by Delta James
Oliver watched as Jean-Michel shook his head and headed out of the Council chambers. As he passed Oliver he said quietly, “What a cluster fuck this is going to be. Tell Dylan he has my full support and the power of my pack at his disposal.”
“Thank you, Jean-Michel. We’re going to need it.”
After several more hours, an agreement had been reached. The Council would issue a demand to the women at Bae Diogel to surrender themselves to Dylan. If they refused, Dylan was to take a force of men large enough to subdue them without hurting them and bring them into the fold so to speak. Dylan had successfully argued that the women would be placed with him temporarily and that he would place them into packs where he felt they could be the happiest.
There had been a hue and cry for a lottery of the unmated alphas to seize one of these women and force them into a pairing. Dylan successfully defeated that monstrosity by saying if that was the Council’s determination they could count him out and be able to find him and his pack fighting alongside them. Oliver spoke up and informed the Council he would not be alone. Both the Hamptons’ and New Orleans’ packs would stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Several more alphas spoke of their intention to back Dylan.
Sensing they could either capitulate or start a civil war amongst the wolf shifters, the Council granted him his request. As the Council began to disband, Oliver joined his friend in the adjacent courtyard where they ordered good cigars and better whiskey.
“Well, that went a little better than I thought,” said Dylan, the frustration and exhaustion evident in his voice.
“I believe Gautier called it a cluster fuck.”
Dylan laughed. “That sounds like him, succinct but on point. Yours is the only pack I know and trust that has Special Ops training. Can I persuade you to come on the raid?”
“Don’t think they’ll disband voluntarily?”
“No, I don’t. Do you?”
“No. Like you, I know their alpha by reputation. And their beta is the older sister of my beta’s mate. She’s a tough cookie. Turned against her will, she declined our invitation to join us and struck out on her own. She was a lone wolf between the time she left us and she joined forces with Skylar Owen. That was a number of years ago. She’s been with Skylar ever since. You can’t underestimate them, Dylan. The Serbs did that and it got most of them killed.”
“I don’t. I spent an interesting evening with Skylar’s mate before they met. I liked him immensely. But she has to be one helluva woman to have been his life mate and tracked down his killers. They say she killed them with her bare hands.”
“I’ve heard the same story. And that she left her pack and her home that same night.”
“So anyone besides you looking for a mate?”
“I’m not looking,” said Oliver with a grin. There was no need to tell Dylan that he had settled on Roz Kincanon years ago.
Dylan laughed. “Me either, but don’t tell that to my pack. My beta and omega are desperate to get me mated.”
“Much like mine. Bash was never bad until he found Liza. Now, he’s all about how I need to be mated to be truly happy. Truth to tell if I could find my fated mate as he found his, I might well be inclined.”
Dylan nodded. “I know just what you mean. Did you know my beta’s mate was sent to us when her brother, who was alpha, could no longer control her? I think his plan was to get her mated to me. But fate intervened, Nick took one look at her and claimed her. Only time he’s ever growled at or challenged me and we’ve known each other forever and a day.”
Oliver laughed as well. “Then our betas should get along just fine. Bash was the same way. Never wanted a mate. One look at Liza and he was done. Luckily, Liza felt the same way.”
“Oh, lord, not Bianca. I don’t think that poor girl sat down comfortably for the first six months she was mated. I think he kept her pretty sore between her legs as well, but that she never once complained about.”
“Liza took a couple of trips over Bash’s knee and decided it wasn’t something she had any interest in doing again. For the most part, she is the sweetest, most loving thing in the world. Teases Bash something awful but once she settled in, she was rarely naughty enough to earn herself anything more than an erotic spanking.” He shook his head. “Interesting times, my friend. Interesting times.”
They finished their whiskey and cigars and headed back to their own packs and territories.
* * *
Oliver watched as Dylan left. He pulled out the picture of Liza and Roz that had been sent to Bash when they learned the girls had been targeted. Oliver had tried to keep close tabs on Roz over the past few years. He encouraged Bash to have his mate maintain contact. Oliver had tried several times to capture Roz, but she had proved herself to be an intelligent, alluring, and elusive prey. He rubbed his thumb across the face in the picture.
He smiled and whispered, “Not this time, my love. Enjoy your last days of freedom. This time, I will take you to mate and bring you home.”
Chapter Eight
A week later, Oliver looked down at his cell phone frowning. He looked up to see Bash.
“What troubles you, Oliver?”
“The Council has sent their invitation, as they have taken to calling it, to Bae Diogel to disband or else.”
“You think there’s any chance they’ll do so?”
Oliver shook his head. “None whatsoever. They have two choices: stand their ground and fight or run.”
“Which do you think it’ll be?”
“I’m hopeful it’s run. Dylan already has people in place that if they leave the island by the only access road, he’ll know and be able to stop them easily. If they try to get out via boat, they’ll find he’s had boats patrolling the area since the decision was made. I’m going to take Greg and join them.”
Bash eyed his alpha speculatively. “Does Dylan know you mean to claim Roz?”
“Not yet, but I’ll tell him as soon as I see him. I’d rather not have to fight for her, but I will if necessary.”
“I’ll keep Liza away from any means of communication.”
“Thank you. I worry if they know we’re coming, it will only strengthen their resolve to fight instead of run. The more peacefully we can accomplish this, the better I’ll like it. How’s she going to handle Roz being my mate?”
“Liza adores you. She knows you’re a good alpha and an even better man. She might be upset at Roz being forced into a pairing, but she’ll behave.” Thinking of his mate, Bash shook his head and grinned. “Well, either she will or she’ll find herself face down over my knee. I’ll make sure she doesn’t interfere. But once you’ve got Roz settled, I think Liza will be thrilled to have her sister home.”
“Don’t be too hard on her, Bash. Roz is her sister. I don’t want your mate to feel as though she has divided loyalties. We’ll be fine, my Rozalyn and me.”
“You’re really convinced she’s your fated mate, aren’t you?”
“Said the man who took one look at her sister’s picture and knew he was seeing the face of his own beloved for the first time?”
Bash’s grin widened. “Yeah, I would be that guy. By the way, Liza mentioned one night that Roz hates being called Rozalyn.”
“If that’s the only thing she objects to, this is going to be a whole lot easier than I imagined.”
They both laughed.
* * *
Roz watched Skylar close the door, holding the envelope that had been delivered by messenger.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” Roz asked softly.
“I’m afraid it is,” answered Skylar. “Even though we knew it was coming, this little envelope is going to change the course of our lives.”
Skylar opened the envelope and read it silently, sighing at the end. “As we surmised, we’re being told to disband and surrender ourselves to Dylan Grainger’s pack at Calon Gwyllt. We need to get everyone together immediately.”
“We don’t have to run, Sky. We can fight.”
Skyla
r put her hand on her beta’s shoulder. “We can fight, but we can’t win. Most of Dylan’s men are ex-Special Forces. They’ll be well trained and well organized. And they know we can defend ourselves. Those Serbs weren’t prepared. They were disorganized and came at us running on lust and arrogance. Grainger won’t make that mistake. No. Anyone who wants to try to preserve her freedom is going to have to run. We need to get the rest of the girls. We need to go… now.”
“You mean today?”
“No, I mean within the hour. Let’s get everyone to the main room.”
Roz and Skylar had the rest of the women of Bae Diogel assembled in under fifteen minutes. Skylar held up the letter. She explained that the Council had given them forty-eight hours to disband and surrender themselves. She gave the women the freedom to make their own choice but indicated she would not be surrendering herself.
Roz laughed and looked from the others and back to Skylar. “You don’t really think any of us are planning just to roll over on our backs and spread our legs for them to have their way with, do you?” The others laughed as well… it was a bitter sound.
“No, but I don’t want anyone to think that she can’t stay here and let them come for her if that’s what she wants.” Skylar explained that the Council planned to take them up the coast to a pack in Virginia where their fates would be decided by others. She then called for a show of hands of any of those wishing to surrender themselves. Not a single hand was raised.
Skylar outlined her plan for the women to gone within the hour. They would leave by sea and burn their home. They wouldn’t leave the Ruling Council and its members anything but ash. Upon hearing that their home would be destroyed, the women let out a collective gasp.
Skylar continued, “There’s nothing to be done for it. We don’t have time to take our things and I’ll be damned if anyone else will have them. We are completely surrounded by water so I have no worry of the fire spreading past the island. We’ll leave them nothing but scorched earth. We have the Zodiac and the sailboat.”
“Don’t you think he might already have boats out there?” asked one of the pack members, Darby, as she looked out the glass doors toward the sea.
Skylar nodded. “There have been two cabin cruisers making routine trips around the island for a couple of days. I plan to take the sailboat out in front of the Zodiac. When they move in, I’m going to use an old pirate trick, set the sailboat ablaze and ram any boat that thinks to block our way. We can escape through the hole it leaves. We’ll make a run for it, find landfall, destroy the Zodiac and disburse.”
“But how are you going to send the burning ship into one of their boats? You can’t sacrifice yourself,” asked Roz.
“I don’t intend to.” She explained that the sailboat had been rigged for remote control. She finished with, “I hate goodbyes so I’m not going to say them. Just know that I love each and every one of you dearly and I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to protect you.”
Roz stood and hugged Skylar. “Let me speak for everyone when I say, you’ve done more for each of us individually and collectively than any other being—human or shifter. You gave us, and so many others, this place and your strength to build new lives. I will cherish our friendship for the rest of my days.”
The others all nodded, stood and silently embraced each other with tears trailing down their faces. The women gathered their things and came together one last time. They fired the house with torches, turned their backs, and walked past the dunes to the dock and the waiting Zodiac.
* * *
Oliver had arrived at Calon Gwyllt and sought a private meeting with Dylan.
“What’s on your mind, Oliver?” Dylan asked once they were in his study.
“I’d like to speak to you about Bae Diogel’s beta, Rozalyn Kincanon.”
“Do you know her?”
Oliver smiled. “In a manner of speaking. Her younger sister is mated to my beta. They were turned without their consent and my pack saw them through the change. I was in Europe at the time. When I returned, Liza and Bash were mated and Roz had left our protection.”
Dylan smiled, fairly certain he knew where this conversation was going. “Had you been home, would she have escaped?”
Oliver returned the smile. “No, I’d have taken her as my mate. I’ve tried a couple of times to trap her, but she’s been too crafty for me until now. Once I learned of the existence of Bae Diogel, I wasn’t surprised that Roz had ended up there. I was in the initial stages of planning to collect her when this fiasco with the Council came up. I know the decision as to where they go lies with you. I’d like to claim Roz.” Oliver shook his head. “Strange to think I have such strong feelings for a woman I’ve never met.”
“Yes, but by tracking her you at least have an idea of how she thinks. I, on the other hand, watched their alpha light a bonfire to her dead mate and knew she was to be mine.”
The two men locked eyes and began to laugh. “Good lord, Dylan, why are we called to women we don’t even know?”
“I have no idea. I’m just glad I’m not the only one. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find mates for the rest of them as easily. I’m assuming you want to be part of the group that goes to bring the girls here to Calon Gwyllt?”
“I do indeed. I’ve been after Roz for quite some time. I don’t think I could tolerate another wolf putting his hands on her for any reason.”
“I don’t blame you. I feel the same way about Skylar. I wonder if they know the power they have over us?”
“God, I hope not. I do not believe my Rozalyn is going to be happy about this or will give in easily. I need all the advantages I can get.”
“I think not happy may be a bit of an understatement.”
“Once we have them, I’ll need you to ask me again formally. If the rest of the alphas get the idea that I’ve already placed the alpha and beta of Bae Diogel, we may have trouble getting the buy-in we need. I hope you understand.”
“I do. I think it will be obvious that she is my fated mate.”
Dylan nodded. “I do too. I know with Nick and Bianca, you’d have to have been deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid to have missed it. Although Bianca tried her damnedest to deny him.”
“Did he make her run?”
“No, the little minx would have liked that and assumed she’d have been able to outrun him. But it wouldn’t have happened. Nick wanted to bring home the idea that as his mate, she would learn to do as she was told. He brought her in here by a fistful of her hair, sat down, pulled her across his knee, bared her bottom, and proceeded to spank her until her bottom was red and swollen. He didn’t let up until she was crying and spoke her vows in front of Matthew, my omega, and me.”
“She forgave him?”
“She didn’t have a choice. He sent her up to their room. When he joined her, she proceeded to throw just about everything that wasn’t nailed down at his head. She earned herself a second trip over his knee and an introduction to Nick’s dreaded strap. He then proceeded to love her as hard as he’d been forced to discipline her and marked her that night. Next morning? She was a different woman.”
Oliver laughed. “Then there’s hope for a good outcome from a forced pairing of a strong woman. That’s good to know.”
“Better than good. Bianca is devoted to Nick and has been since the night he marked and claimed her. If anyone ever harms Nick, trust me, Bianca will go all Skylar Owen on them and no one, including me, will be able to stop her.”
“Ever regret you didn’t take her to mate yourself?”
“No. One, it was obvious she belonged to Nick. Two, I’ve always said I wouldn’t mate unless I found my fated mate, and last, I’m not sure I could have defeated Nick in a duel to the death. And that’s what it would have taken for him to give her up.”
Oliver laughed. “I feel the same way about Bash with Liza. He would have killed anyone who tried to take her from him. She’s been an amazing addition to our pack and has brought my beta the true happiness all of us deserve.�
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* * *
The men went to change into more appropriate clothing and then boarded one of Dylan’s speedboats. They headed south down the coast toward Bae Diogel. They were making good time when one of Dylan’s men radioed that as Dylan had predicted, the women were going to make a run for it. The question had been by land or sea. Josh told Dylan they had chosen sea.
Dylan gave instructions to his man to take the cabin cruisers and block the opening to prevent the women from getting to open water.
Oliver was shocked to overhear that the women had set fire to their home. But, he had to admit it was an effective way to guard their escape from the rear. Any response from a fire department would only create chaos and help them.
Dylan’s admiration for his mate’s tactics was evident. Oliver shook his head and felt sorry for his friend. It seemed she meant to make a fireboat out of the sailboat and ram at least one of the cabin cruisers. He only hoped they could capture the women of Bae Diogel without serious injury to anyone.
* * *
Roz watched as Skylar left the steering of the Zodiac to another and maneuvered the sailboat into position. The big cabin cruiser stopped squarely in the middle of the channel between the two sand spits. The other cabin cruiser hung back. A powerful male voice came over a PA system: “Women of Bae Diogel. Stop and prepare to be boarded.”
“Who the hell does he think he is, the British Navy?” asked Roz.
Skylar answered her. “I don’t much care. If he doesn’t move his ass fast enough, he’ll be abandoning his own boat and hopefully his buddies in the other boat will go save them.”
Realizing she couldn’t take out both cabin cruisers, Roz watched as Skylar set the sailboat on a collision course with the cabin cruiser directly in their path. She had the Zodiac drop back. When it was too late for the cabin cruiser to avoid the sailboat, Skylar flipped the switch, the sailboat’s engines engaged at full throttle, and the boat burst into flames.
