by Fel Fern
It was either lose one of his enforcers or allow both Forrest and his mate to stay. Lance, his Beta, and the other enforcers had voted for Dave to remain in Devil Hills. Deacon could have refused.
Ultimately, the final decision rested on him, but he’d been the one to mentor Forrest, helped honed the young enforcer’s skills and watched Forrest come into his own as a capable lieutenant. Forrest was a vital component of the pack he couldn’t afford to lose. If that meant accepting one human, then fine.
A bright blue-eyed gaze met his across the fire. Deacon locked gazes with the other Rush brother. His wolf sat up inside of him with apparent interest, something the animal hadn’t done when some of the unmated wolves in the pack approached him, asking if he wanted some additional company that night.
Daryl flashed him a smile. Daring little Esper. Not something even the submissive wolves in the pack dared to do. At twelve, the massacre of his family and pack had accelerated his maturity and altered him forever, hardened him, made him the ruthless Alpha everyone knew him to be. Deacon accepted that, with that kind of responsibility, he had to isolate himself from the rest.
To be able to stand at the top, to keep his pack safe, he needed to be the monster, the bastard some thought he was. That meant some of the submissive and weaker wolves in the pack remained terrified of him.
Something small, white, and furry nipped at his boots. He looked down, smirking at the white wolf pup wagging her tail at him. Deacon scooped up Sylvia, who yipped at him.
“Escaped your keepers again, little one?” he asked.
Just like her mother, Sylvia was a little wilder than the other pups. Unlike Sabine, though, Sylvia fortunately didn’t grow up knowing grief, rage, or tragedy. Her mother, uncle, and he made sure of that. Deacon was fucking proud that none of the pups in this generation or the one before that had to go through the same thing he and the others did.
“Alpha.” Sabine appeared next to him. Deacon was no longer surprised.
The Ghost, the other packmates called her for being able to move so silently. They also called Santino the Devil, in and out of bed, for being one of the most ruthless warriors the pack produced, and for the other reason, well. Deacon supposed it would take a special kind of individual to tame the Devil, but he doubted Santino would take a mate anytime soon.
“Nothing of note in the south sector. The assigned wolves there are changing shifts in a few minutes,” Sabine said, eying her playful daughter, who grew behaved at her presence. Sylvia flashed innocent eyes at her. “Do you want me to take her?”
“Not at all. She’s been keeping me company.” Deacon stroked the little pup’s back, knowing that in a while, she’d start to fall asleep. He always had a tender spot for Sylvia, especially given the special circumstances of the pup’s birth. “It’s been quiet lately, hasn’t it?”
“A good thing,” Sabine commented. She cocked her head, following his gaze to Forrest and Dave. Dave saw her, waved, then hesitated, seeing Deacon.
Deacon knew some of the weaker pack members and other paranormal members of their community didn’t understand why he reacted that harshly toward the newly mated couple. He’d hurt Sabine by forcing the change on her and making her obey his orders the morning he found out Forrest snuck the human into their lands.
“I’m jealous,” he finally told her, because she was one of the few people he truly trusted and who knew him since childhood.
“Jealous of what?” she asked, curious.
“That you’ve become close with Forrest.”
She blinked. “What?”
Deacon let out a dry laugh. “I know. It makes me sound immature but it’s true. No matter how far I go, no matter how much of a monster I turn out to be, at least Santino and you will always be by my side.”
Even if the pack suddenly voted against him, or Lance grew powerful enough to usurp his position, these two would always follow him. That was the worst-case scenario, anyway, but Deacon doubted that would happen anytime soon. He liked being prepared for anything, though.
“That’s still true. We’ll back you, even if Lance and the others turn their backs on you,” she said, brushing a hand over his arm. The words meant the world to him.
Deacon noticed Dave approaching him and noticed Daryl watching their exchange. He didn’t know why his wolf noticed the Esper, as well, why he couldn’t keep his gaze off Daryl.
“Um, Sylvia’s staying with us tonight,” Dave told him.
Deacon handed the sleeping pup over, hoping the human understood how much trust that gesture meant. He saw Sylvia as his niece. Even though he was a single child, he saw Santino and Sabine as the siblings he never had, so by proxy, the fierce little pup who always had a smile on her face was also family.
“Are you sure? Tonight is mating season,” Sabine told him. The rare concern in her voice didn’t help Deacon’s mood, either.
Dave flashed her a sheepish, unguarded look. Deacon reeled in his annoyance. She’d gotten close to this human, too?
“Well, we’ve already had our fun this afternoon. You guys have a good evening.” Dave nodded to him, looking more serious, then glanced at his brother.
“He’ll be fine,” Sabine told him.
Dave blew out a breath. “I know. I’m being overprotective again. Forrest says I should let Daryl be. He’s an adult now, after all, able to make his own decisions.”
Finally, the human left.
“Back then, you said the pack needed change,” Deacon said. “To adapt to the changing world.”
He didn’t need to ask the silent question. She knew. Deacon was able to communicate with her and Santino mind-to-mind if necessary. Only Lance and his enforcers knew, but if it came to an Esper enemy who’d use their abilities against him, the siblings would be able to shield him from a mental assault, as well.
An Alpha already had naturally strong mental shields, but Deacon was prepared for the worst, and it didn’t help he’d been hearing rumors from his allies that the Humans Matter government had been brainwashing and using “rehabilitated” Espers for their own malicious gain.
Aren’t I enough? Isn’t what I’ve done and sacrificed for this pack good enough?
“You misunderstand, Alpha. We need you more than ever, but isn’t that what your inner chain of command is for? To support you?”
He crossed his arms only to spot Santino near the food tables, two unmated submissive males draped on either side of him. Deacon shook his head at his questioning gaze. Santino would drop whatever he was doing, if Deacon needed him.
“Fine,” Deacon conceded.
“You’ve been working too hard. Why don’t you take up one of the offers of the single members of the pack? They know the rules. You don’t commit,” she said.
“Should you really be saying that?” he asked. “Why don’t you take your own advice? I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding some willing male or female packmate, either.”
She gave him a disinterested look. Deacon sighed.
Deacon kept hoping she’d find someone else to balance her, but shifters mated for life and her mate died years ago, when she’d been pregnant with Sylvia. The only reason she chose to live on was for her daughter. Deacon didn’t like the thought of losing her in the future. Maybe that was why her friendship with Forrest unsettled him, because Forrest stole more of the limited time he had with her.
Jared, one of the promising young soldiers in the pack, approached Daryl with two other packmates. Deacon’s wolf rose up in him. Mine. One warning growl from him and Jared would back away. No one got in the Alpha’s way, and he knew Daryl was considered mate material by some of the pack.
Espers with their unique psychic abilities were stronger than humans and were considered potential mates by shifters and other paranormals. Being mated to an Esper had proven to have positive outcomes. Santino and Sabine had both werewolf and Esper genes and had some useful Esper abilities, in addition to being able to shift. He suspected that was why they were able to read
him so easily. Even same-gender mates inherited some benefits from their Esper half.
Daryl being an Esper had only been the tip of the iceberg. According to rumor, he was also incredibly kind, sometimes too selfless, and never hesitated to help out a packmate or other townsfolk in need. Daryl currently worked at a clinic in town under the guidance of another empath Esper, who was teaching him how to heal mental wounds.
He heard from the youngsters that Daryl could bake, too. Daryl recently won the monthly cooking competition the town held, had usurped Madeline, the two-centuries-old vampire who was called Devil Hills’ undisputed Queen of Pies. Like all vampires, Madeline was incredibly proud, vain, and easily pissed. Deacon heard that Daryl had, unsurprisingly, approached her after the match and thanked her for being such a worthy competitor, making one vampire ally in the process.
No small wonder some of the young men and women of the pack wanted the Esper for a mate. Even the other paranormals in town began to show interest, which didn’t bode well for Deacon.
Fuck. Why he bothered gathering these little snippets about Daryl, he didn’t know.
Going near Daryl wasn’t an option, no matter how much his wolf wanted to find out what it would be like to have the little bold Esper in bed. Daryl possessed the ability to read emotion, manipulate it to some extent. Deacon knew the Esper once used that ability by accident to kill his and Dave’s abusive father.
If Daryl saw him, the real him full of nothing but anger and a thirst for vengeance, would the Esper run screaming after realizing he faced a monster?
“The aggressive energy you’re emitting is scaring off some packmates,” Sabine told him in the same calm tone.
Lance, his Beta, paused from approaching him, probably with the reports of his team’s patrols. Deacon leashed his inner wolf.
“The west sector’s quiet,” Lance said, joining them. “Something I should know about?”
“Unless you’re interested in the Alpha’s love life, then no,” Sabine told him.
“No thanks. I’m only interested in my own,” Lance quipped.
Deacon didn’t know whether to be pleased or worried they seemed to be getting along better lately. His Beta frequently argued with Santino and Sabine, but he needed Lance. Deacon picked all the men and women who served directly as his lieutenants for a reason.
Lance didn’t originally belong to the Devil Hills pack but had been a transfer from a smaller pack that had fractured when their Alpha had been killed. The Beta was the exact opposite of Santino and Sabine. Lance would call him out for any bullshit, would argue when he made decisions that might cross the line, because Lance was loyal to the pack first and foremost
“I’m heading back to check on my team. Deacon, better scratch that itch before it worsens,” she told him.
He growled at her, which she completely ignored.
Lance patted his shoulder, sly smile on his lips. “I’m returning to my post, too.”
The Beta left him more troubled than ever. Deacon must have been deep in thought, because he didn’t notice Daryl Rush until it was too late. The Esper’s scent hit him like a wrecking ball, waking his wolf completely, making his dick pulse in his jeans. Fuck. Deacon couldn’t remember the last time he felt this much overwhelming desire for anyone else.
Deacon could have any werewolf in his pack if he wanted. Hell, even some of the other paranormals in town showed interest, from vampires to other shifter species. No one ever caught the attention of his wolf as much as this particular Esper. Ever since he first laid eyes on Daryl, he couldn't look at any other men.
Daryl didn’t know just what he was getting himself into. Deacon would remind the bold little Esper soon enough that tangling with an Alpha wasn’t like being with other men. Once an Alpha set his eyes on what he wanted, Deacon wouldn’t back off from the hunt until he got his prize.
Chapter Two
Deacon Becker watched him the entire night, Daryl had been sure of it. Even when Daryl spoke with the other werewolves at the party, a shiver crawled down his spine. He knew instinctively that the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the region, the pack that had given him and his brother refuge, kept him in his sights.
Why?
His heart thudded as he recalled how Deacon didn’t return his smile. The massive, hard-eyed Alpha terrified the shit out of most people, even the other werewolves, and he was no exception. Deacon was bad news, bad in a sense that he knew if they crossed the line from adoptive packmate to something else, he was doomed.
Everyone knew Deacon didn’t do relationships, that the Alpha had only been interested in the short term when it came to his personal life. Still, he didn’t listen to logic or back away. The Devil Hills community, which comprised of the werewolves, their smaller shifter allies, vampires, and the other paranormals, had welcomed him and his brother when Daryl thought they had nowhere else to go.
Dave and he grew up in New City, run and controlled by the Humans Matter government. Before coming to Devil Hills, he never knew places like this that accepted Espers still existed. Dave faced prejudice for being human, but Daryl was an empath, he felt the emotions of those around them. The others mistrusted humans because humans had hunted and hurt their friends, families, and other packmates.
Dave and Forrest went through so much to be able to remain here, and yet here he was, approaching the most dangerous male in the pack. Deacon had the power to throw his brother out of the Devil Hills territory if he chose. In some ways, Daryl should consider Deacon the enemy, the heartless but effective leader some of the townsfolk said he was, but Daryl knew differently.
Deacon had so much anger in him, and yet, the Alpha was also a lonely person, Daryl understood that. The only two individuals Deacon seemed really close with were Santino or Sabine, the Devil and the Ghost, the other packmates called them. Deacon was seldom seen without either or both. He noticed Deacon talking with Sabine and Lance.
“Daryl, are you listening?” Jared asked with a sigh.
He blinked. “Sorry.”
Jared was one of the werewolves that had been initially suspicious of his brother, but after his brother risked his life saving three wolf pups, Jared became one of Dave’s supporters. He was glad his brother no longer felt that left out anymore. He knew how Dave felt out of place at the start. They didn’t blame the werewolves, though, especially knowing that the Humans Matter government had sent some of their special forces in the past to eliminate the Devil Hills wolves.
“What do you say, Daryl? Want to hang out at my place?” asked Cliff, Jared’s best friend, flashing him a grin.
Cliff, he remembered, was twenty-three, a year older than he was. Certainly good-looking with that cocky grin, those hazel eyes set in a handsome face. Daryl had hidden all his life. He and his brother laid low in the city, lived constantly in fear because any day the Discipline Squad could knock on their doors and take him away.
As a result, Daryl didn’t date much. He didn’t dare, especially knowing his date would find out he was an Esper, considered non-human by the Humans Matter government. Back in New City, he had to hide what he was. Here, though, Daryl no longer needed to hide away his powers. He could be himself, do whatever he wanted, date anyone who caught his interest. It was the freedom he never dreamed of experiencing.
It was like being given a second life, and Daryl wanted to make sure he created plenty of wonderful memories with the pack that had become his family.
Hell, it took getting used to, going from being someone most humans around him hated to being desired. Apparently, Espers were mate material. Oh, he trusted his new werewolf friends enough, found it incredibly sweet they fought over him.
Too bad the only man he wanted was way out of his league. Their group quieted, and he realized why. Spotting Sabine walking their way, her long white-gold hair hard to miss, Jared quickly straightened his spine, so did Cliff, Marina, and Jason.
“Hello,” Marina chirped a little too loudly.
“We’ve completed our pat
rol shift,” Jared said even without Sabine asking. Daryl’s new friend reminded him of a child who was caught doing something wrong, or rather, wasn’t sure if he forgot something.
Daryl stifled a giggle. She was probably only a few years older than Jared, but then, those eyes always looked ancient. He tried reading the enforcer’s emotions but, like always, found nothing. Some Espers had natural mental shields against another Esper, which told him that Esper blood probably ran in her and Santino’s veins. Daryl found it interesting those two seemed to be always by Deacon’s side.
The Devil and the Ghost, he heard some of the pack members calling the silver-eyed siblings but never in their direct hearing. Among Deacon’s six enforcers, the pack considered those two the most dangerous.
Good. Deacon might be ruthless when it came to his enemies, but Daryl had seen the Alpha interact with Sylvia and the other young of the pack. That showed him a gentle side of the Alpha he never expected. Deacon formed not just the heart of his pack, but also the entire paranormal community of Devil Hills. Without Deacon to hold the community together, it would likely fall apart.
The longer he stayed here, the more he realized it took a special kind of individual to hold this large a territory. If the Devil and the Ghost made it harder to kill Deacon, then all the better.
He felt some kind of unique bond between them, something different than even the Alpha’s special bond with his Beta and other enforcers. Probably the same reason why he sometimes couldn’t read Deacon’s emotions easily, either.
Sabine blinked at Jared.
“Good work,” she said, then looked directly at Daryl with those eerie silver eyes Daryl always found unsettling. Forrest and his brother considered her a close friend, though, so he tried to relax until she said, “Deacon wants to speak with you.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
Sabine began walking away from him, waving him off. He gulped. Daryl was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything wrong. Right? Why was he suddenly so nervous anyway?
