Page 175 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Her shoulders relaxed. “Thank God.”

“He gave us some pretty damning information, though. Not good news.”

“What did he say? Anything about Ashton?” Anxiety swirled in her eyes.

“He says Ash is fine. Locked up in some fortified mansion outside North Crest. No, the bad news was about that drug we saw Kyle use.”

I told her everything. By the time I was done, Avery looked horrified.

“He really wants to rule over all the shifters? He wants to take over the world or something? Would human society allow that?”

“Humans tend to be hands-off with this stuff,” I said. “And if he’s successful with the serum, he could do it legally. All he’d need to do was challenge an alpha, and if he really was stronger and more powerful, he’d win. From there, shifter law is clear. The only way to become a pack alpha is through battle or by having it signed over to you. Usually, it’s from father to child, but also through a will. He would be well within his rights to take over every pack he came across.”

“Holy shit,” she muttered. “What do we do from here? How do we stop him?”

“Langston will be instrumental. Honestly, I’m really happy you called him and his guys down to help. I don’t think we could do this without him.”

She lifted an eyebrow, a pleased smile spreading across her lips. “Really? Is this from the same guy who thought Langston was trying to get into my pants a couple days ago?”

Heat crept up my neck, but I shoved the embarrassment away. “I know. I was a dick, and I’m sorry about that. Looking back at it, I’m glad you had people like Langston and Stormy to have your back while I was away. I’ll never be able to express to them how much it means to me that they loved you and Ashton the way they did.”

Avery trailed her finger down my chest. “I think this is where you’re supposed to kiss me.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Pulling her close, I kissed her, parting her lips with my tongue. Her tongue tumbled across mine like wet velvet. We pulled apart, both of us breathing heavily. If we didn’t have so much to do, I probably would have dragged her upstairs and had my way with her.

Cupping her face in my hands, I stared deep into her eyes. “I know we had some issues, and the dumbest thing I ever did was leaving you. The second dumbest thing was when I almost lost you again. I don’t want that to happen again. This place is your home. I want you here. You and Ashton both. I never want you to be away from me again.”

Avery blinked rapidly. “Are you serious?”

“I am. I want to be the man I should have been from the start. A man you can count on and rely on and come home to every day. That is what I want. With you and Ashton. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

Avery’s eyes grew. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

We kissed again, this time more intimate and gentle. Deep in my mind, my wolf growled contentedly.

42

AVERY

Murmured conversation downstairs roused me from sleep. For a few seconds, I didn’t even know where I was, then I remembered going to bed early the night before. Each day was more stressful than the one before it, and I’d crashed hard before the sun had even gone down.

More muffled words resonated through the closed door. From the baritone and pitch, I recognized Cole’s voice, as well as Langston and Trent, but I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. Yawning, I got out of bed and dressed. Tucking my phone into my back pocket, I headed downstairs to see what was going on this early.

What I found sent a swirl of anxiety through me, and my heart thudded painfully against my ribcage. Trent and Langston were escorting the captive, Scotty, up the stairs from the basement. They had a firm grip on him, but they were less aggressive than when they’d dragged him down the stairs.

“Damn, guys,” I said. “The sun’s not even up yet.”

The men all glanced up at me, Scotty’s eyes wider than the rest, as if he thought I was an assassin sent to end his life.

“Sorry. Did we wake you?” Cole asked.

“Sort of, but I got enough sleep. You didn’t answer my question. Why are you doing this so early?”

“Best to get our friend here moved under the cover of darkness. I figure morning is better than night. If any of Kyle’s men are out doing rounds on the highways, they’ll be more exhausted and less likely to ID as we drive by.”

“Us?” I asked, glancing from Langston to Cole.

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