Fuck you, Linden.
I braided my wet hair to the side, making sure there was nothing blocking the view of the bite mark. The silver chain of my necklace rubbed the broken skin, but I relished the reminder that the mark existed.
“Whoa,” Tate said, eyes huge as I stepped out of the cabin and met her outside.
I had decided after eating and trying to call Mom, who didn’t answer, to go to the afternoon session. I wasn’t hiding from Linden or anyone else. I had texted Remy to let him know I would be there, but he was stuck in meetings.
“I take it things with Remy went well?” Tate’s eyes sparkled as a smile spread across her face.
I couldn’t stop my grin. “Yeah. We’re good.”
She bit down on her lip, trying to hide her spreading grin. “Like … how good?”
I smirked, meeting her gaze so the meaning was clear. “Freaking amazing.”
“Fabulous,” she remarked with a giggle, her gaze focused on the mark on my shoulder. “Does that hurt? It looks like it hurts.”
I shrugged. “Not really.”
She smiled, impressed. “Damn, girl. You realize that the second we walk inside that meeting, everyone is going to know what you two were up to last night?”
My smile grew. “Exactly.”
She gave a low whistle as she fell into step with me. “You’re a badass, Skye Markham.”
A few people were on the main path heading to the lodge. I kept my head up, ignoring the whispers and stares as people saw the healing mark engraved in my neck. But it seemed that as quickly as they registered the bite mark, their eyes immediately looked away.
“You’re claimed,” Tate murmured to me. “You’re a bonded mate; it can be viewed as a challenge to Remy if they look at you for too long.”
Tate and I stepped through the open front doors, and into a crowd of Alphas.
It was hard not to react to conversations dying off as eyes snapped to us. I scanned the crowd, smiling when I saw Remy and Dante talking to Griffin.
Remy’s eyes lifted, his wolf searching for mine before he even realized what he was doing. Our gazes connected, and I saw the flare of surprised appreciation flash across his face. He grinned when he saw me, stepping around Dante to cross the room to me.
All the stares and whispers faded into white noise as soon as he pulled me into his arms, kissing me soundly in front of a room of Alphas.
“You should’ve texted me. I would have come and gotten you,” he told me softly, his look serious as he pulled back. “I don’t want you wandering around here by yourself with Linden and Preston around.”
“I hardly see myself as a threat to my own niece,” Linden drawled beside us.
We turned to see Linden hovering beside us.
His green eyes studied the mark on my neck, the lines around his mouth tightening.
Remy angled his body in front of mine, making sure to put himself between Linden and me.
“What do you want, Markham?” he demanded.
We had the attention of everyone now, all conversations ceasing to study us with open fascination and interest.
I shifted my weight forward, unable to stop myself from touching Remy’s back.
Linden changed his focus to Remy. “Forcibly marking my niece in a pathetic attempt to stake your claim on her is childish. Like a dog pissing on its favorite toy. The Council will see through this.”
“Forcibly?” I echoed, tilted my head to the side. “I can assure you that I was a willing participant all,” I pretended to count on my fingers, “five times.”
A ripple of nervous laughter swept the room, and Linden actually flushed. Remy’s massive shoulders shook as he tried holding in his own chuckles.
“The only people who ever forced me to do anything came from your pack,” I added.
A new wave of whispers swirled around the room, but this time the stares were focused on my uncle along with several suspicious looks.
Linden glared at me before cutting his eyes to Remy. “She speaks for you, alpha?”
Remy’s lips curved into a smirk as he stepped back so we were side by side. He folded his muscular arms across his broad chest.
He was an alpha—my alpha—but he was showing Linden, and all of the men in the room that we were equals in his eyes.
“Skye is my mate. She absolutely speaks for me.”
A loud gong signaled the start of the afternoon session, and people began heading for the doors until it was just the three of us standing outside the room. Dante and Tate had hesitated by the doors for a second before Remy gave them a dismissive nod.
Linden’s eyes were full of venom. “I suppose you’re pleased with yourself, Skye.”
My fingers floated up to touch the scarring flesh. “You said it yourself, Uncle,” I started, my tone biting, “a bond isn’t recognized by Pack Law until it's consummated. I’m just playing by your rules.”
His lips curled into a snarl. “My dear girl, you have no idea what game you’re playing or what the rules are. But I look forward to educating you.”
“Watch yourself,” Remy said softly, his tone deceptively calm. “Skye’s my mate. If you threaten her, you threaten me and my pack, including our allies. That’s a fight you can’t win, Markham, and we both know it.”
Linden’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll see about that, boy.” He spun and stormed into the meeting room.
Remy sighed and turned to face me. “That was exciting,” he muttered. “You definitely got the attention of every Alpha here.”
I stepped closer to him, sliding my arms up and around his neck. “That was kind of the point.”
He raised his brows, his hands settling on my hips.
“Linden needs to know he isn’t controlling this,” I explained. “I’m tired of letting him think he has all the power here.”
“I get that,” he replied, “but don’t underestimate your uncle. I’ve watched him at the Summit for years. He’s dangerous.”
“He’s a monster,” I retorted.
“All the more reason to tread lightly,” Remy advised. “He’s planning something, I can feel it.”
That made me pause. Remy was right; Linden wouldn’t let something like me being claimed by Remy stop him from getting what he wanted. My uncle was many things, but he was also smart and manipulative.
“We should get in there,” I said.
Remy nodded, taking my hand and leading me into the room as the doors started to close. He left me in the gallery with Tate and Daniel. I slipped into the seat between them as the meeting began.
“Damn,” Daniel whispered, eyeing me as Remy headed towards the front of the room where Gabe waited.
Gabe looked back, flashing me a big smile before turning his attention to an Alpha complaining about boundary lines.
“Does that hurt?”
I bared my teeth at Daniel when he moved to touch the mark.
He held up his hands innocently. “Sorry.” His innocence melted into a shameless smirk that made me think he acted more like Sam and Dax than someone who was a few years older than I was.
Tate leaned around me with a frown. “No touching the newly bonded mate, idiot.”
Daniel rolled his eyes as Vincent stood up to speak on behalf of the Council.
“We will look into these boundary disputes, Alpha.” He cleared his throat, his gaze moving around the room before landing squarely on … Linden.
I sat up, my gaze narrowed.
“Is there any other business to be added?” Vincent asked.
Linden stood up. “There is. If the Council will permit me, I must speak up on behalf of Alpha Damien and the Norwood pack.”
“And where is Alpha Damien?” Vincent had mastered the art of looking simultaneously bored and curious.
“Retrieving two pack members from the airport who felt the need to testify,” Linden explained calmly, turning to address the room. “My brothers, it is no secret that I have made my grievances known with the Blackwater pack, but I must
further impress upon you how long their reach is. It would seem that their allies follow the same vile, reprehensible ways.”
“Someone was hitting a thesaurus when he practiced this speech,” Daniel muttered beside me, but even he was leaning forward with interest.
“Explain your words, Alpha,” Vincent said, his voice booming.
“Females are becoming more endangered by the day,” Linden went on, causing several heads to nod in agreement. “I have lost four from my own pack this year. A pair of mates from Norwood lost their only daughter years ago. Stolen from them by an Alpha. They feared speaking out against him as he is closely aligned with Blackwater.”
The side doors opened and Damien entered first, followed by a smaller man and woman.
A few scattered conversations started around us, but it was the gasp immediately to my right that caught my attention. Across the room, Gabe and Luke were getting to their feet.
Tate’s face was ashen as she stared at the newcomers.
“Tate?” I reached for her hand.
Damien stepped up beside Linden. “This is Grant and Karen Brandon,” he said, his voice rising above the confusion. “Their daughter, Tatum, was kidnapped at age seven by the Brooks Ridge Alpha. We demand justice for them, and all the daughters these two packs have stolen.”
40
There was a second of silence, and then a roar that shook me to my core as Luke shoved past Gabe and launched himself across the room. Papers, tables, and chairs all became flying debris as he ripped through the room to get to his target.
A cry tore from Tate’s lips, and she was on her feet as well as the room exploded into chaos.
Luke managed to make it to the other side of the room where he shoved Damien and Linden apart before settling his hands around Grant Brandon’s throat and lifting the smaller man into the air. Karen shrieked, scrambling backwards so fast she fell flat on her ass.
“Alpha Lucas! Control yourself!” Vincent was shouting into the pandemonium, and no one was paying him any attention as Gabe struggled to push through the Alphas, Remy and Dante flanking him.
Several Alphas grabbed a hold of Luke, prying his hands off of Grant finger by finger. Damien snarled, shoved at the wall of Luke’s immovable chest.
Across the room, Linden’s eyes met mine.
And he smiled at me.
“Take him into custody!” Vincent shouted, thrusting a finger at Luke, who was being restrained by no less than five Alphas.
Gabe, Remy, and Dante were currently being held back by the rest of the room, keeping them from helping Luke.
“No!” Tate started for her father, but Daniel and I quickly grabbed her.
“Tate, stop!” I hissed, my fingers digging into her arm as I held her back.
No good would come from her joining the fray. We needed a plan. We needed to figure out what the hell was going on.
She turned, her hair flying in her face. “They’re lying!”
“I know,” I said. “But we can’t do anything right now, and if your dad sees you with them, he’ll shift and lose it.”
Luke was finally starting to stop struggling against the men that held him.
“Remove the Brooks Ridge Alpha,” Vincent ordered. “Lock him in the cells until we hear more on this matter.”
“Oh, God,” Tate gasped, shaking her head as Luke was pulled to his feet and dragged out of the room.
I met Remy’s gaze across the room. He was just as stunned as I was by this, and definitely as furious. His entire body was tense, pulled tight like the over extended string of a bow, ready to snap at a moment’s notice.
“Find your seats or we will clear the room!” Vincent’s voice boomed across the room. Someone had clearly turned his microphone all the way up. The sharp screech of feedback made me wince.
I sat down, pulling Tate down with me.
“Skye, I need to get to my dad,” she hissed, perched on the edge of her seat.
“And we need to figure out what the hell they’re trying to pull,” I countered firmly.
Tears filled her hazel eyes, but she nodded and focused her attention back on the room.
“Mr. Brandon, do you require medical attention?” Vincent asked as the room settled and people went back to their seats.
Dante was the last one to sit down, his neck craned to look back at Tate to make sure she was okay.
Grant cleared his throat, gingerly rubbing the already bruising skin as his wife simpered on his arm.
“I believe I will be all right, Alpha,” he called, his voice raspy. “I simply wish to tell the Council, and these Alphas, what this man has done to my family. I cannot allow another family to be ripped apart the way ours was.”
“You claim that Lucas Davis, Alpha of the Brooks Ridge pack in Alaska kidnapped your daughter?” Vincent clarified.
Tate’s hand squeezed mine as her body shook with rage and fear.
Grant nodded, his head down. “I am embarrassed I was unable to protect my daughter, but he was an Alpha who made it known that if I spoke against him, he and his friends would kill my wife and I, as well as our daughter.”
“Liar!” Tate yelled, getting to her feet.
Aw, shit.
I moved to grab her, but she was already ducking under the rope that separated the gallery from the rest of the room.
“You tried selling me to the highest bidder!” Tate raged. Across the room, Dante stood up and started making his way to her. “I was a child, and you only cared about making as much money off of me as you could.”
Karen let out a low wail, leaning heavily against her husband.
“You were a small girl,” Grant said sadly. “I can only imagine the lies they filled your head with.”
“You son of a—” she broke off as Dante reached her side, pulling her against him and whispering something in her ear.
“Please, sir.” Karen turned to the Council and fell to her knees.
Actually dropped to her fucking knees.
“We have lost so much time with our beloved daughter.” Karen’s voice shook with emotion as she spoke, and, if I didn’t know the whole story of Tate’s childhood, I might have believed her.
But I did know.
Tate had explained, in detail, how her parents never wanted a kid. When they had her, all they saw was a lottery ticket. A beautiful baby girl they could sell to the highest bidder in a world where girls were in short supply. They tricked countless shifters into believing they were buying a child bride until they attempted to sell her to Luke.
It had been a trap. Luke, Gabe, and several other shifters had been working to dismantle the illegal selling of shifter females and saved Tate. Luke had brought her home and raised her as his daughter.
Luke had saved Tate from these vile people, who were now spinning lies that supported Norwood and Long Mesa, our enemies. No way was that a coincidence.
“She is still a minor by Pack Law,” Grant added, kneeling beside his wife with his head bowed in deference to the Council. “We humbly ask the Council to return her to our custody.”
“Only by a few months,” Gabe spoke up, on his feet. “Luke Davis saved Tate when she was a child from parents who were trying to sell her, capitalizing on the fact that she was female.”
Vincent held up a hand. “Were the proper adoption documents filed? Is there a transfer of custody to clear this up?”
Gabe’s hard gaze turned glacial as he glared at the Brandon’s. “No. They turned and ran, abandoning their daughter. Luke raised her as his own.”
“We were threatened!” Karen argued shrilly. “I demand—”
Vincent stood so fast his chair fell over. “You forget your place, woman.”
Everything in me flinched at his tone. He was pissed off less because she was questioning him and more because she was a woman. I had no love lost for Karen, but Vincent was clearly in the ‘females should be seen and not heard’ camp.
Which meant he likely wasn’t on our side.
Karen dr
opped low, her forehead to the floor.
I sucked in a sharp breath, looking away before I actually growled.
“Easy,” Daniel murmured beside me.
“Are there any other witnesses that can verify your claims, Alpha?” Vincent drolled, actually looking a little on the bored side.
Gabe’s jaw flexed. “Not here. They can be contacted for confirmation.”
“You may submit their information to the Council and we will investigate,” Vincent replied. “For the interim, the girl is a minor and will return to the custody of her birth parents and their Alpha.”
“No,” I whispered, starting to push to my feet.
Daniel clamped a hand around my wrist and kept me down.
“I’m not going anywhere with them,” Tate said, her voice shaking as she backed away. Dante pulled her behind him.
Vincent’s gaze narrowed with interest. “You will release her, Dante. Your pack has no valid claim until we can confirm the … story.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Dante growled.
“We can always add you to the holding cell your Alpha is in,” Vincent snapped.
My breath caught as Remy stood up and walked to Dante. He put a hand on Tate’s shoulder, and lowered his head to speak to them.
It was clear Dante wasn’t having it, but Tate was on board with whatever Remy was saying. She nodded and took a step away from Dante, but he wasn’t letting her go.
“Very well,” Vincent said, sighing. “Take him into custody.”
Three men moved from where they stood against the wall, intending to forcibly remove Dante.
“No,” Tate said, pulling away from Dante and Remy. “I’ll go with them.”
I held my breath as Tate crossed the room, weaving between tables and chairs with her head held high. She stopped a few feet from Karen.
“I hate you.”
She said the words softly, but her voice carried in the silence. She moved around them and stalked out the side door, not waiting to see if her newfound parents followed.
Karen and Grant exchanged a long look and headed after Tate, followed by Damien and finally Linden. Gabe had joined Remy and Dante, along with Griffin and Nero. They were trying to get a still furious Dante out of the room, but at least the guards had backed off.
Prey (Blackwater Pack Book 2) Page 36