Page 69 of Resisting Nature

I’m not ever letting him go again.

Kissing my forehead, Miles rests his chin on my head and addresses the group of men. “Will you cover the paperwork?”

“As far as I can tell, the man got drunk, let his fire get out of control, and stumbled over his own shotgun. No one will question anything because this is werewolf business.”

“Just like that?” Miles huffs in disbelief.

“Just like that.”

Chapter Forty-One

Miles

“Okay, buddy, I’ll be here the entire time.”

“I’ve never gone after anything bigger than a rabbit before, Miles.” Teague’s nerves fight to break free. The poor kid has been through so much in the past two weeks. Losing the people who raised him in a gruesome and violent manner shook him far more than Alexa or I could have comprehended.

When we got home two weeks ago, Alexa instantly made Teague feel at home as he possibly could in a foreign place. Even after his family friend, Officer Jon Hagger, and his uncle brought his things from his home to make it easy, it wasn’t. He would spend time locked away, and I’d wake in the middle of the night to hear him crying.

He wasn’t eating, barely slept, and looked haunted no matter what we tried to do in order to help him. So we found a children’s psychiatrist for him to talk to. Obviously, he couldn’t discuss anything about being a werewolf, but that wasn’t causing him issues.

After five days the first week, Teague has begun to emerge. Archer has helped a great deal. Even though he’s a year younger and is an alpha heir, a connection instantly formed between the two boys. Even more surprising than the easy acceptance of friendship Teague gave to my nephew is that he has also opened up to Miranda of all children. That little girl is the embodiment of a hellion. She puts all of the shit we did as kids to shame. Yet the three of them have become inseparable when we’re all together.

He still has a long way to go, but I’m happy he’s willing to go with us tonight.

It’s a full moon, and we just finished with dinner because tonight, we’re celebrating. We don’t bring up his name, but this event marks Alexa finally being free from her past and the milestone Teague has already zoomed past in his own recovery.

Alexa is doing well. She still sees her therapist as well and is coming a long way in opening up to me. We talk all the time and have promised not to keep things from each other ever again unless it’s a good surprise. The baby is also doing well.

After the fight, she admitted the bastard hit her in the stomach. I couldn’t get her to a hospital fast enough to have her checked out. The moment I saw our baby on the screen with a strong, steady heartbeat, I breathed a sigh of relief.

My family was safe.

Now, she sits on our back porch swing with Rylie while they subconsciously rub their bellies as Macy and Annabelle sit on the steps. All of them are laughing at whatever story Spence is animatedly telling them.

Life is good.

That is most certainly true.

“You’re going to do great, Teague.” Placing my hand on his shoulder, I brace myself for the cringe he has given any male who has touched him since the whole ordeal, but there is none. He has no negative reaction whatsoever. I have a burst of hope at that. “Just stay with me, and when we get closer, stay next to Archer. I know he’s younger than you, but he’ll be your alpha someday and will guide and teach you so you’ll be a pro in no time.”

“Okay.” He nods.

“And once the big hunt is done, you two can try your skills on some rabbits or rock dogs, all right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s get ready. Put your clothes right here with mine. Mo-Alexa will make sure they don’t blow away while we’re gone.”

He nods again and begins to remove his clothes. As a werewolf, we can’t be shy about our natural state. We shift as a pack, but Teague is being given a little more privacy since he has only ever shifted with the men who helped him every month. He’ll get used to being around everyone in time.

Mason is the first to shift as the full moon comes out from its hiding place behind the clouds. The moonlight bathes each of us until, one by one, the shift takes hold, and an orchestra of breaking bones, groans, and panting fills the air.

The ones who can shift faster—my dad, Mason, Archer, and myself—wait for the others before we break into our regular hunting groups and take off. Archer and Teague trail us as we take off across the pasture and begin the climb into the mountain.

We do our best to go after elk or moose only on occasion. Tonight, we focus on finding deer with no fawns.

It doesn’t take us long to find a group with enough for us to take down a couple of the older does. For as big as we are, we are surprisingly quiet when we want to be. Archer doesn’t even need to be told by his dad to find a spot to sit and watch.

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