Page 28 of Remy & the Wildcat

“Sounds good,” Remy said.

“Who will help you with the ceremony?” Liam asked.

Thyme grimaced. The tradition was for the mother to help with the planning and be involved in the actual ceremony. Hard pass on that.

“I’ll have Dana help.”

He nodded with a smile. “Keep me posted.”

They said goodbye to Liam and headed to her house to meet with Dana.

“I’m still angry about what Leif did, but I’m sure Liam is right and Jacob won’t try to rein in his behavior.”

“What do the laws actually say about challenging for the position of alpha?” Remy asked.

“Oh hell, I haven’t read them since I was a kid, let me think.” She thought over the pride laws she’d read as a kid at her father’s insistence. “I don’t ever recall reading anything about the younger one being allowed to bully the eldest. Honestly it doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not?”

“Because what would he gain by harassing us except to piss us off? I can’t just walk away and let him lead, even if I wanted to. I’m the rightful heir. There can be no other alpha unless I’m unmated on the next full moon, then I’d have to face him in an alpha fight, winner takes all.”

“The challenge is moot, right?” he asked. “You and I are mated.”

“It should be,” she said, “which is why I don’t get why he came after us last night. He had to know that we’d mark and mate each other, setting into motion us taking over as the alpha pair. I gave up trying to figure him out a long time ago. I’m ready to be alpha, I was just waiting for you. I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.”

She looked down at her hands and the scars on her knuckles from fighting before she was old enough to shift. Her dad had made sure she could defend herself in her human form and in her wildcat form.

His seatbelt unclicked followed by hers, and he put his arm around her. She leaned into him, inhaling his woodsy, masculine scent. “The good news is that you have me, sweetheart. I might have rescued you from the wolves that were chasing you, but you’re no damsel in distress. I’m sure as hell not going to let anything happen to you. No matter what he throws at us, we stand together. Period.”

“Okay.”

He snorted. “I said all that and all I get is ‘okay’?”

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “It was a good speech. Really. I’m just thinking. I’d like to get the pride history and law books to re-read them, and so you can read them too.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. You can read out loud while I drive us around to the towns after we chat with Dana.”

“Perfect.”

“Where are the books? Do we need to get them from somewhere?”

“They’re on the bookshelf.”

They got out and met at the front of the truck. He gave her a curious look. “The smutty bookshelf or the clean one?”

Rolling her eyes, she laughed. “The clean one.”

“Ah.” He winked and grinned at her.

That male was going to keep her on her toes, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Remy flipped the visor down as the setting sun hit a spot in the sky that was blinding him with its intensity. He was exhausted to the core from driving around all day, but the good news was that he and Thyme had found a town that seemed perfect for the pride.

Copper Creek was a mere twenty minutes east of Allen and almost forty minutes northeast of Marin. The town was mostly abandoned save for a few families that had stuck it out long after the mill, which had been the main source of the town’s income, had gone out of business. Among the few residents was the mayor, who’d been elected to the office after her husband, the previous mayor, had passed away. The town had been founded by her husband’s family and she hadn’t wanted to leave it.

There were abandoned homes, plenty of woods and wildlife, and several businesses that could be restarted, including a diner, garage, and small market.

Remy yawned as he pulled to a stop in front of the town hall.

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