"I will not betray my father's memory, and I will not just throw away this chance to learn the truth about who's pulling the strings here," I snapped, using the pack bond to enforce my absolute authority. “We need to know if the demon that’s suspected of being behind this will still pose a threat to us even after we’ve taken care of the coyotes for good. We can’t do that if he’s dead.”
Many of the wolves didn’t look happy about it, but no one argued further.
Several men kept Maddox pinned to the ground while others went to their trucks to get tie-downs, ratchet straps, bungee cords, and anything else we could come up with to restrain him. Now that it had been decided that he would be taken prisoner, the pack was determined that he would not escape.
Dalton produced a pair of police-issue handcuffs and cuffed his hands behind his back. It didn't take us long to get his unconscious form hog-tied and gagged.
Charlie and Dalton loaded him in the back of Charlie’s SUV and strapped him in place, being none too gentle in the process. And I didn’t feel even a little bad about that at all. Charlie turned to me as Dalton tossed a tarp over the cargo area so no one could see the unconscious man inside and slammed the tailgate closed. The last thing we needed was some nosy do-gooder alerting the human police to supposed “criminal activities.”
"Where do you want to take him for interrogation?" Charlie asked.
"The barn at my house is probably the safest bet. I don’t have any close neighbors.” And no one would hear the screams if our interrogation turned a bit rough in order to make the coyote talk.
Charlie nodded his agreement and everyone headed to their vehicles, ready to follow us. I knew without having to ask that they all wanted to be present while he was interrogated, just as much as I wanted to be the one doing the interrogating.
I almost hoped Maddox would be uncooperative at the start, so that I’d have an excuse to put my hands on him. He deserved to feel pain for every one of his evil acts against the Blackburn pack.
It was only a short drive to my house, but when Dalton opened the back hatch and snatched the tarp away, we all stared in dumbfounded silence for an excruciatingly long moment at the empty space he’d revealed.
Chapter 23
"What the hell happened?" I whispered hoarsely as I took in the utterly empty mass of ropes lying in the the cargo area. I turned to Dalton. "How is this possible?"
"I don't know." Dalton rubbed his eyes and looked again, like he couldn't believe or process what he was seeing any more than I could.
I turned to the people nearest us. "Y'all were behind us, right?"
They nodded mutely.
"Did you see anything? If he opened the window in the back hatch and jumped out somewhere along the way, you would have seen it for sure, right?"
Again, mute, dumbfounded nods answered me. I felt just as shocked and confused as everyone else. Charlie and I would have noticed if a shifter had climbed out of the back of our vehicle during the drive here. There was no way we wouldn’t have been aware of that. Even a coyote couldn’t manage that kind of stealth.
Maddox had vanished into thin air. Just like the coyotes who had killed the Parkers.
I leaned down to get a closer look at the tangle of useless ropes and saw a light dusting of ashes. I motioned to Dalton and Charlie. "Look."
Dalton reached out and rubbed a bit of ash between his thumb and forefinger. "Hellfire and brimstone. That's evidence of demonic help if I've ever seen it," he muttered, turning pale under his tan.
Not what the hell. What the Hell.
I stepped back, wanting to deny what I was seeing, what Dalton was saying, but it was impossible. "This is all my fault," I whispered, shaking my head in horror. "Whatever happens now is on me. I should have just killed him when I had the chance."
Why hadn’t I considered the fact that the demon might help Maddox escape? I should have known.
"Don't beat yourself up, Lu,” Charlie murmured as he slid an arm around my waist. “You did what you thought was right, and no one can ask for more than that. Besides, we needed information from him.”
“Yeah, well, we still need information. Keeping him alive gained us nothing. And now he’s back out there.” I flung my arm out to indicate the vast area where he could be hiding. He could be anywhere. And we’d never know, never find him no matter how hard we searched. “What if he gathers the coyotes to strike at us again the moment everyone returns to their homes?”
Charlie shook his head. “Think about it, Lu—do you really see Maddox forgiving them for deserting him when we had him surrounded? If the coyotes are smart, I’m sure they’ll want to stay as far away from him as possible right now. At least until he gets over his vindictive rage. Somehow, I don’t see that happening, though.”
No, Maddox did not strike me as the forgiving type. And that was the problem. He would never let go of his hate for me—and my pack, by extension.
Charlie gave me a supportive squeeze, but I sighed and shook my head.
"I just...feel like it was probably a mistake not to end him then and there when I had the opportunity. Hindsight’s a real bitch. I don't want another of my mistakes to cost our pack as dearly as it has in the past."
"That awareness, and always striving to be better than you were the day before, is what makes you an excellent Alpha,” Charlie insisted, pulling me closer into his body. “But you can't waste time wallowing in the what-ifs. Looking back is pointless. We need to focus on moving forward from here as best we can. We'll keep working with the fox shifters, and any other tribes necessary, to stop these coyotes." He sounded far more confident than I felt.
"I know you're right, but that really doesn't make me feel any better at the moment." I sighed again and leaned against his shoulder.
He kissed the top of my head. "We'll work through it, Lu. I have faith in you, remember? You need to have faith in yourself. We just have to take things one step at a time, one foot in front of the other."
I turned and brushed a soft, borderline tentative kiss against his lips. "Thank you, Charlie."
A look of confusion filled his eyes. "For what?"
"For being the mate I really needed, for being who you are and for pushing me to be the best I can possibly be for this pack." I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my forehead against his chest, drinking in the steady beat of his heart, allowing the rhythm to calm me. "Thank you for being exactly who you are, instead of that stupid, selfish fake-ass Prince Charming bullshit Brandon was trying to pull with me all these years."
Charlie chuckled. "Are you telling me you like me being a grumpy asshole? Because if that's what you're saying, we might need to have a head doctor verify that you’re completely sane. Maybe you took one too many knocks during the fight."
I laughed and shook my head at him. "I love every bit of you, even the grumpy asshole. That doesn’t mean I want to see him all the time, though."
Charlie grinned and tugged playfully on a lock of my hair before his face grew serious again. "What's meant to be will always find a way, even in hard times."
That sobered me quickly. "And I'm certain we have plenty of those ahead of us."
I spotted the council of elders gathered at the table on the far side of the barn and made eye contact with Charlie before jerking my head in their direction. He nodded his understanding and twined his fingers with mine. We made our way over to them hand-in-hand, ignoring the curious stares and surprised murmurs running through the pack like wildfire.
I wasn’t about to hide my relationship with Charlie from anyone. They might as well get used to it now, because I planned to be with him for a very long time to come.
We stopped in front of Eli and bowed our heads respectfully, waiting for the elders to address us first.
"What's your plan of action now," Eli asked softly.
I raised my eyes to meet his, surprised by the lack of judgment in them. I had expected the council to be angry at me for allowing Maddox to get away. It was a huge
weight off me that they hadn’t lost confidence in my ability to lead the pack.
I stood up straighter and faced them squarely. "I think we need to do our best to reach out and join forces with the Swift foxes and the rest of the local packs to create a united front against the coyotes," I murmured.
"I agree," Eli said without hesitation and motioned to the other council members. "We will send out emissaries to all the surrounding pack territories to broach the subject with them."
"Thank you," I whispered. I just hoped the other shifters would be open to the idea of an alliance.
It would be to everyone’s benefit, of course, but the other packs might not see things our way.
Each of the elders nodded to me before moving off to speak to the different groups of wolves milling around the barn. The emissaries would have to be selected and prepped for their task. It was too important to leave even the smallest detail to chance.
I was surprised when Charlie tugged me out the side door and led me to a massive live oak not far from the barn. Once we were beneath the shaded branches, he came to a halt, but then just stood staring at me silently.
"What's up with you?" I shot him a puzzled look and he laid a finger against my lips to shush me.
"Lucy..." He took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder, as if to make sure we were really alone. "I know right now is probably a terrible time to ask something like this, but I don’t want to wait."
“What is it, Charlie?”
“I don’t want to waste a minute of the time I could be spending with you.” He dropped to one knee and pulled a small, black leather ring box out of his pocket.
I gasped in shock, one hand flying up to cover my mouth. Tears of joy clouded my vision for a moment, but I blinked them away and beamed down at him as he continued speaking.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me, Lucy?" His whisper was barely audible, and I didn't miss the slight tremble in his hands as he opened the box and revealed an art deco-style square-cut amethyst stone surrounded by small white diamonds.
It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen. But my answer would have been the same if he’d come to me empty-handed. Though he actually wouldn’t have been empty-handed even without the ring, since he was giving me his heart. And that was all I’d ever really want or need.
"You know I’ll marry you," I spoke through a haze of tears.
I couldn't suppress the laugh of pure joy that burst out of me as Charlie slipped the ring on my finger.
He stood and I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him fiercely as he wrapped his arms around me in a sweetly protective embrace. I could feel his love for me in the touch of his hands, see it in his eyes. And I wondered how I had ever gotten so lucky to have him in my life.
I pulled back, my palm sliding down to rest against his chest, over his heart. “After everything that’s happened recently, I never thought I could be this happy.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips, and I felt a sudden wave of peace wash over me.
Yes, there were still threats facing our tribe, as well as all the other shifters in our area. The future would not be without difficulties. I knew, however, that we would be much better off, much stronger, for trusting each other and facing those threats together.
With Charlie by my side, I could face whatever might come. I would not falter.
I vowed to do this for the sake of my pack. For my father’s memory. For my friends, for Charlie. For myself.
THE END
Read More from C. J. Beaumont at http://cjbeaumont.com.
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Acknowledgments
I just wanted to take a moment to thank the people who made the release of Possessing the Alpha possible. You all mean more to me than you can possibly know.
Rene Folsom - Cover Artist
Tracy Blalock - Editor
Jess Reece - Alpha Reader
April Canavan - Formatting
The Fated Mates Limited Edition Collection Boxed Set - Without Those Deadlines and Teammates, This Never Would Have Been Finished On Time.
About the Author
C. J. Beaumont is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal romance.
She is a self-proclaimed lover of stories about vampires, sirens, shifters, witches, and pretty much every aspect of the paranormal. When you combine that with the fact that she's a lifelong romance novel addict, it only makes sense that she decided to write paranormal romance books. She also loves setting her stories in real locations throughout the South. She adores the places she grew up in, and she can't wait to share that Southern charm with y'all.
C. J. is currently working on two free books she plans on giving to all her subscribers, so keep your eyes peeled for updates regarding Banished and A Siren’s Sacrifice at www.cjbeaumont.com.
Possessing the Alpha, C. J.’s first full-length novel, hit the USA Today Bestseller list alongside many other amazing stories in the Fated Mates Limited Edition Collection boxed set.
Also by C. J. Beaumont
Standalone Stories
Wish by C. J. Beaumont & April Canavan
The Blood Hunter Chronicles
Becoming the Blood Hunter (Short Freebie!)
The Blood Hunter’s Dragon
Southern Shifters Saga
Banished (Short Story) - Coming Soon
Outfoxing the Alpha
Possessing the Alpha
Seducing the Alpha - Coming Soon
Claiming the Alpha - Coming Soon
Redeeming the Alpha - Coming Soon
Possessing the Alpha: A Wolf Shifter Romance (Southern Shifters Saga Book 1) Page 14
