The years had disappeared like a puff of smoke, filled with hardship and fear, running and trying to stay alive. It was time they all had something more than merely surviving.

  “If it’s what you want, I’ll support you.” Relief flooded her. If he’d chosen to fight her, it would have put her in a terrible position. His expression turned fierce. “But if he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”

  The threat was deadly serious, even though any fight between the two men would mean her brother’s death. She blinked to keep the tears back. His love and support meant the world to her. “Don’t worry, little brother. If he hurts me, I’ll kick him to the curb.”

  Emmett snorted and kissed her on the forehead.

  “If the two of you mate, will we stay here or will he want to go back to his pack?” All eyes flew to Henry. He didn’t speak willingly very often. When he did, it was always noteworthy.

  Waya tensed. “I’m not leaving anyone behind.” As full-blooded wolves, he and Eliza were more likely to be accepted before the others.

  Bailey held up her hand, stopping their concerns before they escalated. She hadn’t even considered it, and she should have. “No one is leaving anyone behind. And I’m a half-breed, remember. If they’d accept me, they’d accept you.” In theory, that worked, but there was no way to know the truth until faced with it.

  “But you can shift.” The heartbreak in her brother’s voice made her want to cry. He was struggling with that, questioning himself. The older he got, the more it bothered him, even if he rarely talked about it anymore.

  “There’s time for you,” she told him. “Even if it never happens, it doesn’t matter. I love all of you. I would never leave you, never take you anywhere you weren’t fully welcome. Smith Pack forever.” When all she got were a few grumbles, she frowned and repeated, “I said, Smith Pack forever.”

  “Smith Pack forever,” they yelled back.

  She waved her hand toward the house. “Go on. Scat. And don’t worry. You come first with me, always.” Her kids needed to understand that. The younger three bolted, but Emmett lingered. “What?”

  Looking way older than seventeen, he touched his fingers to her cheek. “Don’t give up your chance at happiness. Not for me.”

  “Don’t you get it? I can’t be happy if you’re not. You’re my brother. I love you.”

  “Well, well, well, isn’t this touching?”

  Bailey’s blood ran cold. That voice had haunted her for years, the taunting and disparaging tone one that echoed in her nightmares. She shoved Emmett behind her and he disappeared inside. They’d trained for such a scenario. He and Waya would protect the younger ones against a flank attack and try to spirit them away.

  The male was beginning to show his age, flecks of gray speckling his hair. Anger made his brown eyes glow. He was a little over six feet, broad, and strong. He hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d seen him. “Rasmus Caine, you’re a long way from home.”

  He spit on the ground. “Half-breed coward. Running away and leaving you to face me by yourself.”

  She let the insult to her brother roll over her, like water off a duck’s back. Hands on her hips, she glared at the man who’d birthed her mother. No way would she call him her grandfather. “That’s rich coming from someone who killed his own daughter and son-in-law, not to mention attacked two kids. You didn’t do it alone that time, and you’re not alone now. Bullies like you always travel in groups.” She wouldn’t give them the honor of calling them a pack.

  Where the hell was Nicholas? How far had he roamed? Maybe he betrayed you, an insidious little voice whispered. She shook her head, refusing to believe it. No way would he hurt her or the kids.

  Thinking she was shaking her head at him, Rasmus roared, “She made me do it. Disgracing herself with a human. Giving birth to two abominations.”

  A younger version of him stepped out of the shadows and put his hand on the old man’s shoulder, as if to restrain him. That would be her uncle Noah. Another male stepped out to flank Rasmus’s other side.

  “Murderer.” She’d waited a lifetime to confront him, but there was no satisfaction to be found. Her parents were dead. Nothing would bring them back. This was about trying to distract all of them long enough for the kids to escape and make it to the caves. “All we wanted was to be left alone. We weren’t causing you or yours any trouble. We’re not causing you any trouble now.”

  “I won’t have my bloodline tainted.”

  Bailey snorted. “I’m the one with the complaint. My bloodline is tainted by you.”

  The old man threw back his head and howled. “I was going to make this quick, but after that insult you’re going to suffer.”

  “How did you find us?” They should have been safe, had been for years.

  It was her uncle who smiled. “Computers are wonderful things. Good for finding out all kinds of things.” He held up his fingers and wagged them in the air. “I’m a hacker, the best.” He shook his head. “CPS? You should have changed your first names, at least run while you had the chance.”

  Nicholas hadn’t betrayed them. It had been dumb luck and those idiots at the grocery store. He was right about one thing. She should have run. Too late now. She kicked off her shoes and dragged off her shirt.

  “What the hell are you doing?” It was her uncle Noah who asked.

  Ignoring him, she embraced her wolf and let the shift happen. The men stood there wide-eyed, shock etched on their faces as her body contorted. Her head flattened, her muzzle growing. She fell forward onto four paws and bared her fangs.

  “What the hell is this? You’re a half-breed.”

  Take that, bitches, she wanted to shout. Growling, she faced down three grown males. She couldn’t hope to survive, not without help. A faint howl in the distance was cut off. God, were the kids okay? She wanted to run and check on them, but there was no time.

  “If she can shift, she’s a wolf.” Noah seemed fascinated by her. His father wheeled around and slammed his fist into his son’s face. The younger wolf spun around and landed facedown in the dirt.

  “She’s an abomination.”

  His son rolled to his feet, holding the side of his face. Healing was faster for them, but still painful. The other wolf smirked at him. No love lost among this crowd. No wonder her mother had run.

  Rasmus’s smile was a terrible thing to behold. “You’re going to beg for death by the time I’m done.”

  Bailey threw back her head and howled, her fury echoing over the surrounding hills and through the forest. Love for her pack filled her heart. For family! Without warning, she launched herself into the air.

  ****

  It was time for Nicholas to head back. He’d roamed a bit farther than he’d planned, but he’d sensed Bailey needed some time alone with the kids. And he needed to get his unruly body under control. It was almost laughable how little he had around her, but he wouldn’t change anything about her for the world.

  A scent caught his attention. Whirling around, he attacked, catching the wolf sneaking up behind him off-guard and taking him to the ground. His opponent kicked up with powerful hind legs, shoving him off. The two faced off, growling at each other.

  A tall, powerful male stepped out from behind a tree. The eyes were the same ones he stared at in the mirror each morning. His lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile. “Such a loving family reunion. Your mother would be so proud.”

  Surprised but thrilled, he shifted and launched himself at his father. The hug was hard, if brief. Damn, he’d missed them. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

  Strong arms caught him from behind, lifting him off his feet before releasing him. His brother laughed and slapped him on the back. “We missed your pretty face.”

  “Idiot.” He pushed him aside.

  Jacque shook his head, used to their antics. “Your mother was worried.” He canted his head toward Aaron. “And that one was moping.”

  “Not moping. Concerned.” He punched Nicholas in the arm. “You know he gets in trouble when I’m not around to watch him.”

  Nicholas snorted. “It’s the other way around.” His pleasure drained away and reality kicked in hard. “Why didn’t you call?” He’d checked his phone before he’d left for a run.

  “Wanted to wait until we got the lay of the land. I figured if you were ready to have us here, you’d invite us. But Armand was concerned.”

  His father’s cousin was the pack computer guru. “What happened?” The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and his wolf stilled inside him. His heart kicked up a beat.

  “Someone illegally checked the CPS file on your woman and the kids. He’s still tracing it back. Says the guy is good, but he’s better.”

  Bailey! The kids! They were unprotected.

  His father held his fist in the air. They all went still and silent, automatically falling back into their training. Nicholas heard Eliza whimper. Shifting midair, he landed softly and kicked into a dead run.

  “Stay away from them.” That was Emmett. Where the hell was Bailey?

  Three wolves surrounded the kids, taunting them by snapping forward before stepping back. Emmett and Waya had the younger two between them, protecting them. Waya growled, claws erupting from his fingertips and several of his teeth morphing into fangs. He was going to make his first shift. The stress, the need to protect, was pushing him.

  Without slowing, Nicholas jumped on top of the largest of the three attackers, taking him down and ripping out his throat. The taste of blood fueled his fury. The other two jumped back and growled in warning.

  Emmett’s eyes widened and his face went snow white. “Behind you.”

  Nicholas shifted. “All of you look at me. They’re with me. They’re family. You don’t need to see this.” He swiped the back of his hand over his bloody mouth. His appearance had to be terrifying them, but it couldn’t be helped. His father and brother were making fast work of the other two intruders.

  Emmett scooped Eliza into his arms. She buried her face into his neck, her little body shaking. Henry sat on the ground, his face tucked against his knees. Their fear was a living, breathing entity. For that alone, he’d kill them all, but he’d leave it to his brother. “Where’s Bailey?” he snapped. No way would she let them go off on their own.

  “At the house.”

  Waya cried out and fell to the ground, his body writhing in pain as he fought to make his first transition. Torn between his duty to them and to Bailey, he snapped, “Aaron, protect them. Dad, get Waya through this. It’s his first time.”

  Trusting them to handle things, he shifted and ran faster than he ever had. Lungs pumping, he flew over a downed log, zigzagged between trees. Bailey was his life. If something happened to her—

  A howl turned his blood cold. Bailey! He pushed harder, tearing around the house in time to see her spring into the air and barrel right into an older male.

  The two strangers with him froze in shock. No doubt they’d expected an easy target, not his alpha female. Silent as death, he attacked, taking the first one down and ripping out his throat before he knew what hit him. The second one shifted, shaking off his clothes.

  Before Nicholas could attack, a wolf yipped in pain.

  The older wolf had shifted and had Bailey on her back, her vulnerable neck exposed. Protect! Nicholas hit the male with his full weight. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a mass of claws and fangs and fur.

  Bailey scrambled to her feet. Did she retreat to safety? Of course not. She snapped at the other attacker, keeping him off Nicholas’s back. The older wolf took a few steps away and shifted.

  Surprised by the turn of events, Nicholas did the same. Bailey stayed by his side, snarling while she kept an eye on the other one.

  “Who the hell are you?” the old man demanded.

  “Nicholas LaForge. Who the hell are you?”

  “Rasmus Caine.” He pointed at Bailey. “That’s my granddaughter.” Bailey growled in denial. He ignored her and continued, “She’s family. This is none of your business.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, old man. She’s my mate.”

  Rasmus’s mouth tightened. Then he smirked. “She’s not marked.”

  “Marked or not, she’s mine.” He spat blood at the feet of the other two men. “Oddly enough, she doesn’t trust full-blooded wolves. I wonder why?”

  Rasmus shook his head. “You’re not mated, boy. You’re a wolf.” He tapped his nose. “I can tell you’re full-blooded. I have three more men in the woods. Leave and I’ll let you live. That’s a good deal considering you cost me a good male.”

  “Father,” Noah began to protest, but quickly closed his mouth when his father glared.

  “If he died that easily, he deserved it. I’m alpha. My word is law.”

  Nicholas growled at the lack of caring about the lost pack member. That spoke to the rot in the pack that came from the top. “No deal. The other three are dead. The kids are safe,” he added for Bailey’s sake, knowing she had to be out of her mind with worry.

  “Who are you?” Noah whispered.

  “I told you. I’m Nicholas LaForge, son of Jacque LaForge, alpha of the Salvation Pack. This is my mate. Those kids you tried to kill are my pack, my family.”

  “But they’re half-breed nothings.” Noah frowned and his brow furrowed.

  Using the distraction to his advantage, Rasmus shifted and attacked. Expecting it, Nicholas ducked under the wolf, ignoring the sharp claws raking over his back and side and the pain and blood that followed. In one motion, he caught the wolf around the middle with one arm. The other went around his neck. Using his massive strength, he twisted. The crack was quick and final. A wolf could survive and heal from many things, but a broken neck wasn’t one of them. Ripping out the heart and decapitation were other fast options. All were final.

  “No!” Noah was all but foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. “This is all your fault.” He came not after Nicholas but Bailey, shifting on the fly.

  “Duck!” he yelled as the massive wolf soared toward her. Shockingly, she didn’t hesitate, dropping to her belly. Her attacker flew over her.

  Nicholas shifted back to his wolf and took down the other male, defeating him easily. He wasn’t much of a fighter. None of them were. They were scrappers, bullies used to using their superior strength on those weaker, while he’d cut his teeth on bigger, stronger opponents, ones trained to kill.

  This was his job, but killing, even when it was to protect, took a toll on a person. He didn’t want his mate to carry that burden for even one second. Job done, he shifted back to his human form and swiped at the blood on his face. Still in her wolf form, she stared at the dead men, her entire body quivering.

  With their enemies gone, another concern gripped him by the balls. After watching him easily dispatch the men, knowing he was a killer, would she still want him? “Bailey?” He prayed she’d give him a chance.

  With a low growl, she leaped toward him. Arms out by his sides, he waited for her attack. He would not defend himself, not against his mate.

  Chapter Eighteen

  He’d vanquished her monsters. The proof was lying in the dirt only a few feet away. Both her mother’s father and brother were dead. They could no longer hurt her or her family. There was no sense of loss, as they were strangers. She’d always thought there would be some satisfaction when her parents’ murderers were gone, or closure, but there was only profound relief and lingering sadness.

  They could have happily lived their lives, but their unrelenting, irrational hatred and bigotry had brought them to this violent end.

  Naked and silent, his face bloody, Nicholas watched her. Long, jagged gashes ran the length of his back and side. He hadn’t come through unscathed. She wanted him to hold her, wanted to shed the tears welling up inside her. Not for the dead men who’d attacked them, but for the fact he’d been forced to kill. For her.

  The lump in her throat threatened to choke her. The pressure in her chest was almost painful. She swallowed heavily. No, she wouldn’t cry. If she started, she might never stop.

  When Rasmus had goaded him about the mating mark, Nicholas had reaffirmed his commitment to her and the kids. Like a beacon shining through the thickest fog on the darkest night, everything had become crystal clear. All her worries had fallen away, leaving only the bare truth.

  Nicholas belonged with her. He belonged with them, as a part of the pack.

  I love him.

  Before she could shift and tell him, the largest wolf she’d ever seen stepped into the yard. The surge of power that preceded him had all her fur rising on end. The primal urge to protect her mate overrode her fear. She launched herself at Nicholas, landing right in front of him. Standing her ground, she growled a warning. The newcomer stopped several feet away and studied her out of golden eyes.

  Familiar eyes.

  She glanced at Nicholas, who was smiling, and then back at the wolf, who was totally relaxed. Holy crap. They had to be related. Who was he? Why was he here?

  The sound of voices snapped her out of her trance. Emmett stepped out of the woods with Eliza in his arms. Even more shocking, Henry was walking beside a stranger who looked enough like Nicholas to be his brother.

  Her heart leaped into her throat. Where was Waya?

  A black wolf with blue eyes poked his nose out from behind the stranger. Shocked, she stared at the young wolf. Waya had made his first shift. And he’d done it without her.

  I missed it.

  When he saw her, he hesitated, dropping back as the others kept coming. Pushing her disappointment aside, she trotted toward him. His sides quivered, but he held his ground. They touched noses and she nuzzled his face, covering him in wolf kisses. He’d never doubt her acceptance. He endured it stoically, huffing out several breaths, until she finally relented. Not about to shift in front of all these strangers, she trotted to the porch, retrieved her shorts and shirt, and disappeared around the corner of the house.