Bonded (15 page)

But he was going
to be allowed to continue his work, so that was good. And she might
get to see him now and then, maybe even work with him and that
was...good? Well, she wasn’t sure about that. She still hadn’t
worked up the nerve to speak with him about the bond—not that
there’d been much opportunity. His team had stuck pretty close to
him these past few weeks and when he wasn’t with them, he was
meeting with Captain Fielding or Ricardo Machado.

The sound of doors
opening and a number of footsteps drew her attention. From her
hiding place she watched Reno walk past surrounded by his friends.
He never glanced her way which was perfectly fine. She wasn’t in a
fit state of mind to speak to him right now anyway.

She hadn’t had
much sleep lately. Reno’s thoughts kept invading her mind as she
slept. For the most part, she was able to block his thoughts during
the day, however at night her defences slipped and his dreams
melded with hers. Some were embarrassingly erotic while others
revealed his true worries about the hearing, his memories of
Langstaff and his self-condemnation. Those were the times she’d
wake to find tears streaming down her face and a knot of anxiety
twisting in her stomach.

Just the thought
had her rubbing her temples. There had to be a way to erect a
twenty-four hour mental wall between herself and Reno. Staying
constantly awake was not a viable solution. She couldn’t do her own
job properly when she was sleep deprived. Smothering a yawn, she
pushed off from the wall, determined to get some more research
completed on partial bonds.

Stepping out of
the small corridor she headed towards the parking garage. Lycan
Link was busy today. People swirled around her. Snippets of
conversation drifted past. She got in line to use the elevator and
idly began to listen in on those chatting around her.

“Did you see Smith
grab that guy in the hearing room?”

“Yeah, from the
look on his face, I thought Reno would kill him.”

“I wonder what he
said to piss him off?”

“Who knows? With a
rogue it can be anything...”

The elevator
arrived and Brandi was pushed forward with the surge of Lycans all
trying to fit into the small cubicle. She missed the rest of the
conversation, but it had her thinking again.

Reno
was
dangerous. She’d watched him grab the man by the collar, seen the
rage in his eyes. Did she want to be bonded to someone like that
for the rest of her life? What if she angered him at some point?
Would he become physically violent? The very idea had a shiver
running through her. No. Reno wouldn’t do that...would he?

She nibbled her
lip nervously. There had to be a way to break the bond or at least
control it. There just had to be!

Chapter 9

Two and a half
years later...

Reno slammed his
hands down on the table, the corded muscles of his forearms
standing out as he leaned belligerently into Joseph Bronte’s face.
“I don’t give a damn about your rights as an Alpha. Those wolves
are going with me.” His voice was low, barely above a whisper, yet
the menace in his words couldn’t be denied.

His whole body was
alert, muscles tensed ready for the slightest sign of aggression
from Bronte or his Beta. He’d been on edge all day as if his inner
wolf knew something was about to happen. A fight would be the
perfect way to ease the feeling. However, neither man moved,
seemingly frozen in place by the sheer force of his personality.
Reno curled his lip. Cowards, he thought to himself. All talk and
bluster, picking on the weak, but put them up against a real wolf
and they cowered like suckling pups.

Easing back from
the table, he stood straight, keeping his arms loose at his sides.
“Nothing to say?”

The room was
silent except for the faint creak of an old ceiling fan that lazily
circled about in a vain attempt to cool the sweltering room. Sweat
trickled down Reno’s back and his shirt clung irritatingly to his
skin, yet he never let his gaze waver from the man before him.

A nerve ticked in
Bronte’s cheek, his fingers clenched and unclenched on the arms of
his chair. Seconds passed, but still Reno waited. A fly buzzed
lazily by, heading towards the window, no doubt wanting to escape
the oppressive atmosphere. Heat and humidity wrapped around the
room’s occupants like a wet wool blanket. Summer in the bayous
wasn’t for the faint of heart.

Finally, Bronte
looked away. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair,
trying to appear at ease, as if Reno hadn’t intimidated him. It
wasn’t working though. There was a shadow of uncertainty in the
man’s eyes despite his efforts to hide it with a sneer.
“Half-breeds aren’t wolves. They’re human dogs that can perform a
few minor tricks. Only pure-bloods deserve the title of wolf.”

Reno snorted, but
didn’t rise to the bait. Bronte was taunting him, trying to make
him lose his temper. He knew it was useless to argue with the
narrow-minded man. Almost every Lycan on the continent had some
mixed blood if you searched back far enough.

“Whatever. Damien,
signal the rest of the Enforcers to start collecting the refugees.”
He called the instructions over his shoulder to his partner who
stood poised by the door. “Use Langstaff protocols. There should be
twelve. Make sure none are left behind by ‘accident.’ We wouldn’t
want that now, would we, Bronte?”

It was a well
known fact that while the Purist packs despised half-breeds, they
also liked having them around as servants and, in some of the worst
cases, for hunting practise. Sometimes half-breeds were hidden away
by their ‘owners’ who didn’t want to lose the unpaid help.

The screen door
creaked open behind him and Reno could imagine Damien stepping out
to give the signal to their squad that was poised outside. His men
would spread out through the small compound and gather the
half-weres and their families.

“Of course. Take
them all. It will be good to not have to smell their stench or
share our resources with them.” Joseph Bronte talked tough, but
Reno could see the man’s frustration. They’d spent three weeks
gathering sufficient evidence, then negotiating for the freedom of
the half-breeds. The Alpha wasn’t pleased that Lycan Link had been
sticking its nose so closely into his pack.

Too bad, scumbag,
Reno thought to himself. If you want to be left alone, you
shouldn’t violate the Lycan code of Rights and Freedoms.

“It’s a go, Reno.”
Damien returned and leaned against the door frame, waiting for him
to wrap things up. Inwardly, Reno gave an indulgent smile. The kid
took their partnership seriously and would never consider leaving
him alone with two Purists. It was a nice feeling, knowing someone
had your back, even if it wasn’t needed.

Picking up the
file that he’d brought in with him, Reno pulled out a sheaf of
papers. “Sign here.” He pushed them across the table towards the
Alpha and tossed a pen at him, too.

The Beta growled a
warning and shifted his stance. Reno watched the fellow out of the
corner of his eye. Come on, just try it, he said to himself. One
little aggressive move and I can have the satisfaction of wiping
the floor with you.

Bronte was eyeing
the papers, but made no move to pick them up. “What’s this?”

“Relocation
papers. You’re giving up all rights over the refugees and agreeing
that they can live wherever they wish. You will have no authority
over them and cannot contact their new packs, ask for their return,
nor make any aggressive moves or threats against the packs that
take them in.”

Many Purist Alphas
followed the most ancient codes in the Book of the Law, viewing
pack members as mere possessions. When dealing with them it was
necessary to make sure every ‘i’ was dotted and every ‘t’
crossed.

“Fine.” Bronte
grabbed the papers and signed the top page then flipped to the
next. “And what’s this one for?”

“Charges. You’re
admitting that you violated The Book of the Law by denying pack
members the rights and privileges due them. It also states that you
agree to quarterly inspections by Lycan Link’s authorized
representatives to ensure that no further violations are taking
place and Purist propaganda isn’t being spread. Should you continue
to pursue your current philosophy, steps will be taken to remove
you as leader of the pack.”

“I won’t sign
that! This is
my
pack. No one looks over my shoulder and
judges what I do. Who the hell do you think you are?” The man
surged to his feet and shoved the table aside.

That’s it, Reno
thought, coiling his muscles. His fingers twitched and he had to
force back the growl that rose in his throat. Under no
circumstances was he allowed to initiate an altercation, however,
should someone else start it...

“Sorry. You have
to sign. It’s what we agreed upon. If you don’t, I’ll drag you
before the High Council and have your sorry hide thrown in
Detention.”

“Detention?” The
man’s face turned red with rage. “Are you threatening me,
Smith?”

“I don’t make
threats, Bronte.” Reno shook his head. This was getting farcical.
The Alpha was putting on a show while the Beta... A shift in the
shadows alerted him.

The Beta dove at
Damien and Reno half turned, purposely giving Bronte an opening.
Hard hands grabbed Reno’s shoulders and spun him around, then a
fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head to the side. As he
staggered backwards, the Alpha shifted into a yellow coloured
wolf.

At last! Reno’s
own wolf almost howled in joy as he set it free. Quickly shifting
forms, he met Bronte head on. The self-restraint he’d exercised
over the past weeks was gone and he could finally give vent to his
feelings. He threw himself forward, teeth slashing at the other
wolf’s side, before spinning around to snap at its legs. The
miserable bastard had abused and starved fellow wolves based solely
on genetics and he deserved to be punished.

Snarls filled the
room as the wolves battled. Snapping teeth, the scrambling of claws
against the floor, yips of pain, panting breath... Reno twisted and
dove, sliding in to bite then dashing away, toying with the Alpha
as it tried unsuccessfully to overpower him.

Reno’s own
injuries were just minor annoyances, stinging rather than hurting.
Adrenaline surged through his system. He was on a high, exulting in
the use of his strength and skill. It wasn’t often he could
completely loosen the rein under which he kept his beast and to
have such freedom was a heady rush.

He played with his
opponent, attacking then retreating, causing the other wolf to
expend its energy, all the while herding it ever closer to the
corner of the room. With its back to the wall the creature would
have no means of escape.

Finally, there was
a lull in the fight. The yellow wolf stood before him, legs spayed
and sides heaving. It was covered in blood and saliva dripped from
its jaws as it struggled to stay upright. Reno paused and cocked
his head giving it a chance to surrender. Something flickered in
its eyes and then it lunged forward going for his throat.

Leaping aside, he
twisted in mid-air, grabbed hold of the back of his opponent’s neck
and shook the Alpha as hard as he could. Finally letting go, the
momentum sent the creature crashing into the wall.

Even as the wolf
tried to regain its footing, Reno was on him again, clamping his
jaws on the animal’s throat, biting down hard. The wolf thrashed
about, trying to break free, but Reno held on tight ignoring the
pain of the other wolf’s claws digging into his belly. A whimper of
defeat finally came from his opponent and he loosened his grip and
stepped back.

The wolf remained
submissive and Reno dared glance at his partner, though there was
no need to worry in the quarter. Damien was a fighter and had the
Beta well in hand. With a shake of his fur, Reno shifted back to
human form and the others did as well.

For a moment he
stood panting, allowing his wolf to calm, and his human half to
regain control. Then he grabbed Bronte by the collar, hauled the
man to his feet, and shoved him towards the table, where the pen
and papers lay miraculously undisturbed by the commotion in the
room.

Growling in
frustration, Bronte scrawled his name across the pages before
throwing them back at Reno.

“Thank you.” Reno
calmly picked up the documents as if a violent fight had not just
occurred, double checking Bronte had indeed signed in the correct
places. Satisfied that all was in order, he closed the file and
nodded. “I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, but we both know
that would be a lie. If the gods are merciful, I’ll never have to
see your sorry face again.”

Bronte’s fists
clenched, yet he said nothing, so Reno turned and left. As the door
closed behind Damien and himself, he could hear the sound of
furniture breaking. A wide grin slowly appeared on his face. Damn,
he enjoyed pissing off bastards like Bronte.

“That went well,”
Damien said with a solemnity that belied the twinkle in his
eye.

“Yep. Nothing
worth reporting happened, wouldn’t you say?” He slid his gaze
sideways and looked at his partner. Like himself, Damien showed few
signs of the fight that had just occurred. A small bruise on his
cheekbone was already fading and a wound on his chin was healing
nicely.

“Uh-huh. The
release of the refugees was negotiated without incident. It was a
text book case of the benefits of diplomacy.” A faint smile played
at the edges of Damien’s mouth.

Reno bit his
cheeks to hold in his own grin and nodded in agreement. “That’s
what my report’s going to say.”

The two men looked
at each other and began to laugh. What Headquarters didn’t know
wouldn’t hurt them.

“It’ll take at
least an hour before the refugees are ready to roll. Do you want to
head into town? I met a couple of girls and—”