Chapter 2

Thomas

"You're an Alpha. Just tell her no," James said.

"I can't believe you're going out of territory when she's this pregnant," Wyatt said.

"Says the man whose mate delivered four pups at once. Of course you're going to lean on the side of paranoia. Look, Lily has successfully delivered four perfect children for you. She knows what the hell she's doing. Plus, you're taking Sam with you. I'm not thrilled with that part since that means you're screwing the rest of us, but whatever. Just go and get back quickly," Austin said.

"It'll be fine," Clay insisted.

"I agree. You're all freaking out over nothing. It's only a week," Emmett added.

Austin's mate is in her third trimester with their first child, so I knew he was a nervous first-time papa. I didn't love the idea of taking my Pack's physician away either, especially with Angel so far along, but her due date isn't until after we're set to be back, and what else could I do?

I was Alpha, and it was well within my jurisdiction to do so. If I couldn't protect my mate and my unborn pup above all else, then what good was I?

My father always told me that my mate would be both my biggest weakness and my greatest strength. He told me that she had to come first. Her safety was of the utmost importance to the Pack.

Dad had stepped down as Alpha shortly after Lily and I had mated. My wolf had always been strong, but after a threat to our mate's life he'd become impossibly stronger. She tamed him. Without Lily, I'd be a loose cannon, borderline feral. It was probably pathetic just how much I needed that woman.

Just the thought of losing her caused the hair on my arms to stand up. I knew I was going to have to go for a run to calm him or find her and let her soothe away that wild side of me like only she could do.

I checked the time and frowned.

"I have to run," I told my friends. "I have a meeting in half an hour and need to check on a few things first."

We said goodbye and I left as they all headed over to Kate's Diner to have lunch together.

I hated missing out on time with the guys, especially when I knew they were all together.

Clay, Wyatt, Emmett, Austin, James, and I had been running together since we were pups. Along the way we'd earned the title the Six Pack. Being Alpha sometimes made it hard to trust people. I had to decipher if someone was trying to get close to me for a better pack position or because they really wanted to know me—the real me, not the Alpha me.

When it came to these guys, I knew I never had to worry about where I stood. As we got older, I'd come to rely on them even more. If anything, I had to keep them in their places because we had the sort of brotherhood that often overruled pack position, even mine. That meant they got away with shit no one else ever could.

Finding my mate at a young age and before I'd actually assumed the role of Alpha had made things easier too. Lily and I had been so young, and it certainly hadn't been an easy mating.

I rubbed the ache in my chest that only she could fill.

My Slugger.

She had no idea what she did to me or the lengths I would go to not only protect her, but to ensure her happiness.

We'd lost our first pregnancy. It had been a miscarriage pretty early on, but I'd seen the light inside her dim that day. There had been a part of me that had never wanted to put her through that again, but I'd also promised myself I'd give this woman anything she wanted that was within my power to do so.

Now, here she was, pregnant with my fifth child—four girls. That's what she'd given me. Four daughters. I adored each and every one of them and couldn't imagine life without them.

Cammie was headstrong and tough. She wanted to know and learn everything she could about our Pack. She was a natural leader, so much so it scared me at times.

Alphas weren't supposed to be female. It was tradition and the way of the Pack. Yet, we knew of at least one Alpha who was grooming his daughter to someday take over as Alpha. At first, I had thought Landon of the British Columbia Pack was insane for announcing such a thing. Most she-wolves weren't Alphas, and she could be challenged not just by another she-wolf but by any male someday for her Pack position.

I shuddered at the thought.

It wasn't that I didn't think Cammie could be strong enough to fight, or that she was incapable of leading, it was just that I didn't want to have to put her in that position. Still, I had no heir.

The Alaskan wolves have a belief that a Begay wolf will always reign over their people. So when they had no male heir, the last surviving Begay she-wolf took a mate who was elevated to Alpha.

Could I really do that? Name a potential outside wolf as my heir when Cammie someday takes a mate?

I wasn't sure. But for the moment there was still hope.

While Lily was insisting on this being her final pregnancy, we still didn't know if it was another girl or the son my Pack longed to see.

That was the other thing. Landon's Pack was very small and his wolves were loyal to his wishes. But my Pack was large and there were those who would fight against an Alpha she-wolf.

I pushed all those thoughts away. My father had six daughters before I was born. I guess you could say we were blessed in abundance to be surrounded by beautiful women. It had worked out for him, and I had to believe it was all going to work out for me too.

Having left the guys, I drove over to the Alpha house. Lily and I still preferred to live at our house away from the hub of Collier Pack, so I was happy for my parents to continue living there, though I did maintain an office there.

I had many memories of the craziness that ensued at the Alpha house. People would stop in at all hours of the day with some emergency or another. My dad was a saint for tolerating it. I wanted a better life for my girls. Not living there gave us just enough of a buffer to have that.

My Pack knew my office hours, and I made sure to be available and accessible during that time even if I didn't always keep them at the office. It was important for me to be seen around Collier too. I was all for being there for my wolves. They were my responsibility, and I took that very seriously. But at the end of the day, a quiet night at home with my ladies was what I truly craved.

Lily and I didn't do things exactly the way my parents did, and we took our fair share of hits over things because everyone had an opinion on how things should be, but over the years we'd found that happy medium that worked for us. Just like Lily balanced my wolf, together we balanced the demands of family and our Pack.

I grinned thinking about it. At one time I'd questioned whether Lily could handle any of it. Being a Pack Mother carried its own demands, but I knew now there was no one better for the position than my mate. She was everything Collier Pack didn't know we needed.

"What are you grinning at?" Luke asked me as I jogged up the stairs into the house after parking my truck.

Luke Larken, my Beta and one of my closest friends. He wasn't one of the Six Pack, those guys were more like brothers to me, but Luke had become a strong ally and confidant over the years. As former Alpha of the disbanded Larken Pack, he truly understood the pressures of being Alpha and what I needed most from him.

"Just thinking about Lily," I confessed.

He shook his head and smiled. "Does it ever stop feeling like that?"

"God, I hope not. And I know you understand. I see the way you still look at Sydney."

Sydney Parker had been my best friend and love of my life at one point in time, but what I'd felt for her paled in comparison to my feelings for my mate. I couldn't be happier that she'd found her true mate in Luke.

He chuckled. "She still makes me feel as happy as the day I'd found her."

I snorted. "I was there for that, remember? Happy isn't exactly the word I'd use for it."

He shrugged easily. "I guess things always look better in the rearview mirror."

"Touché my friend. Now, what's on the schedule? I fear Lily's going to press me to leave for Westin Pack early."

"Anything concerning I should be aware of?"

"Not really." I waited until we were in my office with the door shut and the dampener on before filling him in. "Apparently, her sister Elise is pregnant. She hasn't said anything yet, but I know my mate. She's going to want to get there as soon as possible to check on her. This also wasn't her first pregnancy, so they are rightfully nervous."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but Lily knows that pain better than anyone. I'm sure she can help her through this time."

"Exactly. And knowing my mate, she's going to demand it."

He chuckled again and nodded.

"So boss, what's the plan then?"

Luke had been a great Alpha or at least had the potential to be. If his Pack hadn't taken a hard hit losing nearly everything to a fire, I liked to think we would have been strong allies despite the history between our Packs.

Larken wolves had originally been Collier wolves. A falling out and cry for a new Alpha instead of my father had caused a division in the Pack. I had never really understood all the details of what had happened, but Jedidiah Larken had defected, taking about a dozen wolves with him, and formed Larken Pack in a rundown trailer park on the edge of Collier territory. The two had been at war with each other right up until his death when Luke took over as Alpha. He'd just wanted a better life for his wolves, and when it came down to it, that meant stepping down and working with me to merge the packs back together.

I respected the hell out of him for it.

At the time I'd insisted on a traditional fight to the death for Alpha as was expected in situations like ours. But he'd refused. I'd had Lily and by then he'd had Syd. Neither of us really wanted to do that to our mates. He'd submitted to me for the safety and protection of his wolves. They still looked to him first when situations arose and I tried not to let it bother me, mainly because Luke was always adamant about keeping the Pack order in check and reminding those still loyal to him who was actually in charge.

We both knew that my wolf would never have submitted to his. In a fight, I would have won, but I would have taken no pleasure in killing a friend or devastating Syd like that.

I shuddered just thinking about it and was so grateful that we'd managed to work things out without it ever coming to that.

"Thomas?"

"Yeah, sorry. My mind is going in in a million different directions this morning."

"Well, let's get this list started and get you out of here then."

"Thanks, man."

We went over the reports for the farm, the dairy, and the cattle. It was something we did at least twice a week as it was the biggest commodity of my Pack and supported us all.

Since assuming my role as Alpha, I'd expanded our production tremendously and it was doing well. With some finance restructuring and advice from Lily's twin brother Liam, who runs the prestigious Westin Foundation, Collier Pack was stronger than ever and financially secure with a sizable nest egg should a devastating natural occurrence ever happen again.

Once upon a time we were a farming community raising just enough produce to sustain ourselves while making a decent profit exporting our excess. That had come to a crashing halt after one bad season. It was a terrifying thought.

My father had rallied back by investing in cattle. It had served us well. My sister Ruby had pushed for expansion into dairy as well, not just beef. Now we were a sizable ranching community. There were those that wanted me to allocate land back to farming, but I still wasn't sure we had the resources in place to make that happen.

I stared down at yet another proposal for just that. This time from Kenneth Smith. My sister Peyton was mated to his brother Oliver.

"You've got to hand it to the kid, he's persistent," Luke said as I passed it to him to read.

"He is that. Do you really think he could pull it off?"

"A combination of land and greenhouses for year-round sustainability? Maybe. I mean he's already doing it on a small scale for Kate's and it's going great. I know he's young, but if anyone can pull it off, it's him."

"Okay," I said. "I want you to hear him out while I'm away and we'll discuss when I get back."

"Sounds good. I know he'll be thrilled just to be taken seriously."

"I'm going to need an extensive cost work up and profit plan. I can discuss the feasibility of it with Liam while I'm in town too."

"That's a good idea, but I honestly think he'll tell you to go for it. It's a solid investment."

"I know. I've just heard so many horror stories from how quickly things went south last time."

He nodded. "I know that's a concern, but it's also just part of life. We have other assets to fall back on through a tough season this time."

"You're right. I've worked hard to bring us to financial stability."

"And the Pack is thriving for it."

"Thanks. Sometimes I think I just need that reminder. Overall, everything looks good. You shouldn't have too much to worry about while I'm gone. Just hold the fort down."

"I always do."

"We aren't leaving today. Why don't you bring the family over for dinner tonight."

"I'm sure Syd would love that."

"Great. Say six."

"And Lily's okay with this?"

I chuckled. "For you guys, always. There are those few I have free rein to spring on her without catching shit for it."

"Aw, and I'm on that list?"

"Well, your mate is," I teased. "So I suppose by default that extends to you."

Lily and Sydney had become the best of friends. If I let myself think about it too much it still weirded me out a little. Those two should never have become friends, yet they'd connected from the second they met, and Lily had been adamant that she'd wanted to keep Syd as a friend despite my history with her. Now they were quite the pair.

As Luke left, I grabbed my phone and called her to give a heads up.

"Good morning," she said sounding sleepy.

"Good morning to you too, Slugger. How are you feeling?"

"Your kid was having a party in my belly last night."

I smiled.

"Not too much of one, I hope. We don't need an early arrival, especially since we're traveling. Maybe I should have Sam come by and check on you today. I'm not going to risk you or our pup for this reunion."

"We're fine, and we aren't missing it. In fact, I think we should go early. Maybe even fly out this afternoon."

"Nope."

"But . . ."

"No buts. I invited Luke and Syd over for dinner tonight."

I wasn't about to confess to her or them that it was a ploy to keep Lily here at least another day. I knew her so well and wasn't at all surprised she was asking to go early. I expected it and probably would have been worried if she hadn't mentioned it.

"Oh. Yeah, okay. Maybe in the morning would be better then."

"You're going to keep pressing this until I cave and take you to San Marco to see Elise, aren't you?"

"I just need to see for myself that she's actually okay."

I shook my head even knowing she couldn't see it.

"I love you. You know that?"

"Of course I know that. Just like I know you're going to make arrangements for us to leave tomorrow."

I sighed. She was right.

"I shouldn't be away that long. Neither of us should. The reunion isn't for another two weeks," I reminded her.

"But I need to be there."

With a sigh of resignation, I nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."