They began like boxers, circling each other, fists clenched and ready to go. Patrick opted for brute force, tried to land three punches before he realized Jeff was faster. Patrick tried an uppercut, and Jeff used the shot against him, landing a sidekick in on unprotected right.
Patrick spat out a curse, but stayed up. “You’re a tenacious little thing, aren’t you?”
“Your words,” Jeff said, dodging to avoid another jab. “Not mine.” He nailed Patrick with a punch to the stomach that sent him shuffling backward.
But it only incited Patrick’s rage. He balanced himself, surged forward, pulled Jeff to the ground. They grappled, bowled down the aisle, knocking flower stands and hymnals to the ground.
Patrick belted him, a shot across the face that split his lip, sending the scent of blood into the air.
Suddenly struck by fear, I started to rise, but Ben put a hand on mine, shook his head. “Let Jeff handle this.”
Jeff shifted his body weight, rolled Patrick again, ended up on top of him . . . and then punched him square in the face.
Patrick’s eyes fluttered back, and his head bounced on the marble floor with a sick thud.
Chest heaving, Jeff stood up and ripped the coronet from Patrick’s forehead. “I believe that belongs to someone else, you son of a bitch.”
After Patrick was taken away and Jeff got cleaned up, Berna escorted Tanya and Connor into the sanctuary. With Gabriel, they stepped to the front of the church together.
While Tanya held Connor, Gabriel held the coronet, in both palms, as if gauging its weight. The church was utterly silent, all of us waiting for word from our alpha.
After a moment, he looked up at us. “I had a plan of things to say. Things I’ve considered for a very long time. Things I figured I’d eventually say to my sister, or perhaps a daughter. Now, my son. This is just a piece of metal,” he said, holding it up, light glinting off the engravings. “But it is also so much more than that. It’s a reminder of who we are, of the promises we’ve made to each other.”
Gabriel reached out, placed the crown carefully on Connor’s head. It was much too big, but canted backward just managed to stay on.
Connor’s eyes went huge, and he went still, as if stunned by the weight of the crown on his head. Probably a good lesson.
“I hereby initiate Connor Devereaux Keene into the Pack. May he live long, fight fiercely, love well.”
The shifters whooped and yelled their joy, clapping fiercely at the child who stood before them, eyes wide and grinning at the commotion made on his behalf.
Gabriel put an arm around Tanya, pulling her close as the crowd celebrated their family. They were happy, a unit bound by love and magic.
And I felt only sadness. Why couldn’t I have that? A chance at happiness? A chance at love and family? Why did prejudice have to figure into it?
I looked at Jeff, found his gaze on me, eyes wide in understanding.
And there in the pew, in the church of our Pack, he reached for my hand, and I let him take it.
Jeff rose, and when the first wave of shifters who’d offered their congratulations had stepped aside, moved to Gabriel.
“We need to talk.” His voice was quiet, but earnest.
Gabe looked at Jeff, then me. “Why don’t we step into the hallway?”
As we moved from the sanctuary to the classrooms and offices, the grandness of the chapel gave way to utility and function. The hallway smelled of crayons, rubber toys, and fruit punch, the walls dotted with posters, children’s art, and the occasional smudge of finger paint.
We walked into a classroom, and Gabriel closed the door behind us.
The room filled quickly with magic—tense, angry, and ready to boil over.
Jeff swallowed, took a step toward Gabriel. “I love your sister.”
I stared at him. I hadn’t expected him to lead with love.
“Oh?” Gabriel asked. “Do you?”
“You know I do. The whole damn family probably knows I do. Hell, there probably aren’t any supernaturals in the city who don’t know it.”
Gabriel’s eyes stayed cool. “I’m not entirely sure what you expect me to do about that.”
“What I expect? I expect you to stop this potential bullshit so she can be happy.”
“She’s a member of my family, and second in line for the Pack. You both know what that means.” He slid his dangerous gaze toward me. “You know the price.”
I stared at my brother, fury rising for the second time tonight at an arrogant wolf. “Jeff, can you please give us a minute?”
He kept his gaze on me, but paused.
I nodded again, offering reassurance, and he left the room and closed the door behind him. A scream building in my chest, I slowly looked back at my oldest brother.
“I am sick of you trying to control me and my life.”
Gabriel snorted. “Are you of the misguided opinion that you’ve somehow meekly followed orders?”
The snark in his voice rankled, and I had to fist my hands to keep from pummeling him. “The sarcasm isn’t helping.”
“No, it probably isn’t. So how about the truth: You have a role to play, and you know it. Sure, you like spending time with Jeff. He’s a great guy. He’s loyal to the Pack. Always ready to serve. But he’s not a potential. He can’t be.”
I swallowed, mustered my courage. “Then I’m done with potentials.”
Magic spilled into the room, angry and biting like insects. I worked not to flinch.
“Excuse me?” Gabriel asked, very slowly.
It would have been easy to back down. To tuck my tail and slink out of the room, and let things be the way they’d been before. But that left me lonely and dishonest to myself, to Jeff, and to the potentials. So I gathered up my courage, and put it out there.
“I’m done with potentials. I’m not going to meet any more of them. I’m going to date who I want to date, regardless of the type of shifter he is. And I’ll give up my place in the line of succession if that’s what it takes.”
He looked at me, jaw clenched and twitching. “Is this your way of rebelling?”
“Of course not.” It was, of course, but not in the way he meant. It was a rebellion against what we’d been taught, about who I’d been taught to be. But it wasn’t a rebellion for the sake of rebellion. It was about, for the first time, being true to myself.
“I’ve done my part to protect the Pack, the crown. But it’s time to think about my future. I love him.” Tears rose to my eyes at the power of the admission. “He’s the other half of me, and I’ve known that for a long time. But I haven’t admitted it, and that’s not fair to him or me or anyone else.” I paused, looked up at my big brother, and the leader of my Pack. “I’ll give up the Pack for him. Because he’s worth the price. I’ll abdicate.”