Now it’s my turn to be silent. I don’t want to get into this at all. It’s ugly. And just not necessary.
“What if you married me instead of him?” Booker says down the phone line at me and my breath catches and I feel like all the air has been sucked out of me. “We’d be so damn good together Bg, you know it’s true. I know my timing sucks, but it’s taken me so damn long to acknowledge how I really feel about you and,”
“Booker, the pack run was just a formality. Paris and I are already married.” I cut him off. The thing with Booker is you need to be clear. That’s all. Being a lycan fuels the whole mistrust thing in him.
“What?” He blurts out angrily. One word and I can hear it. In all the preparation for the pack run and even last night I didn’t once think about how Booker would react to the whole situation. I sigh and look out the passenger window. Having Jules so close in this conversation isn’t helping either.
“Booker, it’s not like you didn’t’ see it coming.” I say softly. We were so long ago, way before Paris was even a thought in my mind. Still he’s not the only wolf boyfriend who didn’t get an invite to the pack run. He’s one of two.
“Fuck.” He blurts out again and I hear him breath heavily down the line. “Bg, I, you and me, I can’t, not be in your life.” He finally gets out quickly. “I’m angry at me for screwing things up between us.”
I close my eyes and say “Well that’s on you Booker. I’m going now. Goodbye.”
“Bg!” I cut him off with a press of a button before he can go any further and open my eyes and look back out the car window. I need to compose myself before I let Tatum see me. Jules is already looking somewhere between horrified and upset for me. He’s the kind of guy who can see everything in your expression. Everything. No one but Paris knows about my past history with Booker. But it wouldn’t be too hard to figure it out. Especially after the club bust up that drove this wedge between us. Especially after hearing half of the phone call.
“Everything alright?” Jules asks me as I step towards the passenger door again.
“Forget about it. Let’s go.” I say reaching for the car door.
The drive shouldn’t take long but New York traffic is always thick, so of course it takes a decent amount of time to get anywhere. We pull up outside of the Wiatt and Tatum’s apartment block. And Tatum unclips her seat belt and unlocks the car door. I step out of the car and follow her into the lobby of the building. Marion D’arenberg is already waiting there when we arrive.
I turn looking at Tatum and between tightly clenched teeth in a smile say “This ought to be fun. You can thank me later by naming your first born after me.”
19
But before Marion can greet us, the doors behind us open again and I see her expression change to surprise as she looks behind us. I turn around quickly, stepping in front of Tatum. And my eyes widen too in utter surprise. I’d never expected to see the female alpha werewolf who essentially hates my guts, like life’s necessity to be striding straight at me.
I straighten up, although I’m not short, I often feel it around these werewolves, Marion is tall, Paris and Wiatt are tall, and Gabby Colton in heels is just as tall and fierce. I put my hands behind my back and slowly slip off my wedding ring, into my cross body Betsey Johnson bag behind my back.
“Who the fuck do you think you are Bg?” She seethes at me by way of greeting. Total Gabby style, hostile as fuck.
I flick my black hair over my shoulder, going for relaxed and casual just to stir her up. “You’re Alpha.” I reply with a tight smile back at the woman I hate as much as she hates me. Her mouth drops open as she lets out a huff of disbelief before her blue eyes glare at me and flick up to the figures behind us. And I see recognition that she realizes, Marion D’arenberg, the matriarch of the Manhattan Maen werewolf pack is standing not too far from me.
Gabby straightens up leaning back up out of my face. I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. We’ve fought before, plenty of times. I don’t like it, but I won’t let this werewolf trample me, ever. I see Gabby’s face soften as she nods her head and smiles more naturally at the presence behind me. “Hello Marion,”
I catch movement to my side and see Marion D’arenberg stand beside me, looking indifferently and coldly back at Gabby Colton. “You overstate you’re familiarity without invitation.” Marion fires straight back at her before turning to look at me. “Are you ready dear?” She says in a softer, friendly tone to me.
“Wait!” Gabby calls out at us and we both look. “I apologize to you for the oversight, Alpha.” Gabby says lowering her eye level to show respect to Marion. “But my grievance is with the Breukelen Wolf and it is just. I am owed my say. My name is,”
“I know exactly who you are Ms Colton.” That causes Gabby to lift her head and look directly at Marion. My eye brows raise in curiosity. “Tatum dear, why don’t you have a seat while Bg and I sort out this drama?” Marion says all motherly like at Tatum who follows her instruction without hesitation. Drama, that is the one word to sum Gabby Colton up. “You’re interrupting our day.” Marion replies to Gabby and I close my mouth, happy for Marion to put the tall blonde in her place. “And I’m not going to stand here and let you try you’re usual tricks on Bg. I know about you Ms Colton.”
“Then, if you know about me as you say,” Gabby says shifting slightly in her heels and sounding for the first time since I’ve known her, unsure of her usual self. “You must know that I will stand up for myself in this pack, I am a werewolf through and through.”
“I know you think of yourself first and others second and in doing your bidding this way, you create a lot of trouble in your wake.” Marion says perfectly.
“I think you’re judging me before you’ve heard my grievance.” Gabby growls annoyed back at the older woman. I sigh. Typical Gabby style, dragging her shit on and on.
“What’s the so called problem Gabby? What the fuck have I done now?” I spit out at her waiting to hear her ridiculousness. I want to cross my arms over my chest but I resist the urge and keep my arms by my sides instead. Easier to pull a punch if she goes for me that way. Gabby glances over at Marion who nods her head back, as if giving her permission to say whatever it is she tracked me down to say.
“You say you don’t want trouble with me, but how the fuck am I supposed to be a part of this pack if I am excluded from such things as the pack run that happened the other night? I know this is your doing. I know it! And you do it deliberately!”
I can’t help it. Because in part, she’s right. So I smirk back at her. It is indeed my doing. “How do you know it’s my doing Gabby, what proof do you present to your superiors as evidence of your disadvantage?"
Gabby stammers for a moment before she regains her thought. Probably thrown by the whole superior comment. “I was told by a source who was on the run.”
“So second hand gossip?” I answer her and look over at Marion wondering if I should explain the pack run to Gabby. The meaning of it. Because Marion, Paris and I devised the pack run and hashed out loud, the way we would do it and why. There is purpose in almost everything we do in this life and there is meaning in the werewolf world as to the why we do it. As I’d previously explained to Tatum, who is silently watching us like a fascinating movie drama. Marion gives me a side shake. She doesn’t think I should blurt out to Gabby that I’m married. No problem there, I don’t need this bitch ruining my afterglow. Ever.
“It was my call.” Marion D’arenberg cuts in as I open my mouth and we both look at her surprised. “Like I said Ms Colton,” Marion says taking a step closer to Gabby. “I know all about you and you’re tempestuous relationship with my son’s pack mate. And there is no way known on this earth that I would deliberately let anyone ruin my son’s happiness by ruining the werewolf that makes him happy. You must know, we will always monitor your behavior when around Bg. Do you honestly think, after attempting to kill her, that the memory of your atrocious actions, will just fade away without con
sequence because time moves on?”
“But,”
“Actions always have consequences Ms Colton. Especially in the Manhattan Maen. As a werewolf you’ve always known this to be true and yet, you thought yourself above this action and the reaction to the fall out of what you did.”
“I’ve paid for that.” Gabby growls her voice breaking. I’m impressed with Marion’s psychology lesson on her.
“No, you really haven’t dear.” Marion replied. “Now, if you think whining for missing out on an exclusive pack right, is going to do you any favors. Then please continue on whining, like a bitch.” Marion spits back at her angrily. “But if you truly consider yourself a Manhattan Maen werewolf, then you will leave us gracefully, and meditate on your misconceptions and how to improve your attitude and behavior towards truly being one of this pack!”
Gabby’s got tears rolling down her eyes by this stage and I have to say, oddly, I almost feel sorry for her. That’s twice Gabby’s been broken down by the alpha females of her own pack. I tighten my jaw.
“Come dears, we have a lot to discuss.” Marion says to me and waving Tatum over to them as we walk around Gabby like she no longer matters. “I brought the town car.” We walk out and only Tatum is the one of us who looks back towards the devastation that is Gabby sobbing in the lobby of her apartment building. I know better than to look back and show weakness to my enemy.
20
Tatum is in shock. She’s quiet and I can see she doesn’t know what to say or do as we sit in the town car. I want to explain it to her, but I don’t want to really show her how ugly the werewolf world is yet. After all, we’re about to become the same pack, she’s marrying into the same family as me, and that means, getting used to life in the hierarchy, developing enemies, bullshit she really shouldn’t be exposed to when she’s pregnant with the next generation of wolf in her. “I’m sorry,” Tatum blurts out suddenly looking at both Marion and I, frowning and clearly confused. “But that woman, Gabby what’s her name,”
“Gabby Colton.” I reply.
“Right, Right, Gabby Colton. She’s a Manhattan Maen werewolf and she tried to kill you?” Tatum says back at me incredibly. “That’s like an exaggeration right?”
“Not.” I reply.
“What?”
“You have to understand, Gabby has hated me from the minute she laid eyes on me when I was first introduced to this pack by Paris.”
“Why?” Tatum asks seeking something that makes sense to her very logical, emotional, human brain.
“Uh, maybe because before I came along, she thought, she had a shot at uh, you know, landing Paris. Or it could be because there was no female other than her, in their inner circle until I showed up.”
Tatum stares at me. “Let me guess, she got bumped?”
“Something like that. When it became apparent she couldn’t play nice with me, Paris and the hierarchy choose me over her.”
“So now Gabby, is on the outer with the power influence in her own pack, is that right?” Tatum asked me, glancing across at Marion and back to me.
“Yes.” I state uncomfortably. It’s not like it was deliberately planned that way, but what would the point be telling Tatum that? I can see the look in her eyes, she’s already passed her internal judgment on me and it’s not good. She thought I was good up until this little encounter. She thought I was a role model to look up to at how to fit into a werewolf pack that isn’t your own. And I’ve just smashed her conception of that. Good one, Cadey.
“Right.” She says softly and sits back against the seat beside me. Marion is just watching us and I want to scream out loud in frustration.
“It’s not like Gabby’s innocent Tatum.”
“Are you?” Tatum fires straight back at me and I’m stunned. I feel everything inside me tightening. I feel the rush of heat that comes with true anger.
“Stop the car!” I say loudly staring past Marion at the tinted class partition.
“Bg,”
“Stop the car!” I scream back at my mother in law and alpha.
“Answer the question.” Tatum pushes now on a roll and feeling strong enough to come after me, I see. She’ll do well on her own with Marion if she feels this confident enough to poke me.
“Stop the car!” Stop the fucking car!” I scream repeatedly until Marion pulls the driver and passenger window back and tells her driver to pull over quickly. As the car starts to pull aside I turn in my seat next to Tatum. “You get a pass. This time.” I state at her holding my anger in as close to my inner self as I can. I press it down and refuse to let it get close to my skin. Marion will feel it, if I do. And I keep telling myself silently, that I have more control than that.
“Bg, I need to assign detail to you before you leave the car, you know that.” Marion states at me as the car comes to a complete stop, I glare at her before opening the door nearest me and leaping out, and slamming the door behind me. I don’t even look around where I am; I just break into a fast walk and start walking down the sidewalk. “Bg!”
At the sound of Marion’s voice, I break into a run, loosing myself into the New York throng that never really leaves these streets. I disappear into the normalcy of the city that never stops and I breathe heavily. Trying to get myself under control.
21
I could practically count down till my phone starts ringing. I pick it up out of my handbag, see that it’s Marion and ignore it, dropping it back in my handbag. I wait at the pedestrian lights with the crowd gathered there, and walk when the lights change. I still have no idea where I’m going, just that I’m going.
That Tatum’s personal attack on me, made my werewolf want to lash out at her, with a paw full of fully sharpened claws. I don’t need two bitches in this pack. I hope this is not going to be a problem. I don’t have many friends, even female ones. I’d hate to have to add Tatum to the list of those who aren’t friends, especially when we’re going to be part of the same family. That could get complicated and ugly. Fast. She already has issues with Paris. I don’t need her to drive a wedge between him and his brother. I shake my head, what the hell am I thinking? This is Tatum. My phone rings again and I ignore it.
My heart is beating hard and my emotions are wired. There is something in me that wants to scream until that sound leave me completely. I should have more control than this, I’ve dealt with harsher questions that am I innocent since joining the Manhattan Maen. My phone rings again and I reach into my handbag ready to accept the call and just yell at whoever is on the other end. I look at the screen. It’s Paris.
I swipe the screen to active the call. “B, Sweetheart, it’s Paris,”
“Hey,” I reply suddenly feeling soft and small.
“I heard about what happened in the car with Tatum. I need to dispatch a detail to you, you know that.”
“Yeah, um, I don’t know. Can you just be here with me.” I state looking around me.
“Tell me where you are.” He says firmly without hesitation.
I look around. “Um, I think it’s Washington square park.”
“Stay right where you are, in very public view. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I love you.” I state back at him.
“I love you little wolf, so stay put for me, okay?” He says back at me gently.
“Stay put. Got it.” I reply
“I’ll call you when I’m closer.”
“Okay.” and we disconnect the call and I look around at all the park activities and decide to sit down on the nearby bench seat. I watch all that activity and flurry around me and wonder why I’m so upset by Tatum’s question.
“Are you innocent?” I ask myself out loud, as if the answer will just present itself.
I’m not a bad werewolf and believe me there are bad werewolves in this world. I’ve met some of them. I’ve been the fixation of interest for some of them. I’ve fought some of them. I’ve fought Gabby but not because I wanted to, not out of boredom, and certainly not without real reason. I
brought the Manhattan Maen to it’s knees at one point in my dating life with Paris. And Gabby was the cause of it. I almost had two werewolf pack fighting one another over the stupidity of two bitches who can’t settle shit between themselves, because why exactly?
Werewolf Consort Page 9
