Dalton stood over Randell’s headless body and released his wrath in a final, deafening roar. On his next exhale, he shifted back to human form and turned towards Terri and Joyce.
Joyce was leaning heavily on Terri, but she was standing up. Her grimace became a crooked smile when she saw him.
“Hey,” she panted.
“You're hurt,” Dalton said, his voice raw and feral. “You...”
Joyce waved a hand. “He just scratched my back, that's all. Superficial wounds.”
“You saved me,” Terri said. “He was gunning for my neck. You were real fast, Joyce. Before I could stop you, you were in front of me.” Terri shook her head and scolded, “Don't you dare do that again, Joyce!”
“I...”
“I'm a werebear,” Terri continued sternly. “I can heal faster than you. So...”
“But you still feel pain, right? So it makes no difference. It's pain all the same. I won't let you get hurt,” Joyce said fiercely.
Dalton went to Joyce and kissed her hard on the mouth. “I'm sorry, Dalton,” Joyce blurted as soon as he released her. “I shouldn't have let him in...”
Dalton turned to stare at Felix, who was still lying under Tony's boot. “It's not your fault. He would have found another way to get to you.”
Tony tapped his boot, and raised a brow at Dalton. Just say when.
But Dalton shook his head at his brother. Felix might be a scumbag, an unethical, unscrupulous man, but he was human. Dalton wouldn't kill a weak, defenseless human in cold blood. He wouldn't hesitate to take another shifter on in a fight to the death. But he wouldn't kill an unarmed human. And he didn't want Joyce to witness the murder of her ex-husband. That would cast a shadow over their relationship, and he didn't want this piece of shit to be haunting them from the grave. He wanted him gone forever from their lives.
“Terri, can you get Joyce home and have her wounds tended to?”
He spoke without much inflection but Terri felt the quiet authority in his voice.
“Yes, Beta,” she said immediately and fished out her phone.
“Come on, Tony. We've got two deliveries to make,” Dalton said, picking up Randell's head by the hair.
“Yes, Beta.” Tony grinned and grabbed Felix's collar.
“Well, it looks like I'm just in time. You can load the cargo in my car. What? Aren't you all glad to see me?”
Everyone turned at Brad's voice.
“Brad! What the hell are you doing here?” Tony asked.
“Cole sent me.”
“Cole? How did he…?” Tony trailed off and turned to narrow his eyes at his mate. “Terri...did you tell Abby about this?”
Terri shrugged. “I messaged Abby and Lisha on our way here.” She ignored Tony's glare and leaned in to whisper to Joyce, “We girls have a chat group. I'll add you in. We talk about everything. We're always the first to know the latest news. We're connected. Unlike the men,” she added pointedly, making a face at Tony.
Brad laughed. “Yeah. Lisha told me about it just a minute before I received Cole's call. Cole wasn't worried. He knew you'd take care of it. But Abby and Lisha were worried sick.”
Dalton clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “All right. We'll load the human and the head in your car.” He tossed Terri the keys to his Jaguar and smiled. “Off you go.”
Joyce gave him a quick kiss and whispered, “Be careful. Come home soon. Please.”
“I will. I promise.”
After Terri and Joyce left, Dalton stuffed Felix into the boot, together with Randell's head, and gave instructions to Tony and Brad. “First, the wolves. Then the Stormland leopards.”
“Got it.”
As Brad drove, Dalton spoke to Cole briefly on the phone. He told his Alpha exactly what had happened and what he was planning to do.
“I'll put a call in to Hanford now,” Cole said, referring to the Crimson Wolves Alpha. “I'll let Hanford know that you're bringing the head of his Beta to him.”
“Thanks, Cole.” Dalton put the phone away and turned to Brad and Tony. “We should be in and out of the Crimson Wolves' territory in a few minutes. They wouldn't want the news of their Beta's sordid deal and ignominious death to spread.”
Brad snorted. “We should just put his head on a stick and let it rot in the town square.”
“Yeah. When the other packs see how the Crimson Wolves have been humiliated and defeated, they'll all be plotting an attack on the Crimson pack. The Crimson pack will be torn apart and all their territories swallowed up before you can even sneeze!” Tony said, rubbing his hands.
Dalton nodded. “Hanford knows that. Any pack or clan that is seen as weak will be preyed upon and destroyed. By delivering Randell's head to Hanford, we are sparing his pack.”
“They don't deserve to be spared,” Brad growled.
“Delivery isn't free,” Dalton answered smoothly. “Upon taking delivery, Hanford will have to write off the debt owed by Felix. He'll tear up that forged guarantee document as well as my undertaking to pay off the amount on Joyce's behalf. Nothing will be hanging over Joyce's head any more, and I won't be paying those dirty wolves a single cent.”
Tony chuckled. “That's gonna hurt. Those wolves love money more than anything!”
“You gonna deliver the human to the Stormland leopards?” Brad asked.
“Felix owes those leopard a huge sum of money. It's only fair they make him pay,” Dalton deadpanned.
Brad clucked his tongue. “The sorry bastard will be wishing you'd thrown him to the wolves instead. Those leopards are...” He gave an exaggerated shudder.
“Sharks” Tony finished for him.
“Yeah. The Stormland leopards always collect their debt. Those rumors...aren't rumors. If a debtor can't pay, they simply slice him open and sell his organs. They sell everything, every bit, every drop. In some cases, they even make a tidy profit and collect more than the debt amount.” Brad said, shaking his head. “They're loan sharks and they're the best and the most brutal in the business.”
Dalton nodded. “The Stormland leopards are like pirates, with honor. They carry out their loansharking business openly, and they let you know their terms upfront. They'll come after you, and you alone, for your debt. They won't go after your family, your loved ones, your pack or clan for your debt. Just you.”
“Just for the Stormland pack, we'll waive our delivery fee,” Tony said.
“It's always good to have more allies than enemies, little brother,” Dalton said approvingly.
Tony punched his arm. “My big brother, smart as hell. I'd have just killed the piece of shit outright. You protected your mate, and the clan as well. Well played, Beta. Well played.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Perfect! That looks great!” Joyce clapped as Cole and Brad put up the banner.
Abby and Terri stopped blowing up the balloons for a moment to admire the lively banner. “I love those colorful squiggly lines at the sides. Very artistic!” Terri declared.
Joyce laughed. “Oh, those were made by Daren and Rita. Those two are great at hand painting!”
“And face painting,” Abby said. “You should have seen their faces after they were done. I don't know how Lisha managed to scrub all that paint off them.”
Joyce turned when Connor gave a shout, “Catch them! They're going to fall off!”
Connor and Curtis were carrying a long table between them, and Brad's twin cubs were gleefully sliding from one end of the table to the other.
Quick as lightning, Jason leaped over balloons and streamers to scoop the two rascals up in his arms.
“Gotcha!”
Bruno went to help Connor and Curtis set up the buffet table as Jason entertained the kids and kept them out of everyone's way. Most of the clan members were here early, helping Joyce get everything ready for the party. The grandmother bears were having a cook-off in the kitchen, whipping up all sorts of amazing, impressive dishes.
&nbs
p; Joyce waddled into the kitchen and headed straight for the stove, but Lisha and Amanda, Curtis and Connor's great-grandmother, shooed her out. “Oh no you don't. No tiring yourself out. You just sit down and rest.”
“Go put your feet up, dear,” Amanda ordered.
“Your ankles are swollen.”
“My fat feet don't bother me. I'm used to them.” Joyce rolled her eyes and huffed, “I'm pregnant, not crippled.”
“Get your rest now, while you can. You'll be running after your cub soon enough,” Lisha advised.
Abby and Terri finished blowing up all the balloons and came to join the women in the kitchen.
“Smells wonderful,” Terri sniffed the air longingly. “My stomach's rumbling already.”
“Where's the cake?” Abby asked.
“In the fridge. Joyce baked it herself, and it's beautiful,” Amanda said, turning back to the oven with a grin. “I can't wait to have a slice. I love cake!”
Joyce's grin turned into a grimace as the baby did another somersault in her belly. “The little rascal thinks my belly is his personal gym! He's been kicking and punching and rolling non-stop. He won't keep still, not even for a minute. He's just so active!” she groaned, clutching her belly which was wobbling and jiggling as the baby stretched and did a few more kicks and punches.
“Bear cubs are like that,” Amanda told her. “When they were cubs, Connor and Curtis were just unstoppable. They terrorized the whole family.”
The women chuckled. “All right. Everything's ready. Shall we get the food on the buffet table?”
“Where's the birthday boy?” someone asked.
Joyce checked her watch. “He should be here any minute now. Tony's gone to get him.”
*
“Why did you end the meeting?” Dalton grumbled in the car. “We haven't hammered out the details of the deal yet.”
“We can discuss the details later. These guys have been supplying us with quality decking for years,” Tony said, keeping his eyes on the road and on his watch.
Dalton nodded. “Yeah, I know we can trust them. But...why do you keep looking at your watch?” Dalton narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his younger brother. “And why are you driving like a maniac?”
“We're late.”
“Late? For what?” Dalton asked as Tony screeched to a halt in front of his house.
Tony didn't reply, just hustled him towards the house.
“For this.” Tony grinned as he threw the door wide open.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Dalton!”
Dalton's jaw dropped as he stared at his family and clan members all crowded in his living room. A loud banner hung from the stairs, wishing him a very, beary happy birthday.
His cousins came up to him and slapped him resoundingly on the back. “Happy birthday, Beta!” his clan hooted as they released streamers and balloons.
A broad grin split Dalton's face. “Thank you! My God, what a surprise! I never suspected a thing. You guys are good!”
Everyone laughed delightedly and started talking at once.
“Your mate planned the whole thing.”
“She roped us all in!”
“It took months, but we're good at keeping secrets, aren't we?”
Dalton's heart swelled with pride and love when he saw his beautiful mate coming towards him. Her swollen belly pressed up against him when she leaned in to kiss him.
“Happy birthday, DJ,” she whispered, her eyes shining.
Dalton swept her into his arms and kissed her. “I love you, JD.” He put his hand on her round belly and felt his son give a swift kick against his palm to express his displeasure at being left out. “Both of you,” he added with a chuckle.
As everyone trooped towards the buffet table, Dalton hugged Joyce to him and whispered, “Thank you, darling. This is a wonderful surprise!”
She smiled as he bent down to talk to her belly. “It's Daddy's birthday today, son. Now let me give you a big wet kiss.” Joyce giggled as Dalton kissed her belly noisily.
Cole and Abby came up to them with plates of food. “Have you decided on a name?” Abby asked.
“Yes,” Dalton and Joyce answered together. They shared a private look and smiled.
Tony, who was hovering behind them, pushed forward and prompted, “What? Come on. Tell me my nephew's name.”
Joyce blushed a little as she said, “We decided that our son would have our initials. JD and DJ.”
“Oh, your profile names on that dating site! That's so awesome!” Abby gushed.
“So what's his name?”
“Jon Dallas Jameson,” Joyce announced proudly.
“That is so cool!”
“I love it!”
“Me too!”
Dalton's grin grew impossibly wider as he looked around. This was one hell of a party.
The whole house was filled with the glorious smell of food, and voices and laughter filled every corner of his home. Dalton could hear the cubs' high-pitched squeals and laughter as they played and chased each other around the house. His clan members were up to their pranks as usual, and riotous laughter and bellows could be heard.
Dalton put his plate down and looked around for his mate. He suddenly realized that Joyce wasn't at his side. She had slipped off while he was laughing and joking with Cole, Brad and Tony.
“Has anyone seen...” he began.
The lights dimmed suddenly, and Joyce walked out of the kitchen with an enormous cake. The light from the blazing candles threw a golden glow around her, and Dalton literally forgot to breathe.
She never failed to take his breath away.
“Let's sing the birthday song!” Curtis hollered.
“Oh yeah!” Connor agreed. “One, two, three...Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you...”
The whole clan belted out the birthday song with gusto. The singing was loud and enthusiastic, rousing and completely out of tune.
But to Dalton, it was the most beautiful, joyful sound.
Joyce put the cake down on the table and went to kiss him on the cheek. “Make a wish,” she smiled.
He looked up from his mate's sparkling green eyes, and saw his family and clan all gathered around him. These were people who stood by him, supported him and loved him. And they were all here to share his joy and his life.
Taking a deep breath, Dalton smiled and said, “I already have everything I've ever wished for. But...I'm not going to waste my birthday wish.” He paused and said solemnly, “I wish to have a slice of this delicious cake.”
The whole clan cheered when Dalton blew out all the candles in a single breath.
Dalton held his mate's hand and grinned. “Now to make my wish come true. Let's cut the cake!”
~ End ~
About the Author
Natalie Kristen is a writer who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark, the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances. She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her blog for the latest news and updates.
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A Mate For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Alpha Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 4) Page 7
