Page 88 of Black Moon

“I understand,” I said when she finally dropped her hand. “What can I do?”

With a blustering sigh, she dropped elbows onto the bar and propped her head in her hands. “I can do the job. That’s not a problem. It’s not going to be a problem.”

“Okay.”

If Claudia needed to take care of herself, Linden would understand that—the whole pack would. But with their support and Birch’s, there was no reason to think anything would go wrong and she’d need to step back.

“But I’m worried,” she admitted. “I can take care of myself. Can take care of Birch too. But Linden’s new to this, and—you know him. He’s not going to be the teeth of this whole outfit. He’ll need support.”

I nodded. “Well, he has you, and the pack, and—”

“He needs a partner,” she said flatly. “Somebody at his side who can look out for him. I’ve got Birch. But Junie, bless her, isn’t going to mollycoddle her big brother. And Rowan’s got his own stuff going on. I don’t want Linden to feel alone in this if I ever have to pull back. If something goes wrong.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong, Claud.”

“I know. But if it does, he needs someone he can trust. He’s not the kind of wolf who’ll reach out when he needs help, but I don’t think you’d make him.”

“Are you...asking me to stay, as the alpha’s mate?”

Claudia grinned toothily. “Want me to get down on one knee?”

I blinked at her. “If you weren’t, you know, in the family way—”

“You are not as subtle as you think you are,” she griped.

“—I would push you off that stool right now. You can’t ask me that! Hell, he hasn’t even asked me that.”

“Yeah, because you’re big-city Colt with your big-city dreams.” She waved her hands in the air. “Birch and Linden have been friends for-literally-ever. Trust me—Linden wants you to stay.”

I pursed my lips, staring down at the bar and dragging my finger through a wet spot. “Well, that’s probably a conversation we need to have.”

Claudia reached out and pressed her hand on top of mine. “Yeah, but I’m not just asking for Linden, okay? I’m asking for all of us. I like you. I think he’s better off when you’re here, but the pack is too. And I think you might be better off with us. I think you might already know that.”

My scowl felt silly as I looked at her—not the kind of photogenic expression I was supposed to have in public. But this was serious, and I was the closest thing Grovetown had to a member of the press.

I wasn’t sure what to say—she wasn’t wrong, and there was part of me that wanted to stay for good, never think about leaving again.

But since I’d come to Grovetown, everything had been chaos. There hadn’t been a real chance to think about how I’d make it work. I could go freelance easy enough, write a memoir about my family’s meteoric rise to political fame or something equally cringeworthy.

“I hear you. I’m not planning on leaving right this second.”

“Good.” Claudia squeezed my hand and picked up her drink. “I’m pretty sure as second, I’m supposed to be celebrating. See you out there?”

“Just going to grab drinks first.”

She lifted her cup of cider and spun around, a little bounce in her step. As scary as the whole prospect of having a kid in these times was, she’d be a great mom, and I couldn’t wait to meet the littlest Wilson.

I flagged Shiloh down and ordered refills for Linden and me. When she turned around to fill them, a shiver worked up my neck. Before I’d even turned to look Skip Chadwick in the eye, I was glaring.

“I suppose I should congratulate you,” Skip sneered.

“On?”

“Well, you came out all this way, seduced an alpha, stuck him at the top of the pack. Most omegas have to try harder to become alpha mate, but here you are. Fool that I was, I’d thought, when you came, you were going to help me out instead of fuck me over.”

“Linden didn’t need my help to beat you, Skip.”

“I need to have a word.” His hand lashed out and gripped my wrist. We’d already played this game once—him dragging me around like he had some right to dictate where I stood, who I supported, what I did.

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