ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (62 page)

“So, you were well prepared.”  Dalton’s tone had become deadly.  “How strong is your pack?”

“What?”  Sweat dripped down the sides of his face. 

“How many are there?”

“Ten.  There’s ten of us.”

“Does that include the two from my pack?”

He shook his head.  “They left after your first meeting.  They said Mike was fool to try and take your pack.”

“And Eastern Spotsy?  Has he taken it?”

The man shook his head.  “No.  Not yet.”

“Not ever.”  Dalton whispered and loosened his grip.  He straightened and looked at Chuck and Brian.  “Boys, we’re going to take a little drive.”  He focused on the man again.  “What’s your name?”

“Randolph.”

“Well, Randolph, you’re going to tell us where to find Mike, then we are going to deliver a little package to your alpha.  But first, you’re going to make some calls to get your whole pack assembled.”  Dalton held his hand over the hood of the car and took the taser from Chuck. 

“What kind of package?”

Dalton smiled and turned on the taser.  “You.”

Thomas answered the phone with a sigh.  He had been waiting for this call, or at least a call of some sort from Dalton.  He was surprised it hadn’t come sooner.

“Hello Dalton.”

“Hi, Thomas.  I need a favor.”

“Of course you do.  Still looking for that mate?”

“No, I’ve found one.”

“Glad to hear it.  So, what’s the favor?”

Dalton scratched the back of his head and looked down at the now unconscious Randolph in the bed of his truck.  “A rival pack wants what I have.  I have one of his men.  I plan on meeting with his entire pack tonight.”

Thomas sat forward, then stood, taking the phone into his bedroom.  His wife looked up as he passed by, but he ignored her questioning gaze. 

“Alright, Dalton.  What can I do for you?”

“I need you to come to Fredericksburg.  Not the pack, just you.”

Thomas’s eyes narrowed.  “Why?”

Dalton licked his lips.  He hated what he was about to say, but it may be the only way for his plan to work.  “I want to announce a partnership.  I want it understood that we are sister packs.  Individual but together at the same time.” 

Thomas leaned against one wall of his bedroom.  He didn’t answer right away. 

“Thomas?”

“I’m here.  You know something like this has to pass pack approval.” 

“I know, and we can do this formally later, but it’s vital I have your support tonight.” 

Thomas nodded as if Dalton was right there in front of him.  “You know, sister packs have responsibilities to each other.”

Dalton closed his eyes.  “Yes, I know.”  He opened his eyes and looked at each of his pack mates, those he was responsible for; even the two friends of Autumn’s who had come to help.  He looked the hardest at Autumn herself: his love, his prize.  “The thing is, Thomas…I have a responsibility here.  I have to protect the pack.  I’ll do whatever I need to for that.”  He ended quietly. 

Thomas nodded again, a half-smile curving one side of his lips.  “Who would have thought it?”

“Thought what?”

“That you’d ever grow up.”

Dalton blew air through his nose in a short burst.  “I have a long way to go still.”

“The fact that you can swallow your pride enough to say that just further proves it to me.  I don’t think the pack will object.  They all remember you fondly, I think.  I’ll be there.  What time is the meeting?”

“Ten.” 

“I’ll have enough time.  Now, tell me how this all came about.”

Dalton spent the next twenty minutes giving his old alpha the skeleton version of what had transpired over the past couple of weeks. 

Thomas laughed out loud when Dalton had finished.  “You have a knack for trouble, as usual!  Let me give you two pieces of advice first: try to get the ones from Syria to stay on with you, and make sure Autumn stays happy and secure.   It sounds like she’s perfect for you.”  He sobered before continuing.  “Daniel Blacksmith will be a discussion for us after we deal with Mike Rodgers.  I know of Mike and his bark is far worse than his bite, but he is a ruthless bastard with absolutely no loyalties beyond himself.  If we play this right, we may not have to shed one drop of blood, and Fredericksburg might be a free area afterwards.” 

Dalton took Autumn’s hand in his.  She had barely spoken since they had returned home and he had called Thomas. 

“I know this has been a lot.” 

“You think?”  She asked absently.  She turned her head and looked at him, her eyes haunted.  “That drug is a sedative, a strong sedative.”

“Yes.”  He looked grim. 

“I’ve heard of it.  It’s used in date rapes sometimes.”

“I know.” 

“I found the pill forms on Teddy last year.”

Dalton’s eyes widened.  “What?”

“That’s when I started inviting him to stay over more.  I didn’t do it to keep an eye on him for cheating, I did it to protect other women.”

“My God.  Why…”

“Didn’t I leave him?”  She asked bitterly.  “Because I didn’t know I deserved better.”

Dalton kissed her lightly.  “I’ll always try to be better, Autumn.  I’ll never stop trying to be more for you.”

“Me too.  I’ll try to be the best mate you could ever want.” 

He pulled her to his chest, he wasn’t thinking about sex or how nice she smelled; he was thinking how he would lay down his very life for her.  He couldn’t pull her in close enough. 

“I want you to take a nap.  Mika is taking one too.  We won’t be meeting Thomas until eight to finalize the plans.” 

Autumn didn’t feel like sleeping, but she nodded her head anyway.  Dalton stood and kissed her on the top of her head. 

Autumn laid back on Dalton’s bed and allowed her mind to unravel the bizarre instances which had so sharply shaped her life for the past two weeks.  She knew a normal woman would be running for the hills, or running back to her old life, regardless of how horrible it had been.  Yet, Autumn was simply accepting of these strange events.  Her fear fed the acute desire to fit within the new supernatural world that she had been brought into.  As her eyes reluctantly slid closed, she knew without a doubt, that she wouldn’t have traded any of it.

Brian walked over to Dalton, the afternoon sun slanting long shadows across the yard.  Dalton was checking the ties on their still unconscious captive.  He had to say something to his leader, a thing he may not want to hear, but he needed to do it before something happened that could have been prevented. 

“How’s he holding up?”

“Sleeping like a baby.”

Brian nodded absently, his eyes far off.  Dalton frowned, angling his body to face him. 

“What’s on your mind?”

Brian flicked his tongue across his lower lip, and lifted his liquid brown eyes.   “I want to talk to you about Autumn.”

“Ok.”  Dalton’s insides did a flop.  Would her being human all of a sudden be a problem?  He hoped not.  She was staying with him no matter what. 

“You know I have the sight?”

“Yeah…”  Dalton replied slowly.  “I can’t say I completely understand it, but I know you get visions.” 

Brian ran a hand along the back of his neck.  He didn’t like to talk about the gift.  He had accepted it when he was a boy.  Even before he was a werewolf, he had the sight, but he still had trouble explaining it. 

“It’s more like feelings than visions.  Strong hunches, I guess.”

Dalton was already growing impatient.  “What does this have to do with Autumn?” 

“When I first saw her…I could see a darkness in her.”

Dalton felt relief course through him.  “Oh well, she had a rough life before I took her.  She was abused.  Plus, she had just been introduced into our world.”

“No, that’s not it.  It’s something in her….but not quite.”  He looked at Dalton, helpless to explain better.  “It’s something coming for her.  She’s going to be paranormal…but I just don’t know what kind.”

Dalton’s relief stilled, and was replaced by a keen sense of dread.  “You don’t know?”  He licked his lips once.  “There’s a lot of different paranormal things to be, Brian.”

“I know.  I just thought I should tell you…you know…since we have to do this thing tonight, and since this Daniel guy may or may not be coming after her.” 

Dalton lifted his hand to silence him.  There was movement in the bed of the truck. 

“Hello, sunshine.”  Dalton smiled coldly and nimbly jumped into the bed of the truck. 

Randolph squirmed, the whites of his eyes showing as he looked up fearfully at Dalton.

“Don’t hurt yourself.  You’re hog tied, and you could do some real damage.”  Dalton looked at Brian happily.  “I think he needs another shot before he remembers that he’s a big bad strong werewolf.”

Randolph thrashed as hard as he could, shaking his head and trying to scream through the rag that was stuffed in his mouth. 

“Yes, he definitely needs another shot.” 

Dalton watched Autumn sleeping for over ten minutes.  Brian’s words were pushing through his mind like a rerun freight train.  Brian’s “hunches” had never been wrong. 

Maybe I should just give her my gift, then we won’t have to worry about it.

Another memory of Thomas mentoring him flashed past his inner eye.  It had been one of their first times together.  Dalton shook his head at his own arrogance and stupidity. 

“I don’t see where it matters, Thomas!”  Dalton walked ahead and stood on the bottom rung of the wooden fencing for the horse corral, allowing his arms to dangle over the other side.

Thomas approached in his usual slow and steady way.  He looked out over the corral with his elbows on the top of the fence. 

“It matters, Dalton.  You can’t force our gift on a human…not ever.”  He pulled a toothpick out of his front pocket and placed it in his mouth.  “Ever heard of the old saying, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what this is like.  You can’t turn a human against their will.  The only time it’s acceptable is if they are dying and you think it may save them.  Otherwise, we are no better than those bastard suckers.”   He had turned his head sadly to Dalton.  “A bite from one of us won’t cure cancer.”  

Dalton shook his head at the memory.  He had learned that his best friend was dying; dying of cancer, and Dalton had wanted to save him.

The group pulled into the Westwood shopping center at exactly eight o’clock; a small train of three vehicles.  Autumn, Dalton, and Mika were in Dalton’s red Focus, Winnie and Chuck in their truck, and Brian with Chris and Trina brought up the rear in Randolph’s car.  Randolph himself slumbered in the trunk.

Thomas got out of his truck as the small parade circled the lower end of the parking lot slowly.  Dalton pulled up beside him and grinned.  He had missed his old leader, and seeing his tall blonde headed frame in person confirmed it for him. 

Everyone got out of their vehicles and introductions were made.  Winnie and Chuck waited for Dalton to embrace Thomas before grabbing him too. 

Dalton gently took Autumn by the hand and pulled her forward.  “This is Autumn Coates, my fiancée.” 

Thomas smiled warmly at her.  “It’s a pleasure.”  He looked at Dalton and winked.  “All three criteria?” 

Dalton nodded.  A conspiratorial look passing between the two men.  “I completely understand now…at least on two points for sure.”

“What’s he talking about?”  Autumn whispered. 

Dalton shook his head and laughed.  “I’ll tell you later.” 

Thomas looked at all of them, his eyes weighing and assessing.  “Ok.  Dalton, what’s the plan?” 

They talked until after nine, before getting back in their vehicles to wait until ten.  A concrete and, hopefully, successful plan ready to execute. 

Mike Rodgers poured bourbon into a glass and held it up to the light.  “Ambrosia for a Wolf God.”  He laughed heartily and several of his pack joined in.  The rest looked at each other nervously.  “After tonight, the two we lost earlier this week won’t matter!”  He looked at them levelly.  “We’ll be at least four more strong.”

“Are you sure that’s Dalton’s intentions?”  A man whispered close to Mike’s ear.  He had no desire for any of the others to hear him, but Mike didn’t seem to care. 

“Of course it is!”  He said loudly.  “Why else would Randolph bring all of them?  I personally can’t wait to have the two humans in the pack.”  His eyes hardened, and his lips twisted in an evil way.  “Hell yes.”  He finished to himself. 

Dalton looked at the large house and shook his head ruefully.  It was an old three story Victorian in the heart of down town Fredericksburg.  The pinkish paint was peeling in spots and the small squares of grass in the front yard badly needed a trim. 

“Why have a house with this much potential, only to allow it to fall to pieces?”