9

Fallon

“Hey you.” I fell into the oversized wicker papasan chair on the vacation cottage’s front porch, watching the wind ripple across the lake. “How are things with my brother?”

“I can’t complain.” I could hear Aspen grinning through the phone. “He misses you though.”

“He better.” I pulled my legs to my chest so I could rest my chin on my knees. It was so cold here. Muddy snow patches still lingered on the ground. Back home, it’d be raining nonstop, but at least flowers would be blooming.

Back home…

This is our home now. My wolf sighed. She was still frustrated about the fight with John.

“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?” Aspen asked.

“How do you know anything is wrong?” I straightened up, drying my eyes.

“Call it intuition. Or maybe it’s because we’ve been on the phone for almost five minutes and you haven’t made a single wisecrack.”

“Am I that bad?” I chuckled.

Aspen laughed along with me. It was strange having an adult sister of sorts. I’d never thought I wanted one, but having her was non-negotiable now.

“The pack misses you too. How are you settling in there?” she asked.

“Now I know you’re lying.” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m serious. I swear it’s like every week I hear someone say, ‘Fallon didn’t do it that way.’ And then I’ve got to patiently explain that I’m the Luna now.”

Her plight shouldn’t have made me feel as good as it did. “Don’t stress too much. They gave me shit when I was filling in for the pack Luna too.”

After my brother took over McCaw Pack, the eligible females were practically champing at the bit to get the place by his side. It was up to me to step in to protect him. Being Luna wasn’t ever on my radar, but I learned the political role quickly so we didn’t drown. For the past five years, I’d been playing the game and doing it well.

Now here I was. In bumfuck nowhere.

Doing nothing.

And with an Alpha who didn’t think I was strong enough to take care of myself.

He’s our mate.

He’s a barbarian who doesn’t realize my worth.

“You don’t sound like you’re doing okay,” Aspen interrupted my train of thought. It was scary how intuitive she was.

“It’s just Alpha trouble.” I sighed. “You know how they can be. He went around telling the pack how they’re supposed to treat me. Now I look weak and it’ll be harder to earn their respect. But don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

There was a pause as Aspen covered the phone with her hand. Then I heard the door slam as she ran into the other room.

“Sorry. They’re moving my papa into his own cottage and he’s looking for a hammer.”

“It’s okay. I should–”

“Nope. You’re not going anywhere until we talk this out,” Aspen said.

“I can literally just hang up the phone.”

“But you won’t because, despite your tough exterior, you aren’t a complete asshole.”

“I…” I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Listen, I know you and Ranger had a shit life. And we’re wolves. We’re used to fighting for what we get. But it’s different when it comes to you and your mate–especially one who is the Alpha. He’s going to protect you. It’s in his nature. You don’t have to fight every battle alone anymore.”

“But–”

“No buts. It’s biology, girl. Your wolf could only be tamed by the male strong enough to be an equal, but being equal doesn’t mean you do the same type of work all the time. He’s supposed to protect you in his way. You’re supposed to protect him in yours. He’ll take care of you when you’re sick and when you can’t do something. Just like you’ll do the same when he falls short. You don’t have to prove your worth anymore. If you did, then he wouldn’t be your perfect mate.”

“What if fate got it wrong and he’s not perfect?” I swallowed down the lump of emotion in my throat. Freaking Aspen. She was starting to make me feel things.

“I didn’t say he was going to be without flaws. Just that he’s the perfect mate for you.” She laughed into the phone. “Fate doesn’t control the outcome. She just gives you the initial push. It’s our job to not screw things up.”

“Isn’t it strange that we all thought fated mates were so rare and yet we both found ours this season?” I rubbed the aching spot in my chest.

“Not strange at all,” Aspen said, full of confidence. “It’s like someone or something wanted this to happen for a reason. Speaking of fate, your brother just walked in. Want to say hi?”

My wolf’s ears perked up. Her tail wagged a bit. It’d been almost a month which was the longest we’d ever gone without talking to her littermate.

“Sure. I’ll say hi.”

Ranger took the phone. “Hey, mutt. How’s John treating you?”

I thought about telling him my petty problems and then stopped. He’d suffered enough for us all. Besides, even though I wanted to stay mad, I knew Aspen was right. My mate was a big, goofy idiot.

But he’s still our mate.

“John’s great,” I said. “How’s the pack doing?”

“Same old bullshit, different day. But what’s this I hear about a fight?”

I stilled, thinking through all I’d said to Aspen and wondering what else she’d told him this quickly.

“John told me,” Ranger said. “I talked to him about an hour ago.”

“You did?” This was crossing the line. If John reached out to my brother with our business, I was going to give that dumb mate of mine a piece of my–

“Calm down. I called him to talk about some rumors with the Detroit pack and he was grumbling more than normal, so I pried the information out.”

“Am I that predictable?” My chest deflated like a balloon and my wolf whined at hearing John was distressed.

“A little.” Ranger laughed. “It’s good to hear you aren’t changing on me though.”

I smiled even though my brother couldn’t see it. “What rumors?”

“His boon was to force Alpha Williams’ son Chase to stop running business into O’Neil territory.”

I nodded along as he spoke. “And?”

“Darrell Williams is dead.”

“Chase mated with Kimberly. He’ll be ready to take over as Alpha.” I gathered up my blanket from the chair and headed inside, closing the screen door behind me as I ran through the names I’d committed to learning over the past five years. We didn’t have much dealing with the packs east of the Rockies, but it was important to know some of the bigger players and their weaknesses.

“Unless Janice challenges legitimacy,” Ranger said. Silence stretched long enough for me to read between the lines.

“Guess we have ourselves a waiting game.” I sighed.

“Guess so.” The sandpaper sound of Ranger scratching his chin was so familiar it made me smile. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? Just because you’re mated, it doesn’t change your blood. You’re still my sister. And you’re still a McCaw.”

I closed my eyes, wishing I didn’t need to hear that as much as I did right now. My duty was to my pack, though. Because I was their Luna, whether they liked it or not. The tug in the middle of my chest grew stronger, reminding me that fate wanted me here for a reason. John needed me.

We need him too.

“I know.” I forced myself to stand up straight and fix my face. This was a challenge. I’d never shied away from one in my life. It was time to get back in the ring. “But I’m also an O’Neil.”