In the bathroom, he stripped and ignored the view of his mottled scarring in the mirror. He knew how much damage he’d suffered after Marco struck him with the gun and sent him headfirst into the fire. He’d lost nearly all of his hair, and would have lost his eye if not for Gillian. The healer’s skills had saved him a great deal of grief, though he’d initially refused her ministrations.
He could admit to himself that he was grateful for her stubbornness when it came to listening to him. Twisting the water on, he stepped into the cold stream without waiting for it to heat up. With a hiss then a laugh, he let the spray sluice over him. The temperature rose as he finished washing and grew hot enough to let him shave in comfort.
Fifteen minutes later, he strode into his kitchen and checked his cell phone. The quiet in the house pursued him, a relentless stalker he did his best to dismiss. Even if he couldn’t ignore the emptiness, he didn’t have to allow it to bother him. He chose to live alone and, though the Alpha’s house was most often a social center for the pack, his pack mates tended to gravitate toward his mother and the other senior females.
Maybe that needs to change again…
Once upon a time, it had been common to find wolves in and out of his house every day. He shared meals with them, chased them out when he wanted to seduce a lover and enjoyed the background hum of their chatter. The loud silence surrounding the hiss of his coffee maker and the clicking of the stove as he turned it on only served to remind him of their absence.
He cooked three pieces of bacon, two eggs, a handful of shredded potatoes and two pieces of toast. After cleaning as he went, he carried his prepared meal and coffee mug to the table. The chair scraped across the floor, echoing in the kitchen. Turning his cell phone over, he opened the email account and began to review his messages while he ate.
Three notes from Mason included updates on Three Rivers. After a half-dozen wolves from Hudson River had packed in the middle of the night and migrated to the sixth pack, he’d alerted Mason and Julian to their passage. The Chief Enforcer notified him when they’d been spotted. Mason reported they had applied to Luciana Barrows for admission to her pack. The last note detailed Trent’s upcoming sojourn to Willow Bend along with a schedule for the time Trent would be spending with Willow Bend’s primary healer, Emma. Mason kept him looped in on all the fine print, and Brett appreciated the other Alpha’s forethought and care. Since none of the messages required an answer, he didn’t send one.
Returning to his main inbox, he scanned the rest of the contents. One note from Serafina Andre and a second from Cassius were left. Both were general check ins and updates, though Serafina’s included the offer of one of her local healers to help fill in during the interims when Gillian and Trent returned to Willow Bend. A provocative offer, and one he would consider.
Another message from Luciana herself. Brett considered the unopened email. He had initiated no contact with the tacit Alpha of the sixth pack. Resentment filtered through his bloodstream. Members of his pack had left him for her…was that her fault? No. Did he really want to have a discussion with her? Not really. Should he open a dialogue with her?
Ignoring the last question, he scrolled through the emails. A note from Chrystal Royce, once Landros and should have been Dalton leapt out at him. Dallas’ daughter. How strange to know after all these years that his cousin had a daughter. He’d not seen or heard from Dallas more than in passing since she went Lone Wolf. At first, everyone in the family assumed it would be a phase. It wasn’t that unusual for a wolf to go Lone for a few years, and most returned to the pack eventually.
Not Dallas.
The message from Chrystal included a photo of a pair of grey wolves—she called them Mama and Pup. They’d become pen pals of a sort. Though he’d offered her an open invitation to visit, she’d as yet to accept. Her reasons, however, were utterly sound. I’m still getting a feel for what being an Omega means, and I’m getting to know my new pack. Dylan is wonderful, and we do plan to visit, I promise. I want to get to know you, too.
How different Chrystal was from Dallas. What he remembered of his cousin was a strong, beautiful, vibrant wolf with a will of iron and a determination to explore the world. No one ran over Dallas. No one could call her a ray of sunshine either, but her fires had always burned far below the surface.
Setting aside his fork, he typed a quick response to Chrystal. I look forward to the day you come to visit us. You and your mate have Safe Haven and all my wolves will know this. Safe Haven, so you understand the term, means you have right of free passage into Hudson River. You also have the right to ask for my assistance. No one will challenge you. Come when you are ready, my cousin.