Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Aster’s eyes go soft again. “I’ll be okay. As long as I have you, everything will be fine. We’ll figure it out. You’re my mate. You’re all I need.”
“You’re all I need, starshine. You’re everything to me. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“No. I needed you to doubt me. But thank you for coming for me, anyway.”
Always, I sign.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aster
Brick and Madi threw a big bonfire to welcome us home. Smell of charcoal, charred cedar, and roasting meat. My mouth waters at the platters of pork, beef, chicken, and even venison weighing down each table.
Three of the Blackthroat’s friends, werebear triplets named Hutch, Bern, and Canyon flew the helicopter and helped rescue us. They are part of some shifter ops merc team somehow connected to Brick. Apparently, they requested payment in bacon, which is why there are six whole hogs roasting on a spit–two for each of them.
“Mmm, meat,” Esme hums. She tugs her hair out of its ponytail and fluffs it until it falls down her back in a silky, curly mass. Instantly, all male attention zeroes in on her, but she seems oblivious. “Anyone up for a hot dog eating contest?”
Across the lawn, the three triplets raise their hands.
Noah snorts. “You’re human. You can’t out-eat a shifter.”
“Watch me.”
I sidle up to her and offer her the tiara. Before I let it go, it buzzes against my hand as if excited to greet her. “This isn’t mine.”
Esme produces a black velvet bag from somewhere and carefully enfolds the tiara inside. “I know, I know. I’m going to get you back to where you belong,” she whispers to it and tells us, “I’ll make sure Museo Maya finds this on their doorstep soon.”
All around us, Blackthroat wolves settle in for the meal. Oriana and Liora are seated at the table with the alpha couple and Catherine. It looks like Jake and Nickel and the rest of the Moon Co Bros are entertaining them. There’s room at the table for Noah and me and Esme, too.
The gang’s all here, except for one. Sully is nowhere to be seen. I want to thank him for all his help, but I suspect he needs some alone time. He seems like he’s still grieving Moira, and his vendetta against the Warden has just begun.
I wonder what’s happening to Aiden and the Warden. If I were Aiden, I would use this moment to check the Warden’s power. But something happened to Aiden when the ghost wolf leaped on him.
I nudge Noah so he’ll look at me to read my lips. “Did you see what happened to Hugh?”
“Who?”
“Hugh. The ghost wolf.”
“He attacked Aiden and became real again.”
“Ghost wolf?” Esme asks, leaning in close. “Was he hot?”
Noah chuckles at Esme’s ridiculous question.
“Kind of?” I describe Hugh’s wolf and then what happened at the end. “He sort of spat something at Aiden. It looked like a ball of light.”
“Interesting,” Esme murmurs. “I didn’t see it, but my best guess is Hugh died with a beef against Aiden’s lineage, and his life force was so strong, his soul was able to hang around. And then the eclipse or maybe the tiara helped him take physical form again.”
“That was my guess, too,” I say. “But what did he do to Aiden? And if he’s back on the physical plane, what does that mean?”
“I can look into that.” She accepts a plate of ribs from Liz and rubs her hands together in anticipation.
The barbecue is delicious. I stuff my wolf so full of meat I bet she never feels starved again.
Brick gets up and comes over.
“Alpha,” Noah says.
“Yes. We need to make things official,” Brick says to Noah.
“I’d like that, Alpha.” Noah tilts his head slightly, showing his neck in a sign of respect.
“I want to join too,” I say.
“Excellent. We’re honored to have both of you. The next run will be at the full moon, and the full induction to the pack will happen then.”
Noah accepts fist bumps and backslaps from Jake, Nickel, and the rest of the Moon Co Bros. One of us, Billy signs, and it warms my heart seeing Noah stepping into community.
Liora also watches her son with his new packmates with a small, relieved smile. The lines have fallen from her face, and she looks as serene as I remember her being during my childhood.
“You also have pack protection,” Brick tells her. “You and Oriana and Sophie.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Liora says. “But I think it’s time I returned home. To Kentucky. Oriana wants to meet her Nan, and all her second cousins.”
“Sophie would like to stay,” Oriana says and signs. Beside her, Sophie blushes and ducks her head.
Catherine leans in, putting her hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “You can stay with me. I’d love the company. That is, if you allow it, Alpha.”
“I’ll allow it if it’s what you want, Sophie,” Brick says.