“What? How?”
“You risked your life for the pack. You killed someone who meant to kill the king, and you defended the pack from total collapse. It makes you a pack protector. ”
“Is that a job title?” I didn’t mean to sound so stupid, but there was still so much I didn’t know about the world of the pack. I knew if I offered my protection to individuals, they became my responsibility under pack law. Grandmere had told me that was why she was able to live among werewolves even though she was human. But I wasn’t aware the same rule applied to the pack as a whole. Had I made the entire pack my responsibility when I killed Marcus?
Dominick had waited for me to connect the dots, watching confusion change to understanding in my expression.
“You’re pretty much the den mother now, Secret. ”
“So when I bailed, I wasn’t just leaving Lucas. ”
“You were leaving the entire pack. ”
“Damn. ”
“Yeah. ”
I ran an open palm over the top of the car. “What about Desmond?” I didn’t want to hear the answer, but I needed to ask.
“He’s been waiting at the penthouse for you for months. He refuses to come out here and says protecting you was his responsibility and he failed. When he saw you in that basement, it took something out of him. He thought he was going to lose you. ”
I couldn’t say anything. The difference between my two wolves became clearer every day. When I left, Lucas lost his mate, his partner in the pack. For Desmond, my running away meant he had watched me escape death only to lose me all over again, this time by my own choice. Lucas needed me to help him lead, but Desmond needed me for entirely emotional reasons. I regretted leaving him in Manhattan to come out here.
“Lucas still should have let me come back on my own. ”
Dominick barked a laugh. “He’s royalty. Have you ever known royalty to wait patiently for anything?”
I smiled, only a little, but enough that the heavy thoughts around us seemed to lift.
“I missed you, Dominick. ”
He scooted around the door and wrapped me up in a warm, brotherly hug. He smelled like moss and sunshine. I hugged him back. It was nice to be close to another wolf without dealing with a riot of flavor in my mouth or the intense desire to be ravished. Dominick was comforting to me because he felt like the family I’d never known.
“It’s good to have you home. I never got a chance to tell you I was happy you didn’t die. ” He planted a light kiss on my forehead. “Give the boss a break on this one. You’re good for him. He didn’t know any better way to get you back. ”
“I need to make him sweat it out a little longer. ”
“You wouldn’t be you if you caved too soon. ” He hugged me again, then added, “But go easy on my brother. ”
I wanted to make a joke about just how easy I’d been on his brother, but I stopped myself. “I’ll be good. ”
“Well we both know that’s not true. ” He smiled and let me get into the car, then closed the door behind me.
Outside the garage, I paused to put the top down. The car’s engine purred while it idled, and I let myself enjoy the view of the stars. I’d wondered about the logic of giving a convertible to a half-vampire with an allergy to the sun. My concerns were resolved by the open air and the view of the night sky.
I was about to continue my course down the long driveway when a body vaulted itself over the passenger door and into the seat next to me.
“Hey. ” Kellen Rain was beaming like a lunatic. Her blue eyes were like her brother’s, only they weren’t tainted by the worry of leadership.
“Uh. ”
“Good thing you’re taking the car. I was super close to convincing Luke to give it to me. ”
“Luke. ” I’d never heard anyone else call him by the abbreviated form of his name, and Kellen used it so easily.
“Oh man, Secret, I swear to God, I’ve never seen anything as funny in my life as you knocking him in the pool tonight. I thought I was going to pee. ” She looked away from me and to the driveway. “Are we gonna go or what?”
“Go?”