Chapter 12


    “What are you doing, Dad?” I said when I found him with Mom, watching some movie.


    “Isn’t it obvious?” he replied, tilting his head towards the screen.


    I crossed my arms over my chest. “No, I’m serious here. Why are you keeping Alpha Joseph in a cell?”


    Mom and Dad shared a nce before he sighed, paused the movie and sat up straighter. “I’m giving


    you time to figure out what you’re going to do.”


    “Yeah because making Nic hate our family and nearly causing a war is going to give me so many


    options.”


    “Told you it wasn’t a good idea,” Mom said to Dad, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.


    “It’s a very good idea,” Dad said and stood. He pulled down the hem of his shirt and looked at me. “If I


    didn’t do what I did, you would’ve had no options because Nicole would’ve left. Thanks to my ying


    the big bad wolf, she’s not only here, giving you time to decide what to do, but you two are going to be


    working together to free her father.”


    I jerked back in surprise. He knew?


    Dadughed and shook his head. “I’m the alpha, Dean. How would something like that not get back to


    me? I’m not going to hinder his ‘rescue.’ It’ll be good for you to y the hero, save her dad from the evil


    alpha. It’ll probably warm her up to you, and it will give you time to decide.”


    A sour, bitter taste filled my mouth. “Decide what?” I said finally.


    Again, Dad sighed. “To ept her as your mate.”


    “Why wouldn’t I?” Me epting her never had been the question. The only issue here was if Nic would


    ept me.


    “She’s a headstrong woman who is determined to lead her pack. Everyone knows how much you


    loathe the idea of being in the alpha position, yet if you ept her as your mate that’s exactly where


    you’re going to be. In all honesty Dean, you’re going to have to change drastically if you want to ept


    this position. She and her pack will depend on you to take care of them.”


    I opened my mouth to reply then closed it. My thoughts never really went that far. True, I didn’t want to


    be alpha. All the crap with politics and having to decide the future of everyone. So much was left on the


    alpha’s shoulders, and one mistake very well might mean life or death. My chest tightened, and it was


    hard to breath whenever I imagined what that kind of responsibility would feel like.


    “Exactly,” Dad said, obviously reading my thoughts on my face. “So you need to decide and soon.”


    “You’d made a great alpha, Dean,” Mom said, setting aside the popcorn. Dad nced at her for a


    moment. “It’s really not a horrible thing, and you wouldn’t be alone. Nicole would be there to help.”


    “She’ll need him to be alpha, Emily. Everyone will expect it,” Dad said and looked to me. “Go on, y


    hero and make the decision.”


    My mood was awful, and I wasn’t sure what to say, so I left. Funny not twenty minutes ago I’d just


    kissed Nic, she didn’t kill me for it, and I was on top of the world. In my room, I sat on the bed and


    sighed. I hated this. I hated all of it. Why had Nic and I been paired? She didn’t need me. Nic didn’t


    need anyone, not even her father despite what she believed. I was a clown and a fool. I liked to make


    peopleugh, not give them orders. Why couldn’t Nic have just been an enforcer? That way neither of


    us would have to change or give up anything we loved.


    The whole night my mind whirled, and when it came time for morning, I doubt I slept a wink. I got up


    and showered. I had no doubts they’d help Nic and her people. No, the only doubts I had were the


    ones Dad gave me. They ate at me to the point I was ready to release Nic’s dad on my own and tell


    them all to go. I walked into the gym, surprised Mike was there.


    “Cousin Deano, what’s up?” Mike said as a greeting.


    “Hey,” I replied. “Shouldn’t you be in the alpha meetings?”


    “You’re kidding me, right?” Mike said with augh. “I wouldn’tst ten minutes in there before I decided


    to kill them all and just be done with it. All that is more Alice’s thing.”


    “But you’re the alpha.”


    “So the fuck what? She’s the luna and good at all the diplomacy shit,” Mike said then shrugged.


    I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah, you got a point there...and it works for you guys?”


    “What do you think, Deano?” he shot back, ring at me. “Do you want something or you going to


    stand there and gossip like a chick?”


    I returned his re and threw in a scowl for good measure. “You’re a real ass, you know?”


    “Yeah and? Go cry to mommy if you want. I don’t give a shit.”


    Iughed and shook my head. “Whatever man.” I left the gym and to the dining hall for lunch. I didn’t


    feel like jumping in the conversation much as I joined my brother and the others. My head was too


    wrapped up in what both Dad and Mike said.


    “Everything okay, Dean?” Kara asked once we sat in the game room, waiting for Nic and her people.


    “Yeah, thinking about things, ya know.”


    “Oh my God, it’s time for the devil to get himself a winter coat cause hell just froze over,” Andy said with


    a snicker.


    “Ha ha,” I said ndly.


    “Don’t worry, Dean. It’s all going to work out,” Brook told me, giving me a hug.


    “You’re too nice to him,” Ryderined


    “Face it, she just likes me better than you,” I said, hugging her back and smirking at him.


    “Please, you can’t handle your woman what makes you think you can handle mine,” Ryder replied.


    “Oh really?” Brook said. “So I’m hard to handle am I?” She put her hands on her hips and gave Ryder a


    scathing re that made him squirm.


    “I didn’t say that,” he said quickly.


    “Is there some other meaning to the phrase that I don’t know about?” Brook insisted, her foot tapping.


    Ryder red at me then looked passed me. “Look there’s Nic, how about we get started, eh?”


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Chicken. I snickered and turned to face Nic and her people. She brought the beta, Jon, and two guys, I


    assume enforcers with her. My amusement died, seeing her expression though. She looked angry.


    What happened?


    “Yes, let’s get started,” she said as she sat on one of the bar stools and looked at Ryder. “Why would


    the future alpha go against his father’s orders to help me?”


    Again, Ryder squirmed. “Well, I’ve been told I’m not exactly going against Dad’s orders.”


    Figuring he meant Brook, I looked at her, but she looked a little confused by the statement as well. Did


    Dad encourage Ryder to help? Was Ryder the one who told him about the rescue n? Something


    twisted in my gut. They started making ns about how to rescue Nic’s father, but I didn’t pay attention.


    Instead, I couldn’t get passed how this was all manipted so I would seem like the good guy, but if I


    went along with this if I let Nic believe she had to ‘rescue’ her father did it really make me a good guy?


    Wasn''t I just as maniptive as Dad was? My stomach twisted sickly.


    “We’re not doing this,” I said suddenly. Everyone stopped to look at me as if I’d lost my mind. I didn’t


    care. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t let Nic be manipted, even if it made me appear good. I walked


    over, took her by her good hand. “Come on, we need to talk,” I admit I was a little surprised she let me


    lead her out of the room.


    “What’s going on, Dean?” she asked, suspicion in her tone.


    I didn’t answer right away but stopped in one of the seldom used offices on the top floor. “We’re not


    rescuing your father,” I told her.


    She pulled her hand from mine, her eyes instantly ring up with anger. “I told you I wasn’t going to


    stay, Dean. If you think that kiss—”


    “We’re not rescuing your father,” I said, stopping her. “Because he doesn’t need to be rescued.”


    Her enraged expression smoothed into confusion. “What? My father is in a cell. I saw him this


    morning.”


    “Of course, but if we go right now and tell the enforcers to release him, they will. It’s all a trick to keep


    you here. Even this stupid rescue is a rouse.”


    “What are you talking about?”


    I sighed and shook my head as I plopped down on one of the couches. “Dad knew about the n and


    told me to keep ying the part. Hell, I suspect he told Ryder to ‘help’ us. It wasn’t Brook who told him


    that bit about going against orders. I could tell by the look on her face.”


    Nic’s jaw visibly clenched as she looked down at me. “Why are you telling me this?”


    “Choices remember? I don’t want to pretend to be the good guy here, Nic, I want to be the good guy. I


    can’t ever ask you to ept me in all my foolishness if I’m tricking your to do so. Neither of us


    deserves that.”


    Nic sat on the couch from across from me. “So what happens now?”


    A weight settled over my shoulders. “I take you to go get your dad out, and you go home.”


    “You’d do that? I mean honestly, what about the whole mate thing?”


    A small smile tugged at the edge of my lips. “That’s up to you, Nic. What do you want to do about it? I


    want to get to know you, all of you, and see where this whole mate thing takes us.”


    Her body stiffened, and she chewed on her lip as she considered it. Her expression gave none of her


    thoughts away, and it drove me nuts. I wasn’t a leader like my brother, and I wasn’t an ass kicker like


    Mike, I was a nurse, and it’s what I liked being. I wished if she were going to reject me, she’d just get it


    over with. “Let’s see if you’re right, first. Let’s get Father out then we’ll deal with that.”


    I nodded and stood, not sure if I should be relieved she didn’t outright refuse or be frustrated she didn’t


    give any sort of answer or indication to what her thoughts were. I force a grin on my face. “Again, your


    faith in me, Beautiful, is so awe-inspiring.