Taze (Rise of the Pride, Book 11)

by Theresa Hissong

  “He hates me for training you,” he admitted. “Your brother has some serious issues when it comes to being overprotective.”

  Calla ducked her head and wrapped her arms around herself. He felt a lash of pain across his heart when she wiped away a tear. “He has every right to be protective, Taze. We went through a lot with those wolves.”

  “What happened when you were there, Calla?” Taze’s beast snarled in his head. There was something the two of them were hiding about their time with the wolves. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Is this why you have panic attacks?”

  “I’ve gotten better,” she admitted, skipping over the original question. Taze didn’t miss the fact she wouldn’t tell him everything.

  “You weren’t having them when we were in training,” he admitted, raising a brow when she frowned. His words were true, and if she didn’t like it, he didn’t care. She needed to hear it anyway. “You had a lot of confidence on those mats.”

  “That’s one of the problems!” she yelled, throwing her hands in the air as she came to her feet. Taze wanted to reach out to her to calm her down, but he didn’t. “It drives me fucking crazy when everyone reminds me of my training and how they wish I’d go back to it. No one ever asked me what I want!”

  “I’m sorry,” he replied, lowering his voice. She was upset, and the last thing he should be doing was yelling right back at her. “We are all just confused as to why you suddenly quit.”

  “My path in life changed,” Her voice was calmer, and Taze relaxed when she took her seat again. “Can’t everyone just accept that and move on?”

  “Why are you having the panic attacks?” he pressed, knowing he was getting on her nerves, but he didn’t care. Tough love and all that jazz.

  “I just am, Taze,” she whispered and tightened her fists. “Please, just leave it alone. Leave me alone.”

  Never,” he snarled. “If you haven’t noticed, our panthers have chosen each other as mates. The mating scent we each produce is proof of that.”

  “I’m not going to touch you,” she replied. “It doesn’t matter what my panther wants. I choose not to have a mate.” He wanted to call bullshit when he saw the flash of pain cross her features. She wanted to touch him, and she wanted a mate. But something, or someone, was holding her back.

  “Just know this, Calla, it’s not a matter of if we ever touch, but when.” He squatted down so he was eye level with her. “I don’t give two fucks what your brother says or does to me. I will take a million beatings from him and still want to claim you.”

  “Taze…” she began, but he leaned closer, cutting off whatever excuse she had on her tongue.

  “No, Calla,” he growled, feeling his canines thicken in his mouth. The room took on an amber hue, and he knew his eyes were glowing. “It takes a lot for a Guardian to speak their feelings. We are trained to not be vulnerable, but I’m tired of stepping on glass around you. You will be my mate, but I’m going to respect your choice…for now. I won’t touch you, but you will give in, and when you do, you’re going to have to be the one to initiate contact.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes, and she stared at him in shock as they fell over her lashes, making streaks down her beautiful face. “Just leave, Taze. Please.”

  Chapter Five

  Taze ripped his clothes from his body and shifted as he jumped off his porch. He and his beast needed to run. They needed to hunt.

  He ran until the sun was coming over the horizon. By the time he made it back to his cabin, he was surprised to see his mother there, folding his discarded clothes on the porch. As soon as he approached, Elisa Malone turned toward him with a bright smile.

  “Hello, son,” she beamed. “Thought I’d come by. I didn’t know you were off rotation.”

  Taze shifted and took the stack of clothes from his mother and quickly dressed as soon as he pushed his door open so she could go inside.

  “I took the night off,” he admitted.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as she started tidying up his living room. There wasn’t much to pick up, but she stacked his pile of fishing magazines and placed them on the side table next to his recliner.

  “Mom, you don’t need to clean,” he sighed. “You’re doting, again. What’s going on?”

  His mother always praised her only child, and she was forever trying to do things for him when he didn’t need it. He didn’t mind. They had a great relationship, and he loved her, but when she came over and started nervously cleaning, he knew she had something to ask him or she had bad news.

  “Well,” she began, but paused to wring her hands together. She took a seat on his small love seat and rested her tiny hands on the tops of her knees. “There’s been a rumor going around, and I wanted to know if it’s true.”

  “What now?” he sighed. Those Guardians were worse than old women sometimes. He knew what she was going to ask before the words even left her mouth.

  “Are you and that Marshall girl mates?” she blurted, then blushed profusely. He chuckled at her embarrassment, but sat down in his recliner and leaned forward enough to take her hands into his.

  “Ma, you know I’d never lie to you,” he promised. “Our mating scent has been pretty strong lately when we are near each other, but we haven’t touched.”

  “And why not?” she pressed, looking at him with excitement in her eyes. All she’d ever wanted was to have grandchildren, and he was sure the thought of her only son getting mated was making the gears go haywire in her mind. “She’s a beautiful girl, but she’s been through a lot.”

  “She has been through a lot,” he admitted and lowered his eyes. “Ma, she’s not ready to be mated. We haven’t even explored the mating scents other than her denying the fact that it’s laid out in front of us in black and white. As you know, I have cared for her ever since the alpha pulled my head out of my ass…sorry…but she closed in on herself around her twentieth birthday. Since then, we haven’t spoken much.”

  “Oh, Taze, honey,” she cooed and brought his hands to her lips. “I only want you happy, and I know you are a patient male. It sounds like Calla needs to work through her problems before she is ready to give you a hundred percent of her attention. Give her time, but don’t ever walk away from her. She will accept you.”

  “Thanks, Ma,” he replied and stood to take her into his arms for a warm hug. She was tiny like most females, and he knew his dad still loved her as if they were newly mated. “I hope one day, I can have the type of relationship you and dad have had for so long.”

  “Now, I never said it was easy,” she chuckled as she pulled away. The tops of her cheeks were pink, again. “I gave your father a hard time, too.”

  “What did he do to sway you in favor of mating him?” Taze wanted any and all advice he could get. With Calla, things were not going to be easy.

  “Oh, well,” she hedged. “He basically chewed my ass and told me to get my shit together. Your father is…well, he’s quite the alpha male. I guess I needed a firm hand to get my head straight.”

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Taze gagged a little inside at the thought of what she was saying. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “Well, you take care of yourself out on the streets, and bring your female by the house after you two get your heads out of your asses and make it official.” She pulled his shirt so he would lean down for a kiss on the cheek. “I always wanted a daughter, but my pregnancy with you was too dangerous so we stopped at one. Your father and I wanted a houseful of children. Maybe, grandchildren will suffice.”

  “Good lord, Ma,” he gasped. “I haven’t even touched the female yet.”

  “I know…I know,” she laughed as she patted his chest. “Call your dad sometime this week. I’ll see you later.”

  As soon as she left, Taze climbed in the shower and rested his head against the cool tile. Calla was going to drive him insane. His panther had done nothing but fight with his human side all through t
he night. The animal wanted to lay at her doorstep while Taze pushed him to hunt and burn off some of the energy they were both feeling in regards to the female and her secrecy.

  The more he stayed away from Calla, the more his panther was beginning to protest. He’d fought his desire for her during their training. They were both so young back then.

  He had protective instincts. Hell, he was a Guardian, and that was one of the number one traits to have when applying for the position. He’d always been the one to watch over his family, and most of that was from his father training him at an early age, but the rage he felt at Calla being put in front of the people who were possibly bringing Khat to the rogue alphas was all consuming.

  He’d always felt close to her. She’d recently celebrated her twenty-second birthday, and Taze was going on twenty-six. When he was first accepted into the Guardians and had finally gotten his mind right when it came to the females training, something inside him had been drawn to the young female. He’d taken it upon himself to train her despite her brother’s protests.

  Malaki was a problem, and Taze was starting to put the puzzle pieces together regarding why he was hell bent on keeping Calla away. Malaki was like any other brother, wanting to protect the female at all costs, but Taze just couldn’t get over how…intense he was. Savage had a baby sister, and even the big, scary ass Guardian wasn’t as close to Sophia.

  He turned off the shower and ended up in his bed with more questions than he had when he showed up at Calla’s door the night before. With any luck, he’d get some sleep, but as the hours ticked away on the clock, Taze couldn’t shake the feeling the two of them had kept a lot of things that happened during her kidnapping quiet. He even doubted the alpha knew what was going on.

  Talon looked over the reports and cursed as he read off the names of the passengers sent to Colorado the night before. Sixty percent of those captured were female. It was obvious the alpha was smarter than the FBI and the pride were giving him credit for when it came to this new war.

  The rogues had already hijacked two delivery trucks meant for local pharmacies. When the shipments were located, all of the controlled drugs were missing. It didn’t take long to realize the rogues were suspects after a surveillance video was acquired showing two males and a wolf attacking the driver.

  It killed Talon to know those humans were being turned and brainwashed by some sick son of a bitch. He couldn’t figure out who Holden Manzelli was, and it was driving him mad. He’d consulted with Garrett on several occasions, and it was a tough decision to ask Calla to do some snooping once he’d found out she’d seen the Amburo brother and sister together.

  He’d known things would be tense when she walked into the closed-door meeting with the information in hand. Seeing Taze and her brother still at each other’s throats didn’t surprise him. He’d been trying for years to get those two males to get along. The only thing left to do was to use his magic to force them to submit and behave, but he didn’t want to do that.

  Calla was fighting her own battles, and while Talon knew the female was going to be mated to Taze just from the mating scent he produced at the meeting, they both needed to work things out with Malaki.

  The healer had come by early that morning, requesting a private moment with Talon as he finished up his breakfast. Harold stuck to his strict patient/healer rule of keeping most things private, but when it came to someone’s safety, it was important for the alpha to know.

  Calla had lost consciousness the evening before when Taze had stopped by her house. The anxiety was the culprit for the episode, and Harold had been concerned when she gave him a little information as to why it had happened.

  He’d known about her anxiety issues, and he’d even noticed she held her head higher in the training facility. Since she’d turned twenty, things had changed. She’d come to him with a plan and a speech in place to get his approval for her to start law school and take a job with the humans. The Guardians had expressed their concerns, but Talon knew she wanted to help the people of her species. And he allowed it, because with the new ways of the world, they were going to need someone to represent them should the time come when it was needed.

  The last thing he wanted to do was to cause more stress for her. She was an essential part of the effort to stop the drug given to the Gadaí, but if she was going to have the two men in her life causing her stress, he’d rather pull her from further assignments.

  He texted Calla, requesting she come by his office after lunch. He didn’t want her to feel anxious by telling her to come by right away. The female had come to him a broken shell of a child, and he’d taken her and her brother into his home and family.

  They’d thrived with the love of the pride. Both of them worked hard to get their high school diplomas by utilizing a home school program after Garrett had pulled some strings to get Talon and Liberty custody of the two juveniles.

  “Talon?” Winter called out as he knocked on the open office door. “Got a minute?”

  “Sure,” he replied and waved toward the guest seats in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

  “I wanted to go over some information with you regarding the businesses,” Winter began, dropping two packets on the desk; one for each company Talon owned. Talon had been the head of Shaw Security Specialists and Shaw Construction for many years, but when the threat to their species caused his safety to be questioned, he gave Winter the reins to them.

  “What are these?” Talon frowned as he opened the folders.

  “Sales reports,” Winter frowned. “The security firm is slow, but the construction side is thriving. I’d like to shift some of the humans around. We have three security guards at the firm that are also laborers. They have shown a willingness to move over since there is no work for them at SSI.”

  Talon thumbed through the reports and shook his head at the drop in clients. It was important he keep the security firm open to give some backing to the Guardians’ activities. They’d helped find local missing children and elderly humans with dementia many times over the years. Other times, they worked security for some big named celebrities or performers when they would come through town.

  “I agree with your decision.” Talon nodded and closed the folder. “Give them the same rate of pay they were making at the firm, though. Those men have families and need the money.”

  “Will do,” Winter replied and took the folders as he left for the office.

  Talon rocked back in his chair, ignoring the protest from the springs at his large size. Closing his eyes, he remembered a simpler time when things weren’t so crazy and humans weren’t out to collect them like test rats.

  So far, they’d kept most of their secrets, but at what point would everything come out? It was the ultimate question, and no one could give him a solid answer. He wanted to keep his life secret, and for the most part, he had, but with each passing year, something was always waiting for them around the bend.

  Gods, he hated it.

  Liberty arrived with lunch, and they took some time to eat together. It was nice having his mate home for once. She’d been working a lot lately at her bar, The Deuce. Ever since the Guardians and Protectors had been split up to work half on the land and the other half with the FBI, she’d be working for Olivia on nights Dane and Cole were off together.

  “Alpha?” Calla called out as she knocked on the door.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Liberty said as she gathered their plates and climbed off his lap.

  “Come in, Calla” he greeted her. “Have a seat.”

  Liberty stopped to give the female a warm hug and shut the door on her way out. There was a sadness in her eyes as she gave him one last glance.

  “Is there something wrong?” She immediately clasped her hands together and he saw her jaw clench.

  “I want you to relax,” he said right before he sent out a wave of calm to give her a moment to breath without worry for once.

  “Thank you, alpha,” she replied, but sighed heavily.
“If you’re trying to calm me, that means you have some news I probably don’t want to hear.”

  “It’s not that,” he promised. “I wanted to talk to you about your visit with Harold.”

  “I had a feeling he was going to come to you.” Calla scowled but straightened her spine. Whatever calm he’d sent her was replaced with determination. The female had manners, and he respected her for that. She’d never been a problem child like most teenagers, but she was also kidnapped and tortured while being held captive during the time she should’ve been in school, hanging out with her friends on the weekends.

  “You know he keeps to his policy of confidentiality unless he believes a pride member is in danger.” Talon stood up and walked around his desk. Seeing the tears well up in her eyes, he didn’t want to be on the other side of that desk in the alpha position. Instead, he took the other guest seat and turned it around so he was facing the female. “Is there something you haven’t told me about your time with the wolves?”

  “I know I have been having anxiety lately,” she blurted, skipping over his question. “I’ve been asked so many times about coming back to the training program that I’m sick of it, alpha.”

  “Is it your brother?” he pressed, frowning when she covered her face with her hands. She was barely keeping it together, and he could feel her frustration and anger as if it were his own.

  “It’s a lot of things,” she sighed. “Can we just get over the fact that I have made my decision to study for my law degree?”

  “You can do whatever you want, Calla,” Talon said, clearing his throat. “You have your entire life ahead of you, and you can make your own path. Don’t let others decide for you. If you do that, you will be miserable. As your alpha, I want you to find things that make you happy. I want you to grow and thrive here. As your friend, I hate seeing you going through so much, and the trauma you experienced as a teenager has lingered for long enough. You are a strong female, and its time you take back the reins of your life. Quit living for what everyone wants for you. Live for yourself.”