《The Alpha and The Fool》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    My muscles burned from training and all I wanted to do was take a shower, but Father sent for me, and


    when your father was the alpha, you had to obey. I sniffed, trying to wipe some sweat off my forehead. I


    only managed to mix it with the sweat on my arm and make me feel all the more miserable. Wesley,


    Father¡¯s beta was leaning against the gym door frame. His muscled frame made the doorway appear


    smaller.


    ¡°Any idea what he wants to talk about?¡± I said, walking up to him.


    ¡°No idea, but he¡¯s in a mood after he went out hunting with new enforcer recruits and demanded to see


    you.¡±


    I sighed, running my hand over the short stubble on top of my head in irritation. ¡°Let me guess, he


    screwed his knee didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    I scowled and rubbed the top of my head again. The ne crash that took Mom¡¯s life and almost took


    my father¡¯s was nearly twenty years ago, but his knee never did heal right. It was only thanks to the


    doc he kept his leg at all. He was lucky, but he didn¡¯t see it that way. In his mind, he had been scoured


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    with a weakness he couldn¡¯t allow. ¡°Great, now he¡¯s going to be on the warpath to prove he¡¯s not


    weak.¡±


    Wesley chuckled and shrugged his massive, meaty shoulders. ¡°It¡¯ll do no good to keep him waiting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I followed him to Father¡¯s office, and as soon as Wesley opened the door and I saw the gnarled scowl


    on my father¡¯s angr face, I knew whatever he wanted it wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, Nicole. Close the door and get in here, girl,¡± Father barked, nodding in dismissal


    to his beta.


    Nicole. He called me by my full name. He hadn¡¯t called me that since I was a little girl. It had always


    been Nic. Lifting my chin, I did as he told me and sat in the chair in front of his desk. ¡°You wanted to


    see me, Sir?¡±


    He rested his forearms on the desk and leaned forward to look at me, his expression was grim as


    usual. I tried not to squirm and kept my chin high as he continued to stare. After a moment he sighed.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve made a fine son. Pity.¡±


    Oh, so it was that again? ¡°I¡¯m as good as any son.¡± Better. I stayed, and Brandon didn¡¯t.


    Father¡¯s derisive snort told me he disagreed. It hurt. No matter how hard I tried, it always hurt. ¡°Doesn¡¯t


    matter. The trackers can¡¯t find your brother, and I¡¯m getting too old.¡± I blinked and stared at him, not


    sure if I honestly heard him right. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! I¡¯m no idiot. I know when my time is up.


    The knee is getting worse, and it¡¯s harder to hide. It¡¯s time for a new alpha and for me to retire.¡±


    My heart sped up. Was Father going to step aside for me? I wasn¡¯t sure if I was ready. Most alphas


    came into their position in closer to their thirties. I guess I¡¯d have to be. ¡°I see and what do you need


    from me, Sir?¡±


    ¡°A mate.¡±


    I blinked and stared again. ¡°A¡­what?¡±


    ¡°A Mate, Nic. Pay attention. You¡¯ve got the support of the council and our pack, but you need a mate -


    Someone strong. I will not allow you to take over without one.¡±


    No. This couldn¡¯t be right. Father had to be testing me.Yes, a test, nothing more. ¡°I¡¯m a suitable alpha


    all by myself. I don¡¯t need someone strong father, I am strong all by myself. Ask any of the enforcers.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You¡¯re a woman, and you will always be weaker than a man.¡±


    All the breath left me as I stared at him. This couldn¡¯t be happening. My heart clenched in my chest. All


    the hard work I¡¯d put myself through. All the hours training and make sure, I¡¯d fit in with the guys, to be


    one of the guys just to have him tell me it wasn¡¯t enough?


    ¡°The annual alphas meeting ising up next week,¡± he said, clearly oblivious to how he just shattered


    my world. ¡°It will be held in Blue Crescent pack territory this year, and you will being with me. With


    so many alphas and young men around, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find someone suitable, and I would like to see my


    grandsons before I go. ¡±


    My nose wrinkled before I wiped my face of any emotion. ¡°Father-¡±


    ¡°No. There is no discussion here. You will do as I say and learn your ce. Wesley¡¯s mate will make


    sure you¡¯re ready by the time we need to leave.¡±


    My mouth was dry and my hands shaking as I stood. I hid them behind my back in a military stance.


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± I bit out and marched out of his office without a word. As soon as I turned the corner, I leaned


    against the wall. How could he do this to me? My eyes stung, making me even angrier. I would not cry.


    I would not cry like some sissy girl.


    No, I wouldn¡¯t give Father so much. I ground the heels of my palms into my eyes until they hurt and


    sniffed. There had to be a way to change his mind.


    Feeling more in control, I pushed off the wall and headed back to the gym. Before anything, I took out


    my phone sent a quick text then marched over to a punching bag. I didn¡¯t even bother with the gloves


    as I started hitting with quick jabs, imagining my father¡¯s face there. I didn¡¯t stop until my knuckles were


    bloody. I heard someone whistle as I shook out my hand.


    ¡°Whatever it is, it must be bad,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°It is,¡± I replied, turning to face him. He sat on one of the weight benches. He was only a little taller than


    I was, but his build, while muscr, was lithe and slim. His father¡¯s Korean heritage made him appear


    about my age when he was actually a good ten years older. He worked for Father on the enforcers¡¯


    team and was my best friend, well my only friend.


    He lifted a single eyebrow at me, no doubt trying to decide if I was exaggerating or not. I may or may


    not exaggerate things time to time. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Father¡¯s decided it¡¯s time to retire,¡± I told him.


    ¡°And?¡± The eyebrow lowered, giving me a t stare.


    I returned the stare. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to apany Father, so he may find me a mate next week.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± I said, my tone as t as the stare earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll never be ¡®man¡¯ enough for him, so he will not


    give me the alphaship unless I have a mate.¡±


    His lips quirked in a start of a smile, but he knew me well enough to notugh. ¡°Well, that is


    unexpected.¡±


    ¡°What am I going to do? I don¡¯t want to change myself for a man. I don¡¯t need a man. The pack doesn¡¯t


    need some strangering in who doesn¡¯t know our pack and crap. Seriously? What am I going to


    do?¡± I kicked the bench, biting back a yelp of pain.


    ¡°How about you start by not breaking your foot,¡± he suggested and patted the bench next to him. ¡°Okay,


    so this isn¡¯t exactly the end of the world here, Nic. There has to be a way around this. Perhaps


    something like a fake boyfriend kind of scheme. I¡¯m sure I can find some guy willing to live the


    pampered life and leave the hard stuff to you.¡±


    I chewed my lip. ¡°Maybe I can talk him out of it. I don¡¯t want to lie to my father, Jon.¡±


    ¡°Right, so barefoot and pregnant it is then. Hopefully, the guy won¡¯t be too old or too ugly or weigh a lot,


    and perhaps you¡¯ll get even luckier to have twin boys so your Father can have his heir and a spare.


    Cause one grandson isn¡¯t going to be enough, and he will demand you have more.¡±


    My chest tightened as I stared at him in horror. ¡°Okay, so we lie to my father. How?¡±


    He grinned at me. ¡°We find us somezy, second son of an alpha with no ambition or dominance


    willing to be a kept man and let you lead. Don¡¯t worry, you y along with your father, and I¡¯ll find us


    theckluster alpha¡¯s son.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    I curled my fingers into fists and uncurled them, only to repeat the process as Sade, the Beta¡¯s mate,


    tried to decide what I should wear for the evening¡¯s little meet and greet. We were now in Blue


    Crescent territory and tonight would start the week long meeting where all the alpha¡¯s of the country


    discussed policies, issues, and other politics. Under other circumstances, I¡¯d be excited to be here, but


    Father made it clear, I wasn¡¯t allowed in the actual meetings, only the social events.


    Jon was right, as hard as I tried, Father wouldn¡¯t budge. I was toe and be his bait for his


    recement. It was now up to my friend to work his magic and find me some idiot willing to be my fake


    mate. I really hoped he found the guy quickly, I wasn¡¯t sure how long I could y along. I already


    wanted to hit something.


    ¡°How about this?¡± Sade said, holding up a navy blue dress with white cor and cuffs.


    ¡°No,¡± I ground out. ¡°It looks like something you¡¯d put on a doll.¡±


    She pursed her lips with her hands on her hips. ¡°You¡¯ve said that to everything I¡¯ve shown you so far.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s been all true.¡±


    Sade sighed, rolling her eyes and put the dress back in the closet. ¡°I get you don¡¯t like this, Nic, but


    your father¡¯s orders are clear - you -¡±


    ¡°Need to look like you which never is going to happen,¡± I said. She had thick brown hair that fell around


    her like a waterfall, bright blue eyes, dainty frame but plenty of curves, Sade was the essence of what it


    was to be a woman. I was average height, broad shoulders, and muscles that took out any softness I


    might ever have.


    ¡°It could if you tried,¡± she said, turning her back to me and looked through the closet of clothes she¡¯d


    brought for me. ¡°What about this?¡± She held up a ck dress. I wrinkled my nose. ¡°You know what,


    you¡¯re wearing it. No arguments.¡± Sade threw the dress at me. ¡°Go, get dressed.¡± I started to argue, but


    she narrowed her eyes at me.


    Okay, so I wasn¡¯t the only one at my limit. ¡°Fine,¡± I spat and pulled on the dress. It was a little tight, and


    the knee length skirt would be hard to walk in, but at least I didn¡¯t look like a doll. She handed me a pair


    of strappy heels, giving me the same narrow-eyed re which told me these were it, end of story. I


    rolled my eyes and put them on, wondering how women walked in these things. Yet, at the same time,


    they looked kind of lethal. Nice.


    I smirked, standing, trying to get a sense of bnce. ¡°There, done.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Sade said, waving a make-up brush at me.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± she said, returning my smirk.


    A half hourter, we left my room and met my father and Wesley in the hall. The beta rubbed his chin,


    obviously trying not tough as Father looked me over with a narrowed re. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll do I suppose.


    The hair is a problem, but there¡¯s nothing to do about it now.¡±


    I curled and uncurled my fists, doing my best to keep my temper in check. ¡°I think,¡± Sade said, smiling


    and giving my arm a squeeze. ¡°It makes Nic unique and exotic. She¡¯ll be something they don¡¯t see


    every day, and I believe that will work in your favor, Alpha.¡±


    Dad stared at me a little longer before nodding. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We came to arge room filled with people, and I followed him, trying my best to y the part. I noticed


    Jon was there as well. He gave me a thumbs up with a nod of approval, though he was also trying not


    tough. I narrowed my eyes at him and discreetly flipped him off before giving whoever Father was


    talking to a tight-lipped smile when I heard my name mentioned. I nodded mutely which seemed to be


    the adequate response.


    I scanned the room and saw the auburn-haired woman I¡¯d met briefly when we arrived, walking over to


    me. ¡°Hey,¡± she said with a wave.


    ¡°Hey.¡± I lifted my chin in greeting as I strived toe up with a name. I remembered it started with a B -


    Brandy? No that wasn¡¯t right.


    ¡°You settled in alright?¡± she asked.


    Again I gave her a tight-lipped smile. It wasn¡¯t something stupid like Bambi. ¡°Yes, your alpha has been


    very generous letting us stay here.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t exactly invite someone to your house then expect them to get a hotel, right?¡± she said


    with augh.


    ¡°True,¡± I said, my smile easing into a more authentic one.


    ¡°So would you like a tour or I could introduce you to some people?¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you but you-¡± I started, but my father give me a little push.


    ¡°She would love that, Future Luna of Blue Crescent pack,¡± he said.


    The woman stiffened and gave him a wooden smile. ¡°Great.¡± She turned to me. ¡°So, follow me.¡± She


    waded through the crowd, and once she was halfway across the room, I heard her mumble. ¡°The next


    person to call me future Luna I swear I¡¯m going to scream at them. God, it¡¯s so much easier to just say,


    Brook.¡±


    Brook. Of course, that¡¯s what it was. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it. It¡¯s who you are?¡±


    She flushed as she turned to me. ¡°Yeah, well, it makes me feel depersonalized. It¡¯s like that¡¯s all I am to


    anyone. It¡¯s either that or the future alpha¡¯s mate,¡± she ranted then sighed, running a hand through her


    hair. ¡°Five years and I¡¯m still trying to get used to werewolf craziness, sorry.¡±


    Oh right, she¡¯d been turned when she nearly killed herself pushing the Alpha of ck Mountain¡¯s alpha


    off a cliff to keep him from taking over Blue Crescent.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like to talk much do you or is it the scene? Not your thing or too many people?¡± She said


    when all I did was nod in reply.


    Well, she¡¯s perceptive, or I wasn¡¯t doing a very good job at going along with the n. ¡°No offense is


    intended,¡± I said, again forcing a smile on my lips.


    She snorted and waved at me dismissively. ¡°None taken. Until I met Ryder, I was a loner myself. How


    about we make our rounds, I¡¯ll introduce people, so everyone¡¯s happy we¡¯re ying our parts, and then


    we can get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± I said, offering her a small grin.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    We were almost finished going around the room when Brook at the sight of a blonde woman and man.


    The blonde spotted Brook said something to the man with her. The man nced over towards us,


    smirked at the future Luna then shrugged. When they started walking over here, Brook swallowed and


    muttered, ¡°Great.¡± She forced a friendly smile on her face. ¡°Hey, Alice, right?¡±


    The blonde grinned. ¡°That¡¯s me. I didn¡¯t see you when we arrived, and I wanted to say hello and thanks


    for your help a while back.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Brook said then took a breath before addressing the man. ¡°Hey, Mike. Oh, this is Nicole,


    daughter of Alpha Joseph of the¡­¡± Her eyes widened as she scrambled.


    Mike snorted with a smirk.


    ¡°Golden ins pack,¡± I said, saving her. ¡°I¡¯m the future alpha of the pack.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean Luna?¡± Mike said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± I told him and gave him a pointed re, daring him to say otherwise. Mike Howe was a strong


    alpha, I¡¯d love to have a chance to fight him. See who¡¯s the strongest.


    ¡°Right,¡± Alice said, furrowing her brow at me for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you and good to finally


    meet you in person.¡± She smiled at us. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to make the rounds. Hopefully, we¡¯ll see you


    around. Come on, Michael.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, Peaches,¡± he said, then nodded to both of us. ¡°Brook. Luna.¡± He gave me a smirk.


    ¡°Meet me outside and see what happens, Howe.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Luna, but I¡¯m taken, and I like my women to actually look like women,¡± he shot back.


    ¡°Michael,¡± Alice said, shaking her head at him.


    ¡°What, she asked for it,¡± he said, following her into a crowd.


    Brook blew out a breath. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    ¡°Impressive, I think if I were you, I¡¯d go kick his ass,¡± I admitted honestly. To my surprise, she started to


    ¡°It¡¯s crossed my mind a few times,¡± she told me then gasped, and I jumped when some guy ran into


    her, nearly knocking her over, and hugged her to him.


    ¡°Hey, Brookie!¡±


    ¡°Dean, you idiot! You scared the crap out of me,¡± Brookined.


    ¡°Aw you know you still love me. So who you talking to?¡± he asked, releasing Brook partially from the


    hug and face me.


    His scent, a fresh, almost citrus smell, washed over me and I felt as if the floor dropped away from my


    feet. The guy, Dean, got a simr expression of surprise. My heart raced, and my mouth dry as one


    word jumped to my mind ¡ª Mate. He let go of Brook and stepped towards me, in which I stepped back.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re¡­¡± he said with a goofy grin on his face. ¡°I started to think...and you¡¯re wow..and wow.¡±


    The smile grew, and my heart sped even faster. My whole body was high alert with sensations and


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


    feelings so new and intense I could hardly breathe. ¡°So what can I call you besides beautiful?¡± He


    asked and reached out for my hand.


    Panic seized me and instinct took over - I jerked back and punched him hard. The guy¡¯s eyes rolled up,


    and he fell t on his back, out cold, blood and rushing from his nose.


    ¡°Dean,¡± Brook yelled, patting his cheek. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    My throat tightened, my eyes were wide, panic still in control. I turned and ran out of the room, shoving


    people aside if I had too. Back in my room, I mmed my door closed and leaned against it. I covered


    my face with my hands. What the hell did I just do? Brook called the guy Dean...as in Alpha Brent¡¯s


    second son? Oh crap, Father was going to kill me!

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    I changed out of the dress, resisting the urge to rip it to shreds. Instead, Iid it on the bed. Not it¡¯s fault


    I screwed up. I changed into a tank, jeans and my boots and sat on the bed waiting for Father toe.


    I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be long before what happened got around. As soon as the door opened, I stood in


    military rest.


    His eyes zed amber as he stared at me from the doorway, his expression twisted in a fury. Father


    straightened his posture, visibly taking a deep breath. ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sorry? That¡¯s all you have to say? I have spent the evening attempting to find the pack¡¯s new


    alpha only to have you assault the hosting alpha¡¯s son in front of everyone, and the only thing you have


    to say is you¡¯re sorry? I have never been more humiliated in my life, Girl. I can only thank God, you¡¯re


    mother wasn¡¯t here to see this. All you had to do was smile and be friendly to the men there. What kind


    of girl are you if you can¡¯t even do that?¡±


    I clenched my teeth together to keep from saying, I was the girl he made me. After Brandon had left, he


    pushed me to be more like a boy, more like the son he¡¯d lost. I couldn¡¯t tell him though, he didn¡¯t care


    ¡ª the alpha got what the alpha wanted, period.


    ¡° It¡¯s disgusting and embarrassing,¡± Father spat, his face reddening. ¡°It would be better if everyone if


    you remained in this room until we return home. This way you can¡¯t cause any more trouble. If th-¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± someone said, surprising both of us. It was the guy - Dean. Behind him


    were his parents, none of them looked pleased.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Father said, looking unsettled at the three standing in the hallway.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t cause any trouble,¡± Dean insisted. ¡°It waspletely my fault.¡±


    Alpha Brent cleared his throat and gave Father a tight smile. ¡°I was hoping your daughter could clear


    up the events of this evening so I may fully understand what exactly happen.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Father said, stepping aside, shooting me a look, no doubt in warning.


    The alpha, his mate, and Dean came into the room, making it feel super crowded. My skin itched


    having them all inside.


    ¡°Please tell me what happened this evening?¡± the alpha asked.


    I nced at Father then back to the alpha. ¡°I punched your son, knocking him out.¡±


    A rumble came from Father. ¡°He means why, Girl. Why did you hit him?¡± The alpha¡¯s brow furrowed as


    he nced at Father.


    Damn. ¡°Of course, sorry, Sir,¡± I said, scrambling for an answer, but nothing wasing to mind. I


    couldn¡¯t bring myself to say the M-word, or I panicked and simply reacted.


    ¡°Well,¡± Father demanded when I didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°I pushed her obviously,¡± Dean jumped in. He took a step in my direction, but when I stepped back, he


    retreated. He shed me a quick grin. ¡°You don¡¯t need to cover for me. Everyone knows I can be an


    idiot and say stupid crap all the time. It¡¯s cool.¡±


    I nced at him, confused. What was he doing? I turned my head to the front, staring straight. ¡°I¡¯m not


    covering for anyone, Sir, Alpha. My actions are my own.¡±


    For some reason, the alpha smiled. ¡°So I see. Alright, I¡¯ve seen and heard enough. I do not want any


    more violence here in the pack house, is that understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alpha, I understand, Sir.¡±


    Again he gave me another small smile that disappeared when he turned to Father. ¡°I believe my son


    has the right of it, this is all a misunderstanding, and if it doesn¡¯t happen again, I¡¯m fine with forgetting it


    ever happened.¡±


    ¡°You are a generous man, Alpha Brent and it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    The alpha nodded and left the room, followed by his mate. Dean again started to step towards me


    when Father stepped between us. ¡°Thank you, Alpha¡¯s son, for being so understanding of my


    daughter¡¯s slip of control.¡±


    A sh of frustration had passed through Dean¡¯s face before he grinned at Father. ¡°Sure, no problem.


    Wee to Blue Crescent.¡±


    When he left Father growled at the closed door. ¡°Well that was not so bad,¡± he said then turned to me.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like that boy, he¡¯s a ripe idiot. Nothing, but a clown, from what people say. I want you to stay


    away from him.¡±


    No problem. ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    He let out a little growl. ¡°I don¡¯t like his father much either. All this anti-violence stuff. We¡¯re werewolves.


    We are violence. I see why ck Mountain wanted to kill him.Weakness is ripe here. You will stay out


    of sight as much as possible and maybe I will be able to fix this mess.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    ##


    The next morning, Jon came by to see me. He grabbed a chair and sat down in it, with the back of the


    chair against his front. ¡°So how bad was it? I need to know how much I can mess this guy up?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The guy you hit, how bad can I mess him up.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Jon, if he needed to be messed up, you don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve done it by now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s cleaner if I do it ¡ª make sure you have an alibi.¡±


    I shook my head, hugged my legs to my chest. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything, it was me.¡±


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Come off it, I¡¯ve seen you take a lot of crap from people, and you didn¡¯t hit them outright like that. He


    did something.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± I insisted, and my cheeks warmed. ¡°He just...he¡¯s...God, Jon he¡¯s my mate.¡± There I said it.


    Understanding blossomed in his face. ¡°Ah, um, hm, why didn¡¯t you tell anyone.¡±


    I shrugged, looking at my hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should use te¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Father doesn¡¯t like him, thinks he¡¯s an idiot. If I told him...no, let¡¯s stick to the n of the fake


    mate.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well until I find someone how about we go do something.¡±


    ¡° I¡¯m supposed to stay out of sight,¡± I told him.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll go to the gym. You need to blow off some of steam. We can¡¯t have you go around punching


    people, so time to put that energy to some good use. Besides, you haven¡¯t done anything since we got


    here. I can¡¯t have you getting bby on me. So get your ass up off that bed.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me get changed and we¡¯ll go. The gym sounds a lot better than sitting here,¡± I said, and as


    he started to leave the room, I cleared my throat. ¡°And Jon, you ever hint I¡¯m getting bby I will crush


    you, got it?¡±


    He snorted and rolled his eyes. ¡°Bring it, Mcbby,¡± he replied then left.


    I grinned and changed out of my jeans into gi pants, and leaving my shoes here before joining him


    outside. As we walked, people avoided us, or more like it was me. From the angry res, I¡¯m pretty


    sure it was me they were avoiding.


    ¡°Wow, looks like this Dean guy is popr,¡± Jon whispered to me.


    ¡°Good, I don¡¯t want to make friends,¡± I replied keeping my voice hard. I didn¡¯t want them or Jon to know


    how badly I really felt about hitting him or how people now hated me for it.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    I groaned as I saw Mom waiting for me outside the men¡¯s locker rooms. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said before she


    could say anything.


    ¡°Are you sure? She didn¡¯t just break your nose, she crushed it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I was there remember,¡± I told her and waved my hand over my face. ¡°But I healed, and I


    don¡¯t even have a bruise.¡± I appreciated the worry, but it also irritated the crap out of me. She wouldn¡¯t


    be mother henning Ryder, my older brother, like this.


    Mom pursed her lips as she looked at my face. ¡°Are you sure about her? I mean perhaps you were


    merely fascinated by her.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Really Mom? I get you all think I¡¯m out there, but I¡¯m not that far out there.¡±


    She smiled and gave my shoulder a squeeze. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s only she¡¯s so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I said, grinning remembering my mate in the ck dress.


    Mom sighed, snapping me out of my daydream. ¡°Okay, new rule. No mentally undressing your mate in


    the presence of your mother.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change the subject, because if not...¡± I said, waggling my eyebrows at her.


    ¡°Good lord, Dean,¡± Mom said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to be mending your nose quite a bit in


    the near future. So are you done for today?¡±


    I let out a breath. ¡°Yeah, finally. I probably should be going before I get sucked into the overnight shift.


    The boss is such a ve driver.¡±


    ¡°Your boss is a very lovely and dedicated person.¡±


    I snorted again. ¡°You would say that.¡± Especially since she was my boss.


    Momughed, shaking her head at me. ¡°Tell your father, I might not make dinner tonight. I¡¯m trying to


    work out the schedules for everyone. That ditzy, Shelley wants off yet again. This is what? Her fourth


    funeral for a grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Right, wellter Mamacita.¡± I saluted her and left the hospital.


    The drive home, my thoughts returned of my mate - Nicole, Brook had told me her name was. She


    seemed to be more skittish than Brook was when she first arrived. I could ask Ryder ¡ª nope, I so


    wasn¡¯t going to ask him anything. He and Andy would never let me live it down. They were already


    teasing me bad enough as it was. No, I¡¯d handle this on my own. She was gun shy or something, it¡¯s


    possible she had a jerk of an ex or something. I only had to y it cool.


    The house was noisier than usual, but it was expected with almost every room full. While I usually


    enjoyed being around people, I wasn¡¯t so sure I liked so many strangers here, made my instincts go a


    little crazy.


    ¡°Hey Dean,¡± Kara said, waving me over.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Decide to dump Andy for a real man?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Yeah, where I can find one?¡±


    I grinned, normally I¡¯d say something crude, but it didn¡¯t seem right to say it now.


    ¡°Uh, right,¡± she said. ¡°Well F.Y.I. your mate, the girl who knocked you out, is in the gym...alone.¡±


    I grinned and threw my arms around her in a bear hug. ¡°You¡¯re the bestest friend ever.¡±


    With a grunt, she tried to p my arm. ¡°Let me down, you dork.¡±


    I set her down, but by the time she swung to p my arm again, I was jogging down the hall. True


    enough, my mate was in the gym, lifting a dumbbell the size of my head. I swallowed. Okay, proceed


    with caution. I put on my best flirty grin, I walked into the gym. ¡°Hey Beautiful,¡± I said, sitting on a bench


    next to hers.


    Her eyes lifted to meet mine, surprised and wide, before she lowered them again and continuing to lift


    and lower the dumbbell, not saying anything. When she switched arms, I figured I was going to have to


    insist. ¡°So Beautiful-¡±


    Her head ducked lower and her shoulders tensed. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Sexy-¡±


    Her head shot up. Her eyes zed angrily, and her lips were pursed. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    I threw up my hands. ¡°What I did I say?¡±


    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Go make fun of someone else, I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°Make fun of you? I¡¯m trying to introduce myself, Sexy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, got it,¡± she said, and I tried not to flinch as she dropped the weight to the floor. ¡°Stop


    calling me beautiful or sexy, or whatever. I¡¯m not any of those things.¡±


    Right, well at least we¡¯re talking. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a matter of opinion, Beautiful. Now I¡¯m Dean, a Leo. I like


    long walks on the beach, cuddling, and you. What may I call you besides, beautiful or sexy?¡±


    She got a bewildered look on her face. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Did your mother drop you on your head? Or you get in an ident that scrambled you up here?¡± she


    asked, tapping her finger on her temple. ¡°Or are you just special?¡±


    I grinned leaning back. ¡°I think I¡¯m pretty special, but you¡¯ll have to take me for a test drive to find out if


    it¡¯s true or not.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Can you stop.¡±


    ¡°Nope, so Beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Stop-¡±


    ¡°Sexy then.¡±


    She growled at me.


    ¡°Cutie?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Gorgeous?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Nic, call me Nic,¡± she said, her voice a husky, exasperated growl and I loved it.


    With a triumphant grin, I sat upright. ¡°See was that so hard?¡±


    ¡°Good lord, yes,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Now what do you want, I mean like really?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°What else, to talk and get to know each other. We¡¯re mates after all.¡±


    Her eyes had widened for a second before she put on an expression of disinterest. ¡°Right. Well, listen


    here I¡¯m not pretty, and I¡¯m not soft. I¡¯m not like the girls around here.¡±


    I snapped my fingers. ¡°That¡¯s what it was. I had a feeling there was something different, but I couldn¡¯t


    put a name to it.¡±


    Again she narrowed her eyes at me, but before either of us said anything, someone cleared their


    throat. ¡°Excuse me,¡± a big bulky man said, looking as if he wasn¡¯t trying to smile. ¡°Nic, your father is


    looking for you.¡±


    Nic shot up, looking worried. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Not long, but you better hurry.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± she said and started toward the door and halted. ¡°Could you¡­¡±


    ¡°Not tell your father you were talking with him? Of course,¡± the man said, giving her a small smile. ¡°Go.¡±


    I watched her leave, feeling disappointed I didn¡¯t get to talk to her longer. I stood to leave when the


    bulky man stopped me. ¡°Careful, funny man.¡±


    I stopped and stared at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Careful,¡± he repeated. ¡°You hurt her, and you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    Oh, great. I wanted to roll my eyes like Nic had done earlier. ¡°Not nning too.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, still not letting me pass. ¡°Avoiding the alpha might be in your best interest. He doesn¡¯t


    like you, and when he discovers your her mate, he¡¯s going to like you even less.¡±


    ¡°Really? And he seemed like such a great guy as he was yelling at her for something that wasn¡¯t her


    fault, yesterday.¡±


    The man smirked down at me. ¡°That? What you heard was nothing. He¡¯s yelled at her a lot worse than


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


    that. Do her a favor and don¡¯t give him a reason to do it again.¡± He turned around and walked out of the


    gym.


    My chest tightened with the urge to run him down and vow her father would never yell at her again, but


    who was I kidding. He wouldn¡¯t take me seriously. I put the weight back where it was and started to


    leave when werewolf I didn¡¯t recognize came in.


    ¡°Ah, good. Just the man I was looking for,¡± he said, grinning at me.


    I gave him the stink eye. ¡°You¡¯re cute, but totally not my type. I prefer breasts.¡±


    Heughed and winked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t knock it until you try it,¡± he teased back and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m


    not here for me. I have a friend who so happens to desperately need a man and I think you might be


    perfect for the job.¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah, not interested, thank you.¡± Weird much? Dad should¡¯ve done some kind of screening


    because these werewolves can¡¯t be right in the head.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the man said, the grin still on his face. ¡°She¡¯s about this tall.¡± He held up his hand.


    ¡°Shaved head, mean punch.¡± I crossed my arms over my chest and shot him a re. Was he talking


    about Nic? ¡°You¡¯re listening?¡± I nodded. ¡°Good. Now you see, I could go look for a guy to fit our ns,


    but I don¡¯t see the point when you are perfect and best part, you don¡¯t even have to fake it.¡±


    ¡°What n? What are you talking about?¡±


    The man grinned, looking obviously pleased with himself. ¡°Take a seat, and I¡¯ll fill you in.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Father demanded when I walked into my bedroom. Sade was there as well.


    ¡°I was doing some work in the gym.¡±


    His thin lips pressed into a thin line as he gave me a narrowed eye stare. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be doing


    any of that anymore. You¡¯re too hard. Men like their women to be soft and they most definitely don¡¯t


    want their women stronger than they are.¡± I nearly snorted response, but I managed to control myself. I


    hadn¡¯t been soft in a very long time. ¡°There is another gathering tonight. You have one hour, be ready -


    Sade do something to make her look less like that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Alpha.¡±


    ¡°Good, I have a few prospects, and I don¡¯t want to scare them off,¡± he said then left without waiting for


    anyone¡¯s response.


    I let out a growl of frustration and sat on the bed. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± Sade said, patting my knee. ¡°Jon will


    find someone.¡± I looked up at her in surprise. She grinned. ¡°Yeah, he told Wesley and me. We¡¯re in.


    You will do fine as our alpha and could handle any challenge. Also, you should never be forced to be


    with anyone who isn¡¯t your true mate.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said then gave her a light push when my eyes got watery. ¡°Damn it, stop with the mushy


    crap, or I¡¯m going to end up getting soft.¡±


    Weughed, and she stood. ¡°Go take a shower, Nic. I¡¯ll try to find something for you to wear tonight.¡±


    After the shower, I dressed in the blouse and skirt Sade had prepared for me. I was putting on my


    shoes when Wesley and Jon joined use. I stood, thankful I was wearing simple ts today instead of


    heels. ¡°Tell me you¡¯ve made some progress please,¡± I pleaded with Jon.


    He grinned looking very pleased. ¡°Have I made progress?¡± He shook his head at the beta. ¡°She asked


    me if I made progress. Can you believe it? Since when I¡¯ve not delivered?¡±


    ¡°So,¡± I said, crossing my arms and waiting.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve made progress. I¡¯ve found the perfect candidate, and best of all, he¡¯s agreed to it.¡±


    I stood straighter, surprised. ¡°Really?¡± For some reason, his smug expression made me wary. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Does the who really matter.¡±


    Now I knew I wasn¡¯t going to like his answer. I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°Jon.¡±


    He held up his hands. ¡°Easy, it¡¯s all cool. His name, is, uh, Dean.¡±


    I blinked a few times. Dean¡­ ¡°As in the alpha¡¯s son?¡± Jon nodded. ¡°You tol-why? Why would you do


    that? The idea is to find someone Father would approve of. He doesn¡¯t approve of Dean at all.


    ording to Father, he¡¯s an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, your dad is in no position to be choosy. Nic, Dean is perfect. He an alpha¡¯s son, he¡¯sid


    back, and best of all, he¡¯s your actual mate.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Sade said, her eyes wide. ¡°Is that true, is the guy you hit your mate?¡±


    I shot Jon a re. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. I sat on the bed with a sigh. ¡°Yeah, he is.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Sade said, grabbing her tiny purse and fishing out a twenty and handing it to a now smug


    Wesley.


    I frowned not sure what was going on for a second then it dawned on me. ¡°You two...made a bet on


    me?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Wesley said, pocketing the money happily. ¡°I found it odd you¡¯d straight up punched a guy. I¡¯ve


    seen you take a bunch of crap from the guys without ever losing your cool. I suggested to Sade it had


    to be something like the guy was your mate. She disagreed, so we made a bet.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m d someone is enjoying this situation,¡± I said, ndly. I really couldn¡¯t bring myself to be


    angry with them. ¡°Jon, this isn¡¯t going to work. Father will prefer his ¡®prospects¡¯ before Alpha Brent¡¯s


    son.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Dean has had a few of his own ideas. We got this,¡± he said and put his hands


    on my shoulders. ¡°You just sit back and look pretty.¡±


    ¡°Pretty, I¡¯ll get you pretty.¡± I gave him a light punch in the stomach, enough to knock some of the air out


    of him, but not really hurt him.


    The knock on the door cut off anyeback Jon might have had. Father stuck his head inside ¡°It¡¯s


    time,¡± he said and nodded when he saw my appearance.


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± I said, and I followed him into the hall. He led me to the same room I¡¯d struck Dean when I


    first met him. Thinking of it made my stomach tighten with guilt. I straightened my spine and tried to


    shove the feeling down inside me. ¡°Do we still have to do this?¡± I asked we walked into the room and


    started to mingle with the people.


    ¡°Nothing has changed, Nic. You need a mate,¡± he said and took my arm, guiding me towards two men,


    father, and son I presumed. ¡°Alpha Richard.¡± He dipped his chin in a small head bob. ¡°I would like to


    introduce my daughter to you and your son, Nicole.¡±


    The older man offered me a kind smile and shook my hand. ¡°This is my son, Desmond.¡±


    Hearing his name, the son looked up from where he¡¯d been staring at my chest. ¡°Right, nice to meet


    you and all that,¡± he said, ncing to watch some woman pass us.


    I hid my hands behind my back so no one could see them curl into fists. His father gave me a strained


    smile, but his eyes lightened from an emerald green to jade, clearly not pleased with his son¡¯s


    wandering attention. They spoke a little while longer. When Desmond wasn¡¯t participating in the


    conversation between our fathers, he¡¯d either stare at my chest or some other body part of the nearest


    woman. He never once looked at my face or spoke to me.


    They finally parted ways, and we were on our way. ¡°That was a waste of time,¡± Father spat.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± I replied.


    ¡°No daughter of mine is going to be some man¡¯s ything.¡±


    It surprised me, and I forced him to stop as I turned to him. ¡°But isn¡¯t that exactly what you want me to


    be Father? That and their brood mare?¡±


    ¡°None of that is what I want, Nic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now who¡¯s lying, Father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± He pulled me closer to him. ¡°I want someone who¡¯ll take care of you, not y with you


    for his fancy until he¡¯s bored,¡± he said, his voice a low hiss. ¡°I¡¯m getting old and slow with no heir. I need


    to step down before I¡¯m challenged, and it gets bloody. That is what I want. Nothing more, Girl.¡± He


    gave my arm a little tug, and we continued to walk through the room.


    Once again he stopped at a pair of men. These two looked to only a little younger than her father. One


    of them a big man. He had the build of a troll. He kind of reminded her of Wreck-It Ralph. ¡°Greetings


    Alpha Maxwell and Beta Simon.¡±


    I swallowed eying the beta aka Ralph. This guy couldn¡¯t be possibly the prospect Father was talking


    about. I shook my head a little, ncing around the room. My gaze stopped on Dean, speaking with


    Desmond. What in the world was he doing? I frowned watching them. Perhaps it¡¯s nothing, I thought,


    but as soon Dean saw me watching he, winked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head


    before turning back towards my father and the other men.


    As we left the two men, brothers apparently, I gave Father a sidelong nce. ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be


    considering him?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of options, here, Nic.¡±


    ¡°Well we only need one, forget about this,¡± I told him.


    Again he turned to face me. ¡°Quit acting like a spoiled child, Nic. I told you¡­¡±


    He continued to lecture me, but my attention was on Dean chatting up Beta Simon. What was he


    doing? I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, nervous.


    ¡°Nic are you even listening to me?¡±


    My attention snapped back to Father. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes at me and let out a breath through his nose. ¡°This is important.¡±


    I resisted the urge to sigh. ¡°Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.¡±


    We walked around a few minutes more when we stopped by the future alpha Ryder and his mate.


    ¡°Alpha Joseph, I was wondering if I could speak with you a moment,¡± Ryder said.


    Surprise shed over Father¡¯s face for a moment. ¡°Of course, what would you like to discuss.


    ¡°I wanted to ask your opinion on the proposed stance on rogue prevention offered by the Alpha of


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Death Valley. It seems quite controversial and seems like a lot of the others are against it,¡± Ryder said,


    holding out his arm for them to go and speak.


    Father nced back at me. I could tell he really wanted to talk to the future alpha, but afraid of what


    scene I might make. I start to tell him I¡¯d return to the room when Brook spoke with a bright smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep your daughterpany, Alpha Joseph.¡±


    I fought to keep my expression neutral. She and possibly the future alpha were up to something. Father


    hesitated, but it¡¯d be an insult if he refused, so he dipped his chin. ¡°Very kind of you, however, don¡¯t


    stay long Nic.¡± His tone full withmand.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± When they were out of easy hearing distance, I turned to the future Luna. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Brook said, but she might as well have a neon sign over her head which said ¡®I¡¯m


    guilty.¡¯


    ¡°So, I hear you¡¯re in need of a man,¡± Dean said, startling me. I turned to see him standing behind me


    with hiszy, cocky grin.


    I lifted a brow at Brook who was giving Dean an exasperated re. ¡°I do not need a man,¡± I told him,


    ncing at Ryder who was keeping Father¡¯s back to us.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was told. I believe the guy¡¯s exact words were desperately needs a man.¡±


    If Jon actually said those words, I was totally going to have to kill him.


    ¡°By the way, what is your dad thinking? I mean, I¡¯m not expert on men, but really? The first guy would


    sleep with anything female. The second one I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s even a werewolf. He looks more like a


    troll. Trust me, I¡¯ve watched enough Japanese porn to know how that would end.¡±


    ¡°Dean,¡± Brook hissed, her face red and eyes wide.


    ¡°What?¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Do you stop and think about what you¡¯re going to say before you start talking?¡± I asked him.


    Dean shed me another smile. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°I thought so.¡± I shook my head. ¡°So what are you up to?¡± He had the audacity to seem confused.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been following Father and I all night, talking to the men he¡¯s introduced me too.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with socializing.¡± Again he grinned then shrugged. ¡°I might have been giving


    them reasons they don¡¯t want to ept your father¡¯s deal.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but snort with augh. ¡°To what end? Father¡¯s determined to find someone.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re going to make sure the only one he finds is me,¡± he replied leaning in towards me.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like you,¡± I told him, tempted to take a step back, but I didn¡¯t want him thinking he scared


    me or something.


    ¡°Can I be honest, Beautiful,¡± he said, but didn¡¯t wait for an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t really care if he likes me or


    not.¡± He reached up and brushed his knuckles down my cheek.


    It sent a wave of heat through me, and my mouth went dry as I swallowed. Dean started to lean closer


    towards me when Brook cleared her throat.


    ¡°Sorry, this was getting awkward for me, and I¡¯m not sure PDA is the right choice at the moment.¡±


    My face flushed, realizing how close he was. I took a step back and blew out a breath. What just


    happened? I ran a hand over the top of my head, feeling strange. ¡°Thanks,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Aw, Brookie, you¡¯re always ruining my fun,¡± Deanined. ¡°And don¡¯t thank her, it will only


    encourage her.¡±


    ¡°The way I see it, that¡¯s not a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a very bad thing, Beautiful. I¡¯m pretty sure if she¡¯d shut up I would¡¯ve gotten a kiss.¡±


    My face warmed, and I ducked my head to hide it. ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    He scoffed, leaned towards me again but whatever he was going to say was stopped when Father


    spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± He demanded, his narrowed re on as he took my arm and pulled me away


    from Dean.


    To my surprise, Dean returned the re. ¡°I was simply apologizing again for being so pushy the other


    day to Nic.¡±


    Father¡¯s grip tightened on my arm when Dean said my name. ¡°Very considerate of you, but my


    daughter was the aggressor so need for apologies.¡±


    Dean smirked at him. ¡°Right, but I don¡¯t see the harm in getting to know her and your people. Getting to


    know each other is part of the point, isn¡¯t it? Also, she did promise my father - the alpha- there wouldn¡¯t


    be any more violence.¡±


    Father stiffened and forced a smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course,¡± he said with a strained smile,


    but his eyes zed. ¡°Sadly it¡¯s time we returned to our room. Good night,¡± he bit out and pulled me


    away from Dean and out of the room. ¡°Do you listen to anything I tell you, Girl,¡± he snapped with a


    quick tug on my arm. ¡°Did I not specifically say stay away from him.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go to him, Father. He came to me. What am I supposed to do? Tell him my father won¡¯t let me


    y with him. Besides, if I insult his son the alpha may change his opinion about me punching his son.¡±


    Father let out a breath noisily through his nose. ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± he said and narrowed his eyes. ¡°What


    did he want?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really,¡± I said, and so it wouldn¡¯t be aplete lie I added, ¡°He was making some jokes.¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    After thest meet and greet thing or whatever they¡¯re calling it, Father decided Wesley would be my


    ¡®chaperone¡¯ whatever that was to keep the incident with Dean from happening again. It was probably a


    good idea considering what happenedst time. I did not like how close Dean had gotten to me without


    me realizing it. Worse yet, I think he might have been right. If Brook hadn¡¯t saved me, I wasn¡¯t sure


    what would¡¯ve happened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how your n can work now,¡± I said as I watched Wesley line up his shot on the pool table.


    ¡°Nothing has changed,¡± Jon said. He was leaning on his cue, his dark eyes twinkling with mischief.


    ¡°How hasn¡¯t it? Wesley¡¯s job now is to follow me around to make sure Dean stays away.¡±


    ¡°Now why would he do that? I¡¯m awesomepany,¡± Dean said as he walked in the room. He wasn¡¯t


    alone, his brother, Brook and a couple others were with him.


    ¡°He¡¯s not short of confidence is he?¡± Sade whispered in my ear.


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± I whispered back. Jon and Dean greeted each other like old friends. ¡°Traitor.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jon replied.


    Brook took a seat next to me. ¡°This is Andy and his mate Kara.¡± Andy, pale and blonde, looked like


    some Viking out of history. Kara was a good two feet, at least, smaller than him, and blonde too, but


    her hair was shaved on one side and the tips dyed pink.


    ¡°Love the hair,¡± Kara said to me as she sat next to Brook. She seemed like she meant it.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said and looked Wesley. ¡°You are done here?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave yet, we just got here,¡± Dean said shing a smile at me.


    My stomach fluttered at the sight and I quickly looked away. ¡°Wes?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave the game unfinished, Nic. Jon won¡¯t let me hear the end of it since he¡¯s in the lead.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said andughed dryly when not a minute passed they started a new game to include Ryder


    and Andy with Dean watching. I nced at the doorway. My stomach churn with nerves. Wesley was


    like an uncle to me, and Jon was my best friend. If Father found out they were going against his orders,


    it wouldn¡¯t go well for them at all.


    ¡°Why does your dad have such a hard on for Dean?¡± Kara asked as the boys started to y. ¡°I mean I


    get he¡¯s a bit of an idiot, but he¡¯s a good guy.¡±


    ¡°Aww, I knew you loved me, Kay-kay,¡± Dean said then yelped as Andy hit him in the back of the leg with


    his pool cue.


    A surge of anger rushed through me, my muscles tensed, and I had the urge to growl at the blonde


    Viking. What was wrong with me?


    ¡°So you¡¯re one of your dad¡¯s enforcers?¡± Kara asked, and when I nodded she asked again, ¡°What do


    you do?¡±


    ¡°Frontline.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but grin. Frontline was the first to deal with any threat, and only the best of the best got


    to be part of the team. It had taken a lot of work, but I earned it. ¡°Yep. Jon is one too. Wesley used to


    work for them as well.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, I¡¯m one of this pack¡¯s trackers. Saw quite a bit of action with our fight against ck Mountain,¡±


    Kara said.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember their alpha spoke with Dad a bit for our support, but it was over before he gave his


    answer.¡±


    ¡°Really? What would¡¯ve been his answer?¡± Brook asked


    That was a loaded question, considering what ck Mountain did to her. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me,¡± I told her. It


    was the truth, but I knew he was strongly considering sending us to help the previous alpha of ck


    Mountain.


    She gave me a weak smile. ¡°Right.¡±


    I blew out a breath. Awkward. This whole situation was awkward in all honesty. I couldn¡¯t rx here,


    especially knowing Father would be furious. I waited long enough for everyone to be pulled in the game


    and I slipped out of the room. As the distance between the others and me grew, my nerves went away.


    I rubbed the back of my neck to ease some of the remaining tension when someone grabbed my other


    hand.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never leave. Come on, let¡¯s go,¡± Dean said, grinning as always and jogged down the


    hall, pulling me with him.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    He nced back at me, winked and kept going. To my surprise, he had a firm grip on my hand, and I


    couldn¡¯t free myself. Dean pulled us into a dark room with arge pool in the center. ¡°No one ever


    his pants. ¡°Come on, dip your feet in. The water is great. I promise I won¡¯t bite unless you ask.¡± He


    waggled his eyebrows at me.


    I rolled my eyes as I sat next to him, but I had no idea why. This was a bad idea. Being alone with him


    was a very bad idea. ¡°Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°My father-¡±


    ¡°You worry too much, Beautiful. Look, you¡¯ve been here a few days now, and I¡¯ve hardly got to say


    three words to you before someone takes you away. It can¡¯t be too much to ask to want to have one


    uninterrupted conversation.¡±


    ¡°It might.¡±


    Dean reached for my hand, but I moved it to myp. He frowned and shook his head. ¡°Okay, so what


    do you like to do?¡±


    I bit my lip, debating on what I should do. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave like I


    should. ¡°I work out, train.¡±


    ¡°And when you¡¯re not doing that?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not much really. Between training and my enforcer duties, I don¡¯t have free time.¡±


    ¡°So no hobbies or anything?¡±


    ¡°Working out is a hobby,¡± I told him.


    ¡°How many hours do you work out?¡±


    ¡°About eight or so. It depends on what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Eight? Geez, no wonder you hit to so hard. Why so long?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I have to if I¡¯m going to be as strong as the guys on the team.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to be as strong as them. I mean as long as you can hold your own.¡±


    ¡°Because I have to be. If I¡¯m not as strong as them, then I¡¯m the weak link.¡±


    ¡°So what the other women on the team do?¡±


    ¡°There is no other women. None can reach the strength requirement, and most don¡¯t even want to try.¡±


    I told him, proud I¡¯d be the exception.


    Dean started tough. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. Dad¡¯s enforcers have a lot of women. They may not be as


    physically strong as some of the guys, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. There is this one woman,


    Renee. She¡¯s barely five foot and doesn¡¯t lift as much as anyone else on the team, but I¡¯ve seen her


    kick all their asses.¡±


    Irritation red in me. What was Dean¡¯s point? ¡°Great. Good for her, but it¡¯s not how my pack works


    and I like being strong. I told you, I¡¯m not like the other women and I¡¯m fine with it.¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t mean-wait,¡± he said when I started to stand. Dean grabbed my hand, pulling me to sit


    back down. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend you, Nic. It¡¯s only that doesn¡¯t seem too healthy to push yourself so


    hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly healthy and fine. Look, Dean. We¡¯re too different. This won¡¯t work. It¡¯s best if I leave now.¡±


    Dean frowned and wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand when I tried to pull away from him. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± I said, frustrated. ¡°I am one of the guys, and I like it that way. I don¡¯t like to gossip or shop, or


    flirt, or whatever it is other girls do.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I don¡¯t like gossip or shopping either.¡± He shed me another grin. ¡°If it¡¯s what makes


    you happy then it¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    I let out a breath and shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re listening to me.¡±


    Heughed. ¡°No, actually the one who isn¡¯t listening here is you. Nic, it doesn¡¯t matter to me how


    different you are from other women or me. I don¡¯t care how you dress or what you look like. None of


    that is important.¡±


    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t care?¡± Dean shook his head side to side. ¡°You don¡¯t care I¡¯m not soft or sweet, or


    I¡¯m stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not even a little bit.¡± Heughed, even more, when I didn¡¯t bother to hide my skepticism.


    ¡°Seriously, it means nothing to me. Who you are is much more important.¡±


    ¡°You realize how cheesy you sound,¡± I said and tried to free my hand once more.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Cheese is awesome,¡± he replied, still not letting go.


    ¡°Why do you keep holding my hand?¡± I asked, again a little irritated.


    ¡°I like the way it feels in mine, and you haven¡¯t asked me to let you go.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You¡¯re crazy. So Cheesy, what do you do with your time?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have to admit I don¡¯t always have a lot of free time usually either. My shifts at the hospital


    usually keep me busy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a doctor?¡± I said with surprise.


    He snorted. ¡°Hell no. I¡¯m a nurse.¡±


    ¡°A nurse,¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Is that judgment I hear?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not¡± I don¡¯t think I convinced him. ¡°Why not a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know there is a lot of guy nurses,¡± he said, with a nod. ¡°And I wanted to help people.


    Doctors pop in and out, without a lot of interaction with their patients. Nurses are the ones who get


    someone a drink when they¡¯re thirsty, help regte medication to make sure they¡¯refortable. It¡¯s


    the nurses that make the biggest impact, despite all the hype docs get.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I replied, not sure what to say.


    Heughed and gave my hand a squeeze. ¡°The worst part is my mom still gets to boss me around


    since she¡¯s my actual boss.¡± He scrunched his face in disgust, and again I found myselfughing.


    ¡°When I¡¯m not there, I usually hang out with my brother and everyone.¡±


    My thoughts jumped to my own brother. I hated that after all these years I still missed him sometimes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I was thinking of my brother.¡±


    ¡°You have a brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure he deserves to be called that anymore. When I was little, and Mom died, he and Father


    got in a fight. Brandon left and never looked back.¡±


    ¡°Just like that? No goodbyes or anything.¡±


    ¡°Not even a note,¡± I said, the bitterness slipping into my voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s a dick.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so it¡¯s been Father and me since then. It¡¯s why I need to be as strong as the others. I have to be


    the alpha. I have to be the son he lost,¡± I said, watching Dean frown more as I spoke. He didn¡¯t


    understand. Dean was free to be who he wanted. His brother was the one who had to take on the


    responsibilities of alpha. I didn¡¯t want to argue the point with him anymore. ¡°I should be getting back.


    Father might check in, and if I¡¯m not there or with Wesley, it¡¯ll be bad.¡±


    Dean shook his head as if he knew exactly what was on my mind. ¡°Alright, let me walk you back.¡± He


    put on his shoes again and walked me back to my room.


    We walked back in silence and when we stopped at the door his smile was back full force. I wondered


    if his face hurt from so much smiling. ¡°I liked this,¡± he said. ¡°I hope we can sneak away again, soon.¡±


    Iughed quietly. ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Dean grabbed my hand as I turned to go inside. ¡°Sleep well, Nic.¡± He brought my hand to his lips. I


    gasped as my heart leaped to my throat as he kissed my palm. I felt the kiss like an electric jolt, all the


    way from my hand to my toes. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to dream of me.¡± He winked, and I rolled my eyes,


    fighting a smile.


    ¡°You are so certifiable, Dean. Good night,¡± I said, going inside and once the door was closed I let the


    smile emerge. God help me, Dean was an idiot, but I was starting to like him. What is wrong with me?

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    All my worry for Father to catch us outside the room with Dean was pointless. Father didn¡¯te to


    see me until nearly nine in the evening. ¡°So how did everything go?¡± I asked when he sat in the window


    seat.


    ¡°The usual humdrum. That girl, Alice, she¡¯s not giving up on her silly ideals concerning the rogues,¡± he


    replied as he gave me a narrowed eyed stare.


    My throat tightened as he continued to stare. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I should ask you that,¡± he said in a gruff bark. ¡°What did I do to deserve such betrayal from my family


    and those I most trust?¡±


    Oh no. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    Father scoffed and narrowed his eyes even more. ¡°I¡¯m no fool, girl. I can smell his scent, that boy,


    Dean, on you. You¡¯ve been around him again. It could have only happened if Wesley allowed it. Why


    would my beta betray my orders?¡±


    I sighed, pulling my legs up on the bed to sit cross-legged. ¡°Wesley meant no disrespect to you, Father.


    He¡¯s Alpha Brent¡¯s son and how can Wesley refuse without causing tensions between our packs.


    Thanks to me, we¡¯re already on shaky ground with the alpha.¡±


    Father snorted and rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look. ¡°What does he want from you, Nic? Why is


    the fool bing such a thorn in my side?¡±


    ¡°Diplomacy?¡± I offered weakly. Father¡¯s eyes narrowed at me again. I licked my lips as I looked at my


    hands and said in a soft hush, ¡°He¡¯s my mate.¡± I cringed, waiting for him to explode, but I only received


    silence. So much so, I had to look up.


    His jaw was clenched tightly as he stared at me. ¡°Mate?¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well that won¡¯t do,¡± he said shaking his head. ¡°Not at all. You need a strong mate, not that...that


    clown!¡±


    Although we had argued about this before, I wasn¡¯t able to stop myself. ¡°Do I? I¡¯m as strong as any


    man. I can match every guy on our enforcersI¡¯ team.¡±


    ¡°Those men are not alphas, Nic.¡±


    ¡°So? I¡¯m not afraid of any man. Alpha or not, they will not take our pack from me,¡± I said, lifting my chin


    with pride. I knew I would be able to, and so did the pack.The only one who doubted me was him.


    Father shook his head. ¡°No. No, you can¡¯t. Men biological are gifted with more muscle mass and


    strength than women. An alpha male will always best you. Why do you think men and women do not


    y on the same sports team orpete against each other? Nic, all it takes is one loss to lose


    everything I¡¯ve built, just one.¡±


    I considered mentioning the enforcer Dean told me about, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a good idea, not


    when Father thought so little of him. Instead, I decided to take the conversation into a different path.


    ¡°And how do you know Dean isn¡¯t strong? Have you seen him fight or heard of his fighting skills?¡±


    Father snorted again. ¡°I¡¯ve learned enough. Can you believe he¡¯s a nurse? What kind of man is a


    nurse?¡±


    ¡°Father, you can¡¯t seriously judge his character by his profession. You are better than that.¡±


    He made a humph sound. ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡±


    ¡°You never said I needed to have a mate you liked,¡± I shot back. ¡°You only said I needed a strong


    mate.¡±


    Father frowned then scowled at me. ¡°I will not hand my pack to that fool.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± I said, my voice rising an octave as anger warmed my blood. ¡°You¡¯re handing it to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you raise your voice to me girl. I am your father and alpha.¡±


    A growl rumbled out of my chest, and I didn¡¯t try to stop it. Right now, I doubted I could¡¯ve even if I


    wanted to. ¡°You are being difficult, Father. I hate this idea you have that I need a mate, because I don¡¯t,


    but I¡¯m trying. Are you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to question me,¡± he said, his voice rising now.


    My heart raced as my anger grew. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s my life,¡± I demanded, standing.


    ¡°This is not about you, you selfish girl! This about the pack and what¡¯s best for them.¡±


    Iughed a bitter, humorlessugh. ¡°You can¡¯t honestly believe those men you introduced me to


    yesterday were better for the pack than me or even Dean for that matter?¡±


    ¡°Last warning, watch your tone, or I¡¯ll check it for you.¡±


    I stood and put my hands on my hips. ¡°That¡¯s all you have to say? Watch my tone? You know I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡°I do not. Where are you going?¡± he demanded as I moved towards the door. ¡°I am not done with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Well, I¡¯m done with you. Unless you want to test your theory of masculine superiority and force


    me to challenge you, Father, I suggest you don¡¯t get in my way.¡± His eyes widened, and indecision


    crossed his face, but he didn¡¯t stop me from leaving. My hands open and closed as I stormed down the


    hall and instead of going to the gym, like I usually did when I was upset, I left the house.


    We were surrounded by woods, and I didn¡¯t slow until I was well beyond the tree line. This angry, only


    my wolf would help me calm down. Despite everything, I didn¡¯t want to fight Father. I didn¡¯t want to


    humiliate him in front of the beta or other alphas. I undressed quickly, the cool air making my skin


    prickle in goosebumps, and grunted in pain as I shifted.


    It took me almost three minutes to shiftpletely into my wolf. Shaking out my fur, a rumbling growl


    then a howl burst from my throat as I dashed off into the woods as fast as I was able. I was sure there


    was something in these woods I¡¯d be able to hunt and dine on.


    It was full dark when I returned to my pile of clothes and started the shift back to human. My teeth


    chattered in my head when I was fully human again, and I couldn¡¯t get dressed fast enough. As soon


    as I walked back inside, I saw Wesley waiting for me, a grim expression on his face. I blew out a


    breath. How badly had Father punished him, I wondered as I rubbed my arms, still cold.


    As soon as I stepped up to him, Wesley spoke. ¡°Your dad has been detained.¡±


    Anything I might have asked or had thought to say fled from my mind, and I stared at him. ¡°What?¡± I


    finally managed.


    Wesley blew out a breath and ran his hand over his face. ¡°After you had left your dad came to see us.


    He was mad, well furious really. We tried to exin why we had to ignore his orders concerning Dean,


    but he wouldn¡¯t listen. Somewhere along our conversation, he was convinced Dean was the source of


    our insubordination.¡±


    Oh no. I stared up at therge man, silently begging him to tell me something other than what I


    imagined happened.


    ¡°We tried to stop him...¡±


    I cringed. Oh no, no, no.


    ¡°He confronted Dean¡­¡±


    Oh God, please don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°Dean tried to be diplomatic and calm him down, but it only made your dad even angrier¡­¡±


    Good Lord. I ran my hand over my head, the hair a little longer since I shifted.


    ¡°He attacked Dean, forcing him into a fight¡­¡±


    I closed my eyes. It was exactly as I feared. ¡°How bad is he?¡±


    ¡°Your dad-¡±


    ¡°Not him, Dean. How badly did Father hurt him? What is Alpha Brent going to do with my father?¡±


    A twinkle of humor had shed in Wesley¡¯s eyes before it disappeared behind the grim hardness once


    more. ¡°As I said, your dad has been detained. As far as Dean¡­¡±

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    I sat in the living room with Mom in our nightly routine of a cup of tea. I wasn¡¯t a huge tea fan, but I


    enjoyed having the time to catch up on things. Sometimes, like tonight, even Dad joined us. I preferred


    the simple ck while both Mom and Dad went for the fancier stuff. ¡°How are things with Nicole?¡± Mom


    asked after Dad finished filling us in about today¡¯s meeting progress. It was interesting when I wasn¡¯t


    the one involved in all the politics crap.


    ¡°It¡¯s going pretty good,¡± I admitted.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She¡¯s not shown any more tendencies of violence has she?¡± Dad asked, worried.


    Again, I found the worry to be a little insulting. They wouldn¡¯t worry about this so much if it was Dean


    instead of me. Though, considering Aunt Helena had allowed her mate to beat on her and their


    children, perhaps Dad would¡¯ve worried no matter what. I shook my head. ¡°Nah, as far as I can see it


    was a one-time thing. I, honestly, think it was a bad judgment call on my part.¡±


    He nodded, looking pleased as he picked up the tray on the coffee table between us. ¡°I¡¯m going to take


    this to the kitchen, but we¡¯ll need to talk Dean. The meetings with the alphas are only for two more


    nights, and after that, they all return to their territory. I need to know what your n is.¡±


    My stomach sank as I watched him leave. n? When did I ever have ns? I don¡¯t do ns, but what


    was I going to do? Two days then Nic would leave. I don¡¯t think she would stay if I asked her right now.


    Damn it I needed more time. Running a hand through my hair, I looked up to find Mom smiling at me.


    She could probably guess I was scrambling.


    Before any of us could say anything, someone growled out, ¡°You!¡± Nic¡¯s dad stood in the doorway,


    pointing at me with zing amber eyes.


    This wasn¡¯t good. ¡°Me?¡± I asked, standing.


    ¡°Yes, you! You pathetic little clown,¡± he demanded as he took a step into the room. ¡°You¡¯ve poisoned


    my daughter and my people.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute-¡± Mom said, standing.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom, I got this.¡± I moved, so I was between Alpha Joseph and Mom. I wasn¡¯t sure how much


    of this guy was all bark, but if he decided to bite, I didn¡¯t want her getting caught up in it. ¡°Alpha Joseph,


    I haven¡¯t said anything against you to your people.¡± Oh, I¡¯d said a lot of nasty things to Andy and the


    others, but not to Nic or her friends.


    The alpha sneered at me. ¡°Nic never defied me before we came here.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it, Iughed. ¡°And that¡¯s my fault?¡±


    ¡°I know it is!¡±


    ¡°I promise the only thing I¡¯ve done is talk your daughter,¡± I said and shrugged. ¡°Sorry dude, but you¡¯re


    not on the subject list of topics in our conversations.¡±


    He took another step into the room, his hands curling into fists. ¡°You think you¡¯re funny, doncha? Well,


    listen here funny man. You¡¯ll never have my pack-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your pack,¡± I said, dropping my tone into a t, boring sound. I got a taste of being alpha


    when Ryder had to take a step back to fool our uncle, and that was all I needed. I¡¯d never been under


    so much pressure and stress in my life. It was not something I nned on repeating any time soon.


    He blinked obviously surprised by my response then he simply scowled at me again. ¡°Listen here,


    Boy-¡±


    ¡°Dean, I¡¯ve used your name Alpha Joseph, I¡¯d like you to use mine.¡± I was starting to get a little tired of


    the nicknames he kept giving me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve not earned the right,¡± he said before literally spitting on the floor a few feet in front of me.


    Gross. ¡°Now listen here, Boy. You will stay away from my daughter. She not ever going to be your mate


    and-¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be her choice?¡± Call me an ass, but I was rather enjoying interrupting him.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not! She¡¯s mine-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not underage, so I don¡¯t see how she¡¯s yours.¡± I had to use all my willpower to keep from smiling


    and my expression curious instead of smug.


    The alpha¡¯s eyes widened and his nose red. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. She is mine, and I will do


    whatever I want with her! You will not. You will never speak or be near her again.¡±


    My amusement died. Oh now, this was enough bull shit. I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°No, no you won¡¯t.


    You are Nic¡¯s alpha, you are her father, but that does not remove her basic human rights.¡± He opened


    his mouth to speak, but I kept going. ¡°This isn¡¯t about me iming her as my mate or anything. It¡¯s


    about no one should be treated as if they don¡¯t matter and I will not allow you to make Nic feel like


    that.¡±


    ¡°I am an alpha, you fool,¡± Alpha Joseph said, his whole body tensing. ¡°You can not allow or forbid


    anything of me. You are not strong enough, you pathetic clown.¡±


    I noticed the subtle shift of his weight so not only was I not surprised when he swung his fist at me, but


    I avoided the swing altogether. Mom sucked in a breath, and I checked my position to stand between


    the two. ¡°You should stop and think about what you¡¯re doing, Alpha Joseph. My father-¡±


    He swung at me again. This time I ducked and hit him hard in the chest with the heel of my palm,


    forcing him to take several steps back. ¡°Seriously, Dude, this isn¡¯t going to end well for you.¡±


    When the alpha tried to hit me a third time, I blocked his arm then hit him with the heel of my palm in


    the nose, hard enough to break, but not disce the bone and risk his life. I kneed him, and with a


    pressure point on his wrist, I forced Alpha Joseph to his knees and shoved him on his stomach. I


    grabbed his other hand, pulling it back behind him and kept him there with a knee on his back and all


    my weight on it. Alpha Joseph fought to get me off him, but I had the advantage.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Dad shouted. His voice booming off the walls, stilling the alpha beneath me. His expression


    was stony, and his eyes practically glowed icy blue. He was pissed. ¡°Diego, help my son retrain Alpha


    Joseph.¡±


    Dad¡¯s beta stepped around him and silvered Nic¡¯s dad. It was a zip strip with a silver core. It removed a


    werewolf of most their abilities but didn¡¯t burn them like skin on silver contact would. Diego used


    another silvered strip to bind the alpha¡¯s hands together. I got up, and Diego helped the alpha stand.


    ¡°I made it quite clear as we started this week¡¯s meetings I would not tolerate any kind of violence in my


    pack house. I was willing to overlook your daughter¡¯s violence as a misstep of youth. She¡¯s not the first


    young woman to resort to our more primal ways of resolving conflict. However, you have long past the


    springtime of your life so I can not forgive this act so easily.¡±


    ¡°That boy left me no choice,¡± the alpha said, trying to pull himself from Diego¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Do not test me, Joseph. I witnessed the whole encounter, and I know who was the aggressor and why.


    It is for your daughter¡¯s sake, I will not take your life and pack from you as is my right by ourws, but


    instead banish you from my territory, death being the punishment if you return. Until your departure,


    you will remain in the holding cells. Oh and Alpha Joseph perhaps you should reflect about how a


    distaste for violence does not equate to weakness. If this had been a challenge Dean, the pathetic


    clown would¡¯ve won the right to take your pack from you.¡±


    When Dad nodded, the beta escorted Nic¡¯s dad out of the room, and I sighed, running a hand through


    my hair. ¡°That could¡¯ve gone a whole lot better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dean. This willplicate matters with Nicole,¡± Dad said, shaking his head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let


    any of his actions or words stand without answering them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I said and ran my hand through my hair again. ¡°I should go tell Nic and his people what


    happened.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we were here outside,¡± Wesley, Alpha Joseph¡¯s beta said from the doorway. ¡°We tried to talk


    to him, but...¡± He shifted his weight, clearly torn between the truth of Nic¡¯s dad brought this on himself


    and loyalty which told him to say nothing against his alpha. ¡°I¡¯ll go inform our people and Nic of what


    urred and make the necessary arrangements.¡±


    As the beta left my stomach sank for the second time today. ¡°You¡¯re going to make them leave?¡±


    Dad shook his head. ¡°Alpha Joseph¡¯s people will have too. I am willing to allow Nic to stay.¡±


    But would she? My stomach tightened, and I ran a hand through my hair. Momid a hand on my


    shoulder. ¡°Easy, you¡¯re going to go bald like that,¡± she teased then gave my shoulder a squeeze.


    ¡°Rx, let¡¯s give the beta some time to speak with her and digest the information. We¡¯ll figure


    something out.¡±

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    I couldn¡¯t believe Father attacked Dean and what¡¯s more lost. How could Dean have beaten him? I


    shook my head, forcing myself to focus. That didn¡¯t matter and what did was what we were going to do


    next. ¡°Okay, so father is detained and Dean isn¡¯t hurt. Where does this leave us?¡± I asked, pacing back


    and forth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long the alpha ns to detain your father, but when he does we are to leave and


    never return.¡±


    My throat tightened at the words with emotions I didn¡¯t even begin to understand and I didn¡¯t have time


    to understand. I lifted my chin and shoulders. I was Alpha now that Father was detained. Wesely and


    the others would look to me. I had to be strong. ¡°Alright, this is what we¡¯re going to do. Bring in


    everyone. Socializing and wandering around is off limits. We¡¯re not wee any more and I don¡¯t want


    any reason for the alpha to be even more upself with us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± Wesley said, dipping his chin in a stiff nod.


    ¡°I want everyone ready to leave in within the hour. As soon as Father¡¯s released I want to be on our


    way out of this territory.¡±


    ¡°What about Dean?¡± Wesley asked, his expression softening some.


    My chest tightened and I took a slow breath. ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± I said and shrugged as if it didn¡¯t bother


    me. ¡°It was a good n, but didn¡¯t work. Now I have to take care of our people. Get them home safe.¡±


    His brow furrowed and he looked as if he wanted to say more. ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do, Wes. Get


    everyone ready and I¡¯ll go speak with the alpha to see just how bad the situation is.¡±


    Again, he nodded and we both went into the house. I wasn¡¯t sure where I could find the alpha, but we


    didn¡¯t get very far before Dean found us. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in about an hour Wes,¡± I said.


    When he turned the corner Dean grabbed my hands. ¡°First, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen. I


    tried¡ª¡±


    ¡°I heard and I know Father wouldn¡¯t be moved once he is like that. I¡¯m d he didn¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    Dean snorted and gave me a cocky smile. ¡°Oh ye of little faith.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and despite everything, smiled. ¡°Look, I need to talk to your father. I need to know how


    much time we have before he releases Father and we have to leave.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave, Nic.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°No seriously, my dad said he wouldn¡¯t force you to leave. You¡¯re free to stay as long as you like.¡±


    ¡°And abandon my pack and my father? Dean, I can¡¯t do that,¡± I told him, frowning.


    ¡°Your pack will still have their alpha, you won¡¯t be abandoning them, and...¡± Dean hesitated then


    sighed. ¡°Nic, he forced you to y the roles he needed, demanding you change yourself every time he


    needed something different. He has no respect for you and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I said, pulling my hands away from his. Dean¡¯s words hitting me in the face like a boxer¡¯s


    right hook. ¡°You don¡¯t what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    His expression pinched even more. ¡°Don¡¯t I? Look, I am not trying to offend you here, Nic, but you


    didn¡¯t hear the way he talk about you when he came at me. You¡¯re just another of his possessions in


    his eyes.¡±


    Dean reached out for me but I jerked back away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t! Just because I¡¯m not perfect with the


    perfect little family like you doesn¡¯t mean I should up and leave him. He is my father and to me, that


    means something.¡±


    As I moved around him, Dean reached for me again. This time I shove him against the wall, my


    forearm across his chest and my other pulled back with my fist ready. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me or I¡¯ll finish what


    Father started.¡± The look of shock and hurt on his face tore through me and I couldn¡¯t breath. I stepped


    back away from him and stormed down the hall, feeling ashamed of myself. Looks like I was burning all


    my bridges tonight.


    Damn it, I¡¯d done it again. Lost control and acted with violence. Dean¡¯s words hit too close to home and


    that hurt, but it wasn¡¯t Dean¡¯s fault. My rtionship with Father was far from perfect and I couldn¡¯t fault


    Dean for pointing it out.


    I don¡¯t know why I explode like this around him. God, he¡¯d be better off just letting me leave. I blew out


    an angry breath. I ran my hand over the top of my head as I searched for the alpha. After questioning a


    few people, I finally found him in his office. I knocked on the door then sat down when he waved his


    hand at the chairs in front of his desk.


    ¡°Alpha Brent, I came to ask how much time do we have before we need to out of your territory.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave, Nicole,¡± he said, echoing Dean¡¯s words. ¡°As my son¡¯s mate you¡¯re more than


    wee here for as long as you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Sir, with all due respect, family is one of the most important things in this world and my father, with all


    his faults, is all the family I have left. I will not stay without him.¡±


    One half of his mouth tilted into a smile as he leaned forward, watching me with an intense gaze. Half


    of me insisted I meet his gaze as I was alpha too. The other squirmed in her chair, feeling like she was


    called to the principal¡¯s office. ¡°You are a formidable woman, Nicole. I can see you could be a great


    luna¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alpha,¡± I corrected him.


    Again half his mouth smiled at me. ¡°Of course. I also see the influence you have on Dean.¡±


    What? I wrinkled my nose at him in which he started tough.


    ¡°Before he met you, I didn¡¯t think Dean knew how to have a serious conversation or have any sense of


    responsibility,¡± Alpha Brent exined, his expression soft. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would find some changes in


    yourself as well since you¡¯ve been here. That¡¯s the way it¡¯s supposed to be, Nicole. Mates are suppose


    to give our weaknesses strength. It¡¯s why they are so important. I¡¯m sure in this even your father would


    agree with me.¡±


    I¡¯d already max out my quota for being a bitch so I pressed my lips together tightly until I could figure


    out something to say that wouldn¡¯t be rude. ¡°Sir,¡± I finally said. ¡°What does this have to do with the


    current situation?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± Alpha Brent said and leaned back in his chair. ¡°I love my sons and I would give


    everything, even my life for them. I will not allow Dean to lose his mate, lose you, because your father


    can¡¯t see beyond his own ignorance. If you won¡¯t stay while your father returns home and I don¡¯t feel


    it¡¯s safe to allow Dean to go with you then I have no choice, but to keep your father in the holding cells


    for an indefinite amount of time, allowing your continued stay here.¡±


    My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. ¡°You...you can¡¯t do that.¡± He couldn¡¯t right? No way he could


    hold another alpha prisoner like that. We weren¡¯t at war.


    Alpha Brent raised a single eyebrow at me. ¡°Can¡¯t I? If we wanted to get technical here Nicole, your


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


    father is not even a alpha any more. He challenged Dean and lost.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a challenge...or at least not for the pack anyway.¡±


    Again he gave me that stupid half smile. ¡°Are you sure? Were you there? If I need it to be, all the


    witnesses there will agree with me it was a challenge for the pack. It¡¯ll be our word against your father¡¯s


    which won¡¯t hold much weight considering the situation.¡±


    My mouth continued to hang open. ¡°You would do that? You would lie and force others to do so as


    well? Just so I¡¯ll stay here with Dean? I thought you were supposed to be a good man, at least that¡¯s


    what everyone said.¡±


    ¡°I try to be, but I told you I would do anything for my children, even if it means bending the rules to


    ensure Dean gets a fair chance. You¡¯ll understand when you have your own children, my


    grandchildren. You can go now, Nicole. Your people can remain in the rooms they have and free reign


    of the house or leave if they wish., but if they leave they can¡¯t return.¡±


    Too shocked to do anything butply, I stood and left his office. I closed the door and leaned on the


    wall. What just happened?

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    I walked through the house, unsure where I was going until I stopped, light headed. I leaned against


    the hallway, my hands covering my face. I couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. Alpha Brent was


    holding me hostage through my father? This wasn¡¯t legal, even by werewolfws. He¡¯d all but


    announced war on my pack, but only if I was able to prove it. Some pacifist he was, I thought with a


    sad scoff. What was I going to do? How could I free Father?


    ¡°Nic? Nic, are you alright?¡± Brook said,ying a hand on my shoulder.


    Anger trickled through me. Did I look alright? ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Augh that was nothing short of maniacal bubbled out me. ¡°What hasn¡¯t happened? My father


    attacked Dean, Alpha Brent banished my father, but is refusing to release him for said banishment


    unless I stay here with his son.¡± Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped into an almost perfect ¡®o¡¯


    shape. ¡°Yeah, my thoughts exactly.¡± The anger kept building, and I growled. I turned and mmed my


    hand into the wall, and again. Everything turned hazy and red as I punched the wood over and over


    again all the while I spat curses which were more growling than actual words.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Brook said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the bloody hole in the wall. ¡°Go


    easy. Good Lord, you¡¯d give Fezzik a run for his money.¡±


    My chest heaved with my breathing. Herment snapping me out of my fit of rage. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Princess Bride - the giant,¡± Brook replied and lifted up my hand.


    I sucked in a breath as I looked at the battered mess. It looked as if it was crushed. A piece of bone


    ripped through the skin, lifting upward and blood was everywhere. I¡¯d never done anything like that


    before. With cold efficiency Brook took my hand in hers and ran her hand over the back of mine,


    shoving the bone back in ce. ¡°Son of a¡ª¡± I cried out at the pain.


    ¡°Sorry, but letting your hand heal over with that sticking out doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Come on, I


    can take you to Emily, and she¡¯ll fix you up.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Dean¡¯s Mo¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I growled out, pulling my hand out of hers. ¡°I want nothing from Dean¡¯s family. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Nic,¡± Brook said, looking at me worried.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Would you go ask Mike Howe for help after what he did to you?¡± I saw the answer clear as


    day on her face.


    ¡°Okay. Well, let¡¯s clean it up and see what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me. I¡¯ve got people,¡± I said with a snap. The pain was making me a bitch again.


    ¡°I do have to help you, if only for my conscious. I¡¯ve been where you¡¯re at Nic. I know what it¡¯s like to


    have your life derailed and everyone else deciding what new path it¡¯s going to take. Soe on, let¡¯s


    go into the kitchen.¡±


    I licked my lips, the pain in my hand really making itself known now. Idiot, I cursed at myself. What was


    wrong with me? I followed her into the dark kitchen.


    ¡°We should have privacy for several hours. Preparation for breakfast doesn¡¯t start until five in the


    morning,¡± Brook said, opening one of the bottom drawers and setting a first aid kit on the counter. She


    seemed to find her way around pretty well considering she was the future luna. ¡°Sit,¡± she demanded,


    pointing at a bar stool and my spine stiffened at the order. As if realizing her mistake, Brook quickly


    added, ¡°please.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Brook as she cleaned the blood off my hand.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten that far yet,¡± I admitted. ¡°Dean is...I mean he isn¡¯t¡­.I can¡¯t let this stand, Brook. I can¡¯t


    let Alpha Brent insult my family like this or me. I have to get my father out of there, and I can¡¯t do it at


    the cost of staying here.¡±


    ¡°So another war then,¡± Brook said with a frown on her lips.


    ¡°Not if I can help it,¡± I admitted ¡°I don¡¯t want war. If I can get my father out of the holding cells and get


    us out of this territory, there will be no need for me to dere war. If Brent decides to go to war, well


    that¡¯s on him, and there is nothing I can do about it.¡±


    ¡°What about your father,¡± she asked and nced up at me then smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t n on telling him


    what Brent is doing.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Well getting in won¡¯t be easy. They have cameras everywhere.


    The only reason I was able to free Mike was that Brent let me do it.¡± Brook finished cleaning my hand.


    Healing cuts and gashes were all over my hand. It was bad, but it didn¡¯t seem as bad as before.


    I tried to close my hand into a fist. I sucked a breath and had to give up halfway there. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be


    fine. I ju¡ª¡±


    ¡°Holy crap, what happened,¡± Dean said from the doorway and rushed in.


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine,¡± I said and tried to pull my hand away, but Dean was faster than me and took my


    wrist in his hands to get a closer look.


    ¡°That is not fine. What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your help, Dean. Did you forget what I said would happen if you touched me again?¡± I


    snapped.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s you, I¡¯m totally game. I¡¯ll even let you pin me if you like,¡± he teased with a lopsided


    smile, but Dean¡¯s attention was on my hand.


    Brook giggled and shook her head. Some of the tension in my shoulders eased, and the edge of my


    lips itched to smile. Damn him, how did he do that? I forced a scowl on my face. ¡°I¡¯m serious Dean. I


    don¡¯t want your help. I had enough from your father.¡±


    He looked up, looking confused. ¡°From Dad? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She means your dad is going all werewolf style shotgun wedding,¡± Brook said and repeated what I told


    her.


    Something dark passed over Dean¡¯s expression, but he went back to looking at my hand. ¡°So what


    happened to your hand? Did you decide to take a meat mallet to it?¡±


    ¡°She improved the venttion in the hallway off to the left of your dad¡¯s office,¡± Brook offered before I


    could say anything.


    Dean pressed my hand in several ces, and thest he touched sent a jolt of pain up my arm. ¡°Ow,¡± I


    cried and tried to pull my hand back, but he held on tight.


    ¡°Sorry, but since we don¡¯t have an x-ray, I am trying to figure out how many bones are broken and how


    badly.¡± Dean¡¯s voice was so serious it took me by surprise. ¡°How¡¯s your movability?¡± Again I tried to


    open and close my fist. He nodded and took some ace bandage. I don¡¯t think you have any serious


    broken bone, expect this one, but it¡¯s in ce and should heal well enough. We¡¯ll wrap it in this and put


    it on the ice.¡±


    None of us spoke as he wrapped my hand tightly, and pinned the tan stretchy fabric in ce. ¡°You


    shouldn¡¯t use your hand at all, Nic, and I mean it, at all. Don¡¯t even scratch your nose. Do that, and in a


    couple of weeks your hand should be good as new.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, but wariness crept in me. Now what? How much had he heard? Did he know I was


    going to try to get Father out? If he did, what was he going to do about it?


    ¡°No thanks needed, Beautiful,¡± he said, the usual cocky cheeriness back. ¡°Though I will take a kiss.¡±


    Both Brook and Iughed. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± Again part of me rxed, but this time it


    because he was back to his usual self. ¡°I need to go. I have a lot to get done, and I¡¯m not sure how


    much time I have.¡± I slid off the barstool.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Dean sat on the barstool and grabbed my hips, stopping me. ¡°Right, got to break out your dad. How


    exactly are you going to do that?¡±


    I tensed. ¡°I¡¯m working on that,¡± I grumbled. ¡°Dean, you can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Dean pulled me back until I stood between his legs and my back against his chest. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to


    have to stop you there. First off, you need help. Your people may be good, but they don¡¯t what mine do.


    They don¡¯t know the enforcer¡¯s reaction times, the security systems, or theyout of the holding cells.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out,¡± I said, crossing my arms over my chest.


    ¡°Or you could put on your big girl panties and ask for help, Beautiful,¡± Dean replied. ¡°Kara knows the


    enforcers pretty well and so does Ryder. Andy is good with electronics. Brook knows what theyout


    looks like.¡±


    ¡°Why would any of them help me?¡±


    ¡°I already said I would,¡± Brook said, lifting her hand up in the air, like a kid wanting to answer the


    teacher¡¯s question.


    Dean¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Yeah, and the rest will because I¡¯m going to ask them too.¡±


    What? ¡°Why would you help me?¡± His father was doing this so I would stay with him.


    ¡°Because, I don¡¯t agree with what Dad¡¯s doing and secondly, I don¡¯t need his help to get the girl,¡± he


    said sourly.


    I started to argue he wasn¡¯t going to get the ¡®girl¡¯ anyway when he turned me to face him and promptly


    kissed me before a single sound escaped my mouth. The feel of his lips on mine shattered every


    thought in my head and blew them away in the wind, lost forever. His lips were soft, warm, and oddly


    sweet. I felt the kiss all the way to my toes, and every fiber in my body became charged as if a


    thousand volts of electricity were shooting through me.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    My heart pounded in my ears like some primitive and primal drum as we kissed. I¡¯d like to me


    everything on Dean, but I couldn¡¯t. My traitorous body leaned into him as Dean¡¯s hand slid around the


    back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine, and the other around my waist to hold me against


    him. The urge to reach out and hold him was so strong I hand to fist my good hand tightly, and


    thankfully my arms were trapped between us.


    The kiss broke slowly with Dean pecking my lips a few times before pulling backpletely. I had to


    blink a few time to refocus on his face as I swallowed. Dean grinned, sliding his hand that held my


    neck. He brushed his thumb along my cheek. ¡°Totally worth the wait.¡±


    My face burned, and I took a quick step back. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m right handed, or I would¡¯ve knocked you


    off that stool,¡± I said, but the threat sounded weak even to me.


    ¡°Anytime, Beautiful,¡± he replied with a wink as he got off the barstool. ¡°It¡¯s toote to go see your dad,


    but from nine in the morning, you can stop by. I¡¯ll make sure Dad doesn¡¯t stop you. This will give you


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    plenty of time to see your dad and give us some time to organize then we can all meet say after


    lunch?¡±


    I licked my lips, stiffening at the unfamiliar taste Dean left there. ¡°Why? Why are you helping me? When


    I free my dad, I¡¯m going to go home. Nothing you can do or say is going to change that.¡±


    His expression sobered, and his eyes darkened for a brief moment just before Dean¡¯s cocky grin


    returned. ¡°What kind of man or mate would I be if I didn¡¯t? Choice has always made humans stand


    above animals. Choice is even more important for us werewolves. It¡¯s a symbol of our humanity and


    what allows us to be something other than the monsters they show on T.V. I want to be proud of


    my choices when the day is done.¡±


    I stood there awhile after Dean left. His answer was a good one and one I didn¡¯t expect from him. Was


    he honest or was this some kind of trick? From what I¡¯d seen and learned of mates, told me his wolf


    wouldn¡¯t allow me to leave, but Dean hadn¡¯t shown any possessiveness or signs of forcing me at any


    moment. I didn¡¯t understand it. I didn¡¯t understand him. Dean was clearly an alpha wolf. Otherwise, he


    wouldn¡¯t have beat Father, but he wasn¡¯t dominate.


    I exhaled, running a hand over my head and finally left the kitchen, but not before grabbing a bag of


    ice. Everyone was waiting for me when I reached my room, leaving little spare space. ¡°Nic,¡± Wesley


    said with a nod then noticed my hand. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I got angry, and a wall paid the price. That doesn¡¯t matter. What does is there¡¯s been a slight change of


    ns.¡±


    ¡°What kind of change?¡± Jon asked.


    ¡°First, for all of you here to understand the situation you need to know the alpha¡¯s son, Dean, is my


    mate. Father doesn¡¯t approve, and this is what sparked him to attack Dean. You all know how Father


    gets when he¡¯s faced with something he doesn¡¯t like. However, Alpha Brent has taken this as an


    opportunity to force me to take his son as my mate. He¡¯s demanded Father and all of you return home,


    and I stay, or he will not release Father.¡±


    ¡°What? He can¡¯t do that,¡± Sade said her eyes wide.


    ¡°Well, he is,¡± I replied and told him about his im that Father wasn¡¯t even the alpha anymore. The


    enforcers¡¯ voices raised up in outrage, many demanded we break out Father and go to war. ¡°Enough,¡± I


    shouted. ¡°War isn¡¯t an option. Blue Crescent pack is too well supported for us to have any chances of


    going against them.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just let their alpha keep ours captive and do nothing,¡± one of them said, and the usation in


    his voice was easy to hear. He was one of the few enforcers I didn¡¯t know well, and his name escaped


    me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say we do nothing. We are going to free our alpha and go home.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Dean say about all this?¡± Wesley asked as he rubbed his square chin, his expression


    thoughtful.


    ¡°Who cares what that idiot says?¡± The same enforcer as before said.


    Jon growled at him. ¡°Watch it, He is our future alpha and Nic¡¯s mate.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know about that, but I knew it was better not to say that out loud. ¡°Dean is offering to pull


    together some people to help us rescue, Father.¡±


    ¡°He is?¡± Sade said, looking surprised.


    I nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t say I trust Dean a hundred percent, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be smart to refuse right off.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Wesley said. ¡°What would you like us to do in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Get some rest, but be prepared for anything. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll take four others with me to meet with Dean


    and his people and see what he has in mind.¡±


    The crowded room emptied out of everyone, but Sade and me. ¡°So what¡¯s the n,¡± she asked, sitting


    on the bed, sping her hands together.


    ¡°I just told you the n.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean that one, I mean with you and Dean,¡± Sade replied. ¡°Everyone is wondering, and


    because we¡¯re the same gender, everyone decided I should be the one to ask.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and sat next to her. If it didn¡¯t involve, sports, fire, or hitting something men were


    ¡°Yes, of course. You can¡¯t stay here after what Alpha Brent has done, not unless you want to give him


    dominance over you, but why can¡¯t Deane with us?¡±


    I chewed my lip as I mulled over the idea then shook my head. ¡°Father would never stand for it, and


    why would Dean want toe with us? Not to mention, his father wouldn¡¯t let him.¡±


    Sadeughed a soft, dryugh. ¡°Are you sure your father still feels that way? Also, I don¡¯t think Dean is


    the daddy¡¯s boy type. After all, he¡¯s helping you. You need to sit down and talk with him, Nic.¡± She


    stood and offered me a smile. I was tempted to scowl back at her. ¡°Take your own orders and get some


    rest.¡±


    I tried to do just that after she left, but as nine o¡¯clock approached, I had maybe a few hours of sleep at


    best. My hand throbbed off and on most of the night, and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of the kiss. Every time,


    I remembered it, my heart would race, and my stomach would clench, forcing me wide awake. One


    would think that after thinking of it so much the effects would lessen or stop, but they didn¡¯t.


    After showering and forcing myself to eat, I went to see Father. To my surprise, I didn¡¯t have any trouble


    to see him. I¡¯d expected the enforcers would give me a hard time or at the very least, be rude, but they


    weren¡¯t. The cell wasn¡¯t all that bad either. It was a good sized room with a solid door, giving him


    privacy instead of the barred jail I¡¯d been envisioning. Dad sat in a chair, looking out a window when I


    walked in. ¡°Father,¡± I said, falling into military rest.


    His expression was calm, but his eyes were amber with anger. ¡°Everyone still in this territory?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir. No one is willing to leave without you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m still in here.¡± My eyes widened briefly, and Father


    chuckled, but it was a bitter sound. ¡°It is what I would¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on getting you out of here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± he said, his expression falling for a second before he hardened it again.


    ¡°Father¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out of time, and it¡¯s toote, Nic,¡± he said, scowling. ¡°I¡¯ve grown old and weak. Twenty years ago I


    would¡¯ve killed that boy, but now I didn¡¯t evennd a hit.¡± Father paced the width of the room. It wasn¡¯t


    much space, only enough for two or three strides. ¡°I¡¯ve lost the pack.¡± Again his expression softened


    and this time he didn¡¯t try to mask it.


    My throat tightened as I watched him. I didn¡¯t like this fragile, defeated version of Father. I¡¯d rather he


    yell and demand vengeance. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost the pack. That fight, if you can call it that, wasn¡¯t a


    challenge for the pack. It is still yours.¡±


    He snorted, narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Girl, it doesn¡¯t matter if it was an official


    challenge or not. He bested me, and that¡¯s what matters. Unless some kind of miracle happens, the


    pack belongs to Dean.¡±


    I growled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, and I¡¯m not leaving you in here, neither is Dean. He¡¯s going to help me


    get you out of here. Now quit feeling sorry for yourself and be ready to leave when Ie back.¡± With


    that, I turned and left, hopefully leaving Father to find his backbone. I stormed out of the holding cells.


    My hand itching to hit something, too bad I had to go and mess up my hand.

 Chapter 12

    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¡ª¡±


    ¡°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.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Dean¡¯s confession about his father¡¯s games only made my anger with Father¡¯s defeated attitude grow.


    How could he be so ready to give up when all that happened was he lost to Dean while throwing a fit?


    At this moment, I was starting to believe Dean would be better for the pack than Father, seeing as he


    was taking me to let Father out or so he imed. It wasn¡¯t that I doubted him. Dean so far hadn¡¯t given


    me any reason to, but with the games his father seem to be ying, I didn¡¯t want to get my hopes up.


    My stomach roiled with nerves as the question of ¡®what next?¡¯ Pressed against my mind. If all went


    ording to n, Father would be free, and we¡¯d leave. What would happen with Dean? I chewed on


    my lip as we walked. I had to be honest, Dean made the whole mate thing seem not so bad. We¡¯d have


    to get to know each other more, obviously, but how? I couldn¡¯t stay here, not after everything that had


    happened. Maybe he¡¯d be willing toe with us. It didn¡¯t have to be anything permanent, but


    something like a couple of weeks or a month.


    ¡°Hey Dean, what brings you this way,¡± one of the enforcers said to him when we walked into the


    holding area.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s little game is over, and we¡¯re here to get her dad out,¡± he replied, crossing his arms over his


    chest.


    The man looked at him confused. ¡°Uhm, we¡¯ve already let him out,¡± he said, scratching the back of his


    head. ¡°The new alpha demanded it, and Alpha Brent told us toply.¡±


    ¡°What new alpha?¡± I demanded. There was no new alpha, and if they wanted to be stupid about it, then


    Dean would be the new alpha.


    ¡°Yeah, what she said,¡± Dean said when the enforcer didn¡¯t answer me.


    ¡°That one,¡± he said turning and pointing as Father and another man walked into the room.


    My jaw dropped as I stared at the man with Father. How was he here? He was...no, Father couldn¡¯t


    have¡­


    ¡°Hello, Sis,¡± my long lost brother, Brandon, said.


    I ignored him and instead focused on Father. ¡°Father, what are you doing? You¡¯re still alpha. Dean


    didn¡¯t challenge you, right Dean?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t even close to a challenge.¡±


    Father scowled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I lost. The pack was at risk.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t, and it isn¡¯t,¡± I said, feeling my voice rise. ¡°You can go home right now, and everything can


    continue as it always has. God, Father, if you are so obsessed with giving up, you can¡¯t seriously think


    that this¡­¡± I waved my hand at Brandon. ¡°Is our best option to lead the pack. Hell, he¡¯s not even a


    good option.¡±


    ¡°Nic, it was always going to be this way. I¡¯m his son. It is my birthright,¡± Brandon said.


    ¡°Not anymore! You gave it up when you abandoned us,¡± I said back at him in a snarl.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Nicole. You were too young. I had to leave.¡±


    ¡°I may have only been six, but I understood perfectly well.¡± My hands curling into fists.


    ¡°Look, that¡¯s ancient history. It doesn¡¯t matter. All that does is I¡¯m back, and I¡¯m getting Dad out of this


    mess you¡¯ve created, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®sis.¡¯ You are not my brother. You are not my family,¡± I told him and looked to Father.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this. He left the pack and us. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be alpha. You may not like Dean. You


    may see him as a clown, but he¡¯d be a hundred times better alpha than him. Please, after everything


    I¡¯ve done, don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Father shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s toote, Nic,¡± he said with guilt in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already done. Brandon is


    now alpha of the Golden ins pack.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± I asked, hating how meek my voice had gotten.


    ¡°Seeing how you oppose my position so much, I think it¡¯s best you stay here,¡± Brandon said, lifting his


    chin and ring down at me.


    ¡°Golden ins is my home,¡± I growled. ¡°Father¡­¡± do something, I pleaded silently.


    Father¡¯s expression was tight as he said, ¡°You have a mate here, Nic. Perhaps it¡¯s best you did stay


    here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, look on the bright side, you don¡¯t need to do all this,¡± Brandon said, waving a hand at me. ¡°Grow


    your hair, dress like a girl, hell, be a girl again. I¡¯m sure Dean here would appreciate it. Don¡¯t worry


    about your things. I¡¯ll have someone pack them up and send them here.¡±


    Fury took me, and I stepped forward, but before I had a chance to say the words, Father spoke. ¡°No,


    Nic. It¡¯s not eptable. A challenge must be made alpha to alpha. If you try, I will ask Brent to contain


    you.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± I growled, but he simply shook his head. Pain seared through my chest, so intense I couldn¡¯t


    breathe. The only time I¡¯d felt anything like this is when Wesley told me Mother had died. I wanted to


    scream at them, shout, kick, and punch, but I wouldn¡¯t give Brandon the satisfaction. No, he wouldn¡¯t


    see me break.


    ¡°Nic,¡± Dean said, looking at me worried, but I wasn¡¯t able to answer him.


    My now dry mouth was glued shut. I walked outside and took a breath then shifted, not bothering to


    remove my clothing. I weed the pain of the shift, and when it was done, I shook out my fur, casting


    off the shredded pieces. With a howl, I ran as fast as my injured paw would let me. I headed for the


    woods I¡¯d gone earlier.


    As the woods surrounded me my breathing grew shallow and quick. Panic assaulted me, and all the


    emotions bubbled out of me. Tears stung my eyes, making me blind, but I didn¡¯t slow or stop. I didn¡¯t


    care if I hurt myself. I didn¡¯t care if I ran off a damn cliff. I¡¯d lost everything, pack, family, friends, home,


    and my purpose. I had nothing. Father and Brandon had stolen it all from me, everyst thing and


    person that meant something to me.


    Father was strict and stern, he had a narrow way to view the world, but I always thought he loved me. I


    was wrong, and everyone was right. Father only saw me as a thing to be used then thrown away when


    I no longer served a purpose. Something hit me hard in the shoulder, knocking me off bnce, causing


    me to put more weight on my injured paw than I meant too and stumbled. I fell, rolling several times


    before I stopped.


    I howled a whine beforeying my head on the ground. Rogue. I was now rogue - a wolf without a pack


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    or territory, alone. I clenched my eyes closed as pain tore through me.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d beenying on the ground when I heard someone walking in the woods not


    far from me, and I didn¡¯t need the wind to bring his scent to realize it was Dean. He would be the only


    one who¡¯de after me. No one else cared enough.


    ¡°Hey there, Beautiful,¡± he said,ing to a stop next to me. ¡°You okay?¡±


    I snorted, not looking at him. I didn¡¯t want him to see how bad I was.


    Dean ran his hand through my fur, and I lean into his touch. It was like a balm to the hurt. I whined


    softly. ¡°How about you shift back so we can talk? I got you a nket to cover up in.¡± I whined again, but


    this time it was in aint. I didn¡¯t want to shift, and I didn¡¯t want to talk. ¡°I know,¡± Dean said as if he


    understood me. ¡°But we have to talk. I need to know you¡¯re okay.¡±


    I snorted again, grabbed the nket and with his help, draped it over me. I growled shifting back,


    holding my right arm to my chest and pulled the nket closer.


    Dean rubbed my shoulders, bringing warmth back into my chilled body. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, Nic.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± I said, half sobbing. ¡°Father gave the pack to him. How could he do this to the pack or to me?


    Brandon abandoned us when we needed him, and as soon as he smelled weakness, he dived in like a


    shark for blood.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s better this way?¡±


    I jerked up my head and gave Dean a teary re. ¡°No, Dean. No way is this better.¡± I saw it on his face.


    He didn¡¯t understand. It surprised me. I would¡¯ve thought Alpha Brent would¡¯ve taught him that. I took a


    breath and tried to think of a way to exin it to him. ¡°This isn¡¯t about being top dog, Dean. It¡¯s not


    about power. It¡¯s about the people. Imagine all your patients at the hospital, every single one of them.


    I bet you care for them all greatly and will do what you can to help them befortable until they can


    go home again. Now imagine your boss telling you, another guy is going to take care of them. This guy


    is only there for the paycheck. He can¡¯t be bothered to listen to the patients and only does just enough,


    so he doesn¡¯t get fired. That¡¯s what has happened here, Dean.


    Brandon demanded we all, Father, me, and the pack, put his grief at our Mother¡¯s loss before our own


    or even Father¡¯s injured state. We all refused, and he left without looking back. If something should


    happen and Brandon was forced to decide between his own needs and the needs of the pack, he will


    choose himself and leave the pack vulnerable. I know it, and there is nothing I can do about it.


    Everyone I ever cared for is at risk, and I¡¯m here alone and rogue.¡±


    Dean hugged me. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, and you¡¯re not alone Nic. You¡¯ll never be alone,¡± he said


    and let out a whistle.


    My eyes widened as I heard others and Wesley, Sade, Jon all emerged from the trees. ¡°What¡­¡± I said,


    looking at them.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    ¡°Dean came and told us what happened,¡± Wesley said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it, so I talked to Joseph


    myself. You are the only alpha I¡¯d ept after Joseph.¡± Fury made his green eyes lighten to jade, but a


    small quirk of a smile appeared. ¡°Well perhaps him too¡­¡± he jutted his chin to Dean. ¡°But only if you¡¯re


    with him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Wes, on this, that your father would do this to you,¡± Sade said.


    ¡°Or to us. None of us were willing to stay with the pack if you¡¯re not there,¡± Jon agreed.


    Gratitude filled me as I looked at them and I stood. There was hope yet. They still supported me. They


    were with me. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. We won¡¯t leave our pack to suffer Brandon. If we speak to


    the others, I¡¯m sure we can get them to agree to allow me to challenge him. I¡¯m sure I can beat him.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a n,¡± Jon said, giving me thumbs up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the house.Don¡¯t need the future alpha freezing to death and I want to take a look at


    that hand again,¡± Dean said pulling the nket tighter.


    My throat tightened as I looked at him and nodded, not trusting my voice to speak. Again, he knew just


    what to do to help ease the ache of my hurt. What¡¯s more, without a doubt I knew Dean was worth


    trusting. If he were ying a game, tricking me to be with him, Dean would¡¯ve never brought my friends


    here to me now when I was at my weakest. He wouldn¡¯t give me something to fight for. ¡°Your father is


    okay with us staying there?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dean said, his arm around my shoulders as we walked. His body heat seeped into mine,


    fighting off thest of the chill. ¡°He¡¯s sorry, Nic. Dad never meant for any of this to happen. He only


    thought he was doing what was best for me and give us the best chance at being together.¡± He held up


    a hand. ¡°Not that I agree with him, just telling you what he said.¡±


    ¡°Good, because he¡¯s wrong, though I don¡¯t me him for Brandon. No one could¡¯ve foreseen Father¡¯s


    stupidity.¡±


    We headed back to the house. Wesley and the others went to their rooms, and Dean led me to the


    room that served as a temporary infirmary. I sat on the bed, and he took my hand in his, his expression


    serious. He pressed in a few ces, but only one hurt.


    ¡°The shifting appeared to help put things back in order, but to be on the safe side, I would still keep it


    wrapped up for a day or two,¡± Dean said, taking out some ace bandages and wrapping my hand like


    before.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, but the word seemed too small.


    Dean shrugged and grinned at me. ¡°No worries.¡±


    I wanted to say more. I wanted to tell Dean how much it meant to me that he not only came to look for


    me but brought Wesley and the others with him. Just as I wanted to tell him that I had hoped this might


    be fixed because of him and only him. He¡¯d given me my strength back. Only, I wasn¡¯t able to. The


    words were on the tip of my tongue, and I even took a breath to speak, but my throat tightened, and no


    sound escaped me.


    Father¡¯s lessons of hiding weakness I guess were too ingrained into me to admit any of this to Dean.


    Yet, at the same time, I couldn¡¯t escape the feeling as if I was cowardly. I growled in irritation, running


    my good hand over my head as we left the infirmary. This whole rtionships thing sucked eggs.


    Everything was so much easier when all I had to do was hit them so they¡¯d fall and didn¡¯t get back up


    until I wanted them too.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Dean asked, still looking worried.


    ¡°Not really. Never would I have imagined Father would be so stupid. I need to find out more about


    challenges. I can beat Brandon. There has to be a way around the alpha to alpha challenge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a way,¡± Dean offered.


    We stopped at my door, and I turned to face him. ¡°Will your father help me? He does kind of owe me


    after all.¡± I hated to ask, but his father was an alpha after all.


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t ask him like that,¡± Dean said with a smirk. ¡°But I think he will. I¡¯d have to ask him first.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said again. I started to turn to go inside then stopped and turned back to face Dean. ¡°I really


    mean it, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, you¡¯re going to make me blush.¡±


    ¡°Dean,¡± I said in a sigh, shaking my head with a smile pulling at the edge of my lips. An idea slipped


    into my head, and before I reconsider, I grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him to me and kissed him. I


    must¡¯ve pulled a little too hard because he crashed into me more than anything, crunching my nose just


    a bit. He made a little grunt of surprise or perhaps pain. Feeling foolish, I broke the kiss almost as soon


    as it started and ran into the bedroom.


    I blew out a breath, my face burning, and heart racing. Yeah, so maybe that wasn¡¯t such a great idea.


    Kissing so wasn¡¯t my thing. ¡°Stupid,¡± I grumbled to myself, pushing off the door and sat down on the


    bed to think about the ¡®what next.¡¯


    The next morning, I opened and closed my hand as I tested its movability. I sat down in therge dining


    hall with Wesley and the others. ¡°I just confirmed it. Joseph and Brandon left yesterday evening, taking


    everyone who isn¡¯t here now,¡± Wesley said as I sat.


    I scowled, stabbing the eggs on my te then winced as my handined. It definitely wasn¡¯t up to


    speed yet. ¡°Great, so we need to learn everything we can about the challengingws. There has to be


    some loophole I can use to get Brandon to face me.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know them already,¡± Jon offered with a smirk.


    I scowled at him now. ¡°Father never taught me them. I figured when the time came he would.¡± Or, what


    now seemed more likely, he never intended me to be alpha and instead yed me, letting me think I¡¯d


    one day take over the pack. My chest tightened. Was I really that much of a tool to Father?


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Dean challenge him?¡± Sade said.


    I shook my head. ¡°We don¡¯t know how well Dean really fights. He bested Father, yes, but Brandon isn¡¯t


    an old man. Secondly, he''s helped me and us enough as it is. I¡¯m not going to have him solve all our


    problems. Plus, I don¡¯t want to get too many who aren¡¯t pack involved, and I¡¯m already going to speak


    with his father to help me with the challengews. So no, Dean is not going to challenge Brandon.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, but just for the record I say using Dean would solve all our problems,¡± Sade said, holding


    up her hands.


    ¡°Not if he loses,¡± I countered then looked to the others. ¡°Wesley and Jon, I want you two to question the


    people around here. Under what grounds did Brandon enter this territory? Who was he with? What has


    he been doing and where has he been since he ran away fifteen years ago? Get as many of those


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    answered as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± Jon said, saluting me with his fork.


    After breakfast, I searched for the alpha instead I found Dean and the others. ¡°Hey Nic, how are you


    doing? We heard about what happened,¡± Brook said with pity on her face.


    Irritation made me tense. I didn¡¯t want to be pitied. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said a little stiffly. ¡°I¡¯m working on the way


    to remove the new alpha.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s your brother isn¡¯t he?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°Not where it counts.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he replied with a shrug.


    I dipped my chin at him in a nod. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I was going to go speak with your father.¡±


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll take you to him,¡± Dean offered. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you guyster,¡± he said to the others,


    offering them a wave. ¡°He¡¯s this way.¡± Dean started down the hallway, and as soon as we were out of


    earshot of the others, he smirked at me. ¡°Unless of course, you want to continue what you startedst


    night. I¡¯m usually not into the rough stuff, but that was pretty hot.¡±


    My face warmed in a blush. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hurt you or anything did I?¡±


    Dean stared at me with a t, unamused stare. ¡°Me and my masculine pride are going to ignore that


    question. Nowe on, let¡¯s go talk to Dad.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Alpha Brent sat in his chair, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the top and fingers steepled as


    he listened to me. ¡°I understand, Nicole, but sadly thews are very clear challenges are made alpha to


    alpha, meaning alpha males only. It¡¯s an outdated thing going back to the days where our women died


    so often in childbirth before passive silvering rose the survivability rate.¡±


    I wanted to growl and m my fist against the desk. I felt Dean¡¯s hand on my knee, and he gave it a


    break squeeze. I let out a breath and forced myself to focus on finding a solution. ¡°There has to be


    something. We have women leading packs perfectly fine or is it until some guy decides to he wants to


    be alpha and since women don¡¯t count for crap, they have to step down?¡± Hell, his niece by mateship


    was leading her pack alone for nearly a whole year before she mated Mike Howe.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sticky gray area,¡± Brent admitted. ¡°A pack can not change leadership without a challenge, a


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


    woman leader, therefore, in theory, would be unchallengeable until she has a mate. However, I¡¯ve


    heard about and seen several women met with resistance to leading so I¡¯m not sure how this would


    help your cause, especially when the challenger is your brother and the position would¡¯ve fallen to him


    originally.¡±


    I sighed, leaning back in my chair. ¡°Is there some way I can contest this without challenging him.


    Perhaps bring evidence that points him as unfit to be alpha?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°First, all the annual meeting just ended. No one is going to make a second trip


    back here. Also, none of the other alphas want to start pointing fingers at other alphas as ipetent


    for fear someone¡¯s finger may fall on them. It took me years of arguments and meetings to get any of


    the others to consider Alpha Ryan Howe as unfit to be alpha, but nothing happened until Brook decided


    to do something, nearly killing herself in the process.¡±


    I flexed and closed my injured fist, the muscles tight and hesitant still. There had to be a way. Brandon


    couldn¡¯t take my home and people from me.


    ¡°Nicole,¡± Brent said, his voice so gentle it made me look up. ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry all of this happened. It


    never was my intention, and I¡¯ll do my best to find some loophole or a gray area to exploit, but you have


    to face the real possibility you may never lead your old pack.¡±


    Anger surged in me. I wouldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t. There had to be away, and I was going to find it. ¡°Thank you


    for all your help and the apology, but I will find a way. I won¡¯t let him take the pack from me.¡± He gave


    me a tight smile in reply, and I knew he thought I was obtuse and stubborn. ¡°If you find something, you


    know where to find me. I need to check in with my people,¡± I said, standing.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alpha Brent said, then turned his gaze to his son. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with you for a moment,


    Dean.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with youter, Nic.¡±


    I nodded and left, wondering what the alpha was going to say to his son. Perhaps ask him to


    reconsider taking a rogue as a mate? Or maybe, Alpha Brent was going to ask Dean to make me see


    reason and give up, let Brandon win. I hoped if it were that one, Dean was smart enough to tell his


    father it wouldn¡¯t ever work.


    I found the others in the gym, all of them were working out - even Sade. ¡°Any luck?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, the alpha seems to believe thews are pretty cut and dry ¡ª men only and where they¡¯re not, he


    thinks the other alphas can¡¯t be bothered to care,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I believe it,¡± Jon said, passing me a weight. ¡°Can you imagine what would happen if you actually do


    this, if you actually take the alphaship from Brandon? So what? This means every other luna and alpha


    female could do the same?¡±


    ¡°Meaning alpha¡¯s greedy hold on their power would be at risk,¡± Wesley jumped in. ¡°It¡¯s the same reason


    thews about the change of leadership has always been physical and limited to only the alpha born. If


    we chose our leaders to say by merit, vote, or whatever quite a few alphas would risk losing their packs


    and power.¡±


    ¡°So what? It¡¯s hopeless then?¡± I said, feeling myself dete.


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Jon said.


    ¡°Only we¡¯re going to have to count on ourselves and no one else,¡± Sade offered then suddenly her


    eyes widen, and she stood up from the bench she was sitting on. ¡°Oh, oh, oh! I¡¯ve got an idea.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked halfughing.


    ¡°Dean!¡±


    I scowled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask Dean to fight Brandon. I told you that already.¡±


    She scowled right back at me. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was going to say.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine. What is your idea?¡± I crossed my arms over my chest.


    ¡°Thanks to Alpha Brent¡¯s attempt to force you to stay with Dean, we have everything we need.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Holy,¡± Wesley said, his eyes widening. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Alpha Brent said he wasn¡¯t breaking any of ourws because he¡¯d im it was a pack challenge fight.


    Why can¡¯t we use it to call foul on your father passing the pack to Brandon?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not his pack to pass on,¡± Jon said in turn, snapping his fingers. ¡°We could even get Alpha


    Brent and his people to back up the im.¡±


    I bit my lip, hope, and hesitation fighting each other inside me. ¡°But Dean doesn¡¯t want to be alpha,¡± I


    said finally.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to be,¡± Jon said. ¡°We could follow our original n. You take him as your mate. This


    would make Dean alpha in name only, and you¡¯d be the real one running the show.¡±


    Which would mean, I¡¯d have to officially take Dean, as my mate. I liked Dean, and I trusted him, but I


    didn¡¯t know him. I wanted to have the time to do that before I did anything so official. I sighed and ran a


    hand over my head. ¡°I guess that¡¯d work,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I still would like to find something which


    doesn¡¯t depend on Dean. We don¡¯t even know if he¡¯d be willing to do it.¡±


    Sade snorted. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right? He¡¯d do anything you¡¯d ask him to do.¡±


    I frowned again. Why? Why would Dean do that? It¡¯d be stupid on his part. Yeah, the whole mate thing


    was there, but it didn¡¯t always mean the other person thought of anything beyond their own interests.


    ¡°Well I would still like to find another way,¡± I insisted.


    Sade sighed. ¡°You need to give him more credit.¡±


    I growled at her. ¡°I give Dean enough credit. This isn¡¯t about Dean being good enough or strong


    enough! It¡¯s about me! It about who I am. I don¡¯t want to be the one who runs to someone else every


    time something goes wrong. This is my pack, my people, and I want to be the one to solve the problem.


    God, Sade! Is that how you are with Wes? Everything he does is always going to be okay with you? Do


    you ask him permission to go out of the house too?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± she snapped back at me. ¡°But I count on Wes to be there if I need him, because


    needing someone, Nic, isn¡¯t a bad thing. Perhaps you need to make this less about you and your pride


    and more about you both. He deserves that much considering all he¡¯s done.¡±


    I blew out a breath and crossed my arms. ¡°This has nothing to do with pride.¡±


    ¡°Right, sure,¡± Sade said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Okay, okay, Ladies,¡± Jon said, holding up his hands. ¡°We need to be working together, remember?


    How about we take five and you guys chill.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Sade said, shaking her head and stalked out of the gym.


    ¡°What bug crawled up her butt?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to her,¡± Wesley said, following her out.


    ¡°Is what I¡¯m saying seriously so hard to understand,¡± I asked Jon.


    ¡°No, I get it. You want to prove your right to lead, and if Dean goes in ys the ¡®I beat him in a


    challenge¡¯ card some people might see it as lessening your right,¡± he replied then he gave me a slight


    grimace. ¡°But Nic, this situation may not allow you the chance to prove yourself, and honestly, those


    who need such proof don¡¯t matter to you in the long run - not really.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What is it with people telling me to give up today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying give up, just keep in mind the alternatives, even if you don¡¯t like them,¡± Hon said and pat


    me on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, you need to do some work. All week long you¡¯ve hardly trained at all. If


    you¡¯re going to kick Brandon¡¯s ass, you need to be in top form.¡±

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m a broken record, but I¡¯ll ask again. What is the n, Dean?¡± Dad asked, leaning back in


    his chair, watching me with an intense re.


    ¡°What makes you think I have a n?¡±


    ¡°Dean,¡± Dad said, looking exasperated at me.


    ¡°Seriously, why should I have a n for every little thing,¡± I argued.


    Dad pinched the bridge of his nose and didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. ¡°Dean, listen to me, you


    need to be ready for the fallout.¡±


    ¡°What fallout?¡±


    He shook his head as he looked up at me. ¡°You need to be prepared when Nicole¡¯s crusade to lead her


    pack fails.¡±


    I inwardly sighed and nced up at the ceiling. Hoping whatever divinity was up there would lend me a


    hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just agree to help her?¡±


    ¡°Ourws are pretty ck and white when ites to the ways a challenge can be made. Maybe, just


    maybe, if her father hadn¡¯t given the pack to her brother we could¡¯ve found some room to breathe, but


    he did. So thus you need to be ready for the fall out Dean. I take it she didn¡¯t take the news of her


    brother¡¯s take over very well, and I expect she will receive the reality of this situation even harder.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± I said, getting angrier. ¡°Why did you agree to help if there is no way


    she can take the pack back?¡±


    ¡°You saw, I tried to warn her. Nicole didn¡¯t want to listen when I tried to warn her. If I refused once


    again, I¡¯d be the evil alpha and right now, I don¡¯t see where ying the part again would help either of


    you. Which brings me back to my question, what is your n, Dean?¡±


    I shrugged with a sound that was both a mix of a growl and a sigh.


    ¡°Dean, this isn¡¯t something you can bullshit through, here. You realize as her mate, if you ept her as


    such, you will be at some point asked or expected to challenge Nicole¡¯s brother for her or perhaps he¡¯ll


    demand one from you. Have you thought what your answer would be? Are you prepared to fight him?¡±


    Unease crept into me. Nic hadn¡¯t asked me to fight for her. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t see her asking me to do


    so, but the others...they would or will...I shifted in my seat and shrugged, feeling like I was back in


    school with the teacher waiting for me to answer a question I neither listened to and probably wouldn¡¯t


    have an answer too.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I suspected,¡± Dad said, shaking his head. ¡°You need to be prepared. Either with an


    alternative to fighting or for the fight itself. I know this isn¡¯t easy, but just like Ryder¡­¡±


    I made a scoff of exasperation. ¡°Right. Ryder. Well, guess what, Dad. I¡¯m not the perfect son and future


    alpha, like Ryder. I never will be. Stop trying to make me just like him because it¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Dean that¡¯s¡ª¡± Dad started, but I stood up and left before he finished.


    I ran my hands through my hair as a stalked down the hall and outside where I sat down in one of the


    patio chairs. God, this sucked. I didn¡¯t want to fight Nic¡¯s brother. I hate dominance fights and


    challenges. I hated fighting in any situation if it wasn¡¯t defending myself or someone else. Yet, it looked


    like everyone was going to expect me to do it. I couldn¡¯t suggest something else. The pack was


    everything to her, and she¡¯d hate me if I suggested anything close to giving up.


    ¡°There he is,¡± Kara said.


    I looked up from myp as the others sat around me. ¡°Hey guys,¡± I said tly.


    ¡°Oh, that doesn¡¯t sound good. What¡¯s up?¡± Ryder asked.


    ¡°Besides the fact I¡¯m not you?¡± I asked, sarcastically.


    ¡°Thank God for that,¡± Andy chimed in.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Brook asked, worry in her face.


    I took a slow breath and told them what Dad had said to me.


    ¡°He has a point,¡± Ryder said with a shrug.


    ¡°You¡¯d say that,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked, looking offended.


    Brook gave him a little a little push and shook her head at him before looking at me. ¡°Let me guess you


    and Nic haven¡¯t actually sat and talked about what¡¯s next, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, getting her pack back.¡±


    ¡°How? Have you talked about the how or the what if everything goes butts up?¡± Andy demanded. Yet,


    once again, I shrugged. ¡°Dude, you need too. You guys need to make sure you¡¯re on the same page.


    Don¡¯t be like Ryder and wait until the crap hits the fan to talk about things.¡±


    ¡°Really, man?¡± Ryder demanded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare be offended, Ryder. Andy¡¯s right. Your dad told me we were mates and it wasn¡¯t until I


    was recovering in the hospital after everything did I start to understand what it actually meant. So yeah,


    Dean, talk to Nic and don¡¯t be like Ryder,¡± Brook said.


    I snickered, now a lot better after hearing those words. ¡°Okay, so I have to talk to Nic, but what am I


    going to do about the whole fighting thing. Dad says I¡¯m going to have to sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Kara said. ¡°All rtionships requirepromise, but of course, there has to be a


    line. If a challenge fight is something that would vite who you are, you¡¯re going to have to tell her,


    because if it is and you don¡¯t tell her or let her think it¡¯s an option, you¡¯re a huge douche bag and I¡¯ll kick


    your ass.¡±


    I grinned, definitely a hundred times better. God, I loved my friends. ¡°Look, Kara, I¡¯m taken now I can¡¯t


    be freaky with you anymore. I know Andy iscking¡ª¡± I jumped out of the chair and ran from Andy as


    he leaped at me.


    ¡°Come here, you little creep. I¡¯ll show you who''scking,¡± he threatened.


    ¡°Rx people, I will not be used like this. I am a person not your toy to vent your sexual frustrations,¡± I


    ¡°Not even in your dreams dude,¡± Andy growled, trying to grab me. ¡°I¡¯d rather screw a cactus!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he is kinky enough, Kara. You should give him a try,¡± I said, winking at her just before I


    ducked and dodged Andy again.


    ¡°Dean, you¡¯re horrible,¡± Brook saidughing.


    ¡°I know,¡± I replied. ¡°Now, I got a mate to talk to so I can¡¯t y Andypoo.¡± I dodged him again and ran


    into the house, closing the door and locking it, before he followed me in. With a grin, I went to find Nic


    or one of her gang. It was time we really talked and had an idea of what we wanted to do next, even in


    the worst case scenario. I didn¡¯t want to y the part Dad was trying to force me into, but he had a


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    point. If the worst happened, what were we going to do?

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    After my training and shower, I sat outside, despite the chill, letting my mind process everything that


    had happened when Dean found me. ¡°Hey,¡± I said, running my hand over my head, vowing to cut my


    hair. It had grown out during my shifts and at about three or four inches long, was too long for my


    tastes. ¡°What did your dad want?¡±


    ¡°The usual, what about you? Anything new?¡±


    ¡°No luck with thews so far, but Sade has an idea. What is the usual? Does he want you to convince


    me to be a good girl and stop making waves?¡±


    Dean gave me a half smile. ¡°The usual is himining I¡¯m not like my brother. He isn¡¯t against you


    leading, Nic. He believes it¡¯s going to be impossible.¡±


    ¡°So does everyone else it seems.¡±


    Dean shrugged. ¡°Usually I¡¯d say it doesn¡¯t matter what people think.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I asked, ncing over at him. He shifted in his chair, looking ufortable. ¡°Go ahead and say


    what you got to say, Dean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± he started. ¡°What if they¡¯re right?¡± Dean quickly raised his hands. ¡°Not that I¡¯m saying they


    are or you should stop trying. It¡¯s only¡­¡± he sighed and looked even more ufortable. ¡°We haven¡¯t


    known each other long, but things are a mess, and being what we are means I¡¯m part of it too. Only, I¡¯m


    not sure exactly how much or what is expected of me?¡±


    ¡°So basically you want to know where we stand?¡±


    Dean nodded with a grimace. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want to push you, Nic. I get this isn¡¯t what you nned for


    or even wanted¡­¡±


    ¡°Not even close,¡± I admitted then offered him a grimace of my own. ¡°But apparently, that¡¯s life. If things


    were different¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°But they¡¯re not so there is no point in even thinking about it.¡± I blew


    out a breath. ¡°I can¡¯t ept you as my mate right now,¡± I told him and quickly added, ¡°It¡¯s not you or


    anything you¡¯ve done, the fact that I¡¯m even considering this says a lot about you.¡±


    Heughed and gave me a lopsided grin. ¡°It¡¯s cool. I get it. We just met, and already it seems as if we


    should fall in together like we¡¯d known each other for years. Like you said, we¡¯re friends, and that¡¯s a


    good start...because we are friends, right?¡±


    I returned hisugh. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve more than earned my friendship.¡±


    ¡°But still for everyone else, what should I do? Should I act as your mate or only as support? Is me


    fighting the douche in the list of possibilities?¡±


    I grinned. The douche. I was definitely going to start using that. ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t fight the douche as


    of now. Both of you are unknowns to me. I don¡¯t know anything about how either of you can fight. It¡¯d


    be a risky bet, and if you lose, it¡¯s over. That¡¯s it.¡±


    His expression pinched. ¡°Hey, I beat your dad.¡±


    I grimaced, afraid I¡¯d offended him. ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s old and has a bad knee¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it, you assume I¡¯ll lose,¡± he replied, sounding a little bitter.


    ¡°Sorry Dean, I¡¯m just trying to be honest here, okay? Besides, I got the feeling you don¡¯t really do


    fights.¡±


    His pinched expression eased. ¡°I don¡¯t, and honestly, I¡¯d rather not fight the douche,¡± he admitted only


    to add, ¡°But I could do it, fight him. It wasn¡¯t just your dad¡¯s age and bad knee the only reason I beat


    him, capisce?¡±


    Again, I found myself grinning. ¡°Yeah, I got it. How about I tell you Sade¡¯s n, and we figure out how


    to go from there.¡± When he nodded, I exined her idea of using his father¡¯s maniption to our


    benefit. ¡°It sounds like a good n, but it brings right back to the same problem - putting you in a


    position you never wanted to be in - alpha, but also one who has to fight for it.¡±


    He scratched the back of his head, expression thoughtful, and didn¡¯t say anything for a long while. It


    only confirmed my suspicions - he didn¡¯t want this. Dean didn¡¯t want the weight of alpha on his


    shoulders. Even in name only, he was weighed down with responsibility, and I didn¡¯t me him for not


    wanting it. The only ones I med were Father, Douche, and all the alpha¡¯s that let these old rules stay


    in ce.


    ¡°There has to be a way around this,¡± Dean said after a while. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to say this, but


    my cousin, Mike, is right.¡±


    I looked at him curiously as I pulled my legs to sit crossed legged in the chair. ¡°What do you mean?


    Right about what?¡±


    ¡°I asked him why he wasn¡¯t with the other alphas and he said why should he when Alice, his mate, was


    better at that stuff than him. He¡¯s right, why should he? Why should I fight when you¡¯re the better


    fighter?¡±


    ¡°Because¡ª¡±


    ¡°They epted her,¡± he said, cutting me off. ¡°She was in the alpha meetings all week long, and Mike


    wasn¡¯t. They epted her and her alone to speak for her pack.¡±


    He had a point. I frowned. ¡°But Alice wasn¡¯t fighting or facing a challenge.¡±


    ¡°They say the challenges are alpha to alpha, and I have to issue a challenge or ept it, but do the


    rules say I have to fight out the challenge?¡±


    ¡°Well...I have no clue, but Dean, we still have the same problem. You don¡¯t want to be alpha.¡±


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


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be my uncle who held his pack under the heel of his boot, and I don¡¯t want to be like


    Dad, making rules or doing things without people¡¯s consent because I know what¡¯s good for them.


    Again, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to say this, but I prefer to be more like my cousin. Alice and Mike


    apparently share alpha duties,¡± Dean said, again looking thoughtful.


    ¡°And how exactly would that work? You don¡¯t like anything about being alpha,¡± I said, surprised he was


    even suggesting this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t until you used my patients to exin how you feel about your pack,¡± Dean replied. ¡°I¡¯m not a


    leader, but I can be a caretaker. Just like my patients, I can care for the pack. While you can be the ass


    kicker.¡±


    I stared at him in surprise. ¡°And you¡¯d really be okay with all of that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because it wouldn¡¯t be me deciding the fate of the entire pack. One wrong decision wouldn¡¯t


    lead to death and mayhem if I have you there to check me, or at least that¡¯s the n,¡± he said, giving


    me a cheeky grin. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have to be super serious and bored to death listening to old men


    rattle on and on.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I said, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Why do I have to be the one listen to old men rattle


    on?¡±


    ¡°Because you want to be the leader, obviously,¡± Dean said and then with another cheeky grin added,


    ¡°And I¡¯m alpha I say so.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°And what am I? Chopped liver?¡± I demanded, strangely fighting a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re the littledy, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Little...Dean, you call me that ever again and I promise you levels of pain you¡¯ve never experienced


    before. I am the alpha.¡±


    ¡°Again, rough stuff has never been my thing, but I¡¯ll keep an open mind,¡± he said winking at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s totally not where I was going with that,¡± I argued.


    ¡°Yeah, but I prefer my way. It¡¯s so much better. Wannae here and see.¡± Dean wagged his


    eyebrows at me.


    I shook my head. ¡°Yeah, how about no. We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do. Let¡¯s see if this idea of yours, you


    epting the challenge and me fighting the challenge is even possible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find a way for it to be possible,¡± Dean said, standing with me.


    Right, like it was that easy. ¡°I also need to see if the others found out anything about Brandon.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean is this is an annual meeting of alphas. How did Brandon get here? Who did hee with? I


    mean it¡¯s just all too convenient he¡¯s here now,¡± I replied as we walked into the house.


    ¡°The who he came with is easy. We have lists of every alpha and who they brought with them. I¡¯ll talk to


    our records keeper and find out. If he¡¯s not on the lists that mean he didn¡¯te here officially,¡± Dean


    said.


    Why didn¡¯t I think of that? ¡°And if he didn¡¯te here officially it means he was already nning to do


    something,¡± I said, my thoughts running a mile a minute. ¡°Thanks, Dean.¡± I took a few hurried steps


    when Dean stopped me with a hand on my lower arm. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    He gave me a sly grin. ¡°Well seeing as I¡¯m super helpful and everything, I could possibly deserve some


    kind of reward.¡±


    ¡°Reward,¡± I said, giving him an incredulous look.


    ¡°Yeah, but hey, I¡¯m an easy,id back guy so something like a kiss would be more than good enough.¡±


    I let out a dry bark ofughter. ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m amazing,¡± Dean said, running a hand through his hair and wagging his eyebrows at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re something alright,¡± I said then took his hand and kissed his knuckles. ¡°There a kiss.¡±


    A look of pure disappointment overtook his face. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said and shrugged. ¡°You just said you wanted a kiss. Not my fault, you didn¡¯t specify. Now


    <pe on. There¡¯s work to be done.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    ¡°Sorry, Nic,¡± Jon said with a shrug of his shoulders. He, Wesley, Sade, and I sat in the game room.


    Dean helped Wesley get the records we needed, but had to leave to cover someone¡¯s shift at the


    hospital.


    I forced a smile onto my lips. ¡°No worries. If packw states no women challengers then we¡¯ll find


    something else. What did you guys find out about Brandon?¡±


    Wesley didn¡¯t seem any happier than Jon did when he cleared his throat. ¡°Brandon came along with


    the alpha of Ondo. It seems a year or so after he left us, the alpha there took him in and they¡¯re now


    best of friends, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I said. My chest tightening and breathing was bing harder. ¡°Is there anything in thew


    books preventing a champion of sorts. Could Dean issue a challenge and I fight for him?¡±


    Jon crossed his arms over his chest, brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I saw anything about champions,


    but¡­¡± he shrugged as he looked at me. ¡°Seeing as how they¡¯re so anti-woman fighting, the other


    alphas would probably veto the option.¡±


    Sade cleared her throat. ¡°I heard from my parents. Brandon is officially the alpha now. They¡¯ve done


    the ceremony to wee him in and everything. He¡¯s made your father his beta for now and¡­¡± Her


    expression softened to sympathy. ¡°Everyone seems pleased he¡¯se back.¡± She stopped, but there


    was obviously more to say. ¡°They asked about you and Brandon told them you chose to stay, refusing


    to ept him as alpha. The general response isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°For him or for me?¡± I asked, but when I saw her expression I knew the answer. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He was always going to be the alpha, I guess,¡± Sade replied.


    ¡°But he left? Did they all forget about that?¡±


    ¡°To them, he was grieving, all people deal with grief differently. He came back when your father needed


    him and saved him from Alpha Brent,¡± Sade exined.


    Her expression was still tight. Again, there was more said, but this time she stayed silent. Perhaps her


    parents demanded she and Wesley return back home. What would she do? Did she want go back? Did


    her parents convience her that I was wrong? Sade¡¯s face was guarded and I wasn¡¯t sure one way or


    another. ¡°Right,¡± I said, my voice cracking a little. I cleared my throat. ¡°I guess this is a good time to


    take a break, dpress, and we¡¯ll go back to the drawing board.¡±


    ¡°Nic,¡± Wesley said, looking worried.


    ¡°We¡¯ll met up again in a few hours, Wes. We¡¯ll think of the ¡®what next¡¯ then, okay?¡± I left before any of


    them said anything. Their sympathetic looks were worse than the bad news, and it was really bad


    news. I walked through the house, eventually stopping in the main living room. It was empty now, but I


    took a seat in the far corner of the room. I pulled up my legs and chewed on my lip and let the reality of


    the situation sink down into me.


    I closed my eyes and hugged myself. This was near to the worst oue I¡¯d imagined. My pack, no,


    not my pack anymore, didn¡¯t need me to save them apparently. They didn¡¯t care that Brandon would


    only abandon them again when it suited him. Or would he? With irritation, I ran a hand over my head


    again. Could I be wrong about him and this whole situation? Is that what Alpha Brent and everyone


    else had been trying to tell me, true? Was I being a spoiled brat who didn¡¯t get the toy she wanted? I


    wasn¡¯t sure anymore.


    I let all the emotions I¡¯d been keeping in checke in and have their say. Sometimes I cried,


    sometimes ground my teeth until it started to hurt, and sometimes it was like I couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Surprisingly the people that came and went, paid me no mind. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t the first to act like a


    bipr psycho here or maybe they knew I needed to be alone.


    Whatever the reason, I was left be to process everything and when it was done I actually felt a lot


    better. I was a rogue, I¡¯d lost my pack and my family, I had no future, and all of this hurt like hell, but it


    didn¡¯t have to be the end, right? There had to be some other purpose for my life. The thought made my


    nose wrinkle, but what choice did I have?


    ¡°Hey Nic,¡± Dean said, sounding surprised.


    I looked up as he walked into the room. He was wearing odd shade of olive green scrubs. He pulled


    one of the arm chairs over next to me. ¡°Hey Dean, you¡¯re home early aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Dean gave me a odd look as he sat down. ¡°Nic, it¡¯s seven in the morning, I¡¯ve been working all night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± I blinked in surprise and nced out the window. Sure enough, the sy of pinks and


    oranges rose up over the trees.


    ¡°Have you been up all night? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I guess I have,¡± I said, purposely avoiding the second question.


    Dean continued looking at me strange. ¡°So what¡¯s up?¡±


    I opened and closed my healing hand. It was almost back to normal, but there was still some lingering


    stiffness. ¡°Your father was right, for starters. The alpha challenge is a no girls allowed club.¡±


    He winced. ¡°No loop holes?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nic. We¡¯ll figure out something,¡± he said, the wince still in his expression.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll just have to be more creative,¡± I said and forced a smile on my face.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean there is still Sade¡¯s n, right? We can still call foul on passing of leadership.¡±


    ¡°Totally,¡± I said, still with this fake positivity. I didn¡¯t know why I was doing it, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself


    to stop it. ¡°Well, you must be exhausted and I probably need to get some rest too. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Nic,¡± Dean said as I stood. ¡°Everything is going to be okay.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied. Eventually, it would be.


    ¡°You seem a bit off,¡± he said standing as well.


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just tired. I hadn¡¯t realized, I¡¯d been up all night.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°My face meets the pillow,¡± I said with augh.


    Dean¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Is that a joke? From you?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Time to try on new faces, but I am going to try to get a few hours of sleep so it¡¯s not that


    much of a joke,¡± I replied, walking to the door.


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean try new faces?¡± Dean asked, taking my hand and giving me a tug towards


    him. I hesitated then took a step to him. ¡°I knew something was up. Nic, you don¡¯t need to try any new


    face. The one you have now is perfectly fine. Really, don¡¯t change a thing. You believe me when I said


    everything is going to be okay, right?¡±


    My stomach did a strange fluttering thing and my cheeks warmed. ¡°Yeah, things will be okay.¡± And


    because I couldn¡¯t just leave well enough alone, I added, ¡°Eventually.¡± His face fell into expression of


    sympathy. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I held up a hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel sorry for me. I¡¯m going to get enough of that


    from the others.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but giving up? You?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up, only epting your father was right. I can¡¯t challenge Brandon and it seems as if my,


    well not mine, but the pack is perfectly happy without me. So not giving up, only moving on,¡± I


    exined.


    ¡°I see,¡± Dean said, nodding. ¡°Call it what you want, but you¡¯re giving up. Who says your pack is happy


    without you? Yeah, right, sure they do.¡±


    ¡°Sade talked to her parents, they say the pack epts Brandon and that my objecting only makes me


    look bad.¡±


    ¡°And we can believe them?¡±


    A dryugh bubbled out of me. ¡°Yeah, we can.¡±


    He gave me an exaggerated suspicious re. ¡°They sound like dumbasses to me.¡±


    ¡°Dean.¡±


    ¡°No, seriously, who wouldn¡¯t want you as their alpha instead of some douche who left them when they


    lost their luna. Duh, no one. That¡¯s who.¡±


    Again, Dean somehow managed to make my moods brighter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. In fact, this is


    better for you. No alpha duties, no fighting. Life goes on as it always has.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Dean said, tugging my hand again. ¡°You are so not going to use me to throw in the towel.¡± He


    pulled me into his arms and held me in a loose hug. It was a strange, yet kind of nice. ¡°Now if you¡¯re so


    concerned with what I want, or what¡¯s ¡®better¡¯ for me. I¡¯m willing to discuss that at length or perhaps


    you¡¯d like if I showed you?¡±


    ¡°Really, Dean?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    He grinned, but instead of saying anything, cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me, and with it


    everything that wasn¡¯t him, me, and the kiss, fell away.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Dean pulled me over to the couch. He sat next to me, his armid around my shoulders and tucked me


    right against him. Again, I found myself struck by how nice this was. ¡°Nic, we have to talk about this,¡±


    Dean said sounding serious. I didn¡¯t like him so serious.


    ¡°Dean, there is nothing to talk about. I honestly don¡¯t even understand why you¡¯re insisting. This should


    be good news to you,¡± I said, letting a little frustration enter my voice.


    ¡°Is that what you really think?¡±


    I shrugged, not sure why he seemed so upset.


    ¡°Okay,e with me,¡± Dean said, standing.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come with me,¡± he repeated, now holding out his hand.


    ¡°Um, Okay,¡± I said, a little unsure.


    My uncertainty grew when I realized we were heading to the gym. ¡°Dean, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Making things clear.¡± We walked inside, and he turned to face me. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight me, holding


    nothing back until one of us gives up or can¡¯t safely continue.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I stared at him, eyes wide. Fight him? Why in the world would he want me to fight him? ¡°No,


    this is stupid.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are, and it¡¯s not,¡± Dean insisted, kicking off his shoes. ¡°We are going to make it clear how we


    both stand in contrast to each other. If you kick my ass, I¡¯m going to get up and show you unlike your


    dad, I can take it like a man and not be intimidated. If I kick your ass¡­¡±ughed a bark of dryughter


    and Dean grinned. ¡°Then you¡¯ll finally believe me when I say I can hold my own. Either way, hopefully,


    you¡¯ll stop this mopey ¡®I¡¯m moving¡¯ on crap. Seriously, where is the girl that knocked me out when we


    met? Cause I¡¯m starting to miss her.¡±


    That fluttery sensation returned from deep in my belly, and I shook my head. ¡°Dean, we don¡¯t have to


    do this.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a debate, Beautiful. We¡¯re going to do this, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°I could walk out right now,¡± I said, crossing my arms over my chest.


    ¡°I¡¯d drag your ass right back here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating yourself,¡± I replied, narrowing my eyes now.


    ¡°And you¡¯re starting to sound scared. Are you, the fierce future alpha, afraid of moi?¡±


    My jaw tightened. Of course, I wasn¡¯t afraid of him. I lifted my chin. ¡°I¡¯m only afraid of you getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can take it. Hell, I might even like it,¡± Dean teased.


    I sighed and kicked off my shoes as well. ¡°Fine, it¡¯s your funeral.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t think of any way I¡¯d rather go,¡± Dean said, the grin growing as I walked to the center of the room


    with him. ¡°Oh and remember, hold nothing back, because I won¡¯t.¡± Without pause, he swung at me with


    a right hook.


    I ducked, and moved to his right, dropping into a defensive pose. He came at me again, throwing


    punches and kicks. If I couldn¡¯t avoid them, I blocked them, dancing around him and keeping him in the


    center of the room. I only had to do this until he wore himself out and be done with all of this.


    Dean shook his head and clicked his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re holding back,¡± he said. I gasped as he rushed


    wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me to him to knee me in the side twice before sending me


    back, flying with a uppercutting me in the jaw. I stumbled back, falling, as white spots danced in my


    vision. ¡°Come on, Nic. You can do better than this.¡±


    I shook my head and stood, feeling irritated. ¡°Fine, but this is on you,¡± I growled at him and charged,


    feigning a jab to his midsection and instead hit him with a hook to the face.


    For some reason, Dean grinned and nodded. ¡°It is,¡± he said, walking back to me and tried to grab my


    shirt, but I brushed him off and sent him hopping back as I kicked out at him, following with another


    hook. He caught my wrist, pulled me toward him, elbowing me in the back, but I fell and rolled away


    when he tried to knee me again. I kicked out again, and this time I caught the side of his knee, making


    him fall.


    I got up, grabbed his hair, forcing his head back and punching him twice and kneeing him again. ¡°Had


    enough?¡±


    Dean was bleeding from his nose and a few cuts on his brow and lip. Yet he simply smirked at me.


    ¡°Almost,¡± he said and used his arms to hit me behind the knees, and as I fell, he tackled me.


    We wrestled on the floor, his hits were getting in as much as I was blocking them. It wasn¡¯t long before I


    realized, I may not win this fight. For all hisid back and passive persona, Dean was a vicious and


    unpredictable fighter. I had the bloody bite mark on my arm to prove it. With a kick and a shove, I finally


    threw him off of me, but I was too tired to get up.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m done,¡± Dean said, mirroring my own thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± I admitted. I could¡¯ve lied and imed victory, but it would be petty and stupid.


    Neither of us moved for a while, and I took the time to take stock of where I hurt, which I quickly


    realized was everywhere. Dean rolled on his side gave me a bloody smirk. ¡°So was it good for you


    too?¡±


    Another dry bark ofughter broke from me. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± I said, more worn out than I had been in


    weeks.


    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± he said, snaking his arm around me and pulling me over to him and groaned. ¡°Man,


    you have a mean punch.¡±


    ¡°And you have a mean bite. Seriously, I can¡¯t believe you bit me,¡± I said, holding up my arm. It was


    healed over, but the faint pink marks of his teeth were still visible.


    ¡°Hey, I said I wouldn¡¯t hold anything back. It¡¯s not my fault you assumed I was lying,¡± Dean said, and


    expression turned serious again. ¡°See, I can hold my own, Nic.¡±


    He could do more than that. Geesh.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t need you to be weaker than me. I like you as you are and don¡¯t want you to change a


    single thing. You were born to be alpha, it¡¯s obvious. You are going to be an amazing alpha.¡±


    My throat tightened, and I swear I felt tears stinging my eyes. I punched Dean''s shoulder, lightly


    because I didn¡¯t want to hurt him anymore and secondly I was too tired to put any more force in to it.


    ¡°The pack is happy with Brandon, Sade ¡ª¡±


    ¡°How about we verify this. Just because her parents said so doesn¡¯t make it so, and if it is, I¡¯ll introduce


    you to Harry and something he has in the works that might be a good n B.¡±


    ¡°What? What n B?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter,¡± Dean said, and the smirk returned. ¡°You know back in the day, diators were


    rewarded with a woman¡¯spany when they won. Since I won¡­¡± he wagged his eyebrows at me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t win. You said you were done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but so did you.¡±


    ¡°You said it first,¡± I argued.


    ¡°Well, true. Alright, you can have the reward of mypany.¡± He dug his fingers into my ribs, tickling


    me.


    Iughed then groaned. ¡°Stop, my ribs still hurt. The only reward I want is a bath and a nap.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I like your thinking.¡±


    Iughed again, despite my ribs. ¡°I didn¡¯t remember inviting you.¡±


    ¡°I invited myself, of course,¡± He said, and I gawked as he hopped up to his feet as if he wasn¡¯t tired at


    all. Not only that, he took my hand and pulled me up to my feet. ¡°Come on, let''s go get you pampered.¡±


    ¡°Pampered? I don¡¯t do pampered,¡± I said back, hiding my shock. Seriously? I was exhausted. How had


    I underestimated him so much?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been missing out. Come on, Beautiful.¡±

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    ¡°Hey, Nic, where you bee ¡ª whoa, what happened to you two?¡± Jon asked as Dean, and I left the gym.


    He quickly shook his head, help up his hands. ¡°Actually I don¡¯t think I want to know. So we¡¯ve been kind


    of waiting for you and figure what we¡¯re going to do next.¡±


    ¡°Back to work,¡± I told Dean and rubbed a kink out of my shoulder. ¡°I need a shower, and then we can


    discuss the what next. Meet you guys in thirty-forty minutes, okay.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Jon said, giving us an odd stare before turning around and going back where he came


    from.


    ¡°Well, raincheck on the pampering. I¡¯ll get some sleep and catch youter,¡± Dean said and slung his


    arm around my shoulders and gave me a hug. ¡°But don¡¯t let them keep you up too long. You need to


    get some sleep too.¡±


    ¡°Doctor¡¯s orders?¡±


    ¡°Nope, nurses, and everyone knows that¡¯s what counts,¡± he said, grinning that bright cocky grin of his.


    ¡°Go do your thing, Bossdy. We¡¯ll catch upter.¡± With a quick kiss on my cheek, he left, following Jon.


    I ran a hand over my head and tried not to grin like an idiot as I headed to my room to take a quick


    shower before meeting with the others.


    They were waiting for me in the game room. ¡°What happened? Jon said you and Dean were looking


    pretty rough earlier,¡± Wesley asked me as soon as I walked in.


    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t think we want to know the details,¡± Jon said, smirking.


    I held up my fist. ¡°Do you want me to knock that empty head off your shoulders.¡± My threat only made


    the smirk grow. ¡°Dean was showing me what he could do.¡± Sade spat out the soda she was drinking


    and coughing violently. ¡°Oh God, grow up guys. I¡¯m talking about fighting. We sparred.¡±


    Even Wesley was snickering now. ¡°Ah, how did that go?¡± he asked rubbing his chin.


    I rolled my eyes and sat on a barstool. ¡°He¡¯s good. Get your mind out of the gutter and let¡¯s talk


    business. Now, don¡¯t get offended, but Dean suggested it, and I think it¡¯s worth a shot, but I would like


    you guys to verify Sade parents information. Is the pack happy with Brandon?¡±


    ¡°My parents wouldn¡¯t lie,¡± Sade said, sounding offended like I told her not to be.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying they are, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to check it out anyway. Right?¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not,¡± she said, still looking a little offended.


    ¡°Next, Dean mentioned a possible n B, involving some guy named Harry. Know who that is?¡±


    ¡°No clue,¡± Jon said shrugging.


    ¡°I do. Brook, the future luna, her step dad¡¯s name is Harry, but I don¡¯t see how he could have any kind


    of n B. The man use to be ck Mountain¡¯s beta until he defected to this pack when the war


    started. From what I heard he usually doesn¡¯t involve himself in pack business, and he certainly hasn¡¯t


    tried to improve his rank among this pack.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well, find out what you guys can. I need to get some sleep,¡± I told them.


    ¡°I bet she does,¡± Jon whispered to Wesley, elbowing him.


    I grabbed the little chalk cube and tossed it at him, hitting him right in the head. ¡°Shut it, now.¡±


    ¡°Ow, that hurt,¡± Jonined.


    ¡°Go, Nic. We got the fort,¡± Wesley told me.


    ¡°Thanks, Wesley, I can count on you, at least.¡±


    When I was in my room, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow and I didn¡¯t wake up untilte in


    the afternoon. Wesley had started making a few calls, and all signs were pointing that Sade¡¯s parents


    were right. Wesley assured me not to give up hope yet, he still had a lot more to make, but we all knew


    how it was going to go.


    So when Wesley finished and the results were for Brandon, I asked Dean about his n B. He first


    gave me a hug and told me my pack was full of idiots and now we were driving to meet this Harry guy,


    but he wouldn¡¯t give me any details. The house of the driveway Dean pulled into was small, but homey.


    If I was right, this was on the edge of Alpha Brent¡¯s territory.


    We got out of the car, and Dean knocked on the door. A little boy, maybe five or six years old jump on


    him as soon as the door was open. ¡°Uncle Dean,¡± he squealed.


    Dean caught the boy and swung him around. ¡°Hey, little man.¡±


    An older woman followed the boy. She kissed Dean on the cheek. ¡°Dean, we weren¡¯t expecting you,


    were we?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± he said, setting the boy down. ¡°Nancy, this is Nic,¡± he said, slipping an arm around my waist and


    pulling me over next to him.


    I gave her a tight lipped smile, awkwardness fluttering through me.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Nic,¡± She said, smiling and sounding as if she meant it.


    ¡°We came to talk to Harry. I think Nic could help him with his project.¡±


    Nancy¡¯s expression of curiosity matched my own. ¡°Oh, I see, welle in of course. Adam, go get your


    father.¡± The little living room was cozy. ¡°Take a seat anywhere. Would you like something to eat or


    drink.¡±


    I shook my head, but Dean said, ¡°A coke and some of those cookies of yours, please.¡± He all but bat


    his eyes at her.


    Nancy grinned with a giggle. ¡°Sure thing, Dean.¡±


    I took a seat on the couch and tried not to feel horribly out of ce. Dean sat next to me and patted my


    knee and again, I gave him a tight lipped smile. The little boy came back and climbed up on hisp, all


    the while giving me a strange look.


    ¡°What happened to your hair?¡± he asked me finally. ¡°Are you like sick or something? Mom says that


    sometimes happens to sick people.¡±


    I ducked my head, embarrassed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not sick. I just like it this way.¡±


    He wrinkled his nose. ¡°But you¡¯re a girl.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± I said, perhaps a little too defensively because he shied away from me and into Dean.


    ¡°Even girls can have short, short hair,¡± Dean told him. ¡°Just like Uncle Andy is a boy and has long hair


    and ponytails.¡±


    I blew out a breath and rested my arms on my thighs. This domestic stuff so wasn¡¯t me. Something that


    felt a lot like shame twisted at my stomach. Thankfully a man walked into the room, taking a seat in a


    char to Dean¡¯s right. ¡°So Dean, what is it you wanted to see me about?¡±


    ¡°Harry this is Nic, she¡¯s just what you¡¯ve been looking for.¡±


    ¡°And why would that be?¡± He asked, looking at me with obvious suspicion and doubt.


    Dean set the boy, Adam, down as Nancy brought him the soda and cookies. ¡°Nic was the future alpha


    of her pack until her douchey brother came back and kicked her out,¡± he told him then turned to me.


    ¡°Harry¡¯s been working on an idea making a new kind of pack. The idea is for it to be a ce for


    werewolves to live without all the dominance games or being under an alpha who rules his wolves as


    he pleases and no one can do anything about it. His only problem is he hasn¡¯t an alpha who can stand


    up to challenges from other alphas.¡±


    Wow. Yeah, he¡¯d need alpha because that was going to cause a lot of friction and the idea of this type


    of pack intrigued me, of course.


    ¡°And you think this girl,¡± he said then met my gaze, ¡°No offense, is who I¡¯m looking for?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Dean said without hesitation. ¡°She gets what being alpha is all about, what it¡¯s really about.¡±


    I tried not to flush at thepliment while Harry looked at me as if he wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Nic was it? What


    are your thoughts on my n?¡±


    ¡°As someone who has lost her friends and home because only a man can lead, I¡¯m interested, but this


    is going to piss off all those old sons of bi¡ª¡± I started then remembered the kid was in the room.


    ¡°Biscuits who don¡¯t want change. What¡¯s your n for that? Or is the alpha suppose to take care of all


    that himself or in my case herself?¡±


    ¡°Nice save,¡± Dean whispered with a snicker.


    ¡°Their own rules state that alphas can rule their pack how they deem as long as there is no extreme


    cruelty and more importantly, they do nothing to expose us to humans. As we wouldn¡¯t be doing either,


    the alphas have no say and my intent to remind them of this,¡± Harry replied.


    I nodded, admittedly impressed. ¡°Okay, but where are you going to have your territory?¡±


    ¡°Right here,¡± he replied.


    ¡°This is Alpha Brent¡¯s territory.¡±Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ¡°He¡¯s agreed to give me the south west piece of his territory for my own,¡± Harry answered.


    I scoffed in disbelief. ¡°Brent gave you part of his territory? Yeah, right.¡± Not without some pretty big


    strings.


    ¡°No, Dad really did. He¡¯s been working with Harry in secret to set it all up,¡± Dean told me.


    ¡°Yeah? Why isn¡¯t he doing it himself if he¡¯s so behind it?¡±


    ¡°If Brent did it, there would be more opposition than if a rtively unknown alpha would start it. They


    would see us as nothing while Brent would be a threat that almost all the alphas would rise against and


    challenge.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± I said then nodded. ¡°It does sound a good n B, I¡¯m willing to try this.¡±


    Harry scoffed silently and gave me a skeptical look. ¡°We¡¯ll see. I¡¯m not risking having it all ruined my


    some ambitious, rogue alpha.¡±


    I stiffened at first offended then let it out with a breath. ¡°Fine by me, not like I have anywhere to be


    anytime soon.¡± I stood, dusting off my jeans though there was nothing on them. ¡°I¡¯m going to head


    back. Thank you for talking with me.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    When Dean joined me on the front porch, we walked back to his house. Something had been bothering


    me since I spoke to Harry. This n for a better pack wasn¡¯t something Harry just thought up. Clearly,


    it¡¯d been something he¡¯d been working on for a while. So why was Dean only telling me now?


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± Dean asked after we¡¯d been walking for a few minutes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea. Something like this should¡¯ve happened long ago,¡± I said and with some hesitation


    added, ¡°Harry didn¡¯t seem to like me too much. Is that why you didn¡¯t tell me about this before?¡±


    Dean scoffed and gave me a sidelong nce. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°How could anyone not like you?¡± He said smirking at me.


    I rolled my eyes and hit him lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah, because I such a charming person.


    Seriously though, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this before.¡±


    Dean shrugged. ¡°I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    I nced at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He blew out a breath. ¡°If I had mentioned Harry and his project you would¡¯ve gotten mad at me. You


    would¡¯ve thought I was telling you to give up like everyone else had been doing and I wasn¡¯t ready to


    get on your bad side. Hell, I¡¯m not now either.¡±


    Well, hell, he had a point there. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± he teased and took my hand and giving it a squeeze. ¡°Also, I was also hoping we¡¯d


    find a way for you to kick the douche¡¯s ass. I mean seriously what he did was one hell of a dick move.¡±


    Again, the fluttery feeling swam through me, and my throat tightened. Dean was amazing, and I haven¡¯t


    yet figured out why he was putting up with me. I hadn¡¯t done anything to deserve him. I squeezed his


    hand back, and we walked the rest of the way in silence. My mind a whirl of thoughts and possibilities. I


    liked Harry¡¯s idea, I really did, and I hoped he¡¯d let me be a part of it.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll catch up with you tomorrow,¡± Dean said once we reached the house. ¡°I got to do an all nighter


    at the hospital again. I¡¯ll talk to Harry too, see what we can do about getting this ball rolling.¡±


    ¡°You mean if he decides I¡¯m not some ambitious wanna-be top dog?¡±


    He gave me a lopsided smile. ¡°That¡¯s Harry being Harry. If he didn¡¯t like you, he would have said no


    right then and there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dean. I really mean it, thank you,¡± I told him, trying to convey how thankful I was for all the


    support he was giving me.


    ¡°No problem,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°But ya know, if you really wanna thank me¡­¡± he wagged his


    eyebrows at me.


    Iughed, shook my head, hitting his arm lightly again. ¡°Good night Dean.¡± But, maybe it was time I


    stepped up and showed him how much everything he was doing meant to me.


    I texted the others to meet me in the game room. I took a seat at the bar as usual, and they arrived


    shortly after me. ¡°I met with this Harry, and he has an interesting project,¡± I said and exined to them


    about Harry¡¯s idea for a better pack. ¡°Dean says I would be a good alpha working with Harry and


    keeping the pack safe from other alphas from those who would challenge the pack. What about you


    guys?¡±


    ¡°Sounds a little like a pipe dream to me,¡± Sade said with a slight cringe. ¡°I mean it¡¯s nice an all, but the


    other alphas would ever stand for it.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have a choice,¡± Jon said, jumping in and repeated the fact alphas were free to rule as


    they choose. ¡°I¡¯m all in and seems like a great idea.¡±


    ¡°Wesley?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard work and not going to make you very popr among the other alphas.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I told him, surprised at how true that was. I was done living by the standards of other


    people. ¡°I believe werewolves need this change and I want to be a part of that change.¡±


    Wesley nodded, rubbing his chin. ¡°Then we¡¯re behind you, Nic, and you¡¯re right. It is time for a change.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± I said, pping my hands. ¡°With that settled, we¡¯re done. I¡¯ll get with Harry and see what needs


    to be done to get the ball rolling and let you guys know. Sade, can I talk to you before you leave.¡± Both,


    Wesley and Sade, paused, giving me a worried look. ¡°Rx, it¡¯s nothing major. Just want to talk about


    some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s something about Dean, Come on Big guy, let''s get out of here before they start,¡± Jon said,


    reaching up and sping Wesley¡¯s shoulders and herding the bigger man out of the room.


    ¡°You want to talk about Dean?¡± Sade asked, looking surprised.


    ¡°In part,¡± I admitted. ¡°I also wanted to make sure you¡¯re okay with all of this. You don¡¯t seem too


    thrilled.¡±


    She let out a breath and sat next to me. ¡°I won¡¯t lie. I¡¯m worried. This better packs thing, it¡¯s very noble,


    but I can¡¯t help but remember those who¡¯vee before. Lincoln, Kennedy, and King all wanted to


    make changes simr to yours, and it didn¡¯t end well. I mean, is it really worth it if it¡¯s so dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied without hesitation. ¡°You have lost your friends and family by sticking by me when I


    haven¡¯t done any wrong but expect what was promised to me. Dad specifically said we came here to


    find a mate for me and be alpha. Worse, I can¡¯t do anything about it because I¡¯m a woman. I can¡¯t


    change the packs, but I could run one where we aren¡¯t limited by gender or even dominance. I¡¯m willing


    to take risks.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not only you. It¡¯s Wesley, Jon, Dean, and God knows who all else,¡± Sade argued.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be responsible for other¡¯s choices. If they want to walk away, they can. You can walk away right


    now, Sade, if that¡¯s what you want. I won¡¯t hold it against you.¡±


    She sighed and slumped on her stool. ¡°No, but thank you. So what¡¯s up with Dean?¡±


    My stomach churned, and I twisted my fingers together. ¡°Well, I want to do something for Dean well I


    guess for us, to kind of show I¡¯m thankful for everything he¡¯s done, and I¡¯m, uh, ready to ept him as


    you know¡­¡±


    She giggled, rolling her eyes at me. ¡°So basically you¡¯d like to take him on a date or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, yeah I guess so.¡±


    Sadeughed again then nodded. ¡°Okay, well you¡¯vee to the right ce.¡± She patted my hand and


    grew thoughtful. ¡°I suggest as it¡¯s your first, we should keep it simple and avoid the fancy restaurants. I


    have no doubt, you two would make a spectacle of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, not sure if I should feel offended or not.


    ¡°Ohe on, admit it,¡± Sade said, tapping her chin with her forefinger and looking thoughtful again. ¡°I


    think it¡¯d be best if you went with the ssic movie and a dinner, but keep it low key - a nice restaurant,


    but no dress code. How does that sound.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It sounds doable...but is it good enough? I mean it seems like ofme and Dean has done


    so much.¡±


    Again Sade rolled her eyes, but this time she surprised me by pulling me in for a hug. ¡°Nic, it¡¯s you


    that¡¯s going to make it special and important. That you want to do this with him will be more than


    enough for Dean. Trust me on this.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure, but I shrugged again. ¡°Okay, but now what restaurant. I don¡¯t know anything here.¡±


    ¡°Leave that to me. I¡¯ll do some fishing and find out a really good ce. You sit tight and trust me.¡±


    ¡°Famousst words,¡± I replied, but agreed.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    ¡°Rx,¡± Sade said as I paced the room.


    Rx? How could I rx when I was waiting for Dean toe here so I could ask him on a date. An


    actual date. Me.And him.


    ¡°This was a bad idea. What was I even thinking?¡±


    ¡°It''s a fine and so was your thinking. You only have to rx,¡± Sade insisted.


    Easy for her to say. She wasn''t going on a date. My stomach tightened painfully, and I was pretty sure I


    was going to get sick soon. The knock on the door nearly made me jump right out of my skin. Sade


    shook her head at me and opened the door.


    ¡°Hey, Sade right? I heard Nic was looking for me,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°She''s right here,¡± Sade said, opening the door as I contemted jumping out the window.


    ¡°Hey Nic, everything okay?¡± He asked as soon as he saw me.


    ¡°Hey and oh yeah I¡¯m fine,¡± I said with a dismissive wave. ¡° how did your shift at the hospital go? If


    you''re too tired still we could talkter,¡± I added in a rush.


    ¡°No, you won''t. Don''t be a coward, Nic,¡± Sade said before leaving the room.


    Dean watched her curiously before turning back to me. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    I blew out a breath, ran my hand over my head. ¡°I was, uhm, thinking that if you weren¡¯t too tired from


    work or didn¡¯t have other ns we could...uhm, maybe, if you wanted to, we could uhm, perhaps go


    out, and uhm do something.¡± God, I felt like an idiot.


    A grin spread across his face. ¡°Are you talking about a date?¡±


    My face warmed, and I shrugged. ¡°Uhm, if you want to.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I want to?¡± He said, halfughing and again, I shrugged. Why did people do this? I felt


    so stupid. ¡°We go now or do you want to get ready?¡±


    ¡°Well, the movie doesn¡¯t start yet for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so how about we meet up at the front of the house. When do we need to leave?¡± He asked,


    actually looking a little excited about the idea. Strangely, that helped calm my nerves.


    ¡°If we can trust Google, in an hour. It¡¯s the movie theater on Sanderson Street.¡±


    Dean seemed to think. ¡°Yeah if the movie starts a six, leaving here at five-thirty is more than enough


    time.¡±


    ¡°Good, so in an hour then.¡±


    Yet again, he smiled, but this time added a wink. ¡°I guess I better go get ready then,¡± he said and left.


    When he was gone, the nerves returned. I should get ready to, but how should I get ready? Should I do


    the makeup thing, or clothes, what kind of clothes should I wear? ¡°This is so thest time I did this,¡± I


    I stared at my closet for almost fifteen minutes before calling Sade, asking, okay maybe begging, her to


    feel like I was painted up like a clown. In fact, I was dressed more or less like I was on the first evening


    of the meetings. The same dress I wore when I first met Dean, but the shoes were ts instead of


    heels.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the boys,¡± Sade said as we left the room. ¡°I told them you wouldn¡¯t be leaving for yet


    another hour.¡±


    The breath rushed from my chest, and I rxed. ¡°Thanks.¡± I was no way in shape to deal with Jon¡¯s


    teasing.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, and have fun.¡± Sade waved at me before leaving.


    I walked down to the front of the house, and I was surprised, Dean was actually dressed up as well. He


    wore dress pants and a button down shirt in a casual business style. It was so different from how I


    usually saw him dressed, I almost didn¡¯t recognize him.


    ¡°You look great, Beautiful,¡± He said, giving me a one armed hug.


    ¡°Thanks, you too.¡±


    ¡°So what movie are we seeing?¡± He asked as we left the house.


    ¡°That superhero one with all the heroes in it. Brook told me you wanted to see it,¡± I replied and got into


    the passenger side of a small gray car Dean lead me to.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯d wanted to see that one for a while. I suppose you¡¯ve already got the tickets, so I¡¯ll get us


    the snacks.¡±


    ¡°Deal, but not too much. We¡¯re going to eat after the movie,¡± I told him, buckling up.


    He looked at me with eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re going to feed me too? You are so freaking awesome.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the happy/excited look on his face, and we drove to the theater. Thankfully


    to Sade¡¯s insight to get the tickets beforehand so we wouldn¡¯t have to wait in line. Dean swore he could


    eat it, several boxes of candy and still have room for dinner. I didn¡¯t want to test that theory, so we


    simply went with some popcorn and drinks. The movie was alright, and Dean seemed to enjoy it.


    Though more than once, I caught him ncing over at me for some reason.


    Afterward, we went to the restaurant. It was Hawaiian, though I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what could be


    considered Hawaiian besides pineapple. The lights were dim, and the decoration Polynesian or what I


    assumed was Polynesian. ¡°This is awesome,¡± Dean said as we sat down to our table. ¡°I¡¯ve always


    wanted a reason toe here.¡± Again, I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the excited look on his face.


    ¡°Why not take a girlfriend?¡± I asked and cringed, hoping I didn¡¯t sound jealous, because I wasn¡¯t. It¡¯d be


    idiotic to think he didn¡¯t date before meeting me.


    He grinned but shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean I guess you could say I¡¯ve had a few girlfriends but¡­¡± he shrugged. ¡°They were never


    anything serious and didn¡¯tst long, and none of them were worth spending the money on a meal


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    here. d too, now it can be our ce.¡± He smirked at me.


    I shook my head, grinning at him, deciding I¡¯d order a kabob. Though, now if I was honest, I was


    curious about this past girlfriends. Was he some kind of yer or maybe amitment phobe. He


    didn¡¯t seem like either to me. Yeah, he was a terrible flirt, but he seemed to kind to just go around


    breaking hearts. Hating that I¡¯d probably sound like a petty, jealous girlfriend, I cleared my throat. ¡°Uhm,


    why not¡ªthe girlfriends, I mean.¡±


    Dean grinned, gave the waitress our orders. ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t they serious orst long?¡±


    ¡°Well, various reasons. Can you please some don¡¯t think I¡¯m a lovable idiot, but just an idiot,¡± he said


    with a mocked expression of shock that got me tough like he wanted. ¡°That was a big part of it. A lot


    expected to get a version of Ryder. Some got fed up I wouldn¡¯t y their games, and others wanted


    more than I was willing to give. And, of course, none of them were you. So the longest I usually spent


    with a girl was a week, maybe two. What about you? How many exes do you have in the closet?¡±


    ¡°The closet?¡± I said in augh. ¡°You saw me, Dean. I was trying so hard to be a guy that anything that


    didn¡¯t put me in the guy box was squashed.¡±


    He looked totally shocked. ¡°But still not one? Not a kiss or flirting, or interest?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nope, they all saw me as one of the guys, and if anyone new said anything, it never


    got to me.¡±


    Dean shook his head. ¡°Your pack is seriously messed up.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe not all are willing to risk a broken nose to approach me,¡± I teased.


    He grinned, ¡°Well if they were willing to put their nose on the line then none of them were even worth


    your time.¡±


    Weughed as the waitress brought us our meal. The food was great, and we left so full, I thought I


    could fall asleep. Dean took my hand when we got out of the car and walked me back to the house.


    ¡°Tonight was really fun,¡± I admitted as we stood outside. I had no idea why I was so nervous.


    ¡°Me too,¡± he said. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re going to give me a goodnight kiss, right? Cause, ya know that¡¯s


    always how dates end.¡±


    Iughed. ¡°Uhm, sure, but I thought maybe we could talk a little more before it ends. I wanted to talk to


    you about some things.¡±


    Dean gave me a slightly suspicious look. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too good. What things.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s good,¡± I said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just you¡¯ve done so much for me. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I don¡¯t know


    where I¡¯d be right now, but I can promise you it wouldn¡¯t be a good ce. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    He squeezed my hand. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me, Beautiful. I¡¯m happy I could be there for you.


    That¡¯s what mates do.¡±


    ¡°I know, and that¡¯s what I¡¯d like to talk to you about. Hopefully somewhere more private. I¡¯m pretty sure


    I saw at least, Brook spying on us from a window.¡±


    We bothughed. ¡°Yeah, she and the others think I¡¯m going to screw this up somehow.¡± He rolled his


    eyes and sighed dramatically. ¡°No one believes in me.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I told him, seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s go find some ce to talk without an audience.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, Beautiful.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    ¡°So,¡± Dean said as we sat down on one of the couches in the small room. ¡°What is it exactly you want


    to talk about?¡± He sounded almost nervous.


    Iughed quietly to myself. He was nervous? Dean had nothing to be nervous about.¡°Well, I told you I


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    really appreciate what you¡¯ve been doing for me since I arrived and well, I wanted to let you know that


    I, uh, am ready to ept you as my mate,¡± I told him then quickly added, ¡°And, I understand if you


    aren¡¯t. We don¡¯t really know much about each other, so it¡¯s okay if you¡¯re not sure or if you¡¯re not


    ready.¡±


    When he didn¡¯t say anything for a moment, my nerves ratcheted up, and I ran a head over my head.


    Maybe I was doing this wrong? Perhaps I misread things. When he finally asked, ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡±


    I stared back at him, not sure what he meant. He scooted over close to me, turning so he could face


    me. ¡°Nic, you¡¯re strong in so many ways, confident, caring, beautiful and I was never unsure about


    being your mate.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, kind of surprised. ¡°Not even a little bit. You can be honest.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit, and I¡¯ve always been honest. I knew as soon as I woke up with dried blood on my


    face that I didn¡¯t want to be with anyone else.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°You know how crazy that sounds right?¡±


    ¡°Yep, and I don¡¯t care. Look,¡± Dean said and took my hands in his. ¡°You are amazing, and any guy


    would be lucky to have someone like you as their mate. To me, it was always if you wanted to be mine.


    I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but a lot of people find me annoying. Even my friends think I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    ¡°They do not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they do,¡± Dean said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s always Dean, you¡¯re an idiot, and such. They don¡¯t mean


    to insult me or anything, but it¡¯s what they think, and that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re an idiot. I mean I may have said it, teasing you and that''s all. ¡±


    Arge smile spread across his face. ¡°I know, and that¡¯s what I still can¡¯t understand. Maybe you hit


    yourself in the head or something,¡± he said.


    I shook my head at him and with a slow breath, I let the words and the magic they evoked spill from


    me. ¡°I¡¯m yours, Dean. Do you ept me?¡±


    Shock overtook his expression, and his jaw dropped. Again he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Nic, are you¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Do you ept me?¡±


    His shock turned to bewilderment. ¡°Yes, Nic, I ept you. I¡¯m your¡ª¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I want to. Plus, can¡¯t leave things like this half done,¡± he said and winked at me. ¡°I¡¯m yours, Nic. Do


    you ept me.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t imagined our conversation going quite like this. My heart pounded in my chest. ¡°Yes, Dean, I


    ept you.¡± We both shuddered as the magic settled over us and cementing our bond.


    ¡°So that happened,¡± Dean said, scooting closer to me.


    Iughed, still feeling nervous. ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°Regrets?¡± he asked leaning closer


    ¡°No,¡± I said, feeling my heart race even faster.


    He closed the distance between us and our lips met. My eyes closed on their own and I rested my


    hands against his chest. Dean wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer so that I was almost


    sitting in hisp. What started out as a soft and almost hesitant kiss turned into something deeper and


    more passionate, I guess is the word.


    My heart raced even faster than I thought was possible. Dean¡¯s scent wrapped around me, his taste,


    like his scent had a fresh, citrus tang to it, and between the two I couldn¡¯t think, couldn¡¯t breathe, and


    strangely, I didn¡¯t care. I wasn¡¯t sure how it happened or when, but next thing I knew I wasying on the


    couch with Dean on top of me, kissing my neck and his hands under my shirt.


    I stiffened and felt my face flush. ¡°Dean,¡± I said, the nervousness returning. He made a soft rumble and


    nuzzled my neck. ¡°Dean,¡± I insisted and pushed on his shoulder, worry joining the nervousness.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he asked, pulling away from me. He swore when he looked down at me. Dean got up from me


    and helped me sit up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just, I mean, I kind of went with it, but I didn¡¯t mean...God, I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    he said, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. His face was bright red.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, feeling better now that I was sitting.


    ¡°Are you sure? I didn¡¯t hurt you or anything did I?¡± Dean asked, ncing at me, but not meeting my


    eyes.


    ¡°Dean,¡± I said, letting tone grow t and unimpressed.¡°If you hurt me I would¡¯ve kicked your ass all


    through this room. I¡¯m fine really. I-I¡¯m just not ready to go, uhm, that far.¡± I could feel my own face


    warming up now.


    A hesitant grin spread across his lips, and he looked at me again, this time meeting my gaze. ¡°Yeah, I


    guess you would, and I didn¡¯t mean for it to go that far either. All I wanted to do was give you a kiss, like


    before. Maybe it was the effect of saying the words, or I don¡¯t know, but I just got lost in it, and we¡¯re


    mates so...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, if I¡¯ming off like some prude, but you know all this is new to me,¡± I said, a little embarrassed


    by it for some reason.


    Dean moved to sit next to me again. ¡°To be honest, it is for me too.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean. You just told me you¡¯ve dated before.¡±


    He hunched his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, but we, I, never ya know,¡± he said and shrugged.


    ¡°Seriously? But you flirt with everything.¡±


    He gave me a lopsided grin. ¡°Flirt, yes. Kiss, maybe, and anything more, no, not once.¡±


    Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, ¡°Why not?¡± I thought all guys strived to start putting notches in


    their bedposts so to speak as soon as they reached like fifteen.


    Again, he shrugged, still looking a little bashful. ¡°They weren¡¯t you,¡± he replied. ¡°I always thought to wait


    for my mate would show her, you, what she meant to me. And now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯m honestly d I


    did. It¡¯s something that will be only ours.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say, so I shook my head. ¡°Dean, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°An idiot, I know,¡± he said, again giving me a half smile.


    ¡°The one that¡¯s amazing,¡± I finished. ¡°And not an idiot at all.¡± I hugged him and took his hand in mine,


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Beautiful,¡± Dean said and gave my hand a light squeeze.


    Dean walked me back to my room, and we shared a kiss before leaving. Over the next week, I found


    myself settling into a routine. I talked with Harry a few more times. He still wasn¡¯t ready to fully bring me


    own board, but we discussed its future and the obstacles in its way to going from idea to an actual real


    thing. Jon was getting to know the enforcers through Kara and seemed to be making a ce for


    himself. Wesley usually joined me on my talks with Harry, and Sade, well, Sade was the only one who


    didn¡¯t seem to be fully satisfied with life in Blue Crescent pack.


    It was what prompted me to ask Sade to meet with me outside on the patio in the back yard. For once it


    was a nice day, and I didn¡¯t want to miss out by staying inside all day. Plus, it would be harder for


    others to eavesdrop on us.


    ¡°You asked to meet with me?¡± Sade asked as she sat down at the table, a hint of worry in her


    expression.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here about a half a month now,¡± I said, running my fingers over thettice work of the


    table. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but I can really see myself having a life here. At least, for now.


    Things with Dean are great. Jon seems to be doing well also. He told me as soon as Lavonya finishes


    this semester ofw school she¡¯ll be transferring to a school here. Brent pushed her application through


    and everything. So we¡¯re all good, what about you?¡±


    Sade bit her lip. ¡°I agreed with Wes, back when Dean told us what happened, that we should support


    you.¡±


    ¡°I know, but admit it, at the time we were both sure we¡¯d find a way and be back in Golden ins


    soon,¡± I said with augh. ¡°Sade, you have all your family back in Kansas, and I know you have to be


    missing them. I¡¯m not your alpha, and I can¡¯t make you stay, and if you want to leave, I won¡¯t take it


    personally. We¡¯ll still be friends, and everything will be okay.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t feel like I was betraying you like the pack did?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re not supporting the douche. You¡¯re going home - two very different things.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think before anyone makes any traveling ns¡­¡± Brent started, scaring both Sade and I.


    We both jumped with a girlish squeal, which I found particrly embarrassing. Brent grimaced from


    where he stood by the doorway with a familiar face - Marquice Fountain, the third most dominant wolf


    in my father¡¯s pack. He worked with Wesley quite often. ¡°Mr. Fountain here has some news from your


    father, Nicole.¡±


    ¡°Most urgent,¡± Marquice added, nodding. ¡°Your father needs your help, Nic.¡±

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Brent had been kind enough to allow me the use of one of hisrger offices. Whatever Marquice had to


    say, I wanted all of my people to hear it. Dean, once he heard joined us as well. Brent, his mate - Emily


    were there as well. Marquice tried to suggest to the alpha that this wasn¡¯t his matter, but Brent insisted


    he and his people were going to stay.


    ¡°Nic, this is a Golden ins matter. Your father told me to tell you only,¡± Marquice said, giving the alpha


    a side re.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a Golden ins matter then why are you talking to me? I¡¯m no longer a member of that pack.¡±


    ¡°Nic, you should hear him out,¡± Sade said, worried.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll hear him out. I never said I wouldn¡¯t, but I¡¯m not going to suggest to the alpha who has been so


    kind to let me stay and make this house my home to leave.¡±


    ¡°Pettiness doesn¡¯t sit well with you, girl,¡± Marquice told me.


    ¡°And being a douche doesn¡¯t sit well with you either. So are you going to talk or insult the person you¡¯ve


    Marquice started to speak, but I stopped him. ¡°You know me, and you know how I am. Don¡¯t piss me


    off.¡±


    He clenched his jaw and sighed. ¡°Your father wouldn¡¯t approve,¡± he said then shook his head when he


    saw I didn¡¯t give a damn. ¡°An alpha without territory of his own challenged Brandon¡ª¡±


    ¡°Good, time to put his money where his mouth is,¡± Jon demanded, earning a scathing look of


    disapproval from Marquice.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± I said, leaning back in my seat. ¡°But what does this have to do with me.¡±


    ¡°The challenge fight is in four days, and yesterday, Brandon went missing,¡± Marquice exined.


    ¡°Missing how? Missing as in he could be in a ditch dead somewhere or as in he¡¯s cleaned out his bank


    ount missing?¡± Wesley asked.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Marquice said, but I could tell by the defensiveness in his tone, most likely Brandon


    had skipped town, just like I warned father he would.


    ¡°Okay, so Brandon¡¯s challenged and vanished, what does Father want from me? The challenge would


    fall on Father not me,¡± I said, knowing what he wanted, but I wanted to hear him say it.


    ¡°Your father, the acting alpha, wishes you to return home and to your position. He¡¯s unable to contest


    the challenging alpha and win, but you¡ª¡± Marquice exined.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself and if I could, I probably wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Me? But I¡¯m just a weak, defenseless woman.


    My job is to give my mate plenty of strong sons. I could never be alpha, and I most certainly couldn¡¯t


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ept an alpha challenge.¡±


    ¡°Nic, enough of the pettiness,¡± Marquice said, in a chastising tone. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re angry at your father. I


    don¡¯t me you. Tough love is a hard pill to swallow.¡±


    Tough Love? Was he serious?


    ¡°But now your pack needs you, your father needs you. You¡¯re nothing here. It¡¯s time toe home and


    do what you were born to do,¡± Marquice finished.


    Dean started to say something, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything,


    Marquice. Not about me, my home, or what I am here. My father requests my help after I good and well


    told him what Brandon would do. If you¡¯re willing to wait, I think about my answer. If not, it was good


    seeing you.¡±


    ¡°I can have a room set up for you tonight,¡± Brent offered. When Marquice begrudgingly agreed, Emily


    showed him out. ¡°I figured he was going to ask as much. So what are you going to do?¡± he asked once


    Marquice was gone.


    ¡°Thoughts?¡± I said, looking to the others, not sure what to think myself. Despite my words, my stomach


    twisted at the thought of where this would leave the Golden ins pack, yet this was their doing.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do it,¡± Jon said. ¡°Your father is the one who caused this mess, and the pack allowed it to


    happen. You don¡¯t owe them anything!¡±


    ¡°But this is our home, our pack,¡± Sade said.


    ¡°Maybe yours, but not mine. They turned their back on Nic,¡± Jon snapped at her.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Wesley warned him. ¡°Look, Nic, I know they shoved you off to the side, but we don¡¯t know


    anything about this alpha. Our friends and family could be in danger here. Nothing wrong with going


    down there and checking out the situation.¡±


    ¡°Everything is wrong with it. How can you not see that?¡± Jon argued.


    Before Wesley or Sade could reply I held up my hands to stop them. I didn¡¯t want someone to say


    something they¡¯d regretter. ¡°Okay, okay. Got it.¡±


    ¡°So? What are you going to do?¡± Sade asked.


    I took a breath to answer, but Dean spoke up first. ¡°How about you guys give her time to breathe. This


    is kind of major,¡± he said, then looked to his father. Brent nodded, and Dean took my hand, giving it a


    tug for me to follow him. ¡°She¡¯ll tell you tomorrow what she¡¯s going to do. Come on Nic.¡±


    Sade gave me a bewildered look while Jon nodded with a grin. Wesley nodded too. ¡°Good idea, think


    on it.¡±


    He led me out of the office and through the maze of halls. We stopped in the game room. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, yeah,¡± I said, ¡°Just, I don¡¯t know. What do you think I should do?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I think, Nic. It doesn¡¯t matter what anyone thinks. It¡¯s all about what you want to


    do. What feels right to you.¡±


    ¡°But what if I don¡¯t know what feels right?¡±


    He sat on a barstool and pulled me over to him. ¡°You know, but you just have to sort through all the


    mess in your head.¡± He tapped my temple.


    ¡°Are you calling me a mess, Dean?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± he said, obviously teasing. ¡°Nah, but there is a lot to consider, and I know how much the


    others matter to you. You don¡¯t want to offend any of them. You also an alpha which means you want to


    protect those you feel responsible for, and I bet you feel partly responsible for your old pack, despite


    they favored your brother.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a degree in psychology too?¡± I asked, teasing him back. ¡°Geesh!¡±


    ¡°No, but I get people, and I¡¯d like to think I get you, especially.¡± Dean pulled me closer and hugged me.


    ¡°Your dad made this mess all on his own. He let his pride and bigotry get in the way of doing what was


    best for his pack. You have no responsibility to fixing it. That¡¯s what would make it very noble if you


    decide to rescue your pack and Dad.¡±


    ¡°But what kind of person would it make me? They betrayed me and the first time they call, Ie


    running. I don¡¯t ever want to be used again,¡± I said, admitted part of what was bothering me. I never


    again wanted to be a tool for my father to use and throw away.


    ¡°It would make you a pretty damn good person,¡± Dean replied. ¡°Not many people would help after


    something like that happened to them. This doesn¡¯t have to mean you¡¯re being used, Nic. You can set


    conditions and rules if you want.¡±


    Rules and Conditions? Of course, like a trade, I guess. I grinned and hugged Dean. ¡°Thank you, Dean,


    again, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m awesome. God¡¯s gift to mankind,¡± he said with a sigh.


    Iughed and poked him in the side. ¡°Easy there, Mister. Your neck might snap if you let it get too big.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think?¡± He said, putting a mocked expression of fear.


    ¡°Yep, like a twig.¡± I sighed and hugged him again. ¡°So what to do, what to do?¡±

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    ¡°This is crazy,¡± Marquice demanded and if I doubted his words he gave me the look of bewildered


    horror. ¡°Your father will never agree to this.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s his choice, but if he wants my help, he is going to have to agree to those terms. I will not


    save his ass, just to have it all fall apart at the next turn. What happened to Father¡¯s dignity?¡± He


    scowled at me but took out his cell and tapped the screen.


    ¡°Alpha,¡± Marquice said with a much softer voice when the call connected. ¡°She¡¯s agreed to help, but


    with conditions. Yes, Sir, I told her the pack was at risk. Yes, she still insisted.¡± Marquice red at me


    for good measure, and I replied with a grin. ¡°The first condition is Brandon will never be allowed to


    be alpha, no matter what happens in the future and secondly¡ª¡±


    I took the phone from Marquice. ¡°You either join the 21st century, join Harry Ford¡¯s better pack project


    or keep your own bigoted mindset and forget you ever had a daughter. If you ept, I¡¯ll want it in a


    written contract.¡± I tossed the phone back to him. ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡±


    Marquice put away his phone and shook his head. ¡°He agreed to the first, but the second he wants to


    discuss with you in person. How soon can you leave?¡±


    ¡°I need to make arrangements, obviously, but I think I¡¯ll be ready to leave in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Good, don¡¯t bete,¡± he said and stalked out of the room.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± I said, shaking my head and left to tell the others. They took the news about as well as I


    expected. Jon was frustrated. He didn¡¯t understand why I needed to go. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t push me


    to exin, though that might have been Dean¡¯s presence. Dean and I sat on the couch of the empty


    living room, our hands sped and fingersced. ¡°I want you to go with me,¡± I told him after a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of nervous about going back.¡±


    ¡°Why? I thought you¡¯d be excited,¡± he replied.


    I took a breath and let it out. ¡°I am, but...what if I get there and Father steam rolls me? What if I forget


    everything that¡¯s happened here? I know if you¡¯re there, none of that will happen.¡±


    ¡°I think you give me entirely too much credit,¡± he replied,ughing.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. So will you go?¡±


    Dean hummed, tapping his chin with his finger and I punched him in the shoulder. ¡°Owe,¡± he cried out,


    rubbing his shoulder with a pout. ¡°Well if you¡¯re going to be mean about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Dean!¡±


    Heughed and slung an arm around my shoulders. ¡°Nic, seriously. Do you think I¡¯d let you leave


    without me?¡±


    ¡°Wait, let me? Dean, just say yes, you¡¯ll go and shut up,¡± I teased him.


    ¡°Oh Bossy, me likey,¡± he teased me right back.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°I swear you are something else.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± He hugged me to him.


    Again, I shook my head and stood. ¡°I wanted to leave tomorrow, but I¡¯m still not entirely sure how we¡¯re


    going to get there. I have exactly no money.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure Dad can help you out there,¡± Dean said, standing as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to owe your father a lot,¡± I replied, a little worried that was going to bite me in the ass one


    day.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Dean said as if he could read my thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s all going to be cool. You¡¯re part of the


    family now, anyway. Come on, let¡¯s head to the gym and I¡¯ll spot for you.¡±


    I still wasn¡¯t convinced owning his father anything wouldn¡¯t end up having huge strings, but I nodded


    and followed him to the gym.


    Dean was right, Alpha Brent lent us one of his jets to travel to Kansas. It was a nice trip, and quick. We


    were back in Golden ins before noon. Father and a few other enforcers waited for us as we got off


    the ne.


    ¡°You seem to be doing well for yourself,¡± Father said with a sniff, looking from the others up to the ne


    and back.


    ¡°Hello Father, and yes, I¡¯ve been managing. It was you after all who taught me never to let adversity


    take me down.¡±


    ¡°Strange, I was beginning to wonder if you¡¯d learned anything from me at all,¡± Father replied with yet


    another sniff. He didn¡¯t even bother to hide the contempt on his face. ¡°What is this nonsense about a


    ¡®better pack¡¯ project that you were trying to hold over my head? Have you gone insane, Girl?¡±


    ¡°Exactly at the name implies. It¡¯s a project to create better pack life. One where women can hold any


    position a man can or intelligence matters equally, if not more, than pure strength. For example, you


    wouldn¡¯t have to fear for your pack because you¡¯re getting old and have a bad knee.¡±


    Father worked his jaw as if he was trying to eat a piece of particrly tough meat. ¡°Absurd. That¡¯s now


    how the world works!¡±


    ¡°It could be,¡± I replied.


    ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s a foolish dream of those too weak to rule. I will not allow such ideas to taint and ruin


    my pack.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself, but in doing so, as per my request. We¡¯re done after I do this for you. When I


    finish, you no longer will have a daughter.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that. You wanted to be the alpha of this pack too much for too long to just give up


    now.¡±


    I forced a smile on my face as I did my best to look down at him. ¡°Oh, but I do, and I¡¯m not giving up.


    Just moving on.¡±


    Father narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°You ungrateful bitch. After everything, I did for you.¡± He took a step


    towards me, but before I could do anything, Dean shoved him back.


    ¡°Seriously? You calling her ungrateful? She¡¯s here saving your ass after you ditched her,¡± Dean said,


    ring at him. He looked almost furious. ¡°If anyone is ungrateful it is you, you old, asinine dick.¡±


    ¡°How dare you! This is my territory! I am alpha,¡± Father shouted at him.


    Dean snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. ¡°Are you? Are you really?¡±


    I stepped in between the two before a fight could break out. ¡°Okay, enough,¡± I said, holding up my


    hands to stop them. ¡°We¡¯ve got one challenge to deal with. I don¡¯t think we need another. If you will


    sign the contract, stating you agree to my terms, Father we can get started.¡±


    Father worked his jaw again, ring at all of this. ¡°A bunch of ungrateful¡­¡± he muttered but took the


    papers Wesley offered him and signed them messily.


    ¡°Great, now let¡¯s go inside, and you call tell me about this alpha who¡¯s challenging you.¡±

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    ¡°Antoine Bell is our challenger,¡± the man, Marquice said as we sat around arge oval table. The name


    sounded familiar to me, but I couldn¡¯t ce where I¡¯d heard it. ¡°He¡¯s been in the country for ten years,


    and we¡¯re not sure what exactly brought him to this country. He¡¯s been living down in Louisiana¡ª¡±


    Louisiana. It hit me. I knew who Antoine Bell was and that he was challenging Nic¡¯s father couldn¡¯t be


    an ident. ¡°Did hee with someone?¡± I asked.


    Everyone turned to look at me confused. ¡°What does that matter?¡± Marquice demanded.


    ¡°Answer the question,¡± Nic said, though I could tell she was as confused at the rest.


    ¡°A woman, why does¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    Marquice guy scowled. ¡°They¡¯re staying at the Hotel on the edge of our territory. Wh¡ª¡±


    Nic held up a hand. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Not sure yet. I¡¯d have to talk to Bell¡¯s mate,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, and I swear she almost sounded jealous.


    I grinned at her, took her hand in mine. ¡°To see if I¡¯m right, of course,¡± I said, gave it a squeeze then


    stood. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°It has to be now?¡± Wes asked, frowning at me.


    ¡°Yeah, I think it might have to do with why we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you,¡± Nic said, standing as well.


    Marquice started to object, and she practically snarled at him. ¡°I don¡¯t need the guy¡¯s biography.


    Meeting him in person is going to give me more information I need that what is his name or where he


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s safe,¡± Wes said, now looking worried.


    ¡°If he¡¯s got half a brain, yes,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯d be stupid to do anything to jeopardize his right to


    challenge. Come on, Dean.¡± We left the office and went outside.


    Jon got a car for us, and we all piled in. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± He asked as we drove.


    ¡°You know my history with ck Mountain, right?¡±


    Jon and Nic nodded. ¡°You think this has something to do with Mike and what happened before?¡± she


    asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I find it odd that your challenger is mated to my cousin and Mike¡¯s sister, Beth,¡± I said.


    ¡°She holds a grudge against your family?¡± Jon asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so, but now I don¡¯t know. Beth was more than a bit of a bitch, especially to Brook. When


    my uncle died, she stayed with us until she met her mate then moved to Louisiana. I thought she was


    happy there¡­¡±


    ¡°Yet, here she is challenging my old pack,¡± Nic finished for me.


    ¡°It could be a coincidence, but I have to know for sure,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Nic said, leaning in her seat.


    At the hotel, the receptionist called up to the room to announce us, and to my surprise, we were given


    the okay to go up. I really hoped that was a good sign. I hadn¡¯t seen Beth in years and I really didn¡¯t


    want her to be a superficial bitch like she used to be. I knocked on the door, and sure enough, Beth


    opened the door. Her blond hair was in a mass of curls, and she looked like she¡¯d put on a few pounds.


    Her bright eyes widened when she saw me.


    ¡°Dean,¡± she said, practically squealing and throwing herself on me and hugging me. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you


    were in Kansas!¡±


    Okay, kinda weird, but a good weird. ¡°I just got here,¡± I said then took Nic¡¯s hand and pulled her


    forward. ¡°I came with my mate, Nic, who''s old pack yours is trying to take over.¡±


    The smile that started to spread on her glossy lips froze, and her eyes widened again as she looked at


    me. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is your mate challenging the alpha of Golden ins to try and hurt me and through me Dean,¡± Nic


    said, bluntly.


    It wasn¡¯t how I was nning on breaching the subject, but it was done, and I couldn¡¯t help feel a sliver


    of pleasure that she was angry on my behalf. Usually, people were angry at me not for me.


    ¡°What?¡± Beth repeated again, her eyes wide. She nced between us then to me. ¡°Do you really think


    I¡¯d do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Beth. You have to admit, it wouldn¡¯t be that far-fetched. I mean, you¡¯re the one who told


    your dad we had Brook and sparked the war into happening,¡± I replied.


    Her paleplexion paled even more. ¡°You knew about that? But Uncle Brent never¡­¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Dad didn¡¯t me you for it. Alpha Ryan was your dad after all. Now seriously, what gives?¡±


    ¡°I think you shoulde in,¡± She said, opening the door wide. ¡°Dean, for as much as it¡¯s worth, I


    promise this isn¡¯t some n to hurt you. Quite honestly, I don¡¯t even want to be here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nic asked, ncing around the room.


    Beth took a seat in one of the chairs. ¡°I was just fine in New Orleans,¡± she said with a hint of bitterness.


    ¡°So then why are you here?¡± I asked, her taking a seat as well.


    ¡°Antoine,¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯re expecting.¡± A bright smile spread across her face. ¡°And suddenly being a


    chief enforcer for our pack wasn¡¯t good enough for him. I wasn¡¯t safe enough under another alpha.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°He became obsessed with finding a pack to be alpha of. He¡¯s convinced it¡¯s


    the only way the baby will be safe. I can¡¯t tell you if his reasons for choosing this pack was because he


    knew we¡¯re family or not.¡±


    At that moment the door opened, and her mate walked in. He looked formidable, to say the least. His


    eyes narrowed at us when he saw us. Beth got up from the chair. ¡°Look who came to visit, it¡¯s my


    cousin, Dean.¡±


    Some of the tension leaked from the massive man, but he still eyed us with suspicion. ¡°But you may


    have already known that,¡± Beth said, her toe tapping. ¡°Antoine, did you choose this pack because the


    alpha¡¯s sister is mated to Dean? Is this some kind of misguided revenge plot of yours,¡± she demanded,


    just as blunt as Nic apparently.


    He frowned, looking as surprised as Beth was when Nic had asked her. ¡°No,¡± he replied, his voice a


    deep rumble. ¡°I chose the pack because it¡¯s weak.¡± His eyes narrowed at us again, especially Nic. ¡°I


    know your brother has shown himself a coward and your father weak. Have youe threatening my


    mate for me to resend the challenge.¡±


    Instinct kicked in, but Nic spoke up first. ¡°I would never threaten your mate. The only coward in my


    family is Brandon, and I don¡¯t want you to resend the challenge.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Antoine looked surprised and confused by that one.


    ¡°Nope. Seeing you now, I think we¡¯re going to have one hell of a fight.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re?¡± He repeated looking even more confused.


    ¡°Yes, Nic is epting the challenge in her father¡¯s name,¡± I said, putting on a smug tone, but I was a


    little worried. This guy looked was built like a bull and looked like he had the strength of one too.


    ¡°You,¡± Antoine said in a t tone. ¡°You¡¯re a woman.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Nic said looking up at him in a challenge.


    ¡°I do not fight women,¡± he shot back with a look of disgust.


    ¡°Why are you afraid you might lose?¡±


    ¡°Are you delusional¡± He demanded.


    Nic shrugged. ¡°Perhaps, but that¡¯s the way this challenge is going to go. You against me. Don¡¯t like it,


    you are free to rescind. I¡¯m sure your mate here will be the happier for it.¡±


    ¡°I am not rescinding,¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Then it looks like you¡¯re going to fight a woman,¡± I jumped in, smirking at him.


    He scowled at me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking the challenge if she¡¯s your mate.¡±


    ¡°Why should I when she¡¯d do better than me.¡±


    Antoine frowned, and Beth spoke up. ¡°We really don¡¯t have to do this. We can just go home now.¡±


    He shook his head slowly. ¡°No, this will be our home.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Nic said, looking smug. ¡°However I would like to put down some conditions.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, rolling his eyes then grunted when Beth pped his arm.


    ¡°No death match here. We fight to the best of our ability. If one of us is knocked unconscious, pinned,


    or hurt in a way they can¡¯t safely continue the match is over,¡± Nic said. ¡°You have a kid on the way, and


    this isn¡¯t worth my life. Also, we can be civilized about this, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Antoine said, though he sounded a bit begrudging.


    ¡°If you win, I¡¯d like you to set something up for my father. He¡¯s not a bad man, and I think he wouldn¡¯t


    cause you trouble once he realizes you¡¯ll keep his people safe.¡±


    ¡°And if you win?¡± he asked.


    She grinned. ¡°I get bragging rights,¡± she said, but the way she grinned I could tell she had something


    else in mind. Only, I had no idea what. ¡°Now, unless you want to visit some more, Dean, I think we


    should get back.¡±


    She was definitely cooking up something. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure your dad is going to have a fit after we left


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    like that. Congrats Beth,¡± I said, and hugged her. ¡°Sorry about the whole plot thing.¡±


    She hugged me back. ¡°No, it¡¯s fair. Just know I¡¯m not that person anymore.¡±


    We left the hotel room, and I took Nic¡¯s hand in mine. ¡°So what are you cooking up?¡±


    ¡°Me? Cooking up? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she replied, giving me a sly look.


    ¡°Uh, huh. You have something nned.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    The next two days, I spent training hard, preparing myself for what was going to be an awesome fight.


    Antoine and I stood at opposite ends of the gym. Father was advising me on how I should fight, but I


    wasn¡¯t listening to him. I was done listening to him and to be honest, at this point the n was to enjoy


    pitting my strength against Antoine¡¯s. After meeting the wanna-be alpha, I didn¡¯t think my pack was in


    danger.


    He seemed like a man that wanted to ensure the safety of his growing family, just like the majority of


    werewolf men when such thingse to pass. I couldn¡¯t see him killing members of my old pack


    because they served Father unless they gave him a reason to. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Wesley said in a loud voice,


    having agreed to referee the fight.


    ¡°Nic, you have to win,¡± Father said, ring at me. The desperation was easily visible in his eyes.


    ¡°Father, things are changing. As soon as Brandon left it began, and this time, there is nothing to you


    can do to stop it. You better get used to that idea,¡± I told him. He frowned at me, but before he could


    say anything more, I turned to Dean.


    ¡°Be careful out there,¡± he said, looking worried but his voice was almost bitter when he added, ¡°And


    you don¡¯t have to win.¡±


    ¡°I know. Really, don¡¯t worry. I know,¡± I replied, punching his shoulder lightly and walked out to join


    Antoine in the center of the room. I took his hand and shook as per custom. ¡°Fight fair, fight hard, and


    the first person who can¡¯t safely continue loses.¡±


    Antoine gave me a funny look but dipped his chin in a nod. We took a few steps back, and the fight


    began. I took the offensive since I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d feelfortable doing it. I charged him, mming


    my fist into his stomach, and hitting the inside of his knee with my own. He grunted, falling to one knee


    and I bounced back a couple of steps. Proof that I wasn¡¯t dainty and I didn¡¯t need him to patronize me. I


    wanted him to really fight.


    His eyes zed as he looked up at me and I brought up my fists, ready. He stood and ran at me, no


    doubt trying to tackle me and use his heavier weight against me, but I danced out of the way and


    kicked him in the ribs. Antoine grunted but otherwise seemed unfazed. I rushed him, hitting him in the


    kidneys, ribs again, and he dodged my jab to the temple. His massive fist swung at me, and I dodged


    but saw his second swing toote. As his fist connected with my jaw, my vision blurred and my ears


    started to ring.


    I stumbled back and acting on pure instinct managed to dodge the next few swings. I blinked as I


    bounced back away from him until my vision blurred back into focus. Okay, so getting hit by this guy


    was a very bad idea. I ran at him, faking a kick to the right and went left for his ribs, kneed him in the


    side, punching him where he¡¯d hit me as hard as I could. A surge of victory ran through me as he


    wobbled on his feet, but he was far from finished.


    We rushed each other again. I hit him again in the ribs, but he got a hit right on my nose. I think he


    might have broken it, considering how much blood gushed down my face. The pain though didn¡¯t seem


    to back. We broke apart and instead of throwing a punch, the next time we rushed at each other. I


    jumped, kicked him in the face, breaking his nose with an audible crunch, and his blood went


    everywhere.


    We kept throwing punches and kicks at each other, obviously tiring but neither wanting to give in to the


    other. The pain was now kicking in, radiating from everywhere, and I was ready to end this - one way or


    another. I kicked Antoine¡¯s knee again, another hit into his most likely bruised ribs, and I went around


    jumping on his back, wrapping my arm around his neck in a choke hold, squeezing as hard as I could.


    Antoine, tried, to pull me off, only managing to rip my shirt, and when he fell to one knee, I said, ¡°I can


    either knock you unconscious, or you can give up now. If it¡¯s all the same, I¡¯d rather you just give up.¡±


    He growled at me, again tried to get me off his back. Antoine even fell backward, mming us both on


    the ground, but I still held on. He continued to struggle, and I squeezed tighter. Seriously, he was going


    to be a dick about this?


    ¡°Fine,¡± he spat out. ¡°I call it finished,¡± he wheezed out, and I let him go.


    Grinning, despite how tired and in pain I was, I stood and helped him up. ¡°I have a proposition for you if


    you¡¯d like to hear it.¡±


    He rubbed his neck, eyeing me with obvious suspicion, as Father and Dean came to us. ¡°Good Job,


    Nic. I knew you would do it,¡± Father said.


    Dean let me lean against him, and I tried not to re too hard at Father. ¡°Just remember our


    agreement,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Yes, well, of course, I agree. That was a mistake, but the second. Don¡¯t be foolish, Nic. You¡¯re the


    alpha, and I¡¯m your father.¡±


    ¡°Wrong,¡± I said then spat out some blood on the floor just in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not the alpha and if you


    don¡¯t agree to my terms, not my father. However, I¡¯m willing to negotiate some aspects currently.¡± I


    turned away from him to focus on Antoine. ¡°I would really like it if you and Beth stayed with us for a few


    days. Get yourself healed up and there is something I wish to speak to you about.¡±


    Antoine¡¯s stony faced expression stared back at me for a long time. I could see I confused him. Usual


    custom was for him to leave the territory now unless he wanted to risk being killed, but I had no


    intention of running him out of town. I thought he was going to refuse at first then Beth whispered


    something to him and he agreed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Father hissed once Beth led her mate out of the room and most likely to the


    infirmary.


    ¡°He fought well, and he seems like a decent guy,¡± I replied. ¡°Swallow your pride, Father. We won. Let¡¯s


    have a celebration tonight. Dean, help me to my room. I think I need to get cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say. You¡¯re a mess,¡± Dean teased, and I hugged him, not missing the relief in his voice.


    ¡°Hey, I won. You thought I was going to get my ass kicked,¡± I told him.


    Deanughed. ¡°Nic, you got your ass kicked. That you kicked his ass more, doesn¡¯t change that.¡± I


    joined hisughter as we slowly made it to my room. ¡°So what are you up to?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Inviting Antoine to stay like that. It¡¯s not how things are usually done,¡± he said, giving me a curious


    nce now.


    ¡°Ah, well I¡¯m not the usual so expect the unexpected,¡± I teased then sighed as we made it to my room.


    ¡°The guy fought well and took the loss with grace. That¡¯s worth celebrating, and I want him to join us.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    I stared at him surprised. How had he gotten to know me so well in such a short period of time? ¡°And, I


    think he should be the alpha of Golden ins.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Dean said, helping me to the bathroom. ¡°If you thought he should be the alpha. Why did you


    fight him?¡±


    ¡°And miss that fight? No way! It was fun as hell,¡± I said and started to grin then stopped when I saw my


    reflection. I looked like a psychopath, smiling with blood all over me. ¡°I didn¡¯t stop the fight because I


    wanted to see what kind of man he was.¡±


    ¡°But you always wanted to be alpha, and this is your pack,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°I did, but not anymore. I want to be with you more and work with Harry on the better packs,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Besides, for an alpha and pack to work as they should there need to be trust and Dean, I don¡¯t think I


    could ever trust fully in this pack ever again. Not after what they did.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I can understand that.¡±


    ¡°Good, now I have to shower,¡± I said, and when he didn¡¯t move, I added, ¡°Meaning you leave.¡±


    He smirked at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You might need help.¡± He even dared to wink at me.


    Iughed and shook my head at him. ¡°Go on, Dean. Shoo!¡± I swatted at him, yfully. Dean pouted,


    but kiss my cheek and left. The hot water stung on the few cuts I had here and there, but on the whole,


    it felt good. Afterward, I went to the infirmary to be checked out.


    As I had requested, there was a huge dinner in celebration. I was d when I saw Beth and Antoine


    there as well. ¡°Thank you foring,¡± I told them. Antoine¡¯s dark skin was even darker where his


    bruised had gone purple and ck. My own body was mottled with simr colors. By the morning


    they¡¯d be all gone, but for now, we looked like quite the pair.


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    ¡°Thank you for inviting us, but why did you invite us,¡± Beth asked, suspicion coloring her tone and


    expression.


    ¡°Because I¡¯d like to make you both an offer. As the winner of the challenge, I am now alpha of Golden


    ins, but Father and the pack chose the coward before me. It¡¯s something I don¡¯t think I can forgive,


    but I still care for them. In calling me, Father can¡¯t be alpha anymore. He¡¯s proven to be too weak to


    ept challenges. I think you¡¯d be fair and treat them well. I would like Antoine to take the alpha-ship


    for me, with Father as beta.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to be alpha why did you fight?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Funny, Dean asked me that same thing. Honestly, I wanted to pit myself against your mate. I wanted


    to see if I could beat him. Ask Dean, I love a good fight,¡± I told her. ¡°So Antoine, what do you say.


    Would you consider taking the pack with Father as beta?¡±


    ¡°And what does he say about this?¡± Antoine asked.


    I started to speak when I heard Wesley call out my name. My heart leaped at the sound of his tone.


    Something was wrong. I turned to face him, and my eyes widened. He was covered in blood. I looked


    around, and my heart sped like a herd of wild horses. Two people weren¡¯t here yet. Dean and Father. I


    ran to him. ¡°What happened? Tell me everything, now! Whose blood is that on you!¡±

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    ¡°Come with me,¡± Wesley said, eyeing Antoine and Beth. His face pale and sickly. He grabbed my arm,


    but I pulled away from him.


    ¡°Tell me whose blood that is now!¡± I was shouting, and I didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Your father¡¯s,¡± he replied tersely, and this time, I let him guide me out of therge dining room and


    down the hall.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I demanded and waved for Antoine and Beth to follow. Had Antoine done


    something? I thought he was a good man, but I wasn¡¯t exactly an expert in the character judgment


    department. Wesley licked his lips, ncing at the others. ¡°Forget about Antoine and Beth and tell me!¡±


    ¡°I was heading back when I saw it,¡± Wesley said, grief washing over his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize what was


    happening at first. I just saw your father fall and Brandon over him with a knife.¡±


    ¡°Brandon attacked Father?¡± I said, horrified.


    ¡°Attacked? Nic, he was trying to kill him. He was going to stab him again when Dean stopped him.¡±


    I stumbled to a stop. ¡°Wes, tell me you¡¯re joking.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I got to your father and got him out of there. He didn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°And Dean? What about Dean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just¡­¡± he said, trailing off.


    ¡°Where were they?¡± I demanded then shouted. ¡°Now, Wesley!¡±


    ¡°Library,¡± he said, and I ran towards the library.


    There was blood everywhere, but I didn¡¯t see neither Dean nor Brandon. My heart clenched painfully as


    I left and ran to the infirmary. Hopefully, he was there. I swear if Brandon hurt Dean, I¡¯d make him hurt


    more than he¡¯d ever hurt before. The infirmary was buzzing with action, and my heart rxed at the


    sight of Dean, alive and well, mostly well. His hand was wrapped up, and he had a nasty cut on his


    face.


    ¡°Dean,¡± I said, running up and hugging him. ¡°Are you alright? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I was talking with your dad, trying to warm him up to the idea of Antoine being the alpha when you¡¯re


    ¡ª Brandon just showed up. He was acting all like nothing had happened. Your dad kept his word, Nic.


    He told him to take whatever possessions he had and leave. Brandon started arguing. He tried


    dragging me into it, but I stayed out. I thought it was something they needed to work out together. If I¡¯d


    known...but it all happened so fast. He¡¯d already stabbed your dad twice before I realized¡­I shoved


    him back before he could do it again. We fought. He got me a few times then ran when I guess he


    realized I was stronger or something.¡±


    I hugged him, not only to thank him but to also to help ground him. He was looking so lost and dazed, it


    nearly broke my heart to see it. ¡°Thank you, Dean.¡± After a few moments, he hugged me back. ¡°How


    bad are you,¡± I said pulling back to eye his face and hand. The de must have been silver because it


    wasn¡¯t healing like it should.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. They say it¡¯ll probably scar, but hey, girls like scars,¡± he said with a shrug and attempt at a


    smirk, though it was nothing close to its usual cockiness.


    I hugged him again, thanking God and anyone else who¡¯d listen that Dean was there for Father. ¡°It¡¯ll


    make you look tough,¡± I told him.


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    He hugged me back, and we took a seat in one of the few chairs there, waiting for news. I wasn¡¯t sure


    when either of us fell asleep, but we both jolted awake when a tired looking doctor tapped me on the


    shoulder. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said apologetically.


    I sniffed, shook my head, feeling my whole body ache. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. How is Father?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± she said, and I knew there was a but. ¡°But his healing isn¡¯t going as it should due to silver


    contamination.¡±


    ¡°Silver contamination,¡± I repeated, not sure what exactly it meant, but it didn¡¯t sound good.


    ¡°Like silver poisoning, but usually not fatal. Usually from silver ting and stuff like that,¡± Dean


    exined, and the doctor nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I believe the weapon used on your father was ted instead of actual silver. During the attack, the


    ting ked off, making him weaker,¡± she added.


    ¡°So how long will itst? Can¡¯t you do anything to counter it?¡±


    The doctor shook her head. ¡°It can¡¯t be countered, and it willst indefinitely. It¡¯s too small of a quantity


    to be removed or the body to reject it, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Will he be in pain,¡± I asked, squeezing Dean¡¯s hand in an attempt to keep the panic back.


    ¡°Not chronically, but your father is now physically on a human level. He can get hurt easier, heal slower,


    and can get sick.¡±


    My throat tightened. Father couldn¡¯t stand it when his knee hurt and the weakness it nted in him.


    Now? It might have been better for Brandon to kill him. As soon as the thought entered my head, I


    shove it away. No, it wouldn¡¯t have. How could Brandon do this to him, his own father?


    Dean pulled me closer. ¡°When can she go see him?¡±


    ¡°You can go in now if you¡¯d like?¡± the doctor offered.


    Again, I squeezed Dean¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯d like that. You¡¯lle in with me, right?¡± I asked, look at


    Dean.


    ¡°Of course, if I can.¡±


    The doctor nodded, and we went into Father¡¯s room. I swallowed as I looked at him, still unconscious


    on the bed. He looked so frail now, and it shook me to my core. Father had always been so solid all my


    life. I sat down in a chair next to his bed, my nails sinking into the arms. Rage filled me. I would make


    Brandon pay for this! I wanted to kill him. I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze until


    he was as weak and frail as Father was now.


    ¡°Breath, Nic,¡± Dean told me, looking worried. ¡°We¡¯ll find him, and he¡¯ll be punished for this, okay?¡±


    I stared at him, bewildered. How did he do that? ¡°Yeah, well right now I think I¡¯d rather hurt him, making


    him suffer like he¡¯s made Father suffer than punish him.¡±


    ¡°I figured,¡± Dean said with a half smile. ¡°But that¡¯s just the anger talking right now. Douche, coward, and


    all around scum of the world, the worm is still your brother, Nic, and you wouldn¡¯t feel good about


    yourself if you did that.¡±


    Oh, I think I would. ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t know me as well as you think,¡± I replied.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± Father¡¯s voice said, in a croaky, rough sound.


    ¡°Father,¡± I cried out, scooting to the edge of the seat. I took his hand in mine. ¡°How are you feeling?


    You need anything ¡ª water, pain meds?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Listen to the boy,¡± he told me instead. ¡°For a fool and clown, he knows what he¡¯s


    talking about.¡± Deanughed, his half smile growing an inch. I simply stared at him, not sure what to


    say. What had Dean been saying to Father before Brandon¡¯s attack?


    ¡°Father, Brandon didn¡¯t just attack you. He made yo¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Father said. His frown seemed to pull his whole face downward. ¡°None of this would¡¯ve ever


    happened if your mother survived. She...she always knew what to say and what to do in any situation.


    Your mother understood people so much better than I ever could. She would¡¯ve never failed him or you


    like I have.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that Father. You didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that shit, Girl,¡± Father snapped. ¡°I failed you by allowing you to believe you needed to be my


    lost son. I failed you when I got between you and the clown here, and I failed you by allowing Brandon


    to y alpha.¡± I swallowed, looking down at myp. He was right, but it felt wrong to say it now, now


    that he¡¯d lost so much. ¡°So how bad am I?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re alive so not as bad as it could be,¡± Dean said, and then exined what the doctor had told


    us. As he went on, Father¡¯s expression hardened and twisted into a mix of anguish, shame, and anger.


    I expected him to shout, throw something, and probably take back everything even somewhat nice that


    he¡¯d ever said about Brandon.


    Instead, he sighed and seemed to dete. ¡°Well shit,¡± he said with another sigh. ¡°This is it. After


    everything, this is how I lose it all.¡±


    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to lose it all,¡± I said, gripping the arms of my chair tight. I had to give Father


    some hope, or I was afraid of what might happen to him.


    ¡°You can work with Antoine,¡± Dean said. ¡°Like we were talking about before.¡±


    Father scoffed then winced. ¡°I¡¯m hispetition. He¡¯d never work with me. Not to mention I¡¯m a weak,


    old man.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t seem opposed to the idea,¡± I told him. ¡°And he¡¯s going to need help. The man is an alpha,


    but I don¡¯t he wasn¡¯t an alpha in his old pack. He¡¯s alone, besides his mate, and he desperately wants


    to protect her and his unborn child. He¡¯ll need someone to teach him the ropes, yet not be a threat to


    his position. You can model him into a good alpha. It¡¯s your chance for a do-over.¡±


    He grunted, but Father said nothing more. He seemed to be considering it, and I considered that a


    victory for now.


    ¡°How about we let you get some rest, digest everything, and we¡¯ll talk about thister,¡± Dean


    suggested.


    Father nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    ¡°Thank, Dean,¡± I said as we left the infirmary.


    He grinned. ¡°You really need to stop thanking me for doing normal, decent stuff, Beautiful.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and hugged him as a red faced Marquice marched up to us. ¡°Where have you been?


    Do you realize what¡¯s going on?¡± he demanded.


    I stiffened, narrowing my eyes at him. ¡°Yes, my father was attacked. I was with him now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that,¡± he said. ¡°That...that pretender. He¡¯s been taking over, acting like he¡¯s alpha.


    Do you know he¡¯s been organizing the enforcers to search and track Brandon?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said, surprised. And pleased. This was good.


    ¡°Yes, and what are you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m not the alpha. I told that to Father from the beginning. I wasn¡¯t going to be the


    alpha. Sounds to me like Antoine is doing us all a favor, taking over while Father is recovering.¡±


    I gave Dean a little tug to continue walking when Marquice grabbed my arm. ¡°We¡¯re not finished. How


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    dare you turn your back¡ª¡±


    It was only Dean, grabbing me and pulling me back that save Marquice¡¯s face from my fist. ¡°You,¡± he


    said, pointing at Marquice, ¡°Can go. Do what Antoine tells you to. Joseph is already considering giving


    him the pack and being his beta like he did Brandon. Come on Nic, let¡¯s get you to your room.¡±


    I gave Marquice one final re, before letting Dean lead me away from him and to my room. Once


    there I sat on my bed and ran a hand over my head, the length of my hair still strange to me. ¡°How did


    this all get so messed up?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Dean said, sitting next to me. ¡°If you ignore that your brother tried to kill your dad, I say it¡¯s not


    all that bad. I mean yeah, you¡¯re dad might as well be human, but he didn¡¯t seem to take it all bad, and


    I don¡¯t think he hates me as much either.¡±


    Iughed and shook my head, leaning against him. ¡°When you say it like that...it still sucks.¡± Then I


    realized Dean had been cut with the same knife as Father. My heart jolted, and I looked up at him.


    ¡°What about you? Are your cuts going to heal? Are you going to suffer the same effects as Father?¡±


    ¡°No, mine was shallow, and they were able to flush it clean,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t ask sooner,¡± I said, feeling guilty.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You were worried about your dad.¡±


    I hugged him. ¡°Not sure I deserve you, Dean.¡±


    Deanughed and gave me a soft squeeze. ¡°You need sleep, Nic. You¡¯re getting delusional now.¡±


    He started to get up, but I stopped him. ¡°I¡¯m not delusional, and I¡¯d like...I¡¯d like it if you stayed,¡± I told


    him, not wanting to be alone, but also ready to take another step in your rtionship.


    ¡°Are you sure, Nic. It¡¯s been a long day.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to, I understand too,¡± I said, letting him go.


    Dean sat down next to me. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.You¡¯ve been through a lot, and I don¡¯t want you to regret


    anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to. I want you to stay.¡±


    Dean sat back down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay,¡± he said and I


    as I looked up our lips met. Leaning into him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave myself into


    the kiss and to him. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, being with Dean was


    nothing like it. Afterward, weid in bed, him holding me, not speaking, but just being. It was the most


    rxed and safest I can remember feeling.


    We didn¡¯t get up until nearly noon the next day, and after a breakfast/lunch, we went to meet with


    Antoine in Father¡¯s room. Wesley and the others waited outside in the doorway listening. Dad scowled


    at us all, but I had a feeling it was more for show now. ¡°So, I suppose I could consider allowing you be


    the alpha of my pack,¡± he said with a sniff.


    Dean shook his hand, covering his face with his hand and I rolled my eyes, but Antoine crossed his


    massive arms over his chest and smirked down at my father. ¡°Then I suppose I could consider allowing


    you to be my beta and helping me and my family settle in with the pack,¡± he replied. Dad scoffed, but


    the scowl wasn¡¯t so stern. I resisted a grin as I watched him. Could he actually like Antoine? God, I


    hope so.


    ¡°Any news about Douche?¡± I asked, refusing to call Brandon anything else but that.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Antoine said. ¡°It seems he¡¯s truly gifted in running. Stayed ahead of the enforcers all the way


    out of his territory. I¡¯ve alerted all the other alphas, exined the crimes he¡¯smitted and asked


    them to return him if he¡¯s found in their territory.¡±


    ¡°How likely is it they¡¯ll cooperate?¡± Wesley asked.


    ¡°I made sure they knew well the series of events that lead him to this point. Noone in their right mind


    would harbor him,¡± Antoine replied.


    ¡°You might want to make it official. No doubt you¡¯ll be challenged soon enough,¡± I told him.


    ¡°When the time is right,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Well, Dean and I are going to be staying here for a few days. We¡¯ll do what we can to help you get a


    good start.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied and gave me a tight lipped smile.


    The next few days were busy. When I wasn¡¯t visiting Father or helping Antoine get to know the pack


    and vise versa, I went out with Dean, showing him some of my favorite ces around town. Father


    spent all that time in infirmary. True to the doctor¡¯s word, he was healing humanly slow. When it came


    time for us to leave, he joined us but had to be in a wheelchair. Wesley and Sade had decided to stay


    with him. I gave them both my blessing. I knew this was Sade¡¯s home and I didn¡¯t need her staying by


    my side to know she was my friend.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± I said, shaking Antoine¡¯s hand. ¡°And thanks for one hell of a fight. Take care of the pack,


    or I¡¯lle back to kick your ass.¡±


    Heughed. ¡°I have seen you fight. You won¡¯t find me so easily next time.¡±


    I looked to Father. ¡°I forgive you for being a sexist asshole. Try to learn a few things from Antoine here.¡±


    He grunted with a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m too old of a dog to go changing my ways now.¡±


    ¡°Well, certainly not with that attitude. If your breathing you can change. Don¡¯t be a jackass.¡± This time


    he only grunted in reply. ¡°And you can still call me daughter after today.¡± I gave him a kiss on the cheek


    and Jon, Dean, and I got into Alpha Brent¡¯s jet.


    ¡°You okay,¡± Dean asked for what felt like the hundredth time.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, taking his hand in mine. ¡°More than okay, and we¡¯ve got a lot of work to do. I¡¯m


    eager to get started and get the pack project underway.¡±


    Dean grinned. ¡°No regrets?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    It¡¯s been five months since Antoine took over the pack and Harry and I started the Genesis Pack. It¡¯s


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    not arge pack at thirty members. I, Dean, Harry, Jon, Andy, and a woman named Ambria serve as


    the ruling council. As Alpha, I deal with the physical threats to the pack from the outside. Harry


    manages our finances, Jon and Andy work on our security. Ambria works with me on public rtions. I


    growl and grunt, she smiles prettily. We make a pretty good team.


    Dean serves as the voice of the pack, if anyone is unhappy with what we¡¯re doing, they can contact him


    about it, all the while remaining anonymous to us. This way they will never have to fear retribution from


    an alpha or high ranking member. He also helps resolve internal conflicts between members and I¡¯m


    really not being biased when I say he does it really well. He¡¯s very good with people, and I¡¯ve yet to see


    him fail to resolve any argument.


    As expected, the other alphas weren¡¯t pleased. Several, especially the western packs were very vocal


    on what they thought about the pack. However, after I kicked three of the western alphas asses when


    they tried to challenge me for the pack, they mostly just grumble now. It helps I have a few other near


    by alphas supporting me. Namely, Antoine and Ryder who now has taken the alphaship from his father.


    When Brook announced she was expecting two months ago, Brent decided he was ¡®too old for this shit¡¯


    and retired so he¡¯d have time to spoil his grandchildren. I¡¯ve warned him and Emily that the words


    grandchildren and my name are strictly forbidden to be used in the same sentence. I was nowhere near


    ready for that yet, and though, he won¡¯t admit it, I don¡¯t think Dean is either.


    Douche hasn¡¯t been found, but there¡¯s a rumor circling that he tried to go back to his old alpha friend,


    but the alpha threatened to send him straight to Father in silver if he didn¡¯t leave his territory. Antoine


    was right, no one likes someone who abandoned their family and pack, only to turn around and attack


    said family. Where ever he is, he¡¯s not going to have it easy. Sometimes I start to feel sorry for him then


    realize he brought this all on himself.


    I could never imagine my life woulde to be like it is now, but I wouldn¡¯t change any of it for the


    world.


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