Page 145 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

I laughed and patted his thigh. “At least you’ll have this to think back on while everyone is listening to you talk.”

“Yeah, great. I’ll have an erection while I’m on stage.Exactlywhat I need,” he said.

We both dissolved into laughter. As bad as things were, and as dangerous as it all was, it was comforting to be able to laugh, to enjoy each other’s presence, and relax, even when the world was falling apart around us.

At that moment, I was positive Cole would get our son back. He’d lead his pack and become the alpha he was always meant to be.

35

COLE

The air conditioning in City Hall was set at sixty-eight degrees, but I was still sweating. The collar of my shirt felt tight and uncomfortable as I watched the townspeople stream in. Time had sped up in the last hour, pushing me toward this meeting that had my nerves pulled as taut as high-tension cables.

At the door, Farrah, Zayde, and Porter greeted the arrivals. Many of them gave the two strangers confused looks. The two men were polite, but none of the pack members knew them, and seeing new faces standing in places of distinction probably put everyone on edge. That became more evident as the room filled and the attendees looked up on the stage to see who stood with me.

Trent was on my right. Many knew his face from when we were kids, and others had gotten to know him in the weeks we’d been back. To my left stood Langston. The man wasn’t standing rigid like he was at a military parade—he made sure to hold himself casually, with a confident and relaxed grin on his face.

Many eyes lingered on the man, and I could hear a few hushed conversations as people took their seats.

“Who the hellis that guy?”

“Is that the new enforcer?”

“That’s where the enforcer stands, so maybe it is.”

“Right, but who the heck is he?”

“I don’t care, he’s hot as fuck.”

I had to fight to roll my eyes at that last one. Scanning the crowd, I saw that the speaker wasn’t alone in their appreciation of Langston’s good looks. Many of the women—and a couple of men—were gazing at him with unadulterated lust in their eyes.

Trent must have noticed it as well because he leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Langston’s gonna have a fan club by the time this is all over.”

I snorted, covering my mouth to hide the chuckle. That was good. Laughing helped get my mind off what was to come.

Avery waved at me from the far right side of the crowd in the first row. Smiling, I waved back at her.

She winked and mouthed, “You’ll do great.”

I nodded, letting her words fill me with courage. The crowd streaming in slowly tapered until the last stragglers hurried inside to find seats. Many had to stand along the walls and in the aisles as most chairs had been taken. Farrah gave me a thumbs-up from the back and closed the door.

Langston nudged me. “You’ve got this. Remember, this is yourpack.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate that.”

Langston and Trent took seats behind me, leaving me at the podium. There was a small gavel and wooden block to one side. I picked up the gavel and banged it on the block four times, the sound reverberating through the room like gunshots. It had the intended effect, and the crowd quickly settled.

Swallowing hard, I looked out upon the sea of faces. For the first time in my life, I realized what it was like to be alpha. Even after watching my father do this for years, it never truly sank in that so many people relied on him, trusted him to protect them. Now I had to tell them that their last alpha had not succeeded in that aspect.

“I suppose you’re all wondering why I’ve called you here,” I said, proud that my voice was ringing out confident and deep. “I wish I could tell you it was good news, but that would be a lie.”

A slight murmur ran through the crowd, and there were some worried looks on faces as I gathered myself for what was next.

“Many of you may know that my father was not at his best the last decade of his life.”

A few quiet grumbles of agreement came from the crowd. I decided it would be better to rip the Band-Aid off quickly rather than draw things out.

“When I returned home after my father’s death, I found a pack in trouble. My sister and I were made aware—quickly—that the financial viability of the Harbor Mills pack was not healthy and was in danger of slipping so far into the red that the whole town could go bankrupt.”

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