going to need a bigger table, so we're eating outside tonight."
I turned in his arms to face him. "You cooked for this herd again?"
"Providing for my pack," he teased, reaching up to tap my nose. "So, I filled everyone in on what happened except Gabby. I'm assuming you told her?"
"I did," I assured him. "I'm just not convinced I should drag her into this. Ian, she's only fifteen!"
"And my heir," he reminded me. "Elena, we both know that she's not going to hide safely at home if anything happens to her pack. She might say she will, but she'll just slip out the back and keep trying to save the world. At her age, she thinks she's invincible. So, how about we put her in charge of something that will keep her out of the way?"
"Like what?" I asked.
"I don't know yet, but something she'll find important that's a lot less dangerous," he said. "I mean, did you know that Theo wants to be a doctor? Maybe we can make them stock medication or something? First aid?"
"Wait, Theo wants to be a doctor?" I hadn't heard that.
Ian nodded. "He's always planned to do neurosurgery, he said, but he's starting to think that maybe general practice is a better idea after seeing what Bridget does for us. She's even offered to give him a letter of recommendation." He smiled. "And, since he's a tiger, he won't have pack withdrawal while he's in school."
"And Nik?" I asked.
Ian leaned a little closer. "Caught him watching Roman earlier. Funny thing, so did Roman. I think Gabby's got quite the little mess on her hands, and the truth is that I have no idea how to make that easier. But Sam? She's going to college too, and she's close friends with Theo."
"Do you think they'll last through the separation?" I asked. "Most kids grow apart."
"Most kids aren't like us," he countered. "See, I realized something. This pack? It doesn't work because we're wolves. It works because we're humans - at least a bit. It works because we all want a community, and regardless of what kind of beast we become, that human desire to have a safety net is still there. So, let's make Wolf's Run that place. A sanctuary for girls like Evelyn, bears with no trees, and tigers trying to raise foxes. Who knows, maybe we can add in some lions to our tigers and bears, right?"
I laughed at the Wizard of Oz reference. "I think that's a great idea, Ian, but first, we have to find a way to make Damon leave us alone."
"Yeah, and you're not going to like my idea."
"Remember what you promised me?" I asked.
He nodded. "I do. If I'm going to lose, I will run first, and trust Lane to get you and the rest out. But, if I challenge him for his pack and lose, I don't forfeit my pack, I simply don't win his. If I do win, he's gone and no longer a problem."
My heart paused. "You can't do that."
"I can," he countered. "I'm not saying I will. I'm simply saying that it needs to be on the table. Our agreement still holds, though. If I lose, I run. My pride will heal. The only downside is that it means he'll come right for us."
I just tipped my head to the side. "What about Ashley?"
"Huh?" He clearly wasn't following.
"You always say she's the strongest wolf you've ever seen, right? Everyone talks about her like she's unstoppable. Could she beat Damon? If you lost, could she challenge him and then win? Would she be allowed to give the pack back to you?"
He huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, actually. That just might work."
Then a sharp whistle pierced the air. "Food's done!" Pax bellowed. "Table's outside, pick a chair. No rank, no worries. Just sit down beside who you want, because we're going to be at this a while." Then he tilted his head and looked into the den. "Hey, pup? There's a blue cooler by the fridge for the under twenty-one crowd."
Gabby groaned as she tromped out of the den and into sight. "Practicing the dad jokes?"
"Hey, I gotta start somewhere," Pax joked.
I couldn't get the smile off my face, so Ian turned me to the backdoor and guided me forward. "You know," he said, "she called me Dad the other day. I'm not sure if she was joking or not, but I kinda like it. You ok with that?"
"I am," I promised. "I also told her