Chapter 57: Forever Starts Today
“The Argent Pack might not be too keen on me as their new Alpha,” Will says with a sheepish smile, but I know there is genuine concern behind his carefree demeanor; I know he’s deeply worried.
“You have served my aunt my entire life to protect the pack, and you are mated to the Alpha Kin’s daughter. You are as much of a leader as I am.”
He’s the reason I can be brave. His strength and calm balance out my own impulsive emotions. Titles and bloodline aside, we’re a good team.
“But I’ve lived as an outcast the entire time. Kade was supposed to become your mate and the next Alpha, and look how that turned out… What if they think I’m no better than my brother?”
Brother.
It’s the first time he’s called Kade, his brother, and I can tell he struggles with the idea. I reach out to him through the bond, caressing his uneasy thoughts with my own.
‘Family is not determined by blood. It is made up of the people you love unconditionally and who love you in return.’
I let him feel the truth behind my words. Will is my family. Ash and detective Marcus, and Lady Margo are family. Will may be a Blackthorn, but he is nothing like Kade.
I remember the picture that detective Marcus showed me in the PI office, and I let Will look into my mind through our bond, showing him the image of his father.
‘That’s Peter Blackthorn. He was your father, Will. Your parents were good people. They loved you. We’re going to make Kade pay for what he did to them- what he did to you.”
‘To us.’
‘Yes. Us.’
He steps toward me, cupping my face in his hands and pressing a soft kiss against my lips. After a moment, he pulls away to look at me, those piercing blue eyes peering into my own.
“I guess it’s official then… When all this is over, remind me to marry you properly.”
‘My Luna.’
‘My Alpha.’
I laugh and shove him back playfully, but he only holds me even closer.
“Is that supposed to be a proposal? You’re going to have to do better than that, Will,” I tease. “When all this is over, I expect the real deal; you’d better be on your knees with a shiny ring and a sentimental speech.”
He smiles wickedly before leaning down to kiss my neck.
“As you wish, princess,” he whispers, his breath warm and feathery against my skin. “I would do anything for you. I love you, Jane Silver.”
He leans back enough to rest his forehead against mine, and we stay there for I don’t know how long, enjoying what could potentially be our last moment of peace together.
“Always,” I reply softly. “Any time, any place, any name or title; I love you always, Will.”
When we can no longer afford to waste any more time, we unravel from each other and walk out of the safe house, hand in hand.
By now, the rest of the pack has awoken, and most of the wolves are gathered on the porch of the cottage, pacing, arguing, and waiting. A man I recognize as my father’s Delta approaches me. I think his name is Jackson. He surveys my hand in Will’s with a disapproving look but says nothing.
“Young Mistress Silver,” he greets me with a respectful nod. “What news of Lady Silver?”
“My aunt is alive, but she was severely injured by Kade,” I reply. “She is safe, but she is no longer acting as regent of this pack.”
A few of the other wolves exchange uncertain glances, while others seem unsurprised by the news.
“I mean no disrespect, Miss Jane, but without an Alpha-”
“It’s Luna Jane, now,” Will interrupts. Some of the other pack members that were sitting on the porch stand up at his words, and those who were wandering around the grounds come and gather around us. Any chatter quickly dies away until all eyes are on us. I take a deep breath.
“There is an Alpha,” I announce. “Many of you know William Gray as Lady Silver’s guard. He has been my protector since my parents died. But as some must have realized by now, the accident that killed our beloved Alpha King was not an accident at all. The plane crash was an assassination orchestrated by Kade Blackthorn, and this is not the first crime he has committed in his quest for power.”
Jackson frowns at my words, but he lowers his head slightly as though gesturing for me to go on. The entire pack, or at least what’s left of it, watches me expectantly.
“Years ago, when the Blackthorns considered naming their youngest son heir, Kade killed them to secure his inheritance. He then abandoned his younger brother to die. Everything he has done has been leading up to this. Every cruel and calculating choice he’s made brings him one step closer to the wealth and authority he desires. When my parents had doubts about my engagement to Kade, he killed them in an attempt to claim me as his Luna and become the next Alpha King. When he realized I would not mate with him, he tried to kill me as well. But he failed. Kade’s long lost brother, my true mate, made sure of that.”
As I speak, I unbutton the top of my silk blouse, revealing the mating mark above my collarbone. A hushed whisper spreads across the crowd as the Argent Pack realizes what this means.
“Kade tried to kill Will and me just like he killed our parents. We may not have been able to save them, but we will not let him win,” I say, scanning the crowd. I meet the gaze of the wolves gathered around me, looking into each of their eyes. “I know I let you down. My family did not recognize Kade’s deception in time, and we have all suffered great losses because of his treachery. But it ends now.”
“We stand before you today and ask for your loyalty,” Will tells them, holding his head tall beside me. “Not because I’m a Gray or a Blackthorn, and not because my mate is a Silver- but because we are Argents. All of us. We are wolves, and a wolf’s pack is their family. And Wynter City is our home.”
Will spent his entire life thinking he was an outcast and an orphan, but now he knows who he is. He knows where he belongs, and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect that.
We both will.
“I swear to you in my father’s name,” I announce. “I swear in the name of everything he believed in and stood for that we will fight with every last breath to restore our home and defend our family. But we cannot do it alone.”
The silence that follows is so thick and tense you could slice it with a knife. Then slowly, Jackson drops to one knee and bows his head. One by one, the rest of the crowd follows in his stead until Will and I are the only ones left standing. I hold on to my mate’s hand, and we cling to each other as wolves of the Argent Pack bow before us.
We have a plan (sort of), we have an army (or at least what’s left of it), and we (hopefully) have the element of surprise.
Okay. Let’s do this.