by Tamara White
“What is your name?” Pete calls, watching my wolf circle this man.
He looks up at Pete, “My name is Josh.”
“Josh, of the Tiern pack, my mate and I would like you to be the pack’s Beta,” Pete says, grinning when Josh stumbles back a step.
“Me? But I’m not one of the pack?” he asks, confused by this turn of events.
My wolf rubs against his legs nudging him forward until he drops to his knees. We face him, staring directly into his eyes as Pete says what I want. “You are more pack than any wolf I have met. You didn’t fight for your position, choosing to think less of yourself when you are much more. Pack or not, you are wolf and that is all that should matter. I jumped down here in my wolf form and not once did you flinch. You were ready to accept whatever fate I was to give you. That is the mark of a true leader. I would be honored to one day have you lead in my mate’s place, if you wished to.”
He stares into my eyes and I see the hope. I know I have made the right decision. As Beta, he will be responsible for leading the pack if Pete decides to step down. It may take a while for the pack to get used to the idea, but once they see the inner strength I feel Josh has, I know they will all fall in line with him as a leader.
Chapter 7
There’s shouting from majority of the pack. People are obviously not happy with our choice but too bad. I trust my instincts in this. Josh would make a wonderful leader. The pack can’t distinguish between born in the pack and taken in, it’s not right. No it’s disgusting. He’s just as much a pack member as any of them.
“Quiet!” Pete booms. Yet, it does nothing. Josh shakes his head sadly, “I told you.”
Well that’s not good enough. If my mate speaks then he will be heard. I stand to my full height and push my dominance through the pack ties. They all drop to their knees, submitting to me and my wolf, without hesitation. I didn’t want to exert my will over them but they left me no choice.
Josh crawls off the arena, dropping in front of me, showing his belly in the ultimate act of submission. My wolf whines, nudging him to his feet. We don’t want him on his knees in front of us. He deserves better.
“Josh, please sit up. Dani, doesn’t like you submitting to her like that. It’s not you she’s annoyed with. As for the rest of you, what is wrong with you? Your Queen has faith in this man to not only lead you in my absence but to lead you permanently if I chose to step down. Here you all are, griping like children because he wasn’t born into the pack. Well so what?! Just because he may be the son of a rogue wolf, doesn’t mean he’s evil.
“Everything that’s happened in the past few days, revealing just how sick and twisted Luke is, does it leave you feeling that Cam should be nowhere near the throne because of his father? No, it doesn’t. If anything, it makes Cam want to do better for his people because of what his father has done. What’s to say Josh doesn’t feel the exact same? He’s never been near his family and feels as if this pack is his family yet you all treat him like this? I’m ashamed to even call you my pack,” he spits out, disgusted by their behaviour.
I watch as the pack members let his words sink in and become ashamed by their actions. I loosen up my dominance, allowing the pack to straighten and face Pete. One of the females from the back steps forward, approaching Josh and I. She’s an older member of the pack, not that you’d know it by her beautiful features. Glossy black hair, dark hazel eyes and soft pink lips. She’s exactly what I’d imagine Snow White to look like, if she were real of course.
She bows slightly before me and faces Josh head on. “I’m sorry. Our Alpha is right. If you choose to lead us, I will follow,” she smiles softly, bending to her knees in submission. I watch as more members of the pack step forward and submit to Josh. He watches with awe in his eyes as if he never expected to be accepted into the pack.
Lily approaches his side, swinging her arm across his shoulders, “This young man has helped me with many things throughout my time leading the pack so I have the utmost confidence he will do well as Beta and someday, Alpha. For now, we will ease you into the responsibilities,” she smirks, giving him a comforting squeeze.
She leads him off to the side as Pete jumps down, landing at my side. He watches the rest of the pack, a look of challenge in his eyes. “If anyone doubts the choice of your Alpha Queen and her mates, then I invite you to step forward and challenge us now. No longer will there be anarchy in the pack. You will follow the people who lead you and let them guide you rather than initiate fights for power. Luke may have let that go on without issue but that’s going to change.
“The wolves who lead you and defend you, deserve your respect not to be under constant alert for challenges. How will they defend you if they are fighting you?” he lets the question sink in, smiling when some of the members seem to realize that if they were attacked and the pack was in disarray, they’d most likely die. Luke has left the packs alone for so long there’s no real order. It’s sad.
Pete lets Alpha power enter his voice as he continues, “My mate and I are issuing a decree. After today’s nominations, you have thirty days to issue challenges for a right to your place. After this time, no challenges can occur without the Alpha King or Queens say so. Is that understood?”
Damn! Watching Pete take control like this has me in shivers. My wolf is purring her approval, glad to see her mate taking action. Sensing our thoughts, he grins over at us, a flare of lust in his eyes. We stare at each other for a moment, the connection between us flaring before he turns back to his pack.
“Good. Now, Dani is going to walk among you in wolf form to pick out the more powerful of you. If she licks your hand, then she has chosen you. Step up into the arena and wait for further instructions.”
At his words, I start walking among the pack members, feeling for the more dominant people. Our enforcers need to be strong enough to protect the Alpha, Beta and the rest of the pack if the need arises.
After going through the pack, I look up at the arena and see my wolf and I have only chosen six members; four males and two females. Each show their pride at being chosen.
“Lily, Josh, please join us,” Pete calls before climbing up into the arena. After they each offer him a small bow of submission, he faces the members. “You were each chosen by the Alpha Queen herself. Now is the time for you to back down if you do not wish to be an enforcer. As we all know, enforcers are tasked with one of the most important jobs of the pack. They protect the good of the pack over everyone else. However, things will change this time. Each of the enforcers will take turns guarding the Alpha and Beta rather than only one guard. This will free up time for the guards not on duty to be fully rested in case of attacks. Does anyone have a problem with this?”
As one, the pack drops to their knees giving complete submission to us. I send an image to Pete and watch as he glares at me, a glare slipping free, “Good. Now if you will all excuse me, my mate and I have to talk,” Cam steps forward, causing Pete to let another growl slip free, “In private!” he says watching me, his eyes full of fire.
Cam and the others back off as I lope towards the house, Pete following close behind me. I wait at the door for him to open it, hesitant to shift back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this worked up and I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified. My wolf is leaning towards excited.
He opens the door, giving me room to enter before slamming the door behind us. “Shift!” he growls. Automatically my wolf recedes, letting me go back to human form. I look down wanting to cover myself when Pete slams against me. His lips claim me, as I release a groan of excitement. What is going on?
He pulls back, offering me a soft kiss to counter the sudden onslaught his attack brought. He lifts me, letting my legs wrap around him instinctively. He carries me up the stairs, straight back to our shared room, peppering me with kisses around my collarbone, igniting a fire deep within me. My wolf is loving his attention.
We make it into the room, landing in a tangle of limbs. “You, Dani, are
going to be the death of me. You sent me an image of you naked in the midst of a pack meeting. What were you thinking?” he murmurs, slowly kissing along my jaw.
I groan, enjoying the feel of his lips against my sensitized skin. I try to answer but my brain has turned to mush. I don’t know what I was thinking when I sent the image into his mind, I just thought it would be funny after the talk of him getting up to hijinks while naked. This result though, is way better than I could have anticipated.
Pete props himself up over me, looking into my eyes, the emotion on his face fierce. “Is this ok? Do you want me to stop?” he asks, watching for any sign I’m not comfortable.
Smiling softly, I reach up and run my hands under his shirt feeling his hot skin as I trail my fingers over him delicately. I drag his shirt up over his head, needing to see every inch of chest, and throw it across the other side of the room with a smirk. He grins down at me, his eyes full of promise, “Oh, you should have not done that.”
One moment his kisses are soft and tentative, the next it feels like a fire burns between us setting the world on fire. That is until the door slams open making Pete go into a defensive crouch over me.
“What the fuck?!”
Peeking over his shoulder, I see Jonnie watching us, confused at what he’s seeing. He shakes himself out if it, just as the rest of my mates all walk in. Nate and Jason just grin at me, while Cam Jonnie and Mitchell gawk like they have never seen me before. Then again, I am naked under yet another of my mates.
“Sooooo, this is awkward,” I rasp out, my voice still hoarse. It tickles my throat so much that I start coughing involuntarily. Pete climbs off me to give me room, reaching for the glass of water at the bedside table. I gulp it greedily, grateful to have something to soothe my throat.
Jason steps forward grabbing Pete by the back of his pants and pulling him off the bed completely, “As amusing as this is, we came up because the Elders would like to speak to you. Dani, could you please get dressed? You naked in the room with your mates is not the best idea. Besides, if anyone else sees you naked, I may just have to kill them.”
Wow! This kind of possessiveness is a new side to Jason. He seemed to be the more submissive mate but seeing him all territorial is a turn on. He inhales deeply scenting the air and groaning in frustration. “Dani, please for the love of all things holy put clothes on and whatever you are thinking about, please stop. If you keep letting off that scent, none of us are going to leave the room. At least not without taking you,” he says simply as if it doesn’t excite me about us mating. The thought of mating with one of them, if not all of them, sends a shiver through my body. Jason’s eyes, change to the amber of his wolf, picking up on the vibe I’m sending out. He crosses the room in three strides then I’m in his arms, feeling the power of his wolf. His lips crash down on mine making me moan in ecstasy. It’s consuming my every thought.
He pulls back, his eyes sparkling with laughter, “Is that enough Dani or do you want more? We have the room to ourselves,” he grins, making me lose focus for a moment. Where the hell did everyone else go? Why didn’t they say something? Why didn’t they try to stop us?
“I guess I’ll put some clothes on,” I sigh softly, glad that my voice is feeling slightly better. I doubt I’d be able to speak in a high pitch but at least I’m healing. Not many other wolves who’ve been through the same thing have healed.
I dig through our bags, pulling on the clothes they packed for me. The state I was in before we left, I was definitely not thinking about packing but thankfully, Laura reminded the boys I needed clothes. Dressing quickly, I don’t bother with panties pulling jeans on and throwing a bra on before pulling out one of the guys shirts. It smells of sandalwood so I imagine it’s Jonnie’s or Mitchell’s.
It’s not until I’m ready to leave that I realize Jason was still in the room, watching me. “Did you seriously just watch me get dressed?!” I ask, shocked he stayed behind. I just assumed he would leave while I got dressed.
“Oh, gorgeous. There’s no way in the world I would miss watching you get dressed,” his eyes run up and down slowly, lingering on my hips before coming back up to my eyes. “Most people assume getting undressed is arousing but right then, watching you pull clothes on, going commando, now that was heaven.”
The way he’s looking at me and speaking, something has changed. Before he was always shy and withdrawn. I assumed it was our age difference making a kind of gap between us, yet here he is today, kissing me after he’s seen me pretty much having sex with another of my mates, and his friend.
I don’t know why but it’s as if he knows I won’t get rid of them. As if sensing my thoughts, he steps forward lifting my chin so I can meet his eyes, “I’m sorry if this is making you uncomfortable. I just see how you are with the others and my wolf is getting very annoyed that I’m not showering you with as much affection as I can. He knows how precious you are, it’s just taken me a bit longer to catch up. I hope you’re prepared for what comes next,” he murmurs, pulling me closer, and tucking stray strands of hair behind my ear before running his finger down the slope of my cheek. His touch sends goose bumps over my body.
I have to know, “What happens next?”
His eyes flash amber before he leans close to me whispering in my ear, “I claim my mate.”
Holy hotness! He smirks, knowing I’m thinking dirty thoughts and turns me to face the door, giving me a playful slap on the ass to get me moving. “Come on, we have to meet the Elders.”
Seriously? After saying he’s going to claim me, we still have to meet with them? How the hell am I going to think about anything when all that is going through my mind is he wants to claim me. This is going to suck.
Chapter 8
Sitting here, waiting for the Elders to speak is driving me mad. I know I should be paying more attention but when they’re all bickering amongst themselves what am I supposed to do? I don’t want any part of their arguing when I have bigger things on my mind. If my ideas didn’t work at organizing the pack then I’ll try again. I’ll keep trying until I find the right way to help them. That’s what a queen does.
“Dani?” a throat clears, grabbing my attention. Looking over at Cam, he just smiles at me as if waiting for an answer.
“Huh?”
Nate laughs seeing that I was off in my own world. “He asked if you want to know how it went? You know when you left earlier?” he prompts, reminding me that I left rather abruptly.
“Oh yeah sure. How did it go? Any challenges?”
Nate exchanges a glance with Mitchell before answering, “Only one challenge. One of the females is fighting tonight to keep her place but other than that, it all went good. Pete, you did an amazing job. Everyone is out there talking with Lily then there is going to be a celebration to honor the Alpha Queen and her mate. So yeah, good job,” he grins.
As if the Elders know we’re happy about the outcome, they interrupt us making me wish they would just leave us alone. But no… I still have to listen to their admonishments.
And of course, Sonja is the one to start in on me, “What you did, was absolutely reckless! What gives you the right to shift in front of the pack and use your will like that? You aren’t queen yet,” she scolds.
Rolling my eyes, I wait for the next one to offer their opinion, not that I care. To be honest, if I was already queen, they’d all be gone by now. I don’t need them when my mates act as good, if not better, than them. Although, I do like Lance and Sammy. Jax, Sonja and Erick still haven’t made their motives clear so I can’t even begin to trust them. Hopefully, one day, I’d like to have them on my side, I just don’t care right now. Too much has happened to make me think about something as insignificant as grovelling to earn their favor.
Lance tries to smooth things over, “Look Dani, Sonja didn’t mean it that way. What she meant was, it wasn’t fair on you to shift like that. All the pack was terrified. Do you want to lead them in fear just as Luke did?”
Oh, hell no! I’ve had
it with these subtle nudges in the way they want me to lead. I’ve had enough!
Slowly I rise from my seat, letting my wolf peek forward. “You are out of line. Time and time again you have told me what I can and can’t do. What do you think is going to happen to you after the trials if you keep pushing me like this?! I have lost my father, and now I’m being forced to go from pack to pack like an ambassador to sort issues that shouldn’t have been here if Luke ruled his people effectively.
“I am sick and tired of the hypocrisy of following in Luke’s footsteps when everything I have done, is barely reaching the scale of bad. You sit there, judging me for shifting, telling me I scared the pack when in reality, they respected us for our authority. Pete and I showed them that, as mates, we worked as a team to fix their problems. As far as I can tell, it’s only you that have a problem with how I’m handling things,” I fume. I’m so angry at this treatment. I thought at least Lance would be on our side but apparently not.
Jason steps up next to me, offering support as he glares at the Elders, “I don’t care that you think you have the right to boss Dani around until her coronation, but it stops here. You either help her or you back off. Stop with your little taunts and judgements and just help her be the best queen she can be.”
This moment has never made me prouder to have him as one of my mates. He’s not only stood up for me but he has made it clear that he is on my side, not theirs. I grab his hand, silently thanking him.
Sonja’s lips curl in a harsh sneer, “You think you can tell us what we can and can’t do? If we deem it necessary, we can remove you from power. We don’t need some brat, thinking she is better than the rest of us. With a flick of my fingers, I could destroy you.”
Oh no she didn’t! My wolf is fucking pissed! Her dominance seeps out, focusing on Sonja. I watch in satisfaction as she lets out a scream and crumbles to the floor. I walk over to her submissive form, ignoring the other Elders, trusting if they attempt anything, Jason has my back.
