Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“You do.” A deep voice cut through the cold air with the precision of a blade. Caidrik stepped forward, standing beside Nadia. His eyes, sharp as flint, met Raul’s without hesitation.
Emily looked at him, then at Jackson, who only shrugged.
“What are you talking about?” Nadia asked, her eyes narrowed.
Caidrik’s low voice rumbled across the clearing. “I read the entire grimoire of this pack. A champion can step up for you to endure the trials.”
Emily turned to her father. “Is that true?”
Philip’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know.”
“Are you sure the grimoire says that?” she pressed.
“Yes,” Caidrik said. “I read the whole thing. Like I told you, I like puzzles.”
Raul exchanged uncertain glances with the other pack members. “I don’t know. I mean, you’re not an Alpha.”
“To be an Alpha’s champion, I don’t need to have Alpha blood.” Caidrik’s chin lifted. “But I do have Alpha blood, thus if I survive, I become the Alpha,” he said, his voice firm as he cut a glance toward Philip, then back to Raul. “My full name is Caidrik McGregor.”
Emily nearly sagged against Jackson as Nadia’s face paled.
“The idiot who stabbed me was your brother?” Nadia snarled.
“Half-brother,” Caidrik corrected. “I’m not with the Ghostwind Pack. Anymore.”
Jackson growled. “You kept that information from me, old friend.”
Caidrik shrugged. “Didn’t find it important. I can mask my scent like all Alphas, and I thought the Ghostwinds were in my past for good.”
Emily’s pulse hammered.
Caidrik scanned the gathered faces, his gaze unflinching. “Philip, it’s up to you. If you want me gone, I’ll leave. But I can survive the trials, whatever they might entail, and I can protect you from the Ghostwind Pack.”
Philip’s mouth flattened into a hard line. “We kicked the McGregor family out of the pack two hundred years ago.”
“I’m aware,” Caidrik said dryly.
Emily searched desperately for another option but found none. “Nadia?” she asked softly.
Nadia exhaled and crossed her arms. “I don’t know. If you succeed, does that mean I become the Alpha?” She sounded more sad than interested in that fact.
“No,” Caidrik said. “If I survive the trials, I become the Alpha. You don’t want the job and would spend your entire life fighting off challengers. I’ll take it.”
“So, I’m not necessary.” Nadia put her hands on her hips.
He turned to face her, ignoring everyone else. “Wrong. You’re part of the deal. If I become the Alpha for this pack, you become my mate.”
“Whoa.” Emily lifted both hands. “My sister is not mating someone as a deal or contract.”
Caidrik’s gaze flicked from Emily to Jackson. “It worked for you.”
Fire lit Nadia’s eyes as she stepped forward. “If I refuse?”
“Then I walk away,” Caidrik said simply. “And the Ghostwind Pack will come.”
Philip stepped forward as if to reject the offer, but Nadia’s voice cut through the air.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
Emily’s chest squeezed painfully. “Nadia, are you sure?”
“Yes.” Nadia’s eyes blazed a deep onyx. “To save the pack and keep the Ghostwinds away? Yes.”
Emily turned to Jackson, who stood beside her with his arms crossed, his eyes measuring Caidrik with the weight of an Alpha assessing a potential rival.
Finally, he nodded. “I don’t think it’s up to the Granite Pack, obviously, but we would accept Caidrik as the Alpha of the Slate Pack and a member of the Stope Packs Coalition—should he survive whatever the hell these trials are.”
Emily took a deep breath and looked at her sister. “Are you sure?”
Nadia stared at Caidrik. “Yes. Though he just might regret this demand.”
“All right.” Jackson stepped forward, sliding an arm over Emily’s shoulders. “We need to get going, Em. We have work to do.”
The assembled group began to disperse, but not before most of the members stopped to hug Emily and offer their congratulations.
“I want to throw you a bridal shower in my new home once you set the date,” Bussy told her with a wink.
Emily blushed, her cheeks heating. They hadn’t talked about a wedding or even mentioned marriage, but she didn’t have the heart to correct the older woman.
Finally, Emily hugged her father and sister goodbye, promising they’d meet up in a couple of weeks for dinner. Their territories might be far apart, but she had ideas. The Embervault Mine could serve as a meeting point for both packs. There was no reason they shouldn’t strengthen their alliance just like Seth and Erik had.
When Jackson flew her home, snowflakes drifted softly against the helicopter’s windshield, and for the first time in days, the wind kept its peace. Emily let herself relax as Jackson took her hand and held it the entire way. Her body felt stronger, her mind clearer. There was no doubt the Alpha male beside her had her heart. But they’d never talked about love.
Maybe they didn’t need to. Maybe they had something more. A shared history, shared blood, and a future that stretched out as far as the mountains themselves.