Page 20 of A Breath of Fresh Air

“Are you gonna join Van’s pack?”

I let out a surprised laugh, shoulders slumping. “How’d you know I was thinking about it?”

She shrugs. “Nan said.”

“I didn’ttellNan anything.”

She gives me a look that hascome on, Dad, written all over it. “She’s your mum. She knows everything.”

“Yeah? You’re probably right.”

She nods, and I can’t help grinning. She’s a smart girl, my Alice, and never afraid to make sure you know it.

“So are you?” she asks.

“It depends. I wanted to talk to you about it. The decision impacts you, doesn’t it?”

She’s quiet for a moment, drawing shapes in the sand between us. “Steve is a nice guy but he doesn’t seem like my alpha anymore,” she says eventually. “My wolf wants to listen to Van more than Steve.”

“Really?” That’s news to me. Alice has met Van more than a dozen times now since she’s with us on the weekends, and we often go up to the vineyard for dinner.

She nods. “Is that okay?”

She looks up at me. With the sun now set, her pupils shine. I know mine are the same.

“It’s more than okay, kiddo,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She cuddles into my side, still my little girl. It's bittersweet knowing she’ll be a teenager soon enough and will probably want less and less to do with me. That’s why the pack is so important; her support system will be more than just her mum, myself, and Amaia.

“Van will say yes, right?”

“He will. He’s a good alpha. It’s gonna work out well for everyone.”

Ellie is waitingfor us when we pull down the private driveway that snakes behind the vineyard. Amaia is full of nervous energy — we haven’t told Ellie or Van anything while we’ve been away — and she flashes me a wide-eyed smile before jumping out as soon as I park in front of the house.

“Oh my god!” Ellie screeches, spotting the ring on Amaia’s finger. “Wait ’tilKorosees!” Alice leans over my shoulder, getting a better look through the windscreen at them hugging.

“She’s excited.”

“Yeah, I knew she would be. She loves her mum. You ready?” I ask, spotting Van walking down from the vineyard’s main building, wearing one of his business suits. It’s a weekday, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already taken a helicopter to the city and back again before noon. I still find it hard to wrap my headaround the wealth that Ellie and Van have. It’s not something I took into mind when I thought about switching packs, but I won’t deny that it’s reassuring to know your alpha has a lot of money in the bank for pack emergencies.

“Yeah, I guess.”

I reach over and pat her shoulder. If I’m nervous, Alice must be too. “Come on kiddo. We’ll be fine.”

I climb out, waiting for Alice to do the same, and we stand in front of the ute, waiting. Van stops still as he reaches us, his eyes growing wide for a moment as he senses the change in my daughter and I.

Alpha,my wolf says, and I am hit by how right it feels.

Yes, pack.The sound of his wolf in my head is unexpected, but not unwelcome. For a moment there’s nothing else but the connection between myself and my new alpha, ringing clear like a bell in my mind, and then I’m hit by them all, the rest of the pack, faint butthere. Including Alice.

A wolf’s howl splits through the air, and I recognise the voice immediately. It’s Lacey, our pack second, welcoming us.

The first thing I notice when the fog of it all clears from my head is the sound of sniffling. Amaia and her daughter are both wiping away tears, both grinning like fools. “You’re home,” Ellie says.

Amaia steps into my arms, and I kiss the top of her head.

I am.

AMAIA

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