“Well, we’re going to, but until then, Annalise can sleep in the trailer,” Ben murmured.
“About that,” Jax called. “I’m staying in it, too.”
“No,” all of the panthers in Red Havoc yelled at once.
“As Almost Alpha, I feel like my vote should count extra,” Annalise said with a grin.
Ben narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “It’s not Almost Alpha. It’s called Second, and for that shit to be official, you have to pledge to my crew.”
“Cool. Me and Jax are ready whenever you are. Hey, Jenny!” she called, waving to the alpha’s mate who was standing on their porch, leaned on the railing, grinning.
Jenny gave an easy wave. “Hey, Almost Alpha, you back to kick Barret’s ass some more?”
“Ha!” Barret blasted out. “Ha, ha, ha. I hate you and you and you,” he said, pointing to each of the crew in turn. And then he flipped off the trailer and marched over to a water hose on the side of the nearest cabin, turned it on, and pointed the end at them. Then waited. And waited.
“Dear dumbass,” Anson drawled, “that faucet doesn’t work.”
Barret yelled and threw the dry hose down, then stomped off into the woods. A panther scream sounded a couple of seconds later, and Anson and Greyson snorted in amusement.
Even Ben cracked a smile. “Why do you want to be a part of my crew, Grizzly. This is panthers only.”
“Well, my mate is a panther, and she picked this place, so I’m settling. You can let me in, or I’m just going to hang out here, pestering the shit out of you until you do. I’m unpledged, been a rogue since I was eighteen, and I have a big stake in this crew.”
“Being?” Jenny asked from where she was approaching, holding little Raif’s hand.
“Being this pretty kitty right here,” he said, making his way toward Annalise. He wore faded blue jeans, and his tight, white T-shirt was streaked with dirt from unloading 1010, but under his baseball cap, his smile was bright and easy, like it had been in Damon’s Mountains. He draped his arm over her shoulders, and she instinctively leaned in closer to be nearer to him, and to feel the warmth and safety he always blanketed her with. She-Devil purred.
“Wherever she goes, I go,” Jax said. “She wants to be Second of Red Havoc, so here I am. You’ll have the fealty of my bear when things go south here, Ben. And they will. You know it and I know it. I’ll back you in whatever decisions you make for the crew so long as they keep Annalise safe.”
Ben shook his head and kicked at the dirt with the toe of his boot. At least he hadn’t given a hard no yet. Sensing weakness, Annalise pounced. “Think about it. You and the boys won’t have to watch me at night anymore. Jax is a grizzly and protective of me. He can handle any of my night shifts on his own. You can sleep.”
“I think you’ll be good for the crew, Annalise. I vote yes for both of them,” Greyson said, raising his hand and shocking the ever-lovin’ shit out of her. That was way more than a single syllable caveman grunt. She was going to mark off number five on her short-term-goals list as soon as she had her journal in hand again.
“I vote yes,” Jenny said quietly.
“I like bears,” Raif said earnestly, raising his hand like he was in school.
Ben looked at Anson, who rolled his eyes and raised two relaxed fingers. “I like fighting.”
Ben gritted his teeth so hard a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Before I consider letting a goddamn dominant Gray Back grizzly into my crew, Annalise, you have to tell me something.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Tell me what this crew means to you.”
Annalise smiled. “It means home. I know what you all were doing out in those woods—protecting me from myself, protecting me from the lions. I watched you exhaust yourself. Ben, I started thinking you were going to put me down, but you gave Jax a chance to help me instead. You’re a good alpha. I want to be a better panther, be a better shifter, and I know you can help me. And maybe someday I can be valuable to this crew, too. I don’t feel so sick anymore. So unsteady. I think I can do this, be a good Second if I work hard enough. I want that. It gives me something to aim for. But I can’t join your crew without Jax.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his pec. “I picked him before I ever met him. Grizzly, human, panther, it wouldn’t matter to me. He’s just my Jax, and I’m his Anna.”
Ben shook his head. “I can’t fuckin’ believe I’m about to do this.”
“Do it,” Jenny drawled.
“Dooo iiiit,” Anson said. “I love stupid-decision Sundays.”
Ben cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his chin high, and smiled down at Annalise. “I thought I was going to lose another one, and it ripped me up. I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat. I was sick, just thinking about you not being salvageable. Whatever Jax did to help you…I owe him.” Deep emotion welled in the alpha’s eyes, and he cleared his throat hard. “Jax and Annalise, welcome to Red Havoc.” He turned and wrapped his arm around Jenny’s shoulders and kissed her on the side of the head as he walked them back to their cabin.
“We’re still not the C-team though, so fuck you,” Anson said, shoving a middle finger in Jax’s face.
Jax snapped his teeth and barely missed biting his finger off.
Anson yelped and slunk toward his cabin. “I’m not scared of you,” he said when he was almost there, but he did check over his shoulder a couple of times.