Each of the pack called out their support, although Emory noticed a few slip out the door to the garage, including the man with a mate and child who’d questioned Diskant earlier. Most of them were males who’d brought their mates and children along. He didn’t blame them for wanting to go, for needing to protect their families. And Trey was right, no one would hold it against them.
Emory leaned over and whispered in Mary’s ear, “What’s it going to be, sweetheart?”
She lifted he head, frowning as their eyes met. “You’re letting me make the decision?”
“Ava wants you to be the godmother of her child. Diskant wants you to be there to support his mate. And I want you in whatever way I can have you.” He ran his fingers down her arm until he came to her hand. Twining their fingers together, he murmured, “You’ve had people telling you what to do all your life. I won’t do the same. If you want me—if you want this—then it has to be your decision.”
She brought her bottom lip between her teeth and bowed her head. He knew she was thinking things over, trying to decide. It couldn’t be easy, not with everything she’d been through. But if they wanted a real chance together, they had to start with a clean slate.
No hate. No remorse. No fear.
Mary let him go and took a hesitant step forward. The pack went quiet, watching her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Even though he’d whispered in Mary’s ear, Emory knew everyone had listened in, wanting to know what he’d said to his mate. Now they were eager for her reaction. Would she run? Would she stay? Or would she shock the shit out of the entire room by giving them the middle finger they deserved for their earlier treatment?
He watched Mary square her shoulders as her head lifted. Although he couldn’t see her face, the way Diskant grinned told him she wasn’t backing down from the pack.
“We’re staying too. If you don’t like me, that’s your problem. I’ve dealt with worse.”
She turned and extended her hand, waiting for him to take her offering, to accept that she had made her choice. Emory grasped her fingers and moved in close to yank her to his chest. He knew he was smiling like an idiot, the exuberance he experienced completely overwhelming. With a laugh, he met the shocked gazes of his pack mates.
“You heard her.” He hugged Mary tighter, wishing he could keep her that close forever. Lifting his head, he looked at Trey.
Once they’d been at each other’s throats, the need to dominate and control running through their veins. Emory had never believed he could reside under his brother’s authority. It was too difficult to restrain his nature, to keep his wolf under control. But not now. His anger had been tempered by love, his beast was finally content with the hand it had been dealt. From this moment forward he could live the life he wanted. He could get to know Trey in the same way he had as a child. He was strong enough not to show his emotion but he knew Mary felt it since she pressed against him.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he finally said, cementing her decision before the pack. “This is our home. We’re not leaving.”
Mary could hear the pride in Emory’s voice. The arms he’d wrapped around her loosened, allowing her to breathe without gasping for air. She remained in a state of shock. When she’d woken alone and gone in search of Emory, she’d been taken aback by all the shifters in the residence. Since she’d told her relatives about the map before the pack could put it to good use, she hadn’t been sure if they were there for her blood or Emory’s. Speaking out before they could harm the man she’d fallen in love with had seemed like a good idea at the time.
She’d never thought her actions would lead to this.
“Mary,” Emory breathed against her ear.
He felt so warm and smelled so wonderful. “Hmm?”
“You need to go back to our room and let me get Doc. Your shoulder’s bleeding.”
It was then that she felt stickiness against her shirt. She pulled away and looked down. Sure enough, the T-shirt had a small, bright red stain. Strangely, her shoulder didn’t hurt as much as she imagined it should. When she shifted, there was a dull ache. No sharp bite, no agonizing burn.
“What about Dara?” She’d been so excited to see the young woman and know she’d played a part in saving her life. Surely they’d have a chance to talk. “She’s come all this way to see me.”
“The pride will need to rest before they leave, and I’m sure they’ll want to visit any relatives who live nearby,” Emory said. “I’ll make sure you see her before she goes.”
Ava appeared and held out her hand. “I’ll go with you. We need to talk.”
While she didn’t want to leave Emory, she didn’t want to stand in front of everyone and bleed all over the place. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in Ava’s. The tiny woman pulled her through the crowd and back to the basement. A conversation resumed upstairs. Mary frowned as voices drifted to her ears. She could make out some of what was said when she focused, able to hear more clearly than she should. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t noticed before.
When they were inside the bedroom downstairs, Ava released Mary’s hand and closed the door.
“You don’t need Doc to heal that, you know,” Ava said, looking Mary in the eye. “If you finalize the bloodbond with Emory, you’ll be as good as new in a few hours.”
“Is that what you wanted to talk about? My bloodbond with Emory?”
“Partially,” Ava confessed. “But mostly I wanted to tell you that what happened isn’t your fault.”
Mary sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve been reading my mind again, haven’t you?”
“No, but I’ve been in your head. I have a good idea of what you’re thinking. The truth is Diskant fucked up, not you. If anyone should take the blame, it’s him.” When Mary lifted her head, surprised at the declaration, Ava laughed. “He’s not perfect. His pride gets the best of him sometimes. But when he makes a mistake he owns up to it.”
Ava walked to the bed and took up the space beside Mary. “Your family got to you because Diskant honestly believed he could keep his home safe. Kinsley’s been warning him that it’s too dangerous to live inside the city but Diskant wouldn’t listen. Now the hard-ass is all ears. He knows we can’t stay here anymore. He’s accepted it. I just hope you can forgive him for putting you in danger. That wasn’t his intention.”
“You want me to forgive him? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I’m the one who brought my uncle here. This is my fault. Elijah came after me.”
“Don’t forget he came after me and Trey,” Ava quipped. “Your uncle would have come after any of us if given a chance. You can’t take the blame for what other people do. You are not your family.”
Mary’s eyes drifted to Ava’s belly. There was no sign of her condition, but that probably wouldn’t last long. Soon her stomach would swell as the life inside of her grew by leaps and bounds. A lump formed in Mary’s throat. Ava’s pregnancy wouldn’t matter to Shepherds. They’d probably force her to deliver and do all sorts of horrible things to her child if they got a chance.
“Maybe I was wrong,” Mary murmured. “Maybe I shouldn’t stay. It’s not safe for you.” She lifted her head and looked at Ava. “It’s not safe for your baby.”
Another shock—Ava smiled. “Now that is a load of crap.”
Ava rose from the bed, walked to the dresser on the wall and removed something. It wasn’t until she turned that Mary saw the small jewelry box in her hand. It was sturdy, made of a metal of some kind. Ava sat down again and held it out.
“Here, take a look.”
Mary took the box and studied it. The bottom identified the metal as stainless steel. Opening the rounded top with a filigree design, she looked inside. The box was empty, the inside covered with a satiny red material.