Page 50 of The Rabbit's Foot
As they approached the motel, Cece put a hand on Alp’s leg. “You doing okay?”
“Sure,” he replied.
“Maybe I didn’t phrase that properly. Are you doing all right? And don’t lie to me. I’m a wolf, so I can sense it.”
Alp sighed and stared out at the forest zooming by them. “I’m scared,” he admitted. “I just got him, and I’m having nightmares about losing him.”
Cece squeezed his leg. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
“Sure.”
“Part of the reason I insist on going with Damon is that I have those dreams too. I know I can’t let him go alone, because I have to be with him to keep him safe.”
“But he has bodyguards.”
“And no matter how I tease them, they’re amazing men. They’re incredible at their jobs, and they would take a bullet for my mate. But they’re not me. They’re loyal because Damon gave them a home, but he gave me a family and a life.” She shook her head. “I know it sounds stupid, but if something is going to happen, I need to be there.”
But it didn’t sound stupid at all. In fact, it warmed Alp to know that someone understood what he was feeling.
And for the first time in days, Alp blew out a relieved breath. Things would work out. They had to.
Chapter 16
“So… a bunny, huh?” Damon asked as he ran a hand over the steel and chrome of the motorcycle. “This is an amazing bike,” he muttered.
“Yep, a bunny. A sweet, sarcastic-as-fuck rabbit.”
“I can see why you mated him. Anyone who would stand between me and you is someone you need to keep in your life. And to have you threaten me? That speaks volumes about how you feel for him.”
“I won’t let anyone touch him,” Mal vowed.
“Good man. You should always protect your mate, even when they tell you they don’t need it and make your life miserable because of it.” He slid a hand over the leather seat. “You feeling confident about going into this place?”
Was he? “I’m not sure. I don’t like us not knowing what’s waiting on us, but I couldn’t chance going inside.”
“No. I don’t say this often, and if you tell anyone I did, I’ll tell them you’re lying. I was wrong when I said you should have. Yes, I want to know, and yes, I want my people safe, but not at the expense of a friend.”
Long moments passed while Mal tried to figure out how to broach the subjects on his mind.
“I need a favor,” he finally said.
“Another one?” Damon teased. Before Mal could continue, Damon said, “If something happens, we’ll take Alp home with us. Cece has already told me she’ll care for him until he’s okay, and then she’ll either welcome him to the pack or take him home to his family.”
“You would take a rabbit into the pack?”
“No, I would take your mate into the pack. We have a couple of bears too.”
This wasn’t the Damon Mal knew. He was always going on about wolves and their place in the shifter society. How they were the vanguards, the ones who set the rules.
“I’ve been an idiot,” Damon said. “And, of course, it took Cece to show me. Our son, Wiley? He’s gay. Honestly, I thought at first he was defective. There had to be something wrong with him, because a true wolf would find a mate and create strong pups to strengthen the pack. But Wiley? He’s not like that. He’s strong, but kind, and I can’t see him any other way.
“One night, when he was six, he showed us something he’d drawn. It was a picture of him and his best friend, hugging each other. I went ballistic and railed at him, telling him wolves didn’t hug friends. We were strong, fierce warriors and….” He sighed. “Cece dragged me out of the house and she threw me against one of the outbuildings. I’d never seen her so angry. She told me if Ievertalked to her son like that again, she would take him and Micah, and she’d leave me. It didn’t matter to her that the mate bond would tear her heart apart, she’d sever it to protect our sons.”
Mal listened with rapt attention. He’d always liked Damon, but for the longest time, he’d been cold, aloof.
“Wiley is seventeen now, and I swear to the Maker, I have never been so proud of anyone in my life. It was him who showed me what a leader could—should—be. That caring about his people was more than a job—it was a calling. I hug both my sons now. I tell them how much I love them. I will forever stand between them and the cruel bastards of the world, not because they’re my sons, but because my family is my world.”
“But the pack—”
