Chapter 20

Ginny still couldn't believe her brother was alive.

Hell, she couldn't believe she was alive.

August held her hand tightly as they walked to the theater.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah. Still in shock, I guess."

He stopped and they faced each other. "Anyone would be," he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You were chased and had to fight for your life, and you were alone because I thought you were safe outside of the cafeteria, but I ended up putting you in more danger. I'm fucking sorry, Ginny. I'm so sorry I made a bad choice and you almost died because of it."

She shook her head. "First of all, you didn't make a bad choice, you made a split-second choice with the information you had, which was that the bad guys were in the cafeteria. You didn't know they were outside. And second, I ended up not being alone because Tank came to my rescue."

She'd planned to do her best to claw her way out of the danger in that paddock, when that moose charged the males, tossing them with his antlers, butting his head against them, and kicking them like playground balls. Then he'd stood in front of her, a towering, snorting, furious animal, and bellowed a war cry, daring them to cross him.

He'd bought her time for August to get to her.

And, surprisingly, the brother she thought was dead.

She still couldn't believe that Cliff was alive and well.

And now he was alpha.

She shook her head. "I forgive you, even though I don't really think you made a mistake." She kissed him. He was rigid at first, like he wasn't willing to be kissed because he was angry with himself, but then he melted against her with a soft groan, his gorilla practically purring in response to her touch.

She smiled against his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ginny," he said before kissing her once more. "Sweet soulmate and the best thing that ever happened to me."

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me too."

"Even Tank coming to your rescue? Because I gotta say that was pretty fucking awesome."

"Yeah, it was," she said as they resumed their trek to the theater. "But you're still the very best thing. Tank comes in second place."

The door to the theater opened as they approached, and Atticus said, "Cliff, you can check out the males and then we'll get them loaded up as soon as possible and the hell out of here."

"Loaded up?" Ginny asked.

"I'm taking them home for punishment," Cliff said.

Ginny frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm alpha," Cliff said. "It's my responsibility to take the males home and deal with them according to pack law."

"But…wasn't the whole pack on Grandfather's side?" she asked.

"No," Cliff said, "not hardly. He had a good-sized group of males—I estimate about fifteen total—who followed him exclusively. The rest of the pack followed because he was alpha and they were afraid to stand up to him, especially when he started killing our family. I've been in touch with the elders of the pack, and they're awaiting my return home with the prisoners."

"How will you get them down there?" she asked.

"We've volunteered a few of our cargo vans," Caesar said, "and plenty of security. If you two would like to accompany them, we'll make arrangements for another vehicle for you."

"I don't know," Ginny said. She looked at August, and he shrugged.

"It's up to you, sweetheart."

"Let's do this part first," Cliff said. "I want you to tell me who specifically came after you in the paddock and who chased you. I was a little too injured at the time to remember everyone."

She nodded, a little nervous to once more face the males who'd tried to harm her.

But August squeezed her hand. "You're safe now, sweetheart."

"Plus, this alpha is immediately changing the laws involving mandatory retirement and no surviving heirs," Cliff said. "You and your future children will never have to worry about me or any of my future heirs coming after them for the position of alpha. It should never have been a law in the first place."

"Thank you, Cliff," Ginny said.

She walked with her brother and August, determined to look every male who'd come after her in the eye. At least the ones who were conscious.

She pointed out the five who'd chased her into the paddock, including Diedrich, their grandfather's number-two. Only one female was in the group, Celia, Diedrich's mate, who was sullenly looking at the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"You know they were going to kill me, right?" Ginny asked, looking down at her. "That Grandfather was going to use me as bait to get Cliff to show himself, and then we were both going to get dead real quick?"

She wouldn't look up or speak.

"I understand the whole stand-by-your-man thing, but you went too far," Ginny said.

"I had no choice," she said, her words laced with bitterness.

"You were alone in the park," Cliff said. "Diedrich wasn't with you yesterday when I saw you, and I know you saw me too. So don't say you were forced to try to get to Ginny in the park because you were by yourself and could have asked for help at any time. Save the bullshit for someone with a shovel, I'm not interested."

Ginny hid her chuckle behind a cough.

"That's everyone that tried to get to me in the paddock," Ginny said.

August pointed out the two males who had been in the cafeteria, which had caused him to shove Ginny out into the melee.

"Let's get them loaded into the cargo vans and on their way," Cliff said. "Do you want to come?"

Ginny, August, and Cliff walked out of the theater. She breathed in the fresh air, letting the sunshine sink into her skin as she tilted her face to the glowing orb.

"It's up to you, sweetheart," August offered.

She lowered her head slowly and first smiled at her mate and then looked at her brother. "Alpha."

"Yeah?"

"It's just weird. You used to short-sheet my bed and put rocks in my shoes. Now you're the boss and you nearly died trying to save me."

"Yeah, well, the bad stuff was when I was younger."

"I think you put rocks in my shoes a few months ago."

"Uhm, you're remembering wrong," he said, rocking back on his heels and grinning. "But yeah, I'm alpha. The elders are waiting for me with the law books. I'm going to rewrite them and could use your help." He paused. "You could stay, you know, you and August. Join with the pack as a mated couple. I could use a strong number-two."

"I'm happy here," Ginny said. "Plus, there's a bunch of carousel horses that need a good coat of varnish and a carousel to be put back together."

Cliff nodded.

"I'd like to come with you, though. I don't have anything of Mom and Dad's, or even my own clothes and things because I had to book out so fast."

"You bet," Cliff said. "I'm going to help them load up the vans."

Her brother disappeared and she turned to August and gave him a hug, leaning against him and resting her head on his chest. "Thanks for being willing to come with me."

"Of course, sweetheart. Where you go, I go." He kissed the top of her head. "You sure you don't want to stay there and join the pack with me?"

"Hell no. I love the park and the gorillas and other shifters. The pack hasn't been home to me since our parents were killed. Even with Cliff as alpha, there are too many ghosts there, too many bad memories. I'm happy here, with you."

He nodded. "I'm happy here with you too."

"If you two are done groping each other, we can get on the way," Nathan called, shaking a set of keys at them.

"I'll never be done," August whispered.

Ginny hugged him a little tighter. "I'll never be done, either."