The young girl tilted her head to look at Damon and giggled. “He’s pretty.”
Holly laughed, and Damon’s cheeks went a bright shade of red.
“Yes, he’s very handsome, but he’s also my very good friend. Nothing bad about him. Promise. Do you know where my daddy is?”
“He’s holding a conference at the hall.” She pointed toward the large building.
“Thank you, darling.”
Holly saw Natalie, a heavily pregnant woman, quickly rushing toward them.
“I am so sorry,” Natalie said. “She just saw you and ran.”
Holly smiled. “It’s fine. Natalie, I’d like you to meet Damon. Damon, this is Natalie.”
The other woman held up her hand while the other went to her stomach.
“Still no signs of giving birth?”
“No, this baby does not want to leave. Not that I blame him or her.” Natalie had been calling her child a him or her for the entirety of her pregnancy. She refused to find out the sex. She took Cathy from her. “Your dad is waiting for you.”
Damon took her hand now that she was without a child, and she missed the kids.
With Henry following behind them, they walked past the small building claiming to be a nursery. All the kids ran to the window and knocked on it, waving at her, calling her name.
“You’re very popular,” Damon said.
“I love kids.”
She sighed, waving back at them. She hoped they would have time for her to visit them. Being with Damon the past few weeks, she was starting to feel pack sick.
They walked toward the town hall.
“Are there a lot of humans here?” she asked.
“No. Not enough to worry about,” Damon said.
“That’s good.” The pack wouldn’t be able to settle if there were loads of humans around.
They entered the town hall, and Holly was immediately greeted by friends and family. All of them pack.
Benjamin rushed forward and pulled her into a hug. He’d been a close friend at one point. During their first transition, he’d cried so hard and complained, begging for her to end it for him. He’d fought being a wolf for so long that the first change had been excruciating. It also didn’t help that he thought he found a remedy to stop him from turning. She stayed with him the entire night.
Her change had been peaceful, without any kind of pain.
Damon released a growl, and Benjamin immediately backed off.
“I’m sorry.” He bowed his head, submitting to Damon, which surprised her.
“No one touches her,” Damon said.
Holly looked at Damon, grabbing his hand. “Please,” she said. “They mean no harm. They’re more than just pack. They are my family and I want to … feel them. Please.”
He glared at her. “No.”
“You have everything else. It has been a couple of weeks. I’ve never been apart from my pack. I’m struggling. Please.”
He continued to glare at her. She was about to give up, but he took her hand. “So long as I’m holding part of you.”
It was a compromise.
She didn’t understand his possessive need for her. It wasn’t like she loved any of these men and women in an intimate way.
On the way to the front of the hall, men and women hugged her, asking her if she was okay. Some told her she smelled funny. She figured that was because of Damon. The scent of the pack wouldn’t be so embedded into her flesh seeing as she’d been with him.
The moment she saw her father, she tried to let go of Damon’s hand, but he held her tight.
Her father moved toward her, as did her mother.
“Holly,” he said.
“Sweetheart,” her mother said.
They held her even as Damon had her hand within his. This had to be awkward for all of them.
“I’m so pleased you’re okay.”
“How is everyone?” Holly asked. “How are they settling in?”
“Enough of this,” Damon said. “I need you to talk to me about what exactly went down that night.”
****
Damon hated this.
Random men and women coming close to his woman, touching her, sniffing her. She smelled like him, not like the pack.
Holly belonged to him. His wolf didn’t like her being close to anyone but him.
He made sure every single man and woman was aware of his annoyance. Several bowed away. Others looked him right in the eye, disrespecting him. It was a big mistake allowing a pack to get so close.
Now as he stared at her father, he saw the same anger. They were both alphas, but their scents were not the same.
There was power in her father.
“We do not have to talk about what happened that night,” he said.
“It is best for everyone to express their feelings, and to move on,” her mother said.
Damon looked at the two and shook his head. “You need to understand you could have brought danger here.” He spoke loud and clear so everyone could hear him.
“Do not do that,” her father said.
“What is your name?” Damon asked.
“Alpha.”
Damon growled. “You are on my land. You will now be called Meek.” It was his last name, and if he refused to give him his first, it was only his fault.
“Damon, please,” Holly said.
He still held her hand, refusing to let go.
The room was filled with angry men and women. They didn’t like him taking control.
“I want you all to listen to me, including you.” He turned to her father. “If you think you escaped danger, you’re mistaken. Hunters do not give up easily.”
“We ran for days,” Meek said. “There was no sign of him when we came here.”
“What about tracking? You think they don’t have someone on their team that can track you?” Damon asked. “Holly told me what happened. She said how your watchman was gutted. Hunters do not attack unless they are sure of victory, and human men, human hunters, they are patient. They will spend time watching, checking your patterns, knowing where you go, who you do it with. They will have watched you for weeks, if not months. A full-scale attack like that wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill hunt.” He’d already figured this out as Holly told him what happened. “You’re wolves. You’re stronger and faster than any human. You can kill them with a swipe of the arm or the snap of a neck.” He turned to look at the room. “This isn’t over.”
“Damon, you’re scaring them.”
“They need to be scared.” Finally, he looked at Meek. “Now, I know this is hard for you to think about, but you need to face a reality check. You can rant about peace and being kind. I don’t care, but you’re not in your own little world. You’re in my world, and they’re coming whether you like it or not.”
Her father glanced down. “My name is Christopher.” He held out his hand.
Damon looked at it, tempted to ignore the gesture, but thought better of it. He shook the man’s hand. “Damon Barasic. We need to talk.” He pulled Holly in front of him. “Why don’t you go and spend some time with the kids? I’m sure they’re going to want to see you.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” she asked.
“When I’m done, we’ll go.”