Jodi_ByTheLight (32 page)

“Your father never told you that you were a wolf. That’s why you were raised away from the Pack, to help protect your identity. When your father realized that you were getting close to puberty, he obtained a drug that would prevent you from shifting.”

Ava shook her head. “I never took any kind of medicine. Not even as a child.”

“But it can be hidden in food. Isn’t that right, General?” Damon snarled.

The blood rushed from her face and she looked at the man she’d considered her father for so many years. “Is that right?”

“Yes.” The General closed his eyes and shook his head. “Your father put it in your food. After he died I continued doing it as well.”

She shook her head. “But what about after I moved out? There’s no way you could have put it in my food then.”

“That coffee you like so much, the one that I always have sent to your house?” He had the decency to look away

“My coffee. You put it in my coffee.” She snorted and looked around. “I thought you belonged to a coffee-of-the-month club and that’s why you always sent me so much.”

“That’s probably why you had headaches in the morning. It wasn’t caffeine headaches, it was the withdrawals from the drug.” Damon crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on the General.

The General took a step toward her. “Ava, I didn’t do this to hurt you.”

She held out her hand and took a deep breath. “Yes, but you still hurt me all the same.”

The General stood silent and, for the first time in her life, Ava realized he didn’t have a clue how to fix the problem.

“Barrett is expecting us, Ava.” Damon’s husky voice sliced through the silence.

She nodded and then looked back at the man she called father. “I understand why you did it. I don’t agree, but I understand.”

The General looked lost. Her heart tugged and she walked into his arms and hugged him. When she pulled back, she whispered, “I still have a lot of questions.”

He nodded and smiled. “I have all the time in the world to talk. Just let me know when.”

***

“Are you okay?” Damon frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“I will be.”

The front door opened and Jayden limped in on crutches. “Damon, my man.” Jayden limped toward him and stuck out his hand. Despite the bruises, Jayden had a big smile plastered on his face. “Glad to see you two got out of that club last night without incident.”

Damon nodded and looked at Jayden’s leg.

“Can’t say the same about you. How’s the healing?”

Jayden shrugged. “Bastards broke it with a baseball bat. Should be completely healed in a couple more days.”

Ava looked between him and Jayden. “A bone will heal that fast?”

“When you’re a werewolf, yes.” Damon nodded. “The bones and tissue heal ten times quicker than that of a human.”

“Well, if you guys are ready, we can head out to the back. The Tribunal has been waiting for the two of you to arrive.”

“I get to come too?” She rubbed her palms on her jeans.

Damon started forward, then turned to face Ava. “Of course. The crime Jenkins committed was against you and Haley.”

“Haley’s here?” Ava gave Jayden a wide-eyed look.

“She is. She’s safe. She will stand with you when the Tribunal begins.”

Ava let out a relieved sigh. Damon couldn’t help but smile. While he had doubted that Haley was still alive, Ava never did. Ava never gave up hope.

“Come on, they’re waiting for us.” Jayden took a step, hesitated, then looked back at Ava.

“What’s wrong?” Damon looked from Jayden to Ava.

“I don’t know.” Jayden cocked his head to the side, looking at Ava. “You look different.”

“What do you mean?” She reached up and ran her hands through her hair. “Is my hair sticking up?”

Jayden froze, his mouth dropping open, fascinated by the motion of her hand.

Damon’s hackles raised as Jayden’s scent filled the air. He whacked him across the chest with the back of his hand. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

Closing his eyes, Jayden inhaled deeply as he leaned toward Ava. “My God, you smell good.”

Damon shoved Jayden back a few feet as possessiveness ripped through his gut. “You need to step the fuck back.”

Jayden, balancing on his good leg, kept staring at Ava, his eyes glossing over.

“What the hell’s wrong with Jayden?” Her breath tickled Damon’s neck as she looked across his shoulder. Her scent, even more wonderfully potent today, was like she’d rolled around in pine needles in a forest.

Fuck. His stomach bottomed out, hitting the floor in a thud. He should have known what had happened, but he’d been too blinded by his lust for her.

Keeping his eyes narrowed on Jayden who was trying to get a better look at Ava, Damon spoke over his shoulder. “Ava, last night after we…”

“I swear Damon, if you say ‘after we fucked,’ I’m going to rip your balls off myself.”

Damon turned. “I was going to say ‘after we made love.’”

A slow grin spread across her face. “You were?”

Jayden took a step closer. Damon growled.

“What’s wrong with Jayden?”

“He …desires you.” Damon curled his hands into fists. Jayden was closer than a brother to him, but when it came to Ava, Damon wouldn’t hesitate to knock him out. “The Queen, when ready to mate, will always draw wolves to her.

“Is that what happened last night between us? Were you just looking to get laid?” Her smile faded.

Damon gritted his teeth. “It was more than just sex, Ava. We both know that.”

“You wouldn’t say two words to me. I thought you regretted last night.”

Damon felt like someone had sucker punched the air out of his lungs. He looked at her. “Are you serious?”

She nodded. Jayden inched closer. Damon punched him in the face. Jayden fell to the ground, out cold. Damon looked back at her.

“Ava, last night was the best experience I’ve had in my life. I’ve never thought I would be worthy of a female like you. Last night you gave yourself to me without inhibitions, without ulterior motives.” Damon brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Damon looked into her eyes. He knew what he must do. He’d known it all along.

“I love you, Damon.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest. “I don’t care what that stupid law says about me being mated to Barrett. I don’t want Barrett. I want you.”

Joy, unexpected and complete, swelled in his chest until he thought he was going to explode. Grabbing her around her waist, Damon pulled her against him and claimed her mouth. Her sweet taste made his head dizzy as her scent enveloped him and seeped into the recesses of his heart.

Holding her face between his hands, he looked into those emerald eyes he’d fallen in love with. “I want to mate you.”

“Well, that’s going to be a problem.” Ryker’s voice echoed menacingly in the room.

Damon tensed, every hair on his body rising. Ryker was Barrett’s second in command. It was no secret that Ryker couldn’t stand Damon’s guts. Hell, the feeling was mutual.

“From what I’ve been hearing, you seem to have your hands on Barrett’s soon-to-be-mate. You know there are rules about that.” Ryker smirked, his lips curling up over his white teeth as if he envisioned disemboweling Damon himself.

“Look, asshole, this is none of your business.” Ava whirled around, lasering her gaze on Ryker, who actually looked a little surprised at her blatant lack of respect.

Damon fought a grin.

“I’m not Barrett’s anything and I’m sure as hell not his mate.” She took a step closer and jabbed her finger in Ryker’s face, his expression going from surprise to deadly serious. “I will mate one Alpha and that’s Damon.”

Ryker growled and Damon pushed Ava behind him. Protective instinct swirled through every inch of his body as the wolf inside roared to life, ready to tear the male to pieces.

Ryker advanced on Damon.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Barrett’s voice boomed through the building as he strode in, owning the room.

“I will not let you have her, Barrett. Let’s be clear about that.” Damon angled himself so he was facing both Ryker and Barrett.

“Yeah, well, I’m still Pack Master here, so I’m in charge.” Barrett thundered. “I have a Tribunal to preside over and you two are holding me up.” Barrett shot a withering glare to both men.

“Barrett…” Damon addressed his leader, but Ava stepped in front of him.

“I refuse to mate anyone but Damon.” Ava tilted her chin up looking him in the eye. “Just thought I’d let you know since you’re the head cheese around here.”

“Head cheese?” Barrett arched his brow as he gave Ava a disbelieving look.

Damon didn’t know whether to laugh or yell at Ava’s lack of respect for Barrett. Instead, he reached for her and cradled her into his side.

Barrett narrowed his eyes, first on Damon and then on Ava. “It seems your female has a lot to learn about respect to her leader.”

“Look, I…” Damon clamped a hand across Ava’s mouth.

Ryker stepped forward. “Wait, did you call her Damon’s female?”

Damon’s heart skipped a couple of beats. He’d thought he’d misunderstood, but if Ryker heard it too, then…

“I’m still Pack Master and I decree who mates who,” Barrett bellowed, his voice low and deadly.

“You said Ava is a pureblood and she is to only to be mated to another whose blood is pure.” Ryker looked at Damon and sneered. “Damon is an orphan.”

Barrett turned his attention to Damon. “You may have grown up an orphan, but after doing some research, I found out who your parents were.”

Damon’s mouth went dry. There was a small part of him that was too afraid to unlock that door of truth. But he knew there was no turning back now. Not if he was going to claim Ava for his own.

“And?” Damon held his breath waiting for Barrett to answer.

“Damon, your parents were Jean Claude Trahan and Marie Le Blanc.”

Damon frowned. “They were French?”

Barrett chuckled. “Not just French, they were descendants of the Duke and Duchess of Villeneuve.”

“What?”

“Damon, you’re royalty.” Ava tightened her arms around his waist.

“I don’t understand.” The air left his lungs as he stared back at Barrett as he tried to comprehend what his Pack Master had just said.

“It means your bloodline is just as pure as mine and Ava’s.” Barrett grinned.

“How did I end up an orphan?”

“Your uncle, who was your only surviving relative, died suddenly. There seemed to be no other relative, so the nuns took you in at the orphanage.”

A million thoughts flooded his mind. “I’m of royal bloodline.”

“Yes, you are.”

Only one thought swept into his mind. He met Barrett’s gaze. “As of royal lineage, I impose my right to claim Ava as my mate from this moment on, never to be parted from her except through death.”

“You sure that’s what Ava wants?” Barrett slid an amused look at Ava. “Women can be quite fickle.”

“I chose Damon to be my mate. I don’t want anyone else.” Ava buried further into his chest and he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face and across his heart.

“So, it is said, so be it.” Barrett put his hand on Damon and Ava’s heads. A warm sensation shot through his body. He glanced at Ava and realized she’d felt it too.

She gazed up at him with love and awe. “Is that it? Are we now mated?”

Damon grinned. “That’s it. You are now my mate.”

“As far as Ava being a queen, we’ll have to see what the Council says. It may take some time to figure out if this will change the Pack and how it rules. This hasn’t happened in a long time. Until then, I suggest you take advantage of the time and go on a honeymoon. Once you’re in charge, your life is no longer your own.” Barrett glanced at Jayden lying on the floor before turning toward the door. “Someone drag Jayden to the Tribunal so we can get this over with. The Hogs are playing LSU tonight.”

Chapter Fifteen

The Tribunal was not at all what Ava had expected. The werewolf Guardians, about fifty in total, formed a circle around the accused, David Jenkins. At first, Jenkins refused to talk, but the second he saw Damon coming for him he started spilling his guts.

Jenkins told them how he was paid money to seek out the purest females and kidnap them. Luckily for them he’d only manage to find Ava and Haley. Their intent had been clear all along, to repopulate their dwindling numbers so they could once again go to war with the gray wolves that now controlled all the territories in North America. Jenkins claimed he had no knowledge of where the serum came from that forced females into heat.

Ava caught a glimpse of Haley as she was ushered in. She was as beautiful as her picture, blond hair and blue eyes that were red from crying. She trembled as she faced Jenkins, visibly upset to be in the same room with her kidnapper. Ava’s heart ached for the girl.

“David Jenkins, you’ve been found guilty for the egregious offense of kidnapping two females. As you are well aware, the penalty for this crime is death.”