Page 70 of Home: Posy 5

We sat down at a picnic table, and the boys held onto my hands. Their grips were loose; I could have pulled away at any time, and I knew they did that on purpose.

I squeezed their hands tightly in mine.

"We started something at Green River." With his free hand, Aiden held out his phone and showed me pictures of a large house with lots of windows and surrounded by flowers. "It's a sanctuary for anyone who needs a safe space. The official name is the Logan and Naomi Everleigh Refuge, but everybody calls it Everleigh House. We hired Mrs. Miller as the director. Do you remember her?"

"My kindergarten teacher?" I smiled as I remembered that sweet lady. She had blindingly white hair whenIwas her student; how old was she now?

"Yep. She retired a couple of years ago and was looking for something productive to do."

"We started a scholarship, too," James added. "The Posy Anne Everleigh Award. Once a year, we'll give it to a female pack member who has the grades and ambition to go to college, but couldn't afford it otherwise."

"Wow." I blinked away tears, not expecting any of this. "I'm honored that you named it after me."

"Our mates came up with the specifics," Aiden admitted. "We told them we wanted to do something to honor Mom and her true mate as well as you. Keeley came up with the idea for the safe house, and Callie thought of the scholarship in your name."

"I'm proud of you both for making it happen." I hugged James, then swiveled and hugged Aiden. "Mom would be proud of you, too."

"It was the least we could do," Aiden murmured in my ear. As he released me, he kept his hands on my upper arms and looked me in the eyes. "Did you know King Julian is setting up a special task force to prevent alphas from abusing their power?"

"I did!" I grinned at him. "While we were at the coronation, I told his dad, Magnus, that they should, and he said the king already had a plan that he would share soon. Did he announce it already?"

"Yes," James said. "On Wednesday morning, every alpha in the kingdom got the royal decree. I'm surprised your mates haven't told you already."

"Um, we've been distracted," I murmured as a warm blush settled over my cheeks. "We were on vacation at the beach."

"Oh, was that your secret destination?" Aiden grinned. "I wondered where they were taking you!"

"Yeah, the house was right on the beach! We went swimming and built a big sandcastle and collected shells and sea glass. In the evening, our wolves played in the water and chased seagulls. We all had so much fun!"

I skipped the part about going through heat. They didn't need to know that.

"Did the decree go into details about this task force?" I asked. "I mean, the kingdom has always sent out undercover inspectors to check on packs, yet Alpha Briggs got away with so much. How will this program be different?"

"For one, the visits will be made at regular intervals, not in reaction to an incident. For another, the inspectors will stay at each pack longer and talk to more than just the upper ranks," James explained.

"And the inspectors will have the authority to immediately act on any abuse of power," Aiden added, "Before, they had to report back to the king or his advisors and prove their case, which slowed down the process."

"Or allowed it to get swept under the rug," James said darkly. "That's what happened with all the complaints filed against Father."

I took a second to digest everything they told me, then asked who would make sure the inspectors didn't abusetheirpower.

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" James grinned when I frowned at him. "It means, 'Who watches the watchmen?' The king does, but he also selected very specific shifters who are strong enough to protect themselves and others, intelligent and observant enough to ferret out issues, and loyal to him and their cause. They cannot be bought or corrupted."

"Arethere such people?" I raised one eyebrow.

"Oh, baby sister!" my brothers chuckled together before Aiden said, "You and your mates are such people, so how can you ask if they exist?"

"Some of them were victims of abuse themselves," James said, his expression serious again, "and you can bet they will not take the job lightly."

"Youwould be a good inspector." With a big grin, Aiden nudged my arm with his elbow. "I hear your Ultimate Luna Voice isn't something to mess around with!"

Blushing, I ducked my head.

"Quartz said I could probably stand against any wolf, and Ididmake the king stumble back a step or two, so I guess I can protect myself and others," I mumbled, "but I don't know about the rest."

"You don't think you're intelligent and observant?" James chuckled. "You don't know yourself very well if you think that."

"And do you believe you can be bribed?" Aiden asked. "Is there something someone can offer you that would make you betray others?"

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