23. Mason

When we step inside the camp, my stomach rolls from everything going on around us. Even though it doesn't look like it, we still have the upper hand. Their pack is uncoordinated, and they have no idea how to work together. We have that to our advantage. We can plan coordinated attacks without even talking. I wait until Radley walks into Ava's cabin and feel her relief when she spots Bryce. Nash and I exchange a look and jump into the mayhem. I lunge for a big wolf snapping his teeth at one of the older betas. My teeth sink into his neck, and I shake my head, making sure he goes down. When he does, I don't spare him a second look before going after the next one. Killing my own species is not something I ever want to do, but they chose this path. They could have aligned themselves with a pack but decided being feral was better for them.

I hear a familiar howl in the distance, instantly recognizing Dad. The relief that comes with that is immense, and I can feel it from Nash, too. We might run our own pack, but Dad is still the one we look up to. I see Dad, Cruz, and Teddy loop in front of us, so we start picking these assholes off one by one. I'm locked in a heated battle with a wolf when I feel teeth sink into my flank. I turn around to lunge and the alpha I was fighting takes advantage of the situation. He knocks me on my back, and his teeth almost sink into my throat. I throw my paws up to push him away, but he's already gone. I look over and see Bryce's light-colored fur and blood running down his chin. He barks once and jumps over me, running the other way. I pop back to my paws and try to shake off the fatigue.

A short, sharp howl echoes around me, and I follow it. A wolf has Cadence backed up against his truck with Radley's grandma hovering behind him. I jump, landing on the wolf's back, and roll him over. I sink my teeth into his throat and pull my head back. Blood fills my mouth, and I let his lifeless body drop to the ground. I turn toward Grandma, and her eyes are wide, staring at me. I lick the blood from my mouth and slowly walk toward her. To my surprise, she wraps her little arms around my neck.

"Thank you," she says, squeezing me tight. She pulls back and ruffles the fur between my ears. "You're a big boy." I nudge her arm, hoping she gets the hint. She sinks her fingers into the fur on my shoulder, and I start leading her to safety. I can see why Radley adores this woman. I can smell her fear, but it's not for herself. It's for everyone else. I walk her toward the backdoor and nod my head toward it. "Is Radley in there?" I nod again. "Good." She pats my cheek like I'm not a giant fucking wolf and goes into the house without another word.

"He's here,"Nash growls through the bond.

"Who?"I ask, already moving that way.

"Monty."

When I come up behind him, Bryce is also walking that way. Everything that happened to him slams into me from the bond, and I stumble back a step. "Shit. Sorry. I think whatever they drugged me with took away my ability to shield."

"Who. The. Fuck. Touched. You?"Nash says, already licking his lips.

"I don't think they're here,"Bryce says, his voice getting small. "Nothing happened. Your mom saved me."

"We'll deal with this later."I bump my nose against his. "Let's get this motherfucker."

We get two steps toward Monty when Dad, Cruz, and Teddy fall into step beside us. The chicken shit is hiding behind two bigger alphas, taunting the wolves around him. One of the alphas locks eyes with me, subtly bows his head, and steps to the side. When the other follows suit, leaving Monty completely exposed, we jump. Dad gets there first, already sinking his teeth into Monty's shoulder. I quickly look at the other alphas, not wanting to turn my back on them, but they're walking away. What the hell?

"They're on our side,"Bryce says.

Monty and Dad fight for control, but it doesn't take Dad long to get the upper hand. He slams Monty down on his back and braces his paw on his chest. Monty is still fighting like hell, snapping at Dad's wrist. I go to step forward and hear another wolf growl. I spin around, but it's too late. He's already lunging for me, and when I fall backward, my side lands on a boulder, and I feel my ribs crack. A whine slips out before I can stop it, and the other wolf is in my face.

"That's Radley's dad!"Bryce calls out. He and the others are fighting to get to me, but other wolves are blocking their path. How the fuck is he so damn strong?

He pushes into my face, and I can see the triumph in his eyes. I feel Bryce's pain through the bond, and it's the distraction he needed. He lunges for me, and white-hot pain sears through my throat as his teeth sink into my skin. I push against him, but I can already feel myself fading. Blackness surrounds me, and then he's ripped off. A growl rattles the ground, and I see Radley's wolf standing there. She looks huge and fucking magnificent right now. But she should be in the house.

"Well, well, well," a voice says, and I turn my head to see that he's shifted. "Is that any way to greet your father?" Radley growls again, already advancing toward him. Good fucking girl. She was smart enough not to shift back. She knows she's stronger like this. I weakly pull myself to my feet and go to stand at her side. I should have known Radley wouldn't be held down. "Don't you want to say hi?"

Radley lunges before I can stop her, and he's ready. He's back in wolf form before her hit even lands, and he shoves her back, making her slam into the ground. When I hear that pained howl come from her mouth, I forget all about my pain. I go back for him, more than ready this time. He won't catch me off guard again. He's still stronger, almost abnormally so. I fight as hard as I can, but I can feel myself fading fast. Blood is pouring from the wound on my neck, and I'm seconds away from passing out, but I refuse to let him hurt my omega. I don't give a fuck who he is.

He's just gaining the upper hand when I see familiar fur fly past me. My mom hits him hard enough to knock him off balance, and then I see my dad. They get him pinned down, and my mom shifts back to human form. She stabs something into Daniel's leg, and when he shimmers back, he's completely unconscious.

"Are you okay?" my mom asks, reaching out to me. I take a step back, and her hand drops. "I'm sorry I was late."

"What the fuck is going on?" Dad asks. I look around and notice Monty is unconscious, too.

"You need to make sure your camp is okay. I'll explain everything," Mom says quietly. "I don't mean you any harm."

Bryce walks to stand beside her. "She saved me, Luther. I believe her."

I feel hands run through my fur and slowly look at Radley. "Shift back, Baby. You're bleeding."

I shake my head sluggishly because I can't focus enough to find my human form. I feel myself fading into unconsciousness, unable to stop, indicating the wound is worse than I thought. My paws slip out from under me, and I hit the ground hard.

"Mason!" Radley calls out, following me down. Her knees hit the dirt beside me, and she strokes my muzzle. "Hold on, Mason."

My eyes stay locked on her sad green ones until I finally pass out.

I wake with a jerk, wildly looking around. Everything starts slamming into me, and I try to climb out of bed. Radley appears beside me and softly pushes on my chest before I can sit up.

"It's okay," she soothes.

"What happened?" I croak.

"You passed out. Nash carried you back to the house and finally got you to shift. We had to bandage your neck, but it stopped bleeding."

"How long was I out?"

"A couple hours." She runs her hand through my hair, and I close my eyes, soaking it in. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry." I kiss the inside of her wrist and gently slide up on the bed to lean against the headboard. "Where is everyone?"

"Nash and Bryce are watching over Monty and Daniel. Luther and his pack are guarding your mom."

I lean my head back on the headboard, trying to clear the lingering effects of my wound. "Is everyone else okay?"

"We had some wounded, but we didn't lose any. Apparently, your mom has been planning to overthrow Daniel for a long time, so she started flipping some of the rogues to her side. They were fighting with us, not against us. She told your dad that when she realized he was coming after this pack, she had to move her timeline up. She tried to stop this, Mason."

"I'm not ready to forgive her yet. She still left."

Radley nods and kisses my forehead. "I think you should still hear her out. She did save Bryce from being…" She stops and takes a deep breath. "She got him out before that sick fuck could touch him. You need to talk to her for you, not her."

"I love you, Little wolf."

Radley's smile brightens up her face. "I love you, too."

I rub my thumb across my mate mark, peeking out of the neck of her shirt. "You're ours now."

"And you are mine."

"Forever, Little wolf." I take a deep breath and sit up. When my head doesn't spin, I take that as a good sign. "Let's go check on the others."

Radley nods and helps me stand from the bed. When she's sure I can stand on my own two feet, she grabs my hand and leads me toward the back door. She takes us to the boathouse and stops outside the door. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Are you?" I counter. "That's your dad in there."

Radley shakes her head. "He's not my dad. He's a sperm donor. He tried to hurt my real family."

I can't resist kissing her pouty lips, so I lean forward and press mine against hers. She gladly accepts, and we kiss until I can feel the world settle again. I pull back and peck her nose. "How's your grandma?"

Radley laughs and shakes her head. "She's liking all the man candy. Her words, not mine. She said she's never seen so many naked men in one place." Just another reason to love that woman. "She's at Luther's with Margie and Beth."

"That's a combination," I laugh.

"She loves it here. Don't be surprised when she moves in."

"What about you?" I ask with a tilt of my head. "Are you moving in?"

Radley wraps her arms around my neck, and I settle my hands on her hips. "There's no place I'd rather be. Everything else seems light years away with all that's happened."

"You know we're going to convince you to quit the diner, right?"

Radley rolls her eyes but smiles. "I don't plan on going back. I already talked to Margie and Beth. They're working me into the chore schedule. I want to pull my weight around here."

"I love you," I say again as I pull the door open.

This is the beginning of the rest of our lives.

And I couldn't be happier.