Page 55 of Rejected Forced Mate
I was speechless, and for a long moment, all I could do was stare. "This is what you've been looking for," Joe had gone on, "A fresh start."
That had been enough to snap me out of my funk, and I'd clasped his hand and shaken it firmly. "It's more than I deserve," I'd admitted, "And the perfect place to raise a family."
Joe nodded. "Talk to your father, and don't back down. I've heard stories about what he did to this pack, and I have to wonder if those bad times, the blood and the anguish he brought, were what poisoned your land here. Stand strong."
Until my dying day, I might have never understood why Joe had been so forgiving, but I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if my father was responsible for the land dying, there was no reason to stick around and force my pack to endure the misery that he had wrought.
So while Joe consulted with the Alphas of the other packs in his alliance, I consulted my Council. And my father.
I spoke to my father first. I didn't want him to hear the news from anyone else, and I'd been avoiding speaking to him about the rogue attack anyway. I could kill two birds with one stone, but I knew that Dad wasn't going to make any of it easy.
Leaving Sage behind and sending Summer away, I went to join my father for a late lunch. I wanted it to be just the two of us, so if he had any outbursts, I'd be the one to absorb it all, no one else.
"You look well," Dad said, motioning for me to sit across from him, "Considering." It was a rare compliment, even if I had the suspicion that it was backhanded. "We're alive," I agreed, not wanting to get into the particulars.
Dad was quiet as he sipped his drink. "Tell me about the attack. It's bullshit that I had to hear about it through the grapevine, so don't hold back. I want to know everything."
There was no reason for me to spare the details, so I didn't. Surprisingly, Dad gave a grunt of regret when I described Dominic's supposed death, but otherwise, he was silent, nodding along as I laid it all out. He was totally still as I explained Sage's part and the shield that she had cast, and while he didn't speak on it, I had a feeling Dad couldn't help but have a smidge of respect for my mate.
When that was done, I shared Joe's offer and let the words hang in the air. Moving the pack was unprecedented. We'd lived on this land for generations, but I'd made up my mind. When I was done, I leaned back in my chair and waited.
Dad's jaw was tense, and for a moment, I didn't think he'd say anything at all. When he spoke, the words sounded almost foreign. "You did well." It shocked me, but I didn't let his praise go to my head. "Thank you."
"I won't lie, a few months ago, I would have said that there was no hope for you."
I thought back to Joe's approval, the other Alpha's grip on my shoulder as he congratulated me on Sage's pregnancy, and how he was the sort of Alpha I hoped to one day be. My father was no longer the blueprint, and while his praise had struck the part of me that would always be the pup desperate for his father's approval, his words rang hollow.
I was no longer the same person, and I was okay with that. I kept my response short. "Well, you were wrong."
He was quiet for a moment, "So you've done well, yet you didn't ask my permission about mating, and now you're going to move the pack."
"I didn't ask your permission," I agreed, "Because you're no longer the one holding my leash. I'm telling you. I'm moving the pack, for everyone's benefit."
He scowled. "If I were still at the helm—"
"But you're not," I interrupted, "I'm doing it for the pack's future. And for your grandchild's future. That's all you need to know."
Shock plastered itself across his face as my words really sank in. "My grandchild?"
"Yes," was all I said, standing up from the table and looking down at my father. He'd been cruel to my mate, and I wasn't about to share my joy with the one man who damaged me the most over the years. The knowledge was all he was going to get from me for the moment.
He was still trying to speak to me as I left, but I ignored him. It felt like an anvil had been lifted off my chest, and I was ready to face the final challenge before the pack move could be finalized.
The Council.
***
Unlike the talk with my father, my mate was present for the Council meeting, sitting at my side like the Luna that she was. Summer was also there, sitting somewhere down the table,but it wasn't my cousin or Sage that I was worried about. It was everyone else.
I started with an explanation of the offer. They were shocked, of course, and there were plenty of questions and concerns, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
"I know it will take some getting used to," I explained, "but Joe's alliance will bring so much good to us. More protection means a better chance for the next generation. A place to grow, not dying land to resurrect."
"I see you've thought this through," a Councilwoman said, her tone cautious.
I nodded, "I have. My father was a cruel man, and a selfish man, and while he's gone, his mark will still be felt. I have no way of fixing the land here, and the sooner we move, the better."
There were murmurs, but no one spoke against me.
