Wolf's Return (Black Hills Wolves Book 1) (4 page)

Her heart rate picked up. “What do you mean?”

“I had decided to mate your little sister. I liked the way Holden girls took care of your mates. I wanted her.”

Her sister? Luanne? “She was sixteen years old then.” Now, she was twenty-six and living off-pack with Betty’s parents. They’d left shortly after Drew, wanted her to come with them. But it had seemed pivotal to stay, to help, and if she was honest, back then she’d really thought Drew would come back. She’d wanted to be there when he did.

“Drew objected.”

She whirled on Drew. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“There wasn’t time. I did the only thing I could. He was Alpha. He could do what he wished.”

“I gave Drew a choice. Take banishment and I’d leave your family alone.”

“What you actually said to me, Father, was you’d leave her family alone and you’d take care of the pack better. You’d handle everything as if I was still here. You’d do that, and I’d take my banishment.”

“You’d leave and Elizabeth would remain here. That was my stipulation, right, boy? You couldn’t have a moment of comfort. Not one. No mate. No friends. Total banishment. And yet, you are here.”

Betty could hardly hear over the ringing in her ears. Magnum had threatened her family. Drew had to leave her and the pack or Magnum would have gone after her little sister? Her throat went dry.

“And yet, you let all of it go to hell. You took care of nothing. The pack is scattered, gone. You let this happen because you believed I’d never come back to check. I’d take my banishment like the good wolf I was and you could do whatever you wanted. Shame on me for not knowing you would do that.” He shook his head.

“I never wanted this pack. Your mother shoved it on me. Insisted I take my rightful place. The Tao way. But she was weak, like you, and before I die I’m going to put an end to all of this. The Black Hills Wolves die with me.”

“You’re psychotic.” She couldn’t keep her mouth closed any longer. “Sociopathic. This pack was gift.”

“You try listening to people whine every day. ‘Oh, woe is me, Alpha, fix my life.’ It’s all a bunch of crap.”

She launched herself at him and would have hit him if Drew hadn’t grabbed her and pulled her back. With her feet off the ground, she struggled in his arms. “B, don’t. You’ll never forgive yourself. Pack means something to you. You don’t hurt your Alpha.”

“He’s a sick bastard.” Even saying the words made her head pound. Drew spoke the truth. Even speaking badly about the pack leader went against every instinct in her body.

“Yes, he is. And that’s why I’m going to kill him.” He set her back down on the ground “Right now.”

The Alpha’s five goons moved to surround him. Drew held up his hand to stop their motion. “Now, now, you five. We still allow Alpha challenges in what remains of this pack, don’t we? You wouldn’t want me to think my father is incompetent? Unable to handle a challenge from weak, lamed me?”

Betty didn’t like his words, but his tone suggested he didn’t consider himself to be the words he spoke. Magnum raised his eyebrows. “As you heard, I have recently been sick.”

“Someone was poisoning you. Why bother stopping them? I thought you wanted to be rid of the pack? Die and let someone else take it over.”

Magnum leaned forward. “I say when and how I die.”

“Is that so?” She stepped forward. “Because you were almost dead. For the last six months or so, someone had been poisoning your food. Doesn’t sound like you have any idea who. That sounds like very little control of your destiny to me.”

“The traitor will be found.”

Drew shook his head. “Don’t count on it. I have no intention of figuring out who did this s once I’m Alpha. In fact, should that person volunteer to tell me, I’ll reward them.”

Magnum growled, showing his teeth. “Even weakened, I can take you.”

“My Alpha….” Cam tried to interrupt, but Magnum cut him off.

“Everyone wait while I kill my son. I should have done so ten years ago when you questioned me. I was too kind then.”

Drew turned to her. “If I lose, you’re going to want to run. He’ll turn on you next. If I win, feel free to take out any of the five of his posse you want. They’re going to have to be killed before the day is over.”

She swallowed. “Drew, are you sure…?”

“I couldn’t kill him ten years ago. He was my father, my Alpha. I just couldn’t. Things have changed. My father is a dead man. Forgive me for failing you then. I never will again.”

Just then her heart turned over. Damn Drew Tao. If he lived through the fight, she’d have to figure out how to handle him. She just needed him to kill the bastard who had wanted her sixteen-year-old sister.

“Kill him.” She gritted her teeth. “Make it hurt.”

 “I hate you. If your mother hadn’t insisted you were mine, I’d have put you down at birth.”
  Drew blinked away the memories of his tenth birthday.

Ten years ago, Drew’s knees had quaked when he’d stood in front of his father and taken a banishment to protect his mate’s family. He didn’t feel even a smidgen of fear. What did he have to lose? Magnum Tao, his own father, had taken everything from him and for no other reason than to punish him for his mother’s decisions.

The woman who had borne him was long dead. No amount of pain Drew took could harm her anymore. B hated him—that much was clear. The best he could do for her would be to fix the pack they had both loved. Their relationship would always be a hollowed-out gouge in his soul he’d never be able to fill.

But he could be the wolf his mother had raised him to be. He could get rid of the monstrosity killing his pack.

In the old days, he would have insisted on waiting till his father healed totally. But with his own bad leg, he’d take any edge he had.

The door slammed open, and Ryker walked in. This time he was alone. Not surprising. This was pack business, and Gee would only interfere so far before he stepped back. Ryker, by contrast, should be present if there was an Alpha challenge occurring.

He walked into the room, his expression unreadable. Drew preferred it that way. He had a feeling if he ever really knew the Enforcer’s thoughts, he wouldn’t like what they were.

A muscle ticked in his father’s jaw. “Ryker. I suppose I should have figured you’d show up. Did you know the bastard came here to challenge me?”

Ryker shook his head. “No.”

Drew might have laughed if the situation had been at all appropriate for humor. No, Ryker hadn’t known he was here with Magnum. The man hadn’t lied. He’d answered the exact question asked of him. Ryker had always been like that—a useful skill Drew needed to learn.

“I’ve been Alpha challenged.”

Ryker didn’t utter a word to indicate whether he’d heard or not heard what Magnum had said. But if Ryker had wanted to stop what happened here, he no doubt could. If the other man had ever wanted to be Alpha, Drew wouldn’t be here fighting for the right.

“Ryker isn’t going to stop a true challenge,” Drew shouted out at his father. “Shift or give in verbally to defeat, and maybe I’ll let you live.”

“Never.”

Drew hadn’t really thought his father would. Magnum hadn’t become the bully he was by wimping away from fights. He never backed down, and he’d always won.

Drew would either be his latest victim or the one to put a stop to this. His father shifted into his black-wolf form. Even his eyes darkened when he shifted. He stared at the man who had sired him for a moment. Magnum wouldn’t attack until Drew had shifted, not with Ryker watching. The others wouldn’t interfere—not unless they wanted Ryker to rip out their throats. It was all the Enforcer could do for him.

It was more than enough.

“Win, Drew.” His mate’s voice filled the room.

He turned his head slightly to take one last look at her. She’d always been lovely. High cheekbones, straight nose, perfect blue eyes. “I’ll do my best, B. I owe you that much.”

He returned his attention to his father. The old wolf growled. Drew raised an eyebrow. How could he feel so calm and collected? Shouldn’t he be terrified, worked up?

A six-year-old Drew stared up at his father. “See all of this. It’s mine. Someday, it may even be yours. But probably not.”

He sniffed, wiping at his eyes. It wouldn’t do to have his father see him cry. “Why not?”

His larger-than-life father loomed over him. “Because I’ll never die, and you’ll be dead before your thirty. Wimpy mama’s boys always are.

Drew bit down on his lip. His mother wouldn’t like his daddy talking to him like that. She’d even get into a fight about it, which was why Drew would never tell her. Things were hard enough
.

“Well, it’s time.”

Drew shifted into his own wolf form. Eye-to-eye, he actually didn’t find his father intimidating. They were the same size as wolves. Had that always been, or had he grown in the last ten years?

Magnum stared down at him. It was the day he was supposed to mate B. Life couldn’t be better in every way except he had to have his father around. But turning away the Alpha, who happened to be his father, from the dinner celebrating his mating wouldn’t work out well for him.

“You’re so small. How is that possible? How could a son I sired be so damn puny? Pathetic really. How can this girl be mating you? Do you even know how to get it up?”

Size didn’t matter. What counted was a decade ago his father had felt larger than life and he didn’t anymore. He wasn’t sure if Gee and Ryker had some plan for this when Gee called him back, but he appreciated the fact Ryker had attacked him. Fighting his father wasn’t his first wolf fight in ten years. He’d already been attacked once since his return.

His father lunged at him, and Drew snorted. Maybe it was his old man who didn’t remember how to fight. Luring the opponent into you territory was key in making the first move.

Drew dodged out of the way, moving left and letting his father slide to the side. He huffed before growling loudly. That was okay. His sire could demonstrate his toughness for the whole room to see if he wanted. It didn’t change the fact Drew had a view of the other wolf’s pulse in his neck. His father’s heart pounded fast, and it called to Drew to terminate it.

His father had wanted ruthless, lethal wolves. It looked like, after all these years, his sire finally had the son he’d always wanted.

They were going to burn down the poor man’s house, and they were going to pretend it was just because they were Wolves and they couldn’t control themselves. Some farmer who had the unfortunate problem of living ten miles from the border of pack land. For years, some of the Wolves had tortured him, and it was all sanctioned by his father. But tonight, he wouldn’t allow it to continue. Drew just couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I won’t let you burn down his barn.” He waited a second. As expected, his father turned around to regard him. “Do you hear me, Father? He’s eighty years old. Let the old man alone. He’s never bothered any of us.”

Magnum shook his head. “Your mother isn’t here to protect you, Drew. You’re going to wish you hadn’t spoken out of turn.”

Maybe he would. But it was the right thing to do. And he had B. He needed to honor his mate, always, by being the best shifter he could.

Drew leaped forward. The second his teeth closed down on his father’s throat, the world around him blurred. Life became nothing more than the dance of survival. He would kill his father, or he would die trying. One, not both of them, would walk away from this. It shouldn’t have had to come to this. Alphas had, for a long time in the Black Hills, been relinquishing Alpha-ships to their sons or worthy males of the pack. The days of fighting to the death had been behind them.

Too bad Magnum Tao had never done what was needed. This had been going on for too long.

Magnum pulled back and darted behind Drew. His earlier attack to his father’s throat had slowed but not stopped him.

The Alpha had never been a slouch, and recovering or not, he tore a long piece of fur off Drew. It burned, but he ignored the pain and used the sudden surge of more adrenaline to push forward. His skin would hurt later, but he needed to live to know after-fight pain.

Time ceased to exist. It might have been minutes, hours, or days. At some point, they’d drawn a crowd. He could smell the other wolves there. And Gee had arrived. At last, with his limbs aching, his jaw broken, and his fur torn apart, Drew knew he’d reached the end of the line. He had to kill him or take a step back and embrace his own death. With a snarl, he took one last chomp at his father’s neck. The Alpha—or former—of his pack, the man who had tormented him since the moment of his birth, shuddered once. Drew let go. With Magnum’s blood on his tongue, he knew the Alpha, his father and the destroyer of the pack, had died.

Drew panted, stepping back from the scene. If he’d been a real wolf, he would glory in his prey. Eat him, swallow and feed on his blood. But he’d never lost his human side. The truth was Drew had killed his father, and he’d been completely cognizant of what he’d done.

 
“You’ll never be worthy of your name, boy. Do you hear me?”

“You’re worthless.”

“This pack doesn’t need you, and neither do I. Go home before you wet yourself.”

“I wish you’d never been born.”

He called the shift onto himself. His body—so achingly slowly—changed back into his human form. For a second, he thought he managed to make the alteration without too much trouble, and then his left leg gave out. He knew what would happen, he’d hit the ground with a thud.

“Good-bye, Father.” He breathed out to the ground. “Don’t come back from the dead. No one needs your haunting here.”

Hands reached out and grabbed him. Immediately, he was overwhelmed by her scent. Betty had tremendous strength, even for one of their kind, and she managed to keep him upright until his bad leg recovered.