by Dannika Dark
“Shut your fucking mouth!” Ben shouted, pointing his finger at me.
Wheeler slowly grabbed his wrist and moved his arm down. “If you ever point your finger at Naya again, I’ll break it off.”
The door opened and Austin pushed himself inside. “What’s going on in here? I told everyone to go outside and Reno to start the fireworks so they wouldn’t have to hear this bullshit. I don’t want our pack drama to ruin this party.”
“Ben came on to my woman,” Wheeler stated flatly, his eyes still on Ben.
Ben looked at Austin apprehensively and held up his hands. “Look, it’s a party and we’re all drinking. I had on my mask, things got carried away…”
Austin stepped forward and folded his arms. “Carried away? One of the golden rules of this pack is that under no circumstances ever—and I mean ever—do any of us go after a claimed woman. Out of respect for her, your brother, and this family. Trust and loyalty aren’t just words we toss around; they mean something. If you can’t respect that, then we have a serious fucking problem.”
“Tell him,” I said to Wheeler.
His eyes were downcast, and I knew he was struggling with the truth, fearing what it might mean for his future. Wheeler drew in a deep breath. “A month ago, I would have covered for Ben, but this shit can’t go on any longer. I have Naya to think about now, and if the truth means leaving this pack, then at least I won’t be alone. Maybe that’s what I’ve been afraid of this whole time—being alone. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to do anything from here on out that’s going to hurt my mate,” he said, glaring at Ben. “Fuck you for dragging me into this. I’ve hated myself for long enough.”
Ben shook his head. “You’re making a big mistake. Do you think Austin is going to see it the same way you do? Your ass is out on the street. How can you turn your back on me? I thought we were brothers; I thought we could trust each other.”
“Trust?” Wheeler snapped. “You’re not my only brother in this pack, Ben. But I’ve bent over backwards my entire life for you, and I owe them the truth.”
“What truth?” Austin asked, looking between the two.
Oh God, I knew how much his family meant to Wheeler, and this kind of deception could have terrible repercussions. It broke my heart to see the fractured relationship between two brothers.
Wheeler leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “Years ago, I gave Ben a job as my assistant. Thought I’d get him into finance since he had the smarts and it paid well. But he wouldn’t stop gambling, and then I found out he was posing as me so he’d have an extra line of credit. Because we looked alike, he drew my money out of the Breed bank and did other things behind my back while impersonating me.”
When Wheeler gave Ben a cursory glance, I understood the meaning. Ben must have seduced Wheeler’s women. I couldn’t imagine the feelings of inadequacy Ben felt watching his twin succeed where he’d failed.
Ben slumped into a chair, his eyes vacant.
Wheeler continued. “He played against the wrong men and they wanted him dead. The only way out was to exchange myself for him, and the next thing I knew, I was in a cage. That’s right. Your brother fought in cage matches for a year. I gained a reputation as an undefeated champion—a killer. Wolves, black bears, panthers—you name it. These tattoos are the story of my life, but they also cover up my scars.”
Austin blanched and dropped his arms to his sides.
“I got all this after I escaped,” Wheeler said. “Wanted to make sure we never got mixed up again. Maybe Ben brings in some serious cash, but it comes at a price. You don’t know how many times I’ve had to bail him out when he bet more than he should have. How could I turn my brother away? Some of those dirty bastards wouldn’t hesitate to drive him to a river and toss him in with a bag of concrete attached to his ankle.”
“Is this true?” Austin asked Ben in a quiet voice, not even looking at him.
Ben didn’t reply.
Wheeler kicked his heel against the wall. “So guess what happened the other night when I ended up in the cage again? You got it. That was me saving Ben. Maybe he’s right and I’m just a worthless bastard, but you need to know the truth. Ben needs help. I’m not saving him anymore; I’ve got my woman to think about now.”
I touched Austin’s shoulder. “Please listen to him. He’s not asking you to choose, but this needs to stop.”
Austin pulled his mask off his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s going to stop, all right. Starting tonight. I want you out of my house. As of this night, you’re still my brother, but you’re no longer a member of the Weston pack. I’m officially revoking your status as a packmate.”
Wheeler hung his head and moved toward the door.
Austin’s arm flew out to block him. “Not you. Ben.”
Chapter 26
“You can’t do this,” Ben argued. “Not without hearing my side!”
“Oh?” Austin said, clenching his jaw. “And what’s your side of the story?”
Ben stood up and lifted his chin. “We all help each other out in this pack. Every single one of us. Someone’s in trouble? I go help.”
Austin cocked his head to the side. “I seem to remember ordering you to guard the property a few years back when we had a problem with a rogue pack. You left the house and Ivy was hit by a car.”
Ben shrugged. “So? Look how it ended up. She met Lorenzo and now they’re happy.”
“Are you kidding me?” he shouted. “She could have been killed! Were you gambling?” Austin stepped forward and the room became electric with his alpha power. Even I stepped back. “A wrong doesn’t become a right just because it all ends well.”
Ben looked down. “Okay. I have a gambling problem. I’ll stop and get another job if you want, but you can’t throw me out just because I hit on his woman, or even because Wheeler helped me out. It’s always been his choice. You can’t blame me because he was a cage fighter! No one put a gun to his head and made him go.”
“Do you think this doesn’t hurt me?” Austin asked. “I’ve always looked up to you as my older brother. I look up to all of you. But I’m the Packmaster and have to do what’s best for the family as a whole. How do you think I feel, throwing out one of my own brothers? This pack isn’t about blood; it’s who has your back. It sounds to me like Wheeler has had your back for more years than I can count, and I already know his loyalty lies with the rest of us. Maybe I didn’t know this shit was going down, but now that I do, I have an immense amount of respect for him.” Then he snapped his gaze at Wheeler. “And no, you’re not off the hook for lying to me. You should have come to me. We don’t keep secrets in a pack, especially when it’s something that makes us weak.”
Wheeler lowered his head submissively to his Packmaster.
Austin’s voice sounded weary and wrought with pain. “Ben, I will always love you as my brother. You’ll still be invited to family functions, and if you want to hang out at the house, then the door’s open. We’re brothers, and I’ll never turn my back on you. But I can’t afford to have a weak link in my chain. Your foolishness could have killed Wheeler—twice! And Ivy, for that matter. Who’s next? No,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ve had more than enough chances to clean up your act. I hope you get help, and know that whichever pack you choose, I’m going to have a long talk with that Packmaster. You’ll get help one way or another. Just not here. You’ve done enough irreparable damage. Maybe it’s harsh, but you got off lucky being my blood brother. In any other pack, you wouldn’t have been as fortunate. And just so you know, had I caught you in here with Lexi? Well… I can’t promise that I wouldn’t have done something regrettable. Pack up and leave tonight.”
It was the right thing to do, but my heart broke for Wheeler. He looked discouraged, and his muscles were like granite beneath my touch.
Angry tears sprang to Ben’s eyes. “You can’t do this, Austin. Not to family.”
“I’m not cutting you out of our lives, or even our family.
But you can’t keep putting the pack in danger. That’s it. My decision is final.”
When Austin stepped aside, Ben walked toward the door. Wheeler reached out to touch his shoulder and Ben knocked his arm away.
“Go to hell. When the rest of the pack finds out what you’ve done, you think they’ll have any love for you?” he said, clearly hurt.
When he left the room, he did it with a dramatic slam of the door.
Austin gripped Wheeler’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “You okay?” He dropped his forehead against Wheeler’s. “Tomorrow we’re going to have a long talk, you and I. Maybe now I get where you’ve been coming from. You’re a man I respect, and a good example for the pack. Well… except for the tattoos. That dragon freaks the hell out of people.”
Wheeler shook his head. “I never wanted to break up the pack. I wanted him to change but didn’t know how to make him. I thought I could keep it under control.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Austin said, backing up a step. “Not unless you don’t complete your assigned duty by cleaning up the front lawn after the party—then my woman will give you something to be sorry about.” He patted Wheeler gently on the cheek. “Join the party. We’ll work this out tomorrow.”
When Austin left the room, Wheeler slid down to the floor, draping his arms over his legs. He grimaced and shed tears, and I allowed him a moment to grieve for the separation. Maybe now he’d realize that some people are beyond help if they’re not willing to help themselves.
I knelt down beside him and pinched at his stretchy shirt. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
I averted my eyes. “I’ve never been with a man who trusts me. I’m not sure how to feel about it, especially since you took my word over your own brother’s.”
His voice lowered and he wiped his wet cheeks. “I’ve never trusted him.”
I tugged on his black burglar shirt. “You have on the wrong outfit. Lexi chose the police uniform for you. Why did you swap with Ben?”
“Cops piss me off.”
“Well, too bad. I have a thing for men in uniform.”
“That why you came in here with Ben?”
I lightly pushed his temple. “I thought he was you. I found out soon enough that he wasn’t.”
“Was he… forceful?” Wheeler jerked his head to the side.
“All I saw was an insecure man desperate to prove he was the better brother. It didn’t have anything to do with me. Maybe that little boy inside him still sees you as the better half and that’s why he’s always tried to take what’s yours. But guess what? He was a terrible kisser.”
Wheeler’s eyes flashed up. “You kissed him?”
“I’d hardly call him mashing his sloppy lips against mine a kiss, but yes. He didn’t smell like you, or touch me the way you do. It only took a few seconds for me to know.” I stroked the patch of beard on Wheeler’s chin. “No one compares to my lover.”
“Think we ought to make this official with the papers?”
“Well, I suppose that would be the proper way to go about it, although I’m sure the Council will turn up its nose at our pairing.”
Wheeler sniffed out a quiet laugh. “Should we have kids?”
“Mmm,” I said, snuggling against him. “You want to make babies with me?”
“Someday. Unless you don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m not exactly father material.”
“I think whether we have a panther or a wolf, we’re going to have a beautiful child. With my good looks and your charming personality, how can we lose?”
He wrapped his arm around me and lowered his left leg. “What do I smell like?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you knew it wasn’t me because of his smell. So, what do I smell like?”
I nibbled on his ear. “Smoked meat. You need to stop eating that stuff.”
“At least it’s not raw meat.” He slipped his finger beneath a strap on my garter belt and snapped it against my skin. “This is sexy.”
“Do I have a smell?”
Wheeler pulled me so I was straddling him, and he kissed the base of my throat. “When you’re not bathed in that perfume, you smell like an oven full of hot sugar cookies.” His tongue glided across my skin and I lightly rocked my hips. “Better stop doing that,” he said, his voice husky.
“Why?”
The bristly hairs on his beard scratched at my neck as his mouth reached my ear. “Because it would be a damn shame for me to have to rip this costume off you when the party just started.”
“Save it for later then. Come on.” I stood up and gave him my hand. “Do you think Austin told everyone?”
Wheeler shrugged. “Guess I’ll find out when I get the stares or not.”
Outside, the sharp snaps and muffled booms of fireworks were sounding off. We stepped onto the front porch and glanced up at the dark sky. Giant sprays of white lights twinkled overhead like pieces of glitter thrown to the heavens. Then another that looked like a green mushroom.
I expected to see the children, but I only saw Melody on Jericho’s shoulders at the end of the porch. When I walked down the steps and glanced up, I noticed Maizy standing alone on the upstairs balcony with a melancholy look on her face. She watched the changing colors turn bright and then quickly fade until they were gone.
The front door swung open noisily and I heard footsteps as someone barreled across the porch. I caught sight of Ben just as he threw down his bag and took a swing at Wheeler. The crowd backed away and the fireworks cut off when someone yelled out. Wheeler knelt on the grass and looked up. Without warning, he charged at Ben. Their bodies twirled in the air in a dance of magic as they shifted.
Men standing nearby formed a shield between the two wolves and their women. A few people rolled their eyes as if they were used to seeing someone break the rules of a peace party.
Only in wolf form were the twins identical, and now I could no longer tell them apart.
Lorenzo joined me and pulled his mask on top of his head. “I can always count on the Weston pack to break the rules. This is becoming a tradition.”
The voices overlapped, but all I heard were two brothers going at each other’s throats. “Do something!” I shouted.
“Only Austin’s pack can break up this fight,” Lorenzo said. “Half his men are out in the field with the fireworks.”
“Where’s Reno?”
Lorenzo shook his head. “Probably protecting his human. Anyone who gets involved might involuntarily shift, and the last thing you want to do in this environment is turn packs against each other. They have to finish it out until they tire.” Lorenzo lit up a cigarette and chuckled lightly.
Jericho appeared on the porch above them, dressed like a pirate. He swung a bucket and a wave of water splashed onto the two snarling animals. The wolves backed up, startled by the cold dousing of water.
A few bystanders laughed and turned away.
“That should cool them off,” Jericho said.
The crowd gasped when one wolf lunged at the other, grabbing hold of his neck. He shook it, and the other wolf yelped, struggling to free himself but not attacking. Blood darkened his fur, and he fell onto his back.
“Holy shit,” someone said from behind me. “He went for the jugular! They’re going to kill each other for real.”
Without thinking, I pushed through the crowd. Someone hooked his arm around my waist and my feet came off the ground.
Austin jogged up, and the closer he got to the scene, the faster he ran. He locked his arms around the aggressor’s neck and pried open his jaws. “Let go!” he shouted. “Goddammit, Wheeler. I thought I could trust you.”
“No!” I tried to wriggle free and finally elbowed the person holding me. My feet touched the ground and I ran forward and fell to my knees. “Don’t hurt him! That’s not Wheeler you’re holding. That’s Ben.”
“How do you know?” he asked doubtfully, unable to say aloud what we both knew about Wh
eeler’s life in cage fighting.
The wolf continued snarling, his teeth wet with fresh blood.
Austin shook him hard and said in a commanding tone, “Submit.”
The wolf reluctantly stilled, but a low growl still rolled from deep in his throat.
I cradled the injured wolf’s head below me, stroking his ear. “Because Wheeler would die before hurting Ben.”
Austin looked around. “Who shifted first?”
“I saw it,” someone said. “The cop swung at the criminal, and then the criminal lunged at the cop. But it was the cop who shifted first.”
“Goddammit,” Austin cursed under his breath. He looked apologetically at Wheeler. “Is he okay?”
“He’s still breathing.”
Austin stood up and searched for William. “Escort Ben off the property. He’s no longer a member of our pack. Family meeting tomorrow at dawn. Wheeler and Naya don’t have to be present; they already know. Everyone, go back to the party, and someone tell Trevor to start up the fireworks again.”
“I’ll do it,” Reno volunteered.
Reno looked relieved to be getting as far away from the crowd as possible in his oversized puppy-dog costume with floppy ears and a tail. Lexi had a sense of humor that not everyone in the pack could appreciate.
“And what about Wheeler?” I asked as everyone wandered away, losing interest.
Austin knelt down and bent over him, stroking his hand over Wheeler’s eye. “I’ll never doubt you again, brother. Shift.”
Chapter 27
“Why can’t I open them? This is silly.”
“Keep them closed,” Wheeler said, his words laced with humor.
On the day after the costume party, Wheeler had chosen to avoid his pack and stay in the heat house with me. He didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t force him. He was in pain and the last thing he needed to deal with was judgment. While his position in the pack was secure, he was uncertain how the family would feel about what he’d done. Not just the fight, but the truth.
The whole truth.
