Page 51 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!
“Good, I’m happy that is settled. They seem to be a nice family.”
I look at Mavis as she has leaned forward to speak. “Rania is a heck of an excellent seamstress. I saw some of her repair work when I popped to their house to see if they were settled in okay. She is going to be a tremendous asset to the pack, Alpha Adira.”
Leo quickly adds to Mavis' comment. “Blaze is a fierce warrior. He has great ideas on strategy and he’ll work alongside Talon and Thorn. They are a wonderful family. It’s a shame they are human because he would have made a fantastic shifter no matter what species.”
Barrik chuckles. “We have a human in my brother's pack like that. He is worth his weight in gold. If this Blaze is as good, then we will have an outstanding warrior in him.”
“We have Blaze training all the humans, and he’s looking at our defenses. He’s found some weak spots in the boundary, so we’ve been working on those. Closing up places that could have left us vulnerable.” Leo looks at Barrik for any comment.
“Grant has the cottage livable and we’ve moved Warden’s possessions to there. He doesn’t have much. In fact, neither of them do, and do you know that shitty Alpha Benedict gave them hardly any salary for what they did. It is disgusting…” Mavis states with a heavy touch of disgust in her tone.
“Okay,” I cut her off before she rages. “Anything else?”
Leo chuckles, then turns that into a laugh as he attempts to tell me what is so amusing to him. “Tar-tar-tarlo Pawfoot has claimed Great and her son as his mate.”
“No!” I state quickly, shocked. “He didn’t force her, did he?” I can’t help but ask. I don’t think Tarlo is that kind of wolf, but I need to know for sure.
My comment has Barrik bristling, and I can feel Rawlin rising. I place my hand on his thigh and he looks at me, a little shocked, but my touch calms him.
“Oh, no, he wouldn’t do that. He’s been courting her for a while. You know she’s human, with that half-shifter child. It will be a good mating, I’m sure of that. Tarlo is strutting around like you have never seen, Alpha Adira.” Again, Leo laughs, and Mavis is smiling broadly as she has obviously seen something.
“Is the child showing any shifter traits, and what species are we speaking about?” Barrik asks.
“The boy is half wolf. His father was killed while on border patrol by a group of rogues. He and his patrol partner were both killed. From what I hear, the rogues were tracked down and killed. They were feral and would have gone on a frenzied killing spree given time,” Leo states, and from how he has spoken he wasn’t in the town at that time.
“How are Yarik and Zorak settling into the pack?” I ask.
“Oh, they are doing well. They have settled into training quickly. They are happy living with Joyce, funnily enough. They don’t want to move out as they have seen Joyce as a mother figure, and it’s put them into a protective mode. It’s rather amusing to see two lion shifters hovering over a human woman, and treating her like she’s made of glass. Which, I have to tell you, has Joyce at her wit's end, and has clobbered them both with her rolling pin and skillet.” Leo laughs again, and I can imagine Joyce doing that so allow a giggle to escape at that image in my mind.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all these characters you speak of. It’s strange being in a pack that I’m supposed to help guide, yet I know not a soul as yet,” Barrik states, and we all sober aswe think that it has to be strange, and have you feeling left out of these kinds of conversations.
“Leo, call the pack. We are having a meeting. We’ll hold it at the Town Hall, as that is the most central. I need to announce Barrik, and get him mingling with everyone.”
Standing on the platform outside the Town Hall, I look around at all the faces, checking if anyone is missing. Not including the patrol, of course. We cannot afford for them to leave their posts.
“Thank you all for coming so quickly. I have an important announcement to make. First, I want you all to know I found my second chance mate while away from the pack. He is Barrik Cornerstone, formally appointed Beta for Alpha James, of the Dark Water Pack.” I don’t say another word as the pack members burst into applause, and the sense of welcome, joy, and acceptance hits. “Okay, I have something else to tell you.” I wait for everyone to quieten, then continue. “I am the heir to the Strongbow Pack, and I have visited the territory. It can be rebuilt, and that’s what I intend to do, eventually. But with two lands not joined, it will be difficult, so with Barrik being a born Alpha, we have agreed to be co-alphas for the pack, or packs. We have to decide going forward, but for now I would like you all to get to know Alpha Barrik.”
The pack is quiet for a few moments until someone claps and shouts congratulations and welcome alpha. That is the catalyst that has all the pack joining in, and surging to Barrik, who is surrounded in no time by pack members.
Blue snickers,‘Well, he wanted to know the pack, now he must do it all in one session.’
“Yes, you are right. He must meet them all now. But he’ll survive it. I know he will.”
Chapter 26
*Barrik*
Icannot be happier. I have my mate and what a magnificent mate she is. The Moon Goddess has to have looked down on me with favorable eyes. I had always been an upright male, supporting my brother as Alpha and the pack anyway that I could, and if this is my reward I’m going to hold it in both hands and be thankful.
Sitting on the edge of the bed in what is now our room, I watch Adira dressing, ready for the day. “It feels strange that I am now an Alpha of a pack, well, two packs.”
“We will do it together, Barrik. I wasn’t ready to be an Alpha of a pack, either. I think we’ll be fine if we discuss everything that is of importance. Minor things we deal with as we meet them. At the end of each day, we can spend a little time updating each other.” Adira walks over and kisses me gently. Holds her hand out, and of course, I accept it willingly, then follow her out of the bedroom and to the kitchen.
Thorn twenty minutes later walks into the kitchen where I’m just finishing breakfast. “You ready to patrol this morning, Alpha Barrik?”
Now, that sounds odd, but I don’t let my surprise show. “Yes. I’ll be with you in a minute, Delta Thorn.”
“Go. I have a lot to cover myself today,” Adira says, kissing me gently on the lips before walking to the sink with our dirty dishes.
