Page 84 of Crescent Warrior

“I’ll have your back,” Alex said, looking at Michael who nodded slowly but meaningfully.

That was a huge concession. Michael was making this decision without discussing it with Jason. Maybe soon, Alex would be able to point out some of the reasons he didn’t fully trust the male and Michael might actually be open to hearing him.

“If we meet with them, he’ll bring his queen.” Knox’s eyes were on Alex again and he was expressionless. “Can I expect you to be on your best behavior?”

Alex chafed at the words, knowing exactly what he was asking him, but he could control himself if it got him one step closer to finally rescuing Selene and her family.

“I won’t do anything stupid,” he gritted, looking at the male who nodded and turned toward Carlo and Adele, dismissing them.

“I need you to ensure that the rest of the pack returns home.”

Carlo bowed his head before turning to leave. Adele was watching Knox closely.

“This is a pretty big risk. Meeting with them.”

“Yes,” Knox replied simply, his tone unchanging.

Adele sighed, shaking her head as she followed Carlo out the door.

“When do we meet them?” Michael’s voice was quiet, but steady.

“In a week,” Knox tucked his hands into his pockets, turning back to them. “We’ll find a hotel nearby and you can review all you know about them—” He eyes focused on Alex now, “—without bias this time.”

Alex hid his annoyance by clenching his jaw, but Michael reached out to hold his arm, making sure that he didn’t lunge at the male. He appreciated the gesture. His temper hadn’t been the same since his first transformation into his wolf form. He was a hair-trigger now. “I’ll do my best.”

Knox nodded and turned to leave, his head lifting curiously into the air before he turned and focused into the forest, his expression awed. “There’s someone nearby.”

Confused, they both looked toward the area he was staring at, trying their best to find a scent but they couldn’t.

“She’s close,” he murmured and Alex couldn’t believe how many emotions were crossing the male’s face.

“She?” Michael asked, his voice all at once intrigued and confused.

Knox turned to him, his lips peeled back in a snarl. “Mine.”

Both Alex and Michael’s eyes widened as Knox transformed, racing away from them. Glancing at each other, they did the same, knowing he would need back-up in case he entered the other pack’s territory.

Cole watched Hippolyta make her way toward where they laid Dru to rest. They prayed for a swift reunion with Iris, his mate, mourning his loss while celebrating his life and the hope that they would see them both again soon, reborn into the cycle of life. She stroked her fingers over the freshly covered grave, allowing herself a few tears before she returned to him.

Their pack was all around them, silently supporting each other. Hippolyta’s parents stood at Cole’s side, Phaedra’s hand on his shoulder in a gesture that touched his soul. With his mate, he found a family again.

He watched her carefully, not knowing what she would need from him, but she didn’t hesitate, hugging him tightly around the waist. There were a few quirked eyebrows but everyone was too focused on where Damen and Ares were standing at their father’s grave, their faces drawn with grief.

“Bampás left one last gift of love,” Damen called, his voice hoarse, “And I am so sorry he could not be here to announce it himself.” He passed a little smile their way and Cole felt himself stiffen. “We have another mated pair amongst us.”

Everyone’s head immediately snapped in their direction and Cole squeezed his eyes shut, imagining all the ways Hippolyta would run from him now that they were confronted with this situation. Swallowing convulsively, he felt her pull away slightly.

He dropped his arms so she could leave him if she needed to, but instead, she lifted her now short hair from her neck, baring her mark to the entire pack. Cole couldn’t do anything but stare at her in awe, his jaw hanging loose.

She turned to him, giving him a gentle, sad smile before leaning forward to hug him. He exhaled heavily, feeling the relief seep in slowly before he cried out, his entire body going rigid as she bit into the sensitive spot between his neck and shoulder.

The pain was eclipsed by the intense pleasure of her acceptance, of finally being marked. While he would have much preferred they had some privacy so he could rut into her like an animal while she marked him as her own, he also knew that it meant she was showing the world that he was hers. That they were each other’s.

Squeezing his eyes against the heavy emotions filling him, he waited for her to pull back, giving him one last attentive lick while everyone cheered for them, slapping them hard across the back. Hippolyta’s parents engulfed them into a tight hug.

“Finally, we are a family,” Phaedra sniffled and Kosmos grumbled his agreement in his own gruff way. “I have missed you, my son.”

Cole buried his face into Hippolyta’s hair, inhaling her scent greedily and hiding his emotions from the pack. She soothed him, sliding her fingers down his spine gently.

---