Page 56 of Redeemed Wolf

“I know. I’m so, so sorry, baby.”

I wiped my cheeks of the fresh tears. I’d cried enough for a lifetime, and I couldn’t blame it all on hormones. “So…” I began, sniffing as I leaned back to look at Silas. “I’m pregnant?”

His nose wrinkled as he scrunched his face up. “Uh, so, I meant to tell you about that, but it just didn’t seem like a good time.” He wasn’t wrong. I’d been handed a whole lot of information in a short period of time. Learning about shifters and that I was one of them was just the tip of the iceberg.

Eric had called my baby a monstrosity, but I knew better than that. They were made with love. I placed my hand over my abdomen, imagining them growing inside. “So I guess that was what my wolf was trying to tell me? Pup, he said.” I thought of his smug reaction to the #1 Dad mug, and it suddenly made more sense. “He totally knew the whole time, didn’t he.”

Silas’s chuckle vibrated through me, doing more to heal my wounds than any band-aid. “Oh yeah, he knew.”

My wolf had been quiet, almost like he could sense that I needed some time alone with my thoughts. When I searched inward, though, he was there, warm and comforting, greeting me with the equivalent of a tail wag and a face lick.

“Will you… help me meet him?” I asked Silas, uncertain if that was the right terminology. “I want to learn how to shift.”

“Of course. Whenever you want, I’ll be glad to help.” His smile turned shy. “Honestly, I’m a little nervous about meeting him myself. He’s like your overprotective brother. I just hope he likes me.”

“Are you kidding?” I asked, nuzzling into his neck to kiss the mark I’d left. “He already loves you. Almost as much as I do.”

Chapter 23

Silas

It was late bythe time we’d put the town back to rights. I invited everyone to stay the night in Overlands, and they readily agreed. They were exhausted, and the pups were all fine to stay with Joe and Jesse in the city for one more night. We could’ve found other beds for them to use, in spare rooms or even Samson’s now-vacant cabin, but we all felt a need to stay close to each other. Nobody wanted to be spread out around town. Instead, without asking, they all opted to stay with me. I offered up my old room in the back, but even that was too much distance for them right now.

They all shifted into wolves (and one panther) and bedded down right there in the middle of the living room floor in a pile of fur and lolling tongues. Morgan, the only human, lay against Jude, digging his fingers into his fur with a relieved sigh.

If I thought three was a crowd, this was next-level intrusive. I grabbed Carter’s hand and dragged him to my bedroom, shutting them out. Then I turned my attention to my mate.“Arms up,” I said, grabbing the hem of his shirt and peeling the torn fabric off. I’d get him something clean to wear if I didn’t insist on having him naked in my bed.

Stripped down, I crawled under the blanket and dragged Carter flush against me. Fatigue pulled me down quickly, but just before I drifted off, I heard Carter whisper, “What did Shan mean about not letting Vesta’s sacrifice go to waste? He looked at you like he meant something.”

I traced idle patterns over his skin with my fingertips, my eyelids too heavy to keep open. “Our packs haven’t always seen eye to eye. But Vesta… she was the link between us. Without her, it would be too easy for a rift to form, for our differences to lead to disputes. Shan wants to make a pact.”

“Does that mean we’re staying in Overlands?” he asked.

I wasn’t sure how to answer that yet.

We returned to GrimWilds the next day to put Vesta to rest. With everyone from Overlands that came to pay their respects, as well as a few from the nearby packs of Bowser and Dusk Fall, there was hardly room to move in the clearing. In the center, we’d built a pyre to cremate Vesta’s body.

Joe and Jesse had brought the pups back, and as soon as I’d seen Pax, I realized he already knew she was gone. In fact, he’d probably known it was going to happen long before it did. I thought back to their tearful goodbye. The child was destined to be our next shaman, though he was nowhere near ready. He’d been born with the sight, and Vesta had done what she could to train him, but from here on out, the poor kid would be learning on his own. It broke my heart. At least he had support from his pack. I knew they’d watch out for him.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the place as Tristan stepped forward with a torch. Vesta’s body was lovingly wrapped in muslin, a bundle of wildflowers the pups had picked laid over her breast.

Tristan paused, head bowed. “Vesta was the heart and soul of these woods,” he said, his voice ragged. “She helped deliver nearly everyone here. She offered advice, whether we wanted it or not, and healing even when we didn’t know what was wrong. She was our grandmother, in love if not in blood. But before she belonged to us, she belonged to her mate. To her children and grandchildren. And today, we will return her to them, with thanks for letting us keep her for so long.”

I could feel his reluctance, his regret, as he lowered the torch to the base of the pyre. It was never easy to say goodbye one last time, but there was no other option. We could not turn back time. The flames leapt up, licking the wood and catching the muslin on fire. Tristan returned to his family’s side, and Dylan and Pax held him tight, offering each other what comfort they could.

No one spoke over the sound of crackling flames. Carter hadn’t known her well, but he cried right along with the rest of us, bearing the burden of grief. As the wood turned to ash, Vesta’s body returning to the earth, the crowd began to thin. Until all that remained were the Grim Wilds pack.

And me.

Carter gave my hand a squeeze and stepped back, letting me have a moment alone.

Tristan approached me slowly, coming to stand by my side. Shoulder to shoulder. I didn’t think we’d ever gone this long without insulting each other before.

He sighed. “All right, fine. You can be in the pack,” Tristan said, drying his cheeks. “But you can’t be Beta. I’m Beta. You’re not even in line for Beta. In fact, you’re last in line. Even behindthe pups.” I caught his sad smile from the corner of my eye. I appreciated the offer more than he would ever know.

This was what I’d wanted. It was the reason I’d gone to Fairhome in the first place, what I’d put my life at risk for. But… now that it had been offered, it just didn’t feel right anymore.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the dying coals, my emotions guarded. “Maybe I wasn’t the best Alpha for my pack, but I think I can do better.”

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