Chapter 19. Stronger and More Dangerous

Randall Meechum's POV

"Of course, Beta. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Meechum. Please come in."

"Thank you. Call me Randall, please. It's an honor to meet you, Erica." I followed her into the cozy cabin, and as she walked in front of me I could see the crisscross pattern of whip scars on her back and shoulders.

She must have felt me staring. "They don't bother me, Randall. I don't regret a one of them, and this Pack has accepted and protected me." She had us sit on her couch, then brought over a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses. The windows were open, letting the summer breeze through. "No air conditioning here, it's off-the-grid power only," she said.

"I'm used to worse humidity in Texas," I said as I accepted a glass. "You need to know a few things before we start, so you know why you can trust me," I said. I explained about my job, the murder investigation, and the discovery that Talia was my mate and Tania was my younger brother's mate.

"Wow," she sa