Chapter 18: Chapter Eighteen

Tyler Trip

Grant touched his jaw, his tongue sweeping over his teeth as he grinned at Han, who had just landed a punch on his face. “Not bad,” he said, his fists clenched at his sides.

Han’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t patronize me,” he snapped.

“I’m not,” Grant replied, his voice steady. “You lack power but your aim is good—”

Han tried to land another punch, but Grant growled, sidestepped the blow, and caught Han’s wrist.

Han yelped as Grant twisted his arm, pinning it behind his back and leaving him defenseless in a matter of seconds. “You only get one shot.”

Han was cursing up a storm. “Let me go, you son of a—”

Grant growled and twisted harder.

Caroline rushed forward. “Don’t hurt him,” she begged Grant, “he’s just a kid.”

Han didn’t like that. “Don’t defend me, Caroline. Not after what you did. Not after—”

“After what?” she fired back. “What exactly did I do to you?”

Han just growled and winced as Grant kept him pinned. I watched the White Wolf, wondering if I would need to step in for my pack member and hoping I wouldn’t.

Grant wasn’t someone I wanted to cross.

“Grant,” Rick Ryder croaked, his eyes slightly unfocused.

Grant let go of Han abruptly, his body rigid as his lip curled. “Rick.”

Rick winced. “I didn’t… I never thought I’d see you again. I hoped…but I-I—”

Han rolled his dark eyes. “Don’t grovel to him,” he said harshly.

I was watching Caroline now, her blue eyes darting between her father and brothers. The stress was etched across her face; her mouth twisted with fear and worry.

I felt the urge to solve the problem for her. I wanted to make her life easier. I wanted to smooth out the lines on her forehead and kiss her until she smiled.

“Did I do something to upset you, kid?” Grant asked.

I watched Han grind his teeth together. “Don’t call me a fucking kid.”

“I will if you act like one,” Grant shot back.

Rick was wringing his hands, his gaze still fixed on his eldest child. “Grant, can we go somewhere and talk? I have so many things… So much I want—~need~—to say to you.”

“We have nothing to discuss,” Grant said. His words were icy.

“Please,” Rick pleaded, looking so pathetic that Caroline winced, “I need to apologize.”

“For what?” Grant asked, his silver eyes cold and clear.

Rick was speechless.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rowan walking up the path to my house. He was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning.

When he looked up and saw the Ryders and Grant, he stopped and looked at me. I mouthed Jackie’s name and he nodded before taking off to find the peacemaker.

“I’m sick of hearing about your sad fucking life,” Han said, his lip tight. “It must’ve been so hard for you. Being a White Wolf must be such a fucking chore.

“How hard it is to be the chosen of your kind.” Caroline flinched when Han snorted. “I don’t feel sorry for you.”

Grant’s jaw twitched. “You don’t know anything about my life, kid.”

“Don’t call me k—”

“Boys,” Rick interrupted.

Grant recoiled. “Don’t parent me,” he snarled. “Don’t even try to—”

“Everyone needs to calm down,” I said, meeting Caroline’s wide-eyed stare.

Grant let out a cold laugh. “Sorry, Trip, but you really don’t have a say here.”

“I do,” I stated. “This is my territory, they are my pack members, and you are my guest.

“I appreciate your help, Grant, but I need to maintain peace and order. I can’t have problems inside this pack as well as outside.”

Caroline moved to my side and took my hand. I drew strength from her.

Grant turned to Han. “I don’t know why you’re so hostile toward me and I don’t care,” he said. “But I’ve done nothing to you, kid.”

Han shook his head, his white hair flopping about, so like his brother’s. “You have no idea.”

“Neither do you,” Grant said through gritted teeth.

“It isn’t a competition,” Caroline said, “about who has had it worse.”

Rick looked down and struggled to look back up again. I felt a pang of pity. I knew what it was like to be punished every day for choices made by your past self.

Hindsight, of course, was always clearer than foresight.

“I would win,” both said at the same time, casting near-identical glares.

I heard footsteps approaching and felt my stomach sink. There was only one person who could make this worse and he was coming, his red hair serving as a warning.

Caroline cursed under her breath and I squeezed her hand, reassuring her that I was with her.

“Great,” Han mumbled, kicking the ground as Mick approached.

“Hey, guys,” Mick said with a cheery smile. “Dad, Han, Caroline, Alpha.”

Grant was staring at him, his expression dumbfounded. Somehow, Mick was oblivious to the tension in the air. He was smiling at us all, nodding at the White Wolf.

“Mick,” Rick grunted, “meet Grant.”

“We’ve met,” Mick said brightly.

“He’s your brother,” Han grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest.

Caroline tensed.

Mick blinked.

Rick swore. “Grant is my son,” he admitted through gritted teeth. “I met his mother before I met yours. We—We had Grant and—and—”

“You left right afterward,” Grant filled in for him, his voice flat. “Met your mate and started your own happy family.

“Then my mother met her mate and had a kid, so I was left to live as an omega with a pack that saw me as a burden.”

Mick blinked. “You’re a Ryder.”

“In name only,” Grant spat.

Mick’s face lit up with a grin. “Wow! A White Wolf in the family… Another brother… This is ~amazing~.”

Han just rolled his eyes.

“This is unreal,” Mick said, his eyes welling up with tears. “I have another brother.”

He wrapped Grant in a hug, trapping the White Wolf’s arms at his sides as he embraced his newfound sibling.

“Back off, Mick,” Rick muttered, his cheeks turning a shade of red.

Grant was taken aback. His face turned pink as he was torn between pulling away from Mick and returning his brother’s hug.

Han shook his head, his anger starting to bubble up again as he watched Mick welcome their brother with open arms. “You’re something else, Mick,” Han muttered.

Mick turned to his younger brother.

“Why? Because I’m thrilled about having another brother? Because I’m proud to have a White Wolf in our family? Because I choose to be positive instead of stirring up shit?”

“Because you’re hugging Dad’s secret kid like it’s no big deal,” Han burst out. “You just accept him and you don’t even question it.

“You’re not pissed at Dad for lying to you your whole life? You’re not questioning the fact that he cheated on Mom?”

Mick held up his hands. “Hold on, Han. He didn’t cheat on Mom. He didn’t even know her then.

“What should I do? Get mad? Yell and scream? It’s done. Maybe it wasn’t handled right in the past, but I can choose how to deal with it now.”

Grant blinked.

And Caroline nodded, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Mick. “He’s right, Hanna, we have to decide how to move forward. Grant is our brother.”

She took a deep breath. “He’s our family and we should be making up for lost time; not dwelling on the past.”

“I can’t,” Han growled. “I can’t even look at him.”

Caroline tried to take Han’s hand but he pulled away. “Hanna—”

Han blinked as tears fell onto his cheeks. “You guys don’t understand because Dad has never punished you for not living up to someone you’ve never even met.

“He always wanted me to be like his ghost son, and when I didn’t measure up, he was disappointed and ~disgusted~.”

“Kyle—” Rick tried to interrupt.

“It’s true,” Han said fiercely, his tears now flowing freely.

“You fucking hate me because I look like him. Because I remind you that you messed up and—and…you punish me because I didn’t turn out to be a White Wolf—”

“That’s not true,” Rick said, his voice shaky.

“It is,” Mick mumbled. “You’ve always been tough on Han.”

Rick floundered. “No…, I know you’re your own person, Han. I never tried to compare you to Grant… I just—”

Han was sobbing now. “Yes, you did,” he cried. “I was never good enough for you.”

“Hanna,” Caroline murmured, pulling her brother to her.

He let her now, finally giving in as he bent to rest his head on her shoulder. She put her hand on his neck and kissed his temple.

Grant stayed silent as he watched his younger brother cry.

I met Caroline’s eyes and gave her a sad smile. Her smile wavered as she looked at me and tears welled in her eyes as her brother shook in her arms.

“Trip,” Rowan said as he approached. I turned, barely hearing his approach, and saw Jackie just behind him. She gave me a warm smile, her brown eyes falling on Han.

Without a word, she went to him and placed a hand on his back as she guided him and Caroline to the side.

With Han gone, Grant’s face hardened, his anger now focused solely on the father that had abandoned him. “Looks like I might have dodged a bullet,” he said, his voice devoid of humor.

“I’m starting to think that the only thing you could have done worse than abandon me was to try to raise me.”

Rick flinched. “I have tried my best to raise Han—”

“The kid is a mess,” Grant said, shoving his hands into his pockets to try to control his anger. “Your best wasn’t good enough.”

Mick furrowed his eyebrows. “Han hasn’t always made it easy—”

“Kids aren’t supposed to make it easy for their parents,” Grant shot back.

Rick glared. “I’ve made mistakes, Grant, and I am sorry for a lot of them but I am only human and I do mess up.”

“Punishing your kid for your screw-ups is a little beyond forgivable.”

“I wish things were different,” Rick said, his voice strained.

Grant stared at him for a long moment.

“So do I,” he said, finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “But this is reality, and we have to deal with the mistakes you made.”

Rick nodded firmly. “We do.”

Grant’s eyes welled up with tears. “I always wondered what it would be like to have you as a father,” he confessed. “I always wondered what it would be like to have brothers.”

Rick swallowed. “I’ve wondered a lot over the years as well.”

Grant’s gaze was unwavering. “I only want to find out what one of those things is like.”

The silence was heavy.

“I understand,” Rick said, his voice trembling. “I understand that you want nothing to do with me.”

Mick was looking at Grant and his father. “Please, Grant, let him apologize and try to make amends. You should forgive him, so we can all move on from this.”

“No,” Grant said firmly.

Rick waved his son off. “Don’t get involved in this, Mick. Grant has the right to make his own decisions, he’s an adult.

“I never expected you to forgive me, Grant. I never expected us to have a relationship.

“If you can find it in your heart to let my other children into your life, then I will be a happy man. They are wonderful kids…”

He stopped as he choked up. “And I know you can all bring joy into each other’s lives.”

Grant’s expression softened. “You mean nothing to me. Not only did you leave, but you knew Natalie abandoned me and still did nothing.

“You will never be my father, but Mick, Han, and Caroline are my blood, and I will make sure to protect them as such.”

Rick’s lower lip trembled. “Good. Good.”

“Grant, ~please~…” Mick began, but I silenced him with a hand on his shoulder.

Rick locked eyes with Grant. “I’m sorry, Grant. Every day I wake up and ~wish~ I could change the past. I wish I could have made a different choice for you.

“I wish things were different and I’d give anything to make them so. But there are some things I wouldn’t change.

“I don’t regret bringing you into this world, son. I don’t regret being with your mother.

“I’ve watched you grow, heard about your achievements, the people you’ve helped, and I’m so proud. Whether that means anything to you or not, I need you to know how proud I am.”

Grant nodded, rubbed his jaw, then turned his back and walked away. Rick watched him go, his eyes growing heavier with each step his son took.

Mick dropped his head and put his hands on his hips. “Does Mom know?”

“She will soon,” Rick mumbled, his gaze still fixed on Grant as he crouched in front of the woods to collect himself.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Mick said, offering a small smile. “She’ll understand.”

“Thanks, Micky,” Rick mumbled.

I cleared my throat and excused myself, turning to find Caroline with her arms wrapped around herself as she watched Jackie speaking to Han.

I slipped my arm around her waist and she leaned into me, her curls brushing my shoulder and her thin arm coiling around my waist. My stomach fluttered with butterflies.

There was a comfort between us now; a familiarity we had consciously built. There was something about knowing she had chosen me and accepted me as hers.

“It didn’t go too badly,” I murmured to her, catching a tiny smile forming on her face. “Only one punch was thrown.”

She looked up at me, her freckles a splash across her nose. “No blood.”

I grinned crookedly. “No broken bones. Barely even a bruise.”

A tiny laugh bubbled up from her, then tears welled up just as quickly. “I wish Han didn’t…” She looked down. “I hate that he feels unappreciated for who he is.”

“We all have those insecurities,” I told her. “You can’t protect him from that. I think he’s been trying so hard to be the opposite of Grant that he’s lost himself.”

Caroline nodded numbly, still watching her brother speak to Jackie. Jackie was patient, her kind eyes inviting, as she nodded and murmured and rubbed Han’s back with a brown hand.

“Coffee?” I asked, pressing a kiss to her head.

Caroline nodded eagerly. “I wanted to make us breakfast,” she said glumly. “It was such a perfect night.” My stomach tightened at the memories.

“We have tonight,” I whispered into her ear, “and the night after and the one after that.”

Her gaze changed when she looked up at me. “I can’t wait,” she whispered back, stretching up to kiss me.

I smiled against her lips and pulled away, jogging up to the house before a different sort of heat settled over my skin.

After preparing the coffee grounds, I leaned against the kitchen counter and waited for the coffee machine to rumble to life.

I looked through the sliding doors and saw the sun was already blazing over the mountain and the summer day was in full swing.

The trees swayed slightly in the light wind, the highest leaves rustling as the air grew more humid.

Suddenly, a growl slipped from my lips. I stood up straight and my muscles locked as I narrowed my eyes at the trees with a new intensity.

Someone was watching me.

I moved to the back door, threw it open, and ran onto the back porch, yelling for Rowan before I took off into the trees.

I heard a curse and then started sprinting, all the while fighting to keep my human form as my instincts shouted at me to shift.

Someone was darting through the trees ahead of me. Their scent was being carried the opposite way by the wind, but judging from the amount of ground I was gaining, I was sure that they were human.

A brown wolf slunk up beside me and I grunted an acknowledgment to Rowan, allowing him to run ahead in pursuit of the trespasser.

A moment later, a scream echoed through the trees and I arrived to see Rowan with a man pinned beneath his paws.

The man was shrieking and screaming, trying to land a punch to Rowan’s muzzle. Rowan snapped at the man as his body quivered with the thrill of the chase.

“Don’t hurt him,” I ordered, coming to stand over the man as Rowan backed away.

The human quivered before me and his face contorted with rage. “Back off,” he warned. “I’ll scream and you’ll all die.”

I tensed. “There are more of you here.”

The man blanched. “Don’t hurt me or you’ll regret it.”

“I doubt that,” I said through gritted teeth, reaching down to grab the collar of his shirt. He unleashed a small cry. “How many more of you are here and why?”

He spat at me.

I shook him and repeated the questions.

“You don’t like it much when we come to your land do you?” he asked. “Now you know how we feel.”

“The war is over,” Trip said tightly. “Pack land is private; human land is not.”

The man gave a bitter laugh. “You mutts think you can just come to Mt. Oaks and terrorize us—”

“We don’t do that,” I said tersely.

The man rolled his eyes. “Your denial hides nothing.”

I heard Caroline scream my name and everything went blank in my mind.

I growled at Rowan and he took off back to Caroline as I kept hold of the man. His knees went soft and he buckled in my grasp.

“How many?” I snarled.

“Twenty.”

“Why?”

“To test your defen—”

I dropped the man to the ground. He scrambled backward and ran through the woods while casting looks over his shoulder to ensure that I wasn’t following him.

I took a moment to swallow my rage, my fear, and to focus.

Then I was running toward my mate, my luna, my pack.

When I arrived, Rowan was standing next to Caroline, protecting his luna with as much loyalty and ferocity as he afforded me.

Theo, Bennie, Aaron, and Sarah were all gathered, waiting for my direction. Grant was there too, standing with Lux and Keegan. They’d both come running when they heard the humans’ terrified screams.

Caroline pushed her way through the group to get to me. “My brothers and dad ran back to our house. Aaron’s lookouts spotted humans heading toward the southern border where my mom—”

“It’s okay,” I told her, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear knotting up in my stomach. She took a deep breath, steeling herself as I promised her we’d handle this together.

I turned to my inner pack. “We’re under attack,” I announced. “The humans have made it clear they’re our enemies. Their trespassing is an act of war.”

I looked each of them in the eye. “We show no mercy. If they’ve harmed any of our pack, we kill.”

“Alpha—” Keegan started.

I cut him off with a growl. “This is my land, my responsibility. If they hurt my pack, they’ll pay with their lives. Bring any leaders to me.” I paused, then added, “And if anyone spots Moray, call for me.”

Everyone nodded, their faces grim, before shifting.

I gave Caroline a quick kiss before we both shifted too, our fur brushing against each other as we moved forward together, jaws snapping in anticipation of the fight.

We were a team, and we’d face this threat together.

I threw my head back and let out a howl, a rallying cry for my pack. Then I looked at Caroline, admiring the strength in her legs, the determination in her eyes.

I let out a wolfish laugh.

No one could stand against us.