PIPER WAS ON HER KNEES, wrapping china in tissue paper. Theo lay on a play-mat to one side, batting at the toys hanging down from a bar. He hadn’t shifted again since the first time, and that was fine. It was easier to handle a baby than a wolf pup. They were packing stuff into boxes, planning to store away any family mementos Carter wanted to keep. His family had been in this house for generations, and there were things he said he wanted to take to their new place, wherever that may be.

They had to leave.

Nightmares of that day would haunt Piper’s dreams for many nights to come.

Finch had died the moment he’d struck the ground, and though she knew he was dead, she also knew it would be a long time before she could ever truly shake the fear and anxiety caused from watching the man she hated most in the world hold a knife to her baby.

There had been no point in them trying to lie about the identity of the man who plummeted from Carter’s bedroom window. More lies would only make things more complicated, and they needed to tell the truth in order for everyone to see that what had happened had purely been self-defense. Anna had also been there, and had made a full recovery after Finch had struck her across the head from behind as she’d been putting Theo down for a nap. She was able to testify about what had happened, and corroborate that both Piper and Carter were telling the truth.

They hoped there would be no backlash from Piper’s old pack. Hopefully, they would be as pleased to be rid of Finch Morgan as she was.

Carter had been determined to find out how Finch had found them. Kimberly had been the first person he’d gone to, but she swore it hadn’t been her. Then Liam had been the next suspect. In the end, his beta, James, had come forward, full of apologies. It seemed he’d had his eye on Carter’s position after all, and when he’d suspected the baby wasn’t Carter’s, he’d done some research of his own, and figured out the rest for himself. Finch Morgan had put out feelers trying to find his estranged wife, and when James started asking around about missing female pack members, the two of them had put their heads together. James swore he hadn’t expected things to end like this, and only wanted the truth to come out. He especially had never intended for Anna to get involved in any way. Carter had decided he couldn’t come down too hard on him. After all, they had been the ones who had lied, and James hadn’t known what a nasty son of a bitch Piper’s husband had truly been.

Carter had told Piper he’d had no choice but to have James step down as beta. He didn’t want to add more turmoil to his pack, especially as he now knew he was going to have to stand down as alpha. It put the pack in a position of great vulnerability to have neither an alpha nor beta at its head, though he told Piper he would stay in position until they found the right people to fill both spots.

A knock came at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Carter said, leaving the items he was wrapping.

But Piper was cautious now, even though she knew Finch was dead, and she got to her feet as well, following Carter to the door. She stood behind him as he opened it, peering out around the bulk of his frame.

To her surprise, half of the town appeared to be on their front porch, led by Liam and Kimberly, and Anna, and even James. She glimpsed numerous familiar faces.

“What is all this?” Carter said.

Liam led the way. “We need to talk to you about your position in the pack.”

Piper reached out and touched Carter’s forearm to offer him support. They’d known this day was coming.

Carter lifted his hands in submission. “It’s okay, Liam. We’re already packing. We can be out of here by tomorrow.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

He frowned. “You’re not?”

“We’ve been doing some research, looking back on the rules of the pack. It seems there isn’t anything anywhere in them that says an heir to the position of alpha needs to be biological. They say a son or a daughter, but there’s no mention that the child can’t be adopted.”

Piper glanced up into Carter’s face. A thrill of hope went through her at Liam’s words, but Carter only frowned.

“What are you suggesting? That I legally adopt Theo?”

He nodded. “Yes, exactly. Legally adopt him, and he’ll be seen as your son. As your heir. The boy is a shifter, he’s already proven that, and as a pack, we can’t see any reason for him to be seen as anything less than your and Piper’s son.”

Her heart swelled with hope, and she reached out and took Carter’s hand. He still appeared pensive, his lips thinned.

“What about everything else? I lied to you all. Surely that has to be taken into consideration.”

She wanted to kick him in the shin and tell him to shut the hell up, but this was Carter. He was alpha, and he wanted to do everything by the book.

Liam nodded. “We’ve talked about that. Considering the violent and dangerous man Piper used to be married to, we’ve decided it was understandable that you covered up her background, and the true parentage of Theo. You’ve always been a good alpha for this pack, Carter, and now you have a son—biological or not—there’s no reason you can’t continue to be our alpha.”

Piper had to resist squealing and hopping up and down, clapping.

Carter still looked as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “So, I’m to adopt Theo?” He turned to Piper. “That needs to be your decision as much as mine.”

Piper nodded and stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, the soft bristles of his stubble brushing her lips. “Of course I would want you to be Theo’s legal father. You’ve been his dad ever since he was born. You delivered him, for goodness’ sake. You’ve gotten up in the night with him, and changed his diapers, and paced the hallway with him when he wouldn’t stop crying because he had colic. You are his dad, whether it’s in blood or not.”

For the first time since opening the door, a smile tugged at Carter’s lips. He turned to her and pulled her to him and kissed her, right in front of half the town.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said. “And you’ll be my alpha female, too.”

Her heart swelled with happiness, an emotion only a few months earlier she’d never thought she’d get to experience. What more could she ask for?

Theo’s mom.

Carter’s mate.

A town she could finally call home.

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THE END

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