Patient Mates: (Book 7 Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas) (9 page)

Immediately Acksel and Alec moved off.

Adam’s jaw twitched.  As far as Alpha’s went Adam was pretty easy going but he expected his orders to be followed. 
Wolf packs weren’t democracies
. And Adam expected to be treated respectfully at all times. 

Gabe in spite of his wolf’s snarls bared his neck in submission to his Alpha.

Adam nodded his acceptance.  “Our priority is finding the traps.  I can’t risk a member of the pack getting hurt by one.  Our pups play in these woods, they have to be safe.  And I need to know for sure that whoever set these traps isn’t hanging around.  That means every available pack member is out here looking.  Kira is part of the pack but she doesn’t take precedence over the other members.”

Gabe felt thoroughly chastised.  Although he had to disagree with that last part. 
To him she was more important than anyone in the Universe.
  “I’m sorry I…”

Adam put a hand on his shoulder, not in an unfr
iendly way.  “It’s alright.  I’d be the same if it was my mate.  Look you’re a good tracker; I want you out here but call the station.  See who’s there and get someone to watch over your mate.”

Gabe flushed.  “How do you know she’s my mate?”

Adam chortled with laughter.  “You’re kidding right?  You can’t keep anything quiet in this pack.  And by the way if I were you I’d give horse riding a miss in future.”

Gabe grinned.  “Oh I don’
t know. It had its moments.”

Adam snorted.  “I’ll bet.  Come on we better get moving.  Won’t be long until the snow starts settling.”

Gabe couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  If the Charming pack had set these traps it didn’t bode well.  It was a vicious act; it showed how little regard they had for innocent lives. 

He had to be sure Kira was safe.  He pulled out his phone and quickly started dialing
the station.

Chapter Fourteen

It was 10.30pm and
Kira was practically jumping up and down with needy excitement. 
Not long until Gabe arrived!
  She calmed a little at seeing the first few flakes of snow falling.  The beauty and coolness of the weather at least afforded her a little pause.

Again Deedee had gone home a little early
, pleading family issues.  The gentle bear shifter apologized effusively.  She felt guilty at leaving Kira to lock up again but the she-wolf insisted it was fine.  In the end she practically had to chase Deedee out the door.

Deedee wasn’t
actually leaving her alone, within half an hour Gabe would be there.  Besides both Deanna the bobcat Deputy and Carly had been hanging around for the last hour.  Deanna had been watching her like a hawk.

Kira had tried to press the bobcat but Deanna wouldn’t be drawn.  Whatever was happening Gabe was clearly worried about her.  Deanna’s emotions were fairly
calm; she was slightly worried but not overly agitated.  Kira tried to probe Carly’s emotions but came up against a wall.  The little Omega gave her the stink eye and Kira tried to plead ignorance. 
She suspected Carly didn’t believe her, she imagined the more powerful Omega could sense her guilt a mile away.

Kira started wiping down tables as
both Deanna and Carly sipped what must be cold coffee by that point.  They’d stopped serving fifteen minutes ago. 

“You know you two can go Gabe will be here to pick me up soon.”

The way Kira was feeling she wasn’t overly keen on the two women being around when Gabe arrived.  If Kira did just jump her mate and ravish him it might be a little awkward…

Deanna smiled tightly.  “Not until I finish my coffee.” 

“Hmmm me too.”  Murmured Carly.

Kira rolled her eyes and watched the
snow falling through the window.  Growing up in New Mexico she’d never seen snow at home.  She had seen it on a couple of family vacations but it wasn’t the same.  Virginia wasn’t overly prone to freezing cold weather but at least there was snow now and again.  She loved shifting and trotting through the snow as her wolf.  It was one of the things she loved most about being in Virginia. 
Well that and Gabe…

There were already a good few inches on the ground, and the sky was heavy.  Bathed in the streetlamps the white blanket made the town look beautiful.
  It was so still and peaceful. 

A couple of cars rumbled slowly along the road. 
Kira cupped her hands against the window hopeful one would be Gabe’s.  It was hard to tell in the flurry of snow but neither vehicle looked like either Gabe’s car or the patrol car he used on duty.  Her wolf sighed impatiently and Kira tried to instill patience in the beast.

She watched the vehicle
s with interest and was surprised when four burly looking men and three wolves trundled out.  Carly shuddered and dropped her coffee cup.
 
Kira stilled as she recognized at least two of the men. 
Oh no…

It was her old Alpha and his son, Kira’s husband, Joseph.

Kira stepped back from the window breathing heavily as her wolf panicked.  “We have to get out of here.”

Kira quickly pulled Carly along with Deanna following close behind.  They ran out through the kitchen
toward the back door.  Kira flung it open and shrieked to find two wolves snarling and snapping their jaws.

Deanna drew her gun and shot
one of the wolves as it lunged at Carly.  The wolf slumped to the floor whining.  Kira tried to slam the door shut but a beefy shifter came up behind the wolves and put his shoulder to it.

The other wolf snarled and moved toward Kira as Deanna shot him too.
Kira picked up a frying pan and threw it at the shifter’s head.  He howled furiously as Carly pulled Kira behind Deanna who trained her gun on him.

His livid expression
morphed into a nasty smile.

“Kira.”  The commanding voice of her former Alpha
bellowed behind her. 

She turned to see the Alpha looming in the door to the kitchen.  His face was blank but his eyes burned dark amber.  As Deanna spun round the shifter stepped over the fallen wolves and snaked an arm round her chest whilst disarming her. 
She snarled and her fangs descended; she bowed her head and sunk them into his fleshy arm.  The shifter roared and let go of her, her gun dropping to the floor.

Deanna stared at the shifter murderously, his blood trickling from her mouth.  The shifter
grunted and raised his hand.

“Enough.”  The Alpha strode forward and painfully grasped Kira’s arm.
 

He dragged her back out into the Diner with Carly and Deanna being pushed along by the other shifter, now clutching his bloodied arm and muttering curses to the bobcat.

Kira and her wolf growled as she saw Joseph.  The arrogant young man was sat idling in a chair, his feet resting on the counter like he hadn’t a care in the world.  He sneered when he spied Kira.

The other shifter and wolf were stood outside the entrance to the Diner. 
Blocking the escape route
.  It struck Kira that they hadn’t even bothered to check on the two wolves Deanna had shot. 
They could care less about their own people apparently. 
Carly looked at her feet whilst Deanna was trying to outstare the sullen shifter she had bitten. 

The Alpha’s determined gaze bore into Kira.  Everything about him told her to submit, to bare her neck
and bow down to the Alpha.  But she forced herself to be strong.  Her wolf railed against her nature, railed against the power of the Alpha.  This man had allowed her twin sister to be hurt over and over again, he had failed to protect one of his pack to cover up for his son’s disgraceful behavior. 
In Kira’s book he didn’t deserve to be an Alpha
.  Real Alphas protected all their pack, like Adam would, not just some of them. 

Overcoming her animal nature she met his eyes and jutted her chin at him.
  His eyes faltered a little at her defiance but he stood his ground.

Joseph snorted.
  At her or at his father she couldn’t tell.  But if the Alpha’s flickering eyes were anything to go by it was at him.  Perhaps there had been recent rumblings about Joseph becoming Alpha soon.  It was a difficult thing to do for an Alpha to concede his power to a younger wolf, to admit he was no longer the strongest or the best. 
Made even worse by a cocky bastard like Joseph
.

The Alpha’s eyebrow ticked.  “Here’s what’s going to happen.  You, me and Joseph will go get Lilah.  You will tell her she is to come with us.”

Ha!
  Kira folded her arms.  “Not going to happen.”

The Alpha raised an eyebrow and walked over to Carly.  He placed a meaty paw on her trembling shoulder.  Carefully he rubbed his clawed thumb over her neck. 
“If you don’t my pack mates here will rip this little wolf and bobcat to pieces.”

The Alpha winced slightly and Kira wondered at it.
  “How do I know you won’t do that anyway?”

“You have my word as Alpha.”

Kira balked.  “Your word?  Like when you promised to protect my sister when she joined your pack, and instead you allowed this animal to treat her like dirt?!”

Joseph leapt to his feet and grabbed Kira by her hair.
  He twisted her face round to look at him; his face was ugly with fury.  “Disrespectful bitch!  You should learn some manners about how to talk to your betters.”

Kira’s felt tears spring to her eyes at his savage grip but she made herself look him in the eye.  Her wolf snarled and her muscles shivered as she sought her shift.

“Joseph!”  Snapped the Alpha.  “That’s enough.”

Joseph trained his gaze on his father in disbelief.  “But she…”

“I don’t care.  We’re only here to take back what is ours.”  The Alpha told him firmly.

Joseph quaked slightly almost as if he was in pain and closed his eyes.
  “Fucking wuss.”  He spat.

“What?”  Roared the Alpha.
  He gripped Carly firmly but she held as still as a statue.

The shifter whining over his bloody arm looked between the Alpha and his son nervously.  Deanna noting his distraction began
edging toward the kitchen. 
Back to her gun
.

“You’re a coward!”  Yelled Joseph.  “If I was the Alpha…”

His father was fuming.  “You’re not the Alpha I am!”

Joseph was almost spitting.  “I should be.  I’m younger, stronger and better able to lead than you ever were!  You’re too old and too much of a coward!”

The Alpha laughed nastily.  “You’re a pathetic little asshole not even fit to lick my boots.  You’ve been a disappointment to me your whole life.”

Joseph threw Kira aside.  She landed on the ground and looked between father and son in amazement. 
She knew there was a bit of tension but yeesh! 
Joseph Sr loved his son, and forgave him everything he did.  All the selfish, stupid mistakes he made were covered up due his loyalty and love for his son.

The Alpha let go of Carly and the two males growled at one another.  Kira’s gaze flickered between the two before alighting on the deathly still Omega.
  Suddenly it dawned on her why she was so still. 
It was Carly who was doing this!
  Carly was manipulating the two wolves’ emotions.  She was playing on the small feelings of resentment and uneasiness that resided in the two males and amplifying them to provoke an extreme reaction. 
Yikes, never get on Carly’s bad side!

The Alpha squared his shoulders.  “For years I’ve cleaned up your messes and I’ve had it!  You’re weak.  You can’t even keep your own mate in line.  No wonder she left you.  You allowed a female to make a fool out of you.”

Joseph shook with the effort to remain in his skin form.  “Fuck you!  This never would have happened if we’d just taken Lilah when I told you too.”

“And done what?  Killed the other female? 
The Alpha would have come after us in a second.”

Kira realized they must have been talking about Jolene.  And yes she had no doubt that Adam wouldn’t have hesitated in retaliating if Jolene had been killed defending Lilah.

“So what?  You fucking wimp!  I could have beaten him and taken over this pack.”

The Alpha snorted derisively.  “Arrogant little prick.  I’ve met Adam Grey, he would have ground you into dust.”

Joseph howled and shifted to his wolf launching at his father.  He landed on top of him with a bone crunching thud.  The Alpha shimmered and shifted too.  The large wolves began snapping and swiping at one another.  The crashed into furniture destroying anything in their tumbling path. 

The shifter and the wolf
that had been guarding the door rushed inside and froze at the sight of their leaders brawling.  The wolf swiftly shifted to human. 

“Ooof!”  The shifter with the bloody arm gurgled and collapsed on the floor.

Deanna stood behind him triumphantly waving a heavy duty frying pan and training her gun on the two shifters who had started creeping to the door.  “Don’t even think about it wolfys.”

Kira tackled Carly out the way of the
struggling wolves.  Joseph the younger, faster wolf roared and ripped the throat out of his father.  With a strangled sob the older wolf fell to the floor as Joseph howled out his triumph.

Joseph’s
razor sharp fangs dripped with blood as he swung his attention round to Carly and Kira.  Joseph made a lunge toward them and Deanna promptly fired three rounds into the huge wolf.  With a wretched whine he nose-dived and slumped to the floor.

The two she-wolves stared at him in shock.  The remaining members of Joseph’s pack
fled from the Diner running smack into the Alpha, the Beta and Gabe.