A Bleacke Christmas (Bleacke Shifters 5)

by Lesli Richardson

  Brianna gulped. “Yes, ma’am,” she quietly said. “I’d like to presen—”

  Gillian held up a hand, stopping her. “Eh, hold on. If we’re doing it like that, let me get Peyton. He’s the one you need, you know.” She pulled out her cell phone and started texting. “Honey, put sweats on or something,” she said to Da’von. “Believe me, I’ve seen my share of naked men over the years, so it doesn’t bother me, but I know you have to be a little uncomfortable.”

  Brianna stooped over and grabbed them from the floor, handing them to him.

  Asia walked over. “Please, tell me this isn’t just a holiday fling.”

  “It’s not, ma’am,” Brianna said.

  No, neither woman was an Alpha, but they were married to the pack Alpha and the second-in-command, so they both deserved respect.

  Especially since she and Da’von had been caught in the act like this.

  “Peyton’s on his way,” Gillian said as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Now, when did this start?”

  Da’von looked terrified, but he answered before Brianna could. “My first day here,” he softly said.

  Brianna moved to his side and slipped her arm around his waist. “I’m…sure,” she said, knowing the women would pick up on her meaning.

  Asia and Gillian exchanged a glance, both nodding a little.

  “Does Tamsin know?” Gillian asked.

  Brianna blushed. “Yes, ma’am. She picked up on it almost immediately. I felt really guilty about it, but she told me it was okay. That she wanted to be able to…see a happy ending. That she’d cover for us. She volunteered to do it—I didn’t ask her to.”

  Both older women winced. “I can hear her saying it, too,” Asia said. “Poor thing.”

  A single knock sounded on the door, and Gillian walked over to let Peyton in.

  Brianna tensed, worried about the serious expression on his face. “What’s going on?” he asked, in full-on pack Alpha mode, even if Da’von didn’t know it.

  Gillian pointed at the two of them. “Believe it or not, honey, I think we have ourselves a new mate bond.”

  * * * *

  Da’von realized no one was screaming at them, so maybe this would be okay. “A what bond?” he asked.

  Peyton focused on Brianna. “Is it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Sir. It is.”

  “And you haven’t told him anything?” Peyton asked her.

  “No, Sir,” she meekly said. “Not yet.”

  Something inside Da’von bristled, that she’d dropped into that tone with Peyton, and he shifted position to put himself between them and shield her. “Told me anything about what?”

  Peyton scrubbed his face with his hands. “Hon, please make me a coffee,” he said to Gillian. “It’s too early to deal with this without caffeine.”

  Gillian smirked. “Sure.” She moved over to the little coffee maker on the dresser and started prepping it.

  Asia stepped to the side and watched, a smile on her face.

  “Okay,” Peyton said to Brianna. “Get the formalities out of the way first. Because I know I have…questions. And I’m sure Da’von will also have a few of his own here shortly.”

  Da’von didn’t understand Peyton’s smirky tone. “Questions? About what? Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  Brianna eased around Da’von, until she was standing beside him again. She bowed her head. “Sir, I’d like to formally present my claimed mate, Da’von Drexler.”

  Da’von looked at her. “Your claimed what?”

  Peyton nodded. “Officially recognized. Welcome to the pack. Now, let’s get my questions out of the way.”

  “Hold up,” Da’von said. “What’s going on?”

  Peyton continued talking. “You’re not a shifter. How did you claim him?”

  “What?” Da’von was starting to feel irritated. “What are you talking about?”

  Brianna shrugged. “I just…felt the instinct kick in.” She pointed to the mark on Da’von’s shoulder, that she’d left the first time they’d been together. “And I have a mental connection with him.”

  “Interesting,” Peyton said. “He didn’t ask about that?”

  “Ask about what?” Da’von knew he was getting loud, but, honestly?

  He was getting a little freaked out by how they were all acting.

  “I only did it once, immediately after, and I think he thinks he imagined it. So I didn’t do it again. I was going to wait until after we told him.”

  “Told me what?”

  She grabbed Da’von’s arm and looked at him. “Please, stay calm. It’s okay.”

  But her lips didn’t move for that last part.

  His eyes widened. “Fuuuuuck! I didn’t imagine that?”

  Asia snorted. “Yeah, this reveal will be fun.” She grinned at Gillian. “I can’t wait to tell Trent. He’s going to be upset he missed it.”

  Peyton sighed and pulled off his shirt and handed it to Asia. “Might as well show Da’von instead of trying to tell him. Da’von, sit on the bed, please.”

  “Why?” But Brianna was easing him back and sat, pulling him down with her.

  “Because he doesn’t want you to get hurt if you faint,” Brianna said.

  “Faint? Why would I faint? Dammit, will someone please talk to me?”

  Peyton kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. Then he handed Asia his wallet, phone, and keys before he removed his jeans. Da’von gulped, realizing the man had gone commando, and seemed to have zero shame stripping in a room full of women and…well, him.

  Peyton looked at him and made a pinching motion with his thumb and fingers, and Da’von realized he couldn’t speak anymore, which started to freak him out.

  “Sorry, buddy,” Peyton told him. “That’s temporary. But I don’t want you to scream and scare anyone.”

  And then…

  Fucking…

  Hell!

  Da’von sucked in a long, shaky breath as he tried to process that Peyton was gone and there was now a fucking large-ass wolf standing there.

  SHIIIIIIIT!

  Brianna tightened her grip on Da’von’s arm and leaned her head over on his shoulder. “It’s okay to freak out. I did when I learned about shifters, and that I’m related to them.”

  Then they all froze at the sound of a knock on the door. “Da’von?” Malyah called out. “You up? We’re heading to breakfast. Nami and them’s already going down.”

  The wolf—

  Peyton—

  —looked at Gillian and made a motion with his head like he was telling her to answer the door.

  Gillian peeked through the viewfinder first, opened the door, pulled Malyah inside, and closed it again.

  When Da’von tried to stand to warn her, Brianna pulled him back down and he still couldn’t talk, anyway.

  Malyah spotted the wolf, then she realized Brianna and Da’von were sitting on the bed.

  Her reaction startled him even more than anything else that’d happened so far. “Oh, hell. Let me guess. They have a mate bond, too?”

  The wolf nodded.

  “That you, Peyton?” Malyah asked.

  He chuffed, then looked at Da’von.

  Da’von felt light-headed, like he might faint.

  “Get his head between his knees,” Gillian said. “I’ve seen that exact same face on others I don’t know how many times throughout the years. He’s about to faint.”

  Malyah hustled over to Da’von’s other side and helped Brianna lean him over so his head was between his knees.

  “It’s okay, baby bro,” Malyah told him as she patted him between the shoulders. “The shock wears off in a minute. Just take slow, deep breaths.”

  “Peyton Primed him to keep him quiet while he showed him,” Brianna said.

  “Ah, I wondered.”

  Whhhhaaaaat…

  “Just breathe, Da’von,” Asia said. “Don’t hyperventilate, though.”

  He heard Peyton’s voice again
and realized the wolf was gone and the man was standing there, naked. “No one say anything about this to anyone,” Peyton said. “Not until I clear it. Asia, you can talk about it with Trent, obviously.” He started putting his clothes back on as the smell of coffee filled the room. “I’ll call Dewi.”

  “I have a request, Sir,” Brianna meekly asked.

  Da’von’s head snapped up at her tone as something instinctive rumbled through him again.

  But Peyton was smiling. “It’s okay, Bri,” he said. “You can drop formal mode. I think your mate is still trying to wrestle with that, anyway.” He waved his hand at Da’von.

  Da’von realized he could speak again. “What the hell?”

  “Shh!” they all said, and Peyton made the pinching motion again. “Okay, Da’von, please. Quiet, inside voice. Okay?” He waved his hand once more, and Da’von had his voice back.

  “What’s going on?”

  “They’re wolf shifters, baby bro,” Malyah said. “So’s Joaquin and Beck. And Dewi, of course. Badger and Duncan. Martin. Carl’s a shifter, but Mateo isn’t, although he and Brianna have shifter relatives.”

  “What, like werewolves? Who else fucking knows about this?”

  “Not like werewolves,” Peyton said. He accepted the cup of coffee from Gillian and gave her a kiss. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He sipped. “No, you won’t become a shifter, either. You’re born that way, or you aren’t.”

  “Everyone knows about this?”

  “No,” he said. “Lu’ana and Reggie don’t. And we have to keep it that way.” He pointed at Da’von. “You have to keep the truth about shifters from Lu’ana, Reggie, and anyone else who doesn’t know we exist.”

  Da’von felt something inside him…twist, or tweak, or…something. “What did you just do to me?”

  “I’m a Prime Alpha,” Peyton said. “So’s Duncan, Badger, and Dewi.”

  “That’s like an uber-powerful wolf,” Malyah said. “Some wolves, like Trent, Beck, Joaquin, and Martin are just Alphas.” She looked over at Peyton. “Sorry, guess you should be explaining this.”

  But Peyton was smiling as he sipped his coffee. “No, you’re doing great. I’ll stop you if you get into the weeds.” He reached over and touched Da’von’s shoulder. “Know the truth.”

  Suddenly…Da’von felt…well, rocked. Like a bunch of memories slammed into his brain. All sorts of stuff, like—

  He looked at Malyah. “You didn’t really chat with Joaquin for months. You met him when we came out here the last time.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

  “And Nami and Beck…”

  She nodded again. “Yeah. Dewi and Badger Primed us to ease us through it and hide the truth about shifters.”

  “The accident?”

  “Ken and Nami were running from drug cartel guys after Joaquin.” She filled him in on the truth.

  Da’von stared at Peyton. “Y’all fucking been lying to me all this time?”

  Malyah squeezed his arm again. “Not lying. Well, okay, yes, it was lying. But it was for a good reason.”

  He glared at her.

  “Da’von,” Peyton said, “I also meant it when I said if you want to move here after you graduate, you’re welcomed to. I’d be happy to have you working in the office with Gillian. Ken telecommutes. You can help him from this end.”

  That light-headed feeling wasn’t going away, so he bent over again and put his head between his knees.

  “Baby bro, they love us.” Malyah sounded borderline desperate. “They wanted to protect us. That’s why they kept this from us until they couldn’t. Dewi, Beck, and Joaquin—all of them—would die to protect any of us, I know they would. They were out hunting down those bastards who were after Joaquin.”

  “Wh-what does all this mean?” Da’von stared at his feet as his swirling brain struggled to simultaneously reject and accept all the conflicting images and memories sorting themselves out in his mind.

  “It means an adjustment period for you,” Peyton said.

  “I have a request,” Brianna asked.

  “Sure,” Peyton said.

  “Can you ask Dewi to tell Mateo and Carl for me? Please?”

  Peyton snorted. “I’ll call her right now and tell her what’s going on, but you need to ask her that yourself.”

  “Thank you.”

  Da’von sat there, still staring at his feet and the floor while he listened to Peyton talking to Dewi on the phone and telling her what happened.

  “Yeah, right?” Peyton sighed. “You said it. … He’s… Overwhelmed. He’ll be okay once it all sinks in and starts making sense. And he stops feeling like he’s going to faint. … Yeah. Okay. Here’s Brianna. She has a request, but I told her she has to ask you herself.” He saw Peyton’s feet come into view. “Here.”

  He felt Brianna move a little as she took the phone from Peyton. “Hi, this is Brianna.” He could sort of hear Dewi a little, but not enough to make out all her words. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to meeting you, too. And thank you for accepting us into the pack. … Yes. I know this is a little chicken of me, but could you please tell Mateo and Carl about this before they get out here? Da’von’s really overwhelmed. I’d rather them already be over the shock of it. … Yes, exactly.” She breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. What? Oh, sure. Here.”

  She nudged his hand, and he realized she was handing him the phone.

  He forced himself to sit up. “Hello?”

  Dewi sounded amused. “Hey, buddy. How you holding up?”

  “How long have you all been lying to me?”

  At least Dewi had the decency to sound sorry. “I wish we didn’t have to lie to any of you, and I apologize for that. Now that you know, we won’t lie to you about stuff, but you can’t tell Reggie and Lu’ana.”

  He closed his eyes. “How much of what I’m feeling is real, and how much is fake that you all put into my head?” He thought about his father, how they warned him off the man when he’d started calling Da’von after getting out of prison.

  “We never messed with your emotions, Da’von. I swear.” Her tone turned somber. “Your father wasn’t a good guy. Malyah was there. Ask her what he and his ‘friends’ were doing to her. We were doing what we had to do to protect you and your sisters, and to keep this a secret.”

  “I don’t know what’s real anymore.” He felt like crying, but like fucking hell would he do that in front of any of them.

  “Brianna is real, honey. What you feel for her is real. What she feels for you is real, too. What Malyah and Nami feel for Joaquin and Beck—and what their men feel for them—that’s all real. You don’t have to come to grips with it all in this moment. Let it…percolate. You have every right to be angry at us for keeping our secrets the way we did, but please understand why we did. You’ll have to lie, too.”

  “I’m not lying to anyone. I won’t do it.” Da’von opened his eyes and glanced around at all of them just to find them watching him.

  “You have to,” Dewi quietly said. “At the very least, you have to conceal the truth. You can’t put people in danger. Very bad things can happen if people know the truth about us. Like someone could hurt our loved ones. We have to protect them. We have several babies on the way, and then there’s Bebe.”

  Guilt knifed through him. He shoved the phone back at Brianna, and she took it and passed it to Peyton.

  “Hey, it’s me,” he said. “Yeah, he’s upset. … It’s okay. We’ll talk to him. I guess I’ll need to talk to Nami and—” He listened, then started laughing. “You’re a sadist, Dewster. Okay. I’ll wait on that, then. … Yeah. Have a safe trip. … Yeah, love you, too.”

  He ended the call and looked at Da’von. “We’ll keep this from Nami and Lu’ana until after Dewi and the others get here. That’ll give me time to think of a good cover story for Lu’ana and Reggie. Let’s put a pin in this for now, okay? You and Brianna need to get ready for breakfast. Gillian and I will ha
ng back with you, Da’von.”

  “Why? Afraid I’ll go running to the press?”

  Peyton sadly sighed. “No, I can use the excuse we were talking about you coming to work with Gillian and Ken after graduation. Which is the truth.”

  Da’von snorted.

  Brianna kissed him. “It’s okay,” she said. “This’ll be okay.”

  He couldn’t help himself—he kissed her back, and for a couple of seconds, the world felt right again.

  “See?” Malyah gently said. “It’s…instinctive.” She stood and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll walk out with you,” Malyah told Brianna.

  Once they were gone, Asia stepped forward again. “I’ll start working on the wedding arrangements.”

  “Nami might have a thing or two to say about that,” Gillian said.

  “I mean getting the marriage license arranged. We already have Carl and Mateo’s. Might as well make it a double wedding.”

  “Ah, good thinking,” Gillian said. “Thanks.”

  Marriage?

  But Da’von realized…yeah.

  He did want to marry Brianna.

  In fact, he wanted to chase her down and pull her back into his arms.

  Asia headed out, leaving just the three of them.

  “Da’von,” Gillian said, “we do love all of you. Nothing about that was a lie. What you feel for us wasn’t a lie, either. You’re not just family—you’re pack. You’ll never be alone again in your life as long as you don’t turn your back on us. You’ll always have a packmate you can turn to if you’re in trouble or need help.”

  “So what’s the family ‘business,’ then?”

  “It’s the pack,” Peyton said. “We’re called the Targhee pack. All the business parts of that, like the mining and other businesses, those are totally legit. But they support us and help keep us safe. And because we’ve been running them for a century, obviously it brings in a lot of money.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m forty-eight.” He nodded toward Gillian. “She’s forty-seven. Trent’s fifty-one, and Asia’s forty-five. Beck’s forty-nine, and Joaquin’s thirty-nine.”

  Holy. Shit. “And Tamsin? What’s the truth there?”