Chapter 25

Remy felt amazing as he and Thyme headed back to the house after the second shift and hunt of the night. The sun was coming up now, golden light filtering through the trees as the night faded into blue skies and fluffy clouds.

He and his mate had taken down a buck and the pride had celebrated with them as they shared the kill and reveled in the hunt. Now, as they shifted back to their human forms and dressed in the kitchen of the house they’d chosen, Thyme smiled at him with a sleepy expression.

“I’m so freaking exhausted,” she said. “I felt energized when I first shifted after the healing, but not anymore.”

“I’ve been bit with venom before, so I know how you feel.”

She looked out the sliding door. “The pride’s milling around.”

“I think they want to check on you.” He slowly drew her close, and cupped her face. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you. I’m so glad you’re safe and with me still.”

She brushed her lips over his once, twice. “I’m glad I’m still here too. Thank you for everything—for bringing your healer friends, for taking care of Leif and the others, and for running with me again in your shift. This has been the longest freaking night of my life.”

He looked out the door to the sunrise. “Night’s over, sweetheart. A new day’s waiting.”

They stepped out and the pride clapped and cheered. Thyme leaned against him with a soft sigh. “Thank you, everyone. For those who supported Remy and stood with us, to those who watched over me while I was healing—thank you from the bottom of my heart. Remy and I are looking forward to the ascension ceremony tonight and becoming the rightful and true alphas of the pride. Now go home and rest, we’ll meet back here at five and have a cookout before the ceremony. Then we’ll party all night.”

The pride cheered and Remy grinned.

He kissed the top of her head. “You’ve got the best ideas, sweetheart.”

“My current idea is to get to Marin and the bed before I pass out.”

“After we chat. I have a lot to tell you.”

“Of course.”

They said goodbye to the pride and got into the car. Remy drove back to Marin and told her everything he’d learned while dealing with the ones who’d tried to take everything from him.

She listened quietly and didn’t ask questions until the very end.

“So it was really all about power, I guess.”

“I’d say so,” he said. “Jacob wanted to keep the pride in Marin because he owned the factory that was polluting it.”

“I had no idea. I wonder if my dad knew.”

She sniffled and let out a shaky breath as she wiped her eyes. Hearing that Brilla had killed her mom so she could become alpha female had been what made her cry hardest and it had broken his heart.

“I don’t think your dad knew,” Remy said. “It seems like most of the pride was in the dark about Jacob owning the factory. I believe that he was worried if the town was abandoned, then someone could come in to take over like we’re doing in Copper Creek and they might report the factory to the environmental agencies and he’d lose everything.”

“It’s pretty shitty,” she said. “They put money over everything and it cost them their lives.”

“Yep. They took out your mom so Brilla could be alpha female and her child could become alpha. If you and I hadn’t met when we did, I think you would have been facing him in a challenge sooner rather than later, and he would not have wanted any loose ends.”

He parked in front of the house and turned off the engine. Turning to face her, he said, “I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry that Jacob, Brilla, Leif, and the others made your life hell, and I’m sorry that they took your parents from you. We can’t fault your dad for falling for Brilla, because he was grieving and you were young and needed a mom. He couldn’t have known at the time that she had bad intentions.”

“I wish they were alive so I could get every detail about what they did, but I have enough closure to know that they took out my family for money and power, and that didn’t get them anything but an early grave.”

She leaned into him and they hugged each other tightly. He kissed her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. “Let’s get some rest and then maybe we can take the bed over to the new house so we can stay there tonight.”

“I’d love that,” she said.

They walked into the house together, where they headed right for the bedroom. It was tempting to see if they could stay awake long enough to drive each other wild, but in the end they both yawned too much to do anything more than snuggle up together and fall asleep.

The ascension ceremony reminded Remy of the joining ceremony for the pack that was presided over by the alpha. It was a simple ceremony, presided over by Liam and newly-appointed elder Marty, who’d more than proved himself loyal to the pride and the new alphas.

The pride had come together earlier that evening for a cookout at Remy and Thyme’s house, and his friend Micah from Allen had dropped off several pans of barbecue ribs along with his mate’s famous seven-layer chocolate cake, and Remy’s mom’s huge cinnamon rolls.

Then they’d gathered with the pride and elders and vowed to be the best alphas they could be, to always be mindful of the safety and well-being of the pride and its members, from the smallest babies to the oldest males and females, and to be protective of the pride’s interests and borders, keeping them safe under any and all circumstances.

As they’d vowed themselves as alphas to the pride, they’d also vowed themselves to each other, to cherish and honor each other and the position as leaders, and to bring the next generation up in the ways of their people, ready to take over when the time was right.

The pride hung out in the yard, chatting and eating. Remy and Thyme sat at a picnic table with the elders and their mates.

“Let’s meet tomorrow,” Thyme said as she pulled the meat off a rib bone. “We can go through the laws and bring them up to date.”

“Are you thinking about any laws in particular?” Marty asked.

She looked at Remy and he smiled encouragingly. “We’d like to get rid of the rule that the next generation takes over after age twenty-one, and also the mating stipulation. I don’t think picking an arbitrary age like twenty-one and also forcing the male or female to be mated before they take over works well for our people. The current alphas should lead as long as they’re mentally and physically capable of it, and when they’re ready to step down, the next generation takes over, whether it’s a mated couple or an unmated male or female.”

“We should definitely keep the alpha line in your family,” Liam said. “Your ancestors started the pride.”

“I’d like that too,” she said. She ate the rib meat and then wiped her fingers on a wet nap. “If we’re going to set up rank fights and use a ranking system, I’m leaning on Remy to make those rules and laws. Just the males are going to be ranked, though. The females will be under the general authority of the alphas and the high-ranked males, rank numbers two through six.”

“Two?” Mila asked. “Who’s number one if there are two of you?”

Remy grinned. “Thyme and I are tied for rank number one.”

Mila chuckled. “That sounds like a great idea.”

They talked and ate, and then he and Thyme went around to speak to every pride member. He was doing his best to learn names and family groups, and was glad that Thyme knew everyone.

“What’s first on the agenda for tomorrow?” Thyme asked as they headed into the house after the evening was finished and everyone had gone home.

“Meeting with Liam and Marty and going through the laws, plus I need to spend time at the garage and help the guys clean.”

“I’ll be working on getting the kitchen cleaned tomorrow too,” she said. “After the meeting.”

She stared at him as he stripped and got ready for bed. They’d brought the bed from her house over earlier that day, since the main suite was one of the areas they’d worked on getting cleaned and ready first.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked.

“I was just thinking that I’m really lucky. You’re…” she crossed the room and stood in front him, her eyes luminous and her cat purring loudly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know how I’d be able to deal with what’s happened to my family because of Jacob and his cronies, but I’ve got you and we can build a new life together. I’m so thankful for you. So damn thankful to have you as my alpha male. I love you with every ounce of my being.”

His wolf howled happily in his head as he brought her close and kissed her. “I love you too, Thyme. Coming back to Allen to hunt for the full moon was the best decision I ever made, because it brought me to you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me too, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. We get to start over with the pride as alphas together, and I can’t think of a better female to lead with than you.”

She let out a happy sigh and kissed him. “Remy.”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Take me to bed. Now.”

He grinned with a low growl, suddenly feeling very feral. “Is that an order from my alpha?”

“You know it.”

He lifted her into his arms and tossed her to the bed, where she bounced twice before he was on her. He helped strip her, hands roaming, lips touching, and every inch of him was tingling in anticipation. He’d never wanted a female more than he wanted Thyme, and he’d never fallen hard for anyone, never told a female he loved her outside of his immediate family.

But he loved Thyme with the power of a thousand wolves hunting as one on the full moon, or the pride that stalked through the woods as a massive wave of fangs and claws.

Tonight, he and his mate had become the true alphas of the Copper Creek Pride, and their kids were going to be the next generation, ready to take over when he and Thyme stepped down.

That day was far away, though.

For now, he was going to concentrate on his beautiful mate and the future that lay ahead of them.

In Copper Creek.

Thank you so much for reading Remy & The Wildcat! I hope you enjoyed visiting the wolves in the Tressel Pack and getting to know the wildcats! The series will continue with Book Eight— Promise & Artem —coming February 7, 2025!

She-wolf Promise has the unique ability to heal shifters. Seeking a new home where she can use her gift, she heads to a campground in Pennsylvania, hoping to find a place to belong - and perhaps her true mate.

Artem, a minotaur shifter, faces a grim fate. If he doesn’t find his truemate by twenty-five, he’ll shift permanently. Battling severe aggression, he spends his nights in an underground shifter fighting ring.

When Promise and Artem meet, they instantly recognize each other as true mates, and Artem feels his beast finally settle. But when he tries to leave the fighting ring to be with Promise, he’s attacked by the owner, forcing Promise to heal him. Discovering her healing abilities, the ring’s owner abducts Promise to exploit her powers.

Can Artem rescue Promise before he loses her forever?