Page 30 of The Alpha Option
“I can work with that,” Jace promised.
He gestured toward the house, and they walked back in a companionable silence. Which was good, because her brain was so full, she couldn’t fit another thing in.
Jace took off toward the workshop. Cassidy entered the house by herself.
She found Stephanie upstairs setting up the computer. “I thought there was no reception?”
“Blue climbed up on the roof and did something, and now we have satellite, so we have internet.” Stephanie wiggled her fingers in the air. “Ta-da. Magic.”
“Don’t think that’s quite the type of magic they were talking about,” Cassidy said.
“It’s as good as,” Stephanie insisted. “Stacy’s going to be online in a minute. She’s going to lose her mind when she hears about shifters.”
It was good news, but her best friend looked concerned.
Cassidy laid a hand on Stephanie’s shoulder. “I’ve got more to tell you as well, but this much I can say; I think… No. I’mcertainthings are going to turn out well.”
Less than a minute later, they were huddled around the monitor. On the other side, Stacy waved her fingers. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, shadows under her eyes.
“Hey, sis. You hanging in there?” Stephanie rested her chin in her hands. “You look as if one of the kids was up last night.”
Stacy nodded then broke off to cover a yawn. “Sorry. Yeah, I got up to check on the kids, and Ace was missing. He had a nightmare and crawled into bed with Colt. When I found them, Colt was—”
Stacy waggled her fingers in the air, not saying it, but they all knew she meant Colt had shifted into a wolf. His little brothers knew. Both Blaze and Ace found it hugely comforting to cuddle with Colt when he was furry.
This was going to be one hell of a chat, Cassidy suddenly realized.
Stacy smiled, patting back some loose hair that had fallen from her ponytail. “They’re all fine now and busy watching TV. Tell me about the lodge. Is it going to work? Are we excited?”
Stephanie and Cassidy exchanged glances then glanced back at the screen.
Cass began, “There are a million things to tell you, but yes, it’s going to work. Yes, we are very excited.”
Stephanie held up a hand. “And a lot of those million things we will have to tell you later, but this needs to happen now. Colt is not the only person who can turn into a wolf.”
Her sister frowned. “I assumed he wasn’t. But how do you know that for sure?”
“Because Timberwolf Lodge has wolves. We met them. We’ve seen it.” Stephanie hurried on because Stacy’s jaw had dropped. “It’s okay. It’s better than okay because I think this is exactly what Colt needs. There’s a pack here—like a family that also can do what he does.”
Stacy’s expression raced through shock, wonder, excitement—
Stephanie winced. “We told them about Colt.”
Her sister’s face went white. “Steph. How could you?”
“It was my fault.” True or not, Cassidy took the blame. “I know it sounds scary right now, but trust me. Please. You know I love Colt, and I would never do anything to hurt him. This is going to be a good thing. I promise.”
Stacy pressed her hands to her cheeks, eyes closed. “I do trust you. I’m scared right now, though. I’m not afraid to say that. I couldn’t bear—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to him, I swear.” After all the wonders Cassidy had experienced over the past hours, it must be true. “We’ve met good people. And by the time you arrive, we’ll have a solid place for you to land. You and the boys.” Cassidy said it with conviction and felt it to the pit of her stomach.
Now to make it happen.
For the restof the day, and the two days after that, Jace deliberately kept himself out from underfoot.
There were plenty of things on the to-do list Blue and Stephanie had put together that required grunt labour. Working hard and staying away from Cassidy seemed the only way to give her the time and space she needed to deal with all the changes.
So instead of following her around like a panting puppy, he ripped apart rotting floor boards and bucked up fallen trees into two foot sections. Filled the woodshed. Cleaned out gutters and power washed the outside of the cabins so they could start staining. Dealt with his cousin Pete’s truck and arranged to have his own vehicle brought to town.
