Page 45 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

She squeezed my hand. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” she said. “I think Brixton is a nice place to settle down. I could see myself making a life there. It’s a far cry from my old pack, and I should have figured that out a long time ago.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said. “But if you ever want to leave…”

“You’ll be the first to know,” she promised. “And if you don’t come with me, we’ll have some strong words.”

I laughed and brought her to me, kissing her, letting the taste of her soothe both me and my wolf.

“Trust me,” I said. “That will never be in doubt.”

Chapter 21 - Stella

I was lounging at home, my head resting in Sam’s lap as I scrolled on my phone, when a knock on the door shattered the quiet. I tensed, ears pricking as my body coiled.

Sam’s hand went to my shoulder, and I forced myself to calm down.

“It’s all right,” he said, gently kissing my forehead. “I can smell who it is. It’s just Malcolm and Rand.”

My shoulders relaxed, and I sat up. Ever since the incident with Akron, I’d been particularly jumpy. Even with Farrow dead, I wasn’t sure if the rest of the Full Moon Pack would seek retribution. I’d been able to settle into Brixton nicely, spending time with the girls and looking for a job. But I still kept looking over my shoulder, waiting to see someone from my old pack, ready to exact revenge.

I stayed where I was until I heard Malcolm say, “Stella here?”

I pushed myself from the couch and strolled over. “Right here,” I said.

The three shifters turned to look at me, and it was impossible not to notice how satisfied both Rand and Malcolm looked. My stomach clenched slightly, wondering what it was that was making them so happy.

“Got good news,” Rand said, grinning.

I straightened, fully paying attention now. “What?”

“The new alpha of the Full Moon Pack came by earlier today,” Malcolm said. “Guy named Dom.”

I blinked, tilting my head. “Dom? Really?”

Dom had been one of the nicer shifters when I’d been in the pack. He hadn’t necessarily gone out of his way to be nice to me, but he had been civil at least. He also hadn’t been Farrow’s second in command or anywhere in his hierarchy.

Rand nodded. “According to him, the pack ran out most of Farrow’s old cronies when they found out he was dead. Apparently, not everyone in the pack was happy with the fact that he dragged the entire pack into service for a demon, even inadvertently.”

“Can’t blame them there,” Sam muttered.

“He wanted to say that there wouldn’t be any retribution for you killing their alpha,” Malcolm said. “Any ties or connections you had to your old pack are formally severed with no ill will.”

“Not exactly a polite goodbye,” Sam muttered, eyes narrowed.

“From them that’s basically throwing me a farewell party.” I was beaming. It was done. It was over. The relief and happiness flooding me was nearly overwhelming. I leaned against Sam for support, and he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Good,” I managed to say. “That’s good.”

“That’s an understatement,” Malcolm said. His features darkened. “Someone like that shouldn’t be in charge of a pack. I’m not sorry he’s gone.”

“I don’t think many people are,” I said, giving a shaky smile. Sam squeezed me tightly again.

“Would you guys be able to give us some space?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Malcolm said. There was a knowing glint in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place or understand, but something about the way he looked at Sam made me wonder if he knew something I didn’t. But before I could think any more about it, he said, “Well, we’ll leave you to it.”

Both Malcolm and Rand strolled out, closing the door behind them.

“Thank god that’s over,” I said, rubbing my face and feeling like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I stretched and walked toward the kitchen. “Want some tea?”

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