White Knight (24 page)

Knight had missed the raucous sounds of dozens of children laughing with genuine joy and delight. It was a sound unlike any other, and it had been missing from his hometown for far too long. On this warm June afternoon, the park was filled with it, along with the excited voices of teenagers and adults alike. The entire run had come out today to welcome Cornerstone’s newest arrival.

Shay stayed by his side as they walked through the park, stopping to chat with families and friends. Three months pregnant, she barely showed beneath her flowing summer dress, but Knight couldn’t help posturing a bit with pride. Their first child would be born at the end of the year, and Knight had never been more happy, or content with his life.

He followed his nose to the west side of the park, where Devlin, Rachel, Mason, and A.J. were manning a giant barbecue grill that had been built back in the spring, when Bishop’s first real ruling as Alpha had gone into effect: mandatory celebrations for every child born to the Cornerstone run.

Because every single life was precious and to be treasured.

Ribs, steaks, and half-chickens were strewn across the smoking grill, filling the air with the fantastic scents of barbecued meat. Rachel directed the men assisting her on when to turn the food and how to baste it, mastering their attention and the grill itself. A year ago, Knight never would have imagined half-breeds living openly in their town, and now a half-human woman was bossing around three of their strongest enforcers.

And perhaps she and Devlin would never be able to have children, but Knight had never seen his best friend more content.

“Don’t go sniffing around yet,” Rachel said, pointing a pair of tongs right at him. “It’s another ten minutes or so before we can eat.”

“Besides, they haven’t presented the guest of honor yet,” Devlin added.

True enough. They were there, somewhere in the crowd, probably working their way toward the stage they had erected near the north side of the park—the same place where they had honored two fallen Alphas only ten months ago.

The darkness that often swirled in his mind when he thought of those dark days last autumn stayed quiet, buried too deeply beneath Knight’s current state of joy.

He and Shay continued their walk, hand in hand, past a cluster of folding tables where bowls and platters of food had been laid out for the eventual buffet. Mrs. Troost oversaw the entire production, along with a stream of volunteers that included Luke and Tanner (who’d petitioned to stay in Cornerstone and were approved new run status), a full-recovered Jeremiah, human Melissa Jones, and her eldest niece, Summer.

Dell Jones’s body had been found on the Jones property during a random check the first week of November, last year. He’d been dead for several weeks, likely at his own hand. His two orphaned daughters had been taken in by their Aunt Melissa and Uncle Porter, and the family had given them no more trouble.

On a blanket near the buffet, in clear sight of Mrs. Troost, Leopold sat with Angel Jones, who was reading to him. Knight couldn’t see the title of the book, but Leopold seemed entranced by the story. He had slowly settled into the McQueen household, finding his place with the loup garou he’d feared for his entire life. He’d grieved his sisters for a long time, but he’d come out of his shell under the strength of his new family’s love for him.

Knight spotted a platter of Mrs. Troost’s cinnamon rolls and nearly swiped one before they were gone. Shay seemed to sense his thought processes, because she swatted his backside and said, “Down boy.”

He bussed her cheek. “Am I that obvious?”

“Only when it comes to certain food.”

The rest of the park was scattered with picnic tables and chairs, picnic blankets, and dozens of clusters of families. One set of tables and chairs was occupied by most members of the Smythe family, including Lila, who practically sat on Jonas’s lap. Despite being blinded by the hybrids last fall, their privately budding romance had blossomed into something that made both of them happy.

“I never thought I’d see Lila Smythe settle down with a loup who was less than perfect,” Knight said softly.

“Jonas can’t see, but that hasn’t changed his heart.” Shay squeezed his hand. “Our scars don’t make us who we are.”

They both knew that from experience—maybe more than anyone else in the run.

At exactly noon, a voice made a sharp “Ahem” over the loudspeakers that had been previously pumping music. Heads turned. They were nearly at the stage, so Knight nudged their way through to stand closer to his family.

Bishop and Jillian, their Alpha couple, stood onstage, proud and powerful in their devotion to each other. “Good afternoon,” Bishop said. “Thank you all for coming out on this beautiful day to help us celebrate our very first Welcome Day, an event that I hope to repeat several times a year from now on. This new tradition comes to us courtesy of Shay Butler-McQueen, and I hope to see it thrive for many more generations to come.”

Applause erupted around the park. Knight’s heart swelled from the positive emotions all around him, nearly overwhelming his empathy. For so long he’d lived with his people’s fear on his tongue and in his mind. Now he basked in the peace and joy and love caressing his spirit and soothing his beast.

“Today we are welcoming a very special new member of my family,” Bishop continued. “The first child of my brother Rook and his wife, Brynn.”

More applause carried Rook and Brynn up onto the stage. Brynn clutched a small bundle wrapped in a yellow blanket. She was paler than usual, exhausted from a very long, complicated birth that took place more than a week ago. Knight had been there for the entire event, doing his best to sooth both mother and father through the ordeal. Everyone wanted to wait until she was well enough to present her child to the run.

Rook leaned into the microphone, striking a kind of “look at me” pose he must have used often during his time as a musician. “I’m a daddy,” he said, voice as full of delight as it was with wonderment. “And don’t worry, no tattoos for at least sixteen years.”

“Eighteen,” Brynn said.

Knight laughed, as did so many others.

“Say hello to your family.” Brynn pulled a bit of the blanket back, revealing a pink face and jet-black hair. “Family, this is Andrea Thomasyn McQueen.”

Hearing the namesakes spoken out loud made Knight’s throat tighten. Rook and Brynn had named their baby girl after Rook, Knight, and Bishop’s parents. They’d chosen the name months ago when they found out Brynn was having a girl. Knight had hugged his sister-in-law long and hard once she’d told him.

Andrea and Thomas McQueen would have been so proud of their sons.

“And now that that part is over,” Rook drawled, “let’s eat!”

On a collective cheer, the audience turned into a sea of motion. Many headed for the food, while well-wishers swarmed the stage. Rook kept a protective arm across Brynn’s shoulders, smiling with love for his wife and child, and a gentle wariness toward anyone who still might resent her half-Magus nature. Too much had happened for him to take any chances.

After returning Atwood’s body to his kind last fall, the Congress of Magi had issued a directive to the run Alphas, promising no retaliation for Atwood’s death. They also condemned his research, as well as his “rogue methods” used in trying to control the hybrids. No one denied or admitted knowledge of his experiments, and it hadn’t surprised any of the Alphas.

The one truly odd product of those events was a tentatively held alliance with the scattered vampire nests of the Mid-Atlantic. Gola agreed that their peoples had been manipulated, and that if assistance against the Magi was ever needed, the vampires would help. Bishop had thanked Gola for his cooperation.

So far the three races had been playing nice. Knight hoped it lasted a long, long time.

“You know that’s going to be us in six more months,” Shay said, nodding in Rook and Brynn’s direction.

“I know, and I can’t wait.” He stepped behind Shay so he could hold her against his front, both of his palms splayed protectively over her barely swollen belly. “I will love and protect both you and my son with my life. You have my word.”

Shay covered his hands with hers. “I swear to protect both of my men with my life, as well. I love you so much, and I love our son, even if I haven’t yet held Andrew in my arms.”

“He’s in our arms right now, love.”

She angled her head for a soft kiss, full of devotion and promise. Surrounded by his brothers, their wives, and the whole of their run, Knight looked into his mate’s eyes and saw a future he’d never dared imagine for himself. A future full of hope. A future full of possibilities.

Knight couldn’t wait to see what each new day would bring for the Cornerstone run.

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Raised on a steady diet of Star Wars, Freddy Krueger and “Fear Street” novels,
Kelly Meade
developed a love for all things paranormal at a very young age. The stealthy adolescent theft of a tattered paperback from her grandmother’s collection of Harlequins sparked an interest in romance that has continued to this day. Writing as Kelly Meding, Meade is the author of the Dreg City urban fantasy series with Bantam and the MetaWars books from Pocket.

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