Challenged (16 page)

“I sure hope not.” Tip looked past him at Ali. “You here because you want to be?”

“Of course I am, Tip.” Ali crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the pack

leader. “Don’t you go thinking anything bad about Stone here.”

“I heard your sire, little cub. Don’t get mouthy with me. If you’re wanting a mating

here, you won’t get it unless I hear his approval.”

Stone wasn’t surprised to see that the pack leader would back anything that

Jonathan Bastien had to say. The older Cariboo had struck Stone as an honest and

hardworking werewolf. The fact that he was working for him, and that the werewolf

was Ali’s sire, wasn’t going to change a damn thing.

“I’m not a cub,” she said defiantly.

“Behave,” Stone growled at her. He wouldn’t have a scene blow out of proportion

because his little bitch had an attitude. “What can we do for you?” he asked the pack

leader.

“It’s you I came to see.” Tip faced Stone, putting his hands on his hips and sizing

him up.

Stone didn’t smell any aggravation, more of a curiosity scent. It wouldn’t surprise

him to be challenged though. This was the heart of Cariboo lunewulf country and Stone

wasn’t part of this pack. Unlike Gabe, who entered in by taking one of their bitches as a

mate and settling his den here, Stone was an outsider, a drifting werewolf. The pack

leader had a duty to check him out.

“Well, you found me.” Stone had no problem dealing with the pack leader.

“You killed that Cariboo lunewulf up the mountain earlier today.” Tip was a young

leader, not surprising among Cariboo.

Cariboo lived hard and often died young. The good ones did at least.

“Hopefully the rest of that den doesn’t beat their bitches the way I saw him doing

it.” Stone wouldn’t show remorse for a waste of flesh werewolf, who had no idea how

to treat a bitch.

Tip inhaled slowly, his barrel chest puffing out. He stood about as tall as Stone, and

would be a hard match if they fought in their fur. Stone didn’t anticipate that. He would

hear the pack leader out.

“You stay out of that area up the mountain for right now. Is that clear?”

Ali edged closer to him, straightening. Her anger quickly made the air around them

spicy. Tip didn’t even look her way, his attention riveted to Stone. And damn it, if the

little bitch got mouthy with the pack leader over this matter, he’d tan her hide as soon

as he left.

“Understood.” Stone knew the pack leader had to deal with many dens in the

mountains.

Regardless of whether Tip approved of what had happened earlier or not, and

Stone would be willing to bet the werewolf would back him if put on the spot, the

Cariboo had a job to do. Stone respected him for that.

“Another thing,” Tip added, his stance still alert. “How long will you be staying

with this pack?”

Gabe and Pamela took that moment to pull up behind the Bronco. His twin jumped

out quickly, approaching them with several long strides. Stone didn’t give him the time

of day though. The pack leader meant business, and he wouldn’t have his name marred

if the pack leader thought he didn’t show the right respect. Gabe had made this pack his

home, and Stone would make sure their name carried honor.

“Bastien says he has work for me. I thought I’d stay around for a bit.”

“Is there trouble?” Gabe asked, and Pamela hurried to join him, locking her hand

around his arm.

“Not yet,” Tip told him, giving Gabe a quick glance and then nodding to Pamela.

“Just asking your littermate here a few questions.”

“Stone killed that werewolf who was beating his mate.” Ali sounded so proud of

him. Her small hands were cool when they wrapped around his arm.

But Stone couldn’t have Ali interfering in this conversation right now. The little

bitch needed training. Having her present at all right now was almost too much. But

having her make comments, boast about him when they weren’t even mated, was

pushing it. He could tell by the way that Tip frowned that the pack leader agreed.

“Pamela. Ali needs to get home. Her sire wanted her there before he returned to his

den.” Stone took Ali by the arms and pushed her toward Pamela.

“I’m not ready to leave yet,” Ali complained, twisting in his arms.

Stone couldn’t stop the low growl that escaped from him. He glared at Ali. “Do as

you’re told, little bitch.”

“Come on, Ali,” Pamela said quietly.

“Fine.” Ali put her hands on her hips, looking adorable as hell. “Tip Rochester. I

swear if you send Stone out of this pack, I’ll run after him. Don’t you think that I

won’t.”

Stone let out a loud sigh and watched as the bitches headed toward Pamela’s car.

None of them said anything but just watched as the two turned the car around and

headed down the narrow road. Finally Tip looked at the ground, letting out a sigh

before giving Stone a hard look.

“I’ve known the Bastien den most of my life,” he said quietly. “They are good

werewolves and Ali is their oldest. She’s taken to you, and if you do her wrong, it will

be more than her sire that you have to deal with.”

Stone didn’t take well to being threatened. He straightened, fighting to keep his

temper in check. This was Gabe’s den, and he would honor that. At the same time, he’d

be damned if he’d be cornered into a mating. He hadn’t done anything to Ali that she

hadn’t wanted—hell, begged for.

Tip nodded once at his silence, and then turned toward his Bronco. “I’ll give you a

week. By that time, you either ask to join the pack, or let me know you’re headed out.”

Stone turned toward the cabin before the pack leader had gotten into his Bronco.

Damn it to hell, the last thing he wanted was someone laying down an ultimatum. The

urge to pack up and run before nightfall hit him hard.

“You’ve gone and done it this time.” Gabe wasn’t going to help matters any.

But he didn’t need to show Gabe any respect. “Shut the hell up.”

Gabe followed him into the cabin, indifferent to Stone’s attitude. “What brought

him up here?”

“I killed a werewolf.” Stone walked over to the refrigerator.

Reaching for a beer, he pulled the tab and downed half of it before giving Gabe his

attention.

“Well, I can’t say the asshole didn’t have it coming to him. He was beating the crap

out of that poor bitch.” Gabe shook his head, and pushed past Stone to grab his own

can. “You’re going to have to watch your tail for a while.”

“It’ll be fine.” He wouldn’t let any pack leader bully him around.

Gabe popped his can of beer open and gave Stone a hard look. Stone hated that

compassionate scent that got on his brother when he worried about him.

“I’m not sure this time.” He used that quiet tone that he knew got under Stone’s

skin.

“Well then, you just watch and find out. No one is going to tell me how to run my

life, or who I can run with.” Stone gulped down his beer then crushed the can.

On an afterthought he tossed it in the trash instead of putting it on the counter.

Pamela kept a clean den.

“You’ve run wild way too long.” Gabe got in his face. “And don’t tell me that you

didn’t come back here because of Ali.”

“She’s a piece of tail.” His heart hardened.

No matter that images of her pretty face, her defiant attitude when she defended

him and made it clear to anyone in her pack that she wanted him, grossly distracted his

thoughts. No bitch had ever spoken out for him before.

“Like hell she is.” Gabe scowled at him. “Wake up, asshole. She loves you.”

“So what if she does?” He opened the refrigerator to grab another beer, but then

slammed it shut. Getting drunk wouldn’t take his mind off her. “She’s a cub. There will

be better werewolves sniffing after her and she’ll drop me cold.”

“You are such a fucking jerk.” Gabe smacked him on the side of the head. “Why

won’t you admit that you have feelings for her?”

Stone smacked his brother’s hand away, hitting it hard enough that flesh smacked

against flesh, creating a loud crack between them. He glared at Gabe, anger and

frustration riveting through him hard enough to make it hard to focus. Slamming his

twin against the wall right now sounded pretty damned good.

The spicy irritating smell of his negative emotions swam through the air. Gabe

grunted at him then turned his back, walking into the living room.

“You know she mentioned something to Pamela about both of us fucking her?”

Gabe said, standing at the front door, which was still open.

Ali had stared at him so wide-eyed when he’d mentioned it to her just a bit ago.

There had been no fear, no repulsion. But he’d planted a seed, given her something to

think about. If the little bitch wanted him so damned bad, she would have to take him

as he was.

“How did Pamela react to that?” he asked.

Gabe turned around, fisting his hand in the air and then letting it drop, shaking his

head. “You’re a damn smart werewolf. I know you are. But sometimes you are more

dense than a rock.”

“Yeah, well, that’s how I got my name, remember?” Stone sneered, suddenly leery

that Gabe would throw something in his face that he didn’t want to hear.

A run in the mountains was sounding pretty damned good at the moment. The hell

with what that pack leader said.

“Pamela knows I love her. She knows that if you took a mate there would be

friction if that mate knew you’d done Pamela and I didn’t do your mate. She will go

along with whatever you and I want.” Gabe put his hands on his hips, his back blocking

the sunshine that tried to stream through the doorway. “You try and tell yourself that

you don’t want Ali, yet you are thinking about offering her to me.”

Stone already knew this. He’d given more thought than he wanted to admit to

making Ali his mate. But damn it, he wasn’t ready to settle down. Just having a pack

leader try and tell him where he could go, or trying to force him to make decisions

about what pack he would belong to—none of that sat well with him. None of it at all.

“I’m getting out of here. Maybe I’ll head to town and find a little slut to put out for