16. Ore

"Are you sure it's safe here?"

Ore forced himself to look away from the hideous cowboy-themed decor in the room his parents had been put in and met his mom's worried eyes. "Yes, it's safe here. I haven't spent a lot of time with most of the pack, but there's only been one guy that wasn't… welcoming. Otherwise, everyone I've come into contact with has been very receptive and kind, especially considering they're not used to having outsiders in their territory."

His dad was pacing on the other side of the bed, one hand clasped on the back of his neck, but at Ore's words, he pivoted on his heel and gave him a stern look, eyes sharp. "What do you mean some guy wasn't welcoming? What happened?"

Ore shrugged, not really wanting to tell his parents about Billy and the bookstore. "It wasn't a big deal. He said something rude to me, but Cash stepped in before anything could happen." He smiled at the memory. "I thought he was going to rip the guy's throat out." At their horrified looks, he rushed to say, "But he didn't. He made sure the guy was punished though."

His mom didn't look very relieved, making him wonder what sort of punishment they thought happened in Liam's pack. "He was that upset over some rude words?"

His dad's eyes narrowed. "They must have been pretty bad for a pack Enforcer to react so violently against his own packmate while protecting a stranger."

Ore looked away, his cheeks heating. "Cash was… sort of put in charge of making sure my stay here was uneventful."

He picked his words carefully, not actually wanting to admit to his parents that he'd basically been confined to Cash's house until he finally wore him down with Pops's help, and then the first time he came into town, he'd run into Billy. He wasn't sure his parents would understand—or appreciate—their only son not being trusted by the very same pack he was now asking them to put their trust in.

They exchanged a look, wariness clear on both of their faces and scents.

"Maybe staying isn't such a good idea," his mom said, looking back at him. "I'm sure there are wonderful people here, but we have to think about all of our safety, including your sisters."

Ore nodded. "I get that, truly, but if Alpha Amato says we're safe here, I believe him. I don't know exactly what's going to happen at this pack meeting tonight, but I do know that he plans on telling people who don't want any of the members of our pack joining to leave. He won't tolerate people being intolerant or divisive."

"Still," his dad said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This Amato has been alpha for a few years now and hasn't done anything like this. Seems like he's being rash and that he might regret welcoming us into his pack. Where will we be then?"

Taking a deep breath, Ore stood from the uncomfortable chair covered with a weird horse fabric. As calmly as he could, he told his parents, "If you don't want to stay, I can't make you. You have to do what you believe is best for yourselves and the girls, but I'm an adult, and I'll be staying either way."

His mom jumped up from where she'd been perched on the edge of the bed—the quilt covering it was a patchwork of belt buckles, horseshoes, and all kinds of other cowboy paraphernalia, and he couldn't help but be distracted by the idea of Liam decorating the room that way. Hadn't Cash said he'd grown up near Chicago?

She came forward and clasped his elbows, giving him a quick squeeze. "Sweetheart, you don't have to stay here because you feel a sense of obligation after they saved your life. We'll be forever grateful for that, but we just don't know if it's the best place for avian shifters, given the attitude of some of the pack members."

"I'm not staying out of misplaced loyalty or a sense of obligation." He took a deep breath and swallowed. "Cash and I are mates. I'm not leaving him."

His mother's nails dug into his skin before she dropped her hands and took a step back. He winced at the horror on her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly, glancing back at Ore's dad before refocusing on him.

His dad wasn't saying anything. His only reaction to Ore's proclamation was the furrowing of his dark brows. His stomach got a little queasy, but he straightened his shoulders and nodded. It didn't matter if they approved. He and Cash loved each other. They wanted to be a family.

"I'm positive. My bird led me here to him when I was injured and terrified, and even when I couldn't remember anything, I felt drawn to him. He's kept me safe ever since I arrived. He's been generous with his time and money and affections, taking care of me in ways I couldn't even begin to explain. We're mates, and we're sticking together." He cleared the emotion out of his throat and added, "He's worked hard to become an Enforcer in this pack. I would never ask him to give that up."

His dad walked slowly over to stand next to his mom. She still looked shocked, but his dad clasped her hand and said, "Obviously, your mother and I are very happy for you. You've always wanted a mate, and we're glad you found someone as wonderful as Cash."

His mom started to say something but stopped with a faint noise that made Ore think his dad had just tightened his grip.

"We can't wait to get to know him and personally thank him for taking care of our boy," he finished, smiling at Ore. It wasn't big, but it was there.

Tears sprang into Ore's eyes. As frustrated as he was at his mom's reaction, he knew she would come around. It wasn't that interspecies matings were unheard of among shifters, but avians could be a bit stuck up about who they believed were acceptable mates. He understood it was a shock for her.

He just hoped it didn't take too long for her to realize how amazing Cash was.

Giving them a strained smile, he headed for the door. "I've got to head out and meet Cash before we go to the meeting tonight. Do you guys need anything?"

His dad shook his head. "No, son, we're just fine. It's been a long day, so I think we'll turn in for the night."

"Okay," he said, forcing himself to ignore the fact that his mother still hadn't said anything. "I'll try to come by in the morning before we leave."

Ore was a little surprised that the pack meeting was being held outside in the same area behind Alpha Amato's house where they'd all met before the pack run. When he said as much to Cash, his panther informed him they enjoyed having their gatherings out in nature whenever possible. The only time they used the community center was if the weather was too bad.

He supposed it made sense. Their entire territory was set up in a way that surrounded them with nature. All woods and grass and water. It shouldn't surprise him to learn that most of the pack members preferred not being cooped up inside.

His appreciation for the wildness of the territory was soon forgotten, the meeting turning heated faster than he'd anticipated.

Liam started by briefly explaining the situation, including Ore's amnesia, his parents arriving, and the threats that his family and others back in California faced from the Enforcers in the Barney Pack. He then very clearly stated the Silver Oak Pack would be helping, and the decision wasn't up for debate.

Over the noise of discontent, he told them he'd already called his brother and Alpha Kincaid for reinforcements.

More people than Ore had expected seemed upset by that, but what really set off a handful pack members was when Liam said, "I'll be opening the territory to any of the members of the Barney Pack who would like to take refuge here, either temporarily or permanently. And if anyone has a problem with that, they are welcome to leave my pack."

Several people, including a familiar voice near the back of the crowd that had Ore inching closer to Cash, said Liam couldn't just change pack laws and policies on his own.

"As the alpha, I absolutely can change pack law as I see fit. If you don't like it, you can leave or challenge me for my position."

When there was movement in the crowd, fear gripped his intestines. Was someone going to challenge him right then and there? What if he lost and Ore cost him everything?

But then a familiar white head of hair and hunched shoulders came into view and made their way to the front of the pack, stepping up right next to Alpha Amato and scowling out at the crowd.

"Anyone complaining about Alpha Amato offering refuge to these avians should be ashamed of themselves," Pops said, his voice ringing out clearly and silencing all of the chatter. "I remember when this pack wasn't afraid of welcoming newcomers, and I, for one, am glad we'll be returning to that way of life."

"We've always been a pack of cats," someone shouted from the midst of the crowd.

Ore couldn't tell who it was, but based on the tightening in Cash's shoulders, he knew them, and he wasn't pleased with them arguing with his grandfather.

"Yes, we have," Pops agreed, giving one quick nod. "But we welcomed new ones. We didn't shun other packs. We had alliances and welcomed emissaries."

There was a murmur of agreement, especially among the older members.

"When was the last time we allowed a visitor from another pack?" Pops went on.

The same person as before called back, "Kincaid's Enforcer was here?—"

"Bah!" Pops waved his cane angrily, forcing a few people to step back. "The only reason most of you got on board with Liam agreeing to help was after he pointed out it would be beneficial for Kincaid to owe us a favor." The disgust in Pops's voice was clear. "There was a time when we would've offered assistance without expecting anything in return, but now we've isolated ourselves so completely it has become detrimental to our pack growth."

A few people in the crowd nodded, faces concerned.

"Our numbers are shrinking. We have more elders than cubs, and we haven't had a new member ask to join in two years. Two. Years," he emphasized, giving his cane another shake. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that means our pack is dying. It's slow because we still have a strong alpha—thank the goddess—but if we don't change things right now, we won't have a pack for much longer. Maybe a couple of generations, and that's it, folks."

There were some more murmurs from the crowd. Most agreed with nods and a few "You tell 'em, Pops," though a handful seemed to scoff at his warning.

"How much longer do you expect me to act as pack healer?" He raised his bushy eyebrows, meeting the eyes of those right in front of him. "Each year, I get older, and it becomes a little harder to move and see and hear, but there's no one in our pack even training to become a healer. No one's interested in the job, and we don't have any new people joining to fill in these very important positions. If we don't grow, we die."

With those ominous words, Pops stepped back into the crowd, planting both hands on his cane and giving Ore a wink.

Liam watched Pops with fondness, but he sobered as he addressed the crowd once more. "Pops is right. We can continue going as we are until we're so dwindled in numbers there isn't a pack left, or we can choose to change. We can choose to become a thriving pack once more. We can help those who need it, and we can build relationships with other packs and covens. We can offer assistance in this tumultuous time of rebuilding… or we can stand on the sidelines and hope the new world we're about to step into is to our liking."

Ore was so proud of both Pops and Alpha Amato. It didn't matter that there were people who were questioning whether what they were doing was a good idea. They both were holding firm, showing their support, not just in the pack but in Ore, in his family. He honestly couldn't be more grateful.

"If we open up our territory," someone shouted, "what's to stop terrible people from moving here? People who would steal resources or harm our elders and cubs."

There was a small rumble of agreement, but Liam held up both hands, and the crowd silenced quickly.

"What's to stop them?" he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face. "We will. We will stop any bad actors who try and come into our territory. This is still our pack, our home, our family. Giving people a door to walk through to join us isn't the same as completely removing our borders, but if we want to survive, we have to embrace the future and forget the past."