48

48
ALICIA
Dad sends most of Lonnie’s friends home with promises that they’ll be dealt with in the coming days. They all look nervous, and I don’t blame them. If I were them, I think I might make arrangements to not be here in the morning.
Then again, maybe I wouldn’t. I’ve done a lot of running in my life. Too much running. It’s time for me to focus on staying where I am.
We all go back to Dad’s house, and I immediately start tending to Brandon’s injuries. The bite on the back of his neck is the worst. I hold a towel against it to stop the bleeding and find him a bottle of scotch for the pain.
“I’m all right,” he grunts, but he unscrews the cap and takes a long drink anyway.
“I know you’re all right. Just drink.” I pull the towel away from his neck and check the wound. The bleeding is starting to slow, so I grab the bandages.
Kayla comes into the kitchen. “I got Emmy settled in bed,” she says. “Where’s Lonnie?”
“Chained to the radiator,” Dad says. I have to hand it to my father. He looks more clear-headed than he has in weeks. I guess the urgency of this situation brought it out in him.
“Are you okay with this, Dad?” I ask him. “Locking up Lonnie this way? I know it can’t be easy having to treat your own son like that.” I actually can’t imagine having to do it. It’s hard to imagine Emmy growing up to be the kind of person Lonnie is, but if she did, could I do what my father is doing? I’m not sure I would be able to manage it.
“He attacked you,” Dad says. “He was going to kill you.” “Dad.”
“I haven’t always been there for you, Alicia. I know that,” he says. “I haven’t always been the father you needed. And I know that’s part of why you left the way you did.”
“Dad, that wasn’t your fault.”
“It was partly my fault,” he says firmly. “I know what Deidre said to you before your mating ceremony.”
“You know?”
“Kayla told me.” He closes his eyes briefly. “I should never have let that happen to you. If I’d had any idea that Deidre was saying things like that, I would have intervened.”
“Did she choose Brandon for me?” I have to know.
“No,” Dad says firmly. “Brandon was my choice. I saw potential in him as a leader, and I saw chemistry between the two of you. Deidre manipulated me too. She told me I should mate you to someone older, for status instead of starting a family. I see now that she was just afraid someone would be a threat to Lonnie.”
“She would have made my life hell if I’d stayed, Dad,” I say. “Just like
Lonnie did when I was growing up. I always thought that when I moved out of your house, it would stop. But she would have made it worse. At least they never hurt me when I lived at home.”
“I’m not going to let you down that way again. I’m going to have your back from now on. You can count on me.”
It’s coming pretty late in both of our lives, relatively speaking, but this is what I’ve always wanted my father to say to me, and I’m so glad to be hearing it at last. “Thanks, Dad,” I whisper.
“The question is,” Dad says, “what are we going to do now?”
“You need to abdicate,” I tell him. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, but the time is now. If you abdicate tonight, Brandon will become alpha because of the fight he just won against Lonnie. There won’t be a better time for it.”
“I think you’re right,” Dad agrees. He looks at Brandon. “Are you ready for that?”
“I’m more ready than I’ve ever been,” Brandon says. “I can lead this pack, Vern.”
“I know you can,” Dad says. “And you’re right, Alicia. It’s time. We can have the alpha ceremony tomorrow. I can have the pack organized by then and be ready to transfer leadership to you, Brandon.”
Brandon nods solemnly. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
My heart is racing. I can’t believe this is actually happening. My father has been alpha all my life, but now he’s stepping down-and he’s handing off power to my mate.
My mate.
Everything is working out so much better than I could have hoped it would. Lonnie will be out of power. The pack will be a safe place for me and
Emmy, and Brandon loves us and wants us both and will never try to take her from me. I’ve spent so much time being afraid of what would happen if he learned the truth. This was a possibility I simply never imagined.
Kayla clears her throat. “Not to bring down the mood,” she says, “but what are we going to do with Lonnie?”
Dad and Brandon look at each other.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Brandon says. “He’s your son. I know how hard it would be for you. Wait a day, keep him locked up, and then I’ll deal with him.”
But Dad shakes his head. “No,” he says. “You shouldn’t have to. You’re right. He is my son. He’s my responsibility. Dealing with Lonnie will be my last act as the alpha of this pack before my abdication.”
“What will you do?” I ask.
“I’ll exile him,” Dad says heavily. The kitchen is silent for a moment.
“Dad,” I whisper. I agree with the decision. It’s right for Lonnie to be exiled. I couldn’t stay here with him around. But for Dad to have to be the one to do it…
“I’m going to do the right thing,” Dad says firmly. “I want that to be my legacy. I’m going to do right by my family, Alicia. Lonnie has lost the right to be considered a part of that family. He forfeited that when he attacked us in our sleep.”
I nod. It feels so good to have my father on my side, for the first time in so long, that I can’t bring myself to keep arguing. He says he can do this, and I won’t put up a fight.
“I’ll have him escorted out tomorrow morning,” Dad says. “We can have the alpha ceremony in the afternoon.”
“That sounds perfect,” Brandon says.
“In the meantime,” Dad says, “you kids should get some rest. You didn’t get a full night’s sleep, and tomorrow is a big day.”
I nod. I can’t wait to get back to bed. “Thanks, Dad,” I say. “For everything.”
He reaches out and squeezes my hand. It’s the most protected I’ve felt by my father since I was a child. And even though he’s gotten old, and our roles in each other’s lives are reversing, it’s nice to know that this is still possible.