Forrest, Dawn - Alphas' Prize [WeresRus] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

An internal bickering discussion over what to do occupied her thoughts.
Oh God, I shouldn’t do it. I’m not a murderer, but if I don’t stop this jerk now, he’s going to keep looking for me or Joanna
. That was justification enough for her. She realized that she had to do it if she ever wanted any peace.
But if he finds his unfortunate mate, then he’ll stop chasing me,
she counter-argued to herself, grasping at straws
. Yeah, but what are the odds?
Maybe I could just castrate the fucker and leave him on the shore?
That sounds like a good compromise. Hell, what a choice.

He groaned, and that settled it. He was coming around. He was a strong werewolf and he probably had an even chance of making it. If by now he hadn’t had enough of Katherine Akara and ever came back for thirds, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. Without deliberating the issue further, she kicked him hard over the side.
Swimming time, old chum.
The boat continued forward, leaving him in its churning wake as she accelerated away. She definitely heard splashing and coughing.
Crap, his odds are probably much better than even.
She had the feeling that she was later going to regret her mercy.

Chapter 5

“Excuse me,
Wi
—Prime Alpha Hawke, I am sorry to interrupt you, but something has come up that requires your urgent attention.”

Brad actually established eye contact for a fraction of a second. For a submissive dormant Were that was a monumental effort, letting him know that whatever it was, it was damned important.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” he said to the Alphas he was sitting with. “I will return as soon as possible.”

“What’s up, Brad?” he asked as he rushed to keep up with the rapid pace the young man set.

“Jo made contact through the WeresRus website and has just asked me if I know who Katherine Akara is.”

“Whoa, that’s not a random question. What do you think this Jo wants?”

“I think he’s making sure we are who we say we are and not a bunch of wackos in their mom’s basement before he gets to the point.”

“Is Jo online right now?”

“Yep.”

They entered the office to find Angela, his assistant, at her desk, sitting on Mike Evans’s knee. Was nothing going to go easy today? He let out a loud sigh. The place was going to the dogs…or wolves…whatever.

“Angela, have you heard from Ashok Khan or the Russians?”

His normally super-efficient assistant had a glazed look to her eyes. He wondered what Mike was doing with his hand under the desk. A slight flaring of his nostrils, and he knew for sure.

“Angela, pay attention when your Alpha speaks to you.” He used “the voice,” which had her blinking and suddenly looking flustered. Mike, on the other hand, visibly bristled.

“She’s my mate, you’re not—”

“I am until Thursday night,” he interrupted.

Mike glared at him for a moment, and they locked eyes. For a second the air seemed to thicken with tension, but then the normally reasonable Australian shrugged and smiled.

“You’re right, Will, I apologize for my overenthusiastic response.” Mike spoke softly and broke eye contact first.

“I understand, and mate actually trumps Alpha. I’m sorry that I need Angela to work at all. You’ll soon be bound, my friend, and at a Were Council full-moon run, too.” He slapped Mike on the back in congratulations. “Angela?” he said again, trying to keep her focused.

“I can’t get hold of Prime Khan, but the Siberians called a few hours ago, they said”—she put on a heavy accent—“‘We are making big good time and party. We will be back soon.’”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her impression of the normally stoic twins. He guessed that everyone needed to blow off steam sometimes. He looked at his pretty assistant and then at Mike.

“Go on,” he jerked his head at the door, “it’s late. We’ve a lot to do tomorrow, but Brad has agreed to continue to take on most of your duties.”

“Big shoes to fill and I’m quaking in my little boots,” Brad joked.

“Well, thanks for that. I am finding it hard to concentrate.” Angela grimaced.

She stood up and smoothed her skirt. The smell of her arousal was strong, and he saw the look of satisfaction and lust on Mike’s face as he herded her out of the room. When they closed the door behind them, he went to stand behind Brad, who sat at another desk, poised, ready to type.

“We’re not now on the public message board, and we’re private and secure. What would you like to say?”

“Tell him that Katherine Akara is the only known female werewolf in existence, who went missing from Scotland twenty-four years ago.”

She’s the only woman alive I know of who can give me children, and I passed up the opportunity on the grounds that it was against my principles to use the woman and because I’m holding out for my true-mate. What a shmuck.
He finally admitted outright to himself that he’d been afraid to meet her, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to resist her and that his beast would insist on having her, true-mate or not.

Brad’s fingers flew across the keyboard and ended with a forceful tap on the enter key. They waited and then received a response that neither of them had been expecting.

Katherine Akara, of the Maori Pack, is my mother. Connor McDonald, of the Scots Pack, was my father. A male werewolf called Khan attacked us two hours ago in Reedville, Virginia. I managed to escape, but my mother is in danger. She urgently needs the help of the Pack. I need to meet with the Prime Alpha to discuss.

Brad turned to him, eyes wide and bright in surprise.

“Say yes, I will meet.”

“Chief, I have to say be careful, because it could be some sort of coup attempt. If Jo is Katherine’s son, then he’ll be a powerful werewolf.”

“It isn’t Katherine’s son, Brad, it’s her daughter, and she is a werewolf.”

“What!” He looked shocked. “Fuck, that’s worse, Chief. We’ve a house full of Alphas, half of whom are unmated.”

Like he didn’t know it. Will nodded, acknowledging that the situation would be volatile. “We’ll have to take precautions.”

They waited for a few moments after their reply was sent. Obviously Jo was also thinking along the lines of personal security, because she wrote back,
What is your Skype address? I want to see and speak with the Prime.

Two minutes later, he was in front of the laptop looking at the grainy image of an attractive yet bedraggled young woman.

“Hi, I’m Joanna Akara.” She moved closer, obviously peering at his image.

“Hello, Jo. I am Will Hawke, Prime Alpha of the North American Packs and Alpha of the Montana Mountain Pack.”

“Prime Hawke, I need to meet with you, but there’s a problem.” She took a deep breath. “I’m a werewolf, I ‘became’ last month.” She squinted at him. “You don’t seem very surprised.”

“I’m not. I found out about you today when an Enforcer of mine picked up your scent while he was tracking a rogue.”

“Oh. Well, Prime Alpha Hawke, do you guarantee my safety and promise on your honor that I will be able to leave freely should I wish to?”

“I will do my best to protect you and your freedom. Where are you? I can send some mated men to bring you in.”

She replied quickly with a sardonic chuckle. “I’m not so sure about that. The fewer Weres that know about me the better, at least until I’m with you and under Pack protection. In fact, you could be anyone. You’re smaller than I expected. Hey, do you have some ID?”

Although he was six foot three, he’d heard that many times because at first glance he was a fairly unassuming-looking guy. Like a Japanese martial arts master, he had a lean physique that was all muscle, but it was not obvious beneath clothes. In werewolf form he was eight foot tall, solid and ripped, but he kept the beast within him under such tight control that most Weres did not realize just how much he dampened that dark, deadly, utterly vicious part of his soul. It had caused many a werewolf to underestimate him, at their peril. He deliberately cultivated a layer of polite civility because it contrasted so greatly with his whispered lethal reputation. The fact that his savagery wasn’t immediately apparent served as even more of a threat to those who sought to challenge him. It also thankfully ensured that he didn’t have to let the beast slip its chains very often. He fished out his wallet and held his driver’s license up to the camera. She squinted closer.

“It actually looks like you,” she commented. “I guess you probably are Prime Alpha Hawke. I’ll soon be in Denver, Colorado.”

“How about I send a jet with no one else except the pilot to pick you up?”

“You can do that?” she sounded surprised.

“Yep, I’m Prime and I’ve had a few hundred years to accumulate wealth.”

She appeared to hesitate. “Is the pilot human?”

“No. Harry’s a dormant male Were.”

“Does it have a cargo hold? I’d like to bring my Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. I’d just feel better making my own way to The Den once I’m in Montana.”

“Nice bike, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable in a car?”

“I’d really like to have my bike with me.”

Ah, she wanted another escape route. She didn’t want to be totally dependent on him. That was fair enough, although once she was on that plane for all intents and purposes he had her.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” What he didn’t say was the cargo hold was big enough on the small jet because it’d been adapted to contain the odd irate werewolf from time to time.
Oh darling, you could be walking straight into a trap.

“Okay, send me the details and I’ll be there.”

She gave him an e-mail address and Brad quickly jotted it down.

“The precise GPS coordinates for The Den would be useful. I don’t want to be stopped or talk to anyone else until I’m standing in front of you at the headquarters. I’m sure you realize that I’m taking a huge risk as it is. Mom will kill me.” She muttered the last sentence under her breath.

“Sure. The flight should take about an hour and a half. It’ll take you that amount of time again to get to The Den, although that depends on how fast you ride.”

She grinned. “Oh, I ride plenty fast enough.”

“I have to tell you that the Were Council is meeting here at the moment. I’ll clear the place of unmated males for your arrival, and if you decide to stay I will protect you, but I just thought that you should know. Your existence will no longer be a secret.” He didn’t want her unprepared and spooked by all the male scents she’d pick up, and he thought she should understand the possible consequences of her decision.

“My mom told me about the Council and other Pack Gatherings. I guess there are a lot of unmated Alphas around?” She sounded a little nervous, and he couldn’t blame her.

“Yes, but maybe it’s about time we discussed the issue of female werewolves such as yourself. What do you think? Perhaps you could present your case to the Council?” If he had Council backing for her protection, it would make all their lives easier.

She smiled into the camera. “I think I may like you, Prime Alpha Hawke.” Then she added, “You are mated, aren’t you?”

“Actually, no, but if I have to stuff eucalyptus oil up my nostrils and wear a nose peg, I will.” He tried a smile.

She gave a nervous half chuckle. “I could wear a space suit. We’ll find out if that’s necessary tomorrow. My mom really needs your help.”

He nodded to give her reassurance. “As I said, I’ll do my best to protect you both.”

“Well then I hope your best is good enough.”

So did he. She was still so young and vulnerable. God, he hoped that he could be true to his word.

“Jo, if you don’t feel safe and want to tell me all you know right now, then I’ll help your mom anyway. I know the Alpha that is involved in your mom’s abduction, but your description of him and testimony to the Council will help.” He was giving her the option not to come into the wolf’s den, and a part of him hoped she’d take it.

“Thank you, but I don’t want to live like my mom has, and Lord knows she needs some peace. If there is a chance to get some resolution to make our lives easier, then I’ll take it,” she said bravely.

“Okay, we’ll discuss it tomorrow, but for now just get yourself here safely.”

“Please inform your security to let me pass through without stopping.”

He nodded, but she had already cut the connection.

She was cautious, but not cautious enough. She was taking a whooping risk. A wily old Were like him would make mincemeat out of her. He guessed that concern for her mother had overcome objections that she must have inherited from Katherine about her possible future life in the Pack.

He addressed Brad. “Speak to Harry Smith, have him immediately work out a flight plan for arriving in Denver tomorrow, then send the details to Jo. Call Kil and Greg because they are currently in Onancock trying to find Katherine and Joanna. Fill them in on current events.”

Brad didn’t look surprised that he was already dealing with the situation. Most of his Pack seemed to think that their leader had a supernatural ability to foresee events. In truth, it was often just a case of evaluating information, good planning, covering his bases, and more than a fair share of luck and circumstance.