Randy blinked hard, not wanting the sheer relief, gratitude, or the love and adoration he felt for Rome to be seen as weakness.
“I swear,” Randy’s voice rang out. “That I, Randy, will always be loyal to the Hunter pack. The members shall be my family, and I will treat them as such. The alpha and his brothers will be my alpha and brothers. I will stand strong with my pack and fight when necessary for the survival of the pack. What happens on pack land stays on pack land. I will bring any problems I have to the Alpha and his brothers for conflict resolution. Finally, my heart and my soul will reside with the pack that I call home. I’m proud to be a member of this pack.” He sat down with the first smile on his face, sensing Malcolm stumbled upon their pack. He had renewed his vow, and his heart felt lighter.
“That is the oath each of you swore. If your allegiance has changed, or you wish to no longer be part of the pack, stand, I will release you of your oath.” Rome waited for three minutes for anyone to decide to leave. When no one stood, he went to the next piece of business.
“Malcolm, please come up.” Rome watched his pack shudder and retreat into themselves as the teenager came to stand by him. He wrapped his arms around Malcolm, welcoming him as family. “When my son came to our pack, several of you shunned him. Many of you may say it was at the word of Brittany. She is not and shall never be the alpha mate.”
Rome stood silently as what he said registered to his pack. His eyes went from person to person looking for the one who was the snake in the grass.
“Your son?” someone in the pack said.
“My son. My alpha mate and I have adopted him and made him ours. To ignore him or to shun him is a reflection on our family.” He reached out and took Amelia’s hand as they surrounded Malcolm.
Saul stood in front of them.
“Malcolm,” Saul said, his voice loud and clear. “The alpha and alpha mate, Rome and Amelia, have taken you into their heart and home. They consider you a son, their firstborn. Are you ready to become their son and the heir apparent?”
Before Malcolm could speak, three men stormed to the top of the pit screaming.
Chapter Twenty-six
All eyes focused onthe three men standing at the top of the hillside.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Rome stood in front of his family, protecting them. There was a small breeze that brought the scent of the intruders down. One alpha and two betas.
Malcolm pushed his mother behind him to become a second shield protecting her. Amelia grumbled that she was older and wiser but allowed her son the privilege of shielding her.
“We have come to prevent this travesty of justice,” the alpha said. He was wearing a black bespoke suit that showed off his muscular form and declared him as someone of importance.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Ian. I am part of the shifter council, the one you pay no heed to.”
“The council that believes we don’t deserve representation because we were not born shifters. Is that the council you speak of?”
“It may have been that way in the beginning, but we govern all shifters, and that includes this pack.”
“No one governs my pack. I am alpha and no one can overrule my word except a majority of my brothers.” They set that up in the beginning to keep any one of them from going rogue, due to loneliness.
“Why are you here and who brought us to your attention?” It was either Brittany or the mole within their midst who was hiding in plain sight.
“That’s classified information,” Ian said.
“Then you have no right to be here. You’re three people who stumbled onto private land.”
“You may want to hear what the council has to say before you eject us.”
“Speak, but mind your words. This is my pack and I will not have you insulting them or threatening to harm them.”
“It has come to our notice that you have an omega hiding among you, as well as a half-blood who is also seeking sanctuary. They have been condemned to death after they appear in front of the council. Turn them over and we will leave peacefully.”
“Are you referring to my alpha mate and my son?” Rome asked casually, taking in the two beta guards surrounding Ian.
“How could you take an omega as a mate?” Ian’s voice conveyed that he didn’t understand how Rome could do such a thing.
“She is my fated mate and I won’t be turning Amelia or Malcolm over to you.”
“There is no such thing.” If fated mates were real, Ian would have found his long ago.