Page 22 of Damon
“Farren, I am so happy for you!” He hugs me, and I hug him back as much as I can through Damon’s grip on me.
“Just know, the only reason you just touched her is because you’re her best friend and you like men,” Damon points out. I roll my eyes at his ridiculousness. “You will havetwo guards on you the whole time we are at the gathering. I will not be taking chances with her.”
Yeah, exactly what I was expecting.
“I will never leave her side either,” Brantley says. “Damon, I am not sure how people will react to my adopting Aiden.”
That is something I have wondered about myself. “I will babysit for you while you mingle with the singles.” Brantley looks relieved. “It’s no problem at all.” I touch the side of Aiden’s sleeping face.
Brantley is such a good father. He has taken on the role with open arms and has been absolutely amazing. He is so much happier—he is carefree and just glowing. I am glad that we were able to let him have this life.
Maverick steps forward. “I would be honored to help protect my sister. I sent a few of our dominants to check out the housing and set up as much security as possible.”
I am not sure how people will react to Damon. He is a new alpha and has taken many of the males from other packs. Damon has modern ideas, and most of the others do not. It’s going to be a clash of traditions, and I am not sure Damon is going to budge on anything—and I don't want him to.
“Brantley, I will assign one person to you also. I will not allow anything to happen to you. You will be in the main house with us.” My mate is amazing, so thoughtful. Olive and Randall will be staying here, keeping an eye on everything. Everyone else is going. As the alpha’s female, I am required to go so that if couples decide to mate, I am there for the females. Then each couple will have to decide whether to livewith her pack or his pack; hopefully, they come back to ours. I love every single member of our pack and can’t imagine not having them here. Living here has made me realize it’s not so good in other packs.
We had it much easier in my old pack—it was not too strict—but the others are a living hell. If you do something that the elders do not like, you are punished and, in some cases, tortured. You are stuck in these packs, with no way out unless you beg another alpha to take you in. The bears are not as bad as the wolf shifters, but they are strict too. The older packs that come from pure bloodlines are the ones to watch out for.
This is why Damon is such a safe haven!
“We are leaving in an hour. Maverick and Brantley will be in the vehicle with us, and three extra guards will be in the back,” Damon informs all of us. We have a huge-ass Hummer, which is like a steel vault and holds eight people.
I’ve got to admit I am kind of worried because I can’t shift to protect myself anymore. I know that Damon will protect me—I have no doubts about that—but when you’re used to being able to shift anytime, anywhere, and then you can’t? It’s not easy.
“We will be ready.” Maverick walks out of the house to get his bags, and Brantley hands me Aiden. I kiss his forehead; he is so precious.
“I need to finish packing all of the necessities for him, do you mind?” Brantley asks.
“Not at all!” I wave him off and plop my butt on the couch for cuddle time, while Damon runs around the house on the phone, getting everything ready.
Then it’s time to load up the vehicle, with a trail of SUVs behind us. Wolf shifters don't harm women, but the coyotes and the hyenas, on top of Ken—that is what bothers me. I look over at Damon, his grip tight around the steering wheel. He is ready for war, and we are diving into it headfirst.
Farren
The gathering place is in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of houses for the alphas and their families. The single packmates will stay in tents surrounding the houses.
One by one, people come out of their houses, staring. There are rumors that we are vicious and evil and the guys are pure cavemen with absolutely no morals. I can see the fear on some of the women’s faces—it was probably put there by the alphas so they will stay away from us.
I want my pack filled with kids, happiness, and family.
Damon looks at me, and I take his hand. “Let’s do this.” He smiles and tilts his head to the side.
My mate.
He walks around and opens my door. I step out and stand behind him and, one by one, all of the SUV doors open. Everyone is just staring at us. I can see why we would be intimidating: all men except for one woman and a baby. Damon’s eyes are golden as he stares at every single person who is staring him down, Some alphas lower their heads.
I smile and press my hand to Damon’s back. A few women are standing on a porch a couple of houses away. I nod at them and they return the gesture.
“Moon, let’s get our things in the house,” Damon tells me, and he walks to the back of the SUV and grabs our bags.
“I will grab the baby’s bag, Brantley,” I say. He thanks me, carrying the baby in one arm. Quite a few people are staring at Brantley. I guess they are curious as to why he has a baby.
I lick my parched lips; the eyes on us have me on edge. Not that I expected a warm welcome, but half the guys from other packs are completely hostile with arms folded across their chests.
The bears are on the other side of the property. We do mix during dinner and certain activities, but most of the time we will be with the wolves.
I make sure to stay with Brantley. I am afraid to leave him alone, honestly. I am not sure how people will react to him. Which is why he will be in the house with us; plus he has a baby, so he can’t very well sleep in a tent.
