Destiny's Choice

by Kimberly Hunter

  Roan held back the growl bubbling in his throat. “How old were you?”

  “Uh, fourteen, I think. Maybe fifteen.” She shrugged again. “Most of what I remember is begging my parents to make it stop.”

  “But they didn’t.”

  “No,” her reply was barely a whisper.

  When it came time to execute Ian and Lillah, Roan, was going to make sure they both got a taste of what Rivera had suffered at their hands. It was the least they deserved.

  “I’m so sorry, Rivera.” He gathered her tighter into his embrace, wanting her to feel his strength and know she was safe. “So sorry.”

  “It’s fine. That happened a long time ago.” She let out a harsh breath. “Hell, I haven’t had any of those dreams in decades. But with the truth of my parents now out, well…”

  Roan nodded against her golden head. “And I certainly haven’t helped.”

  “Roan.” She made to pull away but Roan held on.

  “Please, sweetheart. I need to say this.”

  For several heartbeats, he waited. Then she sank back into his arms.

  He had woken a few times during the course of the night to make sure Rivera was okay, so it gave him time to think. Time to work out just why he wasn’t claimed. The conclusion wasn’t that surprising.

  “I’ve never not been in charge of a situation. Even when growing up, my brother and the other kids always deferred to me. My father told me it was the mark of a great Alpha that others would know this instinctively. That it was my responsibility to use that instinctual response for the good of the Pack, not myself. Then he was killed and my responsibility became more. I found myself shouldering everything.”

  “Then I come along.”

  “Yes. And while I knew that our First Mating would be in your capable hands, well, to be honest, I panicked.”

  She drew back. Her dual colored eyes were wide with shock. “Why?”

  He grinned sheepishly. “As Alpha, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own fears and shortcomings. I’m just able to hide them better. When it then came time to let you in, to let you have all of me, every little thing, well, I…I was afraid I wouldn’t be good enough. Have what you really needed. Or be your perfect Mate.”

  “Nobody is perfect, Roan.”

  “I know.” He chuckled. “Nevertheless, at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be perfect for you. To be the Mate, the man, you deserve. Of course, all that thinking just made matters worse and I wound up not only hurting you, but making you think I didn’t want you. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, Rivera. Please believe that.”

  “I do now.” She grinned. “I can feel it. Still, all you had to do was say something. There was no rush.”

  “Yes, well, that’s another Alpha trait. Taking matters into my own hands regardless of the outcome.” He sighed deeply. “I’ve been doing it for so long that I didn’t realize until I had time to really think. I’m sorry for that, sweetheart.” He took her hands and kissed their backs. “So sorry.”

  She took her hands away then wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. “Christ, we’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” She laughed softly. “I’m an emotional wreak and you don’t know how to let anyone share your burdens.”

  Roan hugged her close, rubbing his cheek against her silky head. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, sweetheart. A lesser Lupa would never have survived.” He kissed her temple. “As for me, well, contrary to popular belief, you can teach an old dog, or wolf as the case may be, new tricks. That is, if you’re willing to try?” He asked hastily, hoping she would give him another chance.

  One heartbeat, two, three passed before she finally answered and put Roan out of his misery.

  “Okay. But under one condition,” she replied softly.

  “What’s that?”

  She inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly. “Appoint someone else to execute my parents.”

  Jerking a bit with startlement, Roan couldn’t have been more surprised than if she had asked him to parade down Main Street, dressed in drag, and belting out a Cher tune. The request was so unexpected; it took him a moment to fully understand just what she was asking.

  “Sweetheart?”

  Moving in his embrace, she straddled his legs, taking both his hands in hers and looking him directly in the eye. “Trust me when I say I completely understand what I’m asking you to do. I know that this needs to be done. Justice must be served and punishment doled out. I just don’t want you to be the one to do it.”

  The expression on her face was earnest, but Roan couldn’t help but feel confused. It was his right as Alpha to carry out the Pack’s justice as well as revenge his True Mate for the suffering she endured. “Why?”

  Her shoulders slumped a bit. “Their lies and deceit have caused enough pain. I don’t want our new life together to be tainted by having their blood on your hands.”

  “Rivera-“

  “It’s a lot to ask, I know. But I feel if you’re the one to execute them, it will be more about vengeance than justice. And while I appreciate the sentiment, you rescued the fair maiden. Let your fellow knights slay the dragon.”

  Roan couldn’t help but smile at that. “More like the beguiling princess.”

  A soft flush stained her creamy cheeks at those words.

  Laying his head back, he pondered her request from all the angles. As Alpha, it was his responsibility to dispense the Pack’s justice to those who broke Pack Law. However, carrying out the punishment wasn’t always the Alpha’s due. There had been several occasion’s when Roan had thought that appointing that task to another the better course of action for the Pack as a whole. Like the roles parents used for their children. One was the disciplinarian while the other was the nurturer. Reversing those roles had, so far, been successful. But this wasn’t a petty squabble or a minor infraction. This was considerably more. And while the offense was unprecedented, as Alpha, he had to show the Pack that such actions would not be tolerated. Still, she had a point. He wanted to avenge his True Mate and his wolf wanted to take out what he saw as a threat to her and her happiness. Not exactly a good stance for the Alpha whose supposed to remain impartial.

  “Damn.” He sighed.

  “Sorry.” Her expression was troubled.

  “No need to be, sweetheart.” He chuckled dryly. “And you’re right. I would greatly enjoy making them pay for what you had to endure. But I can’t abuse my position like that. No matter how much I want to.”

  “I know how you must feel, but believe me when I say that it wasn’t an easy decision to ask this of you. I think I tossed and turned a good bit before I decided to say anything.”

  “It’s alright, sweetheart.” He kissed her knuckles, wanting to reassure her. “I’m sure that after I had sufficient time to really think this through, I would have come to the same conclusion. You just helped me get to it sooner.”

  Giving him a tentative smile, she squeezed his hands. “Thank you. And I’m sure that even though you won’t carry out their execution, you can enjoy handing out their sentence.”

  “Small consolation that’ll be, considering.” He snorted. “Once we’re back at the main house, I’ll confer with Sasha and Flynn as well as Steven and Mikeal about who should be chosen to carry out the sentence. Until then, it’s still quite early.” He looked over at the wall clock. It showed 2:18am. “You think you can go back to sleep? We’ve got to get up in a few hours.”

  She nodded with a yawn. “Will you lay down with me?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled as she nodded again. “We’ve cleared the air. And while we’re both not ready for anything sexual yet, I feel safe with you, Roan.”

  He couldn’t help a small thrill at that. “Alright.”

  Picking her up, he carried her to the bedroom then lay her gently down on it. He followed, making sure they were both comfy and well covered. When she finally put her head on his chest and snuggled c
lose, Roan felt more peaceful and content than he could ever remember. He wrapped his arms around her, reveling in the warmth of her skin.

  “Hmm. Night, Roan.”

  “Sweet dreams, Rivera.” He placed a tender kiss on her sunlight hair then closed his eyes. The scent and softness of her body followed him into slumber.

  The alarm went off much too early for Roan, but he got up, waking his sleeping beauty as well. She gave him a baleful eye then slowly rose and went to the bathroom without saying a word. Roan shook his head with amusement. It would seem his True Mate was not a morning person. He would need to come up with a plan to make her mornings much more enjoyable in the future. He went to the kitchen to prepare coffee. Once the glorious aroma of Hawaiian dark roast began to waft through the room, he grabbed his cell, calling Mikeal.

  “How are our guests faring this morning?”

  “I think they must have had a bad night, Roan. They look a little haggard.” Mikeal chuckled.

  “My heart bleeds.”

  Mikeal laughed at that. “I called Connor. He has the plane ready.”

  “Good. We’ll meet you out in thirty.”

  “With coffee.”

  “With coffee,” he assured.

  “Excellent.”

  After the call ended, the coffee was ready. He got out four travel mugs, pouring the fragrant and steaming brew into all four.

  “Rivera, how do you take your coffee?”

  “Three sugars and lots of cream, please.”

  He did as she asked, adding just a bit of cream to his own and Steven’. He did nothing to Mikeal’s, he liked his black. Securing the lids, he took his and Rivera’s to the bedroom. Rivera was already dressed in dark grey slacks, a pale pink, v-neck sweater with an argyle print of white and grey, and black shoes with no heel. With her hair down and a little make-up, she was a vision of natural beauty.

  “You look lovely.”

  “Hmph. I’ve been told on several occasions that I look and dress like a librarian.”

  He gave her another thorough look, smiling. “Who knew librarians could be so sexy.” He winked.

  She merely shook her head. “That coffee high octane?”

  “High enough to still be legal.” He handed over her mug, watching as she took a sip.

  “Nectar of the Gods,” she breathed, eyes closing with bliss.

  Taking a big gulp of his own brew, Roan tried to keep himself in check. The scalding liquid going down his throat helped somewhat, but it couldn’t entirely stop his body from reacting to the sight of his True Mate enjoying such a simple pleasure. She gave him a knowing smile, then grabbed her bag and left the room.

  He shook his head with a rueful grin then got dressed in his usual business casual. Black dress pants, a blue, black, and white stripped polo, black leather belt and loafers, and a black jacket. Running a brush through his thick mahogany locks, he gazed at his image in the bathroom mirror. He needed a trim and a shave. Both would have to wait. The shave he could accomplish at the main house in Montana at least.

  After hastily brushing his teeth, he grabbed his wallet, keys, and coffee mug then headed back to the kitchen. Rivera was there, topping off both their mugs then cleaning the coffee pot and wiping down the counter. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before going through the house and turning everything off that needed to be. Once that was done, he went to his office and grabbed his laptop case, meeting Rivera by the front door. She had Steven’ and Mikeal’s mugs, along with hers and his.

  “All set?”

  He nodded, putting his laptop case on the stoop. “Let me set the alarm and we’ll be off.”

  She smiled then walked over to the Rover while he secured the house. She was sitting in the front seat, Mikeal and Steven’ mugs held out the window, just as he finished and the two drove up. Roan merely grinned, exchanging the laptop bag for the mugs. He didn’t say a word to his guards, just handed over the brew. The sounds of deep sighs of pleasure followed him back to the Rover as he climbed into the driver’s seat. In moments they were off and down the road.

  The drive to the private airstrip was made in companionable silence. Which was fine with Roan. He and Rivera had cleared up a big misunderstanding that could have caused a boat load of trouble and put the wheels in motion to better knowing each other. It was a promising start. Plus, Roan had never been one for small talk. Filling the silence with useless babble was beyond annoying. Seemed his True Mate was of a like mind. When he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, she just smiled and settled back into her seat. Oh yes, promising indeed.

  Finally arriving at the airstrip, Roan got out, coming around to open Rivera’s door. She had both their bags in hand but Roan took them, following her up the stairs and into the plane. Steven and Mikeal arrived shortly thereafter with Ian and Lillah in tow. Neither he nor Rivera looked their way as he made sure his True Mate was comfortable before stowing their bags.

  “We’re clear for take off, Roan,” his pilot, Connor Simms told him from the cockpit. Being a small plane and having excellent hearing, there wasn’t much use for an intercom.

  Looking around the cabin, Roan made sure everyone was buckled in then did the same before giving Connor the all clear. “We’re ready, Connor.”

  With that said, the plane was fired up then slowly began taxing down the runway. In minutes they were in the air.

  Once Connor informed them that they were level and well on their way, Roan took off his seatbelt, turning to Rivera. “You need anything, sweetheart? We didn’t have time for breakfast, but there’s drinks and snacks to tie you over until we land.”

  She shook her head. “The coffee was enough for now. I’d really just like to catch up on my sleep if that’s okay.”

  “That’s fine.” He smiled at her as he got up, retrieving a blanket from the overhead, then laying it over her. “I’ll wake you when we’re near.”

  “Thanks.”

  He helped her lay the seat back and get comfortable, placing a sweet kiss on her lips. It wasn’t long before her breathing evened out in sleep.

  Taking one last look at her peaceful face, he turned and went to the bar. He grabbed a bottle of juice, twisting open the cap and taking a healthy swallow. Mikeal and Steven soon joined him, getting their own drinks plus snacks.

  “She okay?” Steven nodded toward where Rivera lay sleeping.

  “Just tired. She had a rough night.”

  “I’d be surprised if she hadn’t,” Mikeal replied. “Learning the truth probably stirred up shit she didn’t want to remember.”

  “Unfortunately.” Roan sighed. He then looked at Mikeal, hating to have to tell this man who he considered a friend and part of his family, about his brother. “Mikeal, I received some news last night. About, Boone.”

  He let out a deep breath, as if bracing himself. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Then went on to explain exactly what Boone had done.

  “Jesus.” He closed his eyes, visibly trying to calm down.

  Roan’s cell ringing cut off further conversation as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. The id showed it was Flynn.

  “News?”

  “The moron triplets will be here within the hour. Elise is tagging along as well.”

  “Good. She’ll be a witness to her Mate’s execution.”

  “What!”

  There was no reaction to that news from Steven and Mikeal. After hearing about Boone’s crime, they both knew what his punishment would be. They’d expect no less from their Alpha.

  “What’s going on, Roan?”

  “Is Sasha there with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Put the phone on speaker, I’ll do it on this end as well.”

  “I’m here, Roan.” Sasha’s southern accent came across loud and clear.

  He told them what Dane had discovered. Being part of his inner circle, all of them were privy to the secrets of the Alpha. An Alpha couldn’t really function if he couldn’t trust
those he felt close to. Which was why he hated to break such news to Mikeal. Boone might be the world’s biggest asshole, but he was still Mikeal’s brother.

  “Shit,” Sasha said with heartfelt sadness.

  “I’m sorry, Mikeal, but he’s gone too far this time. Roughing up the last three was bad enough. I can’t let him get away with murder.”

  Mikeal nodded, his eyes glowing with anger. “There’s no need to apologize, Roan. You’ve been more than accommodating. More than he deserves. And I know you’ve even tried to look the other way at times because he is my brother. But this…this…” He swallowed thickly. “No brother of mine would do such a thing.”

  Everyone was silent as Roan nodded, letting his friend know that he understood. Boone was on his own and would receive no help from Mikeal.

  “You’ll need to call you’re family, let them know.”

  “I’ll tell them, but their stance will be the same as mine.”

  “So be it.”

  “Oh, Mikeal. I’m so sorry, sweetie.” Sasha’s voice conveyed her sorrow.

  “Thank you, Sasha, but there’s nothing to be sorry about. Boone has brought this on himself and will pay the price.”

  “That’s not what I was sorry for,” she snapped, causing the three of them to jerk with startlement. “I’m upset and sorry that you and your family have to be put through this because Boone has been such a colossal asshat. None of you deserve that pain.”

  “Oh, well, thank you.” He blinked.

  Roan could see the anger slowly seeping away on Mikeal’s face even though his eyes still held a mild glow. It was to be expected. Such news was bound to cause an emotional upheaval for Mikeal, but Roan couldn’t keep the truth from him. And honestly, he was glad to let him know the news ahead of time. At least this way, he could confer with his family instead of having it sprung on him out of the blue.

  “You’re welcome. Now, Roan, what other bombs do you have to drop?”

  “And just what makes you think I have other news?” he asked as Steven laid a comforting hand on Mikeal’s shoulder.