by Lauren Dane
He sat there, breath heaving, heart pounding, head against her back, breathing her in. “I’m a lucky wolf, babe. Sixteen years younger than me, a completely sexy woman and the perfect saucy sub. I love you.”
She cracked a smile as he helped her stand and she pulled her pants back up and her sweater back down. “I love you too.” She looked to Nick. “And you. God, that was pretty damned hot. But I’m not sure that two orgasms count as coming a lot.” She raised a brow at them.
Gabe gave a surprised laugh as he pulled her to him. “You’re correct. We’ll rectify that when we get home.”
“Now, let’s go back inside and finish all of this up.” Nick held out a hand and she took it.
“Of course, we reek of sex. God.” Her face was hot.
Nick grinned. “The ones who’re mated will understand. The ones who aren’t will be envious.”
Chapter Seven
The next morning, refreshed from make-up sex and a nice run in the woods behind Cade’s house, their first since bonding, they woke up and got working.
Her sisters and Nina came over to supervise the movers while Tracy went to the store to talk with Charity, who was thrilled by the idea of running Spin the Black Circle full-time for her while she was in Portland. She also encouraged Tracy to open another store there.
Some hours later they’d handed over the keys to Tegan and had loaded Milton into Tracy’s Outback and they were all heading back south for the meeting later that day with Ben.
They stopped by the new house, which Milton heartily approved of, especially the addition of a doggie door just his size that led into the back yard, and were there for the delivery of the new bedroom furniture that Tracy ordered for the master bedroom. She’d brought over the clothes from her house and some of Nick’s and Gabe’s as well. Between Tracy’s stuff from her house and what Nick had and some things Gabe would have shipped, the house would have plenty of furniture.
For the time being, they decided to all share a bedroom. They all wanted to sleep against each other every night. Nick would have an office of his own on the first floor and Gabe would have one just off the master bedroom.
Tracy didn’t need one, if she set up a shop she’d do the books at home but her laptop could go anywhere.
It came up on six and they ate, showered and got in the car to drive to the Pack house. Nick consulted with Josh, the Third, and some of the other guards who would all be there to get his back if need be.
Tracy was nervous as hell. She wanted very badly for this to work out. Nick had asked to be allowed to deal with the money laundering suspicions his own way and Gabe and Tracy agreed.
It was only the inner circle that night, the Alpha pair, the Second through Fifth and Tracy and Gabe as Nick’s mates and Seconds. Nick and Ben’s parents were there as well, as the retired Alpha pair.
When they entered the room Sarah narrowed her eyes at Tracy, who sent her a mental fuck off but ignored her.
Until she spoke. “He is not welcome at this meeting.” Meaning Gabe.
“On the contrary. As he is part of the tri-mate bond, he is also Second here. He shares my status as much as Tracy does.” Nick didn’t raise his voice or show any emotion. He sat down and Tracy sat to one side, Gabe to the other. There was no inclination of the head.
“All we have is your word about that,” Sarah sneered and Tracy growled.
“Yes, well, some of us can be trusted.” Gabe looked at her with disdain. “In any case, everyone here who is a wolf knows the truth. You can all scent it. I’m not arguing it with you.”
“How dare you speak to her that way?” Ben growled at Gabe.
Nick held up a hand and touched Gabe’s arm slightly to stay him. “He merely spoke the truth. Do not raise your voice to him again. Let’s get moving with this, I don’t want any of my time wasted.” Tracy looked at Nick, his eyes were hard, mouth set. He emanated strength and menace. It made her all tingly to watch.
“Fine. I demand an apology from you and your mates. Both of them. And I want it in front of the Pack. I want to see obedience from you in the future.”
Tracy fought the urge to burst out laughing. This was serious for many reasons and it was Nick’s family, she didn’t want this to hurt him any more than it had to.
“Try again.” Nick’s face was still an impassive mask.
Ben paled a bit and Sarah sat forward in her chair. “Nick, how can you turn your back on your family like this? Can’t you see that she’s manipulating you? She’s making you betray your Pack. And for what? A scrawny piece of ass?”
Nick’s eyes went that otherworldly blue and a deep growl trickled from his lips. The hair on the back of Tracy’s neck rose and she grabbed his hand. “She’s goading you,” Tracy murmured.
“She should be aware that I have no patience left in this matter. She should be aware that people with a modicum of intelligence and craft can look into bank accounts and see some very irregular things. She should be aware that she has betrayed this Pack and with the aid of her mate, a man I used to be proud to call Alpha and brother.” Nick’s voice had gone emotionless again. He was almost a different man like this. A machine. A big fucking scary bad wolf who was interested in the truth and nothing more.
“What did you say?” Josh demanded.
“Nick?” Their mother looked at him, confused.
“I think Ben and Sarah should tell you all what they’ve been up to.”
Ben had the good grace to look ashamed but Sarah’s face was an angry mask. “I don’t need to defend myself against stupid accusations. Jealous accusations. She wants to be Alpha, Nick, and you’re handing it to her!”
Nick looked at her and shook his head. “Ben? Come on, just admit it. It has to be wearing on you. I can’t believe you’d get behind this purely for profit. Be a leader, own up to what you did.” Nick’s eyes held a light of tenderness.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nick. I think Sarah is right and Tracy has turned you against your own family. It breaks my heart but I fear I’m going to have to sever your ties to Pacific.”
Several gasps filled the room and Tracy wanted to leap over there and punch Ben Lawrence in the nose. Arrogant, lying asshole! How dare they call her mate a liar! She felt how it tore him up inside to deal with this betrayal.
Bending, Nick opened the case at his feet and tossed a file to Josh. “It’s all there. Sarah and Ben have been using the Pack to launder cash for the Pellini Group. This has been going on for nearly a year.”
Despite the appearance of a lack of emotion, Tracy felt his inner turmoil. She and Gabe both moved a bit closer to him, trying to lend him some comfort with their presence.
The Fourth, who had been solidly on Ben’s side, and the Fifth moved in close to Josh to look at the papers while Ben and Nick’s parents stared, shocked, at Sarah and Ben.
Sarah jumped up and tried to grab the paperwork but Ben intercepted her and yanked her down beside him.
After a few minutes of silent reading, the others all looked up to stare in disbelief at their Alpha pair.
Nick sat, solid and unmoving. His muscles were tight and his jaw was clenched. Tracy ached for him and caught Gabe’s eye and saw he was worried too. But she knew if she touched him or tried to overtly comfort him it would weaken his position. Right then he was the face of justice for the Pack. It was his job as Enforcer to see that right was done.
“Ben, I think it’s time you told the truth. Why would you do this? You’ve endangered us all with your association with the Pellini Group. You’ve betrayed your position as Alpha. Your job is to protect this Pack but you’ve turned your back, abandoned your responsibilities to your wolves.” Nick stood and took the papers back and looked at Ben and Sarah, waiting.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! It’s all lies!” Sarah jumped at Tracy, who stood and moved to the side, knocking her fist into Sarah’s temple.
“Stand down!” Ben stood, screaming. Nick pushed him back into his chair.
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“You stand down, Ben. Be a fucking man! Own this or I’ll have to end it my way.”
Tracy’s foot was on Sarah’s throat. “Don’t even think of getting up. I will challenge you, and you and I both know how that’ll end up.”
“Okay! Just let her go, damn it. I’ll tell you everything.”
Tracy looked back at Nick, who waited a long moment before nodding shortly. She removed her foot but growled, “Don’t piss me off any more tonight, Sarah. Now go sit the fuck down.”
“How dare you?” Sarah spat as she started to stand.
“Sarah, for god’s sake, shut up!” Ben thundered and they all turned to look at him in surprise. “You’re making this worse.” Chastened and a bit shocked, she went to him and sat down at his side.
“Sarah was in trouble with work. She’d overextended herself and had used client money in a way she wasn’t supposed to.” He told them of the dance she’d done, shuffling money around until she was facing jail and had no choice but to go to Pellini. He’d been looking through the Pack statement three months back and had gotten the shock of his life. When he confronted her, the whole story spilled out.
“I was trying to find a way out of this mess but you mated with the one family Pellini hates more than any other! Don’t you see, it’s her, it’s Tracy. She’s the problem. If she hadn’t come along we’d still be friends. We’d still be a family.” Sarah’s voice was a whine by that point and Tracy ached to knock the shit out of her.
“This is all you!” Nick screamed so loud that Tracy jumped and Ben’s nose started to bleed. “You’ve done this to our family. You’ve betrayed us all with your fucking greed. Damn you! You’ve ruined my brother. You’ve betrayed all the feelings I ever had for you. You’ve turned him into something that disgusts me. He’s turned his back on what is right for you and you dare to blame Tracy? Do you have any idea the situation you’ve placed me in?”
Sarah was crying in earnest and Ben’s eyes were closed at the realization. “Just let me fix this, Nicky,” she sobbed.
Josh reached out to touch Tracy’s arm when she made a move at the use of the endearment. He shook his head subtly. She knew, she knew, but oh how she wanted to take that bitch down.
“Don’t. You’re nothing to me now and the only reason you’re still breathing at all is because of my niece and nephew.”
“Nick, let’s focus for a moment on what we need to do here,” his father said. “You’re within your rights to challenge Ben. But that won’t change this fuck-up. I’ve just lost a son in many ways, I’d prefer not to lose him all the way. I’m asking you for mercy on his behalf. Not because he deserves to lead this Pack, he doesn’t. But because he’s my son and your brother and the father of my grandchildren.” He turned to Tracy. “We’ve wronged you. I apologize for that. You’re also within your rights to challenge Sarah and I know you’d win and she does too. So I guess I’m asking you for your mercy too. Again, not because she deserves it. I’m ashamed of her and what she’s done to this Pack and my son. But she has children and those children need a mother.”
Josh shook his head. “And what are you proposing? That we just all turn a blind eye to this? Their forsaking of their oaths as Alpha because they have kids? I’m sorry, Charles, but I can’t get behind that.”
“Stop talking about us like we’re not here!” Sarah exclaimed.
“Shut up,” Gabe ordered. And she did, reminding him once again, that Sarah and Ben were not fit to be Alphas of Pacific Pack. “You have no idea what you’ve done, have you? You never should have been Alpha, neither of you. Stupid. So fucking stupid. Do you realize what Warren Pellini is? What he’s capable of? And you’ve given him the keys to the front door of this Pack. The Pack where your children live, damn you. You’re going to fix it? How’s that? Do you think he’ll just let you walk away after you’ve laundered half a million dollars for him? With all you know?
“Normally I’d counsel you to go to the National Enforcer. Except he’s in Pellini’s pocket too. There’s no system in place to protect you because of Warren Pellini. There is no fixing it, Sarah. You’re fucked and you’ve dragged your entire Pack down with you. All for money. I hope it was worth the lives of everyone you were supposed to be caring for.”
“What do we do, then?” Ben leaned forward, wiping the blood from his nose on his sleeve.
“You’re unfit to lead this Pack. You will step down and take Sarah with you. Nick should have been Alpha all this time. I shouldn’t have kept my mouth closed about it,” Nick’s mother said quietly.
Ben flinched but nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. God. So sorry. But I still want to help. This mess is our fault, I want to help clean it up. I still love this Pack.”
“Ben! You can’t just give in to this. They’re all crazy. Pellini can help us. He can help us keep control here. He’ll send people, he told me.”
Ben turned on her, despair in his eyes. “What? Sarah, what have you become? You want to sic thugs on our family? You want them to infiltrate this Pack even more than they already have? My god, I’m sick with this. I’m sick because I’m bound to you and you used to be something so much more and now you’re rotten on the inside. And I don’t know how to be quit of this connection to you.” He put his head in his hands and wept.
Tracy moved to Gabe’s side, sitting on the arm of his chair. She desperately wanted to go to Nick but he had to do this on his own, handle it his way.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to challenge Ben, do you?” Gabe spoke quietly to Nick. “Ascend, it’s your birthright. Tracy will sit at your right hand like a real Alpha female.”
Nick turned to him. “And you at my left hand. Three Alphas to rule this Pack. I won’t ask you to turn away from National, your job is very important. But if I’m Alpha, so are you, just as Tracy is.”
“Stop talking about this like it’s going to happen. I’m not giving it up,” Sarah snarled.
“Stop talking crazy, Sarah. You don’t have a chance in hell of winning a challenge against Tracy and you know it. You’ll be dead, and what about Chris and Haley then? Are you such a callous mother that your greed surpasses that too? When did this happen to you? How could I have missed the change?” Nick just looked at her with disgust on his face.
Nick stood and began to pace. “No. As of this moment, I am Alpha of Pacific. Your ties, along with Ben’s, are severed. You are shunned. You have a few hours to get your stuff and leave. I’ll allow you to take ten thousand dollars to start a new life elsewhere. You’ll have to lay low for a while.”
Ben stood and went to his brother. “I am so sorry, Nick. Please, let me help you. He won’t just leave you alone. He told Sarah that he’s got evidence on the Pack that he’ll turn over to the National Enforcer if she tries to back out.”
Nick looked at Ben for long moments and the two of them embraced. Tracy’s heart ached for Nick. If Lex or Cade ever did something that betrayed Cascadia, she couldn’t imagine the betrayal she’d feel. But they’d still be her brothers and she’d still love them.
Ben went to his knees and lowered his head in obeisance to Nick and Nick put his hand out to touch his shoulder. Tracy felt whatever magic that bound an Alpha to a Pack slam into her. Felt the responsibility of all her wolves nestle in her soul. It was heavy, but it felt right too. She turned and looked at Gabe, who blinked slowly and then relaxed back into his chair, and she knew it had happened to him as well. She wondered how he would deal with the dual responsibilities he’d hold as Third in National and Alpha in Pacific. What a complicated road he faced.
Sarah jumped off the couch with a scream and lunged at Tracy, who tossed her to the side. “I won’t! You can’t lead, they won’t follow you! This is my Pack!”
“No. It’s my Pack now. You don’t deserve them. Don’t move, Sarah. I’m not your anchor and I don’t like you. You disgust me and I have no compunction about taking you down in a challenge. As far as I’m concerned, your children would be better off without you.”
“They won’t follow you!” Sarah sniveled.
Josh stood and knelt next to Ben. “I swear my fealty to you, Alpha, and your mates.”
The Fourth and Fifth followed suit and Gabe raised a brow at Tracy and flicked a dispassionate glance in Sarah’s direction. “Looks like you were wrong.”
“Get up.” Nick motioned to the wolves who’d gone to their knees.
“What about my children? Nicky, will you just toss your niece and nephew out into the street?”
“Don’t call me that. We’d be happy to keep Chris and Haley here or up with Cascadia until this is solved. We’ll keep them safe. They are my blood and my Pack. I love them and want to keep them safe. But they’re not going to save you.”
“Call her off!”
“No.” Nick turned to Tracy. “It’s up to her.” Turning again, he looked at Gabe. “Let’s start working on a plan to deal with Pellini.”
“Not in her presence. I don’t trust her.” Gabe nodded his head toward Sarah. “In fact, I don’t trust her not to go running to Pellini the first moment she can.”
“We’ll take her up to our vacation house in eastern Oregon. The kids are on midwinter break from school anyway, they can come too. Keep it quiet and low-key,” Nick’s mother said.
