Page 16 of Autumn After

In true parent fashion, he made me call the Alpha. It was my responsibility, of course, but there was definitely a moment where I wanted my father to fight the whole battle for me.

Alpha arrived quickly, with two of his Betas and Seamus with him.

“You went crawling to the Alpha? Couldn’t face me like a man?” Seamus sneered.

“Quiet!” Alpha barked.

Seamus shrank in on himself, looking very much like a scolded dog. “Sorry, Alpha. We were just having a conversation earlier, and I don’t think he really needed to tattle to you about it. You’re very busy, sir.”

“I said quiet.” Alpha’s gaze bored into Seamus. He bared his neck in respect. Had that look been directed at me, I’d have rolled over and showed my belly. “There is no discussion to be had, Seamus. Willow is a part of this pack, same as you and me. Not only that, but based on what I have seen of him so far, he will be a valuable, caring member of this community. I suspect there is a lot you can learn from him.”

Seamus’s gaze jerked up and his eyes blazed. “He’s a human. They lie and cheat. They don’t take care of their own. We cannot trust him, and he doesn’t belong here.” His voice rose, and my wolf howled out his displeasure.

Fur erupted on my arms. My father put a hand to my shoulder.

“That’s not true!” I shouted. “Willow is not like that.”

“Silence, both of you. I have stated my ruling on the matter as your Alpha. There will be no more discussion on it.”

Seamus spit at my feet. “This is a mistake. You will see. That human doesn’t belong here.” He turned on his heel and left.

My breath quickened and my wolf nearly broke free.

Alpha standing in front of me brought me back to myself. “You did the right thing by calling me, Cedric. I know it is not easy to ask for help. I want to assure you that you and your mate are safe here. My Betas will keep an eye on you and Willow. We plan to talk to Mitch and Brett also.”

“And Seamus?” I didn’t like to think ill of my pack members, but all trust in Seamus was lost.

“He’ll be punished for his behavior today.”

Alpha left it at that.

One thing I did have was trust in him. I bared my neck in respect. “Thank you, Alpha.”

He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re welcome, Cedric. And thank you for all your help with the festival. It’s going to be even better than last year.”

That was the plan.

Chapter 11

Willow

“I’m so sorry.” Fern handed me a towel. “I really am.”

The bucket of dirty, soapy water was now all over me and the floor, not down the drain where it was supposed to be. It wasn’t hot or even that gross, but I was very, very wet and needed a shower ASAP. It would become a sticky mess that would no doubt attract all kinds of bugs if I let it dry.

“It’s fine.” I grabbed a paper towel for my face. “Gives me an excuse to take a break.”

“It’s not fine! I can’t believe I tripped over the cord. The cord I reminded you six times was there.” She groaned.

There was no exaggeration there. She was so concerned with me falling that it had been central to our conversation for the past forty-five minutes. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

I tapped her nose playfully, hoping it alleviated some of her guilt. “I’ll be back as soon as I get changed.” And showered.

“No. It’s almost done, why don’t you go spend time with my brother? He’s all mushy eyes for you. He probably misses you terribly and is off crying somewhere instead of being productive like he’s supposed to be.”

I rolled my eyes at her ridiculousness. “Mushy eyes?” I knew how busy Cedric was, I’d seen how busy he had been since the day began. He was running around everywhere, and everyone seemed to go to him for help.

I hadn’t even known I had a competent kink, but based on how attractive I found Cedric to be in those moments—I had one.

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