Watching Out For Fangs (The Cloverleah Pack Book 7) (19 page)

Chapter Twenty Six

The pack talked for hours, long discussions on tactics and strategy, interspersed with food that did appear by magic. The strategy was something that surprised Vadim, even though it was what he used to dealing with vampires for so long. He had always thought that wolves would be more headstrong – rushing off to fight a challenge without thought of the consequences. The studied approach, the way the men dissected every detail of their situation was more vampire than shifter in nature and was probably due in part to the military and law enforcement training shared by Anton, Jax, Diablo and Griff.

Josh was openly leaning on his leg now, contributing as much as anyone else to the conversation. This was something else totally different to Vadim’s perceived notions of what being in a pack might be like. His limited information about packs talked about one Alpha who was the absolute boss and whose word was law; Betas that did as they were told, and Gammas that did the grunt work. There wasn’t any current information on Omegas at all, but historical pack references made mention of the fact that they were weak and held no value.

But none of that described the Cloverleah pack. For a start there were eight Alphas if Diablo was included in the number, and although Vadim hadn’t seen Diablo’s shifted form, Josh had told him the man turned into a lethal large cat. Damien and Kane, both strong Alphas in their own right and heads of their respective packs, shouldn’t even be in the same room, yet they were all chatting as though they were on the same side. Vadim had asked Josh if this was because Kane was mated to a Shifter Guardian, but Josh astounded him by telling him it was all possible because of Dean. An Omega and the smallest man in the pack and the one who was the focus of the conversation now.

“We shouldn’t have to fight with Dean and Shawn here. What’s the point in having all these powers if we don’t use them?” Matthew’s strident voice cut across Vadim’s woolgathering. Apparently Kane had made some suggestion that didn’t sit well with the Omega’s mate.

“I’m not demeaning your mate’s powers, or my own – or any of the others in this pack. I am well aware of what we can all do as individuals.” Kane’s voice was like ice as he snapped back.  The tall man stood up and started pacing the floor, his long black hair streaming down his back.

“Don’t you understand, I am sick of this shit? Yes, Dean could calm the waters long enough for us all to sit around a table and talk like sensible people, but that is putting him directly in danger because he is one of the targets. We’ve already tried the talking route and gotten nowhere. The Atlanta Alpha has some bee in his bonnet about being entitled to his own Omega, his own Shifter Guardian and the Fae as well. He thinks it will raise up his status in the shifter community, but he doesn’t understand we’re just not going to let it happen. There’s no point in talking anymore because there’s no compromise in this position.”

“I’m not giving up our pack members to keep the peace, and they won’t give up trying to take what they think they’re entitled to.  If they had come and wooed Dean or Aelfric and Fafnir, tried to talk to them like people, about what they could offer in terms of a home and security – that would have been different. Everyone in this pack has the right to decide if they want to stay or go, at any time. But the Atlanta Alpha sees my pack members as fucking possessions and that’s not acceptable to me.”

Matthew opened his mouth to say something, but Kane quelled him with a look. Vadim was impressed because he’d gotten the impression that Matthew was a stronger Alpha than Kane would ever be.

“The same could be said for Shawn – as Shifter Guardian he could control the situation in the hopes of some resolution. Shit, Jax, Aelfric and Fafnir could probably come up with some bubble and totally cut the Atlanta pack off from the rest of the world, or send them to the ice realm or something. But first and foremost we are facing wolves, who are breaking pack law to try and force our pack members into making changes in their lives they don’t want. It’s tantamount to kidnapping and I won’t have it. Don’t any of you get that?”

“What Kane is trying to say,” Shawn said smoothly, going to Kane and stopping him in his tracks with a well-aimed hug, “is that it’s our magic and powers that makes us a target, and somehow it’s stopping other wolves from respecting us as a pack. Damien, if the Atlanta pack came onto your territory and tried to take out some of the San Antonio members, what would you do?”

“Take my enforcers and fight the fuckers,” Damien growled. “No one gets near my territory. If they want it they challenge me in the circle, or they leave me the fuck alone.”

“Exactly,” Shawn said with a smile. “That’s the wolf way, and that’s what Kane is trying to explain. The Atlanta pack came into this area with 35 wolves, including their Alpha apparently. We killed six of them and there are…” Shawn broke off and looked at Adair.

“Sixteen wolves and two humans in custody,” Adair supplied helpfully.

“So twenty two of them have already been disposed of,” Shawn continued. “If we can’t hold our own against thirteen wolves then maybe we don’t deserve to be a pack.”

Vadim could see that Shawn’s words had hit a cord with all of the men present. They were fired up on the idea that they could protect their home and do it successfully. While he didn’t want to put a dampener on what was happening, he also needed to be the voice of reason.

“What about the magic user?  If he has some sort of potion that can strengthen humans, is it possible they have more fighters that we haven’t accounted for?”

Adair fielded that question. “I don’t think so, no. From what the little blabbermouth was saying, only he and one other guy came from the coven. It would be too dangerous to involve humans in a fight against a pack, if they have no knowledge of the paranormal world. Despite a spell, an uninformed human is likely to go insane at the sight of men changing into animal forms, or showing their fangs and claws. That’s probably why the magic user targeted the donors from the coven in the first place.” He flashed a wink at Vadim, who felt his lips twitch. He quite liked the big enforcer leader.

Across the room Kane sighed and he seemed to be leaning on his mate.

“I don’t like this guys, you know I don’t,” he said, his voice a lot calmer now he had his mate beside him. “I don’t want to see any of you hurt, or in danger in any way. But our evolved ideas aren’t getting us anywhere and something is telling me we need to go back to basics. At least then we won’t get in trouble with the Shifter Council again.”

“Can’t me, Griff and Jax just go and wipe them out sniper style?” Anton said, casting a quick look at Troy who was glowering beside him.

“You really like being in the doghouse with your mate? Suggesting for a second that you leave him behind? Yeah, good luck with that,” Kane said with a laugh. “I’m not disputing your skills with a gun, but I can’t allow it, although I appreciate the offer. The Atlanta pack aren’t staying in Cloverleah territory – they’re staying just out of town, according to the intel Adair got for us. We’d be courting more trouble with the Council again if we took them out there. We need to get them to come onto our land, which we have the right to defend.”

“We could go and get them,” Aelfric said, wiggling his fingers in the air, and then pouting when Jax slapped them.

“Again, thank you, but no.” Kane looked around the room at the men who supported him and their pack. Loyal, every last one of them. Vadim could feel it in the air. Taking a deep breath, and smiling at his mate, Kane turned and faced the room.

“We’re going to invite them here. We will give them permission to enter our lands for the purposes of ‘negotiating’ for new pack members. If it comes to an Alpha challenge, then I’ll do it. If it comes to an all-out fight for our territory, then we’ll handle that as well. It’s time this was settled.”

“No!” Four men yelled at once, and Vadim couldn’t be sure who out of Jax, Matthew, Griff and Josh yelled the loudest. He looked at Josh totally confused. He could understand why Jax and Matthew would be upset, and there was a possibility that Diablo’s looks could attract negative attention. But why did
his
Beta mate have a problem with his Alpha’s decision?

“You are an oddity too, in a wolf pack that is. You’re the Regent of Atlanta even if you are a pack member. If they take you, they could have leverage with the coven and this pack,” Josh whispered, a lovely rosy hue covering his face.

Okay. Vadim could accept that, even if he was old enough to look out for himself. He cupped his hand around Josh’s chin, rubbing a finger over pink lips he longed to kiss. Somehow, he didn’t think the rest of the pack would approve, and he hoped that Josh could understand both his wish, and his reason for not following through. Fuck, he had to ring his mother.

Josh’s head turned quickly out of his hand, at the sound of Aelfric yelling. The fiery prince had got to his feet and was yelling up a blue streak at Jax.

“We’re already targets you sexy hunk of dumb ass,” Aelfric screamed and Vadim resisted a smirk as the slim Fae actually stamped his foot. “You think you’re so superior because of the whole wolf pack business, but we’ve already got a bullseye on our back. How dare you suggest that me and Faf go hide on the Fae realm until you’ve ‘sorted out this mess’.” Yes, Aelfric did the air quote thing.

“We’ve been protecting ourselves for three hundred years, lover, well before you came along,” Aelfric continued. “We might not have teeth or fangs for that matter, but my fucking sword skills are excellent and so are Faf’s. This is our pack too and we will stand and fight for it, and fuck you for thinking otherwise.”

“Here, here, Aelfric,” said Dean, who slipped off Matthew’s lap and went and stood with his friend, giving him a quick hug. “I’ll be fighting right alongside you because apparently my big lug of a mate has the same freaking problem. Trying to hide me away in the house as though I’m going to sit like some damsel in distress and wait to be kidnapped,
again
.” He glared at Matthew, who squirmed in his seat.

“Aelfric and Dean are right,” Kane’s strong voice diverted everyone’s attention. “This is a pack matter and we will all need to fight. I don’t like the possibility of my mate being hurt either, but it is the only way this will end. We will do this properly. The invitation will be issued through the Council. We will meet them all on the lawn and be ready for whatever comes our way. I’m not underplaying any risk here. I know that some of us could get hurt. But between our skills, our enforcers, the San Antonio enforcers and the passion we all have for keeping our home and mates safe, we will prevail. It’s time we told the shifter world that while we maybe a small pack, WE WILL NOT BE MESSED WITH!”

A rousing cheer went up around the room, although Jax seemed more concerned with beating some sort of submission from Aelfric with his lips, and Matthew had reclaimed Dean and was stroking the man’s face while starring into his mate’s eyes. Probably groveling through their mind link, Vadim thought. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Vadim leaned forward and captured Josh’s lips with his own. Like most of the men in the room he hated the thought of his mate having to fight. Fortunately he had enough years on him to keep that thought to himself. Fighting for his coven, his territory and his family – he’d done it all through his long life. Fighting for his mate was totally alien territory, but it was one he was going to conquer. Failure just wasn’t an option.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Kane’s pep talk three days before had galvanized the pack. Josh was taking a breather after going through an extensive training session with Jax. He knew his hand-to-hand combat skills had improved but Jax kept telling him that he was too busy expecting his opponent to fight fair. The ache of the bruises Josh had sustained in the lesson reminded him only too well that most people were inclined to fight dirty. He winced as he flopped down on the porch steps.

“Hmmm, my own personal man-candy show,” Aelfric said with a leer as he came and sat down beside Josh, Fafnir plonking down on the other side of him. Looking out over the front lawn of the pack house, Josh could see Aelfric’s point. All of the men, including the enforcers, were training in pairs, clad only in jeans, and there was plenty of male flesh gleaming in the late afternoon sunshine.

“Why aren’t you two out there with them?” Josh said, flicking them a quick glance. Okay, he might have been a tad distracted. Vadim’s pale chest was like a beacon amongst so much tanned skin.  Even Dean, who he was working with, had darker skin than his mate, and the little Omega was always known as the fair skinned one. Vadim stood out in more ways than one.

“Jax has insisted on us practicing with swords,” Fafnir said with a grimace, his eyes seeking out his wolf mate who was now working with Troy and Anton. “He doesn’t think it would be a good idea for us to take on our wolf forms as they are difficult to hold when we’re fighting and he would prefer that no-one get close to us at all. So we’ve been practicing with Connor and Fergus.”

“Are they going to fight with the pack?” Josh asked.

Fafnir laughed. “Try and keep them away. Aelfric tried to order them to protect our house, or go back to the realm, but apparently…”

“Our job is to protect the princes of the Sidhe realm, not some magicked house,” Aelfric said in a perfect imitation of Connor’s strident voice. Josh laughed. He didn’t have a lot to do with the two Fae guards, but he knew they were decent, hardworking guys who were loyal to a fault when it came to Aelfric and Fafnir.

“It all helps even out the odds,” Josh said, thinking about what was to come. The fight had been set for two days’ time, all arranged by the Shifter Council. It seemed Kane’s decision to involve the council was a good idea. If the Atlanta pack attacked before Friday’s prearranged meeting then they would not only be killed by the men at Cloverleah, but they couldn’t ask for any form of retribution. The ‘meeting’ was now Council arranged and approved and while Josh had no doubts the whole thing was just going to be one massive fight, he was determined not to let his nerves get the better of him.

Josh was just about to head back out onto the lawn when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he grimaced when he saw his mother’s name on the screen. Instinct told him not to answer, ingrained habit made him accept the call.

“Hello mother, how are you?” He said politely as he stood up, and wandered around the porch to the side of the house. He didn’t want Vadim being distracted from the work out he was currently getting from Matthew. Both men were evenly matched with Matthew being bigger, while Vadim was faster.

“I wanted to congratulate you on your mating, of course,” his mother said as though their last conversation hadn’t happened. “I was a little disappointed that the man didn’t come to meet me or your Alpha first, but I imagine you both got swept away in the heat of the moment. Never mind, that can be fixed.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, mother,” Josh said with total honesty. “Kane is my Alpha and he was well aware of what was going on with me and Vadim. I’ve been an adult for years and no longer live with you. To be honest I didn’t think you’d be happy about my mating a man but as he’s my Fated Mate, I was happy for him to claim me.” He didn’t think his mother needed to know the whole story, or that Vadim had originally bonded with him, planning to never return. That water was well under the bridge.

“Why would I have a problem with my son being mated to Regent D’Arcy of Atlanta? I am sure he is a delightful man. A man that old must be so cultured, so well-travelled and sophisticated, not to mention such an icon in the business world.”

In other words
rich
. Josh felt his stomach drop. He had really hoped that was one thing about his mate, that his mother wouldn’t bother to find out, but he should have known that was too much to ask for. The conniving woman had too much free time on her hands.

“So, I was wondering when I can plan a party for you and your mate. It will be so lovely to introduce him to our friends, and the rest of the pack of course.”

“Vadim has met my pack, mother,” Josh said patiently, although the churning in his stomach got worse. “He’s met Damien and Scott as well. I’m sure you can get a report from your Alpha when he returns over the weekend.”

“But surely you’ll be coming with them. I expected you to travel with our men when they come home. The enforcers Damien has with him should be more than enough guard for a man of your mate’s social standing.”

“That’s a nice idea mother, but I really think Vadim needs to be settled into this pack first, before we make any promises about visits,” Josh said hurriedly. He arched his head around the corner of the house and frowned when he couldn’t see Vadim’s white form in the mass of tanned flesh in the yard. Where had his mate gone?

“I didn’t expect you to come for a visit,” Josh’s mother said.

“Oh good, because we’re really busy with pack concerns at the moment.  Maybe when things…”

“You’ll be coming home for good,” Josh’s mother said in that no-nonsense voice of hers that Josh remembered from childhood. “You’ve found your mate, which is what you were looking for when you left home. But now it’s time for you to come back here and take your place as head of this household. Your sisters can’t wait to see you.”

“Mother.” Josh’s sinking feeling got worse, and he was sure he was going to throw up. He could never argue with his mother and he hated having to refuse her anything.

“Of course, we’ll need a much bigger house, maybe in town…this house really isn’t the sort of thing a Regent could be expected to live in. Oh and we will need some help of course, because your mate will be used to having staff, but I’ll be more than happy to sort that out for him. A man of his position could hardly be expected to cook or do his own laundry. He’ll need a woman like me to run his household.”

“Vadim is more than capable of doing his own laundry and cooking me breakfast,” Josh snapped, his nerves frayed by the sheer greed in his mother’s voice.  “I have told you a hundred times, my home is here in Cloverleah. We’re not coming back and that’s final.”

“I didn’t raise you to be that selfish.” His mother’s voice was cold and hard – at least things were back to normal on that front. “The girls and I can’t move to Cloverleah, it’s a male only pack. How else are you going to share your new-found wealth with your family, if you’re not living here? You’ll need some help and guidance in managing all those houses, your businesses and your money. You haven’t got the brain power or the expertise to handle that sort of responsibility.”

“I don’t need to do anything,” Josh yelled. “I have a business manager to take care of all that for me. A man I can trust, someone who has been a friend of my mate’s for decades. I just want to live my life.”

“You made a promise to your late father to care for me and the girls.” Josh could hear the warning tone in his mother’s voice but he was fast becoming too angry to care. Suddenly all the put downs, the veiled insults and the nagging voice in the back of his head that reminded him time and time again that the only time his mother spoke to him was when she wanted something – it all boiled up in giant ball of fury.

“Yes I did, and I kept that promise. Ten fucking years I have given you every single penny I had spare. Thanks to you I own nothing but my bike, and you were pissed at me when I bought that. Ten years I have made sure you and the girls have extra food, clothes, everything you have ever fucking wanted, and for what? For you to run me down, never saying thank you, never fucking caring that maybe I just wanted my mother to love me the way a mother should.”

“But see, now you’ve mated money, it doesn’t have to be that hard on you anymore.” His mother just didn’t listen – never had. “There’s more than enough for all of us and all you have to do is keep your mate happy. Is it so wrong that I want what’s best for the girls – a nice house to live in, nice things…all you have to do is keep your mate well-fucked and satisfied and we can have whatever we want. He’s loaded. He’s not going to care.”

“If you need more stuff get a fucking job,” Josh yelled. He was literally seeing red, his heart was pounding, his lungs felt so tight he thought he was going to pass out.

“Josh you can’t mean that…”

“I fucking do. My mate has worked hard his whole life for the things he has. So have I. I kept my promise to my father, but there is no way he could have imagined you would treat me this way.”

“Like what?” Yes, Josh had gotten his temper from his mother’s side of the family.

“Like a fucking whore for my mate. That’s all you think I’m worth. Let my mate fuck me and then bleed his bank accounts dry so you can swan around like a fucking queen, lording over everyone else with a new house, new car, fucking servants. Nothing I’ve ever done is enough for you.” Josh could feel the truth of his own words. They slammed into his body and he was seconds away from being sick.

“You owe me! If I hadn’t got pregnant with you then your father and I would never have mated. I had other options – better offers. I could have been with someone who wanted more than a pack position and some paltry house stuck out of town. I could have held my head up high and been somebody. Instead I got stuck with you. The least you can do is hold your ass open and get me the things I deserve.”

“Stop. Please stop,” Josh whispered. His anger was gone, replaced by something a lot colder. His body felt numb and he was struggling to breathe. He had always known his mother didn’t care for him the way a mother should, but this…

“I wanted you mated into a good family, someone with money, position and power, the same as I expect for the girls. Well, guess what. You finally did something right. If you think for one moment I’m going to stay here in this squalor, groveling for scraps from some two bit Alpha who thinks…”

“Give me the phone,” Damien’s low voice snarled behind Josh and he whirled around, seeing Damien, Scott, Kane, Shawn and Vadim all standing behind him. All Josh could think was thank the fuck, Vadim was here. Josh handed the phone out blindly and stepped into Vadim’s open arms that closed around him and held him tight sheltering him from his mother’s madness. Sometimes it sucked to be a beta wolf with a crazy mother.

“How dare you treat your son in this way?” Josh could feel Damien’s Alpha power swirling around the porch and guessed his mother could feel it, even over the phone because Josh could hear a decided whimper on the other end.

“Alpha Damien, I never…It’s not what you think.”

“Your son has been paying your way for ten years, without so much as a thank you, and now he’s mated some rich guy, you still have the audacity to think he owes you? What have you ever done for him?”

“I…er…I…” Josh knew she would have nothing, because that was all he’d ever gotten, from the time he was born. “I’m his mother, Alpha,” she said finally.

“And for that he has my deepest sympathy,” Damien snarled, clearly still angry. “Malacai will be at your place in one hour. Have your clothes packed and be ready to vacate the premises. Consider yourself banished.”

“Alpha no, please,” Josh’s mother cried out. “The girls are at school, there’s so much here I have to do. Where will I go? The girls depend on me. You wouldn’t kick two young girls out onto the street.”

“Thank the Fates you know that much about me at least, even if you do consider me a two-bit Alpha. And don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been saying about my mate behind my back. Your girls aren’t going anywhere. Your daughter, Rebecca has already found her mate, but you refuse to let them be together because you’ve got some misguided idea that the man isn’t suitable. They’re fated mates. He’s already assured me that he will take responsibility for Jolene until she comes of age. You will take your clothes, be given a car and some cash, and I want you out of my territory by nightfall.”

“Alpha please, I need the pack. I’ll never survive as a lone wolf.”

Josh could hear the plea in his mother’s voice, but he hung onto his stoic mate, knowing there was nothing he could do. Damien was a fair Alpha, but he was well within his rights. Josh knew that his mother had no respect for Damien or Scott, and she let everyone know about it. Damien would have had no choice but to banish her eventually, if he wanted to keep the respect of his huge pack. It seemed an overheard conversation gave Damien the leverage he needed. She should count her lucky stars she was being allowed to live because Damien didn’t allow anyone to malign his mate, or his position.

“That is not my concern. Maybe you can find another pack who will take in your ungrateful ass and disrespectful manner, and give you a home. But I wouldn’t count on it.” Damien said coldly. “You had a loving son who worked his ass off for you for years, out of respect for his father. You’ve given him nothing but grief because of it. I’ve never heard you say one nice thing about your son, or your daughters for that matter, and I am well aware of what you think about me and my mate. Your pack place is something you earn, it’s not a right and I will not have disloyal members in my pack. There’s nothing more to be said.”