by Kasey Belle
“What about Nick? Maybe he wants the position.” Paul suggested making Mal want to punch him. “The pack belongs to him now too.”
“My Nico is no alpha. We all know that. Terrell knew that. It’s why he named Summer as his successor. If it wasn’t for Craden Speer she would have been Alpha-fem. Nick won’t want the pack. There are too many bad memories for him there. He feels safe here, like he belongs. We’ll have to figure something else out, because we aren’t going anywhere, least of all fucking Virginia.” Mal crossed his arms over his chest. He wouldn’t budge on this. No fucking way. “What happened to Brody or Hardin?”
“After you left, they decided to defend Speer, then refused to surrender peacefully. Kell and I spanked their asses,” Paul explained with an enormous grin. “Traynor and his brothers have them subdued in the maintenance barn.”
“They’re still here?” Mal didn’t bother to hide his shock.
“We don’t like it any more than you do, but it was the only viable solution,” Paul stated. “Not like I could keep them locked up at the station. If they tried to shift, we were all fucked.”
Mal blew out a breath. “Good point.”
Kell patted him on the back. “Don’t worry brother. The assholes will be gone soon. Council emissaries are on their way to take Brody and Hardin into custody. They’ll jail them at council headquarters until they can face a tribunal. My guess. They will either spend the rest of their miserable lives behind bars or be executed.”
As long as Brody and Hardin stayed away from his mate, Nick was good with either outcome. However, if anyone was asking Mal’s opinion, dead was always the better option of the two.
Mal scrubbed his hands over his face. “The things Nick has told me about his former pack will make your skin crawl. Members who identify with the LGBTQ community are shunned, abused, and exiled. Nick swears Speer had some of them killed. There one day, gone the next. Yet all their shit was still there. Even with Speer gone, I can’t let them go back to that environment. I won’t.”
Declan nodded. “I don’t blame you, Mal. I understand wanting to protect your mate, but it really pisses them off when you make unilateral decisions. Talk to Nick. Ask him what he wants. Then decide together what’s in the best interest of your family. I’ll help you figure out how to make it happen.”
“If I may interrupt a moment.” Gunnar stood from his seat on the leather sofa. “Declan. I should have run this by you first, and I sincerely apologize for overstepping. We were crunched for time.”
Declan waved his hand. “Apology accepted. What did you do?”
“I reached out to a council elder I know and trust and inquired what Mal’s options were.”
“Hold that thought. Malcolm?” Mal’s eyes snapped to Declan’s. “It’s time to bring Nick into this discussion.”
As much as Mal hated it, Declan was right. He reached out to Nick through their bond. “Baby?”
“Hi.” Nick sighed. Happiness radiated from his mate.
Mal hated himself a little in that moment knowing he was about to burst Nick’s happy bubble. “Can you come to Declan’s office?”
“Sure. I’ll be right there. Then you can tell me what’s wrong.”
Nick knocked on the office door. Mal jumped up and pulled the door open. “Baby, you didn’t have to knock.”
“Old habits and all that.” Nick leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Come sit down,” Declan commanded. Mal took his seat and Nick settled in the chair beside his. “We were discussing Mal’s options.”
“For?”
“He challenged and defeated an alpha. Shenandoah River belongs to him now.”
Chapter 32
“No!” Nick shouted and jumped to his feet. “No! I don’t want to go back there. This is our home. I won’t leave it.” The mere thought of returning to Virginia made him sick. He bit his lower lip to stop it from trembling. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. No, just no.
Mal wrapped his arms around Nick and pulled him tight to his chest. He inhaled Mal’s scent drawing it into his lungs.
“We aren’t going anywhere, baby. I promise. I don’t want that pack any more than you do.” Mal kissed his temple. “I’m sorry, Nico.” He murmured.
Nick tilted his head back so he could see Mal’s face. “Sorry? For what?”
“If I had stopped to consider the ramifications for killing Speer.” Mal shook his head. “I was just so fucking filled with rage about what happened to you and your family. I wanted to avenge you and them. If I hadn’t let my emotions rule my actions, I could have―”
He placed a finger over Mal’s lips. “Shh. You have nothing to apologize for. You could have what? Given him a chance to walk away? You did that. Shown him mercy? You did that, too. My uncle signed his death warrant when he cheated.” Nick let all the love and pride he felt for Mal flow through their bond. Mal’s sucked in a breath. His eyes went wide then soft. “You saved us. You saved Leo. I love you, cheesy pick-up lines and all.” Mal snorted a laugh. “A wise woman named Fiona once told me, you put that guilt away. It has no place here. Pretty sound advice if you ask me.”
Mal hugged him tight pressing his face to Nick’s neck. “I love you,” he whispered against Nick’s skin. After a few moments, Mal relaxed his hold.
Nick jumped when someone cleared their throat. He’d been so wrapped up in soothing his mate Nick forgot they weren’t alone. He turned. The expressions on the crowd of faces watching him ranged from warm, understanding to slightly amused. A sheepish grin twisted his lips, and he sent the men a little wave. “Sorry.”
Mal placed an arm around his shoulders. “It’s all good, baby. They get it.”
Declan smiled indulgently. “He’s right. When our mates are in need, whether emotional or physical, they deserve our full focus. They come first.” Cade snorted. Declan sent him a baleful look before turning his attention back to Nick. “Unless it’s life or death, everything else can wait.”
“True dat, brother. If someone has a problem with it, they can get fucked.” Cade grinned and held out his fist to his brother. Declan shook his head, clearly not amused. Nick bit his lips together to keep from laughing when Cade’s face fell, and he poked out his lower lip. Mal and his brothers snickered not bothering to hide their amusement. Declan let out an exasperated breath then reluctantly tapped Cade’s fist. Nick lost his composure when Cade’s face broke into a wide triumphant smile.
“Let’s get back to the business at hand, shall we?” Declan sent his beta a pointed look. “Nick,” Declan addressed him in a soothing voice. “You are Copper Creek Pack. You and Leo are family. I swear to you, I will not allow anyone to force you to leave your home. But, Mal defeated an alpha. Even if he doesn’t want the job, the fate of Shenandoah River Pack falls on his shoulders. There are protocols that must observed and plans to put into place.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. He never wanted to set foot on his former pack’s land. “Thank you, Declan. When Summer and I left Virginia, we vowed to never return. I want to keep it that way.”
Declan indicated the chair he and Mal vacated moments ago. “Take a seat. Gunnar, you have the floor.”
“Right.” Gunnar addressed him. “As I was telling Mal and the others, I reached out to a council elder I know and trust about Mal’s options.”
“Okay. That’s good. Options are good as long as at least one of them allows us to stay here.”
Gunnar leaned his butt against Declan’s desk and folded his arms over his chest. “Option one. The council can assign a temporary alpha until either Mal or you decide if you wish to lead Shenandoah River Pack.”
He held up his hand to stop Gunnar. “Wait. Hold up. Mal defeated my uncle. Why am I candidate for alpha?”
“Mal could assign you. Allow you to take his place if you wanted. The pack is your family’s legacy.”
Nick found that amusing. “Can you imagine? Me? The alpha. Not. Even if I wanted the job―which
again I do not―the pack would never see me as alpha. All they’d see was the pack runt.”
“Looks can and often are deceiving, Nick,” Declan stated with authority.
Nick smiled with gratitude. “Thank you, Declan. But not in this case.” He shook his head. “I would feel like I was playing dress up in my father’s clothes. While I truly appreciate your confidence, I’ll pass. I’ll stick with what I’m good at.”
Gunnar nodded with a knowing grin. “Understood. If neither of you want the alpha position, which you both obviously don’t, then both of you must formally and publicly renounce any claim to the position and the pack. The council will then choose to either assign a permanent alpha thus keeping the pack intact or dissolve the pack and relocate the members to other packs willing to take them in.”
“Fine. Set it up,” Mal barked. “We’ll renounce and the council can do what they want from there.”
Nick’s eyebrows shot up surprised by the unexpected ire in his mate’s response. He’d never heard Mal speak to his family with anything but patience and love. Mal acting so out of character proved to Nick his mate still held onto his unnecessary guilt for the situation they found themselves in.
“It’s not that simple,” Gunnar responded in a careful voice that set Nick’s teeth on edge. “There is a variable neither of you has considered.” Nick held his breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Considering the kind of man your uncle was, it wouldn’t be hard to cast suspicion on the so called accident that caused your parent’s deaths, Nick. You were there when your father named Summer as his successor. Although she never officially took his place it is―was―still rightfully hers. Guess who became the successor when she died?”
“Leo.” Nick barely got the name out. He wrapped his arms around his stomach. He was going to be sick.
“Shit.” Mal rubbed the back of his neck. “Kill one alpha and the shit storm that follows is never ending.” His harsh laughter held no amusement. “Fuck. What have I done?”
Nick responded through their bond. “You protected your family, my mate.” He reached out and took Mal’s hand in his. He entwined their fingers and held tight. Mal gave his hand a little squeeze. “Go on Gunnar. Tell us the rest.”
“If the council dissolves the pack, obviously Leo loses his legacy. If a permanent alpha is assigned, the pack stays intact and the legacy remains.” Gunnar paused as if to weigh his words. “If the latter happens, Leo can attempt to reclaim the pack any time after his eighteenth birthday. The operative word is attempt. If Leo wishes to lay claim to his alpha legacy, he must challenge the sitting alpha to a fight to the death for the right to take it. There would be no mercy or quarter given. The challenge must end in a fatality.”
An image of Leo as a young man lying dead in the bloody dirt with his throat ripped out flashed through Nick’s mind. His stomach revolted. Nick jumped to his feet and rushed to the adjoining bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet before his lunch made a reappearance.
Water ran in the sink and moments later a glass of water appeared in front of his face. Nick reached up and flushed the toilet then took the glass from Mal. He swished the water in his mouth spitting it into the bowl. He repeated the action until the water was gone, unfortunately the foul taste in his mouth wasn’t.
Mal rubbed a hand up and down Nick’s back. “We won’t let that happen to our boy, Nico. Can you stand?”
He nodded and Mal helped him to his feet. Nick went to the sink and wet his face while Mal dug around in the cabinet. He took a few calming breaths as he dried his face.
“Here,” Mal said.
Nick dropped the towel and smiled when he saw what was in Mal’s hand. “Mouthwash? You are a prince.”
The only good thing that came out of Nick puking his guts out was he had time to think while he waited for his stomach to settle. For once he was the calmer of the two of them. Mal was a mess and couldn’t see past his guilt to come up with a possible solution to their fucked up mess. Nick’s mind, on the other hand, was much clearer now. It was as if he purged his riotous emotions along with the contents of his stomach. By the time they exited the bathroom, Nick thought he might have found a possible way out of their situation. He stopped himself from offering his usual apology when noticed everyone was staring. Look at him making progress in the midst of hell.
“Gunnar? I had a thought after I puked my guts out.” He huffed a laugh. “As alpha, can Mal go to the council and request they dissolve the pack?”
Gunnar’s forehead wrinkled as he contemplated Nick’s question. “It didn’t occur to me to ask the elder so I’m not sure. Declan? Do you know?”
Declan’s brow crinkled and his eyes took on a far off look. Nick held Mal’s hand and they literally sat on the edge of their seats as Declan pondered the question and formed his response. After what felt like an eternity Declan finally spoke. “If I wanted to dissolve my pack, I couldn’t just wave my hand and like magic, poof, there’s no more Copper Creek Pack. I would have to petition the council and prove dissolution was the only viable option. I would assume the same rules apply to Mal as they would any alpha.
“It’s definitely the best solution for everyone―humans and shifters.” His brain buzzed with excitement. He had to believe they found a way out. Nick quieted his mind and gathered his thoughts. “Most of the pack members who were loyal to my father left after the accident.” He made air quotes. “They knew Craden murdered the alpha, beta, and their mates. The ones that didn’t leave immediately after, reached out to Summer and I and offered whatever help and support they could. They had to be careful about it though. If my uncle found out…” Nick shook the unpleasant thoughts away. “After a while, it was safer if they kept to themselves or slipped away when nobody was looking.
When Summer and I fled there weren’t but a dozen or so pack members the council could have considered allies. The only reason they still resided in the pack was because they had nowhere else to go nor the means to get there if they did. The rest of the pack was blinded by greed and meth. I’m sure it’s only gotten worse as Shenandoah and New River’s drug business expanded.”
Declan pushed a yellow legal pad and black pen toward him. “Write down the names of those loyal to your father. We can check records to see if they still reside within the pack or have moved on.”
Nick nodded. “I can do that. It will definitely be a much shorter list than those who follow Craden Speer’s asinine ideology and worship the meth gods. I remember most of the names of the shifters that vanished before we ran away. I remember where the labs were, too. If you want those locations.” Nick shrugged. “I don’t know if they are still there or if they moved them, but I’ll share what I know. If I tell them everything I remember about the drugs, disappearances, and abuse, do you think it will be enough?”
“Definitely.” Declan growled. “Write down everything you can think of no matter how insignificant you think it might be. Any information regarding Speer and his partnership with New River would be helpful. I’ll look it over tonight. We’ll meet in the morning at eight and go over everything. Gunnar, I’d like you there as well. I think between the four of us we can convince the council to dissolve the pack. If you’re sure? Both of you.”
Nick looked over at Mal. “I’m sure. Are you?”
“Hell yeah I am.” Mal’s lips curled into a brilliant smile and his eyes held nothing but love and pride. “You are a goddamn genius, baby.”
He rolled his eyes and quipped, “It’s amazing the ideas you come up with when you’re hugging the porcelain god.”
“Truth!” Cade held out his fist and Nick reached out and bumped it.
“Naw.” Mal looked him up and down with half-lidded eyes. Nick’s mouth went dry. He knew that look. “You got some major problem solving skills under all that sexy, baby.”
Nick’s face felt hot. Damn his fair complexion. “Stop it. Not here.”
Mal snickered. “Can’t help it. Smart and sexy is a turn on.”
Nick threw his mate some side-shade when the other men in the room laughed. “It’s call a private link for a reason. Hence the reason I used it.” Done with his unrepentant mate and leering eyes, Nick moved his chair closer to the desk. He pulled the pad and pen toward him and began writing. He started with the list of trusted Shenandoah pack members because it was the shortest and least emotionally taxing. Mal never left his side while he put to paper all the horrible things he’d witnessed after his father and mother died. He even added incidences he remembered happening while his father was alpha. Looking back now he was sure his uncle had somehow orchestrated them to see if his father could be swayed to the dark side. Voices and people coming and going became white noise as he focused on his task and Mal’s unyielding quiet support.
Nick pushed the pad and away placing the pen on top. “Finally.” His had cramped from writing for what seemed like hours. He stretched his arms over his head cracking his shoulders and spine. That felt much better. He turned toward Mal to ask if he was ready to go him and realized they weren’t alone. Mal’s brothers and Cade were still there. He blinked. “Oh, hey. What are y’all still doing here?”
“Waiting on you,” Paul replied as if it should be obvious. “We are nothing if not supportive.” He cocked an eyebrow daring Nick to argue the point.
He glanced at Mal. His mate shrugged. Helpful. He returned his attention to Mal’s oldest brother. Paul still held his stance and expression. Nick could see why he made a good Dom. “Um, thank you?” Paul snickered. Nick stood and held out his hand to Mal. “I’m ready to get out of here. We have shopping to do, remember?”
“What are we shopping for?” Cade asked.
“We―” Nick moved his finger back and forth between him and Cade. “―aren’t shopping for anything. We―as in me and my mate―need to internet shop for kitten supplies.”
Paul barked a laugh. “You too?” He nodded at the unasked question in Nick’s eyes. “Luke picked out one of grey tabbies. What is it with this family? Wolves with feline pets. We’re an embarrassment to our species.”
