Chapter  399

LAKE "Anything," Dad assured me.   "Do you ever get scared? When bad things happen and you have to fix them?"   "All the time," Dad admitted. "Being alpha doesn't mean not being afraid. It means being afraid but doing what needs to be done anyway."   "That's what you said about being brave," I observed.   "Because they're the same thing," Dad said. "Bravery and leadership both require acting despite fear. The fear doesn't go away just because you're in charge. You just learn to work with it instead of letting it stop you."   I thought about that. About Dad being scared but still being alpha. About me being scared but still opening portals to help Uncle Thorne.   Maybe we were more similar than I'd realized.   "I love you, Dad," I said.   "I love you too, Lake," he said, hugging me tight. "So much. And I'm so grateful you're safe and that you were brave enough to help when people needed it."   We went back to the kitchen where Riley and Ollie were now arguing about something involving m