any post-apocalypse shows, but the world never ends up better.”
I stopped walking and grabbed a hold of her hands. “Lori, it’s true that we’ll never go back to the world we used to live in, but that’s okay. Whatever the world looks like after this, we’ll still have life, love, and freedom.”
Lori grinned at me. “I’m just glad I ended up on the hero’s side.”
I rolled my eyes at her, but it was nice to see her smile. The past few months had been hard on everyone, and she was still a teenager.
“Corey and Gray went out early this morning to work on the power grid we’re building here,” Lori told me. “I’m going to bring them some water, unless you need me?”
I shook my head. “Go take care of your guys.”
I smiled as I watched her walk away with a bounce in her step. Lori had been standoffish when she first got here, but she was quickly becoming like a little sister to me. On the outside, we might seem like opposites. I was tall, like most female wolves, with blond hair and green eyes, whereas she was the average height of a human female and had dark curls and hazel eyes. However, we’d both had painful childhoods and made it through the other side. I sensed kinship with her in a way that I couldn’t feel with most people. We were both outcasts in some way, and yet had managed to find unexpected love.
Lori disappeared around the corner of the house, heading for the construction area, and I turned back to go inside. I needed to let Austin know I had an overnight patient in my clinic and get Jessica and her packmate settled.
Chapter 4
James
“Boss, we have an issue at the front gate,” Henderson said through the pack bond.
“What now?” I snarled back.
Henderson sent me an image of a certain irritating blond human woman. Typically, I ignored women like her, but this one had managed to get under my skin. What could that banshee possibly want?
“She says she’s friends with Anna,” Henderson told me cautiously. “And she wants to come in.”
I looked up at the ceiling as if I would find patience there. Today was not the day I wanted to deal with this shit. I was about to tell Henderson to just get rid of her when something stopped me.
The faint sound of Anna’s laugh drifted through the house, and my resolve faded. I was willing to do whatever it took to take care of my mate. Sometimes, it meant that I walked on the dark side so that she could stay on her path of light and happiness. Other times, it meant that I took on distasteful tasks to save her from distress or pain. Today, it meant removing a pesky gremlin from Anna’s life, permanently.
I strode forward, pushing through the front door. Unfortunately, Anna’s two favorite shitheads were arguing on the front lawn and well aware of who was at the gate.
“We got this,” Mason called to me.
“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “We can handle it.”
“You really can’t,” I said coldly as I walked by them without pausing.
Both Holt twins fell into step beside me.
“Anna will be pissed if you kill her,” Mason warned me.
Jason snorted. “No, she’s going to give you sad and disappointed eyes. She might even yell at you.”
I shot him an irritated look. “Only if you idiots tell her.”
“Do you really want to lie to Anna?” Mason asked. “She tends to sense it when you try to hide things from her.”
I sighed. “Parasites like this friend don’t ever stop taking advantage of kind souls like Anna. We turn her away today, and she’ll be back tomorrow.”
“She’s back because Austin paid her off last time,” Mason pointed out. “He opened a door that should have stayed shut.”
“She doesn’t seem like the type who can survive in this new world,” Jason said with a laugh.
His words rang true as we got to the end of the long driveway to see who was standing on the other side of the gate.
“Kelsey,” I said coldly. “Leave the premises immediately.”
The petite blonde in front of me merely simpered, unaffected by my order. She twirled a lock of artificially colored hair around a manicured finger and glanced up at me through lashes heavy with mascara.
“I’m here to see Anna,” Kelsey said with a smile. “She’s been babysitting my dogs.”
“Those pups are hers,” Jason said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not taking them back just to