Alarmed whispers echoed down the hall and blended together. Ava peered up at Diskant, touched his arm and offered him a weak smile. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. When he let her go, she moved closer, pressing against his side. He moved his arm to give her room but his focus was on the crowd and not his mate.
“Let it be known that I hereby reinstate the status of pack Alpha to Trey Veznor,” Diskant said. “Effective immediately.”
“What?” Trey snapped and lowered the arms he had crossed over his chest.
“This is your pack,” Diskant explained. “It always has been. When I took your position, I never intended for it to be permanent. I knew you’d eventually get your head on straight. My position was only temporary.”
Emory knew Trey wanted to say something—to argue about the reversal of authority, perhaps—but his brother held back. Diskant had just honored him in an enormous way. By handing over his authority, Diskant had effectively shown all the shifters in the room that he trusted Trey with his and Ava’s lives. Throwing it back into Diskant’s face would cause dissension among the pack, and there would probably be more bloodshed when Alpha males started lining up to fight for the position.
“Traipsing around for Shepherd heads isn’t an option anymore,” Diskant added quietly. “The pack needs you here. We need you here. Once I explain everything you’ll understand. But first I need to know if you accept. Will you take on the pack? Will you guide them and make them your first priority above everything else?”
Trey opened his mouth, his eyes flashing amber. For a moment Emory felt a flash of anger—as well as an emotion he couldn’t place—coming from the man. It was as though his brother was stunned and locked in the grips of some sort of grief. The shifters around him started to growl, agitated by the Alpha’s response. Then Emory saw Nathan. The Beta walked from the kitchen and took his place by Trey’s side, placing his hand on Trey’s shoulder.
“Deal with your personal shit later,” Nathan whispered. “Don’t fuck this up.”
The tension in the air lifted as Trey’s eyes returned to their normal color. He glanced at Diskant and gave him a pained nod. “I accept,” he replied hoarsely, as though he’d walked through the desert and desperately needed a glass of water.
Slowly the shifters calmed. Then they moved forward, pushing Diskant and Ava aside as they welcomed Trey back to his official position with softly spoken words and relieved smiles. Emory frowned as he watched, noting the way Trey’s shoulders sank and his irises dimmed. Although Trey responded to each person who approached, Emory could tell his heart wasn’t in it. This should be a moment of celebration, of happiness. So why did Trey look like the world had just crumbled into ash around him?
Diskant relaxed and wrapped his arm around Ava’s waist. “If you don’t mind,” Diskant said to Trey, “I’d like to continue.”
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll allow it. But when this is over you and me are going to have a little chat. Tell Ava not to wait up. We’ll be awhile.” Trey sounded as confident as he always had, as though he’d never relinquished his place in the pack.
Diskant grinned. “I kind of figured that.”
“Listen up,” Trey yelled. “The Omega isn’t finished.”
“Due to recent events, I’ve decided it’s no longer safe to remain inside the city,” Diskant said, eyes darting over the shifters who were studying him. “I’ve acquired a property that isn’t too far away and I’ll be moving in the next few days.”
“You’d leave us here to clean up your mess?” one pack member snarled.
“I’ll continue doing my job but I can’t risk my mate’s safety by remaining out in the open.” Emory could see Diskant was trying to remain calm, even though his eyes flashed gold in anger. “My first obligation is to see to her well-being and care. “
“So that’s why you stepped down,” someone muttered.
Diskant started to take a step forward, fists knotted, then a man with his wife and young child interrupted his progression. “What about us? What would you have us do?”
The fight left the Omega as he looked at the family. “I would suggest if you live away from the pack you consider relocating.”
“Is that all you can offer?” The man didn’t make eye contact, trying to be as respectful as possible.
“I’m still the Omega of the city. That hasn’t changed. I’m moving, not leaving. And I’ll also be taking a couple of people with me, if they’re willing to go.” Diskant looked at Emory. “Ava’s attached to your female. She wants you and Mary to come with us. The house is more than large enough and property is secure. Your mate will be safe.”
Emory was taken off guard by the offer. Two Alpha males under one roof? Would they kill each other? Maybe Diskant needed something he hadn’t mentioned yet. Emory found it hard to believe he’d make such an offer without thinking everything over. Or perhaps Ava really did want Mary around. Everyone knew the shifter females didn’t extend her offers of friendship. Despite being mated to Diskant, she was still human in many ways.
Emory glanced at Ava, who was so small next to her partner. When she saw him watching, she started fidgeting. The way she lowered her hand and placed her palm over her flat abdomen told him all he needed to know.
Oh hell.
“That’s right. My mate told me this morning.” Diskant tugged Ava closer. “That’s my final announcement. The pack will continue to grow and thrive with new life. In a few months, we’ll be adding to our family. Ava’s expecting.”
More whispers, this time excited. The men and women swarmed Diskant and Ava to extend their well wishes. A birth in the pack was always met with happiness. Ava blushed as the women fussed over her—something Emory was certain had never happened before. Since she was carrying a shifter child, the icy walls the pack bitches had erected would start to fall. But where would that leave Mary? She would still need support and understanding.
“If Mary agrees, I’ll gladly accept your offer,” Emory called over the crowd and met Diskant’s gaze.
Ava shoved aside the women and hurried to Emory, a soft pink glow in her face. “You will? Really?” She reached for his hands and took them. “I’d really like to have another woman around for this. There is so much to plan for and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be alone.”
Emory smiled and squeezed her hands. “I’m sure Mary will feel the same way.”
Suddenly the room went quiet. All the shifters stopped talking and all the attention in the room shifted from Diskant and Ava to the person standing at Emory’s back. He couldn’t believe he’d missed her waking and could only attribute it to all the news he’d just received. Releasing Ava, he spun around.
Mary had managed to find a pair of oversized sweatpants to go with the T-shirt Emory had given her. Her enormous blue eyes were shadowed by pain, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. A small spot of blood had seeped through the shirt, over the area that was bandaged on her shoulder. She seemed so fucking calm—too fucking calm. Something was wrong, he just wasn’t sure what it was. Her emotions were there but there was a sadness that made them hazy, so he was unable to locate the source of her despair.
Finally, she spoke. “My name is Mary Shepherd.”
Growls greeted the proclamation, the happy members of the pack becoming hostile. Several of the female shifters moved toward her when she took a step forward, baring their teeth, growls turning to snarls.