Page 52 of The Rabbit's Foot
“I never expected that,” he admitted to Mal.
“Cece would have had their heads if they hadn’t shown their gratitude.” Mal leaned in and kissed Alp breathless. “And that’s mine. You didn’t have to take care of the pack. You could have simply told them to go into the woods and fend for themselves, but you didn’t.”
“I would never,” Alp said firmly as he crawled into Mal’s lap, wanting his warmth to chase away the chill that had settled in ever since that dream. “These people are your family, and that makes them mine. I’m not a wolf, but as a rabbit, I know that family is always going to be the most important thing.” He kissed under Mal’s chin. “And besides, we made the guy who owns the dinerveryhappy.”
“I’ve no doubt. That’s cutting into our money, though.”
“Oh!” Alp bounded from his spot, then hurried to grab his pants. He took out the wad of cash and handed it to Mal. “Cece and Damon paid for it. She said that they wouldn’t let us go broke by buying their food.” He resumed his spot, curling an arm around Mal’s neck. “And she’s got a black credit card!”
It didn’t sit well with Mal that they were coming to help he and Alp and then paying for everything, but he had to admit, no way did he have the money to pay for sixty-four hungry wolves and bears, especially if they’d be here a few days. He worried how they were going to deal with the next several.
“Are you doing better?” he asked, giving Alp a squeeze.
He nodded. “Some. I talked with Cece, and she let me know I wasn’t alone in how I felt.” He kissed Mal’s neck. “I’m still scared. I have no idea how I got out of there, but my head is screaming to never go back again. Something awful is going to happen, I can feel it.” He rested his cheek on Mal’s chest. “And it’s going to happen to you.”
“I won’t say nothing will go wrong, but it was a dream, and you can’t let it control what you do.”
“It wasn’t a dream,” Alp insisted. “It was real, and even now I feel it in my heart.”
“Then stay here, and—”
“Fuck you!” He leaned back, his eyes dark. “I’m not staying alone. I’m going with you to save those people. Those kids. Don’t even try to talk me out of it.”
“I wasn’t, I swear.”
There was a knock, and Alp sighed. “Is it going to be like this from now on?” He clambered from Mal’s lap, and went to the door. Damon stood there, a tight T crossed over his massive chest. Alp could almost hear the seams pleading to be allowed to relax a few minutes.
“Are you ready?” he asked Mal.
“I…,” Mal peered at Alp. “I should stay here.”
Damon nodded. “Okay.”
“Wait. What’s going on?” Alp asked, his gaze flitting back and forth between the men.
“I told Damon we could go running tonight, but I think you need me more.”
A run? Alp hadn’t had a real run in ages. He stood and moved to where Mal was. “Let’s go.”
“What? Are you sure? What about your foot?”
He shrugged. “It’s not going to grow back, so I have to learn to use what I still have. And a run sounds great.”
“Damon?”
“You have my word, none of my wolves will bother him. In fact, they’ll ensure no one gets near him.”
That got a smile. “Alp? Let’s go running.”
They went out and joined the rest of Damon’s pack. Men and women, each who’d come to help rescue shifters they’d never met. This is what having friends felt like. Someone who always had your back and would never let you sink.
“Damon?”
He turned from Cece. “Yes?”
Alp went to him and slid his arms around the broad waist. “Thank you to you and the pack for doing this. For helping us to save these people.”
“Hey, nothing was more important than this. They hurt you, and that makes Cece angry. And we don’t like it when she’s angry.”
