“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” the unfamiliar shifter warned. He lifted his left sleeve to reveal his Pack’s insignia. He was a Cross City Wolf. “She and Simon are connected by this here restaurant. He’s claimed her, just like everything else in it. That’s out of our hands now.”
Garrett sat down. “Who are you?”
The shifter extended his hand. “A verbal “thank you” for the beer is more appropriate under the circumstances.”
Garrett exchanged handshakes and settled back down in his seat. “You bought the beer for me?”
“Yes, that was me. I’m Alejandro.”
“Thank you. I’m Garrett. But why do I feel like I’m going to owe you big time for this one mug of beer?”
Alejandro grinned. “Maybe…”
“Well, get to it…what do I owe?”
“I’m part of the Cross City Pack’s advisory circle. I’m one of the Enforcers. I mainly work for Benjamin now. The Senior, not the Junior. We’re the one’s who reached out to your Pack about an acquisition,” he said. “But there’s been a change in direction and we need to speak with you pronto. We saw you and your men roaming through our city the other day, but we had to make sure you were here on positive terms before approaching you.”
“We just wanted to come express our condolences on your Alpha’s passing. Dane feels bad about not having enough time to speak with him about his plans before he died.” Garrett directed his gaze to the direction where he last spotted the woman and the Beta. “I’ve been looking all over for a Pack leader and it looks like I found one here tonight.”
Alejandro shook his head and lowered his cap. “That’s the thing. Our change in direction doesn’t include him…anymore.”
Garrett leaned in, resting his forearms on the table. “Well that’s…strange. I’m here in place of my Alpha Dane. None of this was discussed. Why the divisiveness in your Pack?”
“A lot has changed quickly since then and since Benjamin sent out that letter. Unfortunately, your Pack Alpha seems to be in high demand and isn’t the easiest to get a hold of,” he said.
Garrett nodded in agreement. “He’s dealing with issues of our own back at home. We deal with the most pressing matters first and then move on down the list. I’m sorry to have disappointed you if you were expecting my brother instead.”
“Actually, we’ve been doing some research on you since we spotted you in our city.”
Garrett frowned. “Have you?”
Alejandro cleared his throat. “As I said, we had to make sure you hadn’t sided with anyone yet.” His gaze flittered over to the lounge area—to the Beta. “We know that you and your brothers are in a specific line of business that might involve getting rid of trouble makers.”
He rubbed at his jaw. “So you did research on me and found out who I was?”
“Not entirely, but what we did find was enough to realize that you are the Alpha’s brother. You and your brothers have a reputation, but it’s odd that no one really knows that much about you. You outlaws don’t actually come up in a Google search, neither do you publicly post “available for hire” ads,” Alejandro replied.
“There’s a reason for this.”
“Of course. I respect that, but we’re glad we know who you are now. Benjamin Sr. would like to talk to you about a job.”
By the way this was going and the way Alejandro kept tilting his cap down and slumping down in his chair to avoid detection, Garrett knew they were working independently of and against the Beta.
When Garrett didn’t entertain the offer, Alejandro said, “We haven’t got much time left. Simon's gains are advancing quickly. The news of his planned takeover of our Pack has spread far and wide.”
“Takeover?” Garrett glanced warily at Alejandro. “If he’s causing so much trouble for you, why don’t you go over there and shoot him dead on the spot?”
Alejandro’s expression dulled and he leaned back in his chair. “It’s not my life to take and I’ve been given clear orders. I didn’t know he’d show up here tonight. I was actually tracking you.”
Garrett frowned and mentally decided to make it a point to watch his back more carefully in this town. While he was busy doing some tracking of his own, others had been tracking him too.
Garrett tapped his fingers on the table, thinking his next steps through. “Truth be told, I don’t know how far Dane or I are willing to get involved, but I came here at his request and I’m willing to listen to what you and Benjamin have to say.”
“Good. I’ll let Benjamin know that I’ve reached out to you. We can shoot for a meeting around noon-ish tomorrow…”
Alejandro’s words faded as Garrett’s thoughts drifted back to the mahogany-haired beauty, who was long gone from his sight. A sickening feeling rose in his gut as he envisioned what she was going through. He’d wanted to track her down and find her, but all wolf shifters knew the rules. Claimed meant off limits. To encroach on another wolf’s territory that way was looked down on and often not even considered.
“Garrett? You listening?”
Garrett swung his gaze back to the pressing matter. “Yes. Noon, right?”
Alejandro chuckled. “You were looking for her, weren’t you? She’s a lost cause, like I’ve said. She’s been promised to him since before Simon was named Beta. Only reason they’re not mated yet is because she’s human. The mating is different between a human and a shifter, you know? We can’t go around biting humans like we can our own kind. I’ll let you in on a little something. Her refusal to mate him right now is our gain and his downfall. However, I doubt she’ll be able to hold him off any longer.”
“Well, if there’s no consent, why was she being pursued and forced like that?”
“Her family owes a debt to the Montagues, so they’ve benefited from Simon's money already.”
“And let me guess? She doesn’t want to go through with it.”
“You’ve got it. Us wolves mate humans every day and, unfortunately, sometimes those reasons are business-driven. But that’s neither here nor there. Simon's choice of a mate isn’t what concerns us right now. Truthfully, I hope she fights it until we get a hold of Simon. If she doesn’t and moves ahead with the mating, she’ll be a widow. There are more than a handful of us that wants Simon dead and gone for good. So, will you help us make that happen?”
Chapter Two
It was settled.
According to the agreement her father had entered into over a decade ago to save the tavern, Autumn North would be mated to Simon Montague, Beta of the Cross City Wolf Pack. She had successfully prevented having to go through with the arrangement by avoiding Simon altogether and hoping that he’d come to grips that there was nothing she could or would do for him to make him happy or better off.
Quite frankly, she wanted nothing to do with the man. After running around the country, bedding every woman in sight, and testing the waters, Simon had suddenly decided to expedite the mating. She wasn’t having any of it, and would do any and everything in her power to have the agreement annulled, but Simon was more powerful than she realized—in both the human and shifter communities. His decision to rush things before she could afford a good lawyer had come right after her dad’s death. And coincidentally, full ownership of the tavern had transferred to Simon.
Autumn pushed the phony-looking documents with suspicious-looking contract terms back across the table to Simon and his cock-eyed lawyer.
“I’m not agreeing to this,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s been changed. The terms have been altered.”
“What you don’t understand, Ms. North, is that it can’t be canceled?” the lawyer replied. “We can negotiate the terms, which is what we’re doing here, but nothing involving the mating or marriage will be nullified.”
“This is bull! All these years, this…” she threw her hands up “…whatever you want to call it could have been done and over with and I could’ve made arrangements to purchase my tavern back and gotten on with my life.”<
br />
Like dating and finally committing to a man of my choosing. Of course, she didn’t add the last statement. Her love life or lack thereof was none of Simon's business.
“Simon's a very busy man, Ms. North. I’m sure you understand that and our rules. You’ve been living with a member of our Pack for years now.”
Autumn rolled her eyes.
Simon smiled widely. He reminded Autumn of a Cheshire cat.
“And let’s not mention my duty to my Pack,” he added. “Things have been chaos for us over the past few years and I had a duty to focus on that more than my own mating. Truthfully, I wasn’t certain how this mating could be beneficial, but now that I understand my grandfather’s vision—who was once Alpha of the Cross City Wolf Pack—my focus has been renewed.”
Bullshit.
“Does your other duties include frequent visits to the local strip joint and whorehouse up the street from the tavern? Isn’t that where your focus resided not too recently?”
Simon gave her a sheepish look. “I—”
Autumn held up her hand. “I don’t even want to know because, quite frankly, I don’t care. Couldn’t you have found someone else to mate and marry while your dick was doing the talking for you for the past several years? Why insist on this now?”
“My client owns that strip joint, Ms. North,” the lawyer interjected.
Her annoyance flared. She took a deep breath, the released an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t give a shit. He owns that strip joint and he fucks there. I’m not a dummy.”
Simon's lawyer cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
Simon straightened his posture, dragged his hand up through his red and auburn hair, and bit at his lip. “You and I both know that this agreement is unique and uncommon. I have to marry a human to purchase property from the County. You know how that goes already.”
Of course she did. Simon's dad had married a shifter two years after her mom died in a car crash. She was well aware of the restrictions placed on their community. She had nothing against them and truly believed they were just as entitled as humans to equal rights in this Country. Other than the fact that they shifted into wolves on impulse, she didn’t believe they were inferior to humans. In fact, her family was one of the first families to welcome shifters into their businesses and homes when their existence had first been discovered. Her dad’s tavern had been one of a few places in this town where both shifters and humans could congregate without hassle. It’s how he’d met their stepmother, Melisandra, who had worked at the tavern for years.
“I get it. It’s plain as day now. You want to marry a human so you can buy the old estate that your grandfather lost before he died. The one he lived in when he was Alpha. The one that was seized by the County. Don’t you?” Autumn asked, and then paused for Simon's confirmation, but he kept a straight face. “I may be a human, but I know a thing or two about this Pack. That estate has been vacant for years. And every time someone comes around to buy it, something happens mysteriously to stop them from closing on it.”
As she processed the circumstances, the missing pieces started coming together. The former Cross City Wolf Pack Alpha had been found dead, and now the Pack was in trouble. With Simon as the current Bet, he had fair claim to compete for the position. Rumors were also going around that Simon had been involved in the extortion of money from other business owners by using his gang of followers to deliver threats if they didn’t comply. Coincidently, he’d probably scrounged up just enough money to buy the estate.
“You have money to buy it back, don’t you?” she demanded.
Simon clapped his hands. “Bingo. And I’ll buy it once we are mated and married. Anymore questions?”
Autumn huffed.
“So…” Simon pushed the contract back across the table to her. “Shall we carry on with this?”
“No, we shall not carry on with anything.”
“Your father signed the contract,” the lawyer reminded her.
“According to the laws, a shifter must be married to a human for six weeks before the marriage is considered valid.”
“Exactly,” Simon said. “It’s done all the time. We take a human bride as we see fit to get what we need, stay in the marriage for the duration, and then split up. Assets are then divvied up according to the agreement set in place.”
“But yet the documents here have been adjusted from the original terms of six weeks to one year. The difference in six weeks and one year is outrageous, just in case you haven’t noticed. The contract is re-amendable last time I checked.”
“Revision isn’t an option at this point,” the lawyer said.
“Things have changed since the agreement was worked up. The year-long term was placed there by my lawyer for a reason,” Simon interjected. “I’ll be acquiring more than just the old estate back. I have plans for County and possibly statewide acquisitions. These things take time. Possibly years. But with my team of professionals, I can do it within the year. Finding a human woman every six weeks to marry for money could get costly. I’m at an advantage. I already have a human woman according to this contract.” He smiled slowly.
“You are full of yourself,” she grumbled.
“Why so much hostility? It was my father, after all, who saved that rundown tavern of yours. At the time and despite the questionable return on investment, this agreement between our families was done with good intentions. It was intended that neither party would leave the table empty-handed after the execution of the agreement. I pick the property, you sign, we acquire. Once the year is up, you’ll have your tavern free and clear if that’s what you want. Can we make a deal on that?”
Autumn frowned. “No. We can’t.”
Simon sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. “Let’s make the most of this,” he said. “Let’s be good friends. Our families were never enemies and we worked together. Didn’t your daddy tell you before he kicked the bucket?”
“I wished that he had realized how much of a jack-ass you were before he got me into this mess. I never would’ve signed it otherwise,” she stated.
“That’s what you think,” Simon said. “You don’t have many options anyway. You could refuse and renege, but what I know is that your little sister just celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Maybe…”
“You sick, miserable sly bastard.”
He chuckled. “One year isn’t a lot to ask, especially with what’s at stake.” Simon linked his fingers together and placed them on top of the table.
“You’re asking me to be married to you for a year and I can hardly stand being in the same room with you for three minutes.”
“It’s unfortunate that you’re disobeying your dead father’s orders. Although he wasn’t a member of our Pack, he was fully supportive of our ways, including the mating rituals. Now you can either cooperate or I’ll be forced to shut down that little tavern for good, and you’ll never get it back. You won’t be able to send money to your sister for her college bills anymore and that hag Melisandra will be without a job.” He grinned. “And so will you. Stick with me and you’ll be set for life, whether we continue our marriage past the year mark or not.”
Autumn ground her fingertips into her palms. That tavern had been the family’s main source of income for years. If she followed through with her plan B of going AWOL before the mating, her decision would affect more than herself. But here she was between a rock and a hard place and Simon, his lawyer, and the contract was staring her right in the face.
“So, it’s possible that this whole thing could be completed before the year mark.”
“It’s quite possible if you cooperate. Remember, I pick, you sign, we acquire. In the end, what you’ll have is your tavern, debt free. You’re in a whole ass load of debt, by the way.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled the contract toward her. Her gaze ran across the terms once more. She had read the thing over and over again already. She should have known it by heart by now. Everything in her power w
as telling her to stop, turn around, and flee just as she had planned.
But she picked up the pen anyway.
“I’ll need another day.”
Simon groaned. “Seriously?”
“You changed the terms, and then you forced me here without giving me a chance to call my lawyer. If you’re getting something extra out of the deal, I want something too.”
Simon pointed to his wristwatch. “Time is money. And you do know that I don’t need your written consent, don’t you?”
She glared at him. “Are you threatening me?”
“No threat is required, but a deal is a deal.”
She pulled away from the table and snatched up the contract. “I won’t sign anything as one-sided as this contract here. Give me twenty-four hours to discuss the terms with my lawyer. Stay away from me during that time or I’ll call the County Sheriff and place a restraining order against you.”
“Twenty-four hours…starting now,” he said. “And don’t think about running…”
“I’m not running from my tavern,” she stated, defiantly. I’m running from you.
She half meant it, and she knew it was in her best interest to hold onto what was hers. No matter what it took. If she had to leave this town for her safety, she would. But she’d be back for what was hers.
Chapter Three
“So, you need help from us to capture your Beta?” Garrett asked, as he glanced out at Benjamin Sr., Alejandro, and a third Cross City wolf they’d brought with them.
The old former Alpha, who was nearly eighty years old, nodded slowly. “He’s hard to catch, and he’s turned some of the non-ranking Pack members against their leaders. We’re leaning toward Pack disbandment.”
“He has people working for him,” Garrett said. “I saw a handful of his bodyguards last night.”
“They’ve kept his whereabouts a secret and whenever he’s spotted, the attempts to apprehend him always leads to altercations that increases our death count. We don’t want any more bodies. Finding dead bodies of wolf shifters all over the County doesn’t look good to the human authorities and to the shifter population as a whole.”
Wolf Unbound Page 2