Wicked Wolf

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  He frowned then looked between her and Quinn’s home. “Why are you heading out in the middle of the night? Is everything okay?”

  She nodded, burying the lie. “I’m just heading back to my den for the night.”

  He sighed. “It’s going to suck losing Quinn to the Redwoods, but it’s not like you guys are far away, you know? I’m just glad he finally has a chance to be happy.”

  She nodded and pasted a smile on her face. “I’m sorry he had to make that choice.”

  Lorenzo shrugged. “Well, it had to happen. It’s not like we can have mated pairs across Pack lines. That would just lead to more issues than we can deal with. It used to happen all the time when the Talons were mating frequently.” He smiled softly. “The fact that you and Quinn are mating at all is a miracle. A blessing from the moon goddess. I guess the council was a good idea after all.”

  She kept her smile up, but she knew her eyes held her pain. She couldn’t help it. Lorenzo’s smile fell, and he took a step forward.

  “Damn. What’s going on Gina?”

  She shook her head. “I…I need to go back.” She sucked in a breath, knowing she had to say something. “Tell Gideon Helena’s back. Will you?” She knew Quinn would get to it, but with his attention on Jesse, it would take time. Plus Helena was crawling around the den right then, and Gina wasn’t happy about that fact.

  Lorenzo’s eyes widened, and he cursed. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He looked between her and Quinn’s house again. “Gina. Don’t go. Quinn needs you.”

  She took another step toward her car. “Just tell Gideon. Okay? I need to go back to my den.”

  “Gina.”

  “Please, Lorenzo. I can’t…not tonight.”

  He sighed but didn’t move forward. “I’m so goddamn sorry, Gina. Just because Helena is here, though, that doesn’t mean you’re not still mated to Quinn.”

  She looked over her shoulder and gave him a sad smile. “Doesn’t it? I’m not sure about anything anymore. Good night, Lorenzo.” With that, she got in her car and headed home.

  Home to an empty house with packed-up boxes and nobody to welcome her when she stepped inside. It was a shell of a dream that might never happen.

  She’d mated with Quinn to save his son and because, if she was honest with herself, she wanted the man. She’d done the stupid thing and fallen in love with him and the family they could have had.

  She knew she shouldn’t have done it, and now there was no way out.

  She’d mated a man she shouldn’t have loved, and now his past was back to bite her in the ass. Fate royally sucked.

  * * * *

  She’d left him.

  Quinn still couldn’t believe Gina had just walked out of the house and hadn’t said a word. He sighed and shook his head. No, sadly, he could believe that. He’d done nothing to show her that she should be with him. He’d only shown her the door and hurt her. Sure he’d been on the verge of trying to open up, but that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

  He was an idiot, and now he had to pay the consequences. He’d been so scared about getting hurt again, he’d hurt the one person who had given up everything and asked for nothing in return.

  He didn’t deserve Gina, but now he’d make sure he did everything in his power to make it work. He might have been slow on the uptake, but there was no way he’d let Gina out of his grasp. She was good for his soul, good for his son, good for their Packs.

  As soon as she came back to the den that afternoon, he’d talk with her and sort it all out. He didn’t have another choice—not if he wanted to make things work between the two of them. They were mates, and he wasn’t going to change that. He just prayed she didn’t want to change things herself.

  “You ready to go?” Gideon asked as he came up to his side.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  As soon as Quinn had found out Gina had left, he’d walked outside only to find Lorenzo standing there with a sad expression on his face. He said Gina had left, and he’d called ahead to make sure she made it out okay. Quinn could only be grateful that Lorenzo had thought to protect his mate when he couldn’t. Lorenzo had also mentioned the fact that he’d called Gideon to tell him about Helena.

  Quinn should have done it himself, but he’d been so out of his depth he’d focused on Gina and Jesse and not the very real problem that Helena was back, not only in the area but on Pack land.

  Apparently an old friend of hers had let her in without alerting the Enforcer or anyone else in the Pack. That friend wouldn’t be punished since, technically, he’d done nothing wrong. Helena hadn’t been banished from Pack land. She’d simply left. Only there was nothing simple about it.

  Now that the entire den knew Helena was back, they’d quickly rounded her up, and now there would be a Pack circle to decide what to do. She’d almost killed two Pack members when she’d escaped before and had broken her Alpha’s trust by severing the bond.

  There had to be repercussions. At least that’s what Quinn hoped. What was interesting about all of this, though, was that Gideon hadn’t been the one to call the Pack meeting. No, the elders had done it.

  Quinn hadn’t heard of another time that the elders had done such a thing, but he knew it had happened in other Packs. The elders had the power to call meetings, though the Alpha would be the one to lead it. The laws were written by the Alpha since his word was law, but the elders held sway as well. The fact that these particular elders were close to the former Alpha didn’t sit well on Quinn’s shoulders. There was nothing he could accomplish by worrying, however, so he’d go to the circle, find out what would happen to Helena, then find Gina and tell her he wanted a future.

  All in a day’s work.

  “Do you know what you want the outcome to be?” Gideon asked, his voice low as not to carry.

  Quinn frowned and looked at his Alpha and friend. “I want Helena out of my life forever. I don’t want her near Jesse. She almost killed him. I want to forget Helena was ever part of my life and move on.”

  Gideon nodded. “With Gina.”

  “With Gina,” he said without hesitation.

  Gideon’s eyes warmed. “That’s a dramatic change from the way you acted before.”

  “I was impulsive before. I can’t deny the pull I feel for her. If I’d seen her before all of this happened all those years ago, there wouldn’t have been a second thought.”

  “That second thought hurt the hell out of her.”

  He flinched at his Alpha’s words. “Yes. And I’m going to do my best to make it up to her.”

  “Do you love her?”

  Quinn swallowed hard then let out a breath. “I…I think I could. It’s too soon for me to say that. And when I do? It needs to be to her, not to someone else.”

  “Good for you, man. Good for you. Now, let’s get this show on the road, and then we can deal with the other thousand things we have to do for the Pack and your mating bond.”

  Quinn groaned. “It’s never-ending.”

  “Hey, at least you aren’t Alpha.”

  “True. And thank the moon goddess for that.”

  Gideon flipped him off then prowled into the stone circle that acted as their Pack circle as well as mating circle in those times of need. It was the first thing that had been established when the Talons settled here all those years ago. The amount of magic that had been bled and beaten into the stones after centuries of ceremony and honor was staggering. No doubt the Redwood circle, which was slightly older, was even more magical.

  He stepped into the circle then froze as a familiar scent reached his nose.

  He turned and frowned. “Gina?”

  She gave him a small wave but didn’t smile. “Your elders called me personally to be here. I wasn’t too pleased with a summons from a Pack not of my own, but if it’s for you, I’ll do it.”

  He reached out and cupped her face, pleased when she didn’t back away. “You slay me, Gina.”

  She leaned into his hold but didn�
��t stand on her toes to kiss him like she had before. “Don’t say things like that. Please.”

  He shook his head then lowered his lips to hers. She didn’t kiss him back, but she didn’t lean away. That was something at least.

  “You are remarkable. Will you stand by my side during this?” His wolf wanted her in his sight at all times, and the man didn’t want to do this without her.

  She looked pained but nodded. “Okay. Is Jesse with you?”

  “No, he’s with some of the maternals and other children. All of the Brentwoods had to be here, or he’d be with them.” He let out a breath. “I don’t want him to see Helena. I don’t want him to hear the excuses she’s bound to make.”

  “Quinn, she was your mate. Are you sure you can move past that? Because you didn’t before.”

  He growled softly, but it was at himself, not her. “We will talk about the mistakes I’ve made with you and how I’ve treated you poorly once this is over. I will make it up to you, Gina. Everything. As for Helena? I don’t want her.”

  Gina didn’t look as though she believed him, and he knew he had a long journey in proving himself to her. After all, it had taken him far too long to realize that he wanted what fate had provided for him—Gina. And now he had to pay the price for that hesitation, for that denial. He’d do that readily as long as he got to have Gina by his side.

  Only he didn’t know if he deserved that. He’d just have to see.

  “We’re going to be late,” she said softly then pulled away.

  His wolf nudged at him, and he gripped her hand. She looked down at their clasped hands then up at him before turning back toward the stone entrance. They walked into the circle as a mated pair, and he prayed that it symbolized something more than just an easy walk.

  There was no one in the center of the circle yet, but most of the Pack had taken their seats. The Brentwoods were in their royal box, with the elders on the other side of the circle in theirs. Quinn pulled Gina toward the Brentwood area and stopped directly beside it. He was a lieutenant, so it was his job to protect the Alpha. This circle was about him and his past. He needed to be close to the action.

  “Let’s begin,” Gideon said when they were all seated. His voice boomed over the circle. That low growl that always seemed present in his Alpha’s bass forced his wolf to pay attention.

  “Yes, Gideon, let’s begin.” The elder leader, Shannon, glared at the Alpha as she spoke. The woman had never liked Gideon and his modern ways. Modern meant Gideon was less brutal and more fair, but that wasn’t the point at the moment.

  Shannon raised her chin and waved her arm. At that signal, Helena strode into the center of the circle. To anyone else, his former mate looked contrite, solemn. Yet Quinn knew her better than that. Or at least he thought he did. There was something off with the way she held herself, as if she was trying too hard to appear small. Helena wanted something, and it wasn’t him or Jesse.

  Most likely, it was Pack protection, and that annoyed him like no other. The years hadn’t been kind to her. While she hadn’t aged since she was a wolf, she had a few new scars and a frantic look about her that told him she hadn’t had the time of her life like she’d wanted to outside the Talon wards.

  Well, fuck her and everything she stood for. He wanted her out of his sight, but he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy. It was never easy.

  “You’re not Pack, Helena,” Gideon growled, and she flinched. “You made sure of that when you not only cut the connection between your mate and son, but you severed Pack ties.”

  Helena let her tears fall, yet Quinn felt nothing for her. He squeezed Gina’s hand, trying to put his thoughts and feelings into that one motion. She didn’t squeeze back.

  “I made a mistake all those years ago,” Helena said, her voice cracking.

  Quinn growled but stopped when Gideon shot him a look.

  “What was your mistake? Using dark magic to do something so taboo that no one has ever done it before or since? Or maybe it was almost killing Quinn because of your selfishness? Hmm? Oh, I know...it was when you almost killed your newborn baby because you couldn’t handle it. Instead of coming to me or any of us, you ran away and broke away form the Pack. You betrayed us. You betrayed your son. You betrayed your mate. You betrayed yourself.”

  Quinn sucked in a breath at his Alpha’s words. Damn, Gideon was pissed and yet was saying everything that had rolled through Quinn’s head countless times.

  “I’m sorry,” Helena whimpered.

  “She made a mistake, Gideon,” Shannon crooned. “Every wolf is allowed to make a mistake. She wasn’t banished back then, so it must not have been too bad.”

  Quinn’s eyes boggled, and Gina squeezed his hand.

  “I want my mate back,” Helena said. “I want my son. I was out of my mind when I left, and now I know I’ve made mistakes, but I want my son and Quinn. The moon goddess blessed us, and I can’t keep away from them any longer.” She turned toward the rest of the Pack, pleading. “I’m a mother. Can’t you see that? It was the witch who made me do what I did. It was her power. I’m a victim just like Quinn and Jesse.” She fell to her knees, her cheeks stained with tears. “Please. Let me have my baby. Let me have my mate.”

  “Unbelievable,” Quinn growled then pulled his gaze away from Helena to stare at Gina. “Don’t believe her. She’s lying.”

  Gina met his eyes and sighed. “A witch couldn’t have taken the threat between your souls without Helena’s free will. At least that’s what I think, but she’s here now, Quinn. Wouldn’t she be better for Jesse in terms of the bond than me?”

  Quinn growled and opened his mouth, but Shannon beat him to the punch.

  “Quiet, Redwood,” she snapped. “You’re here to see the mate Quinn should have had. Don’t you see that you’re hurting a bond that came before you?”

  “Back off,” Quinn said, his voice low.

  “Know your place, wolf,” Shannon snapped.

  “Quiet. All of you.” Gideon raked his claws over the stone pillar in front of him, and Quinn held back a wince. The Alpha was pissed. “Gina and Quinn are mated now, Helena. You’re too late. And even if you’d come earlier, you broke everything you could have had. It’s over.”

  “Not so fast, Alpha,” Shannon interrupted.

  “Excuse me?” Gideon said, his voice a whip.

  “Quinn mated both of them. This isn’t a trinity bond or a full threesome or that would be one thing. No, this is unprecedented. Technically, the moon goddess chose both Gina and Helena. We need to see how this plays out.”

  “Fuck no,” Quinn yelled. “I have a mate now. Fuck Helena and fuck whatever you think you’re doing.”

  “Quinn,” Gina whispered, pulling on his hand. “Don’t yell at the elders.”

  “I’ll yell at whoever I want to. They can’t tell me who to mate.”

  Shannon smiled, and chills slid down his back. “Oh. I believe I can. Or at least I can provide the way. You see, since you’ve mated both of them, that’s a sign of indecision. And you know what must happen when someone can’t decide between two mates.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gideon snapped. “A mating circle? You want Gina and Helena to fight in a mating circle?”

  Shannon nodded. “Yes. It’s the way of the wolves. You can’t change the laws, Alpha.” She narrowed her eyes. “Though I know you’ve tried.”

  Quinn pulled Gina to his side, wrapping his arm around her. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she put her arm around his waist. His wolf nudged at her, wanting to scent her and make sure everyone knew she was his.

  “You can’t make them fight,” Quinn said, trying to keep calm. This couldn’t be happening. This was ridiculous. “I’m mated to Gina. We have a bond. You can’t force her to fight for me when she already has me.”

  Shannon shook her head. “We’ve never had a case like this before, meaning we must follow the laws that closely resemble it. Helena has a chance to be your mate, meaning she must fight for it. B
onds, as we’ve seen, can be broken when, I mean if, she wins.”

  Did the elder really hate the new generation of wolves enough that she wanted to break him again? What the hell was going on?

  “Gideon. Do something.”

  His Alpha glared at Shannon then faced Quinn. “I can’t make up new laws on the spot, Quinn. Since the elders are forcing a mating circle, then it will have to be done.” He narrowed his eyes. “This will not be happening again though.”

  “Well, bully for the next person,” he spat. “What about now? I’m not forcing her to fight for me.”

  “There’s nothing I can do,” Gideon whispered, looking for all the world as though the weight on his shoulders was too much to bear.

  And what if she didn’t fight?

  What if she left him standing there and broke the bond? Not only would it break him if she left, but it could hurt Jesse as well.

  Damn Helena.

  Damn himself.

  If Gina didn’t fight for him, he’d lose everything…everything he hadn’t known he wanted.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gina’s pulse pounded in her ears, and she had to struggle to breathe. It didn’t make any sense. None of this made any sense. She wasn’t even a freaking Talon, and now she had to follow an elder’s proclamation or risk losing the mating bond she’d just found in the first place.

  Holy hell, what was she going to do?

  Quinn put his hands on her hips and brought her back to his front. She shuddered out a breath, letting his scent wash over her. Her wolf was beyond in love with the wolf behind her and knew that they should be together through thick and thin.

  The woman was more hesitant.

  She’d had to be.

  Quinn put his mouth to her ear, his breath sending warm shock waves down her body—soothing yet putting her near a new kind of edge.

  “Let’s get out of the circle and head back to my place. We can talk then.”

  She nodded but didn’t turn, afraid that once she looked at him she’d give in and fight for a man who might not want her.