted that. Heck, I’m pretty sure they had their weddings planned out, the ages at which they’d have their children decided, and their damn dream home decorated. None of that ever mattered to me.”

“What matters then?” In the back of his mind, he worried she’d want something he couldn’t give her, like a safe world. He wanted it too but it wasn’t possible, at least not yet. Hopefully one day.

“I wanted a husband who would not only love me, but would listen to me. I don’t want to be controlled like my mother is. A marriage doesn’t give a husband the right to control every aspect of his wife. I want children but I also want a life. I didn’t realize some of this until Karri went off to college. That’s when I woke up. I started sneaking out just to get out from under my parent’s thumb, but a whole new world opened to me when I met a couple of shifters. Anytime I had information that might help, I passed it to them. I made a difference and now that I have nieces or nephews about to join the world, I can’t sit back and do nothing.”

“See, all your dreams can still come true. I’ll make sure of it. Now why don’t we get you home?” When she started to scoot back to the other side of the truck, he took a hold of her hand. “Stay.”

He wanted her close and even that small space of the middle divide seemed like too much for him. They’d be back with the tribe and divided soon enough. Karri would want to see her and he’d have to report to Jase. In the meantime, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. He would have loved to put off returning to Crimson Hollow. Time for them to be together, to cement their mating, but things were still too uncertain and he wasn’t going to put her at risk. Home was where they needed to be. Home in my cabin and in my bed.