by Stormy Glenn
Dwayne didn't want to die. He'd just claimed his mate and hoped to spend several long years with him. But reality was reality. If he had to die, this was as good a cause as any.
"Let me make a phone call."
Dwayne lifted an eyebrow when Albert began to grin. "What are you planning?"
"I was alpha of this clan. I am not without my resources."
Albert walked over to the phone that was attached to the wall. He grabbed it and started dialing. Dwayne walked over to stand next to Casey.
"Who do you think he is calling?" Casey asked.
Dwayne shook his head. "Not sure, but I suspect he knows what he is doing."
The man was an alpha after all.
"Did you talk to Rob?" Dwayne asked as he glanced down at Casey.
"Yeah." Casey's smile was a little sad. "He's on his way back."
"Then why the sad face?"
"I wish he was here now."
Dwayne could understand that.
"He'll be here." He just didn't know when, and that's what he needed to plan for. "There's a half bath under the stairs. When Mary gets back downstairs, I want you two to go in there and lock the door. Take a chair with you and wedge it under the door handle."
Casey shuddered. "This is real, isn't it?"
"Afraid so, Casey."
"This sucks," he grumbled. "Why can't people just leave us alone?"
"I wish I knew, Casey." He'd make millions with that knowledge.
He glanced up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He gave Casey a little push. "Go on, get Mary and go to the bathroom. And keep your phone handy to call Rob if someone tries to get into the bathroom."
"Okay." Casey swallowed tightly before giving Dwayne a hug. "Be careful."
"I have to be." Dwayne grinned down at Casey, mostly to relieve the man's worry. "I have a hot mate headed back here. If I get hurt, I'll have to listen to him bitch instead of getting him to suck my dick."
Casey snorted. "I wonder if that would work with Rob?"
Dwayne chuckled as he watched Casey walk away. The idea had already been planted in Casey's head when they discussed the mating bond. He was pretty sure the idea was going to grow, and then Rob's whole life was going to change.
Dwayne had never understood people who refused to give and take during sex. Both were pleasurable when done with the right person. For Dwayne, that right person was Harvey. Sex with him, whether getting fucked or doing the fucking, was off the charts.
He walked over to the window again and pulled the edge of the curtain aside. Whoever had been moving about outside was either gone, or they had gone into hiding. Dwayne saw nothing but darkness.
That worried him.
"Help should be here in a few minutes," Albert said as he hung up the phone.
Dwayne glanced at the man. "Help?"
Albert wagged his eyebrows. "Told you I wasn't without my resources. In this case, those resources are loyal clan members."
Dwayne's eyes widened. "You called in your clan?"
"Well, technically, it's Rob's clan now, but yes. I called in the ones I know I can trust explicitly. They're going to come help us guard the house until the others get back."
"You're not worried about them getting hurt?" Dwayne asked. Albert shrugged, but Dwayne could see the truth in the old man's eyes. He was terrified. "Why don't you have them guard from inside the house? If we can keep Jason and the others outside until Rob and Harvey get back, then they won't have to fight."
"Let's hope you're right because I think they are here." Albert nodded his head toward the window. "That's Jason."
Dwayne swung around to look out the window again. He squinted into the darkness, just making out a tall figure before he stepped into the light cast by the moon.
Holy shit, he was big.
"He's got a few men with him, but I'm not sure how many." Dwayne could only see three other figures in the shadows. He hoped there weren't more. He didn't like the idea of having his ass handed to him.
"I suppose I'd better go out and see what he wants," Albert said.
Dwayne snorted. "We know what he wants."
He glanced back toward the half bath under the stairs before heading for the front door. "Trouble is on our doorstep, babe," he sent to Harvey. "You might need to hurry the hell up."
"Can you hold them until we get there?" Harvey asked.
"I'm gonna try to." Dwayne opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch.
Albert stepped up next to him. "Maybe he doesn't know Rob has taken over yet. Maybe I can reason with him."
"Let's hope."
Dwayne crossed his arms and tried to channel his inner alpha. He wasn't an omega like Casey, but he wasn't an alpha leader like Rob either. He was somewhere in the middle. A gamma bear. He could be proud of that fact. His place was established in his clan.
Jason's place…not so much.
"Jason." Albert nodded to his son when the man walked over to stand a few feet from the bottom of the steps. "Considering you banished me from your territory, I'm surprised to see you here."
"Give me the omega and I'll leave."
Dwayne stiffened. "He knows Casey is an omega. Harvey."
"How in the hell did he figure that out?"
"Someone had to have told him." It was the only way.
"I did tell you I thought he was coming for Casey."
"Yeah, but we didn't know for sure if he knew Casey was an omega or if he was just coming for him. Now we do."
"Stay frosty, babe."
Yeah, right, frosty.
"Which omega would that be, Jason?" Albert asked.
"You know who I'm talking about, Father. You had breakfast with him at the diner this morning." Jason folded his hands behind his back and began a leisurely pace back and forth in front of the steps. "Now, you can hand him over, or my men and I can come inside and take him, messing up Mom's clean house. The choice is yours."
"What happened to you, Jason?" Albert asked. "If your mother knew of the things you are doing, it would break her heart."
"I know," a feminine voice sounded behind them.
Dwayne winced when he turned to see Mary standing in the doorway. "Ma'am, you really shouldn't be out here. Please, go back inside."
"No." Mary stepped out onto the porch. "I want my son to explain himself. First he leaves the clan without a word and sets up another clan. Then he threatens his father. Now, he's kidnapped his own brother? What on earth are you doing, Jason?"
"I am not answerable to you, Mary."
Mary gasped. "Mary? Now I'm Mary?" Her voice started to rise. "I'm your mother. I carried you inside of me for nine months, and I gave birth to you."
Albert grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back. "Mary, please."
"No!" Mary shouted as she jerked her arm free. She took a couple of steps down. "Why are you doing this? What made you into this monster? Was it something I did? Something I didn't do? Your father and I love you so much, and you…you're just evil."
Dwayne saw Jason tense then heard the beginning of the man's roar. He shifted and dove toward the man just as he leapt at his mother with his claws extended. Dwayne howled when those claws raked down his side.
Instead of giving in to the agony gripping him, he turned and placed himself between Jason and Mary, growling. If Jason chose to leave, Dwayne would let him go. If he took a step toward the house, he was a dead man.
"Mary, go inside." Albert's tone brooked no disobedience.
Mary must have heard it, too, because she turned and hurried back into the house, but not before Dwayne heard her quiet sobs.
He growled again.
His hatred for Jason grew tenfold when the man sneered at him. Dwayne's own mother had passed away when he was a teenager. He'd give anything to have her back, to have a mother. For Jason to find such glee in causing his mother so much heartache was unconscionable.
Dwayne wanted to rip his head off. He couldn't, and he knew it. He needed to let Albert take care of t
his. The only time he could do anything about it was if Jason started the fight.
Then he could rip his head off.
"You need to leave, Jason," Albert said. "There's no one here for you."
"I'll leave after I get the omega."
"That's not going to happen, and if you try and force your way inside, Dwayne will kill you."
"Fine, old man, then I challenge you for leadership of the clan."
"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen either."
"You have to accept a lawfully given challenge."
"Normally, I would say that is true, but I am no longer alpha of the Silver Lake Clan. I lost a challenge to someone else."
Jason's eyes narrowed. His hands clenched. "Who?"
"Me."
Chapter Eleven
Harvey shot a quick glance at his mate as he stepped around the side of the house. He was glad they had decided to ditch the car and come in through the back way. Not only were they able to get Jasper and Erik inside without anyone seeing them, but they had the element of surprise on their side.
Harvey took up a spot on Rob's left while Jeb stood at the man's right. Dwayne was behind them. He knew without even seeing the quick step Jason and his goons took back that they made an impressive sight.
The sheriff had taken up a spot next to Albert, which was where he probably usually stood, so it made sense. The other men who'd gone with them fanned out between them and the porch. No one was getting inside that house.
"I believe you were asked to leave, Alpha King," Rob said.
"You're the new alpha?" Jason asked.
"I am, and the omega you seem so intent on getting your hands on is my mate. If you think I'm going to let you have him, you're stupider than you look."
Jason growled and took a step closer, telling Harvey two things. One, the man was stupider than he looked, and two, he was ruled by his anger. One thing the service had taught Harvey was to never fight angry. It gave his opponent too much power.
"I challenge you for the Silver Lake Clan," Jason said, "and once I win, I'm going to take your little mate and fuck him till he bleeds, and then I'm going to sell him to a whore house. I can guarantee you, he'll forget you even existed within a week."
Harvey was in no way surprised when his baby brother just grinned.
Rob waved his hand, gesturing for Jason to advance on him. "Bring it on."
Harvey stepped back to give the two men room as they shifted. When he felt a nudge, he knew who it was without even looking. He reached down and curled his fingers into Dwayne's fur.
"Are you okay, mate?" he asked, hoping the bond thing worked when one of them was in their furry form.
"Got some scratches on my side from that asshole, but they'll heal when I shift."
Harvey glanced down at him. He didn't have far to glance. Dwayne was an impressive size for a bear. "Are you sure you're okay?"
He smiled when the bear nodded.
The sound of a bear howling in pain was unmistakable. Harvey glanced up, wincing when he saw Jason had gotten in a good shot on Rob's flank. Rob whipped around and sank his teeth into Jason's leg. The ground shook as the two bears went around and around, each of them getting in a good amount of swipes and bites.
Harvey tensed when the shadows around them took form. He really hoped these weren't more of Jason's men.
"Relax, Harvey," Albert said. "Those are clan members I called in to help guard the house when we saw Jason. They won't interfere."
Harvey gave a nod, but he didn't relax. He doubted he would until the fight was over and Jason was either dead—he preferred dead—or went slinking home. Joining this clan seemed to be more hassle than it was worth. He really hoped that would change.
"Do you yield?" Albert called out.
Harvey jolted, realizing he had zoned out there for a moment. He prayed no one ever found out. He'd never live it down.
"Do you yield?" Albert asked again. "My alpha has won the challenge by your submission. Do you yield?"
Jason growled. It was a strangled sound, which made sense. Rob's jaw was wrapped around his throat.
"Please, Jason," Albert implored, "yield."
Jason jerked back so suddenly, Rob didn't have time to pull away or loosen his grip. The blood was already flowing from his neck when Rob stumbled back, shifting into his human form.
"Fuck!" Rob punched the dirt beside him.
Harvey walked over to squat next to his baby brother. "He was given several chances to yield, Rob. He's the one who jerked away from you."
"I didn't want to kill him, Harvey."
Harvey knew this was the first time his brother had ever taken a life. It would always weigh heavy on him. "You didn't have a choice, Rob. We're shifters. Sometimes the world we live in isn't a pretty place."
"It never should have gotten this far," Rob insisted.
"Harvey is right, Alpha Colton," Albert said. "My son was given every chance to surrender. He chose his path."
"I'm so sorry, Albert."
Tears streamed down the former alpha's face as he nodded. "We lost Jason a long time ago. This is but a shell of the man he once was."
"What is the meaning of this, Albert?" A man who looked like an older version of Albert stalked up to them. He was flanked by two very big men who didn't look as if their elevators went to the top floor. "How can you just forgive the man who killed your son?"
"Hold your tongue, Ralph," Albert ordered. "You have no idea what is going on here."
"I know exactly what is going on here. You just let some stranger murder your son in cold blood."
Harvey growled as he stood. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what?" Ralph snapped.
"Or I'll put my fist in your face and give you something else to do with your big fat mouth."
Ralph's face mottled as his head snapped back. Indignation filled his voice as he snarled at Harvey. "You can't talk to me like that. Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, I do," Harvey replied, "and as beta of the Silver Lake Clan, and older brother to the new alpha, I can talk to you any damn way I please."
Technically, that was true, but his mother had taught him better. Ralph just irked him, and he wanted nothing more than to follow through with his threat and plant his fist in the guy's face. He didn't, but it took a lot of restraint.
Ralph paled so quickly he tottered on his heels. "New alpha?"
"Yeah, the guy you just accused of murder?" Harvey lifted an eyebrow. "He's now the alpha of the Silver Lake Clan and Alpha King's clan."
It was fun watching Ralph's eyes roll back in his head. He made a loud thud as he fainted and hit the ground. Harvey sighed and gestured to the two men who came with Ralph. "Take your father home. He can come beg the alpha's forgiveness in the morning."
"Yes, beta." The two men must have understood the precarious position they were all in. They lifted their father up and quickly carried him away.
Harvey turned toward the others who had gathered around. "Go home. Alpha Colton will be available for anyone who has questions tomorrow. Right now, he needs some rest and to spend some time with his mate."
There were some murmurs among the crowd, but it slowly broke up, everyone going their different ways. Once the crowd was gone, Harvey pointed to the men who had come with Jason.
"You have one choice, and only one choice. Get out of this town and do not come back. You have two hours to gather your things and leave. If I catch sight of you after that, I will end you. Is that clearly understood?"
When they started to leave, Harvey gestured to a couple of the men the sheriff had rounded up. "Go with them. Make sure they don't take anything that doesn't belong to them then escort them to the territory boundary."
"Yes, beta."
Harvey waited until they disappeared into the night before turning to look at his baby brother. "We need to take care of things out here so we can go inside and take care of things in there. You have a mate who is pressed so hard against the window, his face is going t
o go flat, and I have a mate who needs a little medical treatment. Get your butt up."
Rob drew in a heavy breath then stood, brushing his butt off. "Bitch, bitch, bitch. I thought I'd gotten away from all of this when I became alpha."
Harvey knew his brother was trying to lighten the mood, so he chuckled. "Not by a long shot, bro. If you wanted the easy life, you never should have made me your beta."
"Believe me, I'm already rethinking it."
Harvey grinned. "Just wait until I tell Mom. Her little baby boy all grown up with two clans to lead. She's going to drive you crazy."
Rob groaned. "Don't remind me."
"Too late."
* * * *
"So, what's going to happen to that slavery thing Jason was operating?" Casey asked. "Is the council going to do anything about it?"
"They're going to try," Harvey replied. "There weren't a lot of records, but what we did find at Jason's house have been turned over to the council. Maybe that will help them find some of the people Jason sold."
"What about Erik?"
Dwayne glanced across the room to where Erik sat curled up on a chair. Jeb stood over him as if guarding him from everyone and everything. Neither of them had said anything, but Dwayne was pretty sure they were mates.
"I think Erik is going to be staying here for the time being."
"Hey, Dwayne, do you remember someone from the clan named George Carver?" Rob asked as he walked into the room.
"Uh, not that I can remember."
"George wasn't a member of the clan," Casey said. "His aunt, uncle, and cousin were, but George just lived in King City. He wasn't a member of the clan." Casey shrugged when Rob shot him a look. "He had Alpha Barker's permission to be there, though."
"I remember Ford Carver," Dwayne said. "He was a couple of years ahead of us in school. Why?"
Rob held up his cell phone. "He just called me, said Alpha Barker gave him my number and told him to look me up. He and his mate are looking for a clan to join."
Dwayne's eyebrows lifted. "Is there a reason he didn't join the King City Clan?"
"His mate is human."
Dwayne blinked in surprise. "Huh." Well, that kind of explained why they didn't join the King City Clan. "Are you going to let him join our clan?"