Chapter 9

Ivy was nervous as a basket of chestnuts over the fire. Her stomach was in knots and she wasn't sure she was dressed appropriately.

How the heck did an elf who was going to be a leopard leap's alpha female dress anyway? Leather was the first thing that came to mind, something black and tight that made her look like she could handle anything, even though she was fairly sure she couldn't handle anything at the moment as she was about two seconds away from a panic attack.

And a panic attack seemed like something an alpha female should definitely not have on the first day of meeting the leopards.

"It's going to be great," Knox said with a low voice as they waited for Maverick and Chase to clear the other side of the portal.

"I can't help but worry."

"What are you worried about?"

"You're changing a lot of stuff for me."

He hummed as he stared at the Entrance, then slowly turned his head. His eyes were amber and his scent deepened, the snow and leather invading her senses and taking away some of the anxiety.

She was still stressed, just not as stressed.

But they were still in Northernmost.

She looked over her shoulder to see the perimeter of the town in the distance. Frost was out there somewhere, plotting and planning. And that was just one more thing to worry about.

Her anxiety pinged like the radar NORAD used to track Santa on Christmas Eve.

Knox put his arm around her and pulled her close with a questioning purr.

"Your thoughts are all over the place, aren't they? I can feel you're anxious, but if it's about the leopards, you shouldn't be. I'm alpha, you're my mate, and they'll either deal with it or leave."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is. So what else is worrying you?"

"Frost."

Knox snarled and squeezed her a little tighter. "That fucker. We'll get through the holidays safely and then you won't have to worry about him."

"It would be nice not to worry about him, but I worry about my dad and brother too."

She was thankful she'd never lost a family member to Frost and his vile magic, but it worried her all the same.

"I'll keep you safe, sweetheart, I promise."

"I know you will. You're the alpha."

"Damn straight."

Maverick appeared through the portal. "All clear, Alpha. Ready when you are."

She walked with Knox through the Entrance, leaving behind Northernmost. When they stepped into Northern Kentucky, they were in the forest of what Knox had told her was the leopards' town of Wildwood Crossing.

"Is Wildwood Crossing mostly leopard?" she asked as he grasped her upper arm so she didn't fall as she gingerly stepped onto the snowy ground.

"For the most part," he said. "Our people run most of the businesses, but we have other shifters who work in town, plus some magical people and humans."

"So you don't mind them in town, it's just previously they couldn't be part of the leap."

"You got it."

She rolled her eyes.

"Hey," he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, "we like most everyone except Frost and his asshole evil followers, but not everyone gets to be part of everything we do. Just like Santa and Northernmost. Shifters aren't welcome there by and large because there's no real reason for us to be there except as Guardians."

She let that roll around in her head for a bit. "Okay, I'll give you that."

"Oh gee, thanks," he said with a snort.

Maverick and Chase led them through the woods. The snow and ice crunched under their boots, and it was cold but not nearly as cold as it was in Northernmost. A house came into view, and a handful of males stood on the back porch.

She knew that he hadn't told his people anything, save for Maverick and Chase who knew that she was Knox's mate. It would be easy for them to see she wasn't a shifter because of her pointed ears.

Maverick and Chase stopped, and she and Knox moved between them, a few yards from the males on the porch.

"Gentlemen," Knox said, his voice giving all kinds of alpha-authority and making her lady bits quiver, "I called you here because I have some news that involves not only myself but the laws of our people."

The males' gazes pinged between her and Knox, but none of them said anything.

After a few moments had passed, Knox continued, "This is Ivy Pine, and she's an elf. I've brought her here today because she is my mate, and I've already marked her as mine. Our laws as they stand ensure that I would be exiled from the leap because of this, but as I'm still alpha, I am going to change the laws.

"Ivy, the male in the middle with the blond hair is Calix, my second-in-command. To his left are Theo and Sam, third and fourth ranked in the leap, and to his right are two of our elders, Eddie and John."

She stared at the males who were all looking at her like she'd suddenly sprouted a second head.

Then Calix took a step off the porch and approached, his eyes flashing to amber.

With a low growl, he lowered to one knee and dropped his head. "Alphas."

The others joined him, each lowering to one knee in a line. Maverick and Chase joined them.

"If I could be so bold," Calix said, lifting his head. "It's about fucking time."

Ivy looked at Knox. "What is?"

"Taking away the mating conditions," Calix said. He rose to his feet and shook Knox's hand. "Congratulations."

He nodded at Ivy and stepped back to allow the others to congratulate them.

"You knew, didn't you?" Calix asked Maverick and Chase.

"We were there when they met," Chase said.

"Fuckers. You're supposed to share this kind of tea with me, I'm the second!"

"I put them under orders not to share," Knox said. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do."

Theo gave him an incredulous look. "You weren't thinking of leaving, were you? You're the best alpha we've had in decades, and the leap is thriving under your leadership."

"Changing the laws is a big deal," he pointed out. "But I did consider it. If Ivy didn't want to come live here, I would have moved to Northernmost."

"Wildwood Crossing is a great town," Eddie said. "Everyone is friendly, it's a leave-your-door-unlocked sort of town. Plus, you're the alpha female. Our females haven't had an alpha female for ages. It's about damn time."

"Thank you all so much for the warm welcome." She shivered at the word "warm" and Knox put his arm around her.

"Speaking of warm, let's go inside and get something to eat. We've got a lot to discuss."

They moved to the porch and Maverick grabbed the door for them. She stepped into a large kitchen. Knox turned on the overhead light as they stamped the snow from their boots. They disrobed from their winter gear which Chase put away in a hall closet, and walked through the house to a large office which had a floor to ceiling built in bookshelf that was full of books.

"Welcome to the alpha's office, sweetheart," Knox said.

"What a library!" she said.

"You can browse my books anytime, and I'll make room for you."

"Don't I get my own office?" she teased.

He growled and pulled her close. "I thought we could work together."

"You say work like you don't really mean work."

He wiggled his brows.

Someone cleared their throat. "If you're done molesting each other, we've got some laws to change. Respectfully," Calix said.

She giggled, her cheeks heating.

"I'll never be done," Knox whispered.

"Me either."