Page 54 of August
Cliff looked at Ginny. “If these laws had been changed previously, not only would Josiah never have needed to kill our family members to keep his position, but you would have been safe regardless because I’m eldest, and no matter how many children you and August have, they wouldn’t have been eligible to lead.”
Ginny nodded. “I think you’ve made excellent changes to the laws.”
The discussion continued for a little while longer as they talked about the punishments for the jackals who’d tried to kill Cliff and Ginny. Ginny leaned against August and he put his arm around her. He was grateful to be here to witness the changing of the laws that would ensure his soulmate and their children would be safe, and also to hear what would become of the males who’d tried to take them out.
Cliff would be a good alpha.
“We’ll get these changes put into record immediately,” one of the elders said. “When did you want to meet with the pack to discuss the changes?”
“Let’s have a big dinner for the pack tonight,” he said. “We can share the new laws and my position as alpha.”
Ginny and August stood when the others did. “Do you need to exile me from the pack?” Ginny asked when the elders were gone and it was the three of them.
“No,” Cliff said. “You and August are welcome to join us any time. I don’t want to make a habit of exiling. Are you a member of the gorilla group now?”
“Yes,” she said, “and it’s called a band. I was part of the band when August and I mated.”
“That’s a smart way to go about it. I’m not much for ceremonies,” Cliff said with a nod. “Let’s get you packed up. I’d invite you to stay for the pack dinner, but that’s hours from now and you’ve got a long drive ahead of you, plus your friends are waiting for you guys so you can head back to the park together. I’ll be sure to let everyone know you found your soulmate and are safe now.”
“Yeah, I’m ready to get home,” she said, looking at August.
They left the big house and met up with the park shifters who’d come along with them.
“What’s going to happen to the jackals who came against you guys and supported your grandfather?” Nathan asked.
When they’d arrived in the territory, the males and one female had been escorted to a small concrete building which contained cells. Their grandfather had enjoyed putting jackals he didn’t like in cells as punishment, and now those same jackals who’d chained up their people were going to be chained up.
“The elders and I will preside over a trial,” Cliff said. “We’ll appoint advocates for them, and their punishments will be laboring around the territory under guard and staying locked up for as long as we decide they should be. It’s tempting to exile the worst of them, but honestly, I’d be more concerned with them coming against me in retaliation, so I’ll just keep them close. And under lock and key.”
“Smart,” Ginny said.
They first went into their childhood home, where Cliff had been living, which was right next door to their aunt and uncle’s, where Ginny had been living. August stayed outside as she and her brother went into their parents’ home because he wanted to give them time to grieve and be alone together.
“Sounds like things are going to be good here from now on,” Caesar said.
“Yeah, Cliff will do a good job. Thanks for coming with us,” August said.
“Of course.”
Atticus nodded. “It’s our pleasure to be here to help however our people need.”
“Plus, it’s nice to get away from the park every now and then,” Nathan said.
August grinned. “Yeah, it is. But it’ll be nice to get home too.”
“Now that things are safe in the park,” Atticus said, “you and Ginny can pick up where you left off with the carousel.”
“There’s a lot of buzz around the park about the carousel,” Caesar said. “It hasn’t been operational in a long time.”
“Why was it closed down, anyway? I always thought it was because the park got too busy and there were other attractions that needed attention,” August said.
“Someone has to maintain it as well as operate it,” Atticus said. “There was a wolf couple who ran it, and our people were keeping it maintained, but they left to join up with his family’s pack and there wasn’t anyone interested in keeping it going. We left it up for a while, but patrons kept trying to climb and sit on it, and we were concerned someone would get hurt. It was easier to put it away.”
“Ginny’s excited about fixing it up. She loves carousel horses,” August said.
“I sure do,” she said as she opened the front door. She held a photo album and had a quilt over one shoulder. “Cliff is getting my mom’s cookbooks so I can take them home, but these are the only other things I want from them. Let’s head next door. I could use some help packing, but I don’t have much aside from clothes to take.”
“Happy to help however you need it,” Nathan said.