Page 95 of Reclaiming Home

“I know. Thanks again.”

“Tell Rian and everyone else I said hi. Bye!”

“Bye!”

When I ended the call and gave the others my full attention, they all looked more or less stunned.

“What?” I asked, confused.

Without saying anything, they piled on top of me for hugs. Even Holden leaned closer to get his hand to my knee through the rest of the cuddlers and squeezed.

“You’re the best Alpha,” Kye stated.

I didn’t have time to object, when the others all agreed with him, loudly.

The happiness inside me felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

I grunted when someone kneed me in the gut and I got elbowed in the neck, but I wouldn’t have changed the moment for anything.

“Now I’ll just smoothly drop that information where the Sheriff can hear it and I think we’re done,” Holden mused. Then he frowned. “I got a feeling he doesn’t like me, so I think there’ll be more trouble in the future, but at least we can relax with the pack things.”

“We’re here for you, Holden,” Kye promised solemnly, even though he was smiling a little. “Nobody gets left behind.”

“Ohana!” Carys squealed too close to my ear, making me yelp.

The next day, Holden went to meet Sheriff Gerrell to inform him about how these criminals had been trying to intimidate the McRae pack, but hadn’t quite succeeded. He said that the good sheriff had tried his best to appear surprised and upset on our behalf, but hadn’t quite managed to hide how pissed off he was. It had only intensified when Holden had told him that there was a will being filed as they spoke, and that there was now no way anyone could take the property for themselves.

He’d left Gerrell in his office with a vein throbbing in his forehead while he grimaced, trying to smile politely.

Holden started the drive back to his own station and called me on the way.

“So that’s handled,” he said in a tone that was so self-satisfied I laughed.

“Holy shit. I almost wish I could’ve been there to see his expression.” I grinned as I listened to him with Kye standing next to me.

We were outside, looking at the spot where the barn had been, and I had Holden on speaker.

“You’re the best, Holden,” Kye said cheerily.

I could tell Holden felt pleased by the praise. His tone was quieter and almost shy when he replied, “Thank you. I’ll talk to you later!”

“So, chickens?” I asked Kye when I’d put the phone away.

Carys joined us. “Can we have, like, ducks or geese?”

“Geese are evil,” Kye and I said at the same time.

“Okay, but ducks? They’re cute and not scary.”

“As long as it doesn’t evolve into bunnies and mini pigs and whatnot,” I grumbled, having heard too many stories of people giving into their spouses or kids.

“I can have a cat though, right?” Carys beamed at me with feigned innocence.

“Chickens and ducks in the spring. Cat for your birthday in December,” Kye said firmly.

She hugged us both, then ran back inside. “Lina, I’m getting a cat!”

We were almost done with the winter preparations. The storage room was filled to the brim with my stuff and a bunch of Rian’s.

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