Page 83 of The Bull's Head

He shook his head. “My pack needs a leader, and lately that hasn’t been me. I’m far too quick to anger, and the pack doesn’t need that. They need compassion, like the people here. The old days of forcing those who couldn’t toe the line to be banished are gone, and they should never come back.”

“Where is this coming from?”

A shrug. “Self-reflection can be a bitch. When we came here to help rescue the people, I realized that years ago I would have simply left them and walked away. If they were too weak to survive, they didn’t deserve help. I… did the same thing with you and Ivan. I told Cece she should have let you die on that mountain.” He looked up, his eyes swimming in tears. “I said she should let the men who would become two of my best friends die. I would have abandoned children to the same fate. That isn’t a leader—that’s a monster.”

“That leader is dead and gone,” Teddy countered. “He died when he opened his heart. Think back to that moment, Damon. What was it that caused you to stop and think like the man you’ve become?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You do. Tell me.”

His lip trembled. “The day I thought about abandoning my son because he loved his friend.” For a big man, Damon shrunk in on himself quickly. “My son, who I should have loved unequivocally. The one I’d always held in such high esteem. One tiny, fucking insignificant thing, and I was ready to toss him aside. And I would have left Micah too, because he wasn’t what a wolf should be. Tough. Aggressive. He was soft, quiet, sensitive. He loved picking flowers for Cece, because he said they were pretty like her.” He cleared his throat to cover a sob, Teddy was certain. “I look at them now, and I wonder how I could have ever been that person.”

“Because those were different times. If Ivan and I had come out, I have no doubt our father would have killed us. Sin against the Maker and all that. But when we came to America, we met a goddess. She brought us into the fold and told us that it didn’t matter who we loved, and she insisted we believe that.”

“She’s kind of incredible,” Damon admitted. “A lot of who I am now is because of her and the kids.” He peered at Teddy. “And you and Ivan helped open my eyes to what I was missing out on. I’m sorry I was such a shitty person.”

“You more than made up for it, I swear. You got the packs to listen when you told them Wiley was gay and if anyone said anything bad about him, you’d fight them to the death. Your awakening has changed attitudes. You’ve made packs better for… oh, Maker.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Byk? Can you call Cece in here, please?”

He nodded, then dashed off. Damon kept asking what was wrong, but Teddy remained tight-lipped. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before.

“Teddy? What’s going on?” Cece asked as she entered the room with Byk behind her.

“We were having a talk with Damon, who thinks he should step down.”

Her eyes widened as she regarded the man she loved. “You what?”

“I agree. I think he needs to step down.”

There was such a look of pain on Damon’s face, and Cece was gobsmacked.

“Because there’s another role he needs to fill. I think Damon should be on the Council.”

“What? That’s insane,” Damon all but shouted.

“Why? Tell me. You just finished saying you were trying to make the packs—all of them—a better place. As the First, you’re limited to one group of people—yours. As a member of the council, you would be helping to make things right for everyone.”

“But I’m not a politician!”

“No, you aren’t. And maybe that’s what’s needed. You have experience as the leader of one of the largest and richest packs around. You never held office, but you already know a majority of that stuff, and you could learn the rest easily enough. Plus, you have a backbone of steel. No one walks on you or makes you do what they want—Cece not included, of course. Think about it.”

“But who’d be the First for our pack?”

From the shadows stepped Wiley. “I would.”

Damon’s eyes widened. “But you’re still so young.”

“You told Mal I would have advisors, plus I’ll have George. And I was never really keen on seeing the world. I want to make our pack grow, to show them that being gay isn’t an impediment to being a leader. To have them learn that a First mate—whether male or female—is able to shower their pack with love.”

“Wiley, I?—”

“You know he’s right, Damon.” Mal and Alp walked into the room together. “You’d be perfect for the council. We need you there, fighting for all of us. When you found out people were missing, you stepped up and made their safety a priority. Wald pack wouldn’t exist without your foresight. How many others out there could use someone like that?”

Damon turned to Cece. “What do you think?’

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