“We’ll meet with you later this week, Jackson. We need to start figuring out where you fit in with the pack now anyway since you’ve chosen to come back to the area permanently.”
“And what about Liz?” Jackson asked in a much more sedate tone.
“What about her?” Garrett asked.
“If Izzy is staying here, what happens with Liz going back to school to finish her degree.”
“That is entirely up to Liz,” I tell him. “If she wants to find a school she can transfer to in order to be closer, we will help work out the details. If that can’t be done, we will send security with her for her final year.”
Jackson nodded his head, obviously happy with that much. Liz, on the other hand turned on me then. “What?”
“Liz, things are different now, especially since Morris’s pack knows about you. There are rumblings that they are into some shady business where females are concerned. We know that they don’t really care about choice, but the council is investigating occurrences of missing girls where they are concerned. A security detail may seem invasive, but it’s necessary.”
“Great,” she huffed out. “I’m never getting laid again.”
Jackson threw his hands up in the air and growled. “Seriously, Liz! I’m sitting right here.”
“And I’m still an adult, so grow up. I’ve been having sex since I was sixteen.” Another growl came from Jackson while the peanut gallery around them erupted in laughter.
“You better hope none of you ever have daughters,” Jackson complained before standing. “I’m going home. Let me know when you need me for that meeting,” he tossed back over his shoulder to me as an afterthought. I hated that I was going to have to put my mate’s father in his place, but a reckoning was definitely coming for his attitude.
~*~ IZZY ~*~
Once we heard dad pull away I slumped further into the comforting warmth of Dre’s embrace. My bliss only lasted moments though before my sister piped up with her myriad of questions. They were probably things I should have been asking, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care in the moment.
“So, what does happen now? With Izzy, I mean. Will she turn into a big furry dog on the full moon? I don’t know what you guys explained to her before I got here this summer, but I definitely don’t know what…”
“First, we are not dogs. That’s an insult, so outside of the four of us, you may want to knock off the K-9 commentary,” Garret stated simply as Liz sat down looking properly chastised.
“No, she won’t turn into a wolf. There hasn’t been a female wolf in many generations now.”
“Why?” Both of the girls asked at once. Garrett and I just groaned.
“We don’t know. The council says it’s withholding the information for our protection anytime someone asks.”
“That’s rather fishy,” Liz offers up while searching both Garrett’s face and mine. “You guys just agree, and never question it?”
“There is a hierarchy in our world, Liz. Dre is the pack Alpha here, but there are those above him with the power to crush us all. If the council acts as a unit, and decides a pack is a danger to the longevity of our kind, they will wipe them out.”
“Are you serious right now?” Her shocked face says it all.
“Yes,” I add. “We would all like to know the reason for there being no more female wolves, but like Garrett said, we have to tread carefully, and it’s something a lot of people just except as fact now since it’s been so long since one was produced.”
“Okay, so do you guys live forever?” Liz managed to change the subject, for which I was thankful considering how tightly Izzy was now clinging to my body.
Garrett laughed. “No, we are not immortal. We do have rather lengthy lifespans. Your average, unattached male will probably live to be about 150 or so, maybe longer, unless accidental or purposeful death takes them. Hunting accident, killed by another wolf, etc.”
“Those from bonded pairs can live twice as long, if it’s a good, mutual claiming, and not something that was forced,” I added.
“Wait,” Izzy called out. “Liz and I are human, how can we live that long?”
“The two of you aren’t necessarily human. You’re not wolves, but you are something more, and when you bond with your mate you take on some of their attributes, even if you don’t actually turn into a wolf. Your hearing will sharpen, as will your other senses. They won’t be as great as those of us who can shift, but they will be enhanced well beyond normal human parameters. You also enjoy the health benefits. No more sickness, disease, and your lifespan will be equal to that of your mate. If your mate dies before you, the rest of your time will run out in a normal human style, but as long as your mate lives, you will also continue to age at our super slow pace.”
“Wait, so it doesn’t work that way if it’s not your Kindred? Like with my mom? She’s definitely been aging at a normal, hell maybe a faster than normal, rate.”
I cleared my throat before tackling that question. “Your mom and dad are a different story. I don’t think,” I know I had to look uncomfortable, but I honestly didn’t want to tell the girls that their dad had fucked up yet another thing in their lives. “There are plenty of non-Kindred pairings. Most are pretty healthy relationships. They can form a claimed bond. It’s not as strong as one of a Kindred pairing, but from what I’m told it can be close enough if both parties really want it.”
Both girls look a little forlorn at my half-assed explanation, although neither looks surprised by it. “Dad didn’t go all-in on a bond with our mom because he knew his Kindred was out there, huh?”
“It would seem so, and considering how you told him to make things right with your mom, or go find his mate, I think you kind of already suspected that,” I told her. Izzy only nodded in the affirmative. It definitely didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was working through in her own mind. Her father had screwed up her mom’s life too, although it was her choice to go along with it.
“I wonder if they’ve ever been happy?” Liz questions.
“I don’t think you spend over 20 years with someone your unhappy with. It’s just that your dad never got past the devastating loss of his Kindred.”
“That’s so sad, for all of them.” Izzy yawned again on the heels of her sentiment. We hadn’t gotten in much of a nap before everyone stormed the house.
“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you a little more naptime in before we have to get busy with the day.” I wrapped my arm around her waist, and pulled her tight to my side as we retreated to the bedroom and left Garrett and Liz to their own devices.
“I’m so damn happy I didn’t out-stubborn myself and deny our bond. I never want to be like my parents. They’re so lost,” she adds with a sadness I try to kiss away from her.
“I’m fucking happy as hell that we got our bonding out of the way too. It means you’re finally mine, forever!” We fall into bed together then, and I’d like to say we managed to take that nap she desperately needed, but that’s not exactly what happened.
Chapter Fifteen
~*~ IZZY~*~
We had one full day of blissful togetherness before pack-life came calling. Garrett and Granger made sure Liz was safe with them while Dre and I got to enjoy each other a little longer. We were even able to send our outdoor wolf guards away since I was already properly claimed and then some.
The ringing of a cellphone is what woke me from the cozy little nest I made for myself in the crook of Dre’s arm. His warmth was keeping me in cocoon of post-sex coma-like sleep until then.
“This better be good,” Dre’s gruff, sleep-deepened voice called out as he picked up the call.
“Dre, we have a problem. Need you to head on down to the brewery as soon as possible, man.” A man, whose voice I didn’t recognize came through the call loud and clear enough for me to hear.
“What’s the problem, Hank?”
“Morris is here demanding access to the twins.”
“Motherfucker! I t
old him about that shit!” Dre ground out as he carefully slid me off of him and hopped out of the bed in super-human speed. “I’ll be there in about 15 minutes. Call Garret and Granger, make sure they have Liz locked down, and with plenty of security.”
“Oh, they do,” he told Dre. “She’s here, locked in the office right now. Just about our entire pack is here too.
“Good, keep it that way until I get there.”
“Do we need to send someone to watch over your mate?” Hank asked.
“No, she’ll be coming with me. He won’t let up about her, or stop spreading rumors about the twins until he sees she’s been properly claimed. I dare say, half the draw and push is because they were twins, and he wanted them claimed to their pack together.”
I gasped at Dre’s response, and he managed to look remorseful for a moment that he had spoken his thoughts so carelessly in front of me. I was actually glad for it though. I didn’t want him holding back on me. “Keep everyone calm until I get there, Hank.”
I was already up and out of bed, sliding into my jeans when Dre came up and stilled me. “Babe, I think maybe you should grab a quick shower first.”
“Why?” I asked coyly, knowing exactly why he thought I should freshen up.
“Babe,” he started while also running his hands along my sides, up my ribs to palm my breasts. “I don’t mind you like this at all, but everyone in a ten mile radius is going to know what we’ve been up to if you don’t shower first.”
“Then I think I’ll skip the shower. If this Morris asshole wants to cause a scene, let’s make the trip worth it for him, and give him a bigger show than he was expecting.” I winked at my mate, and he growled out the most seductive noise I’ve ever heard. “You might want to let me finish getting dressed before we end up back in bed, and your pack has to fend off the asshole pack for my sister without you.”
We managed to get to the brewery in just under 15 minutes. When we pulled up I noticed a few guys milling around that I wasn’t familiar with. Besides never having seen them around, the overall feeling of menacing energy wafting from them was a problem for me. True to form, I had not taken that shower that my mate had suggested before leaving the house, and now I was debating my choice as I watched first one of those men, then another lift tip their heads up to the air and sniff. Several pair of eyes then drifted to me. “Well, the guys outside definitely know you’re mine.” Dre chuckled out his humorous response before hopping out of his truck and coming around to help me down. The four men, who had been lazing about in the summer sun on the deck of the brewery were now moving our way. Before they were able to get too close Dre stiffened, turned his attention on them, and bristled, bowing his chest muscles up while squaring his shoulders. That’s not really all that went down though. Those were just his purely physical reactions. Then there was the rush of energy that seemed to peek at his center and blow out in a 360-degree arc from where he stood. I swear I even saw some sort of wind ruffle the hair of each of the men as it happened. “I suggest you back the fuck off, right the fuck now.” Dre’s words came out in a low, base rumble of authority that clearly affected the men present as I watched each of them take a step back.
“If any of you even have a hope of being introduced to the ONE Kindred potential here, I suggest you go sit your asses down, and wait like good little boys. If not, I will remember your faces, and even if you are a mated pair, I will make it my duty to see that a bonding never happens.” I shivered at the thought of my sister possibly losing out on her mate, but then I remembered I would never want her with any of these assholes, so I was good with Dre’s threats.
~*~ DRE ~*~
I felt Izzy shiver beside me, and hoped she knew I would never keep her sister from true happiness. Whether she was a Kindred mate for one of the Morris pack assholes or not, I didn’t think I’d be doing anything but a favor for her if I shut that shit down though. These guys were known for treating women only slightly better than garbage. I took Izzy’s hand in my own then, and pulled her close to my side before letting go and tucking my arm around her waist to keep her close as we maneuvered our way inside the brewery.
“It’s about fucking time,” Morris called from the bar.
“I told you not to come back without calling and setting something up first,” I answered back.
“Yeah, well, I don’t exactly take orders from you, now do I?”
I shrugged my shoulders up and down indifferently as he eyed up my woman with contempt. “Eh, it was more a heavy suggestion than an order. See, you might not know how to follow directions, but the consequences of that happen to be waiting around with your dick in your hand while I finish up with my woman.” I felt the briefest of stiffening in Izzy’s muscles before her shoulders started to shake with laughter she was having trouble containing.
“You need to send the bitch somewhere else. We have business to discuss,” Morris tried to sound unaffected, but failed miserably. My mate did stiffen then, and knew it wasn’t because the terminology pissed her off so much as the fear for her sister if things didn’t go well here.
“My MATE,” I emphasized the word for his benefit, “will be staying right here with me. You will state your business in front of her, or not at all.” Honestly, I would have preferred to lock Izzy up with her sister until this was all over, because I didn’t want to add to her worries based on whatever shit storm was about to come spewing forth from Morris’s mouth. I couldn’t do that though, not after he insulted her simply because she’s a woman. No, now, I had a point to prove to Morris, his men, and even some of mine. My woman was to be respected, because she was an equal.
Morris’s eyes narrowed on me, nostrils flared, and I could tell her was barely restraining his rage beneath it all. Then he flipped some internal switch with a roll of his shoulders and a deep intake of breath. “We’re here to discuss introductions of the two Kindred potentials to members of my pack.”
“I think, unless your nose is failing you, it’s pretty fucking obvious that there are not two potential Kindred on the premises.”
“Yeah,” he admitted with a snarl. “I see you’ve finally managed to take care of business with that one. Pity, we were hoping to bring home a two for one special today.” At this, the couple pack-mates he had brought inside with him started tittering like little schoolgirls.
“Funny, but it looks like you’re going to be disappointed on multiple fronts today. You’re not even bringing home one of them, let alone two.”
Morris stood from the stool he’d been perched on so fast that the thing flew out behind him in a crashing clatter that set everyone’s hackles raising. I tucked Izzy into my side a little tighter, wishing once again that I had her locked safely away. Not because I didn’t think she was an equal pack member, just that I feared for her safety, because she was more fragile than an actual wolf. Disease and illness might never take her, but she was still capable of being hurt without the extra abilities that the guys and I had to heal in wolf form.
“You will bring her out here, now!” Morris tried to order.
“Yeah, see, just as you don’t take orders from me, I definitely don’t take them from you. What will happen now is that you will back your shit up and calm the fuck down before I put you down in front of your men.” Every muscle in the man’s body stiffened as I watched. I spoke with the authority of my position, which should have been equal to his own, but it was obvious in that moment who the lesser man, and wolf, was.
“Our pack has a right to see for themselves whether she’s a fated mate for any of us or not.”
“Your pack has the right to abso-fuckin-lutely nothing, especially on my lands. That woman in there has the choice, and as long as she is under my protection, I will ensure the choice remains hers.” I turned to Izzy then. “Go to the office and find out what Liz would like to do, and then come back and let me know, baby.”
“Sure,” Iz managed to get out in a strong voice before stealing herself to walk past the few of Morris’s men tha
t were inside. I didn’t like her having to do it one bit, but my men were also here on the periphery. Watching. Waiting. Prepared.
“No matter her decision today, Liz will not be released for anything with another pack until she has had the opportunity to meet every single one of our pack members, because she ultimately wants to stay nearby to her sister.”
Morris scoffed at my statement. “She’s been here for quite a while from what I’m told. Plenty of time to have met all of your members.”
“We have a couple out on the road right now. I’ll be calling them back shortly for introductions to my new mate, at which point, they will also be introduced to Liz.”
Morris scoffed yet again then laughed with his men. “Introductions to his new mate. Newsflash, hero, your men don’t give two shits who you’re boning, or who you’ve claimed.”
“Newsflash asshole, this ain’t your pack. We do shit differently here.”
Another sarcastic laugh came from Morris “Yeah, and look where it’s getting you.”
I smirked then. “It’s getting me pretty much fucking everywhere. I have a Kindred Mate. My pack is successful, my men are loyal, and we’re not under investigation every other month by the council. Seems we are definitely doing something right. Oh, and my pack’s leader isn’t some pansy-ass fucker who would bow to me in front of his men, because he knows he would lose.”
“I have never bowed to you,” Morris spat out.
“Oh, but I will have you on your knees in front of me doing just that before you leave here today if you keep pushing me.” I stepped in closer and breathed out the next words whisper-soft to him, knowing that the wolves in the building would still be able to hear me. “And the really sad part is, you know I can do it.”
The snick of a door opening and shutting drew my attention up, and away from, Morris then. Izzy was headed back out to me with a smug little smile on her face. “What’s up, babe?”
Entwined (Vukodlak Brew Book 1) Page 21
