Page 51 of The Rabbit's Foot
“Will go on for a few days without my input. I have advisors now, and if they can’t handle a problem, they’ll come to me. I’m still involved, of course, but now I’m overseeing things to make them better, not trying to do it all myself. Cece again. She reminded me that our sons needed us both in their lives. She instituted mandatory weekend family time. From the moment I leave my office on Friday until eight on Monday morning, it’s just us, unless there’s an emergency.” He snorted and his features softened. “And I watch them now, you know? Can you believe it took Cece to make me pay attention to my own kids? Wiley and his friend? I think they’re waiting to become of age to mate. He’s been a fierce protector of the boy since the picture he did when he was six. I came to see that no matter what anyone says, it’s love, and it fucking humbles me, because in my arrogance, I could have missed it.”
Wow. He’d grown a lot since Mal last spoke with him.
“Now let’s talk about you.”
Aw, hell.
“You’re not the same man I knew, Mal.”
“I could say the same.”
Damon sighed. “Personal growth, it’s a thing. When I was training you to be a First, you seemed so eager, but I knew you weren’t.”
“Then why did we continue?”
“Because you needed to go out and discover who Mal was and who he wanted to become. The only way for me to do that was to make you so miserable, you left.”
“You never made me miserable,” Mal said, wanting Damon to know that he wasn’t to blame.
“I did. I forced interactions between you and the pack. I was hopeful that maybe one day it would sink in they were your people, but your heart was never there. It was always somewhere out here,” he said, gesturing to the wooded area near the motel. “And I get that. This place? It’s pristine, beautiful, and wild. It calls to my wolf too.”
“Then we should run. See the trails and hills, the lake. The area is teeming with wildlife, so food is plentiful if you want it. Tonight, after you and your people have had some rest, we could go out and have some fun.”
“Because tomorrow we may die?”
“Something like that,” Mal admitted with a shrug.
“Then we’ll do that.”
“Mal?” Lydia called. He turned to face her and found her with a soft smile. “Alp is back.”
He’d known it, of course. He could feel Alp no matter what. He occupied a sliver of Mal’s mind, and Mal was always aware of his mate.
“Thank you, Lydia,” Mal said, standing. “Are you staying for lunch?”
She chuckled. “Cece said I was staying, so apparently I am,” she replied, turning to go back to the rest of the group.
Damon shook his head. “My mate. Thinks she’s in charge of everything.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her you know she is.”
That got a chuckle. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” He turned to Mal. “And though I never said it, I appreciate you. You’ve always been a damn good friend.”
“But I left, and—”
“A true friend is someone you don’t need to see every day, but they’re still in your heart. That’s you.”
The words humbled Mal. “Thank you.”
Damon waved a hand. “Don’t thank me—that’s what Wiley says. I think you’re a dick.” He cuffed Mal on the chin, then followed in the direction Lydia had gone.
Mal stood a few moments, wondering at the changes in Damon and in himself. They weren’t the same people as they’d been when Mal was part of the pack. He’d always liked Damon as a First, but now? He liked him just as much as a friend.
* * *
Alp was watching the wolves tear through the food, aghast. There were a lot of belches, more than a few farts, and quite a bit of cursing. If he hadn’t told Rebecca, the owner, they were having a family get-together, she probably would have called the sheriff long before now.
The thing was, they were a family, and that was easy to see. Even the bears were part of the pack. Now that they were off duty, they laughed and joked with the wolves. Through it all, Cece and Damon kept a watchful eye on their people. If things started getting too rowdy, they’d step in and calm the situation with a couple words. When nothing but a few crumbs remained, the wolves all pitched in and helped clean up the area, then one by one came over to Alp and thanked him for his hospitality.
