“Because we’re bonded?”
“Yes. He seemed to think it won’t go down well with some pack members.”
“But we already knew that.” Gareth wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow’s pack meeting in any way, but he hadn’t thought that their news would put him in danger.
Cam sighed. “He implied having you as my mate would give your unit more advantages than others. Said it would further show my favouritism to Nathan and his friends—since now they had a more direct line to the alpha.”
Gareth opened his mouth to object but then closed it again. Would people think that?
It was his choice to bond with Cam, nothing to do with his unit. And he didn’t want them to come under any fire for it.
Fuck.
“Anyway, I warned him to stop. I could feel myself slowly losing control, and I know he sensed it. But he wanted to die. I think that was his sole purpose for asking me there—for him, prison was a far worse fate than death, and getting me to do it was probably the ultimate ‘fuck you’ in his eyes. Me being newly bonded made it so much easier for him to goad me into it.”
The rush of guilt took him by surprise. Gareth wasn’t sorry Newell was dead—he deserved it—but he was sorry that Cam had been vulnerable enough for Newell to manipulate him. “I’m so sorry. If we’d never—”
“No!” Cam’s voice cracked through the air like a whip. He rolled on top of Gareth and pinned his wrists above his head. “Bonding with you is a wonderful, beautiful thing, and I won’t have you regretting it because of him.” His eyes burned bright with conviction and Gareth’s breath caught. “Yes he got what he wanted, maybe got off lightly in the end, but I’m not sorry I killed him.” Closing his eyes for a second, he breathed in deeply, calming down a little. “Stephen Newell was a vile little bastard who would never stop trying to cause havoc and destruction. I realised that as I watched the life drain out of him. Even if he served his time, as soon as he got out, he’d be right back at it, alpha power or no.
“Everyone’s better off this way, and I’m glad I killed him.”
Silence filled the room as Gareth struggled to think of a response to that. He wasn’t used to this side of Cam—the one who would advocate violence over anything else. Was this because of the bond? Was this his fault too?
“I can hear you thinking.” Cam leaned up on his elbows. “And I can feel it, too. Yes, our bond makes me more aggressive, the need to protect you is instinctual. But that’s not a bad thing, Gareth. These last ten years, I think… maybe I’ve been missing that edge that an alpha needs. And you’ve given it back to me.”
“Um….” Gareth bit his lip. Not sure he wanted to take credit for giving Cam a short temper.
To his surprise, Cam laughed. “I don’t mean I’m going to rage at everyone all the time. I still want to be as fair an alpha as I can be. It’s just…” He looked at Gareth with a fondness that made his toes curl. “I feel more alive now, more attuned to my wolf than I have in a long time.” Dipping his head, he kissed Gareth, long and deep… possessive.
Gareth would happily take the credit for that.
“What about the alpha council?” Making Cam happy was one thing, but had this whole thing put him in the shit with the council? “Are you in trouble for killing Newell?”
Cam pushed himself up and sat with his back against the headboard, so Gareth did the same. “No. I told them he’d continued to threaten my bonded mate even after I’d warned him to stop, and they took my word for it.”
“But?” Because Gareth knew one was coming.
“But they were concerned about the overall state of the pack.”
“Because of us?”
“Us, the trouble with Davies, appointing a new beta…. The whole shitty mess I imagine. I suspect they’re doubting my ability to handle it all on my own.”
“But you’re not on your own. You have me now.” Gareth hadn’t realised how true that was until he’d said it.
Cam smiled, but there was a touch of sadness to it. “I do have you, but you can’t help me run this pack and be my beta.” He kissed him again. “But having you as my mate is more than enough. Now come on, we need to get up and get ready for the ceremony.”
Gareth watched Cam walk across the room towards the bathroom, Cam’s words running on repeat in his head.
You can’t help me run this pack and be my beta.
No, he couldn’t.
Reaching for his phone, he sent a text that had been at the back of his mind for the last few days. Come see me at 10 tomorrow, need to discuss something with you.
When Cam finished in the shower, Gareth patted the bed next to him. “Sit down for a minute. I have a proposition for you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“What do you think?” Cam sat back in his chair and looked at the two members of the alpha council sitting opposite him: Karin Wallace and Curtis Jones.
Karin offered him a smile. That had to be a good sign, right? “I feel I need to reiterate what I said to you yesterday because you seem to have forgotten in all the”—she waved her hand in front of her—“prison debacle. We haven’t come here today to reprimand you or to tell you how to lead your pack.” She raised an eyebrow when Cam opened his mouth, so he promptly shut it again. “We’re fully aware of the difficult position we put you in by joining the two packs. This was never going to be an easy task.”
Cam couldn’t resist asking, “So why are you here?” They’d requested a meeting with him that morning and also to sit in on the afternoon’s pack meeting. Both of which had made Cam nervous.
“Firstly, I wanted to reassure you. I heard what Newell said about your old alpha and the way he died. If the matter arises in the pack meeting, I will be only too happy to shut that down. We’re here to offer our help. We want you to succeed, Alpha Harley, not fail.” Her eyes danced with amusement. “Contrary to popular belief, the council wasn’t formed to only sort out pack disputes. Between us, we have a wealth of experience and are only too happy to offer assistance where we can. After all, it’s far better to prevent disputes happening in the first place than to deal with the aftermath.”
“Thank you.” Her words were a welcome relief and Cam finally relaxed, the tension leaking from his shoulders. “I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to give.” And he would. Everything she said was true, and all Cam wanted was the best for his pack. All of his pack.
“Well.” She clasped her hands and leaned forward, resting them on the table. “Appointing Jennifer as your new beta was an interesting yet inspired choice.”
“It was Jason and Paul’s suggestion.” He refused to take credit that wasn’t his.
Alpha Wallace smiled. “Then you chose all your betas well.” Cam returned her smile, blushing slightly. “Hopefully that will start to get things back on track with Mr Davies and his friends. Although I suspect the news of Newell’s death may cause some upset.”
“Yes.” Cam sighed. That was the part he was least looking forward to. At his and Alpha Wallace’s request, the prison had kept news of Newell’s death quiet. “I suspect you’re right.”
“Especially coupled with the announcement of your newly mated status.” She tilted her head to the side, thinking. “Although, Mr Stone’s decision may go some way to help offset that.”
It was strange to hear someone refer to him as Mr Stone.
Gareth.
Cam still struggled to wrap his head around what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. “Let’s hope so.”
“If not, then I might have a few ideas on how to align your pack. But let’s see how the meeting goes first, shall we?”
“Yes.” Talking of which, Cam glanced at the clock. They’d already had lunch, the meeting going on far longer than he’d expected. “We should probably head down there. People will be arriving shortly and I don’t want to get off to a bad start by being late.”
“Lead the way.”
*****
GARETH OPENED his door after the first kn
ock. Rachel stood on the other side looking both excited and wary. “Come in.” He stepped aside, giving her room to get past.
“Where’s everyone else?” Rachel glanced around his empty living room. “I thought you had a big announcement?”
“I do.” Gareth motioned for her to sit down. “But I wanted to talk to you alone first.”
“Oh?” Her expression turned curious.
Gareth sat on the chair opposite, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m giving up my position as beta.” Her mouth dropped open in shock, which was pretty much how he felt saying it. It was the right decision, he knew that, felt it deep in his bones, but it still hurt to get the words out. This had been his life for the past ten years.
“Because of Cam?”
He sighed. “Because of our bond, yes. I can’t be his mate and a pack beta.” She went to interrupt but he held up a hand. “Not if I want to do justice to both roles.” The more he thought about it, the more he understood that Cam had been right to be concerned. The rest of the pack would look at his unit and see favouritism, no matter what he said to the contrary.
“So who’ll take your place?” She narrowed her eyes as if she could pluck the answer out of his head. “I don’t know your unit as well as you, obviously.” Gareth hid a smirk, because she would soon enough. “But maybe Nathan or Luke?”
“I did consider them, and I think they’d both make great betas in time. Just not right now.”
“So who, then?”
He met her gaze and smiled. “You.”
Stared at him.
Blinked a couple of times.
Then stared some more.
Gareth sighed. “Before you say anything, I want you to know that Cam and I have discussed this at length. It’s not some idea I thought of off the cuff.”
“But why me?” Her face scrunched in confusion. “I’m not even part of your pack.”
“You’ve been here for a little under two weeks, and yet you’ve fit in seamlessly with the rest of us. My unit—” He faltered. They won’t be mine for much longer. Swallowing past the lump in his throat he forged ahead. “The six members of this unit have great respect for you already, as does Cam.”
She raised her eyebrows. “And you?” She sounded a little incredulous and he couldn’t blame her. His behaviour towards her hadn’t been the best.
“Despite what you might think, I respect you too. Or I wouldn’t be offering you this position.” Clasping his hands together, he tried to find the right words to convey just how much his unit meant to him, how much he was giving up, and the trust he was placing in her. “I would give my life for this unit, and I trust them all with mine. I wouldn’t have suggested your name to Cam if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure you were the best person to take over from me.” He reached out and gripped one of her hands. “I’ve seen how much you care about my pack, even after such a short time. And you’re already a beta, Rachel.”
“I was,” she interrupted softly.
He pointed to her heart. “You still are in there, and that’s what counts.” Squeezing her hand, he added, “I think Nathan could lead this unit and be a leader to be proud of, but he has a lot to learn.”
She still looked sceptical. “And you think I’m the one to teach him?”
“I do.”
She blew out a breath and sat back against the cushions. “This was not what I was expecting when I read your text.”
“I know.” He met her gaze again and offered her an encouraging smile. “Well? What do you think?”
The corners of her mouth twitched, and Gareth’s heart stuttered. As much as he’d miss the camaraderie that came with being a beta, he needed her to want this. For the good of the pack.
Her smile started off slowly, then blossomed into one of delight. “I’d be honoured.”
Pulling her off the sofa and into a hug, Gareth let out a sigh of relief.
A knock on his front door startled them both, and Gareth stepped back, letting her go. The others were here.
Letting go would hurt, but it meant he could start his future. Grabbing her hand, he led her towards the door. “Time to meet your new unit.”
*****
ONCE INSIDE the large meeting room, Cam took his place at the front of the room, while Alpha Wallace and Alpha Jones moved to the back corner where they could observe better. Not that they’d go unnoticed. Even now the scent of alpha filled the room, easily identifiable from Cam’s.
While he waited for his pack, or the majority of them, to arrive, Cam drew out his phone. Predictably there was a text waiting for him from Gareth. How did it go?
Better than I’d hoped. What about at your end? He hadn’t been the only one having a meeting that morning.
Gareth’s reply seemed to take a while, and Cam held his breath, worry creeping in. Good. A little bittersweet at the start, but I think it’s all going to work out great. It was the right decision.
Cam believed him. He trusted Gareth wouldn’t lie, especially about something like that.
Out of all his betas, Alec was the first to arrive. Of course.
He spared the council members a quick glance as he walked in, then approached Cam, eyebrows raised in question.
“It’s all good,” he mouthed, and Alec nodded.
He took his spot next to Cam. “Where’s Gareth?”
“With his unit. He’ll be here shortly.”
Alec looked as though he had more questions, but voices drifted up from the stairs and he offered Cam a grim smile instead. “This should be interesting.”
He choked back a laugh at Alec’s dry tone. “Shouldn’t it just.”
His betas joined him at the front as they arrived, all except his newest one, Jenn, who waited at the side of the room.
When Gareth walked in, he paused for a moment, eyes connecting with Cam’s and a small smile on his lips, and then he took his place between Alec and Jason. For now.
Soon enough he’d stand at Cam’s side where he wanted him to be. First things first.
The members of his pack filed into the room, and not-so-hushed whispers flowed between various groups as people glanced around no doubt noticing the mating marks on his and Gareth’s necks. At three o’clock on the dot, Cam brought the meeting to order. He stood and spoke with all the alpha authority he could muster. “I appreciate that some, if not all of you, have questions, but I’m asking you to hear what I have to say before voicing any of them.”
The room quietened in an instant, all eyes on him.
All night he’d wrestled with which announcement to open with. All of them seemed bound to cause some controversy. In the end, he’d gone with this one. “Firstly, and I accept that this is long overdue, I’d like to introduce my newest beta, Jennifer Farley.” He gestured for her to come forward to the front. “Jenn will be taking over Wes Colford’s former unit from tomorrow onwards.” Jenn took her place with his other betas amid a round of applause.
He and Jenn had met with Davies and the others first thing that morning. They’d taken the news surprisingly well, but that was before they knew about Newell. Cam wondered if that bit of news would change things.
Time to find out.
“Yesterday afternoon, I went to Krillick Hall prison to visit Stephen Newell and Wes Colford.” As expected, there was a collective murmur of surprise from his pack. “Unfortunately things were said, threats were made, and as a result Stephen Newell is dead.”
Silence.
Then, with a sinking feeling, Cam watched the shock on Robert Davies face slowly morph into grief, then realisation, then anger, and he knew what was coming. “You killed him,” Davies spat.
Alec tensed beside him, but Cam shook his head a touch to tell him stay out of it.
“Yes, I did,” he responded, never any intention of lying about it.
“Why?” Davies sneered. “You already got him stripped of his pack and thrown in prison. Wasn’t that enough revenge for you?” His friends next to him glanced from Davies to Cam, obvi
ously unsure whether to back him up or distance themselves. Ordinarily Cam wouldn’t stand to be spoken to with such disrespect, but these were extenuating circumstances. He’d allow Davies to let his grief come out this way.
“Stephen Newell threatened my bonded mate.” He half-turned and beckoned Gareth to his side—both of them with their bite marks clearly visible. “Gareth Stone. And in accordance with pack law, I exercised my right to defend him.”
His pack seemed stunned into silence.
All except for one.
Davies pushed through the crowd until he stood at the front, facing Cam. His gaze danced from Cam to Gareth, then back again, and Cam knew everything Newell had said was now running through Davies’ mind.
Pointing a finger at Gareth, Davies snarled out, “He wasn’t even there. How could Newell threaten him if he wasn’t even in the same fucking room?” Davies gave Gareth a scathing look, and just like that, Cam’s patience ran out.”
“Enough!” With a roar that shook the room, he grabbed hold of Davies by the front of his jacket and lifted him off the ground. Through elongated fangs, he hissed out, “I will not tolerate such blatant disrespect. Stephen Newell was a traitor to the position of alpha and deserved everything he got and more. I will not apologise for defending my mate. Is that understood?”
Davies muttered a weak, “Yes alpha,” and Cam set him down.
He turned to the rest of the pack and delivered his final announcement of the day, and hopefully his last for the foreseeable future. “As Gareth and I are now bonded, in the interest of the pack, he has elected to give up his position as beta and fully embrace the position of Alpha’s mate.” Cam paused to let that sink in, then added. “In his place, Rachel Tregarrak will take over as temporary beta while we find a suitable long-term replacement. Her experience as a beta in the Penwith pack will provi—”
“What?” Davies’s eyebrows scrunched together, as he suddenly found his voice again. He looked around the room, gaze finally settling on Rachel. “She’s not even part of our pack!” His face was red with rage, as though this was the news that tipped him over the edge. “You’d rather choose a stranger than anyone from P-pack. Newell was right about everything.” He turned in a circle arms out wide. “He’s never going to give a shit about the rest of us. Look at who he mated with, for fuck’s sake… his own beta. And how can we trust anyone that killed their own fucking alpha!” Turning back to Cam and Gareth, and whether it was intentional or through lack of control, Davies’s fangs slid out.
Bitten By the Alpha Page 23
