"This fight is over," said Darryl.
Adam leaned down to Paul.
"That edge you lost in your fight with Mary Jo is what allowed me to take the time to find something that would hurt you--instead of kill you.
You can thank her for your life." Paul moved his head, exposing his throat to Adam.
"I will, Alpha." Adam smiled.
"I'd give you a hand up--but we'd better have Warren look at your ribs first.
One punctured lung is enough." I'd been keeping an eye on Henry throughout the fight.
I glanced at him just as he stepped onto the mat.
"Alpha," he called.
"I chal--" He never got the whole word out--because I drew my foster father's SIG and shot him in the throat before he could.
For a split second everyone stared at him, as if they couldn't figure out where all that blood had come from.
"Stop the bleeding," I said.
Though I made no move to do it myself.
The rat could die for all I cared.
"That was a lead bullet.
He'll be fine." Though he wouldn't be talking--or challenging Adam--for a while.
"When he's stable, put him in the holding cell, where he can't do any more harm." Adam looked at me.
"Trust you to bring a gun to a fistfight," he said with every evidence of admiration.
Then he looked at his pack.
Our pack.
"What she said," he told them.
12
WHEN THE PACK ESCORTED ADAM IN A TRIUMPHANT procession into the house, I hung back with Jesse and Sam--both of whom looked pretty wrung out.
Paul had left the dojo the same way Mary Jo had, in the stretcher--and he should be resting beside her in one of the downstairs bedrooms that were considered pack property rather than Adam's.
Any member of the pack could and did claim one for sleeping or reading or whatever they needed.
With Adam in the house, neither Paul nor Mary Jo would have a problem with control while they healed--their wolves knew their Alpha was in residence to keep them safe.
There were some awful things about being a werewolf.
Lots of them.
But there were some okay parts, too--and some that were nice.
One of those was knowing that as long as the Alpha was around, you had a safe place to be.