Page 111 of The Reluctant Alpha

"Well?" I asked.

"The revenant is completely burned," Phoenix confirmed. "Nothing left but dust.”

I met Phoenix’s gaze and heard what he wasn’t saying.

What next?

The monster had watched their victory, almost regretting giving the abomination access to the pack lands. He definitely regretted letting the abomination feed on him to enable him to do so. He had hoped it would have taken out the alpha wolf. He had instructed it to take out the alpha wolf, but it had gotten too distracted on the blood of easier targets.

He had to step back a little. To make sure that success bred laziness. They had to believe in their victory. He would let them be for a while. Besides, the human family who had been “hosting” him were starting to smell. He would take the last of their money and let Shane keep the car he'd bought, for the time being.

The shifters thought they had won, but they had only eliminated a pawn. A useful distraction while he refined his plans. Let them celebrate their victory while he prepared for the real battle.

The monster smiled, though the expression sat strangely on his smooth face. Soon, very soon, they would understand the true meaning of fear.

Chapter twenty-seven

Danny

Four weeks after the Gathering, I still felt like I was standing in the wreckage of my own life.

I sat on the couch—my new permanent address, I suspected—phone in hand. Mom’s latest text glowed on the screen: When are you coming home? I have big news. She’d be home tomorrow, and she expected me to be there. She'd managed to wrangle another four weeks of leave, as she'd been owed so much, and I missed her, even though I was glad she hadn’t been anywhere close. My chest twisted into knots. Bayer had told me she was welcome anytime, but I had no idea what to do about Shane.

“Just call her,” Emery urged, pressing a steaming mug of ginger tea into my hands. “You’ve been staring at that thing for half an hour.”

“I’m working out a plan,” I muttered, clutching the mug as if it were armor. “There’s a difference.”

Emery snorted. “So, what genius plan have you hatched?”

I closed my eyes. “I thought about faking my own death.” My voice came out too quiet. “Seems easier than admitting I’m pregnant, in love with a bear shifter, and running a creche in your living room.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your mom loves you. She’ll understand.”

“But she won’t understand everything.” My stomach lurched. “There’s Shane, too. I can’t tell him anything, and what if Mom slips up?”

“Tell her part,” Emery said gently. “You don’t have to go full-on. Just tell her you and Bayer are serious and you have a new job. I’ve got your back.”

I nodded, though dread weighed me down. Then, in one impulsive moment, I tapped Mom’s contact and hit video call.

She answered on the third ring—her smile was unmistakable. “Danny!” Her face lit up. “I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”

“Me? Avoid my mother? Never,” I lied, voice cracking. “How are you?”

Her sigh made my heart twist. “Worried. Guilty.”

I flinched. “What’s Shane done now?”

She laughed, but it was brittle. “Nothing criminal, thankfully. He’s gotten a new job.” I understood her caution. Every new job was just a get-rich-quick scheme for Shane. But I'd seen the fancy car.

After a pause, she said, “Aunt Carol’s asked me to move in full-time, and she has room for Marianne and the twins as well.”

My heart thundered. “That’s…great. You deserve it.” And she did.

Her shoulders tensed through the screen. “But what about you?”

“I have news too.” I hesitated, then shook my head. “Let’s talk when I see you. Will you still be home tomorrow?”

She brightened. “Not until Sunday night. I've got a job offer here, so I took some more leave. I've barely taken any in five years, so they owe me."