We loaded the vehicles and drove back in silence. As I parked in front of Phoenix House, I made the announcement the pack had been waiting on. “Let’s check on the pups, then we’ll assemble in the Great Room for a meeting.”

Their relief was evident. They quickly rushed into the mansion. I leaned heavily against the car door and focused on the future, pushing the sadness away. There was no room for it, no time for it. The pack needed me.

“Well, I think that went well,” Shelby joked as she pressed her back against the car beside me.

“You think?” My brows rose.

She shook her head and laid a hand on my shoulder. “You had to fight Dallas. You have to be the Alpha.”

I stared into her eyes, reluctant to simply trust her words. In them, I found no deception, no doubt. “You mean it.”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips. “Of course. You’re my sister. I’ve always known you’d be the next leader. Father wanted it that way. You’re stepping up, just as he expected you to.”

“This won’t be easy.” I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.

“Nothing worthwhile ever is, dear.” Shelby rested her head on my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. “You know you channeled Mom there, right?”

She snickered. “I’m supposed to. You must’ve known I was groomed for a role, too.”

I glanced up at the window where I’d last seen her twin. “What about Lenoir?”

She shrugged. “Maybe this is why she feels so lost. She was the baby, the smaller twin. Nothing much was ever expected of her. Our parents weren’t even sure she’d live.”

Pushing my back off the vehicle, I slowly stood. “Okay. Let’s do this.” I took my first step, but Shelby reached out, grabbed my arm, and stopped me.

“There’s something you should do if you want the rest of the pack to see you as the Alpha.” She bit her lip.

I frowned. “I won. I beat an elder. I beat Tanner. What more can I do?”

“Pick a mate.” She winked and then raced past me and up the steps.

Pick a mate. From everything I knew about being a shifter, this wasn’t how it worked. We didn’t simply mate for convenience. While I’d seen differing levels of devotion among the pairs in our pack, the relationship I’d seen at home had shaped my ideas of the kind of mate I wanted, the way I’d imagined our life together. This would be far more challenging than Shelby could dream.

Shaking my head, I made my way to the Great Room and prepared to address my pack. Everyone was assembled inside, sitting on the couches, chairs, and even lounging on the floor. This was my chance to unify them, bring everyone together. As I scanned the room, taking visual attendance, I realized Tanner had finally returned in my absence. He sat in a far corner of the room in a chair while Lennie curled up on the floor near him. The sight made me feel prickly. Especially since his eyes met mine and he refused to look away, all while my little sister threw herself at him.

Taking a seat in the chair to the left of the fireplace, I began. “Twenty-five years ago, my parents moved from Arizona to Asheville, after a honeymoon in Savannah.” My cheeks grew warm. There were some chuckles in the room. Everyone knew the story. “They settled here because they had a big dream for the future and the pack they would create. Because they never wanted to forget their roots, they called themselves the Phoenix Pack.” I could hear murmurs in the room.

“Once, our name was solely about our past. Now, it takes on a double meaning.” Heads tilted. Some elders nodded. “You may be familiar with the legend of the phoenix. In case you aren’t, the phoenix is a bird who lives a long time and dies in a burst of flames. Out of the ashes, a new phoenix is born.” I clapped my hands together. “Today, my parents died, and the Phoenix Homestead was destroyed. This isn’t the end of our story. Like the bird of the legend, we shall rise up from the rubble and build a new homestead, a stronger pack.”

“That’s right,” one of the elders murmured. “Preach, Savvy!”

A smile played at the corners of my mouth. “Tonight, we shall mourn our loss. In the morning, the work begins. We’ll see what we can salvage. We’ll get rid of anything we can’t. Before you know it, we’ll be back in our homes. Together.” Finally, I allowed myself the luxury of a smile.

“And we’ll punish whoever murdered the Alpha and destroyed our homestead, right?” Tanner’s eyes narrowed and he rubbed his hands together.

My left eyebrow arched dangerously. “That should go without saying, but yes. The person or persons who are responsible for my parents’ deaths must pay.”

He smiled, eager to dole out some vengeance. Finally, he had a place to direct all his pent-up rage. “Good.”

“Any other questions?” I glanced around the room, but everyone seemed to be contemplating my speech, or their own situation. In human form, I had no idea what the rest of the pack thought. “Well, there’s food in the kitchen. I’ll order more pizza, if we need it. Then let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

The men and women slowly stood and wandered around. I knew none of them had cause to visit the Asheville Phoenix House previously. They were in awe of the property and exhausted from the day.

The room cleared of all but one woman, an elder who’d lost her mate many years ago. She’d powered through and chosen to live so she could raise their pups. Lula gnawed on her lip while she studied me.

I grinned as I moved to sit beside her. “How’d I do, Lula?”

She reached out and patted my hand. “Not bad, Alpha.” Her head tilted and I knew she had more on her mind.

“Go on, Lula. I can tell you’re dying to say something.” I playfully huffed while I waited.

Lula held my hand in both of hers. “I know you have a lot going on right now between rebuilding and ferreting out those who played a role in your parents’ deaths.”

“But?” I urged her to finish.

“Well, you need to add one more item to your agenda, Savvy.” Lula paused to lick her lips. “You need to find a mate.”

I sighed and yanked my hand from her grasp. “You don’t think the pack will truly accept me without a mate? Is that it?” I ran a hand through my long, wavy hair and instantly wished I had a ponytail holder available.

“It’s not that, dear.” She shook her head. “See, being the Alpha is a huge responsibility. It has always been a two-person job.”

“Two?” My brow furrowed. “There’s a second Alpha?” I rubbed my shoulder as I worried over who I’d have to fight next.

“The Alpha’s spouse is pretty much Alpha by proxy. The support, love, strength, and sounding board they provide is essential to the success of the pack.” Lula struggled to her feet. “Arthritis,” she grumbled. “Just please…think about it.”

I nodded sadly as I watched her limp away. This was the second time tonight I’d been told I needed to find a spouse. Closing my eyes, I leaned back and considered the only prospects I’d met. Tanner. I scrunched up my face. Anyone else in the pack was too young, too old, or already mated. My head tilted. There was that fireman. We’d spoken to each other. He’d touched me. I’d felt nothing. Still, he seemed nice. I sighed. With my luck, he was already mated. This whole finding a mate thing wouldn’t be easy.

Though I was utterly exhausted, I knew I had to prepare for the coming day. I checked my phone. Already it was after eight in the evening. There was little chance anyone would answer my call, but if I left messages, I might hear something first thing in the morning. Opening the browser on my phone, I searched for architects near me. We’d need to redesign and rebuild the main house.

I scrolled through the firms in the results. None of them spoke to me. For some reason, I rather thought one would stand out. Then, I saw it: Rogue Designs. I clicked on the website. The portfolio was impressive. The pricing was a little higher than I anticipated, but I could afford it. After taking a deep breath, I hit the phone number and listened to it ring. On the third ring, while I was preparing for the voice message I would leave, a man answered.

“Rogue Designs, how can I help you?” He had a deep voice that resonated within me and had me imagining what he looked like. In my mind, he was a cross between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. “Hello?”

His second greeting jolted me to action. “Oh, yes, uh…hi?”

He chuckled. Clearly, this man was used to rendering women speechless. “How can I help?”

“I need an architect.” Suddenly, I started blurting out everything. “My family home burned down and my parents are dead and I need to rebuild as quickly as possible because I have two younger sisters to care for and so many people relying on me…”

“Slow down,” he urged. His voice had grown serious. “Now give me an address and I’ll meet you at nine in the morning to look over the site. Will that work?”

I liked how he cut through the crap and went straight to the point. I exhaled, feeling immensely better. “Yeah. That will work.” I rattled off the address.

“And who will I be meeting there?” His voice seriously caressed me through the phone.

“Savvy. Ugh. I’m Savannah Silver. See you then.” I felt so unnerved, I ended the call without even asking his name. “Dammit,” I grumbled. Rarely did anyone leave me so off balance that I made these kinds of mistakes. Tomorrow, I’d have to be back on my game.