by Aline Hunter
He rose from his chair and walked to the door. In case she woke, he left it cracked. With the second stage of the bloodbond, he’d feel her distress if she jolted awake or if she became alarmed. Hopefully she’d realize she was safe and know his promise to make things right wasn’t offered as a simple way to ease her fears. If not, he’d have to find some way to convince her that what had occurred hours before would never happen again.
Diskant had better have figured this shit out.
As he walked upstairs he saw the members of the pack in front of him. Many of the males had brought their mates, and a few of the females held small children in their arms. Emory shouldered his way through until he could see Diskant and Ava standing at the entranceway to the kitchen. Shifters surrounded them. Trey stood at the couple’s side and appeared a hell of a lot calmer. Kinsley stood at Diskant’s back, his emerald gaze combing over the room.
The moment Diskant noticed Emory he started talking. “Let’s get started. I’d like to thank you all for coming. I know a lot has happened in the last few months and I appreciate the support you’ve shown. I’ve done my best for the good of the pack, even if what transpired recently indicates otherwise.”
Diskant lowered his head and took a deep breath before he lifted his chin and met the stares of the shifters around him. “Unfortunately, after thinking the matter over, I realize that being your Alpha could potentially cause more harm than good. It’s too dangerous to have an Alpha and Omega leader when Shepherds have changed the game. If something happens to me, males would fight for pecking order while our enemies destroyed us one by one. For that reason, I’ve decided to step down.”
Alarmed whispers echoed down the hall and blended together. Ava peered up at Diskant, touched his arm and offered him a weak smile. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss. When he let her go, she moved closer, pressing against his side. He moved his arm to give her room but his focus was on the crowd and not his mate.
“Let it be known that I hereby reinstate the status of pack Alpha to Trey Veznor,” Diskant said. “Effective immediately.”
“What?” Trey snapped and lowered the arms he had crossed over his chest.
“This is your pack,” Diskant explained. “It always has been. When I took your position, I never intended for it to be permanent. I knew you’d eventually get your head on straight. My position was only temporary.”
Emory knew Trey wanted to say something—to argue about the reversal of authority, perhaps—but his brother held back. Diskant had just honored him in an enormous way. By handing over his authority, Diskant had effectively shown all the shifters in the room that he trusted Trey with his and Ava’s lives. Throwing it back into Diskant’s face would cause dissension among the pack, and there would probably be more bloodshed when Alpha males started lining up to fight for the position.
“Traipsing around for Shepherd heads isn’t an option anymore,” Diskant added quietly. “The pack needs you here. We need you here. Once I explain everything you’ll understand. But first I need to know if you accept. Will you take on the pack? Will you guide them and make them your first priority above everything else?”
Trey opened his mouth, his eyes flashing amber. For a moment Emory felt a flash of anger—as well as an emotion he couldn’t place—coming from the man. It was as though his brother was stunned and locked in the grips of some sort of grief. The shifters around him started to growl, agitated by the Alpha’s response. Then Emory saw Nathan. The Beta walked from the kitchen and took his place by Trey’s side, placing his hand on Trey’s shoulder.
“Deal with your personal shit later,” Nathan whispered. “Don’t fuck this up.”
The tension in the air lifted as Trey’s eyes returned to their normal color. He glanced at Diskant and gave him a pained nod. “I accept,” he replied hoarsely, as though he’d walked through the desert and desperately needed a glass of water.
Slowly the shifters calmed. Then they moved forward, pushing Diskant and Ava aside as they welcomed Trey back to his official position with softly spoken words and relieved smiles. Emory frowned as he watched, noting the way Trey’s shoulders sank and his irises dimmed. Although Trey responded to each person who approached, Emory could tell his heart wasn’t in it. This should be a moment of celebration, of happiness. So why did Trey look like the world had just crumbled into ash around him?
Diskant relaxed and wrapped his arm around Ava’s waist. “If you don’t mind,” Diskant said to Trey, “I’d like to continue.”
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll allow it. But when this is over you and me are going to have a little chat. Tell Ava not to wait up. We’ll be awhile.” Trey sounded as confident as he always had, as though he’d never relinquished his place in the pack.
Diskant grinned. “I kind of figured that.”
“Listen up,” Trey yelled. “The Omega isn’t finished.”
“Due to recent events, I’ve decided it’s no longer safe to remain inside the city,” Diskant said, eyes darting over the shifters who were studying him. “I’ve acquired a property that isn’t too far away and I’ll be moving in the next few days.”
“You’d leave us here to clean up your mess?” one pack member snarled.
“I’ll continue doing my job but I can’t risk my mate’s safety by remaining out in the open.” Emory could see Diskant was trying to remain calm, even though his eyes flashed gold in anger. “My first obligation is to see to her well-being and care. “
“So that’s why you stepped down,” someone muttered.
Diskant started to take a step forward, fists knotted, then a man with his wife and young child interrupted his progression. “What about us? What would you have us do?”
The fight left the Omega as he looked at the family. “I would suggest if you live away from the pack you consider relocating.”
“Is that all you can offer?” The man didn’t make eye contact, trying to be as respectful as possible.
“I’m still the Omega of the city. That hasn’t changed. I’m moving, not leaving. And I’ll also be taking a couple of people with me, if they’re willing to go.” Diskant looked at Emory. “Ava’s attached to your female. She wants you and Mary to come with us. The house is more than large enough and property is secure. Your mate will be safe.”
Emory was taken off guard by the offer. Two Alpha males under one roof? Would they kill each other? Maybe Diskant needed something he hadn’t mentioned yet. Emory found it hard to believe he’d make such an offer without thinking everything over. Or perhaps Ava really did want Mary around. Everyone knew the shifter females didn’t extend her offers of friendship. Despite being mated to Diskant, she was still human in many ways.
Emory glanced at Ava, who was so small next to her partner. When she saw him watching, she started fidgeting. The way she lowered her hand and placed her palm over her flat abdomen told him all he needed to know.
Oh hell.
“That’s right. My mate told me this morning.” Diskant tugged Ava closer. “That’s my final announcement. The pack will continue to grow and thrive with new life. In a few months, we’ll be adding to our family. Ava’s expecting.”
More whispers, this time excited. The men and women swarmed Diskant and Ava to extend their well wishes. A birth in the pack was always met with happiness. Ava blushed as the women fussed over her—something Emory was certain had never happened before. Since she was carrying a shifter child, the icy walls the pack bitches had erected would start to fall. But where would that leave Mary? She would still need support and understanding.
“If Mary agrees, I’ll gladly accept your offer,” Emory called over the crowd and met Diskant’s gaze.
Ava shoved aside the women and hurried to Emory, a soft pink glow in her face. “You will? Really?” She reached for his hands and took them. “I’d really like to have another woman around for this. There is so much to plan for and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be alone.”
E
mory smiled and squeezed her hands. “I’m sure Mary will feel the same way.”
Suddenly the room went quiet. All the shifters stopped talking and all the attention in the room shifted from Diskant and Ava to the person standing at Emory’s back. He couldn’t believe he’d missed her waking and could only attribute it to all the news he’d just received. Releasing Ava, he spun around.
Mary had managed to find a pair of oversized sweatpants to go with the T-shirt Emory had given her. Her enormous blue eyes were shadowed by pain, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. A small spot of blood had seeped through the shirt, over the area that was bandaged on her shoulder. She seemed so fucking calm—too fucking calm. Something was wrong, he just wasn’t sure what it was. Her emotions were there but there was a sadness that made them hazy, so he was unable to locate the source of her despair.
Finally, she spoke. “My name is Mary Shepherd.”
Growls greeted the proclamation, the happy members of the pack becoming hostile. Several of the female shifters moved toward her when she took a step forward, baring their teeth, growls turning to snarls.
Damn it. Mary’s innocent movement was a display of aggression even though she wasn’t aware of the danger behind the action. The pack males wouldn’t attack, but the women would.
“If you want to kill me,” Mary announced, keeping her head high, “now’s your chance.”
Foolish and brave fucking female.
Emory growled and started for Mary but Ava pushed him aside. He regained his balance but before he could reach his female the petite blonde had stormed to Mary’s side. Ava took Mary’s hand and faced the furious crowd.
“Don’t you dare threaten the godmother of my child,” Ava snarled at the advancing females, her irises changing color.
“Your what?” Mary gasped and tried to pull away.
“Not now,” Ava grumbled, beneath her breath. “We’ll discuss the details later. I’m just getting started. Someone has to put them in their place.” When Mary stopped talking, Ava lashed out again. “Mary’s mated to Emory, a member of our pack. Her loyalty to us has been proven on many occasions. In fact, she’s saved our kind and put her own life at risk.”
Ava gave Mary a small smile and said, “Someone traveled a long way to see you.” Peering past Mary’s shoulder, Ava looked at Diskant. “Would you let them in?”
Diskant nodded and waved at Kinsley, who opened the door to the garage and stepped back. Emory watched a pride walk in—tigers. They were obviously shifters who thrived outside the city, as they weren’t garbed in outrageous or expensive clothing, choosing blue jeans and T-shirts instead of leather and silk. A large male—the Alpha—stepped forward and moved aside. He was almost as large as Diskant, his reddish-colored hair cut short. Then Emory saw the girl behind him.
She was a tiny thing, almost coltish, and the same age as Mary. Her bronze-colored hair was long with locks of black buried within the strands. When she lifted her head her golden gaze glided across the distance to Mary. The two stared at each other for several seconds, as though they were communicating silently.
Then the girl moved closer, her steps cautious. “Mary,” she said softly.
If it wasn’t for Ava, Mary would have collapsed. Emory rushed for his mate, placed his arm around her waist and prepared to take her downstairs when Mary stopped him. She reached out, her arm shaking.
“Dara,” she murmured. “You made it home.”
Dara started crying and grasped Mary’s hand. Emory let Mary go and the women wrapped their arms around each other, crying in heart-wrenching sobs. It was then that Emory realized the identity of the girl.
The shifter Mary saved when she’d left hell behind. The woman Mary refused to kill as a sacrifice to prove herself to her family.
The females had been through hell and survived it, forming a connection only the two of them could fully understand. And apparently the women had made strong impressions on each other. A few of the pack grumbled disapprovingly, continuing to glare hatefully at Mary, and the tiger Alpha stepped forward.
“Heed me,” the man said, his voice menacing, the word vibrating as his vocal cords started to change. “My name is Harrison Garner, and Mary Shepherd is under the protection of my pride. She bound herself to us when she saved my daughter’s life. If you don’t want her here, make your intentions clear. She is welcome in our home. We’ll gladly take her and leave.”
More chaos came from the pack, as well as the members of the pride who started to surround Mary protectively. Dara and Mary separated, the male with Dara pulled her behind him and sent her to the group at his back and Emory rushed to his female’s side. To Emory’s shock, Kinsley had vanished into thin air. Kinsley never left when he was needed. Why did he ditch the pack when they needed his guidance most?
“Silence!” Trey thundered, his voice deep as he turned on his pack. “Mary Shepherd is mated to my brother. That makes her my sister-in-law. Your Alpha’s sister-in-law.” Trey didn’t have to yell any longer, his presence and newfound connection with the pack shut them all up. “If any of you have a problem with that, pack your shit and leave my city. A person doesn’t choose their blood but they do choose their family. Mary has chosen her family—our family.” Trey spun around and looked at Mary, glowing eyes intense. “Isn’t that right?”
Mary’s eyes widened and she looked around the room. Her fear returned, the stench of it stinking up the entire area around them. “I… I…”
“Welcome her,” Trey commanded softly. “Show her the respect she’s due. She saved a shifter girl she didn’t know and could have died for it. She ran from her family because she isn’t like them. Don’t judge her for what she hasn’t done. If you do you’re no better than those she left behind.”
The threat of violence lingered in the air, a combination of the anger of the feline shifters and the animosity of the wolves in the room. Emory prepared to attack anyone who came at Mary, his muscles tense, the beat of his heart drumming in his ears. The females of the pack came first, their shoulders stiff, revealing they weren’t entirely happy about the situation but they weren’t going to challenge their Alpha over it. One by one they greeted Mary, welcomed her to the pack and stepped aside.
Diskant took the lead when it came to the men, only he didn’t nod at Mary and welcome her. The Omega brought her into his arms and hugged her. Bending low, he whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was made Mary’s lips curve into a small smile. Then Diskant moved away and allowed the other members of the pack to greet her properly. The men weren’t as harsh, giving her warm smiles. By the time they were finished, the pride Alpha—Harrison—seemed appeased and Mary had stopped trembling.
“With that out of the way, I’m asking if any of you want to challenge my position in the pack,” Trey announced, bringing everyone’s full attention to him. “Changes have to take place, so I need to know if you’re going to listen to me or give me shit. If you want a shot at the crown, say so now. I won’t tolerate any bitchiness later.”
Emory glanced around. No one moved, watching Trey closely. Then they inched their heads to the side, revealing their necks, a sign of submission and respect. Trey didn’t smile or nod, waiting until everyone had the opportunity to speak their piece.
“I’m backing Diskant’s original request,” Trey said. “Those of you who live away from the pack inside the city need to start house hunting. Those of you who live in the Five Boroughs need to tighten security. The Shepherds we’ve encountered aren’t going to stop. We are safe when we are united. We’re going to have to organize a security detail as soon as possible.”
He glanced at Diskant and waited for the Omega’s nod before he continued, “We received word early this morning that the attacks on the Shepherd compounds we located were moderately successful. Over a dozen locations were destroyed. Many managed to flee but our enemies have been dealt a devastating blow. They’ll need time to recover their losses and plan. During that time I want us to start doing the sam
e. I expect all of you to work together to coordinate a guard rotation in your area. For those of you who feel the danger is too high, I’ll make calls to packs that interest you and see if they have room.”
Trey stood taller, looking at everyone around him. “I’m not going to lie. Staying here will put you and those you love in danger. It’s not a safe time to be a shifter. No one will judge you if you decide to leave. All we can do is brace ourselves.” Trey glanced at Diskant. “This isn’t a job for one man, it’s a pack effort. All in or all out. It’s your choice.”
“I’m in,” Diskant replied with a trace of humor.
“So am I,” Nathan said and stepped in beside Trey.
Each of the pack called out their support, although Emory noticed a few slip out the door to the garage, including the man with a mate and child who’d questioned Diskant earlier. Most of them were males who’d brought their mates and children along. He didn’t blame them for wanting to go, for needing to protect their families. And Trey was right, no one would hold it against them.
Emory leaned over and whispered in Mary’s ear, “What’s it going to be, sweetheart?”
She lifted he head, frowning as their eyes met. “You’re letting me make the decision?”
“Ava wants you to be the godmother of her child. Diskant wants you to be there to support his mate. And I want you in whatever way I can have you.” He ran his fingers down her arm until he came to her hand. Twining their fingers together, he murmured, “You’ve had people telling you what to do all your life. I won’t do the same. If you want me—if you want this—then it has to be your decision.”
She brought her bottom lip between her teeth and bowed her head. He knew she was thinking things over, trying to decide. It couldn’t be easy, not with everything she’d been through. But if they wanted a real chance together, they had to start with a clean slate.
