by Kyle, Celia
Like a coward, he pushed those emotions aside. Their life was fine just the way it was. There was no reason to upset the status quo with dreams of a different future. His wolf snarled inside him, pacing and clawing at him as it always did, telling him without words how wrong his thoughts were.
What did the beast know?
Brushing aside his irritation, he navigated to the Ruling Alpha Mate’s table. Scarlet was an animated woman, full of energy and sass. Something the Ruling Alphas seemed to appreciate. He’d already heard rumblings about amending laws regarding the Marked women and how they were treated. Some of the Alpha Pairs he’d encountered were less than thrilled with Scarlet, but Jack admitted that he respected the woman. She’d walked into an unknown situation, hitched herself to the most dominant wolves in North America, and was already making changes.
She was definitely a worthy mate to the Ruling Alphas.
The distance between Jack and the sisters lessened with his every step. All three of them were talking at the same time, arms and hands waving, their happiness and joy evident on their faces.
He shook his head, grin teasing his lips. Yeah, the Ruling Alphas, and the future mates of the other two sisters, would undoubtedly have eventful lives with the Wickham women.
In reality, the jury was still out on whether or not Whitney would end up with an Alpha Pair. She was human and had been summoned to the Gathering like all other Marked, but she didn’t actually have a Mark. He knew this from overhearing some of the sisters’ ranting, and apparently the Wardens were on the women’s menu. Those two wolves were responsible for summoning Marked to the Gathering, and Scarlet was ready to skin them alive for forcing her sister to attend. Yeah, he didn’t envy those men. Good thing the pair had been delayed. Maybe the trio would calm a little before the Wardens arrived.
The guards surrounding the Alpha Mate’s table all had smiles on their faces, vigilant yet enjoying their duty. Okay, maybe watching these three wouldn’t be so bad.
Jack changed his path and headed toward Hawkins, the man standing to the left and in front of the shared table, just behind Gabriella Wickham. At least he’d be in a good position to protect her.
A wave of scent assaulted him, forcing his steps to stutter, and he wobbled to catch himself. Pure sin and sweetness filled his nose, the flavors so seductive they went straight to his cock. Heaven, pure and simple.
He tipped his head back, inhaling deep and hunting for more of that alluring aroma. It was…there! He caught it and ventured forward, attention split between his original destination and that—cinnamon?—goodness. Yes, cinnamon and sugar with a hint of apples. God, apple pie. Mixed in were the unmistakable hints of pure woman. Those scents twining together called to Jack’s wolf like nothing ever before. The beast surged forward, determination in its every shift of muscle. The powerful animal raced beneath his skin, sending pinpricks of pain along his arms. His fur lurked near, shoving at his control.
But still he hunted. The source wouldn’t evade him. No way. Not when he knew that she was his, his mate, his one.
With this realization, Jack relaxed and released some of the pain he’d been harboring. He’d found his mate independent of Berke. They weren’t meant to be an Alpha Pair after all. Just as he’d believed for years, they had never been destined to form an Alpha bond and then find their Marked. No, because he’d discovered his other half, not other third. He wouldn’t have to suffer like his father, wouldn’t have to harm innocents or…
The familiar woodsy scent of a wolf wasn’t present in the fragrance he chased, but it didn’t mean anything. She could simply be a human-wolf mix. Single wolves could mate with a mixed, right? He wasn’t sure. Damn it, where were the Wardens when he needed them? They harbored the werewolves’ knowledge and magic and could answer his question without thought.
Jack stumbled and bumped into a chair, tripping over the occupant, yet he managed to catch himself on the table before he sent them both tumbling to the ground. Oh, it was much stronger now. It was his mate trapped beneath him, her body so near his.
The flavors of cinnamon, apples, and woman intensified, threatening to overwhelm him and tear down his last remnants of control. He was touching her, their skin only separated by their clothing, and he ached to strip them bare so he could claim her. The woman had to be a wolf—single wolves could only mate with other wolves—and she would understand and relish in his public claiming.
Yes, he’d tear off her clothes and—
“Lieutenant?”
He knew that voice. He should listen to it. He should… But his female was half beneath him, his body sheltering her as he loomed above her.
“Lieutenant, quit your growling and let my sister go. Bad wolf.” There was power behind the woman’s words, but his wolf tossed them aside.
“Mine.” He pushed the word past his lips, forcing a human syllable from his mouth. The wolf still fought him.
“No. Bad puppy.” The voice was sharp.
“What are you gonna say next? ‘Sit?’ Really?” Those sarcastic, lyrical words were followed by a snort, and then the woman under him shifted and pushed at his chest, nudging him away.
Unacceptable.
Jack growled and stiffened, not allowing his mate to brush him aside. He had to make a stand now before she gathered the mistaken impression that he was a pushover. He let his small displeasure roll through his chest, travelling from his limbs and into the woman. Damn, his mate was small, much smaller than him, and his body easily covered hers.
“Lieutenant.” The word was snapped, power flowing over him with every syllable and he recognized the source, the flavors of the dominance. It tasted like the Ruling Alphas, softer yet no less powerful than the wolves themselves.
Fuck.
Jack’s wolf demanded that he ignore the Alpha Mate, take what belonged to them and squire her back to their den. But his life would be forfeit if he denied Scarlet’s command.
Taking a deep breath, he begged his beast to recede and give him some measure of control. Once they were done with the Alpha Mate, they could run with their female.
He pushed back from the table and straightened, forcing his gaze toward Scarlet. It took no time to find the woman as she was seated directly across from him, a small smile playing on her lips. None of the anger he’d sensed before showed in her features. No, she was decidedly amused.
A glance around him revealed why.
Six guards surrounded Jack, all of them his friends and subordinates. Not an uncommon occurrence. Except normally they weren’t aiming their guns at him. He let his gaze slide over pistol after pistol, the muzzle of each one pointed at his head. Twelve in all were trained on him.
Raising his hands, he fought for calm, urging his wolf to retreat while he figured out how to keep them alive long enough to claim their mate. Slowly he returned his attention to Scarlet. “Alpha Mate?”
The woman smirked. Her attention drifted to the woman before him and then back to his face. “Lieutenant, I don’t believe you’ve met my sister, Gabby.”
Scarlet’s sister.
Her sister Gabriella.
Gabriella who was Marked, and the woman he was to escort back to the grand ballroom for further Tests of Proximity.
“Fuck.”
Running. Running would be good right about now.
Because he wasn’t an Alpha.
He wasn’t part of an Alpha Pair.
And Gabby was definitely not his mate.
Too bad his wolf disagreed.
* * *
Berke sensed Jack’s approach, recognizing the emotions clouding his friend’s mind. Rage roiled within the other man, the feeling overriding everything he’d experienced in the last ten minutes.
Apparently his friend wasn’t going to follow orders and was hunting him down immediately.
He’d left the Lieutenant with his command, but had hung around long enough to see Jack find their mate’s scent. He’d stumbled along and located their Gabriella, and that was when
he’d made his retreat. The other wolf needed the opportunity to face what he’d been denying since they were young.
Jack was an Alpha and meant to be paired with Berke. History be damned and end of story.
Finding Gabriella was simply an “in your face” way of being hit with the truth.
Rage pounded at Berke, shoving at his control, and his wolf jumped to the fore, sensing imminent danger. They knew it was Jack, knew that the two of them would be well matched, but it’d end up bloody.
Pushing away from the wall, he turned toward the source of the fury-tinged emotions, intensity growing as Jack closed the distance between them. He tracked the other wolf’s progress, noting the disturbances in the crowd while Jack pushed and shoved other Alpha Pairs aside. Growls preceded his friend’s advance, snarls joining in with the sounds until it seemed a mass challenge was inevitable.
Aw, shit, the Ruling Alphas really were gonna kick his ass for this. Maybe shoving Jack at Gabriella had been a mistake. Just then his friend burst through the crowd at a run, gaining speed with every step, and Berke spread his legs, waiting for Jack’s attack. It wasn’t long in coming.
In two massive strides, Jack was upon him, fist colliding with Berke’s jaw in an echoing crack of bone against bone.
He stumbled back under the force, shoes sliding over the polished marble floor. Warm wetness coated his chin, and he wiped the throbbing skin. Pulling his fingers from his flesh, he found exactly what he’d been expecting.
Blood.
Berke straightened, facing his best friend and Alpha partner—whether he accepted it or not—and waited for what came next. He didn’t raise his fists to retaliate or allow his wolf free to tear into the man. No, he stilled and waited.
Jack shook out his hand, redness from the strike already blooming across his knuckles. “You fucking dick.”
Another punch came, aimed at his head once again, and Berke ducked, dodging it easily. All the while, his friend’s emotions pummeled and pounded against him. Anger was readily recognized, the fury written over Jack’s features. But beneath the rage, hidden under the swirling hints of red and black that lurked within his best friend, there was pure unadulterated fear. That stark emotion sent a shiver down his spine, his body reacting to his partner’s feelings. Adrenaline unrelated to the fight poured into his veins. Fight-or-flight beat at him, yet the emotion was anchored in the past, their combined history, and had nothing to do with today.
“Now, Jack…” The next strike collided with his stomach, forcing him to double over. Jack took advantage, clipping his jaw once again.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Jack’s chest heaved with a combination of rage and alarm.
“Yeah.” Berke blocked his friend’s next attack.
“We’re not—”
He cut off Jack’s words with a hit of his own, fist colliding with the other wolf’s kidneys, first one and then the other. The guy would be pissing blood for a little while. Good thing wolves healed so fast, otherwise it would’ve been days. “We are. You know it. I know it. The fucking Ruling Alphas know it.” He ducked and danced aside. “You just need to accept it, Jack.”
“I won’t be like him, asshole.” Jack spat the word “him”, the single syllable a curse. “I won’t claim a Marked and do that. I won’t…”
A hint of regret tinged his emotions and his feelings intertwined with his friend’s. Neither of them wanted to be like him. Neither of them wanted to be a mate like him. Or lead their Pack like him. The ephemeral ghost still lingered and blocked their future after all these years.
“Jack…” Berke glanced at the crowd they’d attracted with their confrontation. Alpha Pairs and Marked alike had formed a circle around them. The wolves’ eyes held a glowing blood lust while the females looked on with hints of fear and worry. He sighed and slumped forward, letting his hands rest on his knees while he dropped his head. “It’s time, Jack. Now. Today. This second.”
The other wolf shook his head, his terror assaulting Berke with every beat of his heart. It pummeled him with its intensity. “I won’t do it. Ever. Find some other woman—”
“Don’t worry, it’s a nonissue now.” The voice struck Berke’s heart, sinking into his soul like every other word Gabriella had ever spoken. He found her amongst the crowd, bracketed by her livid sisters with the Ruling Alphas standing just behind the three women. “The last thing I want to do is tie myself to two men who don’t want me.”
With that, Gabriella spun and pushed past her family, shoving aside even the Ruling Alphas in her haste to leave them behind. Her eyes glistened in the light of the hallway, and he fought to deny that they were gathering tears. Pain unlike he’d ever known beat at his heart, threatening to crush him in its intensity. She’d walked away, run, due to Jack’s absolute terror of turning into his father.
Berke felt Jack’s regret push into him, overtaking the lingering remnants of the man’s rage and fear. He swung his attention back to his friend. “Damn it, Jack.”
The wolf opened his mouth, but words never came forth.
“You two, with us.” Madden, the larger of the Ruling Alphas, broke through the growing tension.
“Now.” Keller was smaller yet no less fierce than his partner, and his order brooked no argument.
Straightening, Berke took a step toward the retreating wolves, his training overcoming his dread at what was to come. They’d crushed Gabriella and deserved whatever justice Keller and Madden decreed.
Striding past Jack, he paused at his friend’s words. “I’m sorry, Berke. I really am. I never meant—”
He sighed and stared into eyes he knew better than his own. “I know, but apologies and ‘never meants’ aren’t going to do anything to help us when we claim Gabriella.” Berke glared at Jack when he opened his mouth to speak. “And we are claiming her. Whether she likes it or not.” Moving past his best friend, he called to him over his shoulder. “Jack, I suggest you learn how to grovel. I know I will be.”
Chapter Two
Gabby wasn’t going to stop until she got to her sister’s penthouse suite. Well, Scarlet was sharing it with her mates and Gabby and Whitney, but she still felt like it wasn’t her place. Especially when the Ruling trio got busy, and those moans could be heard in nearly every room. She knew (conceptually, not actually) that sex could be fun-times, but she didn’t want to hear her sister getting it on.
Ick.
Gabby embraced the silence of the elevator as it ascended, but anger and indignation still thumped through her. She didn’t imagine she’d be left alone for long, and her insecurities and humiliation poked and prodded her through the interminable rise.
God, not only did they not want her, the Lieutenant seemed disgusted by the idea of mating her. Oh, he’d growled and done the wolf-y “mine” thing at the table, but the moment his human half regained control he’d run.
A low ping announced her arrival, and Gabby slipped through the doors the moment they opened enough for her to pass. She stomped into the suite, ignoring the regular guards stationed throughout the penthouse as she traveled deeper into the space. With every step, she took a breath and released it slowly, fighting to regain her composure before she blew her top.
She hadn’t asked to be Marked when she was born. She hadn’t asked to come to the Gathering. She hadn’t even asked to find her mates. Nope, none of it. But since she hadn’t had a choice in the matter, she’d resigned herself to mating two wolves. Two wolves who, by all accounts, would love and cherish and boink her from this day forward ’til death did them part.
She strode into the living room and chose to ignore the sight of her sister’s bra tossed over the back of the couch as well as a pair of boxer briefs forgotten beneath one of the club chairs. Apparently Scarlet and her mates had a little fun while Gabby suffered through the Tests of Proximity. The clothing served as a tangible reminder of what Gabby would never have.
She wasn’t sure how long she remained locked in her mind, but eventually the soft shuffle c
ombined with wheezing gasps told her that her sisters had finally made it up the stairs. Part of her felt bad that they’d been forced to make their way to the penthouse on foot, but the rest of her was too wracked by anguish to worry for too long.
Huffing out a breath, she spun and faced the crowd that’d followed her. The nearby guards’ expressions shifted from piteous to speculative and on to confused. And her sisters, her loving, amazing, best sisters ever, looked ready to go homicidal on someone. Well, someones.
“That happened, right?” She directed the question to the room at large, not expecting an answer. But she had to ask just the same. “I mean, based on his behavior, I’m ninety-nine percent sure the Lieutenant is one of my mates. I figure the Captain is the other, since I got all hot and bothered and my Mark reacted at breakfast. But the whole rejection thing downstairs… That wasn’t some nightmare like when I used to dream about going to school naked?” Gabby spun away from the group.
“Um…” Whitney. Poor Whit wasn’t big with confrontation.
“I wasn’t just embarrassed in front of the entire fucking Gathering and rejected by my mates in front of the entire fucking Gathering or anything, right?” She took a slow breath. No sense in screaming the roof down. “Because the point of the entire fucking Gathering is for wolves to find mates!” So much for not screaming.
“An Alpha Pair rejected you?” There was a tone of utter disbelief in those words, and she swung her attention around to a wide-eyed guard stationed along the wall.
“Ixnay! Ixnay!” Scarlet half-whispered, half-yelled at the guy, but Gabby had already heard him.
“Yes!” She marched up to the wolf in question—whom she decided to call Hello Sexy—and his eyes grew wider with every foot closer she got to him. Cupping her breasts, she jiggled the mounds. “Are my boobs too small? Is that it?” The guard remained silent, and she looked over her shoulder, trying to see her butt. Spinning, she presented him with her backside. “Maybe it’s my ass. Is it too small? Or big? I bet we could bounce a quarter off that shit.” She wiggled her ass and focused on Scarlet. “Hey, gimme a quarter and give it to tall, furry, and silent here. We’re gonna see if it bounces off my ass like peanuts bouncing off of that wrestler’s man-titties when he did that pec tightening dance thingy in that movie.”
