Taryn sighed. “I think I’ll go on that run now. Grace, that breakfast was excellent.” She then made her way around a moaning Selma, pointedly ignoring her. “Close your mouth, Trey, or you’ll catch flies.”
Still totally bemused and also a little horny as a result of her alpha vibes pulsating around her, Trey stared after her as she pranced out of the room humming a tune he didn’t recognise.
“Taryn’s one mean bitch,” said Dante approvingly.
“Trey, look what she did to me!” whined Selma.
He didn’t want to. “Dante, Tao, you coming?” Both rose from the table and thanked Grace before following him out of the room. “What was all that about anyway?”
“Just Selma being her usual irritating self,” replied Dante. “You should’ve seen the way Taryn picked her up and slung her at the wall. It was awesome.”
Tao nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly. “That female’s freakishly strong for her size.”
Oh Trey already knew that from their battles last night. His lips curved into a smile as he imagined battling with her all over again tonight.
Taryn was in a better mood after her short run. The cold breeze on her face combined with the familiar scents of the forest had left her feeling refreshed and settled her wolf. Only then had she began to wander through the maze of tunnels to familiarise herself with what would be her home for the next few months. Three hours later Taryn was in the doorway of the living area, gaping.
A wander around had confirmed that not one inch of the place was anything but spectacular. There were four floors and each one of them featured dozens of en-suite bedrooms, a small kitchenette, and a laundry room. On the fourth floor where Trey, Dante and the enforcers slept was – in addition to a laundry room – a pool room, a game room, an office, the huge amazing kitchen and a large living area. The blend of modern and antique furnishings was a feature throughout the entire place, never once clashing.
She was nothing short of awed and had found something to gasp at in each and every room. But this room…whoa. The audio-visual system was state of the art, the decorative swirly carvings on the main wall were amazing, the many armchairs all looked comfy enough to sleep on, but it was the item in the center of the living area that had her attention. Is it a bed? Is it a sofa? The freaking thing looked more like a giant cushion.
There had been a sectional sofa in her pack house too, but it wasn’t anything like this. The black leather was clearly top quality and it could comfortably seat at least eighteen people. One end was a gorgeous chaise lounge while the other end had a recliner. It was so big and bulky that not only did her ass sink into it, but her feet didn’t even touch the floor. It totally dwarfed her. Suddenly she felt like one of the Borrowers.
Oh she could get used to this luxury. She wasn’t a materialistic person, never had been, and she totally agreed that money didn’t bring you happiness. Still, she’d rather be depressed wearing Prada than dirty rags.
“Comfy?”
Taryn looked at the doorway to see Tao there, scowling. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you resented me being comfortable.”
He shrugged. “I’m not convinced your dad will give us an alliance, which means we’ll have brought all this trouble on ourselves and not even get what the pack needs out of this mating.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you kidnapped me, huh?”
“Believe me, if I could have talked Trey out of this, I would’ve, but I respect Trey and I follow his orders.”
“That’s nice. You can leave now. I promise your idiotic opinion will be noted.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw – something which seemed to be a habit with him whenever she was around. “There’s nothing idiotic about not wanting Lance Warner’s daughter in my house or around my pack. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, don’t they.”
“Hey, I have a suggestion, why not put a condom over your head – if you’re going to act like a complete dick then it makes sense to dress like one.” His mouth actually twitched at that, but Taryn just sighed and retrieved the remote control from the round pine coffee table. Switching on the T.V., she sought out the sports channels.
Tao came to stand beside the sofa. “You watch boxing?”
“I missed the fight between Jacobs and Leighton last night. I just want to watch the repeat then you can watch whatever you like.”
Frowning, Tao gingerly sat beside her. “Fifty says Leighton won.”
Taryn stared at him curiously then nodded. “Seventy says Jacob won by knock-out.”
Well this was a surprise.
On leaving his office, Trey had followed the trail of Taryn’s delicious scent to track her down. Considering how Tao had been treating her up until this point, the last thing Trey would have expected was to find the pair of them laughing and joking while watching boxing on T.V. Her response to Selma would have shown the pack that she wasn’t an easy target or someone who took any shit, but he hadn’t thought it would be enough to win anyone’s respect just yet. Clearly he had been wrong. He should have been glad about that. It was a good thing for her to have Tao as an ally. Strangely, Trey found himself wanting to punch his Head Enforcer for putting that smile on her face. His wolf…well, he wanted to gut him.
“Ready to go?”
She looked up at him, frowning at the strain in his voice. “Sure.” Her frown deepened when instead of walking on ahead of her with Dominic and Ryan he waited for her to reach his side. She noticed that Dante was smiling – the kind of smile that said he knew something she didn’t. Well whatever. Trey remained at her side all the way to the car and even sat with her in the backseat which, for some reason, had Dante’s smile widening.
Her wolf enjoyed having her mate so close, enjoyed having his scent cocooning her. Unfortunately, just as Taryn had feared, it was proving to be uncomfortable for her wolf when they parted for too long. She wouldn’t have thought that five hours counted as ‘long’, but her wolf had been restless and on edge until the moment he entered the living area. His presence made her automatically feel safe, reassured, and relaxed.
“Has your father been in touch with you yet?” Trey asked her.
“No. He’ll be too busy sulking.”
“You know there’s a chance he’ll turn up tomorrow with Roscoe, don’t you.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know.” She doubted he would, but there was still a chance.
“And you know what will happen if he tries to take you, don’t you.”
She wondered if he even realized that the hand of the arm he’d hooked around her headrest was now playing with her hair. “Even if he comes, it’ll only be Roscoe who’ll challenge you.”
“I hope you’re right. I want that alliance with your father, but there’s no chance I’ll be able to hold back my wolf if he tries to take you.”
The heavy dose of possessiveness in his voice had her lips twitching. What made it more amusing was that she could see how much the unfamiliar sense of possessiveness irritated him. “I did try to warn you that it wouldn’t matter to your wolf that we aren’t true mates.”
He shot her a glare. “Smart ass.”
“Aw, I love you too.”
He snorted and faced forward again, resisting the urge to nibble on her bottom lip. And the urge to kiss her. And the urge to lick over his mark. His wolf, on the other hand, liked all three of those ideas and was growling his encouragement at Trey. His wolf had…missed her. He brooded and fretted when he wasn’t around her, pushing at Trey to go hunt her down. Whenever he was around her, his wolf wanted to lick every inch of her and roll around in her scent. It was dumb and it was pathetic and it made Trey want to kick his wolf’s ass.
Eventually they arrived at a restaurant in the next territory that Taryn knew belonged to the wolf pack that the Mediator was part of. She also knew they wouldn’t be having the meeting inside the restaurant, but within the wooded area behind it – a place where many shifters had come to blows in
the past when Mediation meetings hadn’t gone so well. Hopefully this wouldn’t be one of those times.
Seeing the tension in Trey’s shoulders as he opened her car door and the way he very reluctantly stepped aside, she smiled. “Your wolf doesn’t want me to go, does he? He doesn’t want me being around the naughty wolf.” The poor guy was in totally unfamiliar territory with all this protectiveness and possessiveness.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m glad you find this amusing.”
Knowing what would ease his wolf, she did what she hadn’t yet seen anyone do. She invaded Trey’s personal space, sliding her arms around his waist. Oh it could be said that she had been up in his personal space plenty of times while he fucked her senseless, but sexual touching and social touching were two very different things, two very different needs. And it seemed like Trey had conditioned himself to ignore the latter need. He stiffened for a few seconds and then his arms went around her, surprising her. Little by little the tension in him eased as he allowed his wolf to take solace in her closeness and her scent. “Ready?”
“Let’s get this over with,” he grumbled. In keeping with their true mate act, he took her small hand in his and kept her close as they followed the narrow pebbly path that ran through the wooded area. Although he had been assured that there would be enough security to guarantee that his uncle couldn’t make an abrupt attack, Trey still listened intently as they walked. His hearing picked up nothing other than the scurrying of the small forest animals, the even breathing of each of his pack, and the crunch of fallen dead leaves and sticks beneath their feet.
The path stopped at a clearing and there, at a long wooden table, sat his uncle Darryl, three males from Darryl’s pack, and a tall dark guy who he guessed was the Mediator. Standing either side of the table were six tall, bulky males who were clearly some members of the security team. His wolf tensed and growled at Darryl’s scent, offended by it. The memories of the day Trey attacked his father slapped him hard. He could remember his father’s sneers, snarls and the harsh words that had inevitably robbed Trey of all control. Even now he couldn’t regret what he’d done and he doubted that he ever would.
Forcing away the dark feelings attempting to swamp him, he tightened his hold on Taryn’s hand as they strolled over to the table. Everyone stood as they reached it, and Trey watched as Darryl’s eyes zoomed in on Taryn and the marks covering her.
“Let’s all sit, shall we,” suggested the Mediator as he took the head seat. Trey sat with Taryn and Dante on either side of him while Tao, Ryan and Dominic stood behind them.
The evil uncle was not at all what Taryn had been expecting. It was hard to believe he was actually related to Trey. There was no resemblance there at all except for the strong nose. His squinty eyes, lazy posture, perfectly parted dark hair, and sly smile all gave off the impression of a smarmy, cunning bastard. She couldn’t help feeling satisfied that her presence had thrown him.
“Afternoon, everyone,” said the Mediator, rubbing his prominent jaw. “My name is Dean Milton and I’ve been appointed by the council to act as Mediator in this dispute. My role is to guide this discussion and aid you in exploring your issues in the hope that an agreement can be reached. Note that both parties are free to leave at any point and that a decision will not be made in your absence. Before we go any further, could each party please introduce themselves, starting with the Applicant.”
“Darryl Coleman, Alpha of the Bjorn Pack,” the smarmy ass drawled with a self-satisfied smirk. “On my right is my Beta and on my left is my Head Enforcer. At my back are some of my enforcers.”
Dean nodded then looked at Trey. “Now if the Respondent could also introduce himself and the wolves with him.”
“Trey Coleman, Alpha of the Phoenix Pack. Behind me you’ll see my Head Enforcer and two of my enforcers. On my left is my Beta and on my right” – he stroked a hand through her hair – “is my mate, Taryn.” He knew the smile he shot his uncle wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Thank you,” said Dean. “Now I’ll ask you both, beginning with the Applicant, to outline the issue as you see it. I ask you not to interrupt each other.”
Darryl straightened in his seat. “It’s been a long time, Trey. You look well. Can I ask how the rest of the pack are doing?”
“You can, but I won’t answer.”
“I see you’ve mated. A beautiful female.”
“Well we’re not here to exchange pleasantries so cut the shit.”
After a sigh, he fixed a concerned look on his face. “It is regrettable that our pack divided the way it did. It never sat well with any of us. I, in particular, worried for your safety and that of those who left with you.”
Trey heard a snort behind him and thought it might have been Dominic. He was tempted to snort himself.
“A great many of us have carried that guilt. But you know your father…I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, but it is a fact that my brother was too damn stubborn for his own good. He refused to lift the banishment no matter how hard we appealed to him. As unfortunate as his passing is, it has also given us an opportunity to introduce changes and progressions. And we wish to welcome you back into the pack. With me as Alpha, of course.”
Dean arched a brow at Trey. “As the Respondent, what is your stance?”
He began massaging Taryn’s nape, drawing strength from her closeness to keep his wolf calm. “You always did talk shit, Darryl. I prefer bare facts. Shall I share some with you? A bare fact is that you were right at my father’s side when he banished me, encouraging his decision. Another is that if you had really wanted to overrule the banishment you could have, as Beta, applied to the council. A third is that you couldn’t care if I live or die, your motivation to unite the pack is not regret or concern. So what the fuck is it?”
Taryn noted that the Mediator didn’t look in the least bit surprised that Trey wasn’t interested in a civil discussion. He could probably see through Darryl’s act just as easily as they could.
“I don’t blame you for this anger, Trey,” said Darryl. “But why not let it go and unite the packs once again?”
“Why not just tell me what this is really all about? Is it my territory that you want? Is it to enlarge the pack? Is it just to be a pain in my ass?”
Where the idea came from she wasn’t sure, but an idea suddenly occurred to Taryn. “Maybe he has a perverse wish to see you bow down to him.” All eyes darted to her and then to Darryl.
Dante pursed his lips. “Maybe it’s all four.”
“You can’t tell me that neither you nor your wolf has missed your homeland,” said Darryl. “Surely you’ve dreamed of coming home many times.”
Trey blew out a breath and shook his head. “Did I ever wish to return to a place where people who were supposed to care for me had been so eager to sling me out? No, no I didn’t at all. The whole prodigal son thing isn’t for me.”
“So you have no inclination to unite your pack with Darryl’s?” asked Dean.
“None whatsoever,” replied Trey.
Darryl’s expression turned dark and bitter. “Don’t make this become a battle. It’s not one you can win.”
“Did I introduce my mate properly? I don’t think I did, did I? Taryn, meet Darryl Coleman. Uncle, meet Taryn Warner.” He grinned inwardly at the flicker of unease that crossed Darryl’s face.
“Taryn Warner,” repeated Dean, smiling at her. “You once healed a friend of mine, Lennox Gellar, his nose had been broken. You were also the person who broke it.”
She shrugged. “He deserved it.” Oh and he really had.
“If your reputation’s anything to go by, that wasn’t your first broken nose.” At her unrepentant shrug, he asked, amused, “You don’t think that perhaps you have anger management issues?”
“Punching people is managing my anger.”
Strangely not liking the playful banter going on between his mate and the Mediator, Trey tangled a hand in her hair – a shifter gesture of ownership. “Are you going
to do the wise thing and drop this?” he asked Darryl.
“The wise thing would be for you to sign an agreement now that says our packs are now one and I rule as Alpha.”
Taryn couldn’t stop the snort from popping out. “And who in La La Land told you that would ever happen? Probably the same person who told you that you’re a good liar.”
He spluttered. “Excuse me?”
“Oh come on, you talk so much shit I can smell it on your breath.”
“I take it this means no agreement can be reached,” said Dean quickly, obviously wanting to stop the conversation from becoming any more argumentative than it already was. “Darryl, do you wish to pursue this further or are you willing to withdraw your application?”
“I’m not backing down.”
Trey leaned forward in his seat. “Then I accept your challenge.”
Dean sighed. “You know the drill. Twelve weeks. Twelve weeks must pass before either of you can act on that challenge. Hopefully you can both come to an amicable agreement within that time.”
“How many times does that actually happen?” she asked Dean, curious.
“More often than you might think. About forty-five percent of the time disputes are nothing but impulsive challenges that neither side particular cares to follow through with once their tempers have eased. Without that twelve week cooling off period there would be many pointless battles and many pointless deaths. So maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to placate the humans by forming a council.”
Darryl snarled. “Unless within that time my nephew agrees to unite the pack, my challenge will be followed through. Those wolves are mine. And I’ll very much enjoy taking those caves of yours. Maybe I’ll even take your mate as mine.”
Trey’s menacing growl had everyone jerking. Feeling him tense as if to spring, she squeezed his hand hard enough to cause pain – a sharp pain that would cut through the anger fogging his thoughts. She curled her upper lip at Darryl. “Call me shallow, but I do prefer good looking guys. And you…well it seems like the best part of you dried up on your mom’s thigh.” She probably shouldn’t have found it so amusing that he didn’t seem to be breathing, but, well, it was a bitch thing.
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