Wolf's Holiday (7 page)

Her wolf cooled, leaving her pretty much exhausted. Only she wasn’t done, so she couldn’t fall apart.

Drew’s strong, in-control scent hit her before he spoke. “I doubt he does, sweetheart.”

She didn’t turn around. “It would be easy to kill him. I could move my hand and snap his neck. Only, I won’t. Because it’s too easy, too sad, and because I love you and won’t destroy what you’ve built here.”

“Did I hear you correctly? He touched young girls? You?”

Betty stepped away from Archie and looked at Drew for the first time. “A long time ago. And he’s pack again. So, unless you’re going to take a page out of Magnum’s book and start sending those you oathed away, then I guess I’ll have to live with it.”The group of dominants behind him only added fodder to how much she wished she’d handled things differently.“I’m sorry I made a scene. I’ll just go home. Stay there for a while.”

“Betty….” Drew whispered her name.

She’d done nothing but cause him pain for days. “Maybe I’ll go to Sioux Falls until after the holidays are over. I’m clearly not cut out for Christmas.”

***

Drew breathed through his nose. He needed to go after his mate, but first he had to deal with the creature on the floor. Not knowing all of the details yet, he couldn’t make a decision about exactly what the dealings would involve.

But something would be happening.

Rage surged through his veins and he understood in that second it would be possible for him to become Magnum if he let the evil inside. His father had acted without consideration. And never cared about the consequences.

He wouldn’t become the monster, which was not to say he couldn’t dance the line. This male had, at some point, put his hands on Drew’s mate.

“You came back here, and you took an oath, to me and my pack.” Drew strode in front of Archie, a male who, only a week ago, he’d welcomed into the one place on Earth which mattered to him, to the only family he’d ever known, to breathe the same air as his sweet mate who each day showed more layers of a tortured soul he wanted nothing more than to make better with his love.

Archie’s voice shook. “I was told you were forgiving people.”

“For some things, there is no sorry enough. She’s my mate.” He stood. “We’ll decide what to do with you later. I’m not my father, but I’m still a wolf.”

He turned to see nearly all of the dominants and Ryker behind him. The only one not present was Gee. The old bear probably stayed with Matilda. His Enforcer would never have let him run into a fight if he could assist him. “Hold him for me.”

Drew didn’t wait to see Ryker agree. The thing about the Enforcer was he could always be counted on to do what was right.

And sometimes Drew just needed to know shit would get taken care of.

***

Betty let the water pound on her back in the shower. Magnum had ordered her to not tell Drew. So she hadn’t. And she’d all but forgotten about what happened. Of course, the whole pack would soon know, if it didn’t already, because she’d lost her mind.

Her mate pulled the shower curtain back, and she opened her eyes. Maybe she’d known he was home, maybe the day had dulled her senses. Who knew?

“B.” He reached out and stroked the side of her face. “You okay?”

“I actually am okay.”She grabbed her towel and pushed past him. “Although I doubt you’ll believe that.”

He was silent as she wrapped herself up in the old cotton towel she should have thrown out years ago. Nothing was ever as soft, even if it was raggedy. Someday she’d feel up to tossing it in the trash. Seemed kind of wasteful.

“I have a tendency not to believe things when they are lies.”

Seeing no point in delaying what he wanted to hear, she spoke quickly. “He touched my breasts. Other parts of body, but not my vagina.” Her mouth ached from gritting her teeth too much. “I told your father. He was my Alpha. I didn’t know better. All I remember thinking was I didn’t want my dad to know. Magnum threw Archie out right then and there. Then he told me not to tell you. If I did, you’d never want to mate me for anything other than pity.”

Drew nodded but too fast, like he forced the movement instead of it coming naturally. “And you believed him.”

“He was my Alpha. No one told me I shouldn’t. It all went away. And I got over it. Or, at least I tried to forget. And yet, here it is.”

When he grabbed her to shove her against the wall with his body boxing her in, she stopped breathing. Well, she hadn’t seen that coming.

Drew cupped her chin. “You are
my
mate. And you never told me. If you had, I would never have let him in.”

“I never thought in a million years I’d have to think about it again. Although I believe I have said, more than once now, that you aren’t being careful about who is getting to return to pack. There might be other Archies.”

He pressed his lips to hers, and she melted had been so wound up, she’d never dreamed she’d want him so soon after telling the story of Archie and his groping hands. Yet, she did. Oh, by everything in her, she wanted Drew.

She tugged at his pants until they dropped around his ankles. His hard cock popped out of his boxers. His need matched her own.

“Drop the towel,” he ordered while he threw off his shirt.

She obeyed then ran her hands over his chest. He was strong, her mate, the leader of them all. With a hoist, he picked her up and guided one of her legs around his waist. She did the same with the other.

“I’m going to take you against the wall, B, unless you tell me not to. Tell me not to if you don’t want it.”

Her mouth went dry. “I always crave you. There’s never a time I’m not ready for it. If you want me, I’m always here.”

“Crazy woman,” he whispered in ear. “Don’t you know you have me by the balls? Lead me around, order me; you’re the only person who can.”

He filled her fast, going balls-deep in seconds. She cried out at his entrance, her head hitting the wall behind her. Usually, she needed a warm-up. Not then. She only required Drew.

“Good?” He breathed heavily. Her mate, he always checked.

“Always with you.”

Drew moved, pressing in and out of her in small jerks. Pushed against the wall, she didn’t have any angle to do more than lean and take his heat, let him love her in the way no one else ever could. The bathroom was quiet except for their breathing and their moans.

“Shit. B.”Drew pressed his head on her shoulder. “You’re mine. My one. My only. My strong woman.”

His words were beautiful nonsense. She ate them up. The pressure inside her body wanted to explode, and she was afraid she might survive the onslaught. Could she shatter completely and still exist when it was over?

Or would she turn into nothing but atoms, a floating stream of pleasure never returning to her body again?

She leaned forward, pressing her nose to the top of his skull. “Drew. I don’t know if I can take this.”

“You can. I’ve got you, mate. I always will. I was born for you.” He growled his last words. “And I’m going to make you come so you remember who you belong to.”

“I always know.” She sighed. “I’ve always been entirely yours.”

Her head was going to explode.

“Trust my love, B. Trust it to catch you.”

Betty lost control, her body spasming as her womb wept the release she needed to survive. Drew’s love enveloped her. Every muscle in her body jolted at the same time. And Drew caught her, not letting her fall.

***

He held her against him in bed, listening to her breathe. She wasn’t asleep, even though her exhaustion ate at him.

Drew rolled over to stroke the slope of B’s nose. “If I ordered you as your Alpha to sleep, would you hate me?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“That you’re not sleeping? I don’t think it warrants an apology.” He loved the way the quiet moments with his mate felt.

“I’m sorry I never told you about Archie. Until I saw him walking past the square, I
had
forgotten. Then all the memories came back. And it’s not as though we’ve had a lot of time to talk this year. You came back, and we got busy. To do so was the right thing. Look how great it all is here? Standing around and talking about some deep, dark secrets better left in the dark? I guess it didn’t even occur to me to try.”

Drew pressed his forehead to hers. “You know you’re not fine, right? Burying it the way you did had ramifications you’re going to have to face. I’m not suggesting you do it immediately. Just let it in and know I’ll be here for whatever you need.”

“I do know.” She breathed out. “I’ll go to Sioux Falls. I keep screwing up this week.”

“If you leave me, I will chase you.” The very idea of her going anywhere without him made his wolf rear up to alertness. Drew would hold onto B with both hands and paws if that was what it took.

“I mean for the holiday.”She rolled her eyes. “I’ll come back.”

“No.” Drew brushed the hair out of her eyes. “This is your Alpha speaking. I want you to go to sleep.”

Her lids lowered. “Thank you, Drew.”

***

Drew walked into the clearing outside Ryker’s cabin and wasn’t at all surprised to see the Enforcer standing out waiting for him despite the late hour. The Enforcer had chosen a home in the deepest part of the woods, far from Los Lobos itself. Isolated. Cold. Lonely, Drew sometimes thought. Or it had been until he’d taken Saja as a mate. Still, the Enforcer didn’t return to town. Days like today made him glad. He didn’t want the bastard Ryker took charge of to be anywhere near town.

“Where did you put him?” Drew wanted to get his hands on Archie, to feel his life drain from his body. The man had touched a young B when she’d been too innocent to know how to handle him. His mate would tear a male like him limb-from-limb as the female she’d become. Drew wasn’t killing Archie for her, he was doing it for the B she’d been.

“In the ground.” Ryker didn’t move. Drew had never known anyone as still as the Enforcer.

His words jolted Drew’s brain. “You killed him?”

“Yes.”

“You knew I was going to.”Drew growled. His Wolf wanted to come out and tear at the world. The beast in him didn’t want to be denied.

Ryker stepped forward. “You’re Alpha. If you kill him, it’s revenge. You can’t be Alpha and seek out personal revenge. You can seek revenge for the pack; that’s different. I’m your Enforcer. I seek vengeance on your behalf.”

“I wanted to kill the male who harmed my female.” Drew glared at the wolf, his voice rising. Fury roiled in his veins. Ryker’d had no right to kill Archie.
Even if he did…and I wanted him dead and Ryker knew that, too.
He didn’t want logic. He wanted blood.
Dammit.
It was the holidays; they were supposed to be
happy
wolves. “Why does it have to be complicated?”

Ryker waited a beat before answering. “Because it is.”

And there was the answer. He nodded. “See you tomorrow for the tree lighting.”

“We’ll be there.” Of course they would. Saja was hosting.

“Right.”

For the first time since his screw-up on the mountain, Drew let his wolf loose. They both needed to run, and Drew was afraid he didn’t know from what. With a snarl to the moon, he ran until all four of his legs burned and the sun presented in the sky.

He had a happy pack and, somehow, he needed to be a happy Alpha for them.

Betty had never been to a tree lighting before. Listening to the humans laugh made her smile and seeing the kids grinning went a long way to wash away the pain from the day before. Not one person had brought the incident with Archie up, and she wondered if it was from Alpha decree.

Wolves didn’t tend to mind their own business. Her head was clearer than it had been in a long time, probably from the thirteen hours she’d slept. Had she ever had so many hours of straight rest before?

“Hi.”Saja joined her. “We went with the wolf, as you can see.”

She looked up to the top of the glowing tree. “I think he looks great. Long tail, proud stance. Looks like he belongs in Los Lobos.”

Saja smiled. “Thank you. I thought so, too. I tried to compare him to Ryker, but my mate didn’t much care for the description.”

B had so many feelings about Ryker, but they would have to be dealt with another time. Everyone was too happy for sad thoughts. She would give him credit. If he could earn the love of a human as wonderful as Saja, he had to have something going for him.

“Are you doing okay?” Saja whispered, and B resumed her feeling they had been ordered not to discuss the incident from the day before with her. “I mean, I don’t want to interfere. But it seems someone should ask.”

Betty patted Saja’s arm. “I’m well. Very refreshed actually. And it doesn’t matter if you whisper. All it does is make those who weren’t tuning into our conversation suddenly more interested.”

Saja laughed, covering her mouth. “Sometimes I forget.”

“Did you hear that everyone? I’m fine. Get back to your night.”

With a sly look in her eyes, Ryker’s human mate leaned closer and whispered, “Ryker really likes it when I….” The humor etched in the words as much as the action would have firmed the other woman in Betty’s good books if she hadn’t already decided she liked her.

Drew appeared at her side. “All okay?”

Saja smiled and walked off. Betty squeezed Drew’s arm. “Can we go somewhere and talk for a bit?”

“Sure. I have to make a speech. I’ll get it done. Give me a minute.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Speech making? Look at you. I’m so proud.”

He furrowed his brow. “I hope you are. I really hope so.”

Betty walked toward the stage to be closer to where Drew stood. He climbed up the podium and cleared his throat. Seconds later, everyone hushed. The power her mate held would burden another man to the point of not being able to function. Drew shouldered it all.

Including her, and she knew she wasn’t making it easy.

“Hey, everyone.”Drew smiled. “Thanks for being here today. I realize it’s been a strange week, and I’ve been hearing stories about what’s been going on with all of you. I have to say, I’m so enormously proud to be your Alpha right now. It’s a gift. Even if some days I seem cranky, I want you to know there isn’t a morning I don’t open my eyes feeling grateful for all of you.”