by Delta James
“Didn’t he?” asked Darby quietly. “Didn’t you not just hear him growl but feel it in your bones?”
Maddie sank down on the bed. “Is that what that is?”
Darby nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“I… I didn’t know.”
“Of course not. Bad enough when you truly don’t know and don’t know what you want.”
“Did Jean-Michel call to you?”
Darby laughed out loud. “Of course he did. And I knew what it was… but I didn’t want any part of it.”
“What did you do?”
“Ran like hell and then fought him tooth and nail.”
“What happened?”
Darby sighed, sat down next to her, and took Maddie’s hand into her own. “I fell stupidly, head-over-heels in love with the arrogant prick and found my own happily ever after.”
Maddie looked at her and then began to giggle.
Darby joined her, saying, “You’re pretty much doomed, you know. Once one of them gets it in his head that he’s found his fated mate, they will pretty much roll right over the top of anyone, included said fated mate, to make it so. And alphas are the worst.”
“Says the woman who’s mated to one of the most powerful.”
“Happily mated,” Darby said, correcting her.
“I won’t tell him.”
“Too late. He already knows. He always has. I’d be face down over his knee getting my ass turned bright red, spitting and cursing at him, and he’d be telling me how happy we were going to be. To his credit, he only rarely teases me about being right.”
“Shit, Darby. What do I do?”
“What your heart tells you to do,” she said gently. “You don’t have to decide right this minute, but you can’t take forever. Trouble is coming. I suspect he’ll press the issue before it does.”
“What if I choose no?” Maddie whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
“I think you claim the protection of Oliver Halsey. He’ll be here tomorrow. He’s the one who rescued you in London. You can ask for his protection as your alpha.”
“I could ask Jean-Michel.”
“You could, but Oliver has the better claim to dominion over you at this point. And I’m not sure Jean-Michel wouldn’t back Griffin. He’s something of a romantic, my beloved mate. He and Griffin are a lot alike. The thing is that Oliver’s mate, Roz, was turned without her consent…”
“Griffin said that the decision was mine…”
“And I’m sure he meant it. But Roz knows the change intimately and Oliver will be sensitive to that. She can answer questions for you that most of us can’t. Keep in mind that things can happen by accident that will initiate the change. It’s always a risk with a shifter and a human.”
“So you’re serious about running like hell because you think something might force me to change.”
Darby giggled. “I think if you’re more worried about the change than being mated to an alpha wolf you are so totally screwed.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Maddie said as she laid on her back on the bed.
Darby stood and pulled Maddie to her feet. “You can’t hide up here for the rest of the day. Come on, we’ll get Megan and Summer and go do something naughty.”
“Like what?” asked Maddie.
“Oh, I don’t know. But trust me… we’ll think of something.”
The two women left Maddie’s room in search of Darby’s favorite cohorts in crime.
* * *
Griffin entered Jean-Michel’s office. Like the rest of the house, it was decorated impeccably. Griffin suspected the collection of leather-bound books were all first editions and priceless as were the paintings adorning the walls.
Griffin wasn’t sure what to expect. In some ways, tossing the guest of another alpha over your shoulder and walking into his house with her wasn’t exactly considered appropriate behavior. Griffin’s concerns were immediately allayed when he entered the room and Gautier stood up laughing and clapped his hands together.
“Am I to assume that I no longer need be concerned about the fair Ms. Stone betraying the secret that we exist to the public at large?”
Griffin grinned at him. “I don’t think you ever had cause to be. But no, Ms. Stone is my concern. Do you need me to make a formal declaration for her?”
“I think if you were to make it to anyone, it would be Halsey. He will be here tomorrow. Does the lady in question know your mind on the subject?” asked Jean-Michel thoughtfully.
“She does. Curiously she felt the call and that didn’t seem to throw her, but the idea of become a shifter did.”
“It’s a lot to ask someone to leave their humanity behind. What will you do if she chooses not to be turned?”
“Then my fated mate will be human.”
“That can be much like walking the razor’s edge.”
“Would you have walked away from Darby had she been human?” Griffin asked genuinely interested to hear his answer.
Jean-Michel laughed. “Never. I would have persuaded her one way or another to agree.”
“But what would you have done either when the sexual haze or the sting from a spanking had dissipated?”
“If she still refused to see the light, I’d have persuaded her again.”
Griffin realized he was serious. He was making light of it, but Griffin realized he would have made Darby come around to his way of thinking.
“But the danger…”
“Is made more of than it should be. Is there danger? Yes. There is danger in anything any of us does. But we are stronger, have far better health and longer lives. Would you deny your mate that because there was some danger?” Jean-Michel leaned forward. “Halsey’s pack physician has experience with this. Why don’t I have him come down as well? Halsey’s mate, Rozalyn, was turned without her consent. Between the two of them they may be able to allay your mate’s concerns. To my way of thinking, far better to have her undertake the change in a planned and thoughtful manner than because somehow she came in contact with either your blood or saliva or that of any children she might bear you.”
“That might be a good idea.”
“Bien. I already made the call.”
Griffin had a fleeting thought that he ought to be somewhat annoyed that Jean-Michel had just hijacked the decision, but looking into his face, all Griffin could do was laugh. Jean-Michel might be arrogant, but he was a charming rogue and really did want to make things right.
“You are a first-class romantic.”
“But of course!” agreed Jean-Michel.
“Now, that you’ve planned out my future for me…”
“Not your entire future, mon ami, just settling you with a mate, although I fear my unmated males may start taking me to task about passing off the most glorious women to wolves other than themselves.”
“Had you planned to find my mate a partner within your own pack?”
Jean-Michel sobered and replied, “The thought had crossed my mind. But once I saw how it was between the two of you, I knew I had to give you my full support. Shifter or not, I fear your mate may be a handful. But the best mates are always those who are more difficult to be brought to heel.”
“You seem to have done rather well with yours.”
Jean-Michel’s face softened and his eyes took on a glow of pure happiness. “Yes. I am the most fortunate of men. I thank the powers that be every day for her entrance and ongoing presence in my life. If your Madeline brings you only a fraction of the joy my Darby has brought me, you will be extremely lucky.”
“But I’m a lone wolf. I have money enough to support us, but…”
“If you have a mate and good friends, then you are no longer a lone wolf. What is it you want, Griffin? Dylan has said that the man who leads your brother’s pack would step down if you asked.”
Griffin nodded. “But it would be a bad decision for everyone involved. Ioan is the best one to lead Calon Onest. I had actually begun to think about establishing a new p
ack here in America. I thought to ask Skylar about her old home.”
“’Tis a beautiful island, but the home that once stood there is no more. Your former sister-in-law torched the place.”
“In a fit of temper?” asked Griffin with a smile. He remembered Skylar’s notorious and short-fused temper.
“No, as part of a well-conceived plan to thwart the efforts of the Ruling Council. Dylan always says if luck had not been with him, the women of Bae Diogel might well have escaped. But certainly I think most of us in this coalition your brother-in-law wants to put together would welcome the presence of a strong alpha in the Carolinas’ barrier islands. Do you have men who you think would join you?”
“A few from various packs met throughout the years.”
“We might be able to help with that as well. Know that you and your lady are welcome here until you have established your own home.”
“I appreciate that, Jean-Michel. Now what was it you wanted to see me about?”
Jean-Michel laughed. “Never tell my mate this, but the rest can wait until Halsey and Grainger arrive tomorrow. I was most interested in your plans for Ms. Stone and for establishing your own pack. I am glad to hear that we will be able to keep a man with your skills and contacts here in America. I fear this is where the first concerted effort to start a new world order will be directed.”
Curious, Griffin asked, “How could you know what skills and contacts I have?”
The alpha of New Orleans laughed again. “Mon ami, the wine cellars here at Rivière Du Loup have been filled with the wines of the DeMedici vineyards for centuries.”
Griffin began to laugh with Jean-Michel. He was coming to believe that his life now had a purpose. Not only that, but he had the beginnings of a plan to accomplish that purpose.
Chapter Ten
“So,” said Darby to Maddie once they had gathered Summer and Megan. “How much trouble shall we get into?”
The other two former members of Bae Diogel laughed. Maddie was finding that as Griffin had pointed out, none of these women seemed unhappy or abused.
“I don’t want the three of you to risk being spanked,” said Maddie quietly.
“Don’t kid yourself,” said Darby. “It isn’t the three of us, as I recall your would-be mate told you that you were not to leave the house. Oh, wait, he said without the company of a wolf… and you have three.”
Megan snorted. “Don’t let her lead you astray; trust me, female wolves wasn’t what he had in mind. And if he’s said something to that arrogant alpha of ours, he’ll turn over keeping you in line to him.”
Summer laughed. “Somehow I don’t think we’re going to have to lead Maddie astray. I think she would have fit in rather well at Bae Diogel.”
“Speaking of which,” said Darby. “I was able to let Skylar and Roz know what we’ve been up to with our beach yoga. They too have instituted training their girls.”
“What do you mean, training?” asked Maddie.
It was Megan who answered, “Those of us who were Bae Diogel know the only reason we survived the attack by those Serbian mutts was because Skylar and Roz had trained all of us to defend ourselves. With trouble coming, we’ve been doing the same here at Rivière Du Loup, the Hamptons, and Calon Gwyllt.”
“I’ve given lots of self-defense classes at the Y… maybe I could help,” offered Maddie.
Summer grinned at her. “I’m beginning to think Geoff may be right in that Maddie belongs here.”
“Not for long,” said Darby knowingly.
“What do you mean?” asked Megan.
“I’m afraid I’ve heard the call of Griffin Owen,” said Maddie in a resigned tone.
“Skylar’s brother-in-law? She always said he was quite the catch. She never believed he’d find what he wanted amongst the old guard in Europe. So, will you become one of us?”
“I haven’t decided.”
Summer put her arm around her. “Don’t fret about it. Roz will be here. She can answer questions from a perspective none of us can.”
“And Maddie,” said Darby, “regardless of what I said this afternoon. If you choose not to answer Griffin’s call, the women who were Bae Diogel will back whatever decision you make.”
“Thank you for the support. As for being disciplined, I have no intention of submitting to that,” asserted Maddie.
Darby snorted. “Neither did the rest of us… didn’t do us much good nor am I quite certain it will do you any as well. Let’s go find out what tasty treats Claudine has, grab a bottle of good tequila, and find a nice quiet place to sit and watch all hell break loose,” suggested Darby.
The other three women with her laughed and agreed. Having secured the necessary elements for an afternoon of mischief, the four women stole up the hidden back stairs of the main house on the plantation and took up residence on the balcony off the room Darby shared with Jean-Michel.
Maddie was impressed. If the room she had been given was beautiful, this one was sumptuous. Darby saw her look, leaned over, and said, “It’s bigger than the main gathering room of either the shack I grew up in or that horrible farmhouse I was held in when I was with the alpha that my father sold me to.”
“The beauty of being up here, besides how peaceful and quiet it is, is the beauty of the Mississippi and they can’t really get pissed because technically, we haven’t left the house.”
Maddie giggled. “I take it technicalities are important?”
Summer giggled as well. “Absolutely. They can be used to good advantage in making a point.”
* * *
JD caught up with Griffin and Jean-Michel as they were exiting the latter’s office.
“Might you know, my alpha, where the Holy Trinity plus one have disappeared to?”
“You can’t find them?” asked Jean-Michel with just a hint of annoyance in his voice. He shook his head and chuckled. “And so, the mischief begins…”
“I don’t think Maddie would ever get into mischief…”
Griffin’s assertions were cut off by the laughter of the alpha and beta of New Orleans.
“I think you woefully underestimate the level of mischief your would-be mate…” started Jean-Michel.
“So the rumor circulating amongst our unmated males is true—the lovely Ms. Stone is spoken for?”
“Not formally,” said Griffin.
“A mere formality,” said Jean-Michel to JD. “As I said, Griffin, I think you will be surprised at the level of mischief your Maddie is capable of engaging in with a couple of shots of tequila and a really bad influence.”
Both Jean-Michel and JD laughed.
After leaving Jean-Michel’s office, the three men found Geoff and began a systematic search of the common area of the house and then spread out onto the grounds. Jean-Michel and Griffin paired off.
“I told her not to come outside without me or a wolf,” Griffin said, clearly annoyed.
Jean-Michel chuckled. “You do realize that if she’s with my mate, she has not disobeyed you.”
“Of course she has.”
“No, you told her in the company of a wolf. Darby and the rest of the women here are all wolves.”
“She knew what I meant.”
“Perhaps,” said Jean-Michel, grinning at him. “But I can tell you that disciplining them goes better and is far more effective if you are clear on what you expect and don’t make assumptions about what they know.”
After an hour of searching, Griffin and the ranked members of the pack of New Orleans couldn’t locate their errant mates. Jean-Michel enlisted the help of some of the unmated males of his pack and sent JD to speak with the mated males to question their mates and Geoff to speak with the two unmated females he had taken in at Darby’s request.
After another hour of searching, Geoff had also questioned the staff and reported back to Jean-Michel.
“I can’t be sure but I believe that Claudine and Mrs. Hastings—our cook and main housekeeper,” Geoff added for Griffin’s information, “might
know something.”
“That won’t help,” said JD, laughing.
“It is not funny,” said Jean-Michel, grinning in spite of himself. He turned to Griffin. “Both of these women have been here at the plantation since I was a child. But to whom do they now show their allegiance? My beloved mate. I swear you could rack either of them and they wouldn’t give her up.”
They were headed back to the house when Jean-Michel stopped suddenly and scented the air. He grinned. “They, or at least Darby are close.”
The four men stood and listened intently finally hearing a tell-tale giggle coming from above.
Jean-Michel looked up toward the balcony off his own bedroom suite. He walked backwards until he could see the edge of the balcony. “Darby Gautier, show yourself.”
Darby came forward and leaned over the rail smiling brightly. “Yes, my beloved. Was there something you required of me?”
The other three women joined her, clearly enjoying the discomfiture of the men with whom they did or would share their lives. The grins and giggles quickly became outright laughter.
Griffin couldn’t help but laugh. “You sure these rogue women are the ones you want to emulate, my beloved?”
Maddie looked at her companions. “I can’t think of a better group to learn from. You ladies will teach me everything I need to know about being a part of a pack, won’t you?”
Summer threw her arm around Maddie. “We’ll teach you everything we learned at Bae Diogel. And this weekend you’ll have Darby, Roz, and Skylar to tell you all about how to be mistress of a great pack and how to deal with those annoying alphas. Thank God I didn’t get stuck with one. Evil things,” she said, looking directly at Jean-Michel of whom she was inordinately fond.
He laughed. “Best you behave, Summer, or I’ll instruct my omega that his mate is in need of yet another lesson in respect.”
“You have nothing but my respect, Alpha,” said Summer in a mock severe tone. “But you forget, I’ve felt the sting of your hand on my backside and know you are truly evil.”
“Darby, are you going to let her impugn my reputation?” said Jean-Michel pleadingly.