A Pack of Two

by Jacky Russell

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m creating problems for you here.”

  Oh, for God’s sake. “No, you aren’t.”

  “Did you fight with the wolves in your unit before I came along?”

  He had no idea. “Constantly.”

  “Really?”

  “They’re like my brothers. Of course we fight. Every day.”

  He looked surprised. “What about Cody?”

  “What about him?”

  “Do you fight with him?”

  Was he jealous of Cody? “I don’t talk to Cody much. He isn’t in Bravo. I call him when one of the pack wolves is in trouble and I can’t get Galen. He’s the Wisconsin Second.”

  Brown eyes bored into mine. “He likes you.”

  “He’s not my type.”

  Lucas’s eyebrows knitted.

  I caressed his jaw. “I like dark eyes, a bit of beard stubble, broad chests, strong hands, and Italian accents.”

  He grinned.

  “I like a man who knows how to sweep me off my feet while at the same time realizing I’m no helpless female.”

  He growled.

  “I like a man who is secure enough to let me be on top.”

  The growl got louder.

  “A man who will let me have my way with him.”

  In a blur, he carried me into the bedroom. Lucas sank beside me and put his hands above his head in mock surrender.

  I crawled on top and kissed him. His hands rubbed along my legs until I caught them and placed them back above his head.

  “Stay.”

  His grin was devilish. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I slowly unbuttoned his shirt and ran my fingernails along his chest. He writhed on the bed. Power filled the air as he moaned softly. Following the path of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants, I nipped the top of his jeans.

  His breaths came in short pants as I pulled his pants to his knees.

  No underwear. Yummy.

  I fondled his sac until he was ripping the sheets from the bed.

  “Oh God, Breanna. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t wait.”

  My hips moved against him, my heart pounding. His eyes were bright, heated with passion as he cried my name over and over, his body convulsing in time with mine.

  The colorful bursts of stars slowly receded until I found myself staring at the sweaty, chiseled chest of my werewolf.

  He rolled onto his side so our noses were inches apart. “I’ll kill my father if that’s what it takes to be with you.”

  “You don’t want to do that.”

  “If that’s the only way, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  He meant it. Every word of it. I could see it in his eyes. “What if I come to Italy?”

  He kissed my forehead. “Italy isn’t safe. Italian Pack territory has an open-kill policy on witches. Besides, you can’t leave Bravo.”

  Actually, he was sort of right. I had just re-upped for five more years for Uncle Sam and the Divine Council. Those contracts were ironclad.

  “I thought the Divine Council had outlawed open-kill policies.”

  He bowed his head. “The Council discourages it, but werewolves set their own laws within their territories.”

  “What about Tristyn’s mate? She’s a witch.”

  “When they come to the Italian Pack territory, it is usually straight to my house. My father has forbidden the Italian wolves from engaging Tristyn or Alexandria.”

  “He did that for you?” Wow, maybe the ole asshole wasn’t as bad as I thought.

  “Tristyn’s father threatened a war between vampires and werewolves in Italy unless the Italian Pack agreed to leave Tristyn and Alex in peace.”

  Nope, I was right. Josef Benelli was a total asshole.

  “You don’t think if we explained the situation, your father would give me the same protection?”

  Lucas bit is lower lip again. “Honestly? No. I think he would send the wolves after you because of me. He has a chosen group of women from whom he thinks I should pick my mate.”

  I bumped his nose with mine. “Are they prettier than me?”

  His fingers trailed along my jaw. “No one is prettier than you.”

  Chapter 26

  Lucas

  I was staring at the phone screen when the faint smell of strawberries tickled my nose. I’d tried to call my father. He didn’t answer. My plane left in a little less than three hours and we would be leaving for the airport in a few minutes. Tristyn had left a few days earlier, flying out to Bulgaria to help Alexandria with some type of witch issue.

  “What’s up?” Breanna asked as her hand trailed along my shoulders.

  “I was calling my father to tell him I wouldn’t be home until the weekend.”

  She half scowled before kneeling in front of me. “Lucas, baby, we’ve talked about this. I’ll be there in ten days. If you stay here, you’ll only make him angry and that’s not something we need.”

  She was right. That didn’t make it any easier. Wolves didn’t leave their mates and my wolf was roaring.

  “I’m thinking about going lone wolf.”

  She didn’t bat an eyelash. “No, you aren’t.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  She scowled. “And where would we live, Antarctica? Even I know lone wolves can’t live in pack territory.”

  This situation seemed impossible. “I’ll talk to Galen about joining the Wisconsin Pack.”

  “And you are getting out of the Italian Pack how?”

  “I’ll fight my father.”

  “And how will you live with the guilt of killing him? And who will take over the Italian Pack? Under werewolf law, if you defeat the Alpha, you must take over leadership of the pack. Is that what you want?”

  My wolf rumbled impatiently. She was all I wanted. I wanted to wake up beside her and go to sleep with her curled next to me. Was that really too much to ask?

  “I could resign from Bravo and we could live in Italy,” she said with a completely emotionless voice.

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  That was not the right thing to say. Her eyes flashed and her face went fire truck red. “Let me?”

  I banged my head on the chair. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Exactly how did you mean it?”

  “I’m not making you choose between Bravo and me.”

  “You think I’d pick Bravo over you?

  “You’ve built a great career here. Bravo is your family. I know that.”

  I didn’t think her face could get any redder. I was wrong. She balled her fists and stormed into the bedroom. The house shook with the force of the slammed door. I swore under my breath and retrieved the recently repaired cuckoo clock that had fallen.

  Before I could go after her, Breanna reappeared, her face a stone facade. “We need to get to the airport so you can get through security.”

  When I reached for her hand I saw the faint pink streaks on her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I said as I pulled her into my arms.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled into my shirt. “Allergies.”

  I stroked her hair and held her. Leaving her was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and I wasn’t the only one struggling. She was much better at hiding the hurt than I was.

  “I could tell him my flight got cancelled,” I said, only half joking.

  She shook her head and reminded me of a schoolteacher chastising a child. “I’ll be there in ten days and we’ll deal with your father together.”

  Every time she talked about us doing something together, my wolf wanted to howl with pride. Not only had I found my mate, but she would fight with me.

  Mates were not common in the world of werewolves and even if a wolf did find his or her mate, there was no guarantee the mating would be a happy one. Most werewolf couples weren’t actual mates, just couples. Mates, once bonded through blood, linked life forces. It was the ultimate act of sacrifice and gave each mate the ability to pull e
nergy from the other.

  I’d never heard of a werewolf mating with any species other than werewolf, but I wasn’t exactly up on the social etiquette of werewolf mating practices.

  “I have something for you,” Breanna said as she reached behind her neck and unclasped a necklace. “It’s a guardian stone. Some people call them witches’ stones. It will get hot in the presence of black magic, so if you feel it getting warm, you need to get the hell away from wherever you are.”

  She placed it around my neck and fastened the clasp. I touched the cool green oblong stone. “It gets warm?”

  Her soft fingers covered mine. “Yes, in the presence of black magic. If it gets hot, you are in big trouble.”

  “Big trouble?”

  She nodded and her ponytail bobbed adorably. “Yes, heapum big trouble, kimosabe.”

  “Where did it come from?”

  Her smile faded. “My grandmother gave it to me just before she died.”

  “Baby, I can’t take this. It must mean the world to you if it came from your grandmother.”

  She lifted a hand to touch my cheek. “You mean the world to me. I can feel the black magic. You can’t. If there are Malandanti anywhere nearby, this stone will let you know soon enough you can get away from them.”

  To see this incredible woman here before me offering something so precious because she wanted me to be safe was a defining moment in my life. My father be damned if he wouldn’t accept her.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I nuzzled her hair. “I’ll keep it safe until you get to Italy.”

  She bumped her head against my shoulder. “You keep you safe until I get to Italy. I refuse to share my wolf with anybody, especially Malandanti.” She rose and pulled me up toward her. “C’mon. We gotta go if you’re going to make your flight.”

  The flight was uneventful. I would never forget the image of Breanna standing at the window waving and then the owl on the wing of the plane. She’d been stronger than me, forcing on a happy face and urging me to think about what we’d do when she arrived in Italy rather than the seemingly eternal ten days it would be before I could hold her again.

  We were spending Christmas together. I didn’t know much about Christmas traditions other than a big meal and presents. Breanna mentioned always wanting a Christmas tree. This year she would have one and I’d pull it up by the roots if that was what she wanted.

  Simon had filed the paperwork giving Breanna three weeks of leave starting in ten days. I wanted to take her someplace special while she was in Italy. Euro Disney wasn’t so far away and she loved that silly mouse. I made a mental note to call a travel agent.

  The plane landed and everyone hurried toward the baggage claim. My bag appeared and I grabbed it before rushing for the pretty blond customs agent.

  I was on the escalator when the smell of musk slammed into me like a freight train. My father knew I was coming back tonight, and that wasn’t him coming toward me.

  When the escalator lifted, four Italian Pack werewolves milled about near the newsstand. I bit my lip and allowed my wolf to surge. They weren’t here to give me a group hug and tell me how much they’d missed me.

  I made eye contact with the four werewolves as they turned to face me. The looks on their faces told me they felt my displeasure.

  “Lucas?”

  I kept walking as Ernesto Tandolinni fell into step beside me. He was a big wolf, standing a good six inches taller than me, and the informal leader of this greeting party.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  I gave him my most disinterested glare. “About what?”

  He reached out and touched my arm. I whirled and pushed him to the wall. “Do not touch me.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered with his eyes dropped. I quickly stepped back so as not to attract any more human attention. “I need you to listen to me.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. “What?”

  “It’s about Tessa.”

  “What about her?” I asked, more annoyed than anything. I hadn’t had a chance to call Breanna yet and was dying to hear her voice.

  “I want to challenge you for her,” Ernesto said with forced boldness.

  “Fine. Challenge won. She’s yours.”

  He was very confused by my answer. “You can’t do that. We have to fight.”

  “Why do I have to fight? If you want her, she’s all yours.”

  Ernesto shook his head. “No, the Alpha said I had to formally challenge you and we would have to fight the formal challenge before the pack.”

  “Fine, whatever. When do you want to do it?”

  “The rules are there has to be a full pack meeting and then we fight the challenge. The next pack meeting is Saturday night.”

  I bit my lip. I hated pack meetings. “Fine, whatever. I’ll be there for the challenge.”

  The other wolves were mumbling behind us. “Got something to say?” I growled at them. They backed away and averted their eyes.

  “Did my father approve your challenge of me?”

  “Yes, he told us you would be arriving tonight.”

  Wow, thanks for the heads up. The wolves were still there. “Anything else?”

  “I love her, Lucas. I want to be with her. You swear you’ll take this challenge?” Ernesto had never said more than two words to me and I had no ill will toward him other than he was a member of the pack. I understood the raw emotion in his voice and the desperation in his eyes.

  “I will be there and I have no interest in her.”

  I started away and he grabbed my arm. My wolf surged and I shoved Ernesto. “I told you not to touch me.”

  Ernesto’s eyes flashed silver and that sent my wolf into a rage. I fought to control the rage before I made a scene in the middle of the airport. Ernesto realized the danger and backed away. “I just want your word you’ll be there.”

  I glared at him rather than speaking. He moved to the side to let me pass. I needed to get out of here now, before airport security came scurrying.

  The group wisely decided to go the opposite direction. I found my parked SUV and quickly climbed inside the cold, dark interior. My wolf and I needed time alone, time to calm down, and time to call my mate.

  I had to wait fifteen minutes before my hands quit shaking enough to punch the buttons to call her. I had no personal issue with Ernesto’s challenge, but any time a wolf called me out, my wolf responded tenfold. It was the way of the wolf world–survival of the fittest, the strong prevail.

  Breanna answered on the first ring. Her voice was salve for my soul.

  “Hey, baby, everything okay?” she asked. She should have been asleep, though she sounded fully awake.

  “Everything’s fine. I got through customs without much hassle.”

  She took a deep breath before responding. “What happened?”

  “Not much, the bags were a little slow coming down but I knew the customs agent.”

  “Lucas. Tell me what happened.”

  I fidgeted with the steering wheel, trying to decide if I should tell her about the challenge. I didn’t want to upset her, nor did I want to make her think there was more to this challenge than there really was.

  “Lucas,” she said. “If we are going to make this relationship work, you have to trust me to handle the truth about whatever happens. No sugar-coating and no leaving stuff out. Now, what the hell happened?”

  I told her and she listened to every word. I thought she might be upset or angry. She stayed cool and calm.

  “Are you all right with the pack meeting before the challenge? I can hop a transport tonight and watch your back if you need me.”

  My mate was fearless. “I hate pack meetings but they aren’t dangerous.”

  “Are you going to fight that wolf?”

  “No. I’ll show up and yield to him. He wants Tessa and he can have her.”

  “And what’s your father going to say?”

  “Nothing I care to repeat in the presence
of a lady.”

  She laughed. “That’s fine, but you can tell me. We both know my vocabulary.”

  I caught myself smiling. “It won’t be good. He’ll say I’m being a coward, that the son of an Alpha should take every challenge seriously, yadda, yadda, yadda.”

  “Hmm, I guess the yadda, yadda, yadda part is the Italian cussing, huh?”

  Some of the tension left my body and my wolf calmed during my conversation with her.

  “How did you know something happened?” I’d been wondering about that since she first asked what had happened.

  I could hear her smiling. “Gut feeling. Maybe it’s that mate thing settling in?”

  Something was settling in, that was sure. Just hearing her voice soothed my otherwise impossible wolf. “Probably. The mate bond does take some time to click into place, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

  * * * *

  “What do you mean you aren’t going to fight him?” my father roared through the phone. “You’ve been challenged and you will fight.”

  “Fine, whatever,” I mumbled in response. There was no need to argue. He wouldn’t listen to anything I said.

  “You’ll be attending the pack meeting?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there.”

  “Good. There are rumors of Malandanti activity in the area and I want the pack to be aware of the danger.”

  I stopped working on the purchase order on my desk and stared out the window. “Yeah, about that. Breanna thinks there might be a link between Niccoli’s disappearance and the Malandanti.”

  “Breanna who?”

  “Master Sergeant Breanna Welker from Bravo Company.”

  “The witch?” Josef huffed. “What the hell would she know about that?”

  “I talked to her and she had some ideas about finding Nic.”

  My father ground his teeth. “Why would you be talking to a witch about pack affairs? You know better than that.”

  The phone slammed in my ear and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know my father was on his way over. I glanced at the clock. Maybe if the traffic slowed him, it would take forty-five minutes for him to leave his office and reach mine.

  I smelled the musk and my stomach sank. My father had been in the building when he called.