Dad take this?
"Dad will disown her," I realized.
"Not on my watch," Lane warned.
"Or mine," I agreed. "No, you're right. I know you're right, and it makes perfect sense. Three men, all stronger than Ashley, who have left the rules and traditions behind that we were raised with. They really are perfect for her. Shit, and if she is actually willing to give them a chance?"
"Then we need to make sure that Henry doesn't screw this up," he finished for me.
"But how?" I asked.
Lane chuckled softly. "You use your secret weapon, Ian. Gabby. Your dad is smitten with his grandpup. If you convince Gabby that there's nothing wrong with cross-shifter mingling, then she'll all but force Henry to accept it, and Ashley will be the one winning in the end."
Just a few problems with that. "Those bears are too old for her, and it sounds like my sister's already staked her claim, so how do you propose I have Gabby bring this up?"
"Well, there's going to be a few tigers and some foxes at her quinceañera. Now, I'm not saying you should force Gabby to do anything, but if you tell her that they might feel alienated being around so many wolves? You know she'll do the rest. Then, you just have to make sure Henry knows that Elena will not put 'race restrictions' on who her kid dates - or takes into her pack."
"She won't," I agreed. "And even if she tried, Gabby would ignore it. So, you think I should push this, or just let it happen?"
"Talk to her," Lane decided. "To both Gabby and Elena. Make them aware of the tension between types of shifters, and explain just how new this is. They'll get it. I also think that those two know a lot more about this stuff than we do. I think this is one of those times where Elena knows best, and we need to trust her to make the right calls."
"Ok," I agreed, "but I need one thing from you."
"Anything," Lane promised.
"Make sure my sister knows that if bears make her happy, then I'm happy for her. Subtly, Lane. Make it clear she doesn't have to hide this from me, and while I may be an idiot, I will always be on her side. Head up my ass or otherwise."
"That," he promised, "I can do. And now I need to wipe her boyfriend's spit off my back." He rocked forward, onto his feet, and then sighed. "They really are pretty good guys, though. I'm glad you let them move in. I trust them with our mate."
And then he headed to his room, clearly going for a shower. But that last bit said more than any other words could. Lane trusted them with Elena. With the woman he couldn't live without. With the other half of his soul.
The least I could do was trust them with my sister.
CHAPTER 13
* * *
I headed into work on Monday with a smile on my face. It hadn't left since I'd managed to "tag" a bear yesterday. Yeah, I knew they'd made it easy on me, but I'd still managed. Then, just when I thought my great day was over, Seth, Pax, and Trent had come over to spoil me, and they'd stayed all night. And this morning, Seth had whipped up pancakes for Gabby, making sure she started her birthday by being pampered.
But the moment I was at my desk, my best friend cornered me. "So," Ashley said, giving me her best serious look. "You wolfed out without me?"
"Yeah, and with your boyfriends. Guess you should've spent the day with me instead of your other friend," I teased.
That made her smile break free. "Not my boyfriends."
"Yet," I countered. "But, you could fix that, you know."
She huffed, then crooked a finger for me to follow. I did, so Ashley headed right back to her office to proudly gesture at the pile of presents. "This is for tonight." Then she began pointing from the bottom up. "Zip-up boots for easy shifting from me. Official Wolf's Run hoodie from the guys, so the rest of the pack will see she's a part of the team. Bridget and Kim went in together to get her a pretty well-stocked Starbucks card. Heather got her a dress for her dates with Roman, and this one is yours."
"What did I get her?" I asked, because that box wasn't big.
Ashley smiled. "It's just a tiny little necklace with two wolves on it. Kinda reminded me of mom