by Erin M. Leaf
****
Fletcher saw the mess almost as soon as Avery skidded to a halt. “Aw, shit,” he said, as anger took over the eagerness of the chase. “What the fuck?” He walked up to Avery and folded her into his arms. He knew she was upset because she didn’t make even a token bit of protest at the gesture. “Avery?”
“He did this,” she said in a small voice. “That bastard.”
“Who?” Mitch asked, joining them. “Who did this?”
Fletcher handed Avery off to his Beta so he could circle the small building. Books and pots and pans littered the ground. Most of them were ripped to pieces, or broken. Nothing looked salvageable. He growled under his breath as his wolf forced himself closer to the surface. He wanted the scent of the asshole who had done this to her imprinted on his bones. “Male. Maybe twenty-five, twenty-seven years old,” he said, stalking around the debris that littered the perimeter of the cabin. He inhaled again as he struggled to keep his wolf contained. The beast wanted out, so he could rip the interloper to shreds, but Fletcher knew that wouldn’t solve anything, especially not with Avery here. “And he’s Pack,” he added, enraged at the thought that one of their own would do this to his Queen.
“Not for long,” Mitch said, voice low and angry. He stared at the smoldering remains of a fire in the front of the cabin.
Fletcher made a sound of agreement in the back of his throat. “Who is he?” he asked Avery again, but the sound of a car pulling into the driveway drowned out his question. He turned just in time to see his sister fling herself out of her car. Dammit. What’s she doing here?
“Oh my God, Avery!” Paige ran over to her and hugged her right out of Mitch’s arms. “That asshole! I smelled something burning, and I drove down to investigate. I knew you weren’t here, and I just had the worst premonition that something awful had happened. And the fire smelled wrong. It wasn’t wood that was burning.” She pulled back and looked at the mess. “Jesus. What the hell did Brian think he was doing?” She dragged Avery back into a hug, ignoring her friend’s slight wince. “All your stuff.”
She wasn’t kidding about her skin feeling prickly, he mused, watching carefully as Avery forced herself to accept Paige’s touch.
“It’s just stuff. And it’s not like I owned all that much, anyway,” Avery said, clearly trying to pull herself together, but he could tell she was still freaked out.
“That’s not the point,” Paige said, glaring at the cabin. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Avery said, reassuring his sister with a small pat on her back. “I wasn’t even here.” Fletcher noticed that Paige didn’t get the hint that Avery wanted out of the hug. He was about to go pry her off when Avery finally pulled away. She took a step back.
“This is horrible,” Paige muttered, staring at the carnage.
“You told me that he was leaving the pack, and it looks like he felt the need to shit all over everything I owned before he left. I can smell him all around here,” Avery said, sounding angry now, instead of upset. She walked closer to the cabin, then flinched when one of the cracked windows suddenly shattered and fell into the interior. “Shit. How much you want to bet that jerk trashed it inside, too?” She walked to the firepit set in the center of the small front patio’s flagstones and frowned down at the embers. “This is burning cloth. That asshole burned my clothes!” She picked up a stick and poked at the remains of what looked to have been a very large fire. “Talk about vindictive. I bet there isn’t a shred of fabric left inside the cabin for me to wear.” She flung the stick down and rubbed her eyes tiredly, leaving a smear of ash along her cheek.
“I’ll buy you all the clothes you’ll ever need,” Fletcher said, walking over to her. He hated to see her so unhappy. “But first, you need to tell me about the wolf who did this.” He’d memorized the names of everyone in the pack recently, but he knew the numbers fluctuated, especially with a group the size of Boulder Pack. They had a couple hundred members. The core membership was solid, but sometimes younger males came and went as they entered and left relationships with the females. The women were the ones who kept the pack together, ultimately, even if a male Alpha was the leader.
Avery shook her head reluctantly. “If I tell you, you’ll find him before I do.”
Mitch laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “You can be damn sure of that.”
Avery shot Mitch a glare, but Fletcher could tell her heart wasn’t in it. “I want to be the one who makes him pay for this bullshit,” she said, pacing. Every third turn or so she’d kick at the debris in her path.
When a piece of crockery went sailing, Fletcher pulled her close again, and Avery let him. She even snuggled under his arm, to his surprise. “Shit,” she said again, sounding sad this time.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of it,” he murmured, unable to help himself. He tensed, sure she’d take it the wrong way.
She sighed. “I would rather take care of him myself, thank you very much. You can hold him down for me, though, if you want.”
Fletcher smiled, but shook his head. He decided to speak his mind, and to hell with the consequences. If she couldn’t handle him being an Alpha, then any relationship they could hope to have would be dead before it even began. “You know it’s my job to deal with him, Avery.” He looked at Mitch and found an answering need to protect her in his friend’s gaze. “Mine and Mitch’s.”
That made her tighten up in his embrace, but she didn’t pull away from him. “Dammit,” she muttered into his shoulder.
He nodded. She knew he was right. He was the Alpha. Or as good as. I’ll be Alpha as soon as my father officially steps down. “What’s this piece of shit’s name?”
Avery didn’t answer, and he prepared to assert his power, but his sister spoke up before he had to speak.
“Brian. His name is Brian Grant, and he and Avery dated for a few months before she dumped his stupid, cheating ass,” Paige said, prodding at a stone with her toe. “The fire department will be here in a minute,” she added. “Dad called them after I told them I smelled smoke. He went to meet them at the Sanctuary boundary, where the private road runs. He has to unlock the property gates.”
Fletcher was already shaking his head when Avery pulled away, grimacing. “Dammit. They’re not going to be happy at being called here for nothing.” She looked at Paige. “Call your dad and tell him what happened. Maybe he can turn them away at the gate. God, I hope my father doesn’t get wind of this. He’s already impossible about me not living at home with him.” She glanced at the cabin. “I’m going inside to see what Brian the jerk did in there.”
Paige looked at Fletcher, and he nodded agreement with Avery. “Do it.” He’d happily call their father, but he didn’t want to be trapped on a phone right now. His wolf wanted all his senses engaged with Avery and this situation.
Paige made a face, but she pulled out her cell phone.
“Brian is not from one of our original pack families,” Mitch said, looking up from his phone. “He’s not on the new list Lillian set up online.”
“No, he’s not.” Avery shook her head as she walked to the front door. “He joined up a couple years ago when he interned at the Sanctuary as a student researcher. Uncle Marcus wasn’t all that impressed with his data collection, if I recall correctly, but he wasn’t the worst person to ever work there. He ended up with a job in town, filling orders in one of the big warehouses.”
“I don’t really care what he does for a job,” Mitch said. “I care what he’s done here.” He pointed to the mess.
“And I don’t care what he does, as long as he does it somewhere else,” Avery said, pushing at the door. It sat ajar, as if Brian had tried to rip it off its hinges and failed.
“Whoa, wait up, baby,” Fletcher said, stopping her from entering. “You have no shoes on.”
“Ugh.” Avery made a face, but then waved him by her as she glanced inside. “Fine. You’re right again, dammit.” She glared down at her bare feet.
&nbs
p; “I’m not always right. I just don’t want you to cut your feet.” Fletcher smiled grimly and pushed open the door. It hung off its top hinge, and creaked as it opened. When he took in the chaos inside, he sighed. “Paige, tell Dad to make sure the fire department doesn’t come here. They’ll want to call the cops, and we don’t need them sniffing around in our business.”
His sister nodded, already on her phone. “He says he’ll leave it to you to handle it.”
“Good,” Fletcher said, already thinking about his next move. He wanted to make sure her ex didn’t come back on pack property. “Mitch, we need to let everyone know that this guy is no longer welcome here. He’s no longer Pack. Got it?”
“Already on it,” Mitch said, tapping at his phone’s screen. “I texted Marcus. He said he’ll inform the rest of the pack. He’s already had his name removed from the membership list.” He made a face. “Apparently, the guy quit the pack last week.”
“What did he do that made you dump him, Avery?” Fletcher asked, turning the full weight of his Alpha power on her. He wanted an answer.
To her credit, she didn’t back down. She just shook her head. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” The hint of pink on her cheekbones told him she was embarrassed.
“The bastard cheated on her, and she kicked him to the curb,” Paige said, walking up to the door and peering past them. “Holy crap, that’s a mess.”
“That sucks,” Mitch said. He didn’t look inside. Rather, he stood near them, scanning the clearing and trees beyond the cabin, like a good Beta. He wouldn’t let anyone get near them as Fletcher examined the destruction of Avery’s house.
“Yeah. Not one of my better ideas, was it?” Avery ran a hand over her face. “I was lonely. He was available and not too annoying.” She snorted. “Until he screwed some random chick on my sofa. I did not take that at all well.”
“She tossed him out on his ass,” Paige added, ignoring Avery’s annoyed look. “What? My brother needs to know.” She nodded her head at how close Avery stood to him. “Especially if you’re going to hook up with him, now.”
Avery grimaced. “Yeah, about that—” She glanced at Mitch.
Fletcher put a finger on her lips. “Later.”
She growled at him, and God help him, Fletcher found it adorable. And arousing, which is inconvenient, not cute, he thought, turning quickly to hide his sudden erection. The last thing he needed was his sister seeing his arousal. He strode inside, not even bothering to flick the light switch on. His vision was excellent, thanks to his wolf, and all the lamps had been shattered, anyway.
“Did my laptop survive?” Avery asked, peering in the door.
Fletcher glanced at the desk in the corner, then regretfully shook his head. The sleek little machine had been ripped apart. He saw claw marks on the outside surface. “Sorry, baby.”
Avery snarled, and stalked off. Fletcher jerked his head at his sister, and wide-eyed, she followed her friend. Mitch glanced inside, then went after the women, albeit at a judicious distance. Fletcher checked Avery’s bathroom and bedroom, then gathered up a few toiletries that had survived the rampage. On the way out, he stooped down and picked up a book of poems that hadn’t been damaged, and added it to the small bag.
Hell of a thing to come home to, he thought, not sure if he meant himself or Avery. Not that it matters. He headed outside, shaking off his exhaustion. He had a Queen to soothe, and a wolf to hunt down, and he wasn’t in the mood to sleep anyway. His beast howled within his soul, and for once, he was in perfect agreement with his instincts. The creature who had attacked his woman would pay if he ever showed his face here again.
Chapter Five
Mitch followed Avery and Paige to her car, then climbed in the backseat.
Avery twisted around as Paige started the engine. “Uh. What are you doing?”
He shrugged. There was no way he was leaving her unprotected while this Brian fellow wandered around free. He trusted Fletcher to hunt the guy down, but meanwhile, he’d stick to Avery like glue. He put down the back windows so he could scent the air for danger.
She stared at him, hard, then shook her head. “This is going to become very inconvenient. Am I allowed to pee by myself?” she asked as Paige drove away from the cabin.
That startled a laugh from him. He could tell she was trying to make a joke. “Maybe,” he said, just to see how she’d react. “Maybe not.” The thought of following her into the bathroom appealed to him. Get a grip, Mitch. You only just met her all grown up. His wolf growled softly in the back of his head, reminding him that he didn’t care that they’d just met as adults. Mitch shifted in the seat, trying to adjust his erection into a more comfortable spot.
Avery smiled wryly and turned around. “I bet Brian is long gone. He’s the kind of guy who likes to make trouble and then disappear.”
“A coward, then,” Mitch said.
Avery sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”
Mitch wondered why such an impressive female would date such a loser, but then remembered that she thought she was defective because she couldn’t shift into her wolf. That’s the kind of thing that might mess with your head, he mused, wondering how he’d handle it if he couldn’t shift. Probably not well.
“You can stay at the big house, Avery,” Paige said as she pulled onto the paved road that ran into the Sanctuary. “We have extra rooms. Or you can stay with me in my room.”
“She already has a room,” Mitch said before he could stop himself.
Paige lifted her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
Avery twisted back around and glared at him. “Dude. I am not staying with you and Fletcher. That’s just…” She trailed off, then shook her head. “Too fast, man.”
He shrugged again. It didn’t matter. His wolf had decided she was his Queen, and that was that. “It’s your choice, but I think we’d all sleep better if you stayed with us.”
“Whoa, you work fast, girl,” Paige said, with a grin.
Avery scowled. “They think I’m their Queen.”
Paige lost her smile. “Wait, for real? That’s a myth.”
Avery nodded. “Exactly.”
“We don’t think she’s our Queen, we know she is,” Mitch said, scenting the air. He smelled exhaust, and forest, and a hint of wood smoke, but no danger. He hoped they’d finished clearing out the Alpha suite so he and Fletcher would have somewhere protected to sleep with Avery. They could take her into the smaller room Fletcher used when he was growing up here, but the Alpha’s suite wasn’t just a status symbol. It was also a good location for defense.
“Is my brother on board with this idea of yours?” Paige asked, sounding confused. “Because I got the distinct impression that he also really likes Avery, and he was never good at sharing when he was younger.”
Mitch pursed his lips. How much did he explain? They hadn’t even really figured it out for themselves, yet.
“Remember what we were talking about the other day?” Avery asked Paige.
Paige glanced at her, surprise chasing across her face. “A trio? For real?” She looked at Mitch warily in the rearview mirror. “I was totally just joking about that, Avery.”
“The wolf wants what he wants,” Mitch said softly. And he wants Avery and Fletcher, hopefully both at the same time.
Avery exhaled, and rubbed her eyes. “I’m too tired and hungry to figure it out right now,” she told Paige. “I’ll deal with everything in the morning. I just need somewhere to crash tonight.” She frowned. “I don’t think I’ll be able to work tomorrow.”
Paige nodded. “I’ll tell Uncle Marcus.” She glanced at Mitch again, face serious. “If you hurt my bestie, I’ll hurt you,” she warned him, frowning.
Mitch smiled tightly at her. They both knew that she had no way to truly hurt him or her brother, but he appreciated the sentiment. He liked that Avery had a friend who would stick by her. “I won’t hurt Avery,” he said, putting as much reassurance into his voice as he could. “You know that.�
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Paige shook her head, then turned onto the driveway for the big house. A few minutes later she pulled to a stop in front of the big doors. “Everyone out. I’ll go park the car.”
Avery hugged her friend. “Thanks for the lift.”
“No problem.” Paige twisted around in her seat and focused a glare on Mitch. “Hang on a second, will you?”
Mitch frowned, but did as she asked. His wolf wanted to stick to Avery like glue, but he also didn’t want to antagonize his Queen’s best friend.
Paige waited until Avery was in the building. “Don’t fuck this up with Avery, dude. I’m serious. She’s had a lot to deal with in her life, and Brian was just the topper on her shit cake.” She sighed. “Her mother’s death was really hard for her, and her father was a total dick about it. Your grandmother didn’t help matters, either.”
My grandmother was always sticking her nose in places it doesn’t belong, and it doesn’t seem like she’s changed much, Mitch thought privately. He nodded solemnly to Paige. “I would never hurt her. Neither would Fletcher.”
She grimaced, then turned around. “Go on. She’s probably not going to go to sleep where you want her to unless you persuade her. And she needs food. She gets cranky when she’s hungry.”
“We’ll take care of her. I promise,” Mitch said, and got out of the car. Lights blazed from the windows, and he scented people milling about inside, which didn’t surprise him. This was the big house. The home of the Boulder Pack. Wolves were social creatures, and so were humans, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of dismay at the thought of suddenly becoming the central focus of a large group of people. And he and Fletcher had to somehow woo Avery while also assuming leadership? No one ever said being Beta would be easy, he reminded himself. They’d thought they’d have a few weeks or months to ease into their roles, but no. And he’d never anticipated finding a mate with Fletcher, in a royal mating triad, or whatever the hell one called it, but here they were. He wanted Avery. Fletcher wanted Avery. His wolf wanted them bonded, and who was he to argue with instinct? His wolf whined, and he shook his head,
