Page 57 of Return to the Pack

“Holy fuck,” Callan exclaimed. “So that was the asshole who started this whole thing?”

“Seems so,” I say.

“By killing your father?” Ethan says, stepping over a log.

I nod. “Apparently. When that wolf ate him, he became strong. Then he convinced others to join him and eat more humans and wolves.”

“And you knew about this, dude?” Warrick says to Axel.

“I knew one of ours killed her father,” Axel says. “I fucked up. I didn’t know it would make him come back for her, or I’d have told everyone.”

“I’d say that’s an important fact to share,” Callan says, frowning.

“It wasn’t relevant, but I’ve paid for keeping it from Luna,” Axel says, releasing my hand with a scowl. “And I’m guessing I’ll keep paying.”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” I say, snatching his hand before it reaches his side. “We worked it out. Axel made a mistake. We all make mistakes.”

“Except for me,” Ethan says, grinning.

“Asshole,” Axel says, slugging him in the arm.

“Hey,” Ethan protests, still grinning. “That’s one of my best attributes.”

I smile at him. “If all the maneaters are gone, I want to put all this behind me and move forward. Are we in agreement?” I say, meeting each of their gazes as they turn to glance at me.

“Yes, little mama,” Ethan says, giving me a mock salute. He throws his arm around my shoulder on the side opposite Axel. “So, you killed the last giant freak, huh?”

“We sure did,” Axel says. “Luna got the first kill strike. She got him right here.” He points to the juncture between leg and belly where I bit the wolf.

“Oh, shit,” Callan says, cringing. “That had to hurt. You probably tore his femoral artery.”

“It started spurting blood like a fountain,” I say, grinning with pride.

“I’ll bet it did,” Callan says, smiling back at me with just as much pride as I feel.

Ethan drops his arm so I can scoot past a tree. I keep a steady grip on Axel, though. I don’t want to let go of him.

We all come to a stop when we step from the underbrush. Dead, eviscerated bodies—vampire, maneaters, and members of the wolf pack alike—lay everywhere. The injured lay moaning or silently suffering, writhing in the sand. The wolves who emerged relatively unscathed have all shifted back to their human skin. Some slump on the ground, their arms over their knees or lean against trees, utterly fatigued, while others are bandaging the wounded.

The vampires cluster in a circle, their heads bowed. Drake looks up from the circle and calls out to us. “We need to talk.”

Axel nods.

Warrick looks down at me. “You, baby-girl, need to find somewhere safe while we confer with the vamps.”

“I want to meet with them, too,” I say, my spine stiffening. I turn to Axel. “Can I stay?”

Warrick places his large hands on my shoulders. “No. Absolutely not. Just because we united to fight a common enemy, they’re still vampires—our sworn enemies. It could be a trap.”

“Please, Daddy?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.

“I think she should be allowed to attend,” Axel says, and my heart swells with gratitude. “She’s the Alpha’s wife, and the Second’s wife. She should know pack business, and it’s good to have a few submissives temper our natures in negotiations like this.”

“Thank you,” I say to him. “He’s right. I need to find my place in the pack, not just our family. You may be the Second, Warrick, but it’s my pack, too.”

“Fine,” Warrick grits out, placating me with his palms facing forward. “Far be it from me to get in the way of my baby girl’s powers of persuasion.”

“Yeah, Luna, you’re a powerhouse,” Callan says. “No one can deny you anything.”