“Did you just use the phrase curry favor?” Ace snorted.
Jay’s face reddened. “I did, didn’t I?”
“You sounded like Dad for a moment there.”
“I miss him.” Jay let out a sobering sigh. “I thought we’d have a few more years before our lives were dictated by politics.”
“Fate is funny like that. But you really think I have no chance? I mean, Alpha has to count for something, right?”
“No,” Jay said, without hesitation. “Even as Alpha. You’re screwed. You can have any girl you want, except that one.”
“Challenge accepted!” Ace flashed a cocky smile.
“You’re asking for trouble, dude. But in the interest of seeing how hard she will shoot you down, please try. As long as you don’t ruin the relationship we have with the Whelan brothers.”
“I do have skills, you know.”
“Right. Alpha’s got to Alpha.” Jay snorted as if trying not to laugh again. “I’ll make the popcorn. This should be good.”
“I feel the love.” Ace stood and headed for the door. “Be prepared to eat your words for dinner.”
5
Emma MacBride
“Why was he staring?” Emma huffed as she unpacked her suitcase. Uncertain about the weather and what outfits might be appropriate for each occasion, she’d packed nearly half her closet. Thankfully the large suite she’d been assigned had a decent-sized closet. Wrinkles were inexcusable.
“I think the new Alpha likes you,” Fallon laughed, as she helped to hang up garment bags. “Did you bring enough clothes?”
“You said there would be dinners, meetings, and drinks, right? We’re here an entire week. I need clothes for each event and some for down time too, right?”
“Ever heard of doing laundry?” Fallon snickered.
“Sure, I could send out for things to be cleaned, but what if they ruin or lose something?” Emma held up a silk jacket. “I’d have nothing to wear.”
Fallon took the jacket to hang in the closet. “We all have our obsessions, I guess.”
“When the majority of your working wardrobe is scrubs, you take every chance you get to dress nicely. We’re here to show off, and I’m going to do it in style!”
“You do you, lady. It’s obviously working.” Fallon flashed an excited smile at her. “You’ve already got the attention of Aeson Silverman, Alpha extraordinaire of the Long Teeth.”
Emma scrunched her face, annoyed by Fallon’s teasing.
He had been staring hard back there in the solarium. She’d snapped at him for it when she really hadn’t meant to. Not used to that kind of attention and combined with all the raw emotions of seeing Brady so happy with his new mate left Emma in a state of angry depression. She’d have prescribed herself Xanax if she thought it would really help. But only time healed those kinds of wounds. Ace probably thought she was a bitch anyway. Abrasiveness was the best defense against letting people get close enough to hurt you.
“Ace is kind of young, isn’t he?” Emma asked, trying to sound casual about it. “Like twenty-five?”
Fallon giggled as if in on a secret she wasn’t going to tell. “So you are interested?”
“Just making small talk here. We have time to kill.” Emma quickly turned away and fetched a pair of tan pumps from her bag and pretended to re organize the closet space to fit them.
“You’d totally be robbing the cradle with him,” Fallon teased.
“Is he younger?” Emma gasped.
“Admit it – you thought he was cute.”
“How old is he?”
Fallon shrugged. “Mid-twenties, I think.”
“You had me scared, thinking he was a teenager or something.” Though that body of his was definitely all man. She’d tried not stare herself, but how could she not when he had those deliciously lean and toned muscles that screamed athletic? Just the kind of physique she went for. The muscle-bound guys who thought bulk made them look strong were a disgusting sight – thick necks that bulged with veins and pecs bigger than her own breasts. Too many wolves fell into that trap of making their outward appearance mimic their inner wolf’s. But the guys who took care of their bodies and balanced exercise with life had all the delicious natural definition of power. She wouldn’t mind giving a guy like that a full physical examination.
“Thinking of giving him a little try, are you?” Fallon asked suspiciously.
“Whoa. No one is trying anything. Why would you even say that?” Emma’s eyes widened with shock. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud? It was one thing to casually joke about it, but this was neither the time nor the place for that kind of thing. They had important work to do.
“Relax. I’m just teasing. What’s got you so high strung?”
“Nothing. I’m fine. We just don’t...” Emma struggled to find a way to complete the sentence. “This is a serious meeting between packs.”
Amusement faded from Fallon’s eyes. “Relax. Ace and Jay are good guys. Nothing is going to ruin our pack’s alliance with them.”
“You never know,” Emma huffed defensively.
“I have every confidence in our joint alliance. Our two packs worked hand in hand a few months ago during the problems with the little alpha wolf Giselle. It’s because of our alliance that Ace was named Alpha. Trust me, we’re good here.”
“Giselle? She’s the one who was the rightful heir?” Emma asked, trying to recall all the information she’d absorbed during their drive across country.
“Yes and no.” Fallon sat on the corner of the bed. “She was next in line of succession, but she didn’t want it. Ace was also next by right. And he did. So it all worked out.”
“What a mess.” Emma lifted a smaller bag from her large suitcase and opened it up on the bed. She’d nearly unpacked her entire apartment since they’d arrived.
“It was. Honestly, I’m surprised Giselle wasn’t called up for this summit. By rights she should still be on the council.”
“She’s the teenager, right? Still in school for another year?” Emma asked, rifling through the smaller bag, searching for her favorite perfume. A long day of traveling had left her feeling a little musky.
“You’ve been studying, haven’t you?” Fallon sounded impressed.
“It’s what I do.”
“Yeah, she’s in her final year of school. So best she doesn’t come. But I bet we see Orion,” Fallon said.
“Now there’s an Alpha I want to meet,” Emma replied triumphantly, pulling the perfume from her bag and giving herself a quick spritz with the citrus-and-white-tea-scented spray.
“He’s married, you know.”
“Eww! Not like that.” Emma recoiled. “Medical curiosity. He was in a coma for how long? and then one day stood up and started kicking ass. That simply does not happen.”
“Magic more than medicine played a part in that,” Fallon replied. “Can I get a quick spray too?”
No one could resist that particular perfume. Men and women both were attracted by its light and natural scent. Citrus smells in particular brought on a sense of instant joy. She sprayed a quick Z formation in the air, and Fallon stepped through the mist. “Still... I’d love get a look at his vitals,” Emma finished with a smile.
“Should I tell you how dirty that sounded, or do we just want to pretend this whole conversation never happened?”
Emma winced, embarrassed to have even implied an interest in Silverman Senior. “Second option, please.”
“Okay. So, dinner tonight,” Fallon said, changing the subject.
Emma sprang to her feet and began picking through the clothes she’d just hung. “Right. What are we wearing? Casual or dressy?”
“When in doubt, jeans and a t-shirt?” Fallon shrugged.
“That’s not what the Alpha’s mate wears.” Emma had come prepared, knowing she and Fallon wore the same size.
“It’s what I wear!”
“You’re lucky you have me around. You know that, right?”
&nb
sp; “Is that why you demanded to come with us? To make sure I didn’t embarrass our pack at a state dinner?”
“Pretty much.” Emma laughed. “That, and I did not want to be the mediator between Stephen and Jackson. If one of them hasn’t killed the other by the time we get back, I’ll be shocked.”
“I’ve got twenty on Stephen.” Fallon giggled.
“He’s got some sharp claws, that’s for sure. Even I know better than to get in his way when he’s in a mood.” Emma might have been known as a hard-ass and a bitch at times, but Stephen was militant paperwork Nazi whom no one wanted to mess with. “Speaking of claws, do we have time to do your nails?”
Fallon shook her head. “Let’s just stick to wardrobe. You going to dress Rachel too?”
Emma’s lip curled for a fraction of a second before she gained control. Rachel was a wonderful woman and an excellent match for Brady, but Emma’s feelings were still too raw to allow her to open up completely to the new wolf. “Rachel has excellent taste.” She tried to sound cheerful about it. “You, on the other hand, need a little work.”
She didn’t mean to insult Fallon, but Emma couldn’t let her Alpha look bad. It had taken many years for others in the pack to truly warm up to the former human-turned-wolf. Fallon had not grown up in the pack; she had never learned the ways of her people. And it showed in many ways when the Alpha was on display. Emma loved Fallon. It didn’t matter at all how she’d come to be a wolf. And it was for that reason alone she wanted everyone else to see how right Fallon was for the job – even at risk of hurting her feelings.
Without missing a beat, Fallon pulled a garment bag from the closet and unzipped it. “Something like this?”
Elegant and sophisticated, the dress inside was just the thing an Alpha’s mate should wear when meeting with other important pack leaders: a deviously simple sheath dress embellished with crystals and gathered chiffon at the waist.
“Damn. Perfect selection on the first try. Go you!” Emma said, feeling that she might be the one underdressed after Fallon had snagged the best one.
“Hey, so tell me about Ace and Jay. What should I expect while we’re here?” She looked through the remaining dresses, hunting for one that would be just as pretty as Fallon’s but not show up her friend and Alpha.
“They like to party,” Fallon responded. “Benefit of being young Alphas. They love to drink and gamble and generally have fun.”
“And their pack?”
“Peaceful and wealthy.”
“Relations with the other supernaturals?”
“Vampires are quiet in this area. The Saints came through a few years back and wiped a whole lot of covens off the map. Most keep to themselves nowadays. The witches are friendly. They have an open relationship.”
“Sounds like a good place to rule.” Emma selected a pale pink suit jacket. Not too flashy, but perfect against her blonde hair, and a matching curve-hugging sheath dress for that subtle hint of sexy.
“Had I known about all this supernatural stuff when I was human–” Fallon started to say, but Emma cut her off.
“You’d have been scared out of your mind.”
“You kidding me?” Fallon defiantly threw her hands on her hips.
Emma speared her with a look that dared her to keep lying. No one, no human just accepts the supernatural world without some severe WTF moments.
“Okay, yeah,” Fallon reluctantly admitted. “If my best friend hadn’t been a vampire, I’d have probably thought different of the whole underworld and all.”
“It’s like being let in on a huge secret, huh?”
“It amazes me how good everyone is at keeping the secret, too. Even the vampires who are so limited by their” – she cringed – “diet.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Emma laughed. “Diet.” Wolves enjoyed the taste of fresh blood from a kill as part of the experience, but even she couldn’t imagine that being their only form of sustenance. “As far as supernatural creatures go, vampires definitely got the short end of the stick. That whole aversion to light thing... brutal. And yeah, the menu options suck.”
“Don’t tell Alyssa, but yeah. Creeps me the hell out.”
“If she’d turned you before we did–”
“Don’t even go there.”
Emma laughed, trying to imagine her Alpha as a pale vampire. “You’re right. Wolf was the way to go.”
“Speaking of going... You’re not wearing a suit to dinner? You need to look your best tonight too. Impress those Silverman wolves.” Fallon snatched the pale pink jacket from her hands.
Emma suppressed a snarl. Fallon might be her Alpha, but she was not telling her what to wear. She swooped to the closet and reached in blindly before Fallon could get in there.
“Trust me, I plan to look my best,” she gloated. Looking smart was one of her staples. If the pink dress was a no-go, she had a lovely teal chiffon tea length dress sure to turn heads.
“Good. Because if Ace has his eye on you...”
“Whoa, lady!” Emma nearly dropped the dress in her hand.
“What?” Fallon looked innocent.
“I’m not looking for a date. I’m just going to look my best.”
“Right.” Fallon gave her an exaggerated wink. “You just keep telling yourself that.”
6
Aeson Silverman
His plan to remain locked in the study and prepare for the next arrivals had been thwarted almost as soon as he’d walked into the private room.
Aiden had warned him that Leif Chevalier was a particularly crafty old wolf, and wanted to make doubly sure that they were taking extreme precautions in his detainment.
Jay had personally overseen the installation of additional cages, surveillance, and state of the art locks. Ace had no doubts about his brother’s due diligence. He beamed with pride as he outlined the features of the new detainment center that had been created on their property.
“I assure you he’ll be secure in here.” Ace gripped the prison bars and shook them for effect. “These were made to hold the most feral of our kind. The only way he’s getting out is if someone lets him go.”
“And on that note, don’t let anyone who comes inside stay with him for too long.” Aiden’s expression did not betray any emotion.
“Any particular reason why?”
Aiden scrutinized every inch of the space with a mechanical indifference to quality or style. “The old wolf is crafty. He has a way of worming into your head,” he warned, with a tone just as flat as his expression. “Best not to take any risks. Only allow the Regionals access to the cells.”
“Of course we’ll make sure to comply. I just can’t believe... he looks so normal.” Ace tried to recall the behavior and manners of the former Alpha. The last time they’d met, Leif had been nothing more than another face in the crowd. To hear he had wielded so much power for evil seemed absurd. “It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?”
“He’s anything but normal,” Aiden replied. “Leif believes in his vision for wolfkind. And he knows very well how to play people.”
“He’s also sitting within earshot.” Leif spoke with a calmness that bordered on anger. He sat still as death in the center of a bench along the back wall of his cell. Eyes forward, he might have been staring through Aiden or simply focusing on the wall, Ace couldn’t quite judge from his angle. Either way, the old Alpha made himself appear statue-like, simply a fixture in the room to be ignored until he summoned a voice to speak and alert people to his presence. “Your generation has a severe lack of respect for their elders. One of many problems I have worked so fervently to correct.”
Aiden turned to face the condemned. “You will be given time to speak and plead your case when the council has assembled. Until then, it’s in your best interest to remain quiet and respect the process of law that our pack is upholding.”
“Such strong words,” Leif scoffed, and turned to Ace. “Do not be in awe of him, boy, or model your reign after his example. He’s lost
the domineering spirit our people were born with. Were he a true Alpha, he’d have executed me, as would have been his right. Instead, what does he do? Beg the council to do his dirty work.”
Aiden sighed heavily and shook his head. There was truth in the old Alpha’s words. They were creatures of action. Aiden would have been well within his right to execute the condemned in his territory.
“You see the truth. Don’t you, boy?” Leif continued, and locked eyes with Ace. “You know what must be done.”
“If death is your wish, have patience, and it will come,” Aiden growled.
“You see how certain he is pretending to be, young Alpha,” Leif slyly replied, still keeping his eyes on Aeson. “This is how an Alpha acts. Confidence no matter how wrong they might be. Admirable, but where’s the show of strength; the action? If he were a real leader, he’d make an example of killing me.”
Doubt cast a short shadow in Ace’s mind, but Aiden exuded a strength that he admired. As capable as wolves were when it came to brutal action, they shared form with humans, who were built to reason. The process of law needed to be upheld, if only to prove they were not simply beasts.
“I see what you mean,” Ace said, turning away from the prisoner and giving Aiden his full attention.
“This is how he operates. We all fight with the weapons we’re given,” Aiden replied with an exhausted sigh. “Even a toothless wolf will still snarl at you.”
“I’m not as toothless as you might think. But you’ll learn that soon enough.” Leif smiled toothily. “Don’t let confidence in these bars get you killed.”
“You see how quickly he can sow the seeds of discord? Best to limit any contact with him lest he try to poison your mind,” Aiden said, to reinforce the point.
“The truth may go down bitterly, but it is rarely poison,” Leif intoned.
“Enough!” Aiden cast a sidelong glance at Leif. “This is why he’s in solitary confinement.”
“Afraid people might not appreciate the wisdom of my words?” Leif’s tone never went beyond casual, but the words slithered into Ace’s ear, coiling inside his mind. “There are many who believe as I do, and wish to return wolfkind to their former glory. Weed out the weak to make room for the strong to grow.”
Being Alpha_Olde Town Pack Page 4
