Get used to it.”
Even Dante couldn’t hide his smirk.
Rhodes might have taken his time claiming Larkin, but he was making up for it in spades now.
“He still won’t even say hi to me!” Larkin snapped, throwing her hands in the air.
“Then I guess he got the message, didn’t he?” Rhodes grinned at her unabashedly. He turned his attention to Katy. “Fine. I’ll stay with Larkin. They can have my house.”
“Actually?” I cut in. “Why don’t you guys stay here? It’d be good to have you nearby.”
“My parents would give my room to someone who needs it,” Larkin agreed sweetly, smiling at the idea.
Rhodes shrugged. “Works for me. Now we don’t have to worry about being loud at night and Lark’s parents hearing.”
“Rhodes!” Katy groaned as Larkin let out a squeak and turned crimson.
Dante shook his head. “Dude. Come on.”
“I’m being honest,” Rhodes insisted, rubbing his side when Larkin elbowed his ribs.
Michael snorted. “God, I don’t miss being a teenager.” His eyes found mine. “We have a couple of buses that will meet you at the airstrip. They’ll transport people to their new homes.”
“I’ll send you the list of who is going where,” Katy told him as she scrawled another name on the map.
Michael nodded. “Sounds good.” Again, he looked at me. “I’ll see you tonight before the challenge starts, okay?”
I nodded. “Thanks, Michael.”
He gave me a steady look. “Your dad is my best friend. It’s the least I can do. And for what it’s worth, most of the betas are pulling for you tonight, too. Lodge never should have issued this challenge. It’s not what the pack needs.”
“Thanks,” I repeated, genuinely meaning it. It did mean a lot that I had their support. We would need it moving forward.
Michael left the room and a few minutes later, the front door shut as the fire alarm started blaring in the kitchen.
“Ugh,” Katy groaned loudly, her head falling back. “I told you they couldn’t be trusted with cooking anything outside a microwave.”
“I’m on it,” Larkin said quickly, moving from the room. A few seconds later, the alarm went silent.
Dax appeared in the doorway after a pause. He winced as he leaned against the wall, scuffing a toe into the floor and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. The front of his white shirt was stained bright red with tomato sauce.
“So, Sam and I are going to pick up a pizza for Mom. Anyone else want anything?”
The plane taxied to a stop on the tarmac at the small airstrip on the edge of the pack property. I glanced at Dante next to me. He was practically vibrating with energy, his dark gaze locked hard on the side door of the plane.
One of the guys who worked at the airstrip wheeled a large staircase to the door and locked it into place as a crew member opened the door. Once the stairs were secure, the first person was out and heading down the stairs.
Dante stepped away from me, breaking into a light jog to meet Ryder as his feet hit the ground. They reached for each other at the same time, crushing each other in a jarring hug that made Ryder rock back on his heels.
Katy leaned her head against my bicep. “I’m happy for them,” she said softly.
I nodded. I was, too, but I was also jealous as hell as Dante grabbed Ryder and kissed him hard.
“We’ll find her,” Rhodes said from my other side.
“Damn right,” Larkin agreed from where she was tucked against his side.
Dante let Ryder go to talk to his pack as they slowly came down the stairs, their eyes wide as they looked around. Most of them had never left Alaska before now. Brooks Ridge was an isolated area and the pack was extremely tight-knit.
The plane was only big enough to transport a third of their pack. The flight crew would refuel and switch out to retrieve another group. The last ones were coming on a cargo flight we had chartered with the majority of the pack belongings. A few had declined coming to Blackwater, mostly older shifters who had lived, and would die, on their pack lands.
The people headed towards me only carried backpacks and small carry ons with necessary items. They had only been given hours to pack their belongings. They were tired and exhausted, and the kids looked terrified.
Dante and Ryder stepped away from their pack as they approached us, coming to stand with me. Ryder gave me a quick hug and whispered, “Sorry, man,”