by M. A. Church
“That’s not what she said.”
“Then she lied.” Several gasps followed that statement, but I didn’t care. “Do not turn this into a spectacle.”
“Me, turn it into a spectacle? No fear of that, seeing how you’ve already done so by dumping her for a fucking werecat.”
Burning anger ripped through me at the insult aimed at my mate. I clenched the metal railing around the porch, my claws digging into it. Delaney paled. My vision sharpened, becoming clear.
The rich dirt under our feet, the dormant trees that surrounded us, even the freshness of the air was much more noticeable. I knew my eyes were the bright glowing yellow that signified my wolf was close to the surface.
A growl rumbled up from my chest, and I didn’t bother holding it back. Delaney wanted a reaction, did he? I howled, the furious sound blanketing my pack members. Cries and moans rose from the crowd as my power washed over them. I pinned Delaney with my gaze and focused the power of my will on him.
When he finally dropped to his knees, I cut it off. “Your sister spent a lot of time in my bed, yes. Sexual relations with a number of partners isn’t something to be ashamed of in our culture, so I’m confused as to why you think I have somehow wronged her.”
“You’d committed to her,” Delaney gasped, still on his knees. “She was supposed to be your mate, had even in fact taken on several responsibilities as an Alpha-mate. Then you just cast her aside. And for what? A werecat? How dare you.”
I hated embarrassing Sabrina like this, but she brought it on herself. “But I never promised her more, and I was completely clear on that subject from the beginning. I never committed to her, as she is well aware. She is not my mate, and she knew that, just as I did. No announcement was made, no agreement was signed in regards to a mating.”
“But she said—”
“Exactly. She said. Show me written proof I offered for her.” I waited patiently while Delaney slowly climbed to his feet, his fists still clenched. “You can’t, can you? You can’t because there is none. I told both her and the elders I wouldn’t be pushed into mating.”
Delaney looked up at me, anger and challenge still on his face.
Casually I let go of the railing and leaned against it. “I treated your sister with respect while she was with me. As soon as I met my mate, I didn’t touch her again, and haven’t since I returned from clowder land.”
“Why didn’t you tell her immediately?”
“Again, this is something we should discuss in private, but since you insist on doing it here on the steps of the pack house, so be it. This past week I’ve tried to come to grips with the fact my mate is a werecat and male. I had responsibilities to consider, and so did he. This hasn’t been easy for Aidric either. We both needed time to think.”
Another werewolf spoke up. “What reason could he possibly have for dragging his feet? He’d be mated to an Alpha. That’s a prestigious position.”
“Yes, it is, but Aidric has a prestigious position too. He’s a beta to the Alpha of the West Falls Clowder. By mating me, he’ll be giving up his position, his home, and most importantly… his family. As I said, both of us had things to consider.”
There were more murmurs, but the anger seemed to be dying down.
“Last night I informed Sabrina I’d met my mate and planned to accept Aidric,” I said to Delaney. “I won’t go into the details of the conversation because it’d only dishonor her and me, but understand if you want to challenge me over a perceived insult to your sister, I am more than up to it.”
Delaney quickly shook his head and looked back at the ground.
Yeah, I didn’t think so. “My mate, Aidric LeClair, is a beta, and as such, is due respect. He’s also my mate, so any insult to him is an insult to me.”
Only then did I realize my fangs had dropped. No wonder my speech sounded gnarled. I purposely scanned my pack, letting them see the yellow eyes and protruding fangs. Then I searched out each elder and made eye contact with them in silent warning. I was dead serious about this.
“Aidric will arrive in a couple hours to spend some time with me and my pack.”
Well, that certainly stopped the murmuring. They weren’t expecting me to move with such speed, and that was foolish of them. They should know by now once I made my mind up, I acted swiftly.
“I want to make this exceptionally clear,” I continued. “I, and my betas, will tolerate no aggressive action against Aidric. Anyone tries to harm my mate, and they’ll find themselves at the end of my claws.” I held my hand up, claws fully extended. “Lay hands on my mate with less than a respectable intent, and you will regret it. Everybody’s dismissed.”
Satisfied my point was made, I turned and went back inside the pack house. Temple and Shea joined me. They followed silently behind me as I made my way to my office. Once there, I seated myself behind the desk while Temple shut the office door. Then both of them settled in the chairs in front of my desk.
“I want Sabrina and Delaney watched while Aidric’s here,” I said.
Temple nodded. “Yes, Alpha. I think that’d be wise.”
“I’m serious about what I said too. Aidric’s my destined mate, and as such, the two of you are also tasked with protecting him.”
Neither Temple nor Shea spoke, but I caught the look the two shared. “What?” I snapped.
Shea gulped. “Nothing.”
Deliberately I looked at one and then the other. My vision was crystal clear, so my eyes were still werewolf yellow, not to mention my fangs were still fully extended. “Whatever it is, say it. Get it off your chest, let’s discuss it, and then I never want it brought up again.”
“Okay, fine. What are you going to do about the fact you have to have a pup?” Shea asked.
“There are other options,” I said. “We could have a surrogate carry a pup. It’s been done in other packs.”
“Is this something you’ve spoken to Aidric about?” Temple asked.
“Fuck no. Aidric and I are still at sixes and sevens, but he’s coming here, which tells me he’s willing to discuss how to make this mating work,” I said. “As far as a pup goes, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
“You know this won’t be easy,” Shea said.
“No. Easy is the last thing I expect,” I said. “There are so many things we have to work through, including whether or not he’d be willing to leave everything he knows to be with me. That’s a mighty big if too.”
“He’d be crazy not to,” Temple said.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but do you really understand the position Aidric is in? Can either one of you truly understand how hard this is for him?”
Both of my betas stared at me in astonishment. Yeah, I figured as much. As werewolves, we tended to demand the world bend to accommodate us. Neither Shea nor Temple had stopped to think about what it’d be like to walk in Aidric’s shoes.
“You may not respect him because, in his shifted form, he’s not as badass as us, but would either one of you be willing to leave your pack and go live elsewhere? Especially a place you’re uncomfortable in and unsure of your welcome? Then add in knowing you’d be smaller than the rest in your shifted form. What kind of balls would that take? Could either of you do it?”
Both Temple and Shea blinked in horror.
“Exactly,” I said. “When you put yourself in his position, it takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?”
“I never thought about it like that,” Shea whispered.
“Neither did I. I can’t imagine….” Temple shook his head.
“The fact he’s willing to do this proves just how strong my mate actually is. I suggest you keep that in mind.” I did too. As I told my betas, this wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, I’d say the deck was stacked against us.
“Absolutely.” Temple nodded.
“You got it,” Shea agreed.
“Good. He’s not going to know anybody here, so I’d appreciate it if the two of you would make him fee
l as welcome as possible.”
“Damn.” Shea aimlessly rubbed at his temples. “I hadn’t thought about him not knowing anyone on top of everything else. Yeah, I’m beginning to wonder just how big this guy’s balls are.”
I shot Shea a look. “Don’t you be worried about my mate’s balls or anything else about him.”
“But you’re the one who brought up his balls! You know I didn’t mean—”
Temple snorted. “Yeah, way to stick your foot in your mouth, Shea.”
“Bite me,” Shea growled.
“Not in this lifetime or the next.” Temple punched Shea in the shoulder. “Carter just met his mate, and you want to go and talk about the guy’s balls? Really? Tell me again. How many times did your mom drop you on your head?”
“At least I have an excuse. What’s yours?” Shea snapped, then returned the punch. “And stop hitting me already.”
“You call that a hit?” Temple laughed. “Seriously?”
“Want to step outside and find out just how hard I can—”
“I’m going to hit the both of you if you don’t stop,” I growled. Both of them snapped to attention.
“Sorry, Alpha.”
“Yeah, sorry. Sorry about that comment I made earlier too.” Shea hunched his shoulders and stared at the ground. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. Once I claim him, I’ll probably be a lot less sensitive.” Maybe. That was debatable.
Temple, Shea, and I were all close to the same age, although I was two years older. The three of us grew up together and had been best friends forever. They were like brothers to me, which was painful since I actually had a brother—Bram. Bram was short for Abraham. He and his mate, Marlena, joined another pack not long after I became Alpha.
Bram’s excuse for leaving was he didn’t want to live in the shadow of his Alpha big brother. Maybe that was true—Bram certainly held no rank—but his leaving hurt. Of course, being a werewolf meant I refused to show it. We kind of kept in touch and tried to visit each other at least once a year, though it was stressful. Last May was the last time I saw him. It had been at Keegan’s birthday.
“So back to Aidric’s visit. I want the two of you to make an effort to get along with him. Also I want one of you to be with him at all times, and no, that isn’t up for debate.” I wasn’t going to argue with them about it.
Temple shrugged. “Why don’t we rotate every twenty-four hours?”
“That sounds good to me,” Shea said.
“Good. While we are on pack lands, I expect the two of you to back off and give me some privacy, and again, no, that isn’t up for debate either. The man is my mate. He isn’t going to hurt me.”
“But we really don’t know anything about your—”
Shea rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to make our jobs easy, are you?”
I snorted.
Temple shook his head. “Well, he is a werecat, so the threat level isn’t as high as it would be with someone like a bear shifter.”
“But he does have claws,” Shea reminded Temple. “Claws and fangs.”
“And he’s a beta,” I reminded the both of them, because I didn’t like them making it sound like Aidric was less because he was a werecat, even though I was helping make their point. “But again, let me reiterate: He isn’t a threat to me, and yes, there will be times when I want privacy for the two of us. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Neither of my betas were pleased, but they didn’t argue with me. “Good. Shea? Would you check the guest room closest to my room and make sure it’s ready for him? Put fresh sheets on the bed too. Also make sure there are towels in the guest bathroom.”
Shea stood. “Sure thing.”
“Thank you,” I said. Shea nodded, letting me know he’d heard, and left.
Temple also stood. “Do we have any idea of his likes or dislikes as far as food goes?”
“No idea, but I’ll text him. Why don’t you take a quick look in the pantry and see if there’s anything we need?”
“There shouldn’t be, since I bought groceries a couple days ago, but I’ll go check so you can talk in private.” Temple winked and left my office, leaving the door open.
“It’s not like I’m sexting,” I muttered, pulling my cell out of my jeans pocket. Would be nice if I were, though.
I sent Aidric a text asking him what he liked to drink and some of his favorite foods, which was something I should’ve done before now. Shit, I should’ve asked him what he liked to do to relax, and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever played pool.
Temple, Shea, and I often played during the evening or sat around and watched TV. Neither of my betas were mated and, as far as I knew, weren’t dating anyone seriously. Several of the younger pack members hung out with us in the evenings.
Twenty minutes later I received a text from Aidric with a list of his likes and dislikes, which I passed on to Temple. He left to make a quick trip to the store. I was still sitting at my desk when Missy appeared in the doorway. I discreetly checked my watch, surprised it had taken her this long to show up.
Missy was my younger sister by five years and just as stubborn and hardheaded as me. Her mate was Darius Gordon, a delta to me. Her long hair was a lighter brown than even Bram’s, and she had golden highlights. She also had the same golden-hazel eyes we had. My sister was a good-looking woman who had a spine of steel and didn’t take no crap.
“Well, come on in.”
“A mate, huh? Boy, you certainly know how to keep things interesting around here, don’t you?” Missy sat in one of the chairs across from my desk. “A male werecat. Have to say that’s something of a shock.”
“Yes, I suppose it is, but the man’s my mate, and that’s the end of that.”
“I bet Sabrina was fit to be tied when you told her.” Missy snickered.
I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t realized Missy disliked Sabrina that much. “She was unhappy, as you and the entire pack saw.”
“She’s been running her mouth for quite a while. I’m not really sure how I feel about a werecat joining us, but I have to say I’m glad you finally kicked her out of your bed. The woman is poison.”
“It’s a shame she turned our parting into a nasty confrontation.”
“I’m not surprised. That’s what she’s good at, but somehow you didn’t see that side of her. I’m glad you finally got to see it in action. Keep an eye on her.”
Damn, just how blind had I been? “I will.”
“A cat.” Missy shook her head. “Wow. Not really sure what our god Fenrir is thinking, but I guess he knows best. This isn’t going to be easy, you know.”
I was sick of hearing that. “The best things never are.”
“Well, I have your back. I can’t wait to meet him also. Maybe the two of you can come over and join us for dinner one night?”
“I….” That was unexpected. I assumed she was still mad at me about Jack. “We’ll see, okay? I want you to meet him, but I also don’t want to overwhelm him and possibly scare him off.”
“If he’s going to be mated to you, I sincerely hope he has a backbone.” Missy stood and winked. “Take care, Alpha. I’m going to go mingle and see how our pack is reacting to your announcement.”
“Take care, Trouble.” I started calling her that pet name when we were pups. She and I might not always see eye to eye, but we were close. It was a shame I couldn’t say that about my brother.
Since I didn’t have any pressing obligations at the moment, I decided to check on the guest room Shea was preparing for Aidric. Five minutes later Shea ran me out of the room since I was being more overbearing than normal, according to him, so I wandered back to my office and tried to work so the time would pass quicker.
Chapter Five
Aidric
AS I drove through Dark Lake, the town within Carter’s pack territory, I noted it was nicely maintained and bustling, which, with today’s economy
, was good to see. After I left the city limits, civilization retreated and nothing but woods stretched for endless miles on either side of the highway. The surrounding land was healthy looking.
Carter had told me about landmarks to be on the lookout for. After I took the turn, I continued down the road and passed numerous homes, each with a sizable lot. Those must be pack member houses. Finally I arrived at the second turn. A couple of miles later, I came to the gravel road that would take me to the pack house.
“This is really out in the middle of nowhere.” Not that I was complaining. My cabin was just as isolated, but I was glad I’d entered his address in my GPS.
As I bumped down the road, an itch began between my shoulder blades. The unmistakable feeling of being watched skated up my spine, even though I couldn’t see anyone… or anything. The day was nice and sunny, so the snow was melting, but even in the dead of winter, I couldn’t see far into the thick woods.
My cat, which had been quiet the entire journey, stretched awake… then hissed. If I had any doubt there was something watching me, that was gone now, thanks to my cat’s reaction. I scanned the surrounding area but saw nothing.
Considering how many paranormals existed in the world, that something could be anything, but I was willing to bet it was a werewolf. It was just too coincidental, not to mention the weight of the glare just felt…. menacing. I snorted softly. Werewolf and menacing went together like bread and butter.
I tried to steady my breathing even as I tightened my hand on the wheel. Werewolves might be big, powerful, and nasty, but a truck weighed a hell of a lot more and could go much faster, so I was reasonably safe.
I had no problem mowing one of the jokers down if need be.
If I had half a brain in my head, I’d turn the damn truck around and drive out of here. Instead I kept going. Just as I was beginning to get concerned about being lost, the woods thinned and the road dumped me out at Carter’s pack house. I parked.
Oh. My. Goddess. What in the hell was that outrage I was staring at? Mouth gaping, I tried to make heads or tails out of what was in front of me. This looked like some sort of stitched-together Frankensteinlike nightmare joke of a cabin. Only it was like no cabin I’d ever seen.
