Intense relief swept over Lee as they drove over the city limits. It was as if a massive boulder had rolled off his shoulders. A profound sense of calm infused his bones, washing away all the pent-up rage that threatened to crack him daily.

"Ah, goddess," he groaned, hands curling over the steering wheel. The nagging, snarling wolf that called for Uncle Ryan's blood day and night slid into the dark recesses of his mind where he hoped it would stay. He'd forgotten what it was like to have complete control over his own thoughts.

Kelsi's gaze locked onto his face. "Are you okay?" she snapped with concern, one hand reaching out to grab the dashboard as if expecting them to crash.

"I'm better than okay," he replied with a grin. If they weren't driving, he would have picked her up and swung her around in celebration. "I haven't felt this good in a month." He felt light, free. Ready to take on the challenge of building a new pack from the ground up. For the first time in a long time, Lee felt optimistic.

Kelsi's eyebrows knit together, then lifted as she made the connection. "Oh! We crossed the border." She released the dashboard and twisted in her seat to look out the window.

"Yup." He flexed his fingers, working out the tension in his joints. Goddess, he needed a good stretch.

"You must feel so much better."

Lee glanced at her, lips twitching. "You have no idea." He glanced at his cell phone and wondered if he should call Uncle Ryan to see how he was feeling. The alpha rage hit him harder than it did Lee because Caleb said his father hadn't even left the house since this ordeal began. His fingers brushed the outer edge of the phone, then pulled back. I'll do it later. He set both hands on the steering wheel and fixed his eyes on the road.

"What is it?" Kelsi asked.

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking of calling Uncle Ryan."

"Do you want me to dial for you?"

He tipped his head and flashed a smile. "No, but thank you. I think I'm going to leave him be for a while." He was sure there were a few things Uncle Ryan wanted to do first, such as catch up on sleep or leave the house.

"Sounds good." Kelsi returned his smile and leaned against the cab door, watching the scenery fly by.

Nearly four hundred miles, five hours, and several pit-stops later, the new alpha and luna of Silver Rush, Nevada, arrived at the border of their new town. Gone were the lush forests of Oregon; surrounding them was a flat, desert landscape liberally spotted with sagebrush, plains grass, and cacti. Tall, brown mountains rose in the distance, their rocky surfaces devoid of plant life. It was so alien they may as well have landed on Mars.

Lee pulled over on the side of the road, right next to a ramshackle wooden sign that proclaimed the town's name in faded blue paint. A small green metal sign rested on the opposite side of the dusty road, "Silver Rush" and "population: 1,081" stamped out in white.

Kelsi stepped out of the truck and planted her hands on her hips. "That makes me feel so welcome," she muttered, anxiety rippling through their bond.

Lee hopped down and closed the cab door. He walked over to his luna and put an arm around her shoulders, staring at the black spray-painted message on the sign:

FUCK OFF WEREWOLVES.

"Do you think they were expecting us?" he replied, hoping to ease her concern with some levity.

Kelsi tilted her chin up to stare at him, lips pressed in a thin line. Lee opened his mouth to reassure her that everything was going to be all right when his phone dinged in his pocket. He squeezed Kelsi's shoulder and reached back to pull out the phone. The home screen showed a text from the moving company: << We're here. >>

"Look," he said, showing her the text. "Our stuff got here."

"Oh, good," she replied.

His phone dinged again. << Ten people are standing outside your property. We're not getting out of the truck until you arrive. >>

"Shit," Kelsi hissed, staring at the screen. Her lips tightened and she looked around the wide-open desert landscape, eyes searching for something on the horizon. Her anxiety spiked, tinged with fear.

Lee frowned and took his arm off Kelsi's shoulder to reply. << We'll be there soon. >> He tucked the phone back into his pocket and took a deep breath to center himself. There were several ways to handle this situation, one being he could physically remove them from his property by entering the warrior state—or, he could be patient and listen. Some alphas were more heavy-handed when it came to dealing with humans, such as Alpha Owen, but Lee didn't want his reign to start on the wrong foot. Put enough bullets in an alpha and he was as good as dead, healing factor be damned.

The humans of Silver Rush were probably expecting him to race in, slavering at his jaws, so he decided to do something that would put them off-balance.

"Where are you going?" Kelsi asked as he walked over to the old wooden sign.

"They're expecting us to run over there," he said, taking out his phone. "But we're going to take our time."

"Are the movers going to be okay?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," he replied, gesturing for Kelsi to join him. "They're mermen. They're not defenseless." Granted, they were mermen in a desert, but they were still stronger than humans.

Kelsi's lips pursed, brow furrowing in contemplation. "And what is it you're doing?"

"We're going to take a selfie in front of this sign and send it to our parents."

He felt her anxiety shift to disbelief as she crossed her arms and shook her head. "C'mon, Kels," he cajoled. "This is an adventure."

Warring emotions danced across their bond. She glanced around the barren landscape, then sighed and shrugged. "You and I have different definitions of 'adventure'," she replied dryly, a hint of a smile on her lips. But she joined him by the sign.

Lee threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, feeling her relax. "I've got you," he murmured into her hair.

"I know," she said softly, looking up at him; trust and confidence flowed through the bond.

Goddess, he was falling in love with this woman. Planting a kiss on top of her head, he raised the phone. They took a handful of selfies, then he handed her the cell to send them to their families.

They climbed into the Silverado and Lee drove through the outskirts of town until they reached their new home. The flat-bed moving truck was parked outside the wire fence, as well as the car carrier. Several beat-up pick-up trucks and old-model sedans were parked on the side of the road nearby. Ten human protestors milled next to the gap in the fence.

Kelsi sucked in a breath as Lee pulled ahead of the car carrier and put the truck into park. "Wait here," he cautioned. She nodded and he stepped out of the cab.

Goddess protect me, he prayed, running a hand through his hair. He tugged on his shirt, wondering if he should have worn something more presentable, like a plain polo instead of a blue Stillwater Casino shirt.

There were eight men and two women standing by the dirt access road that cut through the property. He could see their modular home several hundred yards away, thankfully spray-paint-free and showing no signs of being broken into.

The humans were unarmed, as far as he could tell. The two women carried hand-made signs on large sheets of cardboard: GO HOME—WE DON'T WANT YOU and THIS IS A CHRISTIAN TOWN—NO FALSE GODS.

Lee waved to the movers and car carrier drivers and approached the protestors. Most of them were older, except for two men in their twenties. "Afternoon," he greeted. "We weren't expecting a welcoming party."

The humans stared at him. "We don't want you here," one of the older men said, the white bristles of his beard and mustache reminding Lee of Santa Claus—if Santa was thin and wore a trucker hat and a frayed green plaid shirt.

"I understand that," he told them. "However, the goddess chose me—"

One of the women, her hair cut into a grey-brown bob, interrupted him, shaking her sign. "There is only one god," she spat.

"This is a Christian town," the other woman interjected forcefully, her voice trembling slightly. "You and your false gods can go to hell."

Their words galvanized the men, who began echoing the women's sentiments.

Lee glanced back at Kelsi, feeling his temper rising. "All right, all right," he said, making a "calm down" gesture with both hands. "Look, there's nothing either of us can do about this. The paperwork has been approved by the Bureau of Werewolf Affairs—and the US Government. This town rightfully belongs to me." The angry muttering rose in volume so he raised his voice to compete with it, reining in the desire to unleash his Authority. "I intend to hold a town meeting with everyone tomorrow evening. You should have all received a letter in the mail with the details." He paused and gestured behind him at Kelsi. "As you can see, my luna and I have just arrived and we've had a long day. We'd like to get settled first before attending to business."

One of the men, a big, burly fellow who looked like a retired defensive lineman, shuffled to the front. "If you think we're going to let you waltz in here and steal our money so you can grow rich and fat like those other dogs, you can go fuck yourself," he snarled.

Lee clenched his teeth. "I intend to make this a prosperous town—"

"For dogs like you," the human shot back, folding his beefy arms. "We all know how it works. Don't try and blow smoke up my ass."

Lee sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired, his legs were cramped, and he was hungry. "Go home," he said. "We'll discuss this at the meeting tomorrow."

"Fuck you," the man retorted, spitting at Lee's feet. "I don't take orders from dogs."

The glob of spit landed on the toe of Lee's sneaker. His temper snapped. Lifting his chin, eyes blazing orange, Lee unleashed his Authority on the gathered humans. "GO HOME. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

The result was instantaneous. The humans stiffened as their weak minds succumbed to the compulsion. One by one, they walked with glazed eyes toward their cars, got in, and drove away. Lee watched them go until the last car disappeared from view, then he turned around.

"All right, gentlemen, let's get everything unloaded."