I hadn’t cried since nineteen-fifty-one. My pride needed a strong Alpha and, it didn’t matter what kind of hell I was going through in my headspace, I was going to put on my poker face and be the Alpha they needed me to be. Or I was gonna try like hell to.
The big, leather chair I normally sat in was vacant, so, without saying anything or making eye contact with anybody yet, I made my way to it and sat down. My hands were shaking as I gripped the arms of the chair.
A pin dropping on the carpet could have been heard as they waited for me to open the meeting. A spasm of dread filled me and I almost ran back up to my room where Andra was. I really needed her touch to calm me down. Maybe I should have just waited for her.
“Do you want me to tell them, Ace?” Slade said.
I shook my head and swallowed back bile as I choked out, “No—”
“What happened?” I’m pretty sure Jaycee had said that, but I was having trouble lifting my head to look at my family, so I couldn’t be sure who’d actually said it.
Whispers grew in volume around the large room, and then I heard someone say, “Who’s that?”
I drew in a deep breath and exhaled fully, and was just about to face my fear head on alone, when soft fingers touched my face. Even though her touch was as gentle as the wind off a bird’s wings against my skin, it felt like she lifted a one ton weight off my chest. My head slowly rose as those magic fingers reached my chin, and I stared up at a very blurry Andra. I quickly blinked away the moisture that had pooled in my eyes so that I could see her. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and she was barefooted, but she had come. She came for me.
“I couldn’t let you do this alone,” she said softly.
I scooted to the edge of the seat and fell to the floor on my knees as my arms wrapped around her waist. She held my head to her chest as those amazing fingers ran through my hair.
“Thank you,” I said in a husky whisper.
“I didn’t think about how hard this would be for you until I was in the shower,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head as I stood. Not wanting to lose contact with her or the rest of my sanity, I took her hand and laced our fingers together as I looked down into her beautiful light green eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for, but I’m really glad you came. You make everything better.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Ready to do this now?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
We turned to face three dozen confused faces together, and I spoke. “I have some very good news and some rather tragic news to share with all of you today. First, I would like to thank all of you for dropping everything and coming on such short notice. You all know I don’t have mandatory meetings often, and I’m sure you’re wondering what could be so important. Get comfortable. It’s going to be a rough meeting to get through for us all. I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have, but please refrain from asking any until I get this out.”
Andra squeezed my hand and looked up at me, lending me her strength. She may not be a fighter yet physically, but mentally? Yeah, she had me beat there by a long shot. I saw through her memories that she had gone through this very thing only days after becoming an Alpha. I felt her heartbreak for Katie after our bonding, but nothing, not even experiencing it through her, could have prepared me for going through it myself.
Foster raised his hand, and I rolled my eyes. I should have known he wouldn’t be able to wait. Sighing heavily, I said, “What is it, Foster?”
He grinned devilishly and wagged his ginger eyebrows at Andra. “Does the good news have anything to do with the hottie there?”
“Yes,” I said shortly, biting back a surge of jealousy and the urge to smash his fucking face in at the way his blue eyes were roaming over her body.
He laughed, like he knew he’d irritated me. “Well, carry on then.”
“I’ll start there, I guess,” I said on an exhale, and then smiled as I turned to look at Andra. “Everyone, this is Andromeda, werewolf Alpha of Montgomery, Alabama.” After she smiled, I looked back to my pride. “As some of you know, I left a week ago to go help that pack out with some issues they were having. The only way to help them was to bond with their Alpha, so that’s what I did.” A few people gasped and Foster’s hand shot up in the air again, but I held out my palm to silence them. “Please, save your questions for later. Just believe me when I say that it was necessary. I’m not sure I would even be able to explain how the bond affects us, but if, at any time, you find either me or Andra passed out, get us to each other as quickly as possible. The bond requires us to be together…” I made eye contact with my mate and finished my sentence seductively, “… and to touch each other as much as possible.”
Foster’s hand shot up again, and the guy was practically bouncing in his seated spot on the floor.
“Good God, Foster! What?” I demanded irritably.
“What happens if we can’t get you to her or vice versa?” he said.
I shook my head. “Nothing good. Luckily, there were others around that got us back together the first time—”
Slade sat up straighter in his chair. “There was a second time that it happened?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just a few hours ago actually, but I managed to get to her before I collapsed.”
“So…” Sadie began.
“For fuck’s sake,” I said, then threw my hands up in the air and sat down in the chair, pulling Andra down on my lap. She giggled.
“… Is this a permanent thing?” Sadie finished.
“We believe so, yes—”
“Nothing is permanent,” Andra said, and I frowned at her.
I supposed now was as good a time as any to talk about our upcoming guest. “We will have a visitor soon… the Master Vampire of Montgomery is coming here to stay a night or two.”
“What?” Genesis said, aghast. “Why?”
Andra smiled. “He’s my boyfriend.”
The room erupted with shouts and drowned-out questions.
“Shut up!” I shouted.
Daria spoke up. “You’re okay with this, Ace?” She gestured with her hand at Andra. “Because it clearly looks like you’re dating her.”
I huffed. “It’s complicated.”
Revelations chuckled. “That seems like an understatement.”
“Do we have to be nice to him?” Hadley said.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Andra countered, and then glared at me.
I shrugged. “I never am.”
She shook her head as she looked back at our audience. “I would appreciate it very much if you would be nice to Phoenix during his stay here.”
“Wait,” Mercury said, “are you our Alpha now, too?”
Andra smiled. “Yes, and Ace is Alpha over my pack.”
Jensen spoke up from my left. “Great name choice on your shifter.”
Andra smiled. “Thank you, although I can’t take all the credit on that one. Maybe I’ll tell y’all that story sometime. I doubt we have time today. I think Ace has some things to share with everyone, but Mena was my given name. I go by either one.”
Hollis giggled. “Did you just say y’all? She’s from the south alright.”
Andra nodded, but amusement was shining in her eyes as she answered the girl. “Uh, yeah… sorry. It’s a habit that I’m afraid I’ll never be able to break. You all or all of you just doesn’t sound right coming off my tongue.”
I chuckled and squeezed her tighter to me. “Y’all shut the fuck up and quit picking on my mate.”
A dry laugh came from the back of the room, drawing my attention to Karma. Andra looked, too. Dread filled me at seeing her. The girl had never come to my bed—I would never allow such a thing to happen in my chamber—but I had spent many a night between her sheets. I prayed she wouldn’t be a problem for Andra. Even though Andra had all my memories, she hadn’t explored even a tenth of them, if any of them, so I didn’t know if she realized my connection with Karma. It had only ever be
en sex. I never let anybody in, not the way I had Andra.
“What’s so funny?” Andra asked as she stared at the blond bombshell, and then she turned her head toward me, her eyebrows cast down in confusion.
Karma’s humor-filled eyes locked on mine, and my expression pleaded with her not to say anything about our relationship; I hadn’t gotten through the hardest part yet, and I needed Andra to stay here with me just a little longer. Whether my mate wanted to admit it or not, if she learned I’d had sex with any other girl that was staying under this roof, it would make her uncomfortable, and possibly jealous. Hell, I’d been in her head when she thought I had left the house earlier to go have sex with someone; she’d been ready to murder any girl I dared to look at. I would explain everything to her. It just wouldn’t be now.
“Your name,” Karma said as her eyes moved from me to Andra.
Andra’s shoulders lifted. “You don’t like it?”
Karma leaned back, placing her palms on the carpet behind her as she stretched out her long legs in front of her, crossing her black boots at the ankles. Fuck, she was gonna say something to her about us. I could feel it in my bones. I opened my mouth to give her a direct order to leave the room, but her mouth opened and she started talking. I stuck my finger in my mouth and chewed on the skin around the nail as I glared at her. “Well, you are dating a vampire, aren’t you? And your birth name is Mina, right?”
My jaw tightened when she stated the obvious. I blew a piece of skin out of my mouth and leaned forward, pulling Andra in closer, protectively.
“Um… yes,” Andra said, confusion still in her voice. I was even a little puzzled where Karma was taking this.
Karma glanced around the room, like she was stunned nobody else had figured it out yet. “Duuuh. Dracula’s true love’s name was Mina. Don’t any of you read?” A rush of air left my mouth in relief.
“I like the movie version of a book,” Nikon said on a laugh, and then fist-bumped Cooper.
I was damn near giddy that it was some other fucker’s story she was referring to, not mine… and hers. That was, until she spoke again. “That’s so romantic, Mena. The two of you are meant for each other. It’s fate that Mena and Vlad be reunited. Maybe the story was really a prophecy or a vision that Bram Stoker had. I’ve always believed the story chooses the writer, instead of the writer choosing the story. Is Phoenix’s real name Vlad?”
I wanted to rip Karma’s fucking head off and, by the smirk she shot me, she had said all that just to get under my skin. It was no secret that Karma wanted to settle down. And she didn’t want to do it with just anyone—no, not just anybody would do—she wanted to do it with me, the Alpha. I knew this wasn’t over. I had to warn Andra. I needed to tell her everything before Karma caused trouble for us. The bitch was manipulative like that. I swore to myself that I would do it as soon as we were alone again.
Anxiety crept through me, and I could tell Andra didn’t want to answer her. Had she recognized Karma’s face from one of my memories? Oh, God, I had to get her out of here.
“Uh…” Andra started.
“That’s enough questions for now,” I said, interrupting her, and then I felt the worry completely leave her mind. She squeezed my hand, and I knew it was her way of saying ‘thank you’.
Foster raised his hand, but didn’t wait for me to yell at him before speaking. “Was that the bad news? The vampire coming here, I mean.”
“No.” I bit my lower lip as I shook my head. I swallowed once, twice, and then I just blurted it out, “Rogan is dead.”
Chapter 15
Thursday, February 5th 2015 8:13 a.m. PST
Las Vegas, Nevada
Andromeda
Chaos, and not the dog, reigned supreme as Ace’s words sank in. Once the initial shock subsided, muttered curses interspersed with some wailing broke through Andra’s own horror at his words. He could have broken it better, but who was she to say? She stayed silent as she watched Ace’s pride—her pride now—react to the news. Some had difficulty controlling their emotions, allowing their inner lion to rise to the surface, which was interesting. One girl near the back of the room kept changing eye color and sprouting fur. It was sort of cool to watch, and Andra was mesmerized, until a roar sounded much closer to her.
A woman who hadn’t shifted, but was apparently very much in touch with her inner beast threw her head back and rumbled at the ceiling, claws emerging from her delicate hands. Andra made a mental note to steer clear of her during times of stress. It was sort of scary.
After a brief period of shock, most everyone got themselves under control long enough for the rest of Ace’s instructions, which were a blur to Andra. Probably to everyone else, too. They all just stood there in mute shock, some with silent tears streaking down their faces.
Rogan’s loss would be felt for a while. Of that, Andra had no doubt.
Even with how large the house was, there weren’t enough rooms to accommodate every person, and everybody wanted to stay after Ace told them what had happened to Rogan and what was still happening with someone hunting Andra.
Ace managed to get enough comp rooms in the casinos near the lions’ den for those who lived out of the city, so everyone could stay close enough in case he needed them.
He refused to let anyone near the human girl in the basement for now, convinced that the longer the girl stewed in her own fear, the easier it would be to interrogate her once they did talk to her.
Then, he would send in Genesis and Revelations. “If they can’t pull the information we need out of her, nobody can,” Ace had said to Slade and Kai, before following Andra up to his bedroom.
Andra walked ahead of him, through his bedroom door, desperately trying to quell the unease she felt coming off him in waves as she went for her phone. Even though Alex told her they wouldn’t call until after dusk and they got back on the road, she had a dreadful feeling in the pit of her gut that something had gone wrong on her pack’s mission. Maybe the feeling was coming from Ace, but, then again, maybe it wasn’t.
“Andra, we need to talk,” Ace said as he shut the door of his room. He was leaning against it and staring up at the ceiling when she glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Hold on. I left my phone here and I need to make sure none of my pack has tried to contact me.” Looking down at the screen, she noticed that she had four missed calls and several unread text messages. “Shit,” she muttered, but didn’t have a chance to open any of the texts before Ace spoke again.
“We need to talk now,” Ace said, quietly. “This is important.”
“And so is the fact that I need to know if my pack is safe. They went after a moonrising wolf last night. They’ve been calling and texting. I’m their Alpha, and so are you. Don’t you want to know if they are okay?”
“Of course I do, Andra. Believe me, I want you to call them and make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. Just let me tell you something first.” Putting his hands over his face and rubbing roughly when she didn’t respond, he pushed off the door with his foot and walked over to drop down on the bed. With her cell phone poised in her hand, she stared at Ace as he looked up at the ceiling. He took in a deep breath, and let it out in a fast whoosh. “I’ve slept with a few girls in this house. I wanted you to know about them before you found out from someone else.”
She blinked a few times and sat on the edge of the mattress, beside him. The news was like a straight punch to the gut, and now she couldn’t breathe right. This shouldn’t affect her this way. She’d known Ace had been with other women. This news shouldn’t bother her at all.
But it did. Oh, God, it did.
A few girls? Just how many did Ace consider ‘a few’? she thought.
“How many?” she heard herself say quietly as she let her gaze fall back to the now black screen of the phone in her hand.
There was silence for a long moment, and then he sighed. “I’m not sure.”
Her head whipped around and she gawked at him. “You’re no
t sure?” she asked in disbelief. “How can you not know?”
“None of them mean anything to me, Andra,” he countered. “I’ve been around a long time. You know I have a past.”
Pinned by the power of his gaze, she simply exhaled, but wanted to sob, feeling all the while like he was breaking her heart. But that was silly. He’d never had her heart. Maybe it was her soul that was breaking. She’d have to look at the women in this house every day for almost a month, and she knew she would wonder if they wanted him still. What did it matter if they did? She had him now. Groaning inwardly at her thoughts, the realization hit her hard that she had been turning him down ever since the bond. She could have him in a heartbeat if she wanted him, but she couldn’t want him, because she wanted Phoenix. Mena problem number four-hundred and seventy-two-thousand… and counting. “I didn’t realize literally meeting your past would haunt me so much. It shouldn’t. I shouldn’t care.”
“But you do,” Ace said.
“No, I don’t,” she said matter-of-factly as she stood, avoiding eye contact. “It doesn’t matter who you’ve been with,” she lied. “I can handle it,” she lied again.
His lips thinned as he pressed them together. “I’ve been with nearly every female in this house, Andra,” he said regretfully.
Her mouth fell agape. “That’s a little more than a few, don’t ya think?”
He sat up and reached for her, but she shuffled back, out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me,” she said through gritted teeth. “I could have handled knowing you’ve been with two or three, Ace, but there are over a dozen women in your pride—”
“Our pride—”
“Whatever! How am I supposed to cope with that? Do you expect me to be friends with them and act as if it’s okay that they slept with my mate?” Images of Ace having sex with other women flashed through her mind so fast that she swayed. She reached out to put her hand on the mattress to keep from crumbling to the floor in a puddle of pity and tears. There were so many of them. She managed one last question after she forced that nightmare back into the memory folder it had exploded out of. “Do you want any of them still?”
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