by Maia Dylan
Chris felt a spike of pride rock through him. That was the Noah he knew and the older brother he looked up to. Angel gave a small smile then nodded.
“Sperm donor? Yeah, I like that description.” Angel settled back against the couch and leaned into Chris as he tightened his hold on her. “Then I discovered I was pregnant and things started to get weird and really intense. His father was livid that I was carrying Jeremy’s child, and the night Jeremy told him about it they had a huge argument over it. Jeremy claimed that he wanted our baby, and he was going to leave with me to start over. That he wanted no part of his father’s council or plans.
“The fight turned physical, and well, Jeremy got hurt, really bad. As I said he was a latent shifter but his father wasn’t, so the fight was fairly one-sided. I remember hearing his father roaring, then glass breaking and nothing but Marsha’s sobs. She may be the senator, but it’s Silas that really runs everything. Jeremy was rushed to the hospital and as far as I know he’s still there.
“When Silas returned, he started to threaten me. Telling me that there was no way I was going to get Jeremy to marry me, and when I told him that I didn’t want that, and that I just wanted to leave he got this feral look in his eyes. He slapped me with a partially shifted hand.” Angel raised her hand to the left side of her face which sported the scar that ran from her temple and reached almost as far as her collar bone.
“He told me that if Jeremy couldn’t be what he needed him to be then perhaps my baby would offer him another chance. He basically locked me down after that. I found Rowena’s practice in the building next to the doctor’s office where I went. I made up excuses to go to the doctor and went to Rowena instead. I figured if I could somehow make myself be stronger that I would be able to escape.” Angel’s voice dropped away to a whisper toward the end.
Chris’s heart ached for his sweet mate who had endured so much. The room was silent for a moment and Chris struggled to find the words to tell Angel that her story didn’t change what they thought of her one bit. That if anything, it only endorsed what they already knew, that she was a fighter with a strength that only added to her beauty.
“Well damn, Angel, you managed to get yourself out of a seriously fucked-up situation, find help in the form of a doc with a need to get the hell outta Dallas, too, and get to the safest damn place on this planet for you and that little pooping bundle of joy currently clocking up the z’s in the corner,” Ty said as he leaned forward to gesture toward Mateo’s bassinet. “Add to that the fact that you gave birth to said pooping bundle in the middle of a pretty intense situation and managed to get the call for help out at the same time, pretty much puts you in the same bracket as goddamn superheroes!”
Maybe not the words Chris would have used but they had the desired effect. Angel’s cheeks reddened with pleasure and her smile grew.
“Yep, my baby has such a way with words.” Faith patted a grinning Ty on the cheek then turned to look at Angel. “Damn, girl! You have no idea how much I idolize you, right now. You actually found the strength to get yourself out of a situation you knew was not going to end well for you.”
Angel was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and was very reminiscent of when she first arrived in Grey River.
“So, are you thinking that the douche bag that left that letter for you is part of this whole history you have with the Williams family?” Faith asked gently.
Angel frowned for a moment. “Yeah, I can’t think of anyone else I have pissed off so much that they would come here and leave something like that for me. Hell, I hardly left their property the entire time I was there!”
“Well, there are a few things in your story that we need to follow up on, Angel,” Ty spoke as he stood to start pacing the room. Having known him all their lives, Chris knew he was a pace thinker. “Silas Williams is a leopard shifter and is the head of the Shifter Council and in fact has been since Jeremy was born.”
Chris knew about the council but their names were only privy to the shifter pack alphas. He didn’t know why, but thought it might have something to do with keeping them safe.
“If Silas is a part of this, then it could get big, bad, and ugly real quick. Jonas and Zeke Foster are already outside, and will walk patrol till morning and Rhys and Jay are heading over as well. We’ll put together a roster and make sure that there is someone outside at all times.” Ty turned and shot Angel a grin. “Damn, Angel! The Fates bringing you here for Noah and Chris is one thing, but I think you are going to be a catalyst to bring order and change to our way of life that is way overdue!”
* * * *
Noah knew exactly what Ty was thinking and although he agreed that change was needed within the council and he was more than willing to be a part of it, he didn’t like the fact that Angel would potentially be playing a role in it at all.
“That’s a lot to put on, Angel, Ty, especially with the baby to look after and from the sounds of it, a dangerous link to one of the most powerful shifter families in the country. I do agree with you on one point, though. That link will most likely see Silas heading this way at some point,” Noah said. “But this note with the biblical reference of vengeance, that’s not Silas’s style.”
“No, it’s not.” Ty’s narrowed eyes leveled on him and Noah knew he had made a tactical error with his alpha. “But I am curious, Noah, as to how exactly you would know that?”
Ty knew the answer to that so Noah stood silently, his eyes never leaving Ty’s, and waited for the eruption.
“Fuck, I should have known,” Ty grumbled as he reached into his pocket and took out his billfold. He drew out a twenty-dollar note and passed it to his mate, who grabbed the money with a maniacal giggle and clapped her hands in glee. Although that was not a word Noah had used, ever, it was exactly the right word for Faith’s reaction. Not exactly the explosion he was expecting.
“Ah, Ty?” Chris asked with his own eyes narrowed and leveled at Noah. “You want to share with the rest of the class because some of us are sitting here a little none the wiser.”
Noah closed his eyes for a brief moment. He had known he would have to share with Chris what he had been doing. But given the fact that Noah had promised Chris when he came back from Afghanistan that his days of stepping into the line of fire were over, he had a feeling Chris wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Noah, are you going to fill your little brother in or would you like me to, because you know how pretty I talk,” Ty’s voice came to him on the common link their alpha had with all the males in their pack. Not bothering to answer him, he nodded slightly.
“I’m an Enforcer.” Noah figured it was best just to come right out and say it.
“What’s an Enforcer?” Angel asked quietly, and Noah shot her a quick glance. She still looked a little pale, but sat as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He guessed that old saying a problem shared is a problem halved was true in this case.
“An Enforcer works for the Shifter Council,” Chris answered and Noah heard the anger in his tone and it mirrored what he was getting from their bond. “They hunt rogue shifters and work to keep peace and order within shifter packs. They put themselves in the line of fire and do all the fucking dirty work for the council. Isn’t that right, Noah?”
“In a way,” Noah answered.
“Are you here because of Silas?” Angel’s quiet question hit Noah like a punch to the solar plexus. Damn. It actually hurt that Angel would think he would be here for any other reason than to protect her.
“Yeah, Noah, are you here at the beck and call of your master like the hired fucking dog that you are?” Chris spat the words at him and Noah had to breathe through the anger that spiked quickly within him.
“Chris, that’s not—” Angel started to say but Noah needed to set a few things straight.
“No, asshole, I’m not. I’m here because you called me to help protect ou—your mate.” Dammit! He saw Angel flinch as he corrected himself. Would he ever be able to be arou
nd this woman without hurting her? “I’ve met Silas Williams exactly two times and on both occasions I found him to be an obnoxious prick with an overinflated ego.”
“That sounds about—” Angel tried to speak again, but Chris interrupted her this time.
“Hell, Noah, he sounds like the perfect match for you! Did you work in a team or on your own? No, wait. You don’t have to answer that, I know the answer already. You worked by yourself, relying on your own damn stubbornness to keep yourself alive. They called you Gambit in the marines, right? Because you were always the first card played? Hell, that must have been the dream job for you, no partner, no one to have to depend on, just you and your own damn ego!” Chris stood up, his face hardening as he basically spat the words at Noah with venom.
Angel stood up, too. “Chris, I think—”
“Yeah, Chris, I worked alone. It was easier that way. All I had to do was get the job done and without having to rely on anyone else meant that I would fucking survive to see another day! The only damn person I can rely on to survive is me! I learnt that lesson the hard way and fuck you for thinking you know anything about it.” Noah felt his anger surge. What a fucking little upstart to think he knew anything about anything that had to do with Noah’s past.
“Don’t know anything about it! Is that what you think, you arrogant prick?” Chris stepped forward so that they were only an arm’s length away from each other. Noah felt his wolf stretch inside of him and his skin felt tight. He was an alpha and another wolf was challenging him and he didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
“Every damn time you were scared, or angry or just fucking homesick, I felt everything down that bond! I know that you were almost fucking killed on that last mission, and that somebody you trusted betrayed you and almost got you killed.” Noah’s heart stuttered at Chris’s words. “And for some fucked-up reason you decided that it was better to take yourself off, fucking run like a damn cowar—”
“I am no fucking coward! I’ve stepped in front of bullets and stood toe-to-toe with murderers to protect your fucking way of life, you ungrateful son of a bitch!” Noah heard a noise in the background but it became lost behind his anger.
“I said coward and I fucking meant it! You think I don’t get that you spewed that vile shit out about Angel the night Mateo was born because you were afraid! But I don’t fucking care anymore!” Chris roared and Noah saw his wolf in his eyes, and knew he was as close to turning as he was. They were about to throw down in a big way and nothing was going to stop them from—
The piercing sound of a baby crying in distress broke through his rage and had him blinking in surprise. He stared at Chris and saw him doing the same thing. Where they were and who else was in the room came crashing back to him on a wave of self-recrimination and shame. Jesus, how could they have carried on like that?
Noah quickly cast a glance around the room and saw that the only audience that remained in the room to see two grown men start bitch slapping at each other verbally was Angel, who held a sobbing Mateo over her shoulder. At the sound of Mateo’s deep sobs and gasping breaths Noah wanted to cut out his own tongue.
“Angel, I—” Noah started to apologize softly but stopped at her look. Her eyes blazed with anger, and her face was no longer pale. Nope, now it had a heightened red color that no doubt matched her anger. She was livid. And fucking beautiful.
“Angel, baby, please—” Chris tried but was cut off with the same look and a shake of her beautiful head.
“No, neither of you have the right to speak in my house. I have revoked that right as of this moment.” Noah could hear the anger in her tone, but it was muted no doubt in reverence to the little boy she was rocking in her arms as she rubbed the palm of her hand against his back soothingly.
“As of right now, you are not welcome in my house. Either of you. How dare you speak like that to each other? You are brothers for god’s sake so why don’t you start acting like it. I have spent the last six years of my life around family who treat each other like that and I will not be around it, and you can sure as hell bet I will not have that around my son.” Angel’s voice remained calm and soft, but it couldn’t have held more weight if she had screamed the words.
“I may have triggered the Quickening in you two and hell, yeah I felt something snap between the three of us when we first met, but Fates be damned if you think I have no say in what happens to me and my future.” Mateo had settled back into sleep in her arms, but would stutter a breath every now and then that sliced Noah to the quick.
“There will be no mating between us. If I didn’t need to have the strongest men in the pack around me to protect my son from some crazy son of a bitch spouting biblical references and threatening vengeance upon me, then I would not allow you back here until you got your shit together. But I don’t have that luxury.” Angel moved toward the door that led back to the bedrooms and Noah’s whole body trembled with the need to follow her. “You can patrol the outside of this property but I will not have you inside my home until I know I can truly rely on you as a team to protect me and my son. Now, get the hell out of my house.”
With her head held high, his mate, the one woman who would complete him, the one who already owned him and everything he was but just didn’t know it, walked out of the room and took his heart with her.
Chapter 4
Chris followed Noah down the stairs and felt numb. He had fucked up twice tonight with their mate and he felt like shit. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by two pissed off females and their grim-faced mates.
“I have never in my whole life been witness to such a juvenile and shameful display. You two were so busy airing out your own insecurities and yelling at each other that you didn’t even hear that beautiful woman beg you to stop.” Rowena took a deep breath as her voice broke. “A woman who wouldn’t hurt a soul and who has had to shovel other peoples shit for too damn long, begs you both to stop fighting and to listen to her. But you chose to ignore her. Do you have any idea what that can do to a woman’s confidence?”
“Why the hell didn’t you both just whip out your dicks and grab a ruler?” Faith folded her arms and glared at the two of them. “It would have been less painful for Angel and sure as fuck less embarrassing for your sorry asses.”
With one final glare the two stormed past them and walked up the stairs. Chris was thankful that they would be there for their mate.
“You two had better head out back, and sort this shit out,” Trent said, his voice edged with anger. “You’ve hurt your mate, and in doing so you are splitting your focus. You both should be solely concentrated on finding the threat to her—”
“—and fucking ripping his spleen out through his esophagus,” Ty finished for his twin. “Instead of fighting and hiding secrets from each other and acting like fucking pussies, not to mention scaring the hell out of that little baby.” Chris tilted his head to the side in submission as Ty’s dominance filled the room, aware that Noah followed suit.
“Now, before I decide I had better beat some goddamn sense into both your asses, take Trent’s sage advice, go out back, and sort this out. Now!” Ty growled the last word and there was a whip of dominance behind it.
Chris nodded then walked out of the house, down the steps, and out into the forest with Noah on his heels. As soon as they stepped into the tree line he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of the forest. Walking to a small clearing, he turned to face Noah, and the two stood there for a few moments.
“I’m not sure if we should shift and fight, or stay human and talk this through,” Noah said as he pushed his hands into the back pocket of his jeans, a gesture Chris knew to signal that he was nervous. Hell, he knew all of Noah’s characteristics and nuances just as Noah knew his. There was something else Chris was pretty damn sure of, too.
“I think that a discussion would work in my favor more than a shifted fight with a trained assassin so I choose door number two.” They grinned at each other
and Chris felt some of the awkwardness dissipate.
“What happened over there, Noah? You came back different, and you wouldn’t talk to me,” Chris asked and watched as his brother’s grin dropped away and a stone wall fell in its place. “Shut that shit down, Noah. No more masks, no more lies, just tell me what happened otherwise we are stuck here and can’t be the men that beautiful, wonderful woman upstairs deserves.”
Noah swallowed and Chris watched the façade fall away. Chris waited as Noah took his time, gathering his thoughts. He could sense Noah’s nervousness and anxiety radiating down their bond.
“It was exactly like we talked about for the most part. Lots of death and destruction, needless suffering and endless days of not knowing what you would face or what you would have to do to survive it.” Noah’s voice was flat.
“You were right. My call sign was Gambit because I always went in first. I got a reputation as a tracker and a fighter that never gave up or lost. After my first tour I was approached about joining a special ops team, so when I re-upped I signed onto that group. For the most part it was an endless adrenaline rush and I felt like we weren’t just fighting a faceless enemy, but taking missions that, if we succeeded, made a difference to the whole war effort. We were a team of five and we clicked. We became like brothers, not as close as you and I, but I thought we were like family.”
Noah’s face suddenly filled with anger. “But apparently my definition of family and theirs is completely fucking different. The team was set up legitimately by the CO for all the teams so I had no reason to believe the work we were doing was anything but righteous. I found out the hard way on our last op that my direct superior, a latent shifter we called Bear because he was so fucking huge, was running his own missions and using our team to do them.
