The room was a good size, but it was still crowded with Genevieve’s mate, crew, and family. She was sitting in a chair against the back wall next to a technician. She wore a red sweater dress and new boots. She and Candace had grown close over text the last couple of months leading up to today, and Genevieve had told her last night she wanted to dress up for her first day of hearing. Candace had matched her and wore a similar dress and boots. Red for Red Havoc. Genevieve waved Torren and Greyson closer, and Candace watched proudly as Torren knelt beside her, eyes trained on his sister.
The technician signed something to Genevieve who responded with something quick, then nodded.
“She’ll hear a beep first,” the technician explained to the room.
Everyone went silent, attention on Genevieve, who looked so nervous now. Candace wanted to hug her up and tell her it was all going to be okay, but what if the surgery hadn’t worked? Or what if the implant malfunctioned? She understood her nervousness.
Genevieve stared off into space and held up her hand, went tense, and then jerked her gaze to Greyson’s who was kneeling right in front of her. He was a big dominant panther shifter, alpha of Red Havoc, and he was kneeling before his mate like Torren often did to Candace.
He squeezed her thighs when he said, “Gen…I love you.”
Genevieve clapped her hand over her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. “I hear you,” she said, still a bit thick as if she had cotton in her mouth, but at a soft volume. “I hear you,” she repeated, tears streaming down her face. “And I hear me.” She cupped Greyson’s face. “Again.”
“I love you,” Greyson said, his voice breaking on the last word.
She slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him so tight, and her shoulders shook with her crying. Suddenly she jerked back and pointed to Torren. “You!”
“Hey, little monkey,” Torren said, his voice full of emotion.
“Aaah!” Genevieve cried. “That’s me.” She signed it as she said it and then laughed as her cheeks turned red.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as the others spoke to her one by one. Even tough, brawling, dominant Torren sat against the wall and dashed his damp cheek on his shoulder. He blew out a shaky breath as he looked across the room at Candace, his brown eyes full of emotion. And she could feel his relief from here. He’d waited all Genevieve’s life for this and had wanted so badly for her to have this moment, and now it was really happening.
People were crowding Genevieve now, talking over each other in excitement, and she was laughing, searching faces in trying to keep up. Torren stood. He made his way out of the crowd to Candace. He pulled her against him and just hugged her like he needed her arms around him. His heart was beating like a bass drum against her cheek.
“I feel like I have everything now,” he murmured. “Thank you for getting me here.”
“You did the work, Torren.”
“Mmm,” he rumbled, the sound vibrating from his chest. “You gave me purpose, kept me from breaking. You stood in HavoK’s path and asked him for time. You made the man in me stronger, and the silverback in me more patient. Don’t downplay your role in my life, Candace. You got me here. I’m damn proud that you’re mine.”
And in that moment, she knew no matter what, they were going to be okay. No matter what the future held, they could accomplish big things together. She and Torren, Nox and Nevada, and someday Vyr.
Two months ago, she’d fallen into a crew of wild-hearted shifters. A bear, a fox, a gorilla, a tiger…a dragon. She would’ve never in a million years imagined her life ending up here. But that was the beauty of it—the unknown. How incredible she’d gone to her knees with her dad’s death and had to hurt her pride to work a job that made her feel less-than. But what a turnaround when Torren had come into her life.
New job and a crew that, even though completely dysfunctional, loved her. Had her back. Protected her heart. A mate who was the perfect match for her. Someday, Torren’s prediction would come true.
Everything was going to be okay.
Better than okay.
She was part of the Sons of Beasts Crew, and they didn’t back down, and they didn’t quit.
She was friend to Nevada, whom she’d come to adore.
She was new sister to Genevieve, and new daughter to Kong and Layla.
She was the mate of a man who treated her like his queen.
Two months since her whole life began to turn around for the better because Torren had believed in her worth and showed her she was valuable.
Two months since Torren had accepted every single thing about her and reminded her that even her broken pieces were beautiful.
Two months since she’d joined the crew and changed her stars.
And in another ten months, if they worked hard enough and took care of each other, the Sons of Beasts would be whole again.
Epilogue
Torren frowned at the package in the middle of the back-porch table. It was addressed to the Remainder of the Sons of Beasts Crew but had no return address.
The handwriting was familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
“Here,” Nox announced, plopping a plate of bratwursts on the table, “snack time.”
Candace giggled clear as a bell beside him and cuddled deeper into the blanket she’d thrown around her shoulders when Torren had called the early-morning crew meeting. She was sitting in her favorite duct-taped pink plastic chair right next to him. “I meant breakfast food or fruit or something,” she said.
“Oh, yeah, you’re going to have to clarify next time,” Nox said, biting into a cooked sausage. Around the giant bite of food, he explained, “I don’t get hints, and mind-reading is Vyr’s gig.”
“I like sausage,” Nevada said helpfully as she reached for one.
Nox nodded proudly. “You gonna get stuffed with a ten-inch sausage when we get through this boring-ass meeting and go back to bed.”
Nox used to be so annoying, but lately Torren didn’t mind him as much. Maybe he was just getting used to him, or maybe he appreciated that the idiot was just about the most loyal person in the whole world and had stepped up as Second in the crew when Vyr had left. This group of friends shouldn’t work…but they did. Sure, they fought like cats and dogs most days, and if HavoK didn’t fight Nox’s grizzly every other day, it was a slow week, but Torren knew from experience that if push came to shove, his mate, Nox, and Nevada would have his back no matter what.
They’d gone and made a family group after all.
Only thing missing? Vyr.
Torren ripped into the package and pulled out a thick book. The cover and spine were a deep burgundy color with a dragon drawn onto the cover with gold filigree. Fancy.
He opened it. Inside, the blank pages had been cut away to make space for a small, handheld video device.
“Whoa,” Nox murmured, standing to lock his arms on the table like Torren and look at the book. The brat in his hand was making a grease stain on the old table, but it would just add more character to it, so Torren didn’t care. Vyr would probably shit a brick when he saw it, though. That dragon was a neat freak.