A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) (8 page)

She shrugged. “Now I can relax. Endquist can’t hurt our pack or our family again. You finally closed that painful chapter for us for good.”

He blushed and brushed off the compliment. “It didn’t stop Trent and Asia from having children.”

“No, not much stops Trent. He might not be the pack Alpha, but he is still an Alpha. He busts his hump working for the pack, and is nearly as strong as Peyton is. It wasn’t an easy decision for him to take a knee and hand things over, but he and Peyton were so worried about Dewi, and the shock of losing both Charles and Chelsea…”

She clasped her hands together and studied them for a moment. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Trent. He did what he had to do for the pack. When he met and mated Asia, she was happy to be a stay-at-home mom and raise their pups. Had the decision been solely up to Peyton, we probably would have had a houseful of our own by now. Just because he’s the pack Alpha, and a Prime, doesn’t mean he’s an inconsiderate asshole.”

She leaned against the counter. “I want to get through this Muster, and then I’ve got a private vacation scheduled with Peyton in Seattle. Just the two of us for a whole week, no cell phones or work allowed. We’re going to spend the days hiking around Mt. Rainier and doing a lot of talking.”

He’d wanted to ask. “As Peyton’s mate, what do you do?”

The majority of his dealings had been with Peyton and Trent, not his sisters-in-law. He knew she was an attorney, but beyond that, he didn’t know much about the woman.

She grinned. “I handle business for the pack through my law firm in town. We’re all wolves, or otherwise tied to the pack. That’s another reason I wanted to wait to have pups. I do a lot of traveling. I might be home one night, and the next be falling asleep in Paris. Or Tokyo. We have business interests all over the globe. Charles had started investing the pack’s fortune on a global scale. Peyton, Trent, and I carried that forward with our vision for the pack’s future. We wanted to ensure the pack’s financial stability in perpetuity. Wanted to be able to care for our pack.”

“No offense, you guys don’t look rich. I saw Peyton’s truck. It’s like twenty years old. And, again, no offense, compared to the house in Florida, this one isn’t nearly as fancy.”

“No offense taken,” she said. “We don’t squander our money.” The sadness crept into her face and voice again. “Although I will admit I did go a little overboard for Dewi when we sent her to Florida. Badger found that property and we snatched it up for cash.

“I personally supervised the construction of the house. I wanted her to have a nice place that she could call home, that she could make hers. That she could claim and own and retreat to when she needed a sanctuary. I wanted her to have the best things. It didn’t make up for losing her parents, but it made me personally feel a little better since I couldn’t be there for her all the time. It’s not like she was a spoiled brat with an entitlement attitude, ever. You’ve seen how she is. She rarely buys anything for herself.”

“The car.”

Gillian nodded. “She loves that Saleen. Again, it’s not like she’s going out on shopping sprees. And, technically, she uses it for work, so it’s a deductible expense. It was something that made her happy when she saw it. Well, as happy as she was able to feel before you came into her life. Actually, she wasn’t going to buy it. Beck’s the one who ratted her out, and Peyton ordered her to get it if she liked it.”

A laugh escaped her. “And the motorcycle. Badger and Beck were our eyes and ears once again. But the car she bought for you? That’s the first ‘splurge’ she’s ever indulged in, and I’m not exaggerating. I don’t count that as a splurge, either, since it was for you. It was for a good reason.”

“You’ve missed her, haven’t you?”

Gillian’s expression turned sad again. “Always.”

“Did you take care of her?”

“She was older when Peyton and I mated. When she was a baby, Badger took over supervising her care, of course, since he was a Prime. With Beck’s help. But at first, when she got out of the hospital after the attack, their aunt Collette took care of her until they realized Dewi was a Prime. Then Trent and Asia mated. And my sister met and mated her husband and started having pups almost immediately.”

She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Was
almost
enough to make me ask Peyton to get me pregnant. Except I knew we had to stay strong and focus on Dewi. I didn’t know if I’d end up living in Florida with them part of the time, helping her through things as she grew older. I tried to stay as close to her as I could over the phone, and later on with the Internet and texting, but she was a Prime and not just a tomboy. I’m really glad she’s grown close to Nami. Dewi needs that kind of
 
strong motherly influence in her life.”

“Badger and Beck did a great job with her. Did it…” He felt comfortable discussing this with Gillian. “Did it bother you all when Dewi and Beck hooked up?”

“No, although I don’t blame you for asking. Wolves are a little different. I know it’s hard to understand if you weren’t raised in a pack, but even if two teenagers get together and mess around, we don’t care as long as they’re careful.

“Now, had Beck tried something before Dewi came of age, they never would have found his body, believe me. Beck’s a good man and we all knew he was a stable force in Dewi’s life. That when she—or he—found a mate, that would eventually be the end of it between them.”

“He’s definitely a force, all right.”

Gillian grinned. “Badger told me about your first encounter with Beck.”

“Yeah.” Ken fought the urge to rub his throat at the memory. “It was a memorable experience.”

“I heard Dewi handed him his ass.”

“Sort of. She flung him across the kitchen and against the wall.”

“She’s strong.”

“I noticed.”

“Let me give you another hint about something.” Gillian walked over to the doorway, glanced out, and then returned, dropping her voice.

“You have made her happy. I cannot emphasize that enough. Before you, she was
not
happy. I don’t even know if she knew what happiness felt like before she met you. She’s like a new woman. I couldn’t believe it when Peyton told me after he got back. Part of the reason he flew to Florida was to see her for himself, and to make sure she was okay. I was standing there when he took the call from Badger, and it was like someone had slapped him, he was so shocked.”

She gently tapped his chest. “If you asked for the moon, Peyton would see about the pack buying a stake in NASA to make that happen.” She tapped his chest again. “That is how much status you have in this family. This pack. Human or not, you
are
one of us, because you have made Dewi happy. Not because she’s Head Enforcer, or because she’s a Prime Alpha. Not even because she’s Peyton and Trent’s little sister. You have a status in this pack beyond the average mate because you made Dewi happy and brought about a positive change in her none of us ever thought would happen. Because of that, you have our undying gratitude and love.”

Ken sensed more under her tone. “What aren’t you telling me?”

It seemed to take her a moment to decide whether or not to speak it. “Her grandfather, Duncan, killed himself out of his grief. No, they never found his body, but we all did the math. Everyone who knew Duncan personally, like Badger, says Dewi is very much like him. Very intense, very devoted and determined. It wouldn’t have surprised any of us if she’d literally worked herself to death. Had she not found you, it wouldn’t have shocked any of us if she’d gotten herself killed one day. Deliberately.”

Gillian hugged him. “And she let you mark her. That’s her way of telling you that she trusts you, that she loves you, and that she needs you, from time to time, to take charge. To force her out of that controlling headspace and let her exist without bearing the weight of the pack on her shoulders. You didn’t just save her life, you saved her sanity.”

* * * *

Ken helped Gillian get lunch ready. Mostly cold cuts and sandwiches, heavy on the meat, but she put together a quick vegetarian pizza for Ken and toasted it in the oven for him, once again making him feel both pleased and a little guilty.

“You don’t need to go through that extra trouble. I could have fixed a cheese and tomato salad.”

“It’s
not
trouble, believe me. I’m having fun with this.” She bumped him with her hip. “And, you’re family. Not just family, but part of the pack. Get that through your head, buddy.”

When the others emerged from the office, Ken didn’t miss how Dewi sought him out almost immediately for a hug.

“Good talk?” he asked her.

“Yeah. I can’t fault what Joaquin did,” she said. “I would have done the same thing.” She pointed a finger at Joaquin, who stood on the other side of the island counter. “You’re lucky you’re good at your job, buster.”

“No,” Joaquin said, looking sad. “If I was good at my job, I would have been able to protect that girl and she’d still be alive.”

“You can’t protect everyone all of the time,” Trent told him. “It’s not possible. All you can do is your best, which we’re convinced you did. It was one of those things. You took blood. Not that it brings her back, but at least it evens the score.”

Peyton clapped the younger wolf on the back. “No worries. And no Alaska for you.”

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Joaquin said. “That’s a miserable fricking place in the winter.”

“Just don’t piss Beck off,” Dewi teased. “Keep your head down around him for now. Stay off his radar.” Her tone gentled. “You’re a good wolf, and a good Enforcer. We’ll figure out where to send you. Honestly? If I didn’t think your life was in danger, I would send you back to Mexico since you already know the territory and the people. But I can’t risk you like that.”

“I appreciate that. I’m sorry I let you all down.”

“You didn’t let us down,” Peyton said. “You did your job.”

“Can we discuss this around the table?” Gillian asked. “I hear stomachs rumbling and would rather get you all fed before someone gets growly.” She arched an eyebrow at Peyton.

“What?” he asked.

She poked him in the stomach. “Don’t what me, mister. Lunch is served.”

Chapter Seven

After lunch, Joaquin volunteered to run to town for Gillian to grab things from her shopping list for dinner.

Ken suspected it was a combination of the wolf wanting some alone time since he still felt guilty about not being able to save that girl, and wanting to make himself scarce since Beck and the others were due back soon.

Ken enjoyed the opportunity to sit in Peyton’s living room with Dewi, Trent, Peyton, and Gillian and discuss Dewi’s childhood.

Dewi…not so much, but Ken could tell she was enduring it for his sake.

“So Dewi was a handful as a kid, huh?”

Dewi snuggled a little more closely against Ken’s side, where he had his arm draped around her shoulders. “You just
had
to go there, didn’t you?” she muttered.

“Well, let’s see. This is the first time I’ve actually been able to sit down with both of your brothers and Gillian all at once to talk like this. Sooo…yes.”

Dewi gently poked him in the ribs.

Totally worth it.

Peyton laughed. “Once we realized she was a Prime, we needed Badger to take care of her. I didn’t have time because of the pack. There was this one time Aunt Collette was watching her and trying to get her dressed in this adorable little pink dress she’d bought for her. The next thing Aunt Collette knew, she was standing outside the front door in a snowstorm.”

“What?”

Trent nodded. “Dewi was
two
.”

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Dewi mumbled.

“I thought Badger raised her?” Ken asked.

“He did,” Peyton said. “He had to come help me and Trent with some pack business that afternoon. Aunt Collette was watching her for us.”

“But how and why did she end up outside?”

Trent shrugged and pointed at Dewi. “Ask her.”

“I was
two
,” Dewi said.

“It’s because Dewster is a Prime,” Peyton said. “The trauma, everything. Usually, Prime powers don’t fully develop in someone that young, even though Primes are fairly easy to identify almost at birth. A Prime’s true powers usually gain strength and are triggered when a wolf comes of age, when hormones and everything else kick in. There really is
no
other wolf like Dewi. We’ve talked to packs all over the world. She’s unique.”

There wasn’t just a hint of brotherly pride in Peyton’s tone. It was a full-on crystal-clear certainty.

“Apparently,” Trent said, “she
really
didn’t want to wear the dress Aunt Collette bought for her. Best she figured going by the clock, she was only outside a minute or two. In fact, Dewi had started to cry because she was alone. When Aunt Collette went back inside and tried to put Dewi into her warm, snuggly jumper that she liked, Dewi let her do it. Then she clung to Aunt Collette for the rest of the afternoon in a way she usually didn’t. I think Dewi felt guilty about doing it to her.”

Peyton continued the narrative. “Badger, being a Prime, and being far older and stronger than Dewi at the time, was able to counteract her toddler Prime tantrums. That’s when I realized I didn’t dare risk anyone else raising her. Especially with her being so strong. I needed someone who had the time and ability to control her. I would have done it if I wasn’t the pack Alpha, but the pack had to come first.”

“Aunt Collette loves her, too,” Trent added. “Don’t get me wrong, we all do. I think it broke her heart a little when she realized she couldn’t raise Dewi full-time. Aunt Collette’s a beta, and you heard what Dewi did to her. Dewi would have chewed her up and spit her out as she got older.”

“Metaphorically,” Dewi muttered. “You make me sound like I was some sort of hellion.”

There was a moment’s pause before Peyton, Gillian, and Trent burst out laughing. “You
were
,” they all said in unison.

“Not a bad one,” Peyton added. “Don’t get us wrong, we love you. You are who you are. But I had to do what had to be done to make sure you were taken care of. Also, I was worried about you. We didn’t know who had…” He didn’t finish.