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“Any sign?” Gabriel asked us.
“Not yet,” Jeff said. “But I have to think he’ll be along soon enough. ”
“He’ll be along,” Gabriel said. “If he’s brassy enough to walk away with the crown, he’s brassy enough to try and make the initiation his. Take your positions. ”
Jeff nodded and took his place on the other side of the aisle. I walked to the second pew and slid across slick wood to join Ben and Christopher.
Gabriel stepped up to the dais in front of the church and looked out over the shifters who’d come to witness history.
“The Pack exists only because its members allow it. The Keenes rule only because the Pack allows it. My father kept this Pack safe, and we have tried to do the same, to enforce the Pack’s will. We are lucky enough to have given birth to a new generation. To the twelfth generation of Keenes to hold the Pack. ” His gaze went cold. “And one way or the other, he will be brought into the Pack in his rightful place. ”
The doors burst open, magic rushing inside like water. The crown’s magic was unmistakable. But when I looked back, it wasn’t Tom who wore the coronet.
It was Patrick.
I was too stunned to move, to speak. He’d played me. Played all of us. He’d feigned innocence, pretended shock at Tom’s reaction, and faked interest in me. Fury rose, hot and needle sharp.
“Patrick,” Gabriel said. “I’m disappointed. ”
Patrick swaggered forward, the coronet glinting atop his dark hair. “Why? Because someone outsmarted you? Because you’re not the only one who thinks he can run the Pack?”
Gabriel’s expression stayed flat, but his magic had surged forward, filling the air with heat and power. “Because you used people. Because you betrayed your father and your Pack. And because you think any of those things qualify you to be Apex. ”
Patrick smiled thinly. “I’m wearing the crown. That’s the only qualification I need. ”
“That’s an unfortunately short-sighted view. A leader needs soldiers. Where’s Tom? Or the rest of your family?”
Patrick’s eyes narrowed, but just for a moment. “Tom did his part. He’s done. And my family is irrelevant. ”
“Family is never irrelevant,” Gabriel said. “Family is Pack, and Pack is family. ”
“Speaking of which,” Patrick said, “where’s yours? No wife? No kid? I guess you can’t have an initiation without a crown. ”
“Oh,” Gabriel said, his tone deceptively smooth, “don’t worry yourself, whelp. There will be an initiation yet. ” He let out an ear-splitting whistle, and we fell into place. The shifters emerged from the foyer, the balcony, the sanctuary’s hidden wings, surrounding Patrick and the crown.
Patrick’s expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked excited by the challenge. “Twenty to one odds,” he said. “You want to grab five or ten more shifters for yourself to make it even?”
His arrogance was staggering. Is that what he thought made a good Apex? Exaggeration and brute force?
But Gabriel didn’t move. It was Jeff who stepped forward to face down Patrick.
Gabriel smiled. “I’m afraid I’ll have to get in line. Mr. Christopher has dibs on you, my friend. ”
“Fallon’s tiger pet? This should be fun. ”
Jeff’s eyes were cold and hard. “Not fun so much as incredibly satisfying. ” He flexed his fingers menacingly, rolled his shoulders.
“You want to fight like humans?” Patrick asked, mild amusement on his face. He thought he’d lucked out. Thought fighting Jeff’s lean human form would be an easier victory than fighting the tiger.
As if the man was somehow less tenacious, I thought with the smallest hint of a smile.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want you to lose that crown by shifting,” Jeff said. “I think we can take care of this the old fashioned way. ”
“I’m game,” Patrick said, motioning him forward.
Jeff didn’t waste any time. Patrick braced himself, turning his body to the side to prepare for Jeff’s onslaught.
“I’ve got a twenty on Jeff,” Ben murmured to Christopher, both of whom sat on the pew in front of me.
“No deal,” Christopher said. “I’m not betting against the house. ”
A wise decision. I’d seen Jeff fight before, knew he was a capable soldier. But this battle was about emotion. It was about Gabriel, the Pack, the crown . . . and me.
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, chil
dren’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.