Gabriel reached out, placed the crown carefully on Connor’s head. It was much too big, but canted backward just managed to stay on.
Connor’s eyes went huge, and he went still, as if stunned by the weight of the crown on his head. Probably a good lesson.
“I hereby initiate Connor Devereaux Keene into the Pack. May he live long, fight fiercely, love well.”
The shifters whooped and yelled their joy, clapping fiercely at the child who stood before them, eyes wide and grinning at the commotion made on his behalf.
Gabriel put an arm around Tanya, pulling her close as the crowd celebrated their family. They were happy, a unit bound by love and magic.
And I felt only sadness. Why couldn’t I have that? A chance at happiness? A chance at love and family? Why did prejudice have to figure into it?
I looked at Jeff, found his gaze on me, eyes wide in understanding.
And there in the pew, in the church of our Pack, he reached for my hand, and I let him take it.
Jeff rose, and when the first wave of shifters who’d offered their congratulations had stepped aside, moved to Gabriel.
“We need to talk.” His voice was quiet, but earnest.
Gabe looked at Jeff, then me. “Why don’t we step into the hallway?”
As we moved from the sanctuary to the classrooms and offices, the grandness of the chapel gave way to utility and function. The hallway smelled of crayons, rubber toys, and fruit punch, the walls dotted with posters, children’s art, and the occasional smudge of finger paint.
We walked into a classroom, and Gabriel closed the door behind us.
The room filled quickly with magic—tense, angry, and ready to boil over.
Jeff swallowed, took a step toward Gabriel. “I love your sister.”
I stared at him. I hadn’t expected him to lead with love.
“Oh?” Gabriel asked. “Do you?”
“You know I do. The whole damn family probably knows I do. Hell, there probably aren’t any supernaturals in the city who don’t know it.”
Gabriel’s eyes stayed cool. “I’m not entirely sure what you expect me to do about that.”
“What I expect? I expect you to stop this potential bullshit so she can be happy.”
“She’s a member of my family, and second in line for the Pack. You both know what that means.” He slid his dangerous gaze toward me. “You know the price.”
I stared at my brother, fury rising for the second time tonight at an arrogant wolf. “Jeff, can you please give us a minute?”
He kept his gaze on me, but paused.
I nodded again, offering reassurance, and he left the room and closed the door behind him. A scream building in my chest, I slowly looked back at my oldest brother.
“I am sick of you trying to control me and my life.”
Gabriel snorted. “Are you of the misguided opinion that you’ve somehow meekly followed orders?”
The snark in his voice rankled, and I had to fist my hands to keep from pummeling him. “The sarcasm isn’t helping.”
“No, it probably isn’t. So how about the truth: You have a role to play, and you know it. Sure, you like spending time with Jeff. He’s a great guy. He’s loyal to the Pack. Always ready to serve. But he’s not a potential. He can’t be.”
I swallowed, mustered my courage. “Then I’m done with potentials.”
Magic spilled into the room, angry and biting like insects. I worked not to flinch.
“Excuse me?” Gabriel asked, very slowly.
It would have been easy to back down. To tuck my tail and slink out of the room, and let things be the way they’d been before. But that left me lonely and dishonest to myself, to Jeff, and to the potentials. So I gathered up my courage, and put it out there.
“I’m done with potentials. I’m not going to meet any more of them. I’m going to date who I want to date, regardless of the type of shifter he is. And I’ll give up my place in the line of succession if that’s what it takes.”
He looked at me, jaw clenched and twitching. “Is this your way of rebelling?”
“Of course not.” It was, of course, but not in the way he meant. It was a rebellion against what we’d been taught, about who I’d been taught to be. But it wasn’t a rebellion for the sake of rebellion. It was about, for the first time, being true to myself.
“I’ve done my part to protect the Pack, the crown. But it’s time to think about my future. I love him.” Tears rose to my eyes at the power of the admission. “He’s the other half of me, and I’ve known that for a long time. But I haven’t admitted it, and that’s not fair to him or me or anyone else.” I paused, looked up at my big brother, and the leader of my Pack. “I’ll give up the Pack for him. Because he’s worth the price. I’ll abdicate.”
Of course Jeff was worth the price. He was the one who’d loved me regardless. The one who’d fought by my side despite the humiliation of potentials and dates. The one who made me laugh at myself, who understood me better than anyone in the world.
It felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders. My body felt lighter. My soul felt lighter. For the first time in my life, I felt like Fallon. Just Fallon, because he’d given me permission to be myself.
For a long time, he just looked at me. And then one corner of his lip lifted. “Okay.”
I stared at him. “Okay? That’s it?”
“I wasn’t aware you were entertaining other answers.” He tilted up my chin, searched my eyes. “I love you, Fallon. And so do your other brothers. And so did Mom, and so did Pop. You are exactly who you’re supposed to be. No more, no less. And you always will be, whether the coronet is yours or not.”
“What about the Pack?”
“The Pack is the Pack.” Gabe gestured toward the door. “You were in that chapel. They know love. They know respect. That’s the foundation of the Pack. And if you can’t love—if you can’t be brave enough to put love first, even if you have to sacrifice to do it—you do the Pack no service. Cowards do the Pack no service.”
I nodded, but put a hand on his arm. “You aren’t going to tell them now, are you? This is Connor’s night. This can wait.”
He grinned. “Connor won’t remember a single damn thing about tonight. But you’ll remember the look of sheer panic on Eli’s face when we tell him he’s next in line.”
The gleam in my eyes probably wasn’t especially graceful. But he was right. “Oh, yes,” I said. “Tonight is the night.”
We walked back into the room, every shifter in the sanctuary turning to face us. Gabriel put a hand at my back, rubbed supportively.
“There’s news to share,” Gabe said. “Our favorite Keene has made a decision about her future.”
I pushed the words out in a rush, lest I lose the nerve. “I hereby abdicate. Give up my position in the line of succession.” I let my gaze find Jeff, whose eyes had gone fierce. “For love.”
Noise erupted around me. I must have expected anger or disappointment, because their congratulations completely floored me.
Ben picked me up, swung me around the room. “We’ve been waiting for this, sister.”
I looked for Eli, searched his gaze for anger. As the shifter next in line, the decision would affect him most of all. But if I’d added pressure, he certainly didn’t look it.
When Ben released me, I walked to him. “I should have talked to you first—” I began, but he shook his head, put a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re allowed to have a life, Fal. You don’t have to ask me for permission to do that. Or any other yahoo in the room.”
“You’re sure?”
“Without a doubt,” he said, and for the first time, I saw in his eyes that same golden swirl of knowledge that I’d often seen in Gabriel’s. He may never lay claim to the Pack, but if he did, he’d be prepared.