Bleacke's Geek (Bleacke Shifters) (32 page)

A man stood on the far side of the room, his back to them as he looked at some pictures hanging on the wall there.

Dewi looked startled as she gasped. “Peyton?”

The man turned. Ken immediately saw the family resemblance. Her older brother, like Beck, looked older than Dewi, but he didn’t look nearly as old as Ken knew he truly was. The color and shape of their eyes were identical, and they had the same hair color.

“Hey, Dewster,” he said.

She raced across the room and threw herself into his arms, hugging him, happily crying as he held her.

Beck and Ken exchanged a glance. Ken hoped this was good.

When her brother set her on her feet, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I received an interesting call from Badger yesterday morning. He informed me it might be a good idea if I come out here and pay my respects to you…and your new mate.”

Ken didn’t miss Beck’s amused smirk. He also sensed it was because this was something big and unprecedented, and not another shot at his geekyness.

As if Peyton normally didn’t do things like this. Or, maybe,
never
did things like this.

Beck leaned in close and whispered, “I’ll explain later.”

Ken nodded.

Dewi led Peyton over to where Beck still stood next to Ken. Peyton’s glance quickly swept Ken before he extended his hand and shook with him. “Peyton Bleacke. Targhee pack Alpha, and Dewi’s older brother.”

Dewi slipped her arm around Ken’s waist. Her voice sounded subdued, submissive. “Sir, may I present my claimed mate, Heathcliff McKenzie Ethelbert.”

“Call me Ken,” he snarked.

Peyton either had a lot more control than everyone else, or maybe Badger had already forewarned him, but the pack Alpha didn’t so much as smirk. “Welcome to the Targhee pack. It’s an honor and a privilege to meet you, Sir,” Peyton said.

Dewi and Beck both gasped.

Ken couldn’t help it. “Okay, now what?”

That’s when Peyton’s formality eased. He smiled, warm and friendly. “I’m sure they’ll explain later. For now, it was a long, crappy flight. I’d like to drop my bag in the guest room, use the john, and if the Dewster would please make me one of her delicious appletinis, I’d really appreciate it.”

She squealed in joy as she threw her arms around him and hugged him again. “How long are you staying?”

“A week, at least. We’ve got a lot to talk about. Where do you want me?”

“Upstairs, turn left, second to last bedroom.” She hurried off to the kitchen.

Beck stepped forward. “Where’s your bag, Sir, and I’ll take it up for you.”

Peyton waved him off. “Can it, Beck. We’re not in Idaho. I’ll get my own damn bag.” He smiled at Ken again. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the human male who’s not only earned Badger’s respect, but apparently managed to mark my Prime Alpha sister without getting his throat ripped out.”

Ken flushed deep red.
Is there nothing
not
shared between these people?

Apparently there was, because Beck looked startled. Peyton arched an eyebrow at him. “How could you have missed that, Beck? She presented her mate to me as a beta would, not as an Alpha, and damn sure not as a Prime. And she freaking called me Sir. She’s never called me Sir before. Not even at her appointment ceremony. That night I was so happy to settle for not having to fight her or kill the two of you for her losing control that I let it slide. Hardly anyone noticed it because they saw her as my baby sister, not as a Prime Alpha.”

Peyton looked back to Ken. “The man who’s got the balls to make my sister submit to him, especially when he’s just a human, is definitely someone I’m glad is a member of this pack.”

Ken laughed. “Again with my balls!”

* * * *

Beck helped Ken into the family room, to the more comfortable couch there, and pulled the coffee table close so he could prop his leg up on it.

Beck kept his voice low and spoke fast. “Man you have
no
clue how big this is. The pack’s Prime Alpha does
not
come to you, you come to him. He
damn
sure never comes to pay respects to a shifter
and
their mate. And he absolutely freaking
never
calls a mate Sir. He never calls shifter males Sir. The only man he’s ever called Sir was their father.”

Despite the painkillers starting to get more than a secure foothold on his system, Ken realized this was both a good and an unprecedented thing. “So it’s safe to say I’m not going to be treated like the bad family secret?”

Beck looked shocked. “
Hell
no! I have a feeling the next time you’re in Idaho, he’s going to order everyone there to put in an appearance for a dinner in your honor.” He hesitated. “Okay, I have to ask this. I’m sorry, and I promise I won’t ever get this personal again. But what the fuck? Last time you bit her, she nearly killed you. When did that happen?”

His face had to be a deep shade of purple by that point. “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “The other night, after I killed Endquist.” Those last three words were ones he still had trouble reconciling in his mind, even though in his heart he felt no guilt or remorse for doing it. “It…just happened. I felt like I had to do it, and I did it.”

He stared, shocked. “Dude. That’s…incredible.”

“I didn’t know it would be such a source of fascination,” he muttered.

“No, you’re not getting it. Human mates do
not
mark.
Ever
. They especially don’t mark Prime Alphas. You saw what happened the first time.”

Ken shrugged.

Beck sat on the coffee table and made Ken look at him. “Get this through your geek head once and for all. The only people who think of you as dogshit are the ones who are dogshit, like your stupid step-brother. And him, I’d be willing to bet if you ever run into him again, he’ll probably shit his pants trying to get away from you after you cleaned his clock the last time.” He patted Ken on the shoulder before going to see if Dewi needed help.

Peyton returned before Beck or Dewi. Ken felt a little nervous, but not afraid.

Peyton sensed it and offered him a smile. “Overwhelmed?”

Ken nodded.

The Alpha dropped into a chair on the other side of the coffee table. Not as bulky as Beck, Ken still sensed the power waiting to uncoil within the shifter, like a visible aura around him, similar to the one that surrounded Dewi. This was a man who, if Ken approached him on a sidewalk, Ken would still step out of the way even if there were plenty of room and he had the right of way.

“Badger tells me you’re good with computers.”

Ken nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good. I’ve needed someone trustworthy to help me revamp the way we do things. Until now, I was hesitant to do it. Didn’t want to bring in an outsider, for obvious reasons. I didn’t have anyone within the pack with the skills who I trusted enough to do it.”

“Good to have a family geek, huh?”

Peyton smiled. “If you’re trying to bait me into making a comment about you not being what I’d expect, let me set you straight. No, you’re not what I would have expected. However, I have a sister whom I love more than my own life and would die for. I was forced to send her away so I wouldn’t be faced with the prospect of killing her. I’ve dealt with a lot of unexpecteds in my life.”

“I’ve got a few words for you about that, too.”

Peyton nodded. “I’m sure you do, since you don’t understand pack ways. It was send her away, or be forced to worry about killing her. I would have had to kill her, because had she beat me, she would have ended up pack Alpha.”

“And that’s a bad thing…why?”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped. “Because we suspected whoever killed our parents, since we didn’t know it was Endquist at the time, would have killed her like he killed our parents. And then challenged my brother, Trent, for the position. Trent would have been next in line as the oldest. And considering he’s not a Prime, there are Primes out there, like Endquist, who would have loved a chance to try to take over the Targhee pack. They could have easily done it, too, and nothing we could have done would have stopped them at that point.”

The picture suddenly cleared in Ken’s mind. “You thought it was a hostile takeover attempt.”

Peyton nodded. “Exactly. Now you see the full story as to why we did what we did. We had surmised much of it, but the missing piece was Endquist. He was the unknown quantity. Everyone thought Trent would take over automatically since he was the eldest. He ceded to me because he knew I was a Prime and he wasn’t. We knew someone didn’t just pick our parents as a random target of a violent crime. Two shapeshifters, including a Prime Alpha? Please. No human would have stood a chance against them. We knew it had to be an Alpha attacker at the very least, if not a Prime. We thought he wanted Trent in control as a weak link in the chain. Me taking over changed that, and no one expected it. In front of everyone that night, Trent took a knee and offered his throat to me, declaring me pack Alpha.”

Ken leaned back, much of his previous animosity toward Peyton now gone. “Does she know all that?”

He shook his head. “She will, once we finish talking about all of this. I never wanted her to know. I didn’t want her to try to go out and seek revenge and get herself killed. She’s my baby sister and I love her, Ken. May I call you Ken?”

He smiled. “Ken’s fine. I’m getting used to it.”

* * * *

Dewi, followed by Beck, returned with Peyton’s drink, ending their ability to talk freely. Ken wanted to talk with Peyton about the things Endquist had said during the fight, but they’d have to wait.

Dewi settled on the couch, next to Ken and with her arm hooked through his.

“So why are you here?” Beck asked from the other chair. “This is unexpected.”

Peyton sipped his appletini and smiled at Dewi. “This is really good, sis. Thanks.”

She nodded, but didn’t reply.

Peyton took a moment to compose his thoughts before addressing them. “I already told Ken a little of the story, but before I go into that, I need to hear what happened with Endquist. Badger wouldn’t tell me the details over the phone.”

Beck told most of the story, with Dewi filling in the finer points. When they finished, Peyton slowly nodded then smiled at Ken again. “No wonder Badger wanted me here before I heard the whole story. Damn.”

“He did damn good,” Dewi said, staring at Ken with adoration. “I’m proud of him.”

“I’m sure you are. Rightfully so.” He leaned back in his chair. “It’s also why I think it’s time the pack expands.”

Dewi and Beck both spoke. “What?”

“There are more shifters here in the Tampa Bay region than ever. Idaho and Florida are far enough apart that Florida should have more than just an Enforcer presence. I think it’s time there be an expanded pack.”

“But…who would run it?” she asked.

He laughed. “You, kiddo. Prime Alpha.”

She frowned. “I don’t know if I’m up for that.”

“Oh, you’re up for it, all right. Just to clarify, I’d still be head pack Alpha. The only one you’d answer to is me.” He smirked and pointed at Ken. “Well, and him, of course, but that has nothing to do with the pack. You need the ability to make decisions locally, not just carry out edicts and judgments. That means a pack council presence. I’m going to announce it at the next Muster.”

She looked stunned. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing
to
say. It’s going to happen, and you’re going to be the pack Alpha here. There’s no way in hell Trent will want to leave Idaho with his kids in high school. And with Beck as your second, and with Ken and Badger behind you, it’ll set my mind at ease to know you have the power to keep the peace.”