The One and Only (Fur, Fangs, and Felines Book 5)

by M. A. Church

  But most unsettling was the complete loneliness. While there, Brier didn’t see one living thing. Who could withstand such isolation?

  “Your Alpha really lives far out of town, doesn’t he?” Tyler asked.

  Brier dragged his morbid thoughts away from the shadow world. “Yes. Dolf and Tal were mated first, and Tal built this house. Kirk joined them many years later. You might not meet Tal and Kirk yet. Depending on what Dolf decides, it’s possible you’ll never meet them.”

  Tyler rested his hand on Brier’s thigh. “Don’t. Don’t do that. You don’t know for sure what your Alpha has planned, so don’t start down that path. Besides, no matter what he says, we’ll—holy shit! Is that their home?”

  Brier laughed softly. “Yes. Nice, isn’t it?”

  Tyler, eyes wide, stared at the sheer size of the place. “Well, yeah, but I like yours more.”

  “Good answer.” Brier patted the hand resting on his leg.

  “And we’re sure we’re not walking into an ambush?” Seth asked.

  “Positive. Dolf invited us here, remember? He might have another beta with him since basically I’m compromised, but that’s normal. We’re not going to be attacked. I promise. Dolf is an honorable Alpha, and besides, Kirk would pitch a fit. Trust me when I say no one wants that.”

  “Kirk is an Alpha-mate?” Seth scanned the surrounding area. “The one who was human, am I right?”

  “Yes. You met him briefly when you applied for the position at Tal’s construction company. Tal is the other Alpha-mate.”

  “The Omega.”

  “Yup.” Brier pulled to a stop by the front door and shut off the truck. He moved their joined hands to Tyler’s knee. “Seth?”

  Seth focused on Brier, and then Brier and Tyler’s clasped fingers. He rested his on top. “Yes?”

  “No matter what comes from this meeting, the three of us are mating tonight. Before Dolf interrupted, I had the feeling the two of you were going to say you were done waiting.”

  “Yes,” Tyler replied. “This is hurting you, and we don’t like it.”

  “Then we wait no longer. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Tyler said.

  “Agreed.” Seth nodded. “I want you to know if anybody threatens Tyler because he’s a hybrid, I’ll take the three of us out of there.”

  “Seth—”

  “No. No one, and I mean no one, threatens Tyler. Or you. Be satisfied with that, Brier. The other times my mate was threatened, I killed for that threat.”

  “Shit.” Brier closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them. “No one is going to threaten anyone. There will be no killing. If Dolf accepts us, great. If he won’t, he’ll give me time to clear out of his territory. So there will be no need for threats on either side. Or killing,” he stressed.

  Seth’s lips twitched. “Just saying.”

  “Shit.”

  “You said that already,” Tyler stated.

  “I know. It bears repeating. Okay, let’s do this.”

  Brier led them to the house, with Tyler and Seth behind him. He knocked, and, a moment later, Remi answered.

  “Hey, Brier. Come on in. Dolf’s waiting.” Remi nodded to Seth and Tyler. “You are both welcome. Dolf wanted to make sure you knew that.”

  “Thanks, Remi.” Brier entered, then moved so Seth and Tyler could join him. “This is Tyler and Seth. They’re my mates.”

  Remi closed the door, then beamed at Brier. “I’d heard. Congratulations.” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you both.” Remi shook hands with Seth, then Tyler. “I’m Remi Ginn, beta to Dolf Hoyer, the Alpha of the West Falls Clowder.”

  Remi’s shirt had a picture of a rooster that said something about not staring at his cock. Seth snorted.

  “Remi is known for those shirts of his,” Brier joked.

  After pleasantries were exchanged, Remi escorted everyone to Dolf’s office. He knocked, then opened the door.

  Dolf stood behind his desk. “Hey, Brier. Thanks for coming so quickly.”

  “Hey, Dolf.” Brier gently nudged Tyler and Seth inside.

  “Hello, Tyler and Seth. Please, have a seat at that table over there.” Dolf motioned as he joined them. “No point in us not being comfortable.” He sat. “I’m Alpha Dolf Hoyer of the West Falls Clowder. I welcome you to my territory and my home. Know that while you’re here, no harm will come to you.”

  For a moment Brier had the weirdest sense of déjà vu. Damned if those wasn’t the exact words Dolf said to Carter Lovelock when he came to visit.

  “Nice to meet you.” Tyler took a seat. “How do we address you?”

  “Dolf is fine.”

  “Hello.” Seth sat also.

  Brier made it a point to sit between the two of them. Remi stood behind Dolf, something Brier had done many times in the past when meetings took place, especially when Dolf was dealing with an unknown paranormal.

  “Before we start, would you like a drink?” Dolf asked. “We have sweet and unsweetened tea, several different types of sodas, and coffee.”

  Seth and Tyler shook their heads. Brier also declined. He just wanted to get the damn show on the road.

  “I’m sorry this meeting has taken so long, but there were things I needed to consider first. So, let’s begin. Tyler? Seth? Brier has told me you are his mates. Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourselves?”

  Tyler glanced at Seth, then turned back to Dolf. “Okay. My name is Tyler Smith. As you can probably tell, I’m what our kind calls a half-breed. I’m also an Omega, obvious by my red hair. My mother was a werecat, and she abandoned me as soon as she could. Most of my life was spent in the Northwoods. After she left, I started traveling. I met Seth not long after and knew he was my mate. I, um, pretty much try to avoid contact with any paranormals. They tend to react badly to me.”

  Dolf sniffed delicately. “You do have an unusual scent. There’s no personal marker.”

  “So we’ve heard.” Seth’s smile was tight-lipped. “Tyler says they react badly, but what he means is, they hunt him down, terrorize him, and then try to kill him. All because he doesn’t smell like a pure-blooded werecat. Because he’s different from other werecats. They tend get their panties in a twist and do stupid shit. Then I have to step in.”

  Brier fought not to squirm in his seat. Fuck, did Seth have to sound so combative? Did he not realize getting in an Alpha’s face usually wasn’t the best idea?

  Dolf glanced at Seth. “You’re Seth.”

  “Yes.” Seth crossed his arms over his chest. “Seth Galloway. I’m the shadow walker.”

  “Can you tell me a little about yourself?”

  Brier reached over and tugged at Seth’s folded arms.

  “There really isn’t much to tell.” Giving up, Seth lowered his arms. “My kind doesn’t live in groups, so there’s not any of this rank stuff like you guys have. We tend to be loners. I met Tyler, fell in love, and we mated. He also accepts me for who I am.”

  “And now you both are mates to Brier,” Dolf said.

  “They are. Where do we go from here, Dolf?” Brier was tired of this meet-and-greet session. The tension in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Plus, he was absolutely certain Heller had dug up all the information there was to be found on Seth and Tyler.

  “Patience, Brier.” Dolf glanced at Seth. “Will you tell me about your abilities? I understand that’s a personal question, but if I accept you into my clowder, there will be questions. Concerns. Possibly outright fear. The best way to battle that is to be armed with knowledge.”

  Seth straightened in his chair. “Yes, that is personal. I don’t usually go around giving information about myself to just anybody, so let me ask you a question before I answer. Are you going to accept Tyler and me into your clowder?”

  Dolf’s slow smile lit up his face. “You’re very straightforward, aren’t you? Precise and to the point. I like it.”

  Brier’s breath strangled in his chest. It sounded as if…. Cou
ld Dolf mean…?

  “Oh man, Marshell’s going to love him,” Remi hooted from behind Dolf. “Talk about birds of a feather.”

  Heart pounding, Brier grasped both Seth and Tyler’s hands. “Dolf…?”

  “Yes, Seth. I accept you and Tyler into the West Falls clowder. I never told Brier I wouldn’t. What I said was I needed time. Doing this will cause problems. There are already… concerns, shall we say, from certain members because of the decisions I’ve made recently.”

  Tyler gasped. His hands flew to his mouth, and he whimpered. “You are? You really are? But no one has ever…. I… I—”

  Brier blinked rapidly. He couldn’t speak. Dolf said yes. Dolf actually said yes. He jumped up, pulling Seth and Tyler with him, and dragged them into a three-way hug. By all that was holy, there were tears in Tyler’s eyes. He trembled in Brier’s embrace. Seth just looked shocked. Brier knew the feeling.

  “Oh goddess, oh goddess!”

  Tyler swatted Brier. “Brier.”

  “What?” Brier exclaimed. Crap. “I’m thanking her!”

  “Then maybe you should add that,” Tyler snapped. “I’ve already told you, she doesn’t like her name being used in vain.”

  Blushing, Brier made amends. “Oh goddess, thank you!” There were so many emotions, and he didn’t know which one to deal with first.

  Tyler shook his head.

  Remi frowned.

  Finally, Brier eased back from his mates and locked gazes with Dolf. “Dolf, thank you,” he wheezed. It wasn’t enough, but those three simple words were all he could manage. Brier had hoped, had prayed, that he would, but honestly, he thought Dolf wouldn’t accept them no matter what he said. Not with secret meetings taking place because of the changes Dolf had made. Allowing a shadow walker and a hybrid to join the clowder was bound to throw certain elders into a snit.

  Dolf nodded. “You are welcome, my friend.”

  “Yes! Yes! Thank you!” Tyler bounced in their embrace. “Outside of Seth and Brier, no one has ever wanted me. You accept me, funky genetics and all. I don’t have the words to explain it right now. You have no idea what this means. You really don’t. I promise I’ll be the best clowder member you’ve ever had.”

  Remi sniffled. “Aw, man.”

  Dolf blushed at the outpouring. “All I ask is for you to be yourself.”

  Seth discreetly wiped his cheek after they finished hugging. He collapsed in his chair, and Tyler and Brier took theirs also. “Let me say thank you too. To have a home, to be part of something, means a lot to Tyler and me. We drifted for so long.” Seth exhaled loudly. “Okay, you asked me a question about my abilities. I can manipulate any shadow around me at any time of the day or night. Also, if there’s a shadow nearby, I can step into it and disappear.”

  “Dude, not going to lie, that’s a scary ability,” Remi said. “I’ve also heard rumors you can teleport via shadows.”

  “Yes. I can. I can reappear next door, or in the next town, or on the other side of the planet,” Seth said. “I can see from the shadows too. That’s how I recognize where I’m going.”

  “So, are you saying you could go explore the Titanic?” Remi asked.

  Dolf spluttered.

  “Well, never tried, but yes. As long as I stayed in the shadow world—meaning I didn’t step out of the shadows—I could. Don’t really care to drown, you know.” Seth chuckled.

  “Shadow world?” Dolf enquired.

  “That’s his realm. His domain. It’s a completely terrifying place.” Brier shuddered. “No color, no scent, no sound. It’s a void of nothingness.”

  Dolf’s eyes widened. “You’ve been there?”

  “Tyler has traveled my world with me several times when circumstances called for it. I took Brier because he has the right to know exactly who and what I am.” Seth hesitated. “I can manipulate any kind of shadow to do my bidding too.”

  “Well, that’s not terrifying at all,” Remi joked, then ran his hand through his hair. “Goddess, I’m glad you’re on our side.”

  Tyler frowned at Remi. Briar knew what prompted that reaction from Tyler. He also noticed that Tyler didn’t mention he spoke to Bast. It was his secret to share, so Brier kept his mouth shut. Tyler probably thought Dolf and Remi would ridicule him. Brier understood. He found it hard to believe himself at first, until a certain goddess made herself known to him. Speaking of the goddess, should they tell Dolf why Seth and Tyler were here? Bast had made such a big to-do about threats, changes, bad things happening, and so on.

  Then there was the whole “one and only” thing, whatever that meant, that kept cropping up. Shouldn’t Dolf know that? This was information he’d surely want, right? Or would he think Tyler wasn’t all there in the head? He really needed to speak to Tyler in private, which he couldn’t do here. Too many werecats with keen hearing around.

  Dammit.

  “Thank you, Seth, for being so honest with me,” Dolf said. “I appreciate it. If I could make a suggestion, Brier? It might be best for the three of you to mate and do it as quickly as possible.”

  “That’s going to be taken care of tonight.” He winked at Tyler, who was slowly turning red. “Or possibly as soon as we get home. It’s been a long few days.”

  Seth snickered.

  “Good. After that, we’ll meet at the Circle of Stone and do the—”

  Raised voices interrupted.

  “He’s in a meeting. No, you will not! Elder Conrad, you have no right to barge into my house and ignore what I tell you.”

  The sound of a struggle seeped through the closed door of the office. Dolf surged up, and his chair flew back, nearly hitting Remi, who yelped.

  “What the hell?” Remi shoved the chair out of the way. “Dolf?”

  Dolf growled, and the loud noise reverberated through the room. As Brier watched, Dolf’s eyes turn blue.

  “Um…?” Tyler eyed Dolf nervously.

  “Shit, Kirk, move. You don’t have the strength to stop…. Oh, hell no! You did not just shove my mate! Fuck, Kirk? Are you all right? Dolf!”

  Dolf roared and leaped across the table.

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Tyler

  TYLER DUCKED.

  “Fuck!” Seth yanked on Tyler, and both of them hit the floor.

  Chairs slid out of the way. Brier jumped to his feet as Remi rushed by, and together they raced after Dolf. From the ground, Tyler watched in shock. Everything was going great, and then suddenly it wasn’t. What the hell was happening?

  Just as Dolf neared the door, it swung open and an older gentleman stormed into the office. Another guy with white-blond hair in a long braid followed.

  “That’s Tal, one of the Alpha-mates,” Seth whispered to Tyler. “No idea who the other one is.”

  Tyler nodded. “I figured. They both smell like werecats.”

  “How dare you, Elder Conrad,” Tal barked.

  Remi glared at the elder.

  “And I told you I need to speak to Dolf immediately.” Elder Conrad jerked away from Tal. “Alpha, I demand a moment of your time. Now!”

  “You shoved my mate?” Dolf snarled, coming to a stop. Remi and Brier nearly plowed into his back as they screeched to a halt. Dolf stood, panting hard, and snapped his wrist, his claws exploding out. “You dared to shove my mate?”

  “Goddamn motherfucking fuck of all fucking fucks.” Kirk stumbled inside.

  “That’s Kirk, the other Alpha-mate,” Seth added. “He was the human.”

  “Dolf, I’m okay, dammit. Asshole did shove me, but—”

  “He bounced off the wall!” Tal bellowed, his voice spiking. “Dolf, he bounced off the wall. There’s a dent in the sheet rock.”

  “How dare you.” Dolf stepped forward.

  Tyler’s head spun. Granted, he didn’t know much about how a clowder was ran, but he knew this wasn’t right. Since when did anyone think it was okay to bulldoze their way into an Alpha’s office? Not only was that a glaring sign of a lack of respect, it was damn foolish. Then to shov
e an Alpha-mate? That alone was a death wish.

  “He laid hands on me first.” Nonchalantly, Elder Conrad brushed at his sleeves.

  Tyler goggled. Who was this man?

  “Now, I hate to interrupt your meeting, but—wait. What’s that weird scent?” Elder Conrad inhaled deeply.

  Tyler watched as the elder’s eyes turned blue and his claws extended. He repressed the need to whimper.

  “What in the name of the goddess is going on here, Alpha?” Elder Conrad yelled.

  Tyler growled softly as he stood, with Seth standing close by. He would not hide. Not this time. Dolf had accepted him and Seth. That had to mean something. Dammit, he was now part of Dolf’s clowder.

  “Pack business, of which I am the Alpha of. Not you.” Dolf pointed a finger at Elder Conrad. His chest heaved. “You do not come into my office and make demands. You do not shove your way into my home. You. Do. Not put your hands on any mate, but especially not mine and especially not in his own home. Explain yourself!”

  “I came here to tell you there were intruders in our territory and one was a werecat. I know this for a fact because I saw that one’s”—Elder Conrad pointed at Tyler—“eyes change color. I was driving by and noticed those two at some absurd stand they’d set up on a backroad.”

  “Then why did you wait so long to say something?” Remi demanded.

  “We, um, I mean, I wanted to see what, if anything, Dolf was going to do.”

  “Right. You see a werecat who you think is an intruder, but you don’t say anything for a few days. Instead, you claim you waited to see what Dolf was going to do.” Remi crossed his arms over his chest. “Seems convenient, if you ask me. Oh. Wait. Here’s a thought. Maybe you waited because you wanted to discuss it with some of the elders in your little group, hmm? Are you sure there wasn’t some ulterior motive behind your waiting? Because frankly, it sure sounds that way to me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, and stop trying to distract from the fact there’s a half-breed in our territory. In this very office, in fact.” Elder Conrad sneered. “What is it doing here? Why are you meeting with that thing?”