Pack Protection

by Shannon Duane

  Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Tinker stood and nudged Blue to rise as well. It took Blue a moment to find his manners, but he stood with pink cheeks and pulled out a chair for Bree.

  Tinker prompted, “Ready for breakfast and a talk? We need to go over plans since they’ve changed. I still need to attend the meeting with the local alpha but I’d like to discuss Blue as well.”

  Blue’s eyes narrowed on him a moment before he went back to shoveling food into his mouth. “I’d like to give Blue the option of coming home with me. I think he’d thrive in my pack but I need to talk with Jake, my alpha.” Tinker placed a hand on Blue’s shoulder and felt him immediately stiffen. He removed his hand but continued, “I’m positive Blue will be welcome and if he’s willing he can stay at alpha house or at my home. I have a large property so if you want a lot of space I’d give it to you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  Blue didn’t respond. His body was stiff as a board and he didn’t make a move or sound.

  It wasn’t a tense silence but Bree felt the need to fill it. “I think that’s a nice option for Blue. Thank you.” She turned to look at Blue being careful not to touch him. “You can also stay here with me if you like. I know you’ve been in and out of multiple homes and I could petition to be a foster parent for you. You have a few different options to think about and if you don’t want either of those then you can go back to the courts to find other placement.”

  Blue nodded to both of them making eye contact before getting up and excusing himself to sit on the couch, his eyes closed, arms crossed and legs spread.

  Chapter 7

  Tinker watched as Blue walked to the couch to resume his standard position. He was sad to think this may be the only time he got to rest, or he was simply avoiding them, who knew? He wondered if this was what it was like to be the parent of a teenager. Tinker had always wanted kids, but only if he got to experience them with his fated mate. He’d watched his alpha and a few others in recent years find their fated and the bond was priceless, even from the outside looking in.

  Sitting at his mate’s table after having cooked a meal for her gave him a deep feeling of contentment, especially when she took a bite and groaned enjoying the food he’d made for her. Her head was tilted slightly back as her jaw worked and she swallowed. He’d never appreciated a woman’s neck before, the slender column that tended to be sensitive enough to cause arousal when licked or nibbled and scented enough to make him hard. He imagined running his lips along her tender flesh and then allowing his fangs to extend and marking her for all to see.

  What the hell? Tinker had never thought of himself as a jealous man. He’d never understood the age old marking business that wolves tended to do when they found their mate. Women weren’t possessions to be marked and claimed.

  At least that is what he used to believe in. Watching her eat, or sleep, or talk, or walk made saliva pool in his mouth. He constantly felt an ache in his fangs, anticipation of marking and claiming her. A claim he now feared he’d never make. He didn’t think he could ever adapt in the city and this was clearly where she thrived.

  He knew this trip was a bad idea. He came to collect some naughty kids and in turn found a mate that didn’t want to mate. The more time he spent with her the worse he longed for her scent and touch. He had heard stories of men meeting their fated mates and being refused. Eventually they went crazy. With barely a taste of her skin he was consumed with need.

  The chirping of his cellphone brought him out of his fixation. Fumbling with his pocket he excused himself from his chair to sit on the couch next to Blue. “Yeah. Tinker here.”

  His alpha’s voice was mildly annoyed. “Are you ready for the meeting? Do you have any questions?”

  “What’s there to ask? It’s pretty cut and dry, weed out the extra naughty kids and bring back the others.”

  “Do you need anything?”

  “Sure, I need you to be here instead of me. I didn’t get any sleep, I don’t want to deal with this stuck up alpha, oh, and did I tell you that I met my fated?”

  He turned to Bree, winked and smiled. “She’s a city girl, born and raised.”

  There was silence on the other line.

  “Nothing to say? I was kinda shocked too. Anyhow, I best be on my way. I have a schedule to keep.”

  He hung up and immediately felt bad for dropping so much in his alpha’s lap. Jake did a great job with the pack and he didn’t ask for much. Ah well, he could apologize when he got back home. He’d re-scheduled his flight for later that evening because he couldn’t take another sleepless night. His brain was already feeling like mush.

  A feminine gasp came from behind him. “Oh no, are you going to be whipped when you get back? I can’t believe you spoke that way to your alpha. Do you have a death wish?”

  He snickered, “Nah, I’m just givin’ Jake a hard time. We’ll laugh about it later.”

  His phone rang again and he knew it was Jake again.

  “Hello.”

  “Hiya, Mr. Tinker, did you meet my new friends?”

  “No Trev, but today’s the day. Is there anyone you want to warn me about?”

  There was no pause or hesitation. In fact, Trevor hadn’t even let Tinker finish his sentence before he replied with a firm. “No.”

  “Well…Did you need something Trevor? I have a full day planned and I should get started.”

  “I just wanted to tell ya that I’m sorry that you ain’t here. I know you don’t like to leave, but you had ta.”

  “Don’t worry Trevor. It’ll all work out in the end.”

  “But you don’t believe that. You don’t believe.”

  Not sure what Trev was talking about Tinker usually just went with the flow and didn’t push Trevor. “I’ll try, little buddy. Take care of your ma while I’m gone. She can’t be out and about in her condition, especially if she’s with Katie. Those two are trouble.”

  A big sigh followed by a reluctant, “I guess.”

  “See you soon, Trevor.”

  “See you tomorrow, Tinker, and don’t worry I won’t tell dad.”

  Before the phone cut off Tinker heard Jake yell, “Tell me what?”

  He smiled to himself before he pulled the vacuum out of the corner and began to clean up the fur he and Blue had left behind. It wasn’t much, but hearing Bree so concerned about ‘pets’ made him go over everything a few times. When he got to the edge of the couch he expected Blue to lift his feet. Unfortunately, he didn’t so Tinker rammed his feet with the vacuum and smiled when Blue let out a startled yelp. “Feet up, boy.”

  Assuming the I’m not a boy glare, Blue didn’t respond.

  Tinker turned off the vacuum, smiled and replied, “That’s good. Why don’t you start cleanin’ up then? I’m going to get in the shower. When I’m done it’ll be your turn.”

  There was a sudden pounding on the door with a shout of “it’s too early for that racket.”

  Bree looked stricken for a moment before Blue smiled, stood and turned on the vacuum to resume the chore happily. She rolled her eyes, and she was still shaking her head as Tinker walked into the bathroom.

  *****

  “What should I expect from this guy?”

  Driving to meet the New York pack Alpha, Bree was clearly anxious, gripping the steering wheel like a lifeline. Blue was silent, as always, making Tinker a bit more comfortable. If the teenager wasn’t fretting, then he wouldn’t.

  The soft voice of his mate made him worry slightly. “He’s an Alpha. He doesn’t put up with nonsense.”

  “What do you mean? Every alpha deals with nonsense, it’s kinda the definition of alpha. Deal with all the stuff no one else wants to deal with while defending your territory.”

  Bree surveyed the area as she drove like she expected to be followed. “There is no competition. This guy is…real.”

  Thinking his mate might be in danger, he growled softly. “Maybe you should have stayed at home. I don’t want you to be uncomfor
table.”

  The car took a turn too sharp as she screeched, “Are you kidding? I’m a bunny going to a meeting with a pack of wolves. What’s there to be nervous about?”

  “We’re only meeting with the Alpha, not the entire pack. Plus, I would never let anything hurt you.”

  She scoffed, “Yeah, ‘cuz we go way back.”

  Teeth grinding together, he attempted to let her comment roll off his already straining patience. “I know this is an odd situation we’ve found ourselves in, but I will protect you. This is all new to me too. I’ve never met my fated before, obviously. I’m turning my back on my baser instincts to simply be in the car with you without touching you. I don’t know if bunnies have mates, but if they did and I was yours, you’d be fighting your instinct to keep your hands off of me too. I only get one mate. One. And fate chose you. I don’t know why, or what’s next, or where we’ll be in a few hours, but never doubt that if you give me a sign I’ll be on you like a dog with a bone.”

  Her beautiful face flushed while her hands released the death grip on the steering wheel. “That’s nice, but you’ll be gone by tonight, so don’t offer me something I can’t have. Your protection has a time limit.”

  Dropping his head in his hands he admitted. “I know what you mean and I don’t have to tell you that it’s been driving me crazy since I met you. I want you so bad, but I refuse to take you until we talk. I want you to think about coming home with me. It would be nice if you could see Blue to his new home. Plus, you know I can’t stay here, it would slowly make me crazy. So, if there is any chance you could be happy in the country, we should find out sooner rather than later. I’m not asking for you to move all of your belongings and commit to staying, just try.” He raised his head and looked into her eyes, “I’ve bought you a ticket. It’s at your place on the table. Don’t answer now, just promise you’ll think about it.”

  Nodding her head was the end of the conversation. It was a good thing that Jake hadn’t come, because he was a bit of a control freak and he would have lost it after the taxi split. If it wasn’t for the traffic, endless chatter, and the confinement of his wolf, he might actually enjoy the city.

  Pulling into the parking lot of the building labeled Howl Shipping, Bree found a spot to park and turned the car off. The warehouse was seemingly empty, a large one story building surrounded by shipping crates and other warehouses. It seemed ominous with no one around. She was about to open the door when Tinker’s hand came down on her shoulder.

  He put a finger to his lips in the universal sign of be quiet. “We wait and listen.”

  What the heck were they listening for? Nobody was around except them. There was a van parked in the lot on the opposite side of their car but it seemed empty too.

  “It’s the quietest I’ve heard since I got into this loud, smelly, dirty town.” He looked her way, “No offense.”

  She rolled her eyes before responding. “None taken, can we get this over with now?”

  Before he responded, they heard a growl from Blue. Bree watched as Tinker surveyed the area again. Not able to ignore the intensity of his search, she knew she should feel fear, but deep down she knew she was safe with Tinker. And wasn’t that a shocker. Safe, knowing she was surrounded by wolves.

  Her mother would be so disappointed in her actions. Bringing a few wolves home, being their chauffeur, and then attending a meeting with a notorious and deadly Alpha. Not able to hold it in, she said, “Please don’t let my mother find my shredded corpse. She’d never let me live it down.”

  Tinker snickered, before touching the tip of his index finger to her nose. “You’re funny, little bunny. There are only four of them. You’re protected.”

  Blue took the time to place his hand on the top of her head and nod his head in agreement to Tinker’s statement. At least they were confident. Although she didn’t like feeling like she was the weak link, she had to admit that a bunny was nobody’s secret weapon and she did need their protection.

  “Are you ready, boys? Time to go.”

  Tinker once again placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Not speaking, he grabbed her and planted a hard kiss to her surprised, parted lips. His large hands on the back of her head were warm and she didn’t balk when they began to knead her scalp. He continued to kiss her with passion, slipping his tongue into her mouth and possessing her. His hands slipped from her head to run along her neck and down the front of her clothed chest causing her breath to hitch in her lungs. She heard the click of the seatbelt as Tinker pulled back from her.

  Licking her lips she asked, “What was that?”

  He also licked his lips and rolled his eyes as if savoring her flavor. “You smell amazing, but when you learned there were others out there, you scented scared. I need you to be confident and strong. I thought I’d relax us by giving you a smooch, but now you smell like…damn.”

  Now she was self-conscious, more so when she saw Blue sitting in the back holding his nose with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. “What?”

  “You smell aroused, which is delicious, but I don’t want them to think that you’re up for grabs. The good news is you don’t smell afraid anymore.”

  “Tinker, you better fix this. I don’t want them to think…ya know.”

  He smiled at her before he ran a finger down her throat. Lord, he’d never wanted anyone more than he wanted her right now; flushed with arousal, nipples puckered and poking her shirt, and thighs clenched together. “I’d offer to mark you, but that wouldn’t be appropriate with Blue in the car. Plus, when I mark you I plan on taking my time, lingering over every curve and savoring your scent until it’s all I smell for the rest of my days.” He winked at her open mouthed stare. “So, I guess I can cover you in my scent which means you’d be off limit to others, unless they ask and I give permission.”

  She visibly swallowed before nodding.

  Tinker proceeded to run his face, mouth, lips and hands over every inch of her that he could reach, even removing her shoes and rubbing her feet. He enjoyed that she almost purred during his caressing. He could smell her woman’s juice priming her body for him and he didn’t hide his reaction to her.

  Blue was stuck in the back of the car with his nose plugged, his eyes tightly shut. Tinker felt bad for the kid, but not enough to stop.

  When every inch of Bree was covered in his scent, he sat back in his seat breathing heavily. “Done, just give me a moment to…calm down.”

  “I think I’m sufficiently covered in your scent. I also don’t think I have the energy to be afraid either. Good idea.”

  Chuckling, Tinker added, “They would know you were mine even without the scenting. In fact, I’m sure some of them thoroughly enjoyed the show we just put on. Time to go face the Alpha.” He paused after opening the door. “What’s his name again?”

  Bree blew out a breath before saying, “Please don’t call him Reggie.”

  Chapter 8

  Getting out of the car was the easy part. Actually walking after the best scent marking of his life had him walking funny. His shaft had gone from six to midnight in seconds forcing him to adjust before continuing forward. He was proud of Bree who got out of the car, smoothed her top down and brushed her slacks off before striding to his side. Blue merely slammed his door before coming to stand next to Tinker. Tinker did notice that Blue stood downwind and took in great lungful’s of air.

  Standing beside the car they waited to be acknowledged by the pack. There were four men in various shapes and sizes. The one Tinker was most concerned about was wearing a suit with an annoyed, unimpressed look. That was fine with Tinker. He was there for the kids, not to impress some overindulged supposed pack leader. The other three were bulky males, obviously enforcers of some type.

  All eyes were on them and he could feel Bree’s shoulders tensing with every minute so he reached over and gave her butt a pinch. She jumped before turning toward him and smacking him lightly on the shoulder. “Behave.”

  As he turned back he saw t
he Alpha wave them over. He began to walk when his cell phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket and stopped his group from continuing. He held up his hand saying, “Please, excuse us for a moment.”

  There were growls coming from the pack that he couldn’t help smiling over before answering. “It’s not a good time, Jake. Do you mind if I call you back after the meeting?”

  “I’m getting a bad feeling about this. I don’t think Wagner is going to keep his word and come alone. If it were me, I wouldn’t come alone, but I wouldn’t lie about it either. He was pretty pissed when I told him you refused pick up and would drive yourself.”

  “I’m here and he’s not alone. I can handle myself though, no worries.”

  “Trevor says you have backup, but he won’t elaborate. Sometimes I really hate that his mother told him not to tell us the future. It can be helpful in times like this.”

  A slight cough came from behind Tinker.

  “Jake, I gotta go. I’m here at the meeting now and I should probably get started. See you soon.”

  “Not soon enough.”

  “Sooner than you think.” Tinker hung up the phone before Jake could respond. He turned around to see the Alpha was no longer bored appearing but kinda annoyed and red in the face.

  Approaching the Alpha, Tinker held out his hand to shake. “Hi, I’m Tinker, nice to meet ya.”

  Correcting Tinker’s grammar and ignoring his outstretched hand, Wagner’s first words were, “It’s you, not ya. If I was your Alpha, and you hung up the phone before properly ending the conversation, I might have to punish you. Which begs the question, why is your Alpha not here? I specifically requested his presence.”

  Chuckling, Tinker responded. “Well, I guess I’m glad ya ain’t my Alpha then. My Alpha is busy with a pregnant mate at home. He sends his apologies.” He enjoyed watching the Alpha wince at his improper grammar.