Page 67 of Broken Chains

The ironic part was that Thomas and Luke worked really well together. It had been an eye-opener seeing how truly similar our kind was, when my entire life I’d been raised to hate the Colliers and told how different they were from Larkens. I knew it had all been lies and just a personal vendetta against them coming from Jedidiah.

“You okay?” Cruz asked, coming to sit beside me on the couch.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m good. Thanks for sticking by us through this. Honestly, you’re about the last person I expected this from.”

He shrugged. “We’ve had our differences. I was wrong. I know I terrorized you growing up. Honestly, the fact that you never seemed to give a shit or react to anything I said or did only spurred me on, but I was wrong.”

“Thanks for that. And trust me, I wanted to kick your ass on more than one occasion,” I confessed, laughing.

“Yeah? Why didn’t you? I would have deserved it.”

I looked out across the room to where my brothers were camped out on air mattresses. I nodded in their direction. ‘Them. I was all they had and there was no way in hell I was leaving them alone with my old man. I couldn’t afford to get into any serious trouble.”

He gave me a disgusted look. “You were just a kid yourself. You never should have been put in that position.”

I shrugged. “Life sucks sometimes, but you deal with the cards you’re dealt. I don’t regret anything. Brady has his moments of concern, but I really couldn’t be prouder of the three of them.”

Peyton walked into the room just then. It was the first time I’d seen her without Eve in her arms for more than twenty-four hours, not that I blamed her. I grinned. “I think my life turned out just fine in the end.”

Cruz followed my line of sight and genuinely smiled. “I’m really happy for you, man. She may be a Collier and all, but it’s easy to see how fiercely protective and in love she is with you, Eve, and your brothers.”

I nodded. “Best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Collier was talking to me today about a job out at the dairy,” Cruz said, and I turned my full attention back to him.

“He managed to work out a truce with Luke then?”

“Sounding like it. It’ll be on a probationary trial period at first. We only have twenty-three shifters in pack, so it’ll be only a dozen or so extra men but should be enough for the expansion he has planned.”

“Do you think the guys will take the offer?” I asked.

“I don’t know. A few will probably stubbornly refuse it on principle, but I know there’s also some talk about them merging Larken back into Collier.”

I looked at him in shock. “You serious?”

“It’s possible, with Luke taking a strong Beta role in the pack.”

“How do you feel about that?”

He shrugged. “Most of those who had a grudge initially are gone. Many of the elders know they were wrong and arrogant to follow Jedidiah to begin with. I don’t think it would be easy, but it will likely be the best thing to happen to our pack. We’ll see. Baby steps for now.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Let’s see if we can all actually work together without issues arising.”

“Exactly. And hey, Thomas offered me a supervisor position. Said it was your idea.” He looked at me like he couldn’t understand why.

“He offered it to me first,” I said smugly.

“You turned it down?” he asked. “Why?”

“Not planning on being there for long. It’s just an interim paycheck while I get my own business up and running. Peyton’s idea, but the more I think about it, the more I think I can make it work.”

“Woodworking?” Cruz surprised me by asking.

“Actually, yes. Why would you say that?”

He shrugged. “You were always building stuff. You and your brothers had the coolest shit because of it. Another reason I hated you.”

I shook my head. “I honestly didn’t think anyone ever noticed.”

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