Page 74 of Cold Foot Revenge
“Damon Daye called me.”
“Damon called you? He called your phone?” she asked, heart beating a little faster.
“Well, I thought it was a prank call, so I told him to fuck off and then hung up on him, but then Wreck texted me, and I quote, “You fuckin’ hamburger, pick up Damon’s call before I set you on fire.’”
She laughed and lifted her feet off the lake floor, allowing him to turn her slowly as she floated. “What did he say?”
“He said he fixed the aftermath of the Rabbit Hole. And then he asked if I wanted it.”
“If you…” She frowned and shook her head.
“If I wanted the territory.”
She tensed and stood on the lake floor, gripping his shoulders. “What? Like you would run the Rabbit hole?”
“Like I would manage the shifters there. He tried to get Grit to take over the territory, but Grit is established where he is. He said Grit recommended me.”
“Grit, your Maker, he wants you close,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Damon is buying the Rabbit Hole. He wants it gutted. He wants me to round up the left-over Grit-Bron Crew and rehabilitate them if they are salvageable. He wants me to grow a new Crew, with a new name that I choose, and he wants the territory to be claimed under Damon’s Mountains. He will back me if I ever need help.” He inhaled deeply. “There’s one condition though.”
“What condition?” she whispered in disbelief.
“He wants us to fix that town together.”
Her face crumpled and tears fell into the water, and she hugged him up so tightly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because if you thrived here, away from your old life, I would tell him no. He is waiting for my answer. If you took to this life, I would make this life the best I could for you.”
She gasped, her breath hitching, and she jerked back and cupped his cheeks, searched his glowing orange eyes. “Well, ask me then.”
The smile that stretched his lips in the soft light of sunset was so handsome. “Roxy, do you want to—”
“Yes!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Oh my God, oh my God, Dylan, yes.” She laughed with him as he hugged her close under the warm water. “I can’t believe this. Damon Daye called you to be one of his Alphas.”
“I know,” Dylan said, arching his brows. “I’m still waiting for him to send me a text that says just kidding.”
She giggled and pressed her lips to his. In this moment, it felt like all the pieces of her life that weren’t aligned had lined up perfectly.
Her mate was going to be Alpha, and he was worthy. His bear was big enough, and strong enough to hold the rank, and dominant enough to bring an unruly Crew in line, sure, but it was the good inside of him that was going to change everything for the better.
He was going to heal that town, and take back that poisonous shifter culture there that had fallen so far, and she was going to be right there with him, learning to be good right along with him.
“This is my brother’s life here. He’s good. He’s safe. Now I want to make my own life.” He pushed a strand of damp hair behind her ear. “With you.”
This wasn’t them riding off into the sunset for a happily ever after. It was going to be work, and stress, and emotions while they navigated all the steps to get that town back to its former glory, but that was the beauty in it.
They were going to make a sanctuary there someday. Together.
They were going to earn the good life that the Cold Foot Crew had painstakingly built in these mountains.
Dylan had the best people to look up to, and to guide him. Damon, Wreck, Tawk, Raynah, and all of the others in this Crew. And always…always…he would have his brother to lean on, no matter the distance.
Today was the first day of a damn good life. They were going to go get it.
