Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (40 page)

“I’m searching for something special to get Abbey,” Hunter told him, never looking up from the monitor.

“Like what?”

“Don’t know yet. When I find it, I’ll know.”

“Well, that sounds cryptic,” Clay told him, laughing softly.

Hunter nodded, smiling softly. “I’ll explain later. I’ve got dinner cooking. It should be ready in about an hour.”

“Sounds good. Where’s our mate?”

“Upstairs. Waiting for you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Clay questioned, his eyebrows lifting in surprise.

“Yeah. Go on up and enjoy the sweet surprise she has planned for you.”

Clay stood and started to walk away from the table, hesitating and turning back to face his triad partner. “Jace and Jackson are strengthening security around pack land,” he told Hunter.

“What happened?”

“Alpha Randall and four of his enforcers showed up on pack land. Suzie, Mitchell, and Dean were attacked.”

Hunter’s angry growl filled the kitchen. “Are they all right?”

“Suzie and Mitchell are,” Clay told him. “Dean’s been hurt. Drew had to operate, but Drew thinks he’ll be okay.”

“What happened to Randall and the enforcers?” Hunter asked, standing. “Do we need to take care of them?”

Clay shook his head. “No. Jace challenged Randall on behalf of our packmates. Randall’s enforcers refused to go along with their alpha’s cruelty. Randall backed down, but when Jace turned away he was attacked.”

“Stupid guy,” Hunter muttered, shaking his head. Jace was the most powerful alpha he had ever met, both in strength and in his magical abilities.

“Yeah, he was.”

“Jace had to kill him?”

Clay nodded. “He had no choice. He had shown him mercy and was ready to walk away, but Randall fought dirty and attacked him when he had his back turned.”

Hunter nodded, relieved. He knew their alpha was strong. He also knew Jace was a fair man. He had no doubt that Jace took the only option open to him to protect himself and the members of his pack family.

“What about the enforcers?”

“Jace offered them the chance to join our pack.”

“He trusts them?”

“The enforcer named Simon and his partner Warren refused to hurt Suzie,” Clay explained. “Suzie said they had always treated her with respect and care whenever they were assigned to guard her.”

“Did they accept Jace’s offer?”

“Jace thinks they will. He expects them to come back to live here once they get things settled at their old pack home. The other two enforcers are open to the idea of becoming part of our pack, too. I think all of them want to belong to a pack that will make them proud to be a part of the shifter world.”

“What do you think, Clay? Are these guys sincere? Can we trust that they won’t hurt our family? No one is getting near our mate,” Hunter said with fierce determination.

“I agree,” Clay added. “But I really think Jace has a handle on the situation.”

“Good.”

“I need to hold our woman,” Clay told him suddenly, the overwhelming need to feel the love and comfort of their mate driving him to be with her.

Hunter nodded, completely understanding. “Go to her. She’s waiting for you.”

Clay made his way to their bedroom, the scent of their mate calming him immediately as he climbed the stairs.

Abbey.

Clay. Are you home?

Yes, honey.

I’m waiting for you.

* * * *

Hunter sat at the kitchen table searching for new toys that they might enjoy. Thinking about their mate’s willingness to play brought a smile to his face. He had bookmarked a few pages to show her and Clay so he could get their input.

The sudden howl of pleasure from above made him laugh out loud. It was obvious that Clay had been the happy recipient of Abbey’s gift. Their lives had certainly been blessed with her presence. He couldn’t imagine ever being without her.

The worry he had that other packs might prove a threat to the happiness and safety of their pack made his stomach clench with fear. There was absolutely no way he would ever allow any of their family to be put at risk. He and Clay would have to be extra vigilant in their protection.

He knew that Jace and Jackson were planning a gathering of local ruling triads to talk through the problems and safety issues that faced all of them. He and Clay would be sure to be a strong presence in that meeting. He just hoped the other packs’ ruling triads would be open to joining forces so they could all live in peaceful existence with each other.

Closing the lid of the laptop, he pushed away from the table to go to the stove and remove the dinner he had prepared. He hoped Abbey would enjoy the baked chicken and potatoes he had cooked for them. Placing it on the top of the stove, he gathered the dishes and silverware needed to set the table.

Saying a quick prayer to the Fates that he and Clay could keep their mate safe, he took a moment to take a deep breath and calm himself. He could hear the sound of movement and smiled at the thought of their mate showering. It took all of his determination not to go upstairs and join her, but he knew that she needed a break from their lovemaking. She also needed to eat. She needed to keep up her strength.

Smiling softly, definite evil plans for her filling his thoughts, he laughed and sat at the table to wait for her and Clay to come down for dinner. Lifting the lid of the laptop, he continued his search of toys that would give ultimate pleasure to the woman who had come to mean everything to the both of them.

“Is Dean okay?” Abbey asked them worriedly as she sat between them at the dinner table. “Laurie and Mia must be so upset.”

Clay nodded, reaching out to take Abbey’s hand in his and rubbing his thumb across her knuckles to comfort her. “Dean is as good as can be expected,” he told her gently. “Drew said he’ll heal soon. Mitchell has begun the bonding process with him as his triad partner, so Dean will be lucky to gain the shifter ability to heal quicker. He will have some physical therapy ahead of him, though, to help with the torn muscles in his arm and shoulder.”

“How could someone be so cruel?” Abbey whispered, barely controlling her anger.

“Randall was a sadistic alpha who controlled his pack with intimidation and brute force,” Hunter explained sadly. “His cruelty has affected many shifters, including Drew, Suzie, and Carter. Mitchell was also the recipient of his abuse, but Jace has now taken all of them under his protection.”

“Now that Randall is dead, Jace has also offered our pack land as a welcome home to any of Randall’s pack to live with us if they wish,” Clay explained.

“Is that safe, Clay?” Abbey asked him, squeezing his hand tightly. “What if the people from Randall’s pack intend to hurt our family?”

Clay smiled, leaning forward to kiss her forehead lightly before resting her head against his chest and looking at Hunter. He liked that Abbey considered their pack her family. Abbey may not realize it yet, but he could tell that Hunter recognized the complete acceptance Abbey had of the shifter family as her own just as he did.

“Jace and Jackson are very strong rulers, honey,” Clay explained softly. “They have been blessed by the Fates. Their magic is strong. They can sense the well-being of all of us. They know when their family is happy. They know when they are upset or hurting. They can smell duplicity and do not tolerate cruelty or dishonesty of any kind.”

“Every shifter or human who comes through our land must stand before Jace and Jackson and state their intentions,” Hunter added. “It’s a formality when you join a pack, but for Jace and Jackson, it’s a way to know each and every new member and make the hard decision to deny them or to accept them into our pack.”

“He didn’t have me state my intentions,” Abbey reminded them, thinking back on the day she had met the members of the ruling triad in the kitchen of the family lodge.

“Your actions spoke louder than anything you could have said to them, sweetheart,” Hunter told her gently, leaning forward and nuzzling against the side of her neck.

“I don’t understand,” Abbey told them, pushing back so she could face both men.

“When you stepped before Suzie, ready to defend her from Drew and Carter, Jace and Jackson knew you would defend our family without hesitation,” Hunter explained.

“Well, I couldn’t let them hurt her,” Abbey explained softly.

“I know, baby,” Hunter whispered, kissing her temple lightly. “You couldn’t let anyone hurt her even if you had to put yourself between the perceived threat and Suzie—which, by the way, you are
never
to do again.”

Abbey pushed at Hunter’s chest, relieved when he allowed her to scoot her chair back and stand up. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared at the two men who sat quietly at the kitchen table.

“I will not stand by and do nothing if I can help,” she told them firmly.

“Honey, come here,” Clay said gently, reaching out and offering his hand to her palm up.

Abbey hesitated just a moment before accepting his hand and allowing him to pull her toward him slowly. When she was directly between both men once again, they wrapped their arms around her and held her hands gently within their own. Her anger melted away as both men kissed her knuckles lightly before leaning against her torso and kissing just below her breasts. Their soft chuffing sounds soothed her and she couldn’t help but pull her hands free so she could card her fingers through their hair and massage their scalps lightly. Their responding humming showing her their happiness made her smile.

“Abbey, you’re amazing,” Clay told her sincerely. “It’s obvious that you hold a special relationship with everyone in the pack. You’ve got an empathic gift that gives you the ability to help others even when they don’t realize they need help. Every one of the pack members you’ve met so far has been touched by your presence. You help others without hesitation, and we’re all thankful for everything you do.”

“Jace and Jackson have already spoken to us about how you’ve helped so many within our family,” Hunter added. “They appreciate your unselfish acts, but they cautioned us that your safety needs to be considered, too. Our family is important. Our women are cherished. Our children are celebrated. You’re the key to our pack’s future. Our Mother Fate has already told us this. We just want you to be safe so that you’re a part of our future, sweetheart.”

Abbey hesitated then nodded. “Okay, I’ll be careful. But I’m not going to hold back from helping someone if they need help.”

“How about if you ask for help to help someone if it’s dangerous?” Clay asked, trying to compromise for the good of their mate’s happiness.

“Please, Mate,” Hunter whispered, hugging her tighter as he pressed her body more securely between him and Clay. “We wouldn’t survive without you in our lives.”

The complete honesty in his voice made Abbey weak. Looking at both men and seeing their beautiful eyes pleading with her, she realized that what they wanted was for her to be safe. She could feel their worry for her safety through their mating bond. She could feel their need to have her tenderness and love in their lives. But most of all, she could feel their love for her.

“You know,” she told them with an exasperated sigh, “I’m never going to be able to argue with you if you keep looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.”

“Wolf eyes, honey,” Clay corrected her.

Abbey couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud, hugging them tighter against her body. “Okay, wolf eyes. I cave. You win. I promise I will always make sure that I’m safe, and I will ask for help if I need it.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Hunter told her, leaning forward and kissing her neck lightly.

“That’s all we ask, honey. We want you to be safe,” Clay added as he nuzzled her neck, kissing his mating mark lovingly.

They took deep breaths, taking in her scent and calming as her goodness and kindness washed over them. When they opened their eyes and looked at each other, their wolves were front and center, the strength of them making their eyes completely golden.

Clay!

I know.

Holy shit!

Yeah. It’s damn awesome!

Abbey couldn’t prevent her laughter from spilling out as Hunter and Clay quickly pulled her toward the living room and settled her onto the couch as if she were made of glass. They knelt before her on the floor, each man holding one of her hands and petting it lightly. The golden color of their eyes made her know that their wolves were very much present, but she couldn’t imagine why.

“What’s wrong?” she asked them worriedly, trying to pull her hands free, but they refused to release their hold on her.

“Absolutely nothing,” Hunter told her, smiling.

“Clay?”

“Everything is wonderful, honey,” he told her without hesitation. His smile was just as broad as Hunter’s.

“I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

“Your scent has changed, Abbey,” Hunter told her gently.

“It has? Is it bad? Do I stink?”

“No, honey. Your scent is wonderful,” Clay told her gently, leaning forward and kissing her lips lightly.