Chapter 27 - Kaiden

The following morning, I had another meeting with the alphas, and the report back from the remains of the Williams compound was finally ready. Lupe stood in the front of the room, and I nodded to him, signaling for him to lay it all out for us.

"Thank you, Alpha. Well, I have some good news, some weird news, and some bad news. So let's start with the shit first, eh?"

Smiling lightly, I shook my head, looking between Gray and Brooks as they mirrored my expression. Lupe would fit in nicely with our trio of snark houses, and it would be interesting to see how much more would change now that the alpha meetings were set to continue on a weekly basis.

"Reginald and Leon have not been found in the rubble of the Williams compound. Eli himself was confirmed dead on exit, and his body was recovered among the debris and disposed of."

Cade hummed low before raising his brows at Lupe. "So we've still got two mutts on the run. Excellent."

I sighed. Cade wasn't wrong. But we'd dealt with the drug problem and Eli expertly when we'd all come together. If we could do it again, I knew we could handle anything that was thrown our way.

"That is unfortunate," I replied. "But we'll all be on the lookout for them, and now they have a veritable army to deal with. Nothing will get past this council now."

"Here, here!" Alder called out, and Jet was quick to offer up a short howl of agreement.

"Moving right along then," Lupe said, "we've also confirmed that Eli's ‘mate,' and I use that term loosely, was found dead. She was locked up in a hidden chamber, and it looked and smelled like the woman had gone rabid. It looked like she'd been dead for a while."

Kit cleared her throat, drawing our attention over to her from where she stood next to me. "Eli went through a lot of women he used to fulfill the tradition of alpha's mate. They were all treated horribly, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he kept it a secret that one died. He'd said she was ill for a while."

"That's fucked," Jett cut in, and the room growled along with him.

I looked to Lupe. "Have her tended to properly. Eli's crimes will not be our own."

"Done, Alpha. Lastly," he sighed, "it looks like we may need to call on our allies here in the future. Reginald and Leon were clearly up to something, but they remain a symptom of a greater problem. Rabid wolves and mutts have been looking to disrupt what we've built, and this attack will egg them on. I know it.

"You can count on this council to be at your side when necessary, Kaiden." Jet nodded at me. "For any of us. We're strong together. I know that, and now we've seen that in action as proof."

"You know I'll never turn down the chance to take care of a little riffraff," Brooks added, and I shook my head, smirking at him.

"I'm going to count on that when I call you for aid then, brother." Rowan glared at Brookes, those mismatched eyes sparkling with both mischief and intimidation.

"All right, asshole. Stop doing the eye thing at me. I said I'd help, fuck."

We all laughed as Brooks visibly recoiled from Rowan, who was a scary fuck at the best of times.

"Are we done, then?" Cade injected, and that "I am so done with this" expression consumed his features.

"There are just two more pieces of business that I believe we need to discuss." I looked at Grayson where he stood next to Jet, and held out a hand toward him. "First, Grayson was essential during the attack, and without his quick thinking regarding the charges and being able to help me with Kit and my own injuries, I would be dead. So, thank you."

Grayson's eyes flared, and he rolled his lips between his teeth, turning his face down and away from the group slightly. "Okay, that's good. Not loving being the center of attention."

"Second," I met eyes with my fellow alphas, "the remaining members of the Williams pack, many of whom were just as mistreated as the wolves here were under Terrance, are without an alpha. There are a few traditions on the books that the members of that pack would be willing and able to fulfill as a way to appoint a new alpha. We need to consider what we want to do for them."

The room nodded as one, everyone offering their agreement that someone had to take over as leader for them.

"But we don't have to rush that process. We have a few days. So," I clapped my hands together, "the meeting is adjourned. Let's eat."

"Finally," Cade growled, and he was quick to exit the room and start for the kitchen.

The rest of the alphas followed him out, and I was soon left alone in the room with Kit. When she made for the door, I snagged her wrist, keeping her back.

"Hang on."

She turned and smiled at me, her brows up. "Sure. What's up?"

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the little box that I'd spent the wee hours of the morning trying to track down in my stuff.

"I have something for you." I smiled, taking Kit's hand.

"What? Kaiden, that's so not necessary." She blushed, and damn, I loved how it looked on her. "You've already claimed me as your mate—in front of everyone, I might add. I'm good."

I remembered the quick announcement I'd made before the meeting and smiled. It had felt so good to proclaim Kit as mine to every wolf in my pack and those closest to me. Except Kenzie, but she was coming tomorrow, and I'd give her the news then.

"I'm proud to have you as my mate, Kit. And I have had very little to celebrate over the past few years. I'm going all out."

She laughed, singsong bells in summer, and I grinned all the harder as I held up the box and put it in her hand.

"Open it."

Kit narrowed her eyes at me playfully and then looked down at the small black box, cracking it open. The hinges squeezed, rusty from age, and then Kit gasped, her mouth falling open.

Inside was my grandmother's opal ring. She'd worn it every day, and it had been given to her by her mate.

"I want you to have this." I took the ring out of the box for her and began to slide it onto Kit's finger. "This was my Gran's. She would have adored you. Hell, she knew you were coming for me when I was a kid."

Kit sniffled, and I smiled as she wiped under her eyes with her free hand.

"She was a V?lva, an amazing friend to me and Kenzie, and I miss her terribly. But knowing that this is with you, that you'll be carrying a part of my family with you, helps."

The ring fit perfectly, and I kissed it on her finger, pulling Kit close.

"I want you to marry me in a human ceremony. I want to honor both sides of our family. I can't get an officiant or anything, and it'll just be the wolves there, but I—"

"It's perfect, Kaiden. Yes." She pulled me to her for a deep kiss before touching her forehead to mine. "I would love to."

Relief and joy flooded me so strongly that I was dizzy. I held Kit to me so tight, breathing her in.

"I never want to be parted from you ever again."

Kit nuzzled into me. "Oh, don't worry about that. You're officially stuck with me now. I love that bed too much to leave."

I laughed, letting my head fall back as it washed over me and then kissed the top of Kit's head.

"Good. That's very, very good."