“It is true that Sandy is one of my pack, as are you now. As the Alpha of the pack, it is my job to take care of all the members. However, make no mistake Ricky.” Grant tapped the tip of the man’s nose. “We are partners not just in bed, but in all things. That includes raising Sandy as well as any decisions that affect our lives. There will be times when you will have to follow my lead, but I will always listen to what you have to say.”
Grant traced the tattoo on his mate’s arm. “And this means you were chosen to be Sandy’s protector and his guide. Even an Alpha cannot take that role away from you.”
Before Ricky could respond, Grant could hear the rattle of dishes. He grinned as he heard the object of their discussion complain to Sparky. “Why do I have to carry the heavy one?”
“Because young Padawan, you must learn balance—now pay attention or you’ll drop the tray,” Sparky replied. Grant sat up with his back against the headboard and helped Ricky to lean against him. At the questioning look in his mate’s eyes he chuckled, “We’re about to be invaded.”
He no more than finished speaking than a light knock at the door sounded before it slowly opened.
Grant couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up when Sparky entered one hand over Sandy’s eyes and the other over his own. “Let me know when you two love birds are decent—we have young eyes here and I wouldn’t want him to be scarred for life!” Sparky split his fingers and brazenly gazed between the gaps. Sandy struggled against the hand over his face but stilled when he heard his brother’s laughter. The sound was music to Grant’s ears.
“Get in here, you two. Ricky is going to starve at the rate you are bringing his lunch,” Grant growled but there was no heat in his voice. Sandy squirmed out of Sparky’s reach and raced towards the bed, the tray in his hands wobbled precariously but at the last moment the young pup managed to keep the food from spilling. Sparky took the loaded tray from Sandy.
“Compliments of your mother.” Sparky’s voice rose to a slightly higher pitch as he wagged his finger at the pair in the bed while he mimicked the woman. “Now you make sure both of those boys eat everything on this tray or else!” The shifter shuddered slightly as he placed the tray on the bed. “So please, Alpha—Sandy and I want to live to see the next sunrise. For our sakes, lick the plates clean!”
Grant glanced sideways as Ricky ruffled his brother’s hair. “Hey squirt! What did you bring me?” The young Omega began to name off everything on the tray, “There’s chicken soup, but it don’t have any noodles or anything so I’m not sure why they call it chicken soup and Grandma Vicky made fresh bread this morning so you could have some toast, there’s bacon and eggs for Alpha Grant and I guess he can have some of the toast too; oh and she let me squeeze the oranges which was kind of messy but also fun; she didn’t even complain when I got some of it on my new shirt although she made me change but it’s okay because I have more than two shirts now—can you believe it. Oh and she told me to tell you if you eat everything she might let you have some of her special cookies later—of course, she said she’d need my help with that too…”
As Grant listened to the young wolf continue to ramble, he realized for the first time in a long time, he was finally home and his family was now complete. He knew everything wasn’t settled between them, but as long as he had Ricky by his side and his new son, anything else would be handled. The only thing he really wondered about right now was—how did that boy managed to talk so long without taking a single breath?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Epilogue
RICKY WALKED QUIETLY DOWN THE STAIRS, PAUSING HALF-way down to listen before he moved. It had been three days since he’d been out of the bedroom upstairs and this was the first morning he’d woken to find the room empty of a certain over protective mate. A slow smile crossed the human’s face as he once again realized it hadn’t been a dream; he was the mate of the Alpha of the Windy River Pack. Still while he appreciated Grant’s need to make sure he took things slow, he didn’t think he could take one more day of being waited on. His stomach growled slightly to remind him why he was making his escape.
It was strange that he didn’t hear anyone else in the house though. Of course it was after ten o’clock, which was something else he wasn’t used to; sleeping past the crack of dawn. He figured that the Alpha and his brothers were doing whatever they had done before he and his brother had arrived. With luck he could grab a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast before he was found and forced to return back to his bed. The truth was he felt fine, better than fine actually which meant it was time for him get off his ass and do something other than playing the damsel in distress. The problem was he had absolutely no idea what he could do or what his new role would entail. At least in his previous pack he’d known where he stood and what was expected, now not so much. Grant had been pretty tight lipped whenever he asked.
He paused outside the door to the kitchen and smiled when he saw Vicky Walker kneading dough on a floured board. Her braided light brown hair had streaks of silver-gray and yet even though she appeared to be in her sixties, she was still a beautiful woman. His smile grew as he saw the smudge of flour on her forehead. For a moment he wondered if he should just go back upstairs, but before he could move the she-wolf turned and wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing. “Well I wondered how long it would be before you made your escape. Come on in and sit down, I’ll make you something to eat. Lord knows you need to put some more meat on those skinny bones of yours,” Vicky said warmly.
Ricky looked down at the loose fitting t-shirt he wore and realized the woman was right. He’d lost even more weight during his recent visit with his old Alpha. Sometimes he wondered how Grant could find him attractive. Between the scars he bore on his body and his loss of muscle tone, no one in their right mind would see him as being sexy, and yet Grant couldn’t seem to keep from touching Ricky. He jumped slightly as a light hand rested on his shoulder before he was directed to a chair at the kitchen table.
“Come, sit down, son. You know I’ve been waiting for a long time for my Grant to find the one who could help him with the load he carries.” She paused before she moved toward the fridge to remove a carton of eggs and some bacon from inside. “I’m glad he found the right person.”
“Me?” Ricky squeaked.
Vicky began to crack the eggs into a bowl while she waited for the pan to heat for the bacon. Without losing a beat she continued, “You don’t see it now, young man, but I can already see a warrior who will stand beside my son and provide him with the support he needs to finally become the man he was meant to be.”
Ricky shook his head. “Your son doesn’t need my help. In fact, from what I’ve seen so far, he’s pretty amazing.”
He had listened in while Grant held meetings with his brothers and some of the other pack members. His mate had refused to leave the bedroom, so when something required his attention; he handled it in the room while keeping an eye on Ricky. The shifter never tired and always seemed to know what to do to solve the problem.
Yesterday he’d handled hiring some contractors to begin building more homes on pack lands. Even though they couldn’t break ground until spring, there was much that needed to be done to ensure there would not only be a place for the new enforcers and others who may be seeking sanctuary due to the actions of Alpha Clifton, but to put in a new training facility as well. He also had talked to his brothers about changing the gym room in the basement to a war room. Their offices weren’t big enough to accommodate the number of people who had been added recently. Apparently they had used the formal dining room to plan his rescue.
Grant had introduced him to the head school master, Beauregard Sheridan. At first Ricky had wondered how someone who reminded him vaguely of Mr. Kotter from the old sitcom on TV had become the Principal. But after being reminded that even though he looked to be in his thirties—in fact the shifter had actually been a teacher for more than seventy years before he’d been hired to run the scho
ol in Sugar Creek. Because the town was still fairly small, all the children attended the same school. Ricky was just glad there was one since the last pack he’d belonged to relied on the parents to teach the children to read and write.
Mr. Sheridan had agreed to provide a tutor to help his younger brother make up for any gaps in his learning so that Sandy could begin attending classes. He also understood that Sandy would have his own security guard. In fact, there had been discussion about providing some additional security to the school including a safe room to be built in the basement of the facility. Until they knew for sure what Alpha Clifton had planned and who else may be involved, Grant wanted to ensure their children and others who weren’t able to fight would have a safe place to go to in the event of an attack. Other ‘safe havens’ were being built throughout the pack lands as well but it would all take time—time that Ricky had a feeling they were running out of.
The high-light of the meeting with the schoolmaster was Sandy’s enthusiasm to finally be able to attend a real school. He smiled as he remembered how excited his little brother had been when Mr. Sheridan had provided him with a list of things he’d need to bring to school. To say his brother was excited was an understatement. Sandy had wanted to start today, but Mr. Sheridan thought it would be better if his brother started on Monday of the following week. That would give the tutor time to meet with Sandy and set up a plan to get him on track. Grant had arranged for Sparky to take the young shifter on another shopping trip, which is where his younger brother was this morning.
It had been a full three days and even better nights. While they hadn’t done anything too strenuous, Ricky had learned more ways to be brought to orgasm than he’d ever thought possible. While it was wonderful, he still couldn’t wait for Grant to take him again. His hole clenched and his dick hardened at just the thought of how wonderful it had felt when he’d been claimed. After years of being used, to look forward to the pleasure he’d discovered with Grant had been surprising. The old fears, no longer paralyzed him as they had before but he still couldn’t orgasm without permission. Yet for the first time in his life, he actually thought about initiating sex with his mate.
He had planned on trying to coax his mate into doing more than just rubbing off this morning but Grant had been gone. The bed had been cold when Ricky woke, which meant his mate had been gone for some time. It must have been something important to force his mate from his duty of ensuring Ricky didn’t exhaust himself—thank heavens. Yet he still felt disappointed to find his mate gone when he woke. Of course, maybe it was for the best since he had no idea how to entice his new lover; he’d spent too many years being told what to do.
He was brought out of his musings when Vicky placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon on the table in front of him. She added a couple pieces of toast and a cup of coffee to complete the meal. She grabbed a cup for herself and sat down across from Ricky.
Grant’s mother waited a few moments for him to start eating before she continued her conversation. “You know, shortly after Forest and I met, things began to change for our pack.” She took a sip of her coffee and looked past Ricky. “We aren’t Semme’ mates like you and Grant, but when I first saw Forest standing in that clearing…” A soft smile graced the woman’s face “…well let’s just say I couldn’t imagine fate would find anyone who could make my heart sing the same way. But even feeling as I did, when Forest asked me to be his mate, I almost walked away.”
“Why?” Ricky found himself entranced by Vicky’s story.
Vicky shrugged. “He was Alpha and I was simply a shifter whose family had sought safety with his pack. I didn’t see what I could offer. But Forest wouldn’t take no for an answer and before I knew it, I was mated and a short time later I was pregnant with Grant.”
The female wolf shifter stood and grabbed the coffee pot to refill both their cups. She glanced back at Ricky and smiled. “So I figured that was my job, to help raise the next in line to be Alpha and for a while, that is the role I played. We had two more sons and our pack continued to grow in size.”
“Sounds nice,” Ricky replied as he took a sip of the coffee she had poured. For a moment he wondered what it would have been like to be raised by two parents who had wanted him. Grant and his brothers obviously had been cherished; which is probably why they were the men they were today.
“It was,” Vicky continued. “However the one thing about life is, just when you think you have everything, it throws you a curve ball. Did you know that when the humans learned about paranormals, Forest was the one who negotiated with the human government and paranormal counsels to have sanctuary packs across the country?” Ricky could hear the pride in the woman’s voice.
“He must have been a powerful Alpha,” Ricky responded.
Vicky nodded. “He still is. Yet even though he’s retired, most shifters still look to him as being the leader of them all. You see shifters don’t have a counsel of leaders like the other paranormal cultures do; they have always been independent.”
“I know, Alpha Clifton told me more than once that he could do whatever he wanted to with me and my brother because no one would stop him.” The human shuddered as he remembered the conversation; it had been just before he’d received punishment for the first time. Some of the scars on his back came from that particular lesson.
Vicky tapped his arm. “Everyone answers to someone, Ricky—even Alpha Clifton.”
Ricky unclenched the fingers that surrounded the coffee cup. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”
Grant’s mother patted his arm one last time before she continued, “Anyway, at first only a few like my family joined us, but as the cultures began to mix, more problems cropped up. As with any culture, most simply wanted to live peacefully but there were a few who felt they were superior to the others. The ‘Purists’ sought to either dominate or eliminate those they felt were beneath them.”
“I remember reading about the Great War in school. No one knows how it really started although some believed it was rogue shifters. It’s why the final peace agreement included an automatic death sentence for any shifter who was declared rogue by an Alpha.” Ricky sat back in his chair. “Of course, the fact that just any Alpha can declare someone rogue without any kind of a trial is kind of stupid if you ask me.”
Vicky laughed. “I can see your point and after what happened to you, Forest is planning to talk to the other leaders to try to come up with something better. However, we have gotten off the reason for this discussion, my young friend.” Grant’s mother winked as she took another sip from her cup. “The reason I started this history lesson was to help you understand that being the mate to the Alpha can be difficult. Goddess knows that I was ready to kill that wolf more than once during our life and there were times when I’m sure he wanted to do the same to me. Do you know the hardest part?”
Ricky shook his head.
“Knowing when to push and when to simply support him; I tried to never let him know when I was giving him a gentle shove.” Vicky giggled. “It was always best to let him think it was his idea to begin with.” Grant’s mother stood and began to collect the dishes. “And of course we need to be the one to catch them when they fall, as all good leaders will do from time to time.”
Ricky rubbed the tattoo on his arm. “I want to be there for him but I can’t just stand by and let him fight all my battles. I’m supposed to be a warrior according to the shaman who put this mark on my arm. How am I going to protect Sandy and Grant when I can’t fight my way out of a paper bag?”
“You learn to fight.” Ricky jumped as Tank entered the room. He still was trying to figure out the man’s name because he was small compared to all the other shifters and didn’t have as much muscle mass. Yet he could tell from looking at the shifter that he was deadly, it was in the way he carried himself.
Tank smiled at Grant’s mother. “The rest of the guys will be here shortly. Is there any coffee left?”
“Just take a seat, it won’t take mor
e than a couple of minutes to make another pot,” Vicky replied.
Tank sat across from Ricky but remained silent. Ricky looked around for a moment but decided maybe he should return to the bedroom before Grant showed up. While he was pretty sure his mate wouldn’t hurt him, a part of him still didn’t want to take a chance. Before he could stand Tank gently grabbed his wrist. “You should come and train with the new Sentries.”
“Me?” Ricky exclaimed as he pulled his arm free. “You want me to fight with shifters?”
Tank shrugged. “You mentioned your need to protect your brother and your mate. From what I’ve seen, you are strong for a human—just unskilled.”
“How can I fight a shifter?” Ricky stood and motioned at his skinny frame with his hands. “Believe me I’ve tried to fight, but all I ever got for my efforts was severe punishment.”
Vicky placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of Tank who nodded his thanks. He took a sip and calmly glanced up at Ricky. “So you think I cannot fight a shifter who is bigger than me?”
Ricky took a step back and wrapped his arms around his middle. Logically he knew the answer because the man wouldn’t be part of the special enforcer group if he couldn’t fight. “It’s not the same thing—you’re a shifter and I’m—I’m just a human.”
Tank chuckled. “In my experience it isn’t size that matters but rather your lack of skills and confidence. Look, I can show you ways to fight and win against almost any adversary; anyone can learn to fight. But you have another skill that is much more prized than the ability to injure or kill someone.”
“What’s that?” Ricky was intrigued as he sat back down in the chair.
The shifter leaned forward and tapped Ricky’s forehead gently. “You, my young friend, have the wisdom to know when to fight and when to bend. You were untrained and yet you bided your time until you could get both you and your brother to safety. That takes courage and wisdom.” Tank sat back and smiled. “When you want to seek training, I would be honored to be the one to work with you—but first you should ask your mate.”
The Alpha's Promise Page 23
