Page 34 of An Unending Claim

I wasn’t sure what it said about me that I found her commanding attitude the sexiest, but I didn’t care. The scene made me think of the future, of Peyton and I cooking with our daughter, and maybe a couple other pups. It was a glimpse of a life I would fight fang and claw to have. It put a whole new spin on a day of gratitude.

The warmth spread through me, thawing my cold heart and hardened emotions.

When Peyton and I woke up this morning, she’d informed me that she was going to go help my mom with all the prep for our Thanksgiving meal.

I’d intended to hole up in my office for a few hours and work, but Tanner had texted shortly after my mate left. Geoff’s family was being even more insistent, demanding to know the details surrounding his death. And Tanner had pointed out that I still hadn’t confronted Ephraim, though he didn’t press it because he knew I’d attempted it a few times, but had always backed off before speaking with him. I didn’t know how to shut off the rage inside me. Being a stoic and pragmatic man, always in control of my emotions, this was a completely foreign situation.

My reactions to Peyton had been shocking, the way she incited highs and lows in my mood, causing me to lose my patience and temper. It was unexpected and I was still adjusting to it. But, in over two millennia, I hadn’t found another person who could cause me such turmoil.

My only explanation was that my emotions and actions toward Ephraim were burning so fucking hot because my wolf and I viewed him as a threat to our mate. In fact, the majority of my uncontrollable anger came directly from my animal. Just like with his claim on Peyton, his view of Ephraim was simple and basic. He saw the enforcer as a threat that needed to be eliminated, and his single-minded focus wasn’t helping me to keep a level head.

However, it was time to wrestle my animal back and take complete control. We needed to get this done and move forward.

So I asked Geoff’s parents, Beatrice and Greg, to come to my house. They hadn’t accepted that he’d been another random shifter killing like the others because the facts hadn’t matched up. I would never lie to a member of my pack unless the truth put their life in immediate danger, which meant I’d been vague in my explanation. Now they wanted real answers and I knew I couldn’t shield them, or Peyton, from the truth any longer. If Peyton was to be Alpha female, she couldn’t hold a secret like this from her family. It would eat her alive and eventually her guilt would cause a rift of mistrust.

The reality was that I wouldn’t accept anything less than Peyton by my side, so as much as it pained me to burden a grieving family, they would have to make a choice. If they were angry at Peyton about what happened and wanted me to force her to leave, they would find themselves packing their own bags instead. I didn’t like the thought—they were good people—but Peyton came first. Always.

I should have known better than to prepare for the worst, though. Geoff’s parents didn’t jump to conclusions, toss out accusations, or throw a fit of rage. They listened to what I had to say, waiting until my explanation was done to ask clarifying questions.

Beatrice silently cried throughout, but when I finished, she wiped her tears and held her head high. “I understand why you were hesitant to tell us everything. I can’t promise it will be easy to see your mate, at least for a while, but her actions were done out of mercy. I don’t doubt that, and I’m grateful that she freed him from his pain.”

I nodded, accepting their thanks on Peyton’s behalf, as well as giving them assurance that I bore no ill will over her comment about Peyton being difficult to see. Even without blame, Peyton was an acute reminder to Geoff’s parents that he was gone, and I didn’t begrudge them the time to come to terms with it, as long as it didn’t fester into something ugly.

Greg cleared his throat and took his mate’s hand. “You’ll find out who murdered my son?”

“I give you my word. Eventually, I will know who’s behind this, and why it’s happening. And when I do, they will wish I’d simply hunted them down like the rabid dogs they are.”

Greg lifted his chin in acknowledgment, then gently guided his mate from the room.

Their attitude reminded me why this pack meant so much to me. No one was perfect, and bad seeds existed everywhere, but the majority of my pack mates were honorable and open-minded.

Speaking of dishonorable, bad seeds… I’d left Ephraim’s actions out of the conversation with Geoff’s parents as it had no bearing on his death. But it was time to deal with Ephraim.

Before driving out to his cabin, I meditated and calmed my wolf, convincing him to stay in check and let me handle things rationally. When I was no longer flooded with the effects of my animal’s emotions, I looked at things from logical angles. Ephraim was broken. He’d returned home from the service with his body intact, but his heart shredded and his mind nearly consumed with anger. In order to help him cope, I’d forced him to get some help, and it had done some good, though he remained angry, suspicious, and volatile. However, he’d never directed his negativity toward his pack mates, never hurt anyone. In fact, he barely spoke anymore. After I’d talked with him and eventually convinced him to open up, he’d shared some of his history, though I didn’t know it all. But his honesty and clear loyalty to his pack and family had prompted me to offer him a position as an enforcer. I’d encouraged him to funnel his anger into his training and hone his skills as a tracker.

We’d grown close as brothers, as I was with all of my enforcers, and before Peyton arrived, he’d never given me a single reason to doubt him. Now he’d broken my trust, and I didn’t foresee any way for him to earn it back. Without his position, I worried that he would have no anchor, nothing keeping him from losing his humanity and shifting for good. And, although I was fucking furious at him, he was still my brother. My pack mate. And, as I was his Alpha, my responsibility.

The more I’d thought about my task, the more time I’d spent paying close attention to Ephraim through the pack link. I was tempted to dig into his mind, but even with what he’d done, I wouldn’t violate his privacy unless it was an extreme emergency. Besides, I felt his sorrow clearly. I knew he’d been acting on instinct and regretted his actions. I’d been too angry to accept that before, but knowing the time had come to deal with him, I’d pushed away the fury so I could see things from my normal perspective. Objective, logical, methodical. Acting impulsively would jeopardize my position as Alpha, as well as the head of the Councils. Ephraim was a perfect example of what could happen when someone was ruled by their emotions.

I’d never seen him look lost, but when he opened the door to his cabin, that was the word that best fit his countenance. I’d almost changed my mind and put guards on his house, but had chosen not to because I felt his desire to be alone, and I knew he wouldn’t leave without permission. His loyalty to me had never been in question. It was his lack of respect for his Alpha female that had been the problem. I would normally see that as a lack of trust, but once I calmed down, I knew that wasn’t the case with Ephraim. The darkness in him colored his perspective of others. He was suspicious and extremely reserved, even more so with people he didn’t know and, as in Peyton’s case, people who were keeping heavy secrets from his Alpha. Being blindsided was a phobia he’d developed while in the service, and it was a major reason he was so standoffish with people.

“Alpha,” he greeted, his shoulders hunched and his head hung low in a sign of respect.

“Let’s talk.”

He stepped aside so I could enter, then led me to a seating area on the opposite side of the room from his bed. When he returned home, he’d purchased this small, one-room cabin in a more remote area, but still at the edge of the lake. He was nearly as big as me, so his choice seemed odd to me. Until I realized that he liked being able to see every corner of his home at all times, but also, he spent the majority of his time as a wolf.

I sat in a recliner by the stone fireplace and waited for Ephraim to take a seat. However, he didn’t make a move toward the couch. Instead, he paced behind it as if he couldn’t stand to be still. He reminded me of Rowan. The woman was a ball of energy and always moving. Always. It was exhausting just watching her.

The difference was that Ephraim’s need to pace was coming from his fear. He was trying not to project his thoughts, but his anxiety was so strong, I couldn’t help feeling it.

“I’m not going to exile you, Ephraim.” I hoped telling him that right off the bat would calm his nerves.

I was right. His steps slowed and some of the tension in his shoulders loosened.

“You know how much I regret my actions,” he said, finally looking me in the eye.

I didn’t bother acknowledging it since we both knew it was true.

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