Kate POV
I lay in Erick’s arms for hours. I know we have to go back soon, but this is the only place I want to be right now. I want him to hold me and tell me everything will be okay. Just a few hours ago, his father tried to take my life. Now, he wants me to go back with him and be his mate. I wish for that more than anything.
“We need to go back,” Erick says, kissing me on the cheek.
“I know, but I want to be here with you,” I say.
“You will always be with me, Kate. For as long as you will have me, I am yours,” Erick says.
We get out of bed and dress. Erick takes me into his arms and holds me. Our bodies melt into one another. “I promise everything will be fine. I will protect you,” Erick says.
“We do not even know why they want to kill me or why they are afraid of me,” I say.
“The pack is not afraid of you. My father and his henchmen feared you for some reason. We will find out why,” Erick says.
Erick and I leave the cabin. We stop by the main cabin to say goodbye to Gypsy and Wan. Erick parks the truck, but before we get out, Wan runs out to meet us.
“Mom left about an hour ago,” Wan says.
Wan looks me over. “You are the one, the imperial wolf like me,” Wan says.
“I do not know what I am,” I answer.
“I can tell what you are; I can help you if you want,” Wan says.
“How can you help me?” I ask.
“Come back when you guys have everything settled, and I will take you to meet my pack, your pack,” Wan says.
“What if they do not want to see me?” I ask.
“Trust me, they do,” Wan says.
Wan walks back into the cabin. I look at Erick. “Do you think he is serious?” I ask.
“There is only one way to find out. We will come back as soon as we settle everything with the pack at home,” Erick says.
Erick takes my hand and kisses the top of it. He is so loving and sweet. I have never had anyone be this kind to me. Erick pulls out of the driveway, and we begin a drive back home. I am nervous about tonight. I have no idea how the pack will react to Erick and me being together. We barely know one another. What I do know is that I love him. I am not sure why but everything about him makes perfect sense.
“Stop being so nervous,” Erick says.
“I am not nervous; okay, maybe I am a little,” I say.
“My pack is great. You only know the downside of my pack. My mother is a tyrant and made everyone miserable. She will no longer have that power over the pack,” Erick says.
“Good, I am sure she is going to be pissed off when you bring me home,” I say.
“I do not care what she thinks. I love you, and that is the most important thing to me right now,” Erick says.
“Erick, I haven’t heard the wolves talking anymore; I wonder why,” I say.
“Maybe they know you are on the right track,” Erick says.
“Maybe you are right, but I want to hear from the wolves,” I say.
“You will don’t worry,” Erick says.
We finally arrive at Eric’s house. I guess my house too now. The yard is full of wolves awaiting Erick’s return. Andrew comes running to the truck.
“Erick, I have already relocated your mother. That was no easy task, man, but I did it with a little help from Cassie. She is a badass. I need her to help me more often,” Andrew says.
“Good, I do not want her to bother Kate. If you want Cassie to help you out and maybe be with your team, maybe you should ask her. She is a great wolf. Is everyone here waiting on me?” Erick asks.
“Yes, and her. They heard your mate is an imperial, and they want to see for themselves. There is a lot of buzz about Kate going on through the pack, ” Andrew says.
“Who told them?” Erick asks.
“I did,” a little voice says from behind us.
We both turn around to see Gypsy. “You are here. Wan did not tell us you were coming here,” Erick says.
“Well, I had to make sure Kate was safe,” Gypsy says.
“Thank you,” I say to Gypsy.
“We can talk after the funeral. I have some information about your mother for you that might help,” Gypsy says.
Erick takes my hand and leads me to the back of the house where his father was cremated. Both families of Jackson and Theo have already left with their ashes. I walk with Erick to take possession of Alpha’s ashes. Erick takes the ashes to spread them in the creek. The entire pack follows Erick and me to the stream to spread Alpha’s ashes, except his mother.
After Erick releases his father into the stream, the pack kneels before him. Erick is the new Alpha and my mate. Wolves start coming up to him, pledging themselves to him and the new direction of the pack. They are also nosy about me, wanting to see me. It is hard for me to handle all of the attention they are giving me at this moment, but I suck it up for Erick. I am not anyone special. To them, I am the future Luna and an imperial wolf. To me, I am just Kate, the drunk’s daughter.
Suddenly I felt this horrible sadness come over me. What did they do with my father when he died? Maybe I should not care, but he was my father. I need to know only for closure to the horrible life he gave me. I will ask Erick; hopefully, he will have an answer.
“Are you okay?” Erick asks me.
I smile at him. “I have never been happier,” I say to him.
I do feel like I belong here with his pack and with him. Maybe I should let my past go and just live my life. No, I cannot do that. I have to know what happened to my mother and why my pack thinks I am dead. I cannot just let all of that go.