“That would be your mate, boss.” Tony smiled as if he was a proud uncle.
“You should have seen her. When Jeff started to lose control, all of us that were outside felt it and came running. We weren’t sure why he was having trouble controlling his wolf, but when we came in the back door, your mate was ordering her beta to stand down. Without any knowledge or training in pack law, she rose to the challenge. It was incredible.”
Teaghen stood and said, “Jeff, come here and face your punishment.”
Kianna was beside him in seconds trying to explain that it wasn’t Jeff’s fault, that he only reacted because of the threat to her.
“Enough, Kianna, as alphas of the pack, it is Teaghen, Alex, and Duncan’s duty to punish one of us who breaks pack law. By partially shifting in front of a human, I broke that law and will accept my punishment.” Jeff went and stood before his alpha.
Placing one hand on each of his shoulders, Teaghen could only smile at the man standing in front of him.
“Jeff, your wolf had every reason to fight its way out. Your child was in danger, and you wanted to make sure she was protected, and for that, and so much more, my brothers and I can never thank you enough. You raised Kianna to be the strong woman that she is today, one that is able to take on three alpha wolves and put them in their place when needed. Without your guidance and loyalty, we would have been stumbling along for many years to come. Your punishment will be as follows: you and your brother will lead the new security honor guard, along with Tony and Duke.”
All four men smiled and bowed their heads to their alpha.
“This honor guard will consist of only the most trusted betas and omegas in the pack, and their main function will be the protection of the alpha’s mate and future children. Only those whom we trust with our lives would we allow protecting our mate. You honor me every day by being my friend.”
Everyone was so happy and excited that they didn’t pay much attention when two of the betas, both looking angrily back at Kianna, left the room.
* * * *
Kianna couldn’t hold back the tears that streamed down her face. She was so proud of all the men in the room, especially her men.
“Why all the tears, baby? Teaghen would never hurt Jeff simply for doing what is natural, protecting his family,” Alex said as he pulled her back against him.
“I know it just makes me so proud of all of you.” She turned and pressed her face into Alex’s chest and sniffled a little.
Duncan leaned down so that he could see her eyes and said, “We are so incredibly proud of you, Kia. What exactly did you do to stop Jeff anyway?” he asked.
Sniffling a little more she lifted her head and said, “I told him that if I was your mate, then I was also his alpha. I didn’t know whether or not it would work or even if it was true, but I needed to do something so that Jeff didn’t have to live through the guilt of killing someone in cold blood. If it hadn’t worked, I probably would have bashed him over the head with a frying pan.”
All the men in the room burst out laughing as they smiled at her.
“What the hell is so funny?” she asked, indignation written all over her face.
“Are you sure you aren’t part wolf, baby?” Duncan said through his laughter, “Because you have the instincts of one.”
“Well, after dealing with the three of you, I think I’ve pick up a trick or two.” She smiled coyly at him.
She gently pulled out of Alex’s arms and faced Teaghen and asked, “What are we going to do with Ray and his buddies?”
Sighing, Teaghen sat down in his chair again, only this time he pulled Kianna onto his lap.
“Ray will be taken to the sheriff to be dealt with, but as for the others, I’m having Duke make a few calls to find out more about them. They’re bad news all around, baby, and if the authorities can’t deal with them, then I will. From what Ray says, they’ve been kidnapping women for quite some time, and it needs to be stopped.”
As if on cue, Duke came back into the room with a deep frown on his face. “I’ve just notified the federal authorities, and it seems they’ve been looking for Sal DeMarcos for a while now. He left town just before he was to be indicted on a number of charges, including murder. The agent that I spoke with told me that there’s a long history behind his family. There are a couple of women who escaped from one of Sal’s brothels back east and are more than willing to testify. Sal didn’t seem to be the usual mobster, though, because he openly talked in front of the girls about some of his crimes. But if Ray ever hopes to walk free again, he’s going to have to tell the feds everything he knows, as well.”
Resting her head on Teaghen’s shoulder, Kianna couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her brother. He never stood a chance with a father like Bubba Deacon. His life was set on course when he was a child.
* * * *
Teaghen could feel the sadness coming from their mate and wanted to alleviate it in any way he could, but they all knew that, no matter how bad Ray’s childhood was, he made his own choices as an adult, and he now had to pay for them.
“I’m sorry that Ray is such an ass, baby. Bubba was a bastard, and I hope he spends eternity in hell for what he put you through.” Kissing the top of her head, he snuggled her in close against his chest.
Alex lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the couch to lay down with her.
“You need to rest a little now, kitten,” he said quietly. “All the dragons have been slain, and your world is safe. It’s now time for a nap.”
But before he could get her settled in for a nap, she said, “Take me home, Alex. I want to rest at home, not here. This isn’t home for me. It never really was.”
Alex smiled and kissed the top of her head, saying, “Sure, little one, we’ll take you home so you can rest.”
* * * *
It was light out when she awoke alone in bed and wondered where her men were. She barely remembered being brought home. She’d been so emotionally wrung out that she wasn’t able to keep her eyes open.
Lying back on the soft pillows, she thought about all the changes that had happened in her life in such a short period of time. She had always known that she came home for the Featherstone brothers, but she never in her wildest imagination dreamed that they would love her and care for her the way they did. She’d loved them since she was a little girl and was more that prepared to spend some time with them and then watch them walk away. She was just so glad they didn’t.
The door opened, and Alex and Teaghen came into the room.
“Good morning, kitten. How’d you sleep?” Alex asked her as he climbed up beside her on the bed to gently kiss her on the lips.
“I feel really good, guys. I can’t believe it’s daytime though. I guess I didn’t realize how exhausted I was from everything.” Kianna turned to lay facing Alex and rest her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and just let herself breathe in his scent. Hearing movement beside her, she opened her eyes just as Teaghen lay down on the other side of her and pulled her back against his chest.
“Where’s Duncan?” she asked, a little worried that maybe she’d done something to upset him.
Nuzzling into the back of her neck, Teaghen’s voice whispered softly over her skin.
“He said he had something important that couldn’t wait. He should be back anytime now. He’s been gone since well before daybreak.”
Alex kissed the tip of her nose, asking, “Why the worried look, baby? He’ll be back before you know it. He had to go and speak with the sheriff this morning and pick up a couple of things, that’s all.”
“I just wished he would have been here when I woke up, too. And why did I wake up in this big bed all alone?” she pouted with a smile on her face.
“Well now, kitten,” Teaghen gently turned her to face him completely. “As much as we would have all loved to climb right into this big, warm bed with you, there was a lot of things to be dealt with last night.”
Kianna started to sa
y something, but he put his finger gently against her lips, saying, “As much as you wanted to be there, you needed rest more. You’ve been so strong since the moment you arrived back home. You needed rest, baby, before you made yourself sick.”
He was blessed by the biggest smile from Kianna. God, she was so beautiful, he thought as the back of his hand stroked down her cheek.
“How about I get up, have a quick shower, and no, neither of you are going to help wash my back.” She laughed when she saw the hopeful looks on their faces. “And I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Teaghen reached under the sheet that still covered her and slowly slid his hand up to cup her breast, her eyes clouded with desire.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to wash your back, kitten?”
She could hear both Teaghen and Alex’s laughter from behind her, when somehow she found the strength to push them away and jump out of bed. Grabbing some clothing, she ran to the bathroom and locked the door with them still snickering behind her.
* * * *
Duncan had everything they needed and was headed home. He’d gone to the sheriff’s office to double-check that all the people involved were still locked up tight. From the sounds of it, Ray and the two other lackeys were spilling everything they knew about Salvatore DeMarcos.
His nephews gave the feds enough information to charge their uncle with multiple murders, so he’d be going away for a very, very long time. The nephews were headed into witness protection, and Ray was headed for a long stay in the federal prison system. And after picking up the information from Sean’s safety deposit box, Ray would be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
With all the bad guys taken care of, it was now time to take care of their mate. He couldn’t wait to get home with the surprise. He just hoped that Kianna would like it as well.
Parking in front of the house, he raced out of the truck and up the stairs inside to the master bedroom where he’d left his mate sleeping.
His heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest when he entered the room and there was no one there.
Where the hell could she be? He headed out into the gardens in the back and found both his brothers and Kianna sitting on the grass talking.
He stopped in his tracks so that he could just watch his mate for a few minutes, unnoticed. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, leaving her lovely neck available to his kisses. He remembered how much she loved it when one of them ran their lips down it and across the top of her shoulders.
“Duncan, you’re back!” Kianna squealed. Standing, she ran across the lush, green grass and launched herself into his arms.
“I missed you when I woke up this morning,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“I missed you, too, baby, but I wanted to make sure that all the loose ends had been tied up so that we could start fresh.” Duncan reached around and lifted her up by her ass. Kianna instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight.
Looking into her eyes, Duncan wanted nothing more than to strip her bare and bury his face in between her luscious thighs. His wolf howled inside to be free to reclaim their mate. Instead, he brought his lips close to hers and gently brushed a light kiss over them. Kianna sighed and tried to pull him closer for a harder kiss, but he just smiled against her lips and walked with her to where his brothers sat. He wasn’t going to let himself get distracted from the task at hand, and that was to finally show their mate just how much she meant to them.
After extricating himself from the arms of their woman, he placed her so that she was standing in the center of the circle now made by him and his brothers.
“What’s going on, boys?” she said as she laughed and turned around to look at each one of them.
All three men dropped to their knees, and Duncan presented a small velvet box to her. Opening it, Duncan could see how hard Kianna was fighting not to burst into tears.
“Kianna, our mate, we have belonged to you since you were a child but had to wait until you grew and experienced life before we allowed ourselves to claim you. As the alphas of our pack, we have always known that we would share a mate. You were destined to be ours as we were destined to be yours. Without you, we are lost but with you, we are unstoppable. We love you with everything that we are, both human and wolf, and would like nothing better than if you would marry us.” Taking the ring out of the box, Duncan placed it on her finger.
* * * *
Alex took her hand next. Kissing it gently, he looked up at the woman who it seemed he and his brothers had waited a lifetime for, saying, “Kitten, I find myself at a bit of a loss for words. I’m not the eloquent speaker like my brother, but I do know how I feel. You have made me whole. That is the only way to describe the absolute joy I feel every time you walk into the room or look at one of us with such trust in your eyes. You honored us by becoming our mate. Now we would like to honor you by making an honest woman out of you.” They all laughed, and Kianna leaned down and kissed Alex’s hand.
“You all have given me more than you could possible realize,” she sniffed, wiping away the tear that had escaped down her cheek.
“Growing up, you three were my saviors, whether you realized it or not. Living with Bubba was a nightmare made bearable only because I knew, when things got really awful, I had a place to go and feel safe. You three gave me that, and you gave me my dads. I’ve learned a lot about how difficult it was for them to watch their mate with another man, especially one who abused her. But I have come to find out from reading my mom’s journals, in the last few days, it is pack law that a wolf cannot claim another man’s mate as their own. She has to make the decision to leave on her own, and thank God that my mom found the strength to do just that.”
Taking hold of Teaghen’s hand with her free one, Kianna pulled both Alex and Teaghen to their feet. Duncan was already standing close behind her. She knew that without even having to turn around. She could feel him.
“Mom stayed with Bubba because of me, and that was the only reason. She thought that Bubba would treat me differently as I got older, but when she saw that it was only getting worse, she took me away, after his last beating, and divorced him. That gave Jeff and Sammy the freedom to finally claim her. You all have been with me since I was little, and I love you so much for that. I loved you with a child’s love, then a teenager’s crush, and now a woman’s passion. You calm everything inside me. When chaos reigns all around me, you just calm my soul, and I know that I can get through anything. I would love to become your wife, but I do see a serious problem with it.” She tried to put a serious frown on her face, but with the look of fear and surprise on her mates’ faces, she was having a difficult time keeping it there.
Teaghen snaked his hand behind her neck, pulling her against his chest. “What problem?” he snarled, tilting her head up so that he could see her face.
Finally, when she couldn’t hold it back anymore, she let a smile spread across her face, and she turned her face to the other two men and gestured for them to all come closer. She giggled, then whispered quietly, “It’s illegal for me to marry all three of you.”
The men let out an audible breath and stepped back from their giggling mate.
“You will marry me because I am the eldest and the lead alpha, baby.” Teaghen smiled down at her then kissed her forehead.
“Since my brothers have given you all the lovey-dovey speeches, I guess I don’t need to tell you how I feel then because I feel just like them and more.” He placed her slightly away from his body and turned to start walking back to the house.
“Oh, no, you don’t, Teaghen Featherstone.” Kianna stopped him by grabbing a hold of his huge bicep. “You aren’t going to get away that easily, mister. I want to hear some lovey-dovey stuff from you, too.”
Teaghen stopped and slowly turned back to face his mate. His lips turned up at one side in a small grin.
“Do you not know how I feel about you, Kia? Do you not understand that every breath I take, fro
m the moment I wake in the morning until I go to sleep at night, is made possible because you exist in my world? You are the heart and soul of our family and, baby”—he pulled her against his chest once more and quickly kissed her lips—“you are and have always been my reason for living, and I love you soul deep.”
* * * *
Lifting his hand up, Teaghen wiped away the dampness on her cheeks with his thumb and then brought it to his lips. The moment that one small taste of her hit him, he knew that it wouldn’t be enough. His desire for her could never be extinguished. Bending slightly, he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the house, his brothers not far behind.
As they entered the house, Teaghen’s body stilled. Something wasn’t right. Slowly placing Kianna on her feet, he gently pushed her behind him.
“What’s the matter, Teaghen?” she asked, quietly trying to see around him.
“Be still, Kia,” Duncan whispered in her ear. The authority in his tone made her immediately stop her movements.
Alex moved slowly in front of Teaghen and headed into the kitchen, Duncan right behind him.
“Teaghen, I think you need to come in here. It seems we have some visitors,” Duncan called to them.
Making sure that Kianna was still pulled in behind him, they walked slowly into the kitchen.
Sitting at the table were two of their most trusted betas, Devon and Cory. Both men were holding guns.
“Why the fuck couldn’t you have just left this bitch to Ray, Teaghen?” Cory asked as he flailed the gun around nervously.
“All you had to do was give her to Ray, and everything would be back to normal. You three can have your pick of any bitch in the pack, so why waste so much energy on this little slut?”
Alex’s wolf growled low and whispered to him, He must die for his arrogance. He moved slowly around to the side of Devon, his eyes never leaving the gun in his hand.
Kianna and Her Three Alpha Wolves [Featherstone Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 18
