by Laura Del
“Samuel,” I replied. “I thought you said you were going to shut up for a minute.”
“I was. But what the hell happened? Andrew didn’t tell me that you were hurt. I’m gonna—”
“You’re going to do nothing, Wolf,” I interrupted again. “And I mean that. I mean, Andrew knew you were coming and didn’t tell me about it.” I finally figured out why he wouldn’t say anything about Mike’s whereabouts. He was on his way here. “So you are going to do nothing. Understood?” I asked, and he nodded. “Now, about this whole pack thing and the fact that you just proposed to me. I’m not opposed to being proposed to, in fact, it seems to be happening quite a lot, but I don’t want to do it just to spite your pack. And I know you love me, I do. But this is just not the right time for it. Okay?”
He nodded, putting the box back into his jeans. Then he crawled his way up onto the bed, sitting next to me. “Okay.”
We sat there in silence for a minute or two, and I placed my chin on his shoulder, looking up at him. He looked a little worse for wear; he hadn’t shaved in the days since I saw him, and I swear I could see a little bit of gray at his temples. Mike looked like he was in one hell of a battle, and I could only imagine what torment the pack had put him through as Alpha. That’s when I remembered something very important, so important that I could have hit myself for forgetting.
“Mike?” I broke the silence.
“Yeah, bébé?” he asked, looking down at me.
“Tell me again how an Alpha becomes an Alpha?”
“He’s beaten in battle,” he answered. “Why?”
“So the pack assumed you beat Stag?”
He shook his head. “No, my ascension was sorta already in place from when I beat the Alpha before.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, taking my chin off his shoulder so I could think.
“What are ya thinkin’?” he asked after a few seconds.
What wasn’t I thinking? That would have been the better question. I needed to focus on the one thing that would save both me, Mike, and Angel from being miserable and in danger for the rest of our lives. “Mike,” I said slowly, “I think I may have just figured out another loophole.”
“Who’s the lawyer here, Pat?” he huffed. “If there was any other way, I would’ve figured it out already.”
“Not if you were looking too hard at the problem.” I bolted off the bed, rummaging through my handbag for my phone. Once I found it, I scrolled through the contacts until I found the number I was looking for. Then I smiled.
Clinking on it, I quickly pressed the cell to my ear and waited for the rings. Finally, it connected and it only rang twice before Angel answered. “Hey, Patty,” she said in her endearing, yet annoying, way, “what’s up?”
“Are you at Big Bears?” I asked, hoping that she was.
“You betcha,” she replied. “Why?”
“Is the pack there with you?”
“Yup,” she breathed. “Why?”
“We are going to stir thing up a bit,” I finally answered.
“Hell yeah,” she shouted. “Whatever it is, I am in!”
“What’re you thinkin’ of doin’, bébé?” Mike interrupted the conversation.
I looked at him with a wide smile on my face. “I’m going to ask the pack to grant me amnesty from this ridiculous ruling they’ve placed on me.”
“How are ya gonna do that?”
“By telling them that I’m technically their Alpha and that they need to obey me or there will be consequences.”
His mouth fell open, and Angel laughed in my ear. “Holy shit,” she screamed. “That’s totally fuckin’ true. Why the hell didn’t we think of that?”
“You weren’t looking at the bigger picture,” I replied to her as I watched Mike stare at me. He looked thoroughly stunned. “What?” I asked him, and he blinked out of his stupor.
“What’re you gonna threaten them with?” he asked.
“Half the pack and the queen of all vampires,” I said matter-of-factly. “I’m assuming it was the rest of the wolves that were still on Stag’s side that voted for me being turned.”
He nodded, and Angel started freaking out. “How are we gonna do this? I mean, ya can’t do it in person.”
“No, but we can do a video conference on your computer,” I suggested. “Or you can just call a meeting right now and put me on speaker.”
“The video thing sounds good,” she responded. “Let me call a meetin’ real quick, and we can do this thing. Pat? Did I ever mention that you’re one of the most badass people I have ever met?”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see it. “No, but thanks.”
“No prob,” she laughed. “Call you back as soon as I can. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said, and we hung up.
“Why is it that you come up with the most dangerous plans?” Mike huffed, folding his arms.
I tried to smile at him, but I could tell that he wanted a serious answer. Then I shrugged. “They just pop into my head, Mike. I can’t help it.”
He shook his head. “Of course you can’t because you’re Patricia Anne Wyatt, and you’re all about saving others before yourself. Just once, I’d like for you to think of yourself instead of everybody else.”
“Are you serious?” I asked confused. “I am thinking of myself. I don’t want to turn into a—”
“Monster,” he interrupted with a sigh.
“Werewolf,” I corrected him. “Trust me. You wouldn’t want me as one of you. I’d try to turn all the pack into vegans, and I’m pretty sure half of them would wind up dead. That’s just my personality.”
A smile played around his lips as he tried not to laugh. “It’s not funny, bébé.”
“Who’s joking? I happen to be dead serious. I cannot be trusted as a werewolf or a vampire. I would overthrow everything you believe in and probably start a revolution. It wouldn’t be good. It would be a catastrophe.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re probably right. You would suck as a werewolf.”
“No. I’d suck as a vampire,” I corrected, winking at him and he laughed harder.
Sitting back down on the bed next to him, we were silent for a second, then he said, “What’re you gonna tell ‘em?”
“The truth,” I answered, looking into his tired eyes. “That’s the only thing I can tell them. Hopefully, they’ll be embarrassed enough that they’ll just let this decision slide. After all, they don’t want a human as Alpha. That would ruin their reputation with all the other packs, wouldn’t it?”
He nodded. “It sure would. I’m just not sure they’ll take it that way. Some of them are really strict when it comes to pack rules.”
“I’ll make them see it my way,” I promised, placing my hand on his shoulder, “don’t worry.”
He smiled, his green eyes sparkling like they did. “If anyone can turn them around, you can, Pat. And why does this bed smell like vampire?” he asked, off topic.
“Mortimer’s been sleeping with me,” I answered, and his eyes widened. “Not like that.” I hit his arm. “This is Mortimer we’re talking about.”
“True,” he breathed. “Why’s he sleepin’ with ya?”
“To keep Samuel out of my dreams. Only last night it was me who kept him out.”
Mike’s brow furrowed. “What do ya mean by that?”
“I staked him in my dream.”
His mouth dropped open. “You broke the connection?”
“Why does everybody keep saying that like it’s a big deal?”
“‘Cause it is,” he responded, still surprised. “No one, and I mean no one, has ever done that. No one has ever tried, really. Do ya think he’s still alive?”
I shrugged. “I have no clue. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.”
He shook his head in disbelief. �
�Leave it to you to figure out how to nearly kill a vampire in a dream. And I’m glad that Mortimer is sleeping with ya. It makes me feel better.”
“I’m so glad I have your approval,” I said sarcastically.
“All right,” he huffed, “no need for that. I’m just sayin’.”
“So am I.”
There was a knock on the bedroom door, and we both jumped. “You okay in there?” Tina said from the other side. “You’ve been in there an awfully long time. You’re not having another breakdown, are you?”
“Breakdown?” Mike mouthed.
“I’ll tell you later.” I did the same and then I answered Tina, “Nope. Everything’s fine. We’ll talk later.”
“Oh,” I could hear the realization in her voice. She knew something was going on. “Okay. Just a reminder though, we got guests coming, so remember to come downstairs as soon as you’re done, all right?”
“Yup,” I replied, “you got it.”
“Okay, Patty.” After that, I heard her walk back downstairs.
Before I could explain the breakdown to Mike, my phone rang, and I saw that it was Angel. I answered without a second thought. “Ready so soon?” I asked her.
“You bet,” she said. “We’re all set. They’re all waitin’ in the diner. When Alpha calls a meeting, they must obey.”
“It’s good to be Alpha.”
She laughed. Then I heard a commotion in the background, and she screamed, “Keep your fucking shirts on! You ready to do this?” she asked me in a reasonable voice.
“Let me just get my computer out.” I rummaged through my bag, placing the computer on the bed. Scooting Mike off the bed, I waited for it to power up. When it did, I asked Angel for her screen name, and she promptly gave it to me. After two seconds, she was waving to me from Louisiana over the computer.
“Place me on the counter for everyone to see,” I suggested.
“You got it.” She did as I requested, and I saw that she had a full house. “You’re on, fleshy girl.”
“Hello,” I said, waving to faces that I didn’t recognize and some that I did. “My name is Patricia Wyatt. Some of you know me—”
“Hi, Pat,” big, burly Nathan chimed in with a wave.
“Hi, Nathan,” I responded, and then Mary Anne waved too. I waved back, but continued, “And some of you don’t. But I am here to tell you that all of that is about to change. I’m going to tell you a story and at the end of this story, I’m going to ask you to reconsider your positions on making me part of the pack.”
“Why the fuck should we listen to you?” A tall, blond, dark-skinned wolfman hollered, and many of the other wolves protested with him.
“Because you have to,” I retorted. “Technically, I am your Alpha.”
The uproar that followed was crazy. It literally looked as though most of them were going to kill me through the screen while the ones I had met before sat there with smirks on their faces. Until, finally, an older woman stood up from a booth and bellowed for everyone to be silent. They did very quickly and then she smiled at me. “My names Mrs. Betty Ryan,” she said in a quiet, southern voice. “And I’m an elder in this pack.” She looked about seventy, so I could understand that. Mrs. Ryan was short, slender, and had long gray hair pulled away from her face. Her weathered, tanned face, was very kind looking, and she addressed me with respect, which I enjoyed.
“If this is true,” she went on, “then it would be a predicament, wouldn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Ryan. One that I intend to clear up as quickly as possible.”
“Go on then,” she said, sitting back down. “Tell us the story. We’re all ears.”
I smiled at her, and she nodded. “Thank you,” I paused for a minute, getting my thoughts together. Then I decided to tell them everything from the beginning. Some wolves nodded, knowing certain parts of the story, while others rolled their eyes about Samuel being my ex-husband. But as I got to the part with Stag, they all seemed to be listening with interest. I explained how I was sent out to kill him, and I had. I even went as far as to tell them how Herbert Morris, another vampire, had changed him into what he was and that he and Stag were hell-bent on world domination. Lastly, I told them what I had sacrificed for their well-being and that because I was the one to defeat their Alpha in battle, I was consequently the head of their pack according to their own rules.
“Now, I don’t want this to be,” I clarified my position on the matter. “I want Mike to remain your Alpha, but because of the way your system works, you have a human as the head of the pack. And a woman at that.” Most of the wolves nodded while others scowled. “So I’m asking you,” I paused looking over at Mike who waved me on. “No. I’m commanding you, as your Alpha, to reconsider your decision. Trust me, ladies and gentlemen, you will be doing the right thing by keeping me an honorary member of the pack.”
“Or what?” tall, blond, and annoying asked.
“Or you have just declared war against me. And believe me when I tell you, you don’t want that.”
“True story,” Angel agreed.
“So,” I sighed, “what’s it going to be?”
They all started talking at the same time again, but Mrs. Ryan silenced them once more. “We’re gonna need some time on this one, young lady. Is it all right with you, Alpha, if we think on it?” she asked, and when she did, I could tell that there was a little more respect for me than before.
“Yes,” I consented, “it’s acceptable. Take your time, but not too long. I’m not known for my patience.”
“Yes, you are,” Mike mouthed, and I quickly glared at him.
She nodded. “It’ll be done.”
I smiled. “Thank you all for listening. Angel,” I said, and she popped up into the frame, nodding. “Disconnect me,” I commanded, and she did.
When I could finally breathe, I shut down the computer while Mike jumped up, punching the air. “Oh my God, bébé. You were amazin’.” He leaned down and kissed me.
“Just promise me one thing,” I said, and he nodded. “If this comes back not in our favor, that you won’t do something stupid or lie to me again.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“I mean it, Mike. Especially, no more lies. Just the whole truth and nothing but, okay?”
He swallowed hard. “Right.”
“What’s wrong, Wolf?” I asked as I patted the bed next to me, and he sat down.
He took a deep breath. “I want ya to swear that you won’t get how ya get.”
“Mike,” I hissed. “What’s this about?”
“It’s nothin’ bad.”
“That’s what they all say before it gets bad,” I said, folding my arms. “What is it?”
He looked down at his feet for a second, rubbing the back of his neck, and then he looked me dead in the eyes. “Do you remember me tellin’ ya that werewolves weren’t immortal like vampires?”
I thought about it for a second and then I remember him saying something like that in passing. “Vaguely,” I answered slowly. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well,” he hemmed and hawed a little, “we’re not immortal, but we don’t age like normal people do. We’re slower than that.”
My brows furrowed. “You lost me.”
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “In the spirit of being honest, and all that… uh… I lied when I told ya that I was thirty-two.”
I laughed a little. “Okay. What are you then? Thirty-five? Thirty-six?”
He shook his head. “I’ll be exactly,” his paused a second, but his eyes never left mine, “fifty-seven years old in July.”
My eyes widened, my breathing became shallow, and the only thing that came out of my mouth was, “What?”
chapter
NINETEEN
I sat in silence while Mike paced the floor. Then
he stopped. “Bébé,” he said, concerned, “please say somethin’, it’s drivin’ me crazy.”
When I opened my mouth, nothing came out, so I thought for a second. “You’re the same age as my father,” I settled on.
“Okay,” he let out slowly, “that’s somethin’ at least.”
That’s when the second disturbing thought popped in my head. “How old was Stag?”
He half shrugged. “In his forties. Not too old.”
“And Angel?”
He shook his head. “Uh-huh. I’m not tellin’ ya that. She would kill me. Besides, it’s not nice to reveal a lady’s age.”
“I bet she’ll like that,” I laughed a little.
“That I’m bein’ a gentleman?”
“That you referred to her as a lady.” It wasn’t meant to be a crack, but my sarcasm was up and I couldn’t put it away. I mean, this was the un-funniest joke I had ever heard. First, a five-hundred-year-old vampire and then a fifty-seven-year-old werewolf. Was it physically impossible for me to attract someone of my own age?
As if he heard my thoughts, Mike spoke, “It’s really not that bad, Pat. I mean, it’s like reverse dog years.” I glared at him. “That was a joke.”
“I got that,” I replied. “It’s not funny.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. But seriously, Pat, you didn’t have a problem marrying a five-hundred-year-old vampire.”
“That’s because I didn’t know he was a five-hundred-year-old vampire,” I hissed.
He opened his mouth to protest, then nodded. “True. I’m so sorry, bébé. I should’ve told ya all this when I explained that I was a werewolf. It was dumb to keep it from ya.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“Really?”
“No,” I huffed. “But it will be. Wolf,”—I shook my figure at him—“you are so lucky I love you. And I swear—”
“You still love me?” he asked, interrupting my warning, and I gave him a look. “Sorry. Continue.”
“I swear,” I repeated, “that if you ever lie to me again, you are going to find yourself up shit’s creek without a paddle. You hear me?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
