I spent the next couple of days in the trailer, hobbling around on crutches and catching up on work using a laptop I had borrowed from Dane. Every time I sat down, Graham chased behind me, placing a pillow under my foot. Sometimes I would go outside for a breath of fresh air or to sit down by the lake, taking in the serenity. Children played on the other side until their parents called them in for dinner. One of the older kids tied a rope swing to a tree that sat just on the edge of the lake. Each kid took turns swinging on it, seeing who could land the farthest from the shore. Boy, did that bring back some fun childhood memories.

Every day, Dane and Riley made a trip out to the house and stayed a couple of hours, sometimes into dinner. Although the trailer was huge, I couldn't go anywhere except out to the lake or to the convenience store down the road, making our space more confining. Dane wouldn't take the chance that I might snap at my uncle, so he took me out to dinner one evening. In spite of his nagging me about those crutches that was the best time I'd had in a while.

Until I called Matt. I didn't want him thinking that I had abandoned him for good. That wouldn't make me any better than the Boston Pack. So I made a point of calling him on a daily basis.

"When are you coming home?” he asked, sounding bereft.

"I don't know,” I replied, clutching the cell phone to my ear. “A few more days. Maybe. I need more time. To think and all."

"We could go somewhere else, if you don't want to come home. Just the two of us."

Swallowing, I forced the lump from my throat. “No. We could go away, but the same problems will still be there when we get back. I can't face anyone from the pack. I can't handle them right now."

He sighed. “I heard about your clash with Seth. Believe it or not, he doesn't hold a grudge."

"Yeah, right. He's probably using it as a ruse to get me back to the den so that he can finish chewing me out."

"Hon, he won't do that. We had a long talk. Seth won't stoop to the will of the pack, but he knows how much everyone misses you. The pack adores you. More now than ever. You're like a young pup needing some guidance is all."

"I brought danger to the pack and that's inexcusable. I accept that. I would be back with the pack by now if I had had the sense enough to not keep secrets in the first place.” A wry laugh escaped my lips. “Good lord, Matt, you must hate me.” Leaning on the dresser, I propped my forehead against my fingertips.

"I don't hate you. I'm angry, yes, but I don't hate you. Like you said, you're not a baby, so I'm not going to coddle you for your mistake."

"Did I say anything about coddling me? Hell, it took you this long to get it through your thick—” I tapped down my anger before it got the best of me. “Bounty hunting is what I know. I thought I was doing the right thing by not telling you."

"When were you going to trust me enough to say something about it?"

Simple question, but I couldn't give him a simple answer. “I do trust you. But at the same time I wasn't sure how you'd handle it. Besides, what would telling you accomplish? We already had trust."

"So waiting until things got worse is better? You should have told me the minute everything started going downhill. At least trust me with the facts before you decide what I'm supposed to think.” He hesitated. “How are you going to fix this, Lex?"

"I don't know."

A cynical laugh. “You damn well better do something. Because if I have to, I'll chuck the whole damn pack and spend the rest of my life tracking you down. That's what it means when you become someone's lifelong mate. Unlike you, I'm not at liberty to run away."

That hurt. “I'm going now."

"Lex—"

"Good-bye, Matt.” I hung up.

Dane invited us over for dinner at his huge plantation-style home. Uncle didn't feel like going, but I insisted he needed to get out of the house. His bronchitis had cleared up and the fresh air would do him some good.

From the moment we stepped into the foyer, mouthwatering aromas wafted from the kitchen. Dane drooled over high-class living. On my left was the country-style dining room that was a project of his late wife and had hardly changed since her death. He altered the red and yellow decor from time to time, but he kept the quaint Victorian style in her honor. Dark rosewood and matching straight-backed chairs looked like period pieces. The regular dinnerware decorated the table while thousands of dollars in china sat inside an oak armoire on the other side of the room. One end of the twelve-seat table had plates and silverware set for four. Large windows with red embroidered curtains decorated the front of the room, where one had a perfect view into the large front yard and the rural road in the distance.

Riley and Graham sat at the far end of the table, discussing past hunts and reminiscing over a time when a skunk had ambushed them. Choosing to pass on their moment in history, I hobbled into the kitchen.

Dane took a stool from the black granite island, shoved it underneath me, and put my crutches off to the side. Not only was he a great sharpshooter, but cooking was one of his specialties. His skills rivaled those of my husband, but unless he had a cookbook or a basic recipe outline, he was hopeless.

More black granite countertops circled halfway around the large kitchen, adding to the beeswax glow of cherry wood cabinets and the hardwood floor. Matching cherry wood doors hid the refrigerator from the rest of the cabinetry while the black doors on the Dutch oven matched the granite. Large pots and pans hung on a rack over the island. A six-burner range sat next to the sink, steam boiling off see-through pots and fried rice sizzling in a pan. I'd kill to have a kitchen like this.

"Smells good,” I said. “You need any help?"

"Pork roasts,” he replied, keeping his back to me as he shoved a roasting pan into the oven. “Everything's done, so unless you're hungry, we should talk for a minute.” He put his oven mitts on the counter and sat on a stool across from mine. He picked up a glass of burgundy wine and took a sip before continuing. “Have you talked to Matt today?"

"Yes,” I snapped, ruminating over our heated conversation. “I call at least once a day."

"Then why haven't you gone back to him yet?"

That took me aback. Unsure of how to answer him, I blinked several times. “Why do you care? I thought you guys hated his guts enough to keep me here."

"Do you want to be here? Because I would love having you around. Riley is a fun roommate, but he grates on my nerves sometimes—not that I have to tell you that. Why do you think I give him money and send him away on international hunts? He's my best friend and I love him like a brother, but even I can only take so much."

"What do you want me to do? Give into his sexual advances so you can take a break?"

He waved a dismissive hand. “No, no. That's not how I meant it. All I'm saying is that you would add variety to the house. But that wasn't the point I was trying to make.” He sipped his wine again before setting the glass on the counter. “I know how much you love Matt, and that you don't plan to stay here forever. But I don't think you're ready to give me or the Club up, even if he asked you to.” Leaning closer to the island, he reached across the counter and took my hand. “I love you like a father, Lex. But I can't have you here if being here is going to make you unhappy in any way. I won't let you sit here and ruin your marriage on our account. If I have to, I'll toss you out, so that you don't have to choose between us and your husband."

Fight the tears, dammit! Don't let them fall! My heart swelled. Dane wanted to make things easy for me as only a ... Just say it, Lex. Put it out there so that he knows what you're feeling.

So I did. “You're a pain in my backside ... but you're more of an Alpha to me than Seth will ever be."

There ... I said it. But nothing changed on his face. Though he held my gaze for longer than I would have liked, he lowered his eyes right before the silence almost triggered a sassy comment from me.

Regarding Dane as my Alpha bound me to him beyond the human understanding we once shared. Though we've always had the werewolf understanding, until now, it went unspoken. Sure, my original reasons for joining the Hunting Club had a lot to do with curiosity and a need to sate my rambunctious nature. But if you peeled back the layers to get to the real reason, I wanted to be closer to the man I considered my surrogate father. Sure, I have a wonderful Dad who I'd risk life and limb to protect. But I didn't have to, because I knew Dane would do the same for anyone in my family. For a man who had given us so much when we didn't have anything, I didn't think twice about returning the favor every time we set out on a mission. In my eyes, he was a true Alpha wolf. My ingrained intelligence wouldn't have it any other way.

Dane caressed the back of my knuckles with his thumb. “If it makes you feel any better, I've had eight months to think about some things. One of them being, it's time that I actually stopped ordering people around and took some responsibility for my decisions."

"But you've—"

He placed two fingers on my lips and smiled. “Let me finish. Everyone fell away because I was the first to fall. Even you went on with the rest of your life. I should've pulled everyone together that night, instead of drowning my sorrows in a bottle of Jack Daniels."

"Dane, you don't have to—"

"Nobody knows what happened before Alan, Joss, and Chris left for North Carolina.” He paused as if to let that sink in. And boy did it. He watched with a stolid visage as I blinked several times. “Alan called me two weeks prior. He said there was activity in Raleigh. I thought it was too soon to mount a mission until we learned more. He didn't. So he went over my head and called Chris and Joss to help him. I didn't find out until after they arrived. Joss called, thanking me for sanctioning the mission."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. That man—a guy I considered a close friend—had the gall to sneak off without Dane's say-so. That churned my stomach. “Alan was your number two man. He had no fucking right to—"

He waved a hand to still me. “I know. Believe me; I let him know, too. Alan said he was tired of sitting around. He said that I was too slow and that he wanted some action. So he went up to North Carolina and found some."

"And the bastard walked everyone into a deathtrap while you took the blame."

Dane nodded. “Other than you, Fisk and Graham are the only people who know about it. And to be honest with you, I think that's the real reason why your uncle put the bounty on your Matt's head. He knows there are only so many people I trust, and you're one of them. With the mess that Alan caused, he knew I needed people I could count on."

Staring just over his shoulder, I shook my head in disbelief. “So in a way Alan went rogue hunter on you."

"Exactly. Anyway, it was too late to recall ‘em. Plus, Alan made it clear that he didn't want to hear anything else I had to say. So I went along with the idea. Then when I stopped hearing from those guys, I assumed the worst."

"And so you put your list together really fast and got a team up there."

He nodded. “I was going to put the team back together, but I didn't expect to do it so soon. Now Decker's been bitten and I've got inexperienced hunters like Jack who can't keep his fucking mind on business."

"So what happens now?"

"I clean house.” Dane pushed away from the island and went to the stove. Using a potholder, he lifted the glass lid off a pot of steaming vegetables and stirred them with a wooden spoon he took from the counter. “I've already trimmed the excess from the ranks. Those guys who were in the woods with Jack, you won't see them again. As for everyone else, I won't tolerate an ounce of insubordination. Too many people have already died because of it. Those who don't like the new rules will find themselves in a body bag."

Okay, this was the Dane that I rarely got a glimpse of. He meant business. I guess I couldn't blame him, considering everything that had happened in less than a year's time. And now that I knew the real story behind our trip to North Carolina trip, I understood why he took the position he had. Had I been in his place, I would have done the same. Well ... I would have shot Decker by now, but I guess one of us had to keep their wits about them.

"Then I'm onboard,” I said, smiling.

He replaced the lid on the pot, tossed the potholder on the counter, and slid a smirk to his lips. “You're the least of my worries. You and Riley, you guys would follow me into a burning house."

"Now hold on,” I said, pulling back in my seat. “If I see flames, you can rest assured that your ass is on your own. I'll pay for the urn at your funeral."

He chuckled and shook his head. “That's another reason why I put the Club back together. You, Riley, Fisk, Graham ... You guys make me want to be a better leader."

A loud, muffled howl came through the walls of the house, turning our heads in the direction of the window, where an abandoned barn was visible out back. I got up from the stool and hobbled to the counter for a look.

The only thing that worked on the barn was the doors. Someone should have torn that thing down decades ago. Rotted wood, boarded windows, creepy bats flying in and out of a hole on the roof. We joked about Dane turning it into a haunted house at Halloween and charging people to see it.

A few months into the Hunting Club, Dane showed me the underground lair he had built. The Hole, as we had called it. There was a small office where he kept information on file about the entire supernatural community. He even had a stash of weapons hidden behind a closet panel, some so unique that it wouldn't surprise me if they were illegal. On the other side of the cement wall was an 8x8 foot cage that Dane had reinforced over the years. One of these days I expected to walk down there and find a James Bond setup. The trapdoor entrance had large bushels of hay stacked on top, wooden stairs reaching seven feet underground, and a large overhead light that kept the entire room lit during the day, controlled by a switch inside the main house.

How on earth it was supposed to help Decker regain his sanity, I didn't know. But it sure gave me peace of mind.

Dane sighed. “Feeding time for Decker."

"Feeding time? You make it sound like he's on display at the zoo."

"With the way he's been acting, he might as well be. He spends most of his time slamming against the bars and trying to break the lock. We try spending time with him, but he's too far gone. His changes are emotional, so there's no control whatsoever."

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about him going more than three weeks without a change."

"He's been asking for you. He knows you're here visiting Graham because we've come back with small traces of your scent on us. You'd think we would have learned our lesson by now.” Dane took a large metal dog dish from the cabinet and opened the oven. He shoved a fork into one of the pork roasts and dumped it into the dish.

"You're feeding him pretty well, don't you think?"

"Is that concern for his well-being I hear?” Dane smirked, replaced the roasting pan, and kicked the oven door closed. “Do you want to see him? Just keep in mind his clothes are gone and he foams at the mouth. If you're in there, I can't imagine what he'll do and I don't want to be held responsible."

My face contorted in disgust. “No, thank you. You can torture him with electric cow prods up the ass for all I care. When it comes down to things like attempted rape, my morals go right out the window."

Dane picked up the dog dish. He walked over to me, encircled his arm around my waist, and pulled me in for a chaste kiss. “You're so ruthless sometimes. That's one of the things I love about you."

"Hey,” Riley said, blasting through the swinging kitchen door. “Don't I get a kiss? I want equal time too."

I glared at him. “I crunched Decker's balls. Twice. Do want equal time for that too?"

Dinner went off without any problems. We sat around the dinner table reminiscing about the good old days again. Then we took our camaraderie to the lounge, where we enjoyed cherry streusel for dessert. When it came time for us to leave, the guys reluctantly walked us out.

Yeah, I could honestly say that we were a family. Dysfunctional at best, but we were what we were and nothing would ever change that.

So why did I let a second howl from the barn break into our goodbyes? Because nothing in life was ever certain. That much, I had learned from Decker.