Gabriel put his arm around Tanya and whispered in her ear. Nathan hoped that she would stay quiet. The last thing he wanted was to see his father be disrespectful towards her here, trying to make out like what he had done wasn't completely disgusting.
"Nathan attacked me. His alpha. His father. I am the first to admit that I could have done a better job at being a father before I left, but his actions? Malice and disrespectful. I'm sure that he'll tell you that he was trying to defend the alpha's mate, and she probably thinks he was, too. She doesn't understand our ways yet… perhaps she never will. But Nathan… my son…"
He tuned out the rest of Cole's speech. It didn't matter, he already knew what the outcome would be. He didn't have to listen to his name be dragged through the mud. Instead, he watched his father with cold eyes and imagined the relief that would come over him when he really did kill the man.
Chapter Thirteen
Tanya
Tanya trembled as she dug her fingers into Gabriel's hand, fighting the urge to yell out at Cole that there was no misunderstanding what he had done, but Grace's warning that she shouldn't speak rang in her ears. It wasn't fair! Cole was going on and on, and nobody was stepping up to defend Nathan? This wasn't right, somebody needed to do something! Why shouldn’t she speak?
"I have no desire to see it end this way," Cole concluded. "But it is clear that Nathan has changed from the boy I knew him as. When he was a child, he wanted to protect those around him. Now… clearly, the power of being alpha has corrupted him.
"That's not true," Tanya burst out. "He was defending—"
Gabriel squeezed her hand. "Tanya, you can't speak here."
"If I'm going to be your alpha female or whatever my position will be, you better damn well listen to me." She glared at the gathered wolves, daring them to argue with her. If they wanted a shrinking violet, they should have let her go back to the human civilization before it got this far.
A low murmur ran through the council, but before any of them could say anything, Nathan spoke. "Tanya, it's okay. This is how it is and how it must be. Don't worry about me. Gabriel will take good care of you."
"How is taking care of me going to help you?"
He was silent. Cole had watched the exchange with an amused smirk, and now turned his back on her. It made her blood boil, but as she opened her mouth again one of the old men on the council spoke, cutting her off.
"Nathan, do you have any defense for yourself?"
He shrugged, an arrogant smile on his face. "None that you'd listen to."
The old man twisted his face. "Very well. Then you are guilty of attacking the alpha and must face—"
Cole growled low in his throat. "You are here to witness that he is guilty. But I am the alpha, and I will decide his punishment. Your authority is over." He turned to Nathan. "By all rights, I ought to make an example of you. Attacking the alpha is the same as betraying the pack. But you are my son. So, I will be compassionate to you. The punishment is exile. You are no longer part of my pack and are forbidden from these lands. Go live with the humans."
"You are not the only alpha here," Gabriel interrupted. "Exile from your pack doesn't mean exile from the wolves. Nathan was acting in defense of his mate, because Tanya is his mate, and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous."
Tanya made a small noise of protest in her throat. She wasn't anybody's mate–yet. But her alphas hadn't agreed to try to make it work for the three of them, and if she couldn’t have Gabriel and Nathan… But maybe this was Gabriel's way of making it work? Maybe now the two of them would take on Cole and they'd beat the crap out of him and all would be well.
"I would like to formally extend an invitation to join my pack," Gabriel said, eyes on Nathan. "You would be welcome to—"
"I don't need your pity," Nathan interrupted. There was a growl to his voice and his hands were clenched, but the anger didn't reach his eyes. "I am not going to be a pet for your mate to play with when she's bored."
"Nathan!" Grace gasped. "That's not true and you know it."
A flash of regret crossed his face, but it disappeared in a second. "Maybe not. Tanya might have feelings for me, but there is no future for us. If I can't be alpha, what's the point?"
It was so unlike Nathan that Tanya was shocked. For the briefest moment, she wondered if it was true. If he had been playing her this whole time, then good riddance to him. But no. She felt bad for even thinking that. Nathan had been genuine with her, she just knew it. Her hands twisted and she shook her head, but he refused to look at her.
"Nathan, I—"
She didn't have a chance to finish. He spun on his heel and charged into the forest, shifting as he did so. Tanya cried out, stepping after him, but the council closed in a semi-circle around her and the others, with Cole standing beside them, smiling like the smug jerk he was. She glowered at him, her hands clenching. What did he hope to accomplish by this? There was no way she was choosing him.
Grace burst into tears and ran the opposite direction that Nathan went. Olivia glared at Cole for a moment before following after her.
"Now that that is taken care of," the same councilman to say that Nathan was guilty eyed her. "Cole has expressed concerns about you… You are to give him the opportunities to show you his good points, human. You cannot sequester yourself with one male, you must give equal time to both."
Tanya put her hands on her hips, glaring at the man. "I do not."
He narrowed his eyes. "Human—"
"The name's Tanya, and if you want to find yourself a new female to mate the alpha, that's fine. I'm not going anywhere near this creeper." She gestured at Cole. "There was no misunderstanding, when a man puts his hands on a woman when she's expressly told him not to—"
"Compatibility must be tested," one of the assholes said blithely. "You are human, you don't understand our ways—"
Tanya's blood boiled. She hissed between her teeth as her hands curled so tightly that her nails bit into her palms. "You obviously don't understand basic goodness if you think that you can 'test' compatibility through sexual harassment! When my alphas are ruling these packs, the first thing we're going to do is replace all of you misogynistic creeps with people with actual morals!"
"You do not—"
Gabriel interrupted. "She's had a trying day. I will explain more to her when I get her home, but for the sake of the packs, I think it's best if she can become more used to the idea before… things move forward."
"Excuse me?" Tanya gaped at him. He did not just say that. He was not justifying them in their creepy statements. "What do you think you are—"
His arm clasped tight around her waist and he lifted her from the ground. She squealed in protest and thumped him with a fist, but he completely ignored her. He dragged her back through the trees, not even stopping to ask where the car the women had driven was. Tanya didn't tell him. She struggled against his hold as he pulled her down the road.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just had to get you out of there. You're right, they're sexist and don't see women as being able to make proper choices. But provoking them would just encourage a trial by combat between Cole and myself. I'm strong and fast, but I'm not sure I can beat him. He's known as the most powerful warrior we've ever had."
She opened her mouth to argue but stopped. What he said made sense, unfortunately. If keeping her mouth shut meant that Gabriel wouldn't have to fight that monster, then she could keep her feelings to herself when it came to the council. For now, at least. Once she was the alpha female, though, things were going to change. Big time.
Gabriel carried her back to the mansion on his back while he was in his wolf's form. Tanya was silent, but by the time they got there she was exhausted. They needed to find Nathan and bring him back, but how? There had been something else going on when he said he didn't want Gabriel's pity. The look in his eye… he had looked sad but determined. What was he planning?
When they got to the mansion, Olivia quickly found them. It was a relief to see
the other woman, and Tanya quickly embraced her. She needed some girl talk desperately.
"Grace locked herself in Nathan's room and won't come out," Olivia said. "She's just in there sobbing. She said she won't let anybody but you in."
Tanya was a little surprised to hear that. While she was friends with both Grace and Olivia, she had thought that Grace was closer to the other wolf. That she would speak with the human instead was unexpected. Tanya glanced back at Gabriel, but he only nodded at her and she slipped away. Drawing near Nathan's room made her heart twist, but Tanya pushed aside her own discomfort and focused on Grace instead. When she knocked, Grace let her enter, then locked the door after her.
"He's going to do something stupid," Grace whispered. "I just know he is."
Tanya had the same feeling in the pit of her stomach, and couldn't deny it. She took a deep breath and laid a hand on Grace's shoulder. "You need to tell me about your father. The council is going to make me spend time with him, and Nathan attacked him so violently… I need to know if he did anything to you."
Grace stared at the floor, shivering. "Not what you're thinking. I don't think you have to worry about him forcing the issue. He wasn't like that with his women. And he didn't beat us or anything. He just shouted and screamed and told us how useless we were. Sometimes I think it would have been preferable if he hit us, because then at least people would see the bruises."
Her heart twisted, and Tanya wanted nothing more than to do something against Cole. But what could she do? She was a reporter, all she could do was write. A scathing report in the local newspaper wouldn’t do much, and it would probably hurt the other wolves more than it would do anything against Cole.
"What happened the day he disappeared?"
Grace shuddered. "He came home drunk one day and told me that he had done something fabulous for my future. One of the richest members of the pack wanted me, and my father agreed that I'd be his mate. He just gave me away without even asking what I wanted. It's completely wrong and would be grounds for him to be removed as alpha… except the man that he gave me to is on the council. Well, I refused. I told Nathan, and when Nathan confronted him about it, he got mad. He hit me. The first time. And the last time."
Tanya rubbed Grace's arms, trying to soothe and comfort her without words. She seethed inside but fought not to show her anger. Cole should not be allowed to be an alpha, and she was going to make sure that he lost all his power. He deserved to be in jail.
"Nathan attacked him even as the blow landed. Father was so drunk that he couldn't fight back. I had to drag Nathan off him, and then he ran off into the woods. When he didn't come back, we thought he'd died from his injuries. Nathan messed him up pretty bad." Grace took a deep breath, tears flooding her eyes. "I was so relieved. I wanted him to be dead. And now he's back and Nathan's gone. I'm not staying in that pack."
"Of course." Tanya nodded. "You can stay here. Or with Olivia at her house, since…" Since Cole was going to stay at the mansion. "But you are welcome to join our pack. I'm sure Gabriel won't need an explanation."
To her surprise, Grace giggled. Her brows knit together and a frown crossed her face. What was so funny? Maybe it was just nerves getting the best of the younger woman.
"Sorry." Grace tittered. "It's just… you said our pack. When you first came you insisted that you weren't going to stay here and that you were going to be on the next plane to England. And now it's our pack, even though you're human. The moon made the right choice, leading you to be the alpha female."
Tanya managed a small smile at that, but she didn't find it as humorous as Grace did. If anything, her heart sunk heavier. Part of her had still been thinking that there was always the possibility of hopping on that plane, but she knew now that it wasn't going to happen. She was in too deep. The packs needed change, and she couldn't let Cole end up as alpha over all of them. There was still the possibility that they would be able to find Nathan.
Would he come back, though? Her stomach clenched as she remembered what he whispered in her ear. I hope you're pregnant with my child. But then he said he wasn't going to be her 'pet'. That wasn't what he really thought, was it? No, he was just trying to convince them to leave him. But why?
"Why didn't he defend himself? If he had told the council what really happened… and I could back him up. He didn't have to be exiled."
Grace's eyes shone with fresh tears. "I know. That's why I'm so afraid. He's planning something… and I'm afraid what it will mean for him."
Chapter Fourteen
Gabriel
Shortly after they arrived back at the mansion, Gabriel had gotten a phone call from Cole stating that he expected Gabriel to 'hand over' Tanya come sunup, because he wasn't coming back to the mansion. What followed after that was several hours' worth of arguing while he tried to convince the other alpha to change his mind. By the time the phone call was over, Gabriel's heart was heavy. He dragged himself to his room, hoping to find Tanya there. It wasn't going to be easy to tell her this but it had to be done.
The door was locked, and Tanya didn't open it until after he assured her he was alone. When Gabriel entered, she looked as upset and on edge as he felt. Her hair was a frizzy mess, her clothes crumpled. She wore jeans and a tank top, and looked like she had been pacing around the room.
"I have to talk to you," she blurted.
"I have to talk to you, too." Gabriel sagged onto the bed. "Want to go first?"
Tanya shook her head. "You can."
"Cole has returned to his pack." Relief washed over Tanya's face. Gabriel hated taking that away from her. "He's insisting that you split your time between us. He claims that my presence is interfering with getting to know you properly. I managed to convince him not to expect you until the start of the new week, but if you don't go… I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do."
Tanya's nostrils flared and her jaw clenched. Her green apple scent took on an unpleasant note, like something burning. She muttered curses under her breath before shaking her head. "I'm not going anywhere near him. He tried to sell his own daughter!"
Gabriel froze. "What?"
As Tanya told him about her conversation with Grace, his muscles coiled tight. By the time she was finished, it was all he could do not to jump to his feet and race out to Cole's pack to beat the crap out of him himself. A man like that simply didn't deserve to be alpha. He didn't deserve to have a daughter as sweet as Grace.
"I will convene the council. I'll call up human authorities. I will have charges brought against him—"
"I agree, but he's got the council on his side. They'll see it as you being underhanded, trying to remove him." Tanya took a deep breath. "I know how the media works. Even the best of journalists can't get rid of their inherent biases. There's a lot of bad press about the wolves already, and something like this? People will think it means that this is common practice among the wolves… and it's not, right?"
Gabriel shook his head. "This whole situation… it's been very usual, and the packs aren't happy with it. But if humans don't see it that way… what can we do? Can't we just release our own press, condemning Cole and lambasting the people who kept it hidden?"
Tanya was silent for a moment. Her brow furrowed and she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. After several moments, she nodded decisively. "We need Nathan. We need the humanity of the story, the people. I don't think Grace would speak out without him. She's too afraid of Cole. Nathan knows his father, he'll know what we need to do in order to be successful here."
Finding him wasn't going to be easy, but thinking about having Nathan with them again eased some of the knots in Gabriel's chest. The more people they had on their side, the better. He quickly organized a search party, calling in the best trackers in the pack. Tanya insisted on getting her car and driving the roads while the wolves spread out through the forest.
It was well past midnight before Gabriel called Tanya to come back to the mansion. His paws and legs hurt from scrambling through the brush all ni
ght, and briars were stuck in his coat. Tanya waited on the front porch for him and her shoulders slumped when he shook his head.
"We'll search again tomorrow," he told her after he shifted back to human form. "Come on. Let's go have a shower and go to bed."
He could see how upset Tanya was and felt his own shoulders slumping. He hadn't really thought that they would find Nathan so easily, but had hoped for at least a lead. If they couldn’t find the other alpha–because he was an alpha, not Cole–then they would have to proceed without him. Hopefully, he and Tanya would be able to figure this out on their own…
When they got to his room, they both stopped in the doorway. Stretched out on the bed, utterly naked, was Nathan. He grinned at them as though this was a common occurrence.
"What are you doing?" Gabriel didn't mean to sound so indignant, but he couldn’t stop himself. "That's my bed you're in!"
"I know." Nathan gave him a wink. "Since you offered me a place in the pack, I knew it meant you were madly in love with me. So, I'm here, darling."
Gabriel rolled his eyes at the heavy sarcasm in Nathan's voice. Tanya's scent was most heavily concentrated in this room, it must be why Nathan decided to wait for them here. Although what he was doing here, Gabriel didn't know. Tanya, however, rushed over to him. She threw herself over the naked man, her knees clamping over his hips.
"We've been looking for you," she said, peppering kisses to Nathan's face. "And you were here all the time?"
Nathan caught her face and kissed her deeply. Gabriel felt himself stirring and repressed a moan. It should not be so hot seeing them kiss like that! But he didn't want to look away. He brushed a hand through his hair, knocking the twigs out of it. They could discuss what to do with Cole later… He joined the two of them on the bed but didn't touch his clothes or Tanya.
They were still kissing passionately, and Gabriel cleared his throat. "Now's not the time for this."
"I disagree," Nathan said, moving to bury his face into Tanya's neck. "I think this is just the right time. You got any lube in your nightstand? I know you two haven't been fooling around without me ever since my dad showed up, and how can you deny this sensuous woman her pleasure?"
The Billionaire Wolves' Virgin Page 8
