I wasn’t surprised when Saul didn't need time to think about it. Saul's gift was more empathic than mine. He couldn't read minds psychically, but he felt their intentions and emotions, and was somehow able to know what people were up to. His gift was growing and would continue to for the next few years, but it was already strong enough to trust when faced with a decision like this.
I wasn't sure Saul was old enough to completely understand how much faith he was giving Matt if he did this. And if it was anyone other than Matt, I would find a way to prevent it. But my mate would never sell or barter my brothers because they happened to be omegas. Claiming them as his own was the ultimate active protection because nobody would ever be able to get away with hurting them unless, like my father, he allowed it to happen.
When Saul pulled off his own shirt as he walked over to stand beside Matt, my heart swelled with pride. And to be honest, I felt a certain amount of relief as well. Now we truly would be one family.
Matt didn't make a big deal out of it or act like he was behaving better than any decent person. Starting with Saul, he extended a single claw and drew an X over the original scar. His sharp claw broke the flesh and removed all traces of my father's mark while claiming Saul as his own pup to protect. Noah leaned out of the way and wrinkled his nose when Matt sealed it by licking the wound. When he was done, Matt stuck his tongue out to show it was clean while tickling Noah under the chin. "I know, little man. It's gross, but we're wolf shifters, and sometimes gross things are part of life." He winked, then turned and held his arms out to Saul.
I don't think there was a dry eye around the table while my gangly brother hugged his new Alpha. As soon as they were done, Noah tugged on Matt's shirtsleeve. "My turn! Me next, remember?"
Chuckling, Matt held up his claw. "Like I could ever forget about you. Are you ready? I don't know if it stings. I was a baby when I got mine."
"Me too!" Noah trembled with excitement and proudly stuck his chest forward. "Don't worry, Matt. I'm no baby. I won't cry."
Matt took a moment to keep from laughing. I could feel how much he loved my brothers, and I knew it would be the same when I gave birth.
Resting a hand on Noah's shoulder, Matt paused before opening the scar. "I need you to hold still, Noah. My claw is very sharp, and I would be sad if I cut you too deep. Even if we got you healed right up, it would make me cry. You don't want to make a grown alpha cry, do you?"
Noah's eyes were wide as he shook his head. "No, Matt. I can behave, see?" His cheeks puffed out as he took a deep breath and struggled to hold his body motionless.
"For the love of God, man. Mark the child before he passes out." Lucian was visibly fighting his own emotions.
When Matt finally broke Noah's scar, Noah's breath came out in a whoosh as he giggled. "That tingles, Matt. It feels like magic."
Fortunately, Matt worked quickly, adjusting for my brother’s wiggling. He was done in a matter of seconds and already licking the scar. Noah scrunched his nose, probably about to point out how nasty the practice was all over again, when a look of wonder passed over his face instead.
"Matt! It is magic! I can feel you in my heart, and I love you too." I couldn't help it—I started crying the moment Matt pulled Noah onto his lap and hugged him.
Lucian ruffled Saul's hair. Sniffling and wiping his nose on the back of his hand, he stepped away, motioning for Tucker and Devon to follow. When he saw me watching, Lucian shrugged. "Dang hay fever. I need to look into finding some medication or something. I'm heading to town. Come on, you two, let's give these guys some time to settle in as a family."
After they left, Saul shot me a knowing look. "You do know he wasn't really suffering from allergies, right? He was proud of Matt and happy for us. I'm glad Lucian is part of our family. He needs to know people love him."
Matt looked startled when Saul finished. "Wow. A dead-on description of Lucian. How did you catch all that at twelve? I knew the guy for three years before I figured half of it out."
Blushing, Saul looked down at the table and shrugged. "What can I say? It's a gift."
Matt did a double take and looked at me curiously. "I'm not going to ask, but should I assume this is related to your green thumb?"
Smiling softly, I shook my head. "Can't answer. Not mine to tell."
Saul rolled his eyes in the world-weary way no one but a twelve-year-old could pull off. "Don't talk in riddles, Eli. You're not Confucius, and Matt isn't Dad. If he was, I wouldn't be wearing his mark now." He stood and stacked dirty ice cream bowls. "And Matt? The answer is yes. It's exactly like Eli's green thumb."
Thirteen
Matt
After I put them through their paces, the pack deltas didn’t need much training to get where I wanted them. On the whole, they were good wolves who didn't have a problem taking orders. Exactly what was needed for a solid security system.
When Bart Macklebee the Third rolled into town in his shiny white Cadillac Escalade, he never saw the wolves I had patrolling in the background or the sharpshooters placed in strategic positions.
Having both human and wolf deltas working together wasn’t exactly traditional, but I wasn't exactly a traditional alpha. And when at least a quarter of my deltas served in the human military, I'd be an idiot not to take advantage of their skills.
In addition to them, I had deltas stationed outside of every business. When Bart got out of his car and glanced around over the rim of his pricey sunglasses, I took a moment to get a read on him.
His loose-fitting, navy-colored slacks were designer and definitely not of the standard poly-cotton blend fabric most of us wore around here. He wore a white polo with the sleeves of a red sweater tied around his neck, the body hanging behind him like a preppy version of a cape.
As a gust of hot wind blew past him, the sweater fluttered in the breeze, but his perfectly styled blond hair didn't move. I took my time walking over, letting him feel my power before I got close so he wouldn't feel threatened.
"Bart Macklebee the Third, I presume? I'm Matt Longclaw. Welcome to Lucerne Valley." From a distance, I'd clocked him at about thirty, but closer, I realized he was closer to forty. Botox might fix a lot of things, but there wasn't much a man could do about how the tender flesh of the neck showed age faster than anything.
I wouldn’t know yet, since I was still a couple years away from thirty. But my observational skills had been honed over a lifetime. To my point, before accepting the hand he stuck out, I knew it was going to be lotion-soft and not the grip of any kind of farmer I'd ever met.
He smiled as we shook hands, more of a grimace, actually, but damned if those perfect white teeth didn't almost blind me. "Alpha Longclaw, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your town is charming. I like the way you're spread out here. Maybe one day we can return the favor, and I can treat you to lunch in my town. It's beautiful, but those mountains can make a man feel closed in at times. Especially when it snows."
Chuckling internally, I released his hand and motioned for the diner. "I wouldn't know much about snow. Around here, we have two temperatures. Hot or wet. If it's not raining, the sun shines hard until it's hotter than Satan's taint. The rain's not much better. A good storm will wash out our roads, and the ground is too dry to soak it in, so we have to worry about flooding. But enough griping about the weather. Let's head inside and get something to drink."