Page 32 of His Treasured Mate
She took my hand and dragged me toward the plane.
“Thanks for holding down the fort. Call if there’s an emergency,” I yelled over the noise of the engines as we were boarding.
Lily fussed over the girls for a minute and then settled into her seat as I took mine next to her.
“I can’t believe you told him that.”
“Why? It’s true.”
“But you didn’t have to come right out and admit it.”
“Whatever. They’ll get over it.”
“Get over what, Mommy?” Willow asked.
“It’s nothing sweetie. Grown-up stuff.”
“You’re sure you’re feeling okay?”
“After that, better than okay.”
“Slugger, I’m serious.”
“Oh, so was I.”
The pilot came on and told us to take our seats and buckle up and soon we were in the air for an otherwise uneventful flight to California.
The girls were well behaved and quiet for much of the trip. As soon as we were told we could unbuckle and move around the cabin, Willow was out of her seat and climbing onto Lily’s lap. Her stomach was so big these days, bigger than I’d ever seen it before, that it was not an easy feat, so I plucked her off her mama and settled her onto my lap where she could still reach Lily but helped make everyone a bit more comfortable.
The flight passed quickly, and soon I was bracing for the uncomfortable punch I always got entering another Alpha’s territory. Even though the Westins were family, and I loved them, I didn’t always enjoy being on their turf, though I had no problem with them coming to visit Collier. I supposed that was just an Alpha thing and wondered if Kyle often felt out of place when coming to Collier, too.
Still, this was Lily’s home Pack, her family, and I knew she adored them and this place. So I’d never mentioned it before. It wasn’t like it was so unbearable that I couldn’t be there. Mostly, it was just the initial arrival that made me uneasy. After that my wolf would adjust, for the most part, and only be a bit on edge and on full-alert while here.
Touchdown was smooth and while we weren’t entirely in Kyle’s territory yet, my wolf still went on alert from the unfamiliar scents surrounding us. And as we headed up the mountain, I knew the exact moment we crossed over into Westin territory.
If I’d had it my way, we’d have booked a room at Westin Lodge, which sat just outside territory lines. Even though it was technically Kyle’s too, he’d purposefully set it as neutral ground. But, of course, Lily and her parents would never hear of us staying there. We were family and family stayed at home, in the Alpha House, right in the middle of it all.
Just like Lily and I chose not to live in the Alpha House, Kyle and Kelsey had a similar setup. Lily’s parents, the former Alpha and Pack Mother, were also still alive and lived there.
Most wolf-shifter Packs did not allow previous Alphas to live, let alone remain in territory. The Westins were the first that I knew of to make that transition. It hadn’t been on purpose. Jason Westin had nearly lost his life in a battle and the Alpha power had transferred to Kyle. Once he’d pulled through it, they had mutually decided it was time for Jason to retire, a concept foreign to Alpha wolves who previously reigned until the day they died whether through defeat in battle or of old age.
Seeing it work for them and knowing how strong and powerful my wolf was becoming, instead of risking the point when my wolf would challenge and dominate his, my father stepped down gracefully and succeeded the title to me in a smooth transition that surprised a lot of people.
Since the day he dropped to one knee and formally gave his allegiance to me, my wolf has never seen him as a threat. So while it may be uncommon to essentially see two Alphas in one Pack, it had never been an issue.
I’d been surprised when no one from her family had been there to greet us on arrival. Kyle had sent a member of Westin Force Delta team instead. I knew Walker well enough from over the years. He was great friends with my sister Shelby, who now resided in Westin Pack as well. Her mate Ben was on the Bravo team of Westin Force. The elite forces program designed to protect shifterkind that Kyle had put together comprised multiple teams. These two lived here in San Marco, but there were others scattered around the world.
I didn’t ask a lot of questions or demand details on all they did, but I knew that Collier Pack was that much more safe because of it.
Walker drove us straight to the Alpha House while chatting with Lily the whole way.
“When is the rest of the family coming in? I know Shelby is so excited to everyone.”
“They’ll arrive in two days for the party.”
It wasn’t really a party, just a big family day combining all the Westins and Colliers. It was more like a reunion or really just a giant family picnic. The important thing was that it was time set aside to just come together as a family, which was not an easy feat.
He drove us straight to the Alpha House. I knew from all the cars parked out front that several people were likely awaiting our arrival there, and I was a bit relieved by it.