United

by Maggie Walsh

  “Exactly. How the hell was I supposed to claim a ten-year-old? That’s just…so wrong on so many levels. They made me court her. She was such a sweet little thing. She was so cute and nice. We did become friends and got very close. She told me how scared she was when they told her about our mating and how she was still frightened thinking about being claimed at twelve. I told her that there was no way I was going to allow them to do that to us. We went on courting for those two years and getting closer, but more in a brother and sister way, you know?

  “So the day came of my eighteenth birthday, my father came to me and told me that all the arrangements had been made and at midnight, during the full moon, which was that night, that I would claim Wendy in front of the whole pack. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was bad enough they wanted me to claim a child, but now they wanted me to do it in front of the whole pack. I told him there was no way that I was going to do that. He got really mad and started beating me, telling me what an ungrateful pup I was. That if I was going to take over the pack someday then I would have to be a man and do what my Alpha said, without question. He said Alphas had to make the hard decisions and do what was best for the pack.

  “I told him I didn’t want to be the next Alpha. Never did, never would. But he insisted that as his firstborn that the pack would be mine. Once I mated Wendy and impregnated her, then on our child’s first birthday, he would stand down and give me the pack. I was so horrified. He left me beaten and bloody on the floor and told me that I was expected at the hunting grounds at ten to make all the final arrangements with Wendy’s family and to get instructions on how we were to do the ceremony.”

  “Wait…Lexi.” Bailey looked at him, wonderstruck. “You’re Alexander? Alexander Lombardi?”

  Lexi’s eyes got sad and he looked down. “Yes,” he said and sighed heavily. He looked back up at Bailey. “I am Alexander Benito Stefano Lombardi. The firstborn son of Alpha Nicolo Lombardi.”

  “That means…that…you’re royalty, Lexi,” Bailey said in awe.

  “No, my father is royalty, my brothers are royalty, but I am not,” Lexi answered sadly.

  “But the Lombardis were one of the first wolf families to come to America. Your father was a prince back in Italy.”

  “Yes, he was, but it’s not the life I wanted, Bailey. I was expected to mate that child and impregnate her. Then my father would step down and hand the pack over to me and retire back in Italy. There was no way I was going to do that to Wendy. I couldn’t do that, and I already knew I like boys.”

  Bailey could see how upset Lexi was getting as he spoke. Bailey climbed on Lexi’s lap, straddling him. He wrapped his arms around Lexi’s neck and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories, mate,” Bailey whispered.

  Lexi hugged Bailey tight and buried his face in Bailey’s neck, inhaling him deeply. Lexi held on to Bailey for a few minutes before loosening his hold, but not letting him go. He moved back just enough to look into Bailey’s eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong, love. You’re my mate and you deserve to know my past, too. It just guts me every time I think about what happened with Wendy.”

  “I’m sorry, Lexi,” Bailey whispered as tears began to form in his eyes.

  “Thank you, pretty baby,” Lexi replied. “It’s just a painful memory for me, but you were brave enough to share your pain with me, so I want to share my pain with you. There are only three other people who know who I am and where I came from. Only Micah, Raith, and Taylor know my story.”

  “Well then I am truly honored to be among such an elite group,” Bailey said with a hint of a smile.

  Lexi smiled back and kissed him tenderly. They separated and Lexi sighed. He looked deeply into Bailey’s eyes as he told his story. “When the sun went down, I packed a bag and sneaked from the house. I went to my boyfriend’s and tried to convince him to run with me, but he was afraid. I didn’t want to leave him behind, but I knew I had to get me and Wendy out of there. So I sneaked to her home and I peeked in the window. Her mother was there explaining sex to her and telling her what was expected of her that night and in our mating. She looked so scared, so…terrified. When her mother left the room, I whispered for her, and she saw me and ran to the window. I told her that we needed to run like we had discussed. It was time for us to go. She ran and pulled a satchel from under her bed and ran back to me. She climbed out and we took off for the woods. We had been running for about three hours when we were surrounded by my father’s enforcers. They grabbed us and dragged us back. They brought us to the hunting grounds where the whole pack was waiting. They tied me to a post in the center of the field.”

  “Oh my gods,” Bailey whispered in shock.

  “They placed Wendy on a flat slab in the center of the field, in front of me and they tied her to it. My father told me it was my last chance to do as he said or pay the consequences. I told him I wouldn’t do it. She was a child and it was wrong. What they were doing to her was wrong. My father gave his enforcers a signal and they dragged my boyfriend from the woods. He had been beaten and bound. His eyes were swollen almost shut, his lips were bleeding, and his body was just a mess. They threw him to the ground at my feet. He looked up at me with pleading eyes, begging me to do as I had been told, so as to spare his life. I wanted to save him, but not at the expense of destroying another. I looked at Wendy as she lay there tied up and gagged. She was crying, her eyes were full of terror, and her body was shaking so bad.

  “How was I supposed to choose one life over the other? Don’t claim Wendy and my boyfriend would die. Claim Wendy and she would be ruined for the rest of her life. I looked at my father and I told him I would do as he wished. I would claim Wendy and take over the pack. He believed me and had his men untie me. I stripped off my clothes and I stepped up to the slab. I just stood there frozen, staring into Wendy’s eyes, waiting for the right moment. Finally it came. My father stepped close to me and began to whisper in my ear. The more he spoke, the angrier and more disgusted I became. It was what I was waiting for. The anger not only took me, but also my wolf. I shifted and attacked my father. He didn’t expect it and I was able to get my jaws around his throat. But I forgot one major detail,” Lexi said in a far-off voice.

  “What was that?” Bailey asked softly.

  “The enforcers were so close that it only took a moment for them to drive their blades through Vincent’s chest. He lay dead on the ground and I wanted to bite down on my father’s throat and have him join Vincent in the afterlife. The enforcers brought their blades to Wendy’s throat. I used the pack link and told them that I would kill their beloved Alpha and take over the pack as my right, if they didn’t let her go. One bite and I would be their new Alpha and I would make each and every one of them pay for what happened there that night and then I would turn my vengeance on their families. I wouldn’t stop until they had all paid for their part in what was happening.

  “My father told them to let Wendy go, so they released her. I told my father that it was over. Wendy and I were leaving and they were not to stop us or try to bring us back. That the moment I left I was going to call on the council to inform them and my ancestors that I bested my father in a challenge. If he tried to stop us or kill us, the council and my family back in Italy would hunt him down for disgracing our family name. He conceded and I shifted back and got dressed. I used my link to the council immediately as I stood there so my father could hear and know that I was serious. They let us leave, and Wendy and I made our way to the council. It took us a long time by foot, but we made it. They took us in and protected her and began training me as an enforcer. I learned fast and I was good at it so they began my training as a kill soldier. I fought for the council to make a law that no one could be claimed until they were eighteen. After hearing my and Wendy’s story, they agreed. I spent many years with the council and I watched Wendy grow into a beautiful woman and fall in love. She mated and they moved away.

  “But the council, like all other wolves, didn’t belie
ve in gay wolves, so I had to keep that a secret all those years. Then one day I heard a few of the council members talking about a group of wolves and vampires coming in to sanction the council for a pack made entirely of gay wolves and a coven made entirely of gay vampires. I couldn’t believe my ears and I made sure I was on duty the day they came. That’s when I met Micah, Dante, and the rest of them. The council approved their request and I stepped forward and asked if I could join their pack. The council members scoffed and told me they couldn’t lose a valuable enforcer. So I told them I was gay and tired of hiding it. Micah welcomed me into his pack and I left with them the next day.”

  Bailey sat there speechless just looking at Lexi. “So that’s why you are so patient and understanding with me. You were the one responsible for that law, and the laws on matings.” Lexi smiled and nodded. “You are such an amazing man, Lexi. With everything you went through and everything you gave up, and then you fought to make laws that protect us…I am in awe of you, mate.” Bailey pressed his body to Lexi’s and hugged him tight.

  Lexi closed his eyes thinking about what their birth pack was like today now that his brother was no longer in power. Maybe Micah would allow him and Bailey to have some say in who got to lead their birth pack now. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the ass with karma for both Lexi and Bailey’s families? The thought made him smile. He would have to ask his Alpha about that.

  Chapter 12

  “Who’s up for some football?” Xander yelled out across the yard.

  “Oh yeah, I’m in,” Crew answered and jumped from his seat.

  “Are you going to play, sweet baby?” Gabriel asked Taylor.

  Taylor turned and gave his mate a look of surprised horror. “Are you mad? Me play football?”

  Gabriel laughed and gave Taylor a squeeze. “Yes, you play football. I bet you would be good at it.”

  “And what pray tell would make you think that? Is it my fabulous ensemble or my twinkish figure? Maybe it’s my lack of any athletic ability whatsoever,” Taylor teased.

  “No, it’s because I know how much you like to bust balls.” Gabriel smirked.

  Taylor smiled at his mate and gave a soft laugh. “Well, while that is true, I prefer to bust people’s balls with my tongue.”

  “I know,” Gabriel growled and pressed his lips to Taylor’s neck and nipped him. He pulled back and looked at Taylor. “Come play football with us.”

  “As much as I love balls flying at my face, those aren’t the kind,” Taylor said with a smile. “But you go on and play. Make sure you’re on the skins team so I can sit here and drool while I play out sexy porn images in my head of you and me and a sex dungeon.” Gabriel growled and attacked Taylor’s lips.

  “Come on, Taylor. Let’s play some football,” Bastian called.

  Taylor pulled back from Gabriel’s lips. “No thanks, I prefer the balls in my mouth, not passed to someone else and slammed to the ground when they reach their destination.”

  Bastian laughed as he shook his head. “Let’s go, Gabe. Show off that hot body for your mate. Show him all your moves.”

  “Oh I know all his moves. Like when he moves me to the table and fucks my brains out, or when he moves me to the window and presses me flat against it and drills my ass, or how about the move…”

  “Okay, sweet baby. I think they get the picture.” Gabriel laughed and walked away.

  “Now I’m getting a picture, too, so hurry this game along so we can get back to our room and make some moves of our own,” Taylor yelled after him. Gabriel turned his head, looked over his shoulder, and winked at Taylor.

  “You’re so lucky.” Taylor heard the voice behind him. He turned to find Sage standing there.

  “And why is that, you sweet young thing?”

  “I’m not that much younger than you, Taylor,” Sage admonished teasingly. “And you’re lucky because you got yourself one fine man who accepts you for just the way you are.”

  “You’re right there, Sage. My man is the best, and someday you will find the perfect man for you. One who will accept you for who you are. Don’t settle for anything less, you hear me? Even if it’s your mate. Always be who you are and if they want to be with you or in you”―Taylor laughed and threw an arm over Sage’s shoulders― “then they need to accept your fabulous self as is. And, honey, you are fabulous exactly the way you are.” Taylor kissed his head and smiled.

  “I’m so glad we found this place. Now I can be who and what I want to be and not have to worry about anyone judging me and making me feel like a freak. And I found you and Raffy, and the Alpha mate who all help me to accept who I am.” Sage wrapped an arm around Taylor’s waist and gave him a squeeze.

  “You’re a part of this crazy family now, Sage, and we love you for who you are always. Oh hot shit on a stick,” Taylor gasped.

  Sage followed his line of sight and then licked his lips. “Now that’s what I call a vision of heaven. Ouch,” Sage drawled.

  The enforcers, vampires, and fae warriors were tackling each other and half of them had no shirts on. A shirtless Storm passed the ball to Dare. He caught it and took off down the field with a shirtless Cass and Gabriel running after him. “Oh the visions of sugar plums dancing in my head,” Taylor whispered and Sage laughed.

  “I like plums,” Noah said from Taylor’s other side and bumped him with a hip and gave Taylor a big smile.

  Taylor laughed, “Oh I know you do, you naughty fairy you.”

  “I never understood how men like to run around on a field, chasing after a ball, getting all sweaty,” Aaron chimed in. “There are so many better ways to get all sweaty and better balls to play with.”

  “You can play with my balls right now, lover,” Rory said as he pressed his body to Aaron’s and kissed his neck.

  “Behave, baby boy. At least until Raith comes off the field,” Aaron said and kissed Rory.

  “So,” Taylor said and looked over his shoulder toward the tables. “How long is Viktor going to keep Adam like that?” Adam was kneeling by the chair that Viktor had vacated. His hands were bound behind his back, his legs were tied together, and he had a ball gag in his mouth.

  “He’s being punished.” Rory snickered.

  Sage’s eyes went wide. “Punished for what? I didn’t know mates could punish you. Poor Adam.”

  “Oh no, Sage sweetie. No poor Adam. Adam is right where he wants to be. He and his mate are a D/s couple,” Taylor explained.

  Sage’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Really? Like a real Dom and his sub?”

  “Yup, and they both couldn’t be happier. I told you, sweetie, we don’t judge anyone here,” Taylor said. “Look at his face. He is in blissed-out heaven.” They all turned to glimpse at Adam. “So what did he do this time?” Taylor asked as they all turned their attention back to the football game.

  “He came when he wasn’t supposed to and cursed as he did it.” Rory snickered.

  “Don’t be so happy about that, baby boy. You would be in trouble, too, if you came without Raith’s permission, and if you curse, you know your ass is getting a spanking,” Aaron said and swatted Rory’s ass. Rory yelped and Raith spun around to look at them. “It’s nothing, sir, just teasing,” Aaron called out.

  “You guys, too?” Sage asked in shock.

  “Not a D/s, but our big, strong mate loves to control everything in the bedroom and we like to give it to him. And he hasn’t disappointed us yet, isn’t that right, baby boy?”

  “Not once,” Rory purred and rubbed his body against Aaron’s.

  “So when is this damn game over? I’m fucking horny as hell now,” Taylor complained.

  “When are you not horny, Taylor?” Raffy teased as he walked up to them.

  “Good point,” Taylor said and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Yeah well at least you all get to go inside and fuck your mates’ brains out. I have to go home and jerk off with Mary palm and her five sisters.” Sage pouted. They all burst out laughing.

  “Oh my poor, S
age,” Taylor cooed and kissed his head. “It sucks to be you.” Sage smacked Taylor’s stomach and then joined in their laughter.

  “Dante!” Dale screamed from where he was sitting, talking with Evan and Syn. He jumped to his feet and started running toward his mate. They all looked at him and saw the terror on his face. “Dante! Dare! Stop! They’re coming!”

  “Evan, gather up your boys,” Taylor yelled.

  “Jana,” Raith yelled to the fae warrior. “Open a portal and take Evan and his boys out of here, and stay with them. Rory, Aaron, grab Adam and go with them. Enforcers, warriors, get ready for attack.” Raith began calling out orders.

  Micah and Jesse ran out from the house. “Who is it, Dale? Who’s coming?” Micah asked as he and Jesse ran into the middle of the field.

  “The same ones who destroyed the house the last time. The big guys with the evil faces,” Dale explained.

  “The Nephilim,” Raffy said fearfully.

  “Get all the mates out of here,” Micah ordered.

  “No, Micah,” Jesse said calmly and touched Micah’s arm. Micah looked down at him in confusion. “We must all stand together to defeat our enemy, remember? Evan and his boys must go, but the rest of us need to take a stand…together.”

  Micah looked at him for a minute and then nodded. “Jana, get them out of here.”

  “Wait for Bailey!” Lexi called out as he and Bailey ran from the house.

  “No, Lexi. I need to stand with you,” Bailey pleaded.

  “Bailey,” Lexi said and cupped his face. “I know you want to help, but you don’t have any powers, pretty baby, and these Nephilim are big, mean, and strong as fuck. Please, baby, please, go with Evan,” Lexi begged. Bailey nodded as tears escaped his eyes. Lexi kissed him quickly. “Thank you, baby. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Alexander. Please come back to me. Don’t leave me here in this world alone,” Bailey cried.

  “You will never be alone again, Bailey. I will do everything in my power to come back to you, but now you have to go.”