Forrest, Dawn - Alphas' Prize [WeresRus] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (28 page)

She rested her head back on his chest and whispered, “I love you.”

“Show me,” he croaked.

She kissed her way down his firm torso to his still-firm cock.
Oh, I’ll show you all right.

* * * *

It was noon, and Kil Hunt left the large dining room where many Weres sat eating the traditional communal after-run brunch. Both Angela and Jo and their respective mates looked relaxed and happy, if a little tired. He paced back and forth in the study, each step taken in worry for his Chief and friend. Had Will killed Khan, had he taken Katherine, or was he dead? Khan would not live to see another full moon if he had somehow beaten Will. He would personally see to it, using whatever methods were necessary, and honor be damned. Fuck it, he couldn’t wait, he called Will’s satellite phone. On the tenth ring, someone picked up.

“Hawke.” Will’s deep gravelly voice was distinctive.

“You’re alive, then.” Relief flooded his system, but he kept his voice even.

“Evidently.”

“And Khan?”

“Dead.”

“Good.”

He waited, not wanting to ask but needing to know what kind of problem would be returning to The Den with Will.

“Er, I’m in the middle of something right now.”

He heard a light giggle and a feminine, saucy voice murmur, “You sure are, big boy, and it feels great.”

Kil cocked a surprised eyebrow.

“Hold on a moment.” Will sighed.

He heard a click as the phone was put down, the rustling of what he assumed were sheets, a groan, a lip-smacking noise, a moan, more rustling, and then the phone being moved again.

“Okay I’m free to talk.”

Free from what or whom, Kil could only guess. He wasn’t about to confess that he had been worried sick for his friend, so he spoke as if he was simply checking in and keeping Will informed.

“The full-moon run went well at this end, although we’ve lost Sean Bruce. He probably got carried away chasing a deer or something and is at this moment heading back the hard way. It’s happened before.” He didn’t want to dwell too much on the thought of the big, naked Scot lumbering through the cold forest. “If he’s not back in half an hour, I’ll send out a search party. I wouldn’t wish a frost-bitten cock on anyone.”

He heard the mystery woman whisper, “Ask him about Joanna, is she okay?”

Mystery solved, no big surprise there, but she didn’t seem upset.

“How did the bondings go?”

“Very well. They all got back safe and sound, had a sleep, and are now chowing down brunch. Heck, female werewolves can sure pack away the grub. The newly bonded mates all appear happy, sickeningly so.”

He heard Will’s muffled voice say, “She’s okay and enjoying the after-run brunch.”

He spoke clearly into the phone again. “Kil, I won’t be back until the day after tomorrow. I’m spending some quiet time alone with my mate.”

“Your mate? You asked to claim her, and she agreed?”

That was quick work, and the other Alphas might be a bit pissed off that they hadn’t been given an opportunity to meet her. He thought that Katherine Akara must be both very attractive and forgiving.

“No. She’s my true-mate.”

His jaw dropped open, and it was a few moments before he could speak again. “That’s great news. Hell, it’s fucking the best. Congratulations, Will.” In keeping with his normal tactlessness, he chuckled. “I bet you feel a right dunce for not finding her sooner.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.”

“Sure thing. Can I let people here know what has happened?”

“Yeah, a brief explanation might be in order, but don’t mention that the other male werewolf was Khan. I called Kumar this morning, and he took off immediately for India to try to rescue his daughter from Khan’s Pack. Let’s give him some time and a fair chance by keeping a lid on his Prime’s demise. I’ll explain everything in full when I return with Katherine. Can you get Jo, Katherine wants to give her the news.”

“Okay. I must say, Chief, I am looking forward to meeting the woman who kicked Khan’s ass and now owns yours.”

He snickered, and Will growled, but he ignored him, put the phone down, and went to get Jo.

“You mother is on the phone and she is well. She wants to talk to you.”

“Is everything okay? Did Hawke stop Khan?” one of the twins asked in a low whisper as they all stood up.

“It all worked out.”

“What do you mean, Yuri? What’s going on?” Jo demanded.

The Russian, presumably Yuri—he couldn’t tell the difference— rushed a quick explanation. Jo didn’t look happy at being left in the dark, but she seemed too excited about the prospect of talking to her mom to get into an argument at that moment.

He stayed in the dining hall while Jo ran to the study. When he made the announcement, even his lips twitched like something resembling a brief grin, or maybe a snarl, he was out of practice. He wasn’t good with soft, fluffy emotion, but he was pleased for his Prime. Will had suffered greatly with the loss of his first mate, even though it was before they had fully bonded, and he deserved this happiness. It appeared that most of the other Weres believed this, too. Even the unmated Alphas accepted with good grace that they would have to continue the search for their own true-mates.

Thinking of how long Will had lived with very little hope of finding another true-mate made him entertain the notion that maybe someday he would find the one for him. He hoped that the woman didn’t frighten easily.
Poor bitch, to be stuck with such a stone-cold killer like me for a mate.

Slowly over the years he had become a werewolf feared by many, and the ultimate hard badass. He’d happily cultivated that reputation because it made his job so much easier. He could only imagine how a female Were would react when she found out that the Chief Enforcer of the North American Packs was her mate. With little enthusiasm, he suspected.

The women would want to do some sort of party for Will because he was liked and well respected by the Pack members. The ladies weren’t leery with fear of their approachable Prime, probably because Kil and the other Enforcers did most of the hands-on, necessary-but-unpleasant work. It was how it should be and was good for Pack dynamics. He maintained a cold, hard exterior to others so that his Chief didn’t have to.

* * * *

Jo bounced back into the dining room with a grin as wide as the waning moon on her face. She could scarcely believe that what had seemed like an impossible, illusive dream not more than three days ago was now a reality. Both she and her mom had found their true-mates. She would have to have a chat with her Yuri and Vlad about keeping important information from her, though, but she just couldn’t be mad at anything right now.

“We should throw a party, the Montana Pack will expect it,” Angela said excitedly.

“Why not get a minister to marry them while you’re at it?” Carol, Angela’s mom, suggested.

“Weres get married?” Jo said, surprised.

“Yeah, it just makes things easier, and anyway why should we be denied a wedding?”

“Mike and I will be getting hitched in Australia, it’ll be a good opportunity for all of his Packs to have a party, and some of my friends will also visit, which is a great opportunity to find a mate.”

Jo looked at Vlad and Yuri with her eyebrows raised.

“We will be getting married in Russia,” Yuri stated.

“Really? I missed the part where you asked me,” she responded tartily.

Vlad gave a weary sigh. “Will you marry me, Joanna?”

“Yes, Vlad I will,” she said, nodding her head and holding her chin high, waiting for Yuri to ask.

“Will you marry me?” Yuri repeated, looking miffed that he even had to ask.

“Sorry, you’re too late, I can only officially marry one man, and Vlad here pipped you to the post.”

“Pipped to post? What means this?” Vlad asked as he laughed at Yuri’s shocked expression. He clearly hadn’t thought about the legalities.

“He got there first,” Jo explained.

“It matters not. We are identical twins with same name and same DNA. I will of course be
best
man, and I will enjoy sleeping with your wife,” Yuri said with a smug look at Vlad.

For a moment everyone else looked uncomfortable, but when Jo and Vlad laughed, they all relaxed and grinned.

“We’ll have to think about it. Maybe we can quickly do the official registering bit and have a Were ceremony of our own that will mean more to us,” Jo suggested.

“Nothing is meaning more to Weres than true-mating,” Yuri pointed out.

“Yeah, but I didn’t get to wear a dress, did I?”

“You wore the finest fur coat,” Vlad the charmer pointed out.

“Do you think your mom will mind a surprise wedding?” Angela asked.

Jo smiled brightly thinking of everything her mom had been through.

“She’ll be over the moon.”

Epilogue

Katherine Hawke spun around as she danced with her new husband at their wedding reception. She was wearing a dress that Jo and Karen Kaiteke had put together for her. It was modern but heavily influenced by her Maori culture. Will was wearing a more traditional Native American chief’s outfit, and he looked stunning.

 
Her daughter and the Montana Mountain Pack had pulled out all the stops to make this wonderful wedding happen only four days after she’d bonded with Will. In that short time she’d met many members of the North American Packs, all of the Montana Mountain Pack, and a lot of Alphas and mates from other countries.

At first she had been a little freaked out and overwhelmed by being near so many werewolves, but they had been nothing but polite, and she was soon put at ease. It helped that Will kept her by his side at all times, probably because he’d sensed her initial distress.

Her family had been flown from New Zealand, and they’d had a tearful reunion. When she’d found out about the Scots Pack massacre she’d felt terrible for not contacting them and at least letting them know that she was alive. There were no recriminations, though, and they were all delighted to see each other again.

Joanna waltzed past with one of her mates. Katherine couldn’t tell them apart except that she knew Vlad was wearing a silver earring of a wolf dangling from his left ear. Apparently the Russian name Volkov actually meant “wolf.” Unfortunately, they were leaving soon for Moscow to see the Russian Prime, their father, and then on to Siberia where Vlad and Yuri’s Pack was located. She would miss her daughter but thought that Jo had never looked happier.

“Can I cut in? I believe it’s expected of the best man?”

Katherine heard Kil Hunt’s deep, growly voice and looked up at him standing behind Will. He appeared serious and stern but also a little awkward. He was a brusque, seemingly unemotional guy, but she had warmed to him. Perhaps she could easily identify with a lonely soul, having been one herself. Will cocked his eyebrows at her in question as he stepped back. She gave Kil her best smile.

“Sure, I’d love to dance with you.”

They took off around the floor, and she was surprised at how nimble on his feet he was. She’d spoken to him a few times, but most of what she knew about him had come from Will. Will trusted him more than any other person alive, and that was good enough for her.

After a turn of the floor he spoke. “I heard how you caught Khan out on the boat, beat him, and tipped him overboard. I think—”

“Look, I didn’t have a choice,” she cut in, not wanting to hear the Enforcer preach about how she hadn’t played fair.

He stared down at her, looking a little puzzled.

“I think,” he said, ignoring her interruption, “that you’re perfect for our Prime. I admire a woman who is strong enough to take care of herself and others around her.”

“Oh, er, thanks.”

“But I want you to know that all of us in the Pack will be looking out for you now. I understand that for many years you probably considered us as the enemy, but Will would have protected you if you’d asked. He isn’t perfect, no one is, but he does his best, and it’s more than good enough.
You can now relax when you want to. We’ve got broad shoulders to lean on if you need them.”

Gosh, he has some insight, and I think the big man is actually blushing.

“Er, thanks, Kil, I appreciate it. I admit that I’m still getting used to being around other werewolves and not running for the hills. I’m also a bit nervous about how I’ll fit in and what my role will be.”

“Be yourself, and you’ll fit in just fine around here.”

“Okay, I want my wife back.” She heard Will’s voice from behind the hulking Enforcer. “I want her to meet an old friend of mine who’s just arrived.”

Kil nodded and managed a sort of grimace-type smile. Going only on intuition, she leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks again.”

Yep, definitely blushing.

* * * *

Kil walked off the dance floor, aware that more than a few eyes were following him. Many were scared of him, nearly all were wary, all except Will, and, funnily enough, Katherine, too. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see the little woman until it was too late to avoid impact. A blonde with a mass of curly hair accidentally walked into him, not looking where she was going. She was a cute-looking thing and began to laugh an apology, but it faded on her lips as she looked up at his face and saw whom it was. She visibly gulped.