I sat at the dining table rubbing my wrists where the cuffs had been not long before. My mom sat a glass of water in front of me and sat in the chair next to me. She placed her hand over mine. Neal stood near the back door in the kitchen, arms crossed, just feet away. 

Abbi didn't bother knocking when she arrived, she rushed right in. 

"Cyn!"

"Over here, hon," my mom said, directing my friend to the dining room. 

Abbi quickly came to us, her eyes catching Neal's by the door as she entered the area.

I stood up and Abbi rushed at me, hugging me tight. "What in the world happened?" She looked between my mom and me. 

My mother shook her head, just as confused as my friend. 

"I wanted to wait until you were here. We had... a development," I started. 

"What do you mean? What in the world happened?"

"After you left, Neal and I... talked. But his father showed up. Things weren't good." I looked down at the table. It was hard to look at either of them. Pieces of what happened flashed in my mind. 

They both gasped, and I realized I had inadvertently projected those images into their minds. I locked my mind down tight, reeling in my abilities. Everything in me had been heightened since the cuffs came off. 

"Honey," my mom whispered. Her hand squeezed my own. 

I cleared my throat. "Neal challenged his father to save my life."

"You what?" Abbi's jaw dropped. "What happened?" She paused for a moment, "wait, that's a stupid question."

My mom's eyes kept shifting toward Neal. I could feel the tension in her hand. "What do you want, honey?"

"What do you really want?" Abbi echoed.

I looked toward Neal; he was absolutely still. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. He had risked everything for me back there. He had patched himself up before we came back to my house, but the claw marks on his arm were still visible. 

It was the million dollar question; what did I want? I had been standing on a ledge ever since the night I realized Neal was my mate. I had been toeing a line between giving in or giving up. We had both been faced with a similar dilemma. 

Neal had taken his leap. He gave up security. He gave up an amicable relationship with his father. He took the pack from his father and decided to potentially put the pack at risk, all for me. 

I had been ready to walk away. I had effectively left the pack, but was that what I had wanted. 

My eyes never left Neal's. It was time to make that same leap.

"I want to be with him."

I could see Neal's chest fall with the exhale. He slowly closed his eyes for just a moment. 

"When Ophelia's father finds out Neal is backing out of the union, things might get bad. I want to make sure you're both safe."

"What about you," my mom asked. 

"What about me? Mom, you know I'm the best shot the pack has against the Red Pine pack."

"Are you sure?"

"She's good, Ms. Lawrence. She's really good," Abbi said. 

I smiled, "thanks, Abs."

"You've been awfully quiet... Alpha," my mother said. She looked toward Neal. 

"There is nothing for me to say, ma'am," Neal said evenly. 

"There is plenty for you to say." My mother held his gaze. 

Neal uncrossed his arms, putting them behind his back as he stepped forward. 

"I care deeply for Cynthia. I would not put her in harms way if I didn't fully believe that she could handle what was coming. I'm willing to bet my life on her."

My mom pursed her lips and nodded. 

"Can you please give us a moment?" I asked Abbi and Neal. 

They both nodded and stepped out the back door. 

"Look, mom, I understand. You don't have any reason to trust Neal-"

"I don't have any reason to not trust him either. He is not his father. He really does seem to care for you."

"Yeah. I don't think I'm winning any points with the rest of his family, though." 

"You don't need to win points with his family, honey. It's not a family you want to win points with." 

I could hear the bitterness in her voice. Despite her composure and staying with the pack all these years, she hated Neal's father. 

"Maybe this is the reason you didn't leave all those years ago, mom. Maybe it was all part of the goddess' plan."

My mother's eyes were filled with sadness, but there was a glimmer of something else. Hope maybe?

"He was going to..." I stopped talking and shook my head. I couldn't bring myself to say it. "Neal didn't let him. He challenged his own father to protect me."

My mom reached out and touched my head, moving down to my cheek, her thumb rubbing gently. "If this is really what you want, then I will support you. You are strong just like your father.  I just want to make sure that you're careful."

"I promise I'll be careful."

As I took a sip of water there was a bang from outside. We both stood up and looked at the back door. 

"I told you to stand down." Neal's voice was muffled by the wall and door. 

Abbi came running through the door. 

"What's going on Abs?" I asked. 

"There's a guy out there. Neal doesn't seem happy about it." she turned to look back at the door again. 

I went out the door, finding Neal with the guy from the woods, Al, pushed up against the house, arm across his neck. 

"What's going on," I asked. 

"Get back inside." Neal's voice was tense. 

"Neal, no. What's-"

"I said get back inside, Cynthia," Neal cut me off. His voice was tense. 

"And I said no." I crossed my arms. "Will you let him go for a moment?"

Neal growled in the man's face.

"Come on, Neal. Let him go and step back."

Trust me, I pushed the thought toward him, trying to get it inside his head. 

Neal growled again and shoved the man before letting him go and stepping back. 

"You need to come with me, Ms. Lawrence, Alpha Stryker's orders," the man said before clearing his throat. 

"That's funny, Al, because I'm pretty sure I heard Alpha Stryker tell you to stand down." My fingers rubbed against my palms as the warm feeling spread through my hands. 

Al looked confused for a moment before he lunged in my direction. 

Neal made a move to stop him, but I put up a shield between the two of them. Both men stumbled back. 

I pressed the shield toward Al until he was back up against the wall of the house. "Any action you make towards me will be in direct opposition to your new Alpha. Do you really want to do that?"

Al spat at the ground. "He is not the new Alpha," he growled. 

"I challenged my father and won. I am the Alpha, and Cynthia is protected."

"Not that I really need protecting," I said. 

Neal's mouth twitched, trying to hide a smile. 

"I can see you don't believe us. You go back to my father, empty handed but with your life. Ask him." Neal crossed his arms. "If you come after her again, I won't be so merciful." 

Al was glowering at the both of us, but he was in no position to fight back. I pulled the shield back far enough to free him, but still kept it between us and him until he was out of sight. 

Neal pulled me against him, his arms wrapping around me from behind. He nuzzled his face into my neck. "I have a feeling he won't be giving things up so easy."

"Well, he isn't going to have much of a choice, is he?" I leaned my head into his. 

"You were our only witness." 

"Is that why he sent Al?" 

"One of the reasons, likely," Neal said. 

"I guess we will have to go with plan B, then."

"I will have a talk with him." Neal kissed my neck. "Nothing is going to stop us now."

My stomach squeezed with his use of 'us.' 

Neal pulled away, and I wanted to bring him back in. 

"Please just be careful," I said, grabbing his hand. 

"Always." He brought my hand up and kissed it before walking away. 

********

Oh boy! Here we go. Let me know what you think is going to happen below!

If you enjoyed the chapter, please click that star!