Page 16 of Remy & the Wildcat

“Well, I’m happy to send you any recipes and offer you advice whenever you need it. My mom’s a great cook, and the girls are too. It’s a family heritage.”

Remy helped Thyme fill her plate with a wedge of ham and cheese quiche, thick slices of french toast, fresh fruit salad, and several slices of brown sugar dusted bacon.

“Save room for cinnamon rolls,” Karly said. “Brenna made them.”

His oldest sister smiled but didn’t say anything.

His sisters were all different. Brenna was a lot like his mom: great in the kitchen, always wanting to take care of everyone. Dakota was the middle daughter, and she loved to fix things and make things, she was always helping their dad at the garage or building something. She’d made him a shelf system for the RV so his supplies didn’t go flying while he was driving. And then there was Kendall, the youngest, who was a little rebellious and could be grumpy. He wondered if it was because she was anxious to get out on the road and find her truemate.

While they ate, Thyme shared her story with his family, who all listened intently. They asked questions periodically and then shared their stories with her too. He was so thankful to have such a welcoming and warm family.

“So you have three brothers and they’re all alphas, but your dad isn’t alpha?” Thyme asked his mom.

“Yes and no,” she said. “My brothers are all alphas of their own packs. My mom is an Angel Mate and my dad is high ranked in the pack. My dad could have been alpha, he was strong and a great leader, but he was loyal to Krayne, they grew up together. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be, too. Like in our pack, Jason is the alpha, his brother, Michael, is his number two, and the others, including Linus, all grew up together.”

“Except for Logan,” Brenna said. “He came in and fought for rank, right?”

“Yep,” Linus said. “People leave and join packs, they can change from time to time if the alpha allows it.”

After the cinnamon rolls, they said goodbye, promising to stop back after checking in with Alpha Jason.

“At least you’re going to be close,” Karly said as she and Linus walked them to the door. “I worried you’d end up on the other side of the country or something.”

“Fate really was on my side last night.” Remy smiled at his mate and she gave him a sweet one back.

He opted to take his truck out of his parents’ garage where he’d stored it while he’d been traveling, instead of driving to the alphas’ home on his motorcycle since he only had one helmet.

“They’re really down to earth,” he said once they’d arrived and were walking up the front steps. “I’ve met some other alphas and they can be power-hungry or arrogant, but Jason and Cades aren’t like that at all.”

“Good to know,” Thyme said. “I’m still nervous about meeting them.”

The front door swung open and Cades smiled at them. “Don’t be! I promise we don’t bite. Come on in and welcome.”

They followed Jason and Cades into the front room, where Remy introduced his mate to the alphas. They sat and Cades offered them food and drink, which they declined.

“So, first we wanted to say welcome to Allen and congratulations on finding each other,” Cades said. “And we’re very sorry you were chased by some of our young males.”

“Thanks,” Thyme said. “I’m sure they didn’t realize I was a shifter.”

“They didn’t, but it doesn’t excuse their behavior,” Cades said.

“Right,” Jason said. “We’ve got expectations for our people and those males, even though they’re young, didn’t act up to snuff. As punishment, they’ve been put on guard duty during the next full moon and won’t be allowed to hunt.”

“I didn’t want anyone to get into trouble,” Thyme said with a grimace.

Remy gave her hand a squeeze.

“What if you’d gotten hurt? They should have realized you were a shifter even if they’d never seen a wildcat before.”

“Exactly,” Jason said. “We’re going to change things going forward, and now the younger wolves will have to have an experienced hunter with them to make sure they don’t do anything stupid.”

Remy nodded. Jason and Cades were great alphas. He’d grown up in their pack, been friends with their kids, and learned a lot about running a pack from them. His own father wasn’t alpha, Linus was fourth-ranked, but he had uncles who were alphas and had taught him a lot as well.

One thing he’d realized while he’d talked to Thyme about the wildcat pride, was that for her people, the alphas were a true pair with equal authority. The male wasn’t more important than the female, or vice versa. Unlike the wolf pack, where the alpha male was the ultimate authority.

Thyme explained to the alphas how she’d come to unknowingly cross into the pack’s territory.

“It’s really amazing,” Cades said. “You were just running on instinct and looking for a new home for your pride, and you found your truemate!”

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