Page 7 of Secrets and Ruin

“Yes, sir,” he said very softly, looking away from us. “I’m glad Dirk is safe.”

“Apology accepted,” Heath said with finality, then stood. “If you want to mope, then mope. I’m going to continue checking in with the other members of the pack.”

“I’ll join you for dinner… if you’ll have me,” Landon said, like a boy who knew if he stepped over the line again, he was going to get a wooden spoon to his knuckles or an old-school ass whooping.

I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it.

“You’re always welcome at my home for any reason,” I said quickly, then stood and walked out. Heath said something, but I didn’t listen. Landon was always welcome at my table, and even though Heath lived with me, it was stillmytable.

I got into Heath’s truck and waited ten minutes for him to meet me there.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

“You really snapped at Landon, and I didn’t like it,” I said, not holding back because that wasn’t how Heath and I did things. He wanted my honest opinion, and I gave it to him. “He seemed like a kid for a minute, ready to get spanked.”

“Ah… it wasn’t that, but I guess our relationship would make it….” With a sigh, Heath turned down the next road, heading for the next home. “He’s my second, and he crossed a line. His response to me was a werewolf showing enough submission I wasn’t going to snap again.”

“I can handle my own with Landon. You don’t need—”

“No, I don’t need to, Jacky, but at the end of the day, he’s my son. I’ll be damned if he hurts you because his head is too far shoved up his own ass. He was pushing too hard on a discussion that doesn’t involve him. While you can absolutely handle your own against my son in a verbal debate, I wasn’t in the mood. I asked him to drop it, and he didn’t. I put my foot down. It was insulting. You and I both know you don’t let your family treat you poorly.

“We both know you fight against them at every chance because you want to prove yourself to them, but most of them keep pushing you back down. I certainly wasn’t going to let him say you haven’t done enough or anything about Hasan. It’s not your job or responsibility to make Hasan think, feel, or believe anything. You aren’t responsible for making him change. You stand your ground, and he digs his heels in the mud.”

I didn’t know how to reply to any of that. Family matters were complicated.

“Who are we checking on next?” I asked as we drove.

“Teagan while all the kids are in class. The boys are ours after classes today, so we’ll see them later. Teagan has some work coming up that will keep him in Dallas for a few nights, so I want to check in with him about who he’s taking with him. Plus, after Landon, I’d like to be around his energy.”

“Shit, that’s right. Has he picked his protection?” None of the werewolves left the territory without at least one other werewolf as backup, and usually, it was two or three. We let them pick their groups, and if Heath wasn’t satisfied, he would add another, just in case.

“Shamus, Ranger, and Fenris,” he answered.

I didn’t like the idea of those three today. Shamus was Heath’s third, a fun-loving father. His two adult children were also members of the pack. Ranger was our resident disabled werewolf, missing a leg, thanks to me.

Fenris was… Fenris. He always went with Teagan to the office when Teagan needed to go. It worked well for them, giving Fenris some time out of my territory with a werewolf he would rely on.

But this is an overnight trip… What would happen if Shamus wanted to take everyone to a bar for a fun night out? Fenris could start a brawl, and Ranger would be totally into it. Teagan isn’t dominant enough to stop any of them, and if someone accidentally hurt Teagan, we could see bodies piling up.

It was three werewolves I would never put together in a room for Teagan’s protection. Their temperaments didn’t match, and with werewolves, that could be a disaster. There was only one way for it to be an even worse mix of werewolves.

“Maybe you should send Landon and make it a real party,” I mumbled, feeling chaotic.

Heath had the balls to laugh as if it wasn’t the most terrifying thing the pack could muster.

4

CHAPTER FOUR

After he was done laughing, Heath wiped his eyes while he kept trying to drive.

“You’re right, and I already made some adjustments, I promise,” he said, still holding back laughter as he tried to speak. “You asked if he had picked his protection, and those were who he picked.”

“What changes did you make? I know I don’t technically run the pack or anything, but….”

“It’s fine. I let him keep Fenris because he wants Fenris. Teagan knows he’s calming enough on the mad wolf to let him off his leash sometimes, and I won’t deny that Teagan is really good with him. We’re going to be talking to him later today, too.”

“It was wild to find out he spoke German….” I admitted.

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