“Of course, I’d never do anything without getting permission from my mas—er—I mean my mate,” Ricky stuttered. Tank looked like he wanted to reply but before he could do so, Grant walked into the kitchen.
“Get my permission for what?” Grant asked with a raised brow.
Ricky wanted to escape but the door was blocked by Sparky and his younger brother. The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene. He quickly looked down, unwilling to meet the eyes of the Alpha as he shrugged. “Nothing important, Alpha Grant.” As he continued to keep his hands folded and eyes down, the only sound in the room was the sound of the coffee pot percolate. He should have stayed in the bedroom, why did he disobey? Ricky felt the panic begin to build, his breath caught in his throat as his lungs strained to bring in air.
A strong hand gently lifted his chin until he found himself looking into the dark brown eyes of his mate.
A soft smile was on the Alpha’s face as he used his finger to slowly stroke the side of Ricky’s face. “There you are.” He paused but didn’t remove his hand. Ricky couldn’t help the slight shudder that ran through his body. A frown appeared on Grant’s face but his voice remained soft, “You have nothing to fear from me, my mate. I thought…” the Alpha sighed, “…never mind, just tell me what you want Ricky and I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”
Ricky swallowed a couple of times before he finally managed to whisper, “I want to learn to fight…”
Grant stepped back, the frown on his face deepened. He shook his head before he spoke, “I’m sorry, Ricky, but the answer is no.”
There was a sharp indrawn breath from Vicky, but otherwise there was no other sound from any of the people in the room. Ricky glanced back down at his fisted hands as he tried to quell the unexpected anger the Alpha’s response had woken in him. How was he supposed to protect his brother if he couldn’t learn to fight? Not to mention Ricky was tired of being someone else’s punching bag. If he’d known how to fight, he might have been able to avoid being captured by Beta Biff. Suddenly he just couldn’t stay in the too quiet room any longer.
He nodded at the Alpha before he turned to see his brother. Even Sandy seemed affected by the mood as he remained quiet. Years of being a slave is what allowed Ricky to swallow his anger as he put a smile on his face. “Come on, Sandy, why don’t you show me what you bought today?”
Sandy looked to the Alpha who simply nodded. Great, it appeared he also needed permission to be with his brother. Things hadn’t changed after all, which left Ricky feeling hollow inside. For a short time, he’d allowed himself to believe Grant when he’d told him he was no longer a slave. While his mate hadn’t hurt him physically, it would only be a matter of time. He’d traded one master for another.
“Are you okay, Ricky?” Sandy’s voice trembled slightly.
Ricky squared his shoulders and allowed the smile to reach his eyes. “I’m fine, squirt, now why don’t we go out to the porch. I’ll get some fresh air and you can show me the treasures you and Sparky found in town.” He turned to Grant. “That is if it’s okay with you, Alpha?”
The Alpha growled. “Of course you can go outside, this isn’t a prison!”
“Could have fooled me,” Ricky muttered softly as he quickly turned and followed his brother towards the front of the house. He paused for a moment when he heard the sound of someone being slapped followed by Grant’s voice, “What did you do that for, Mother?”
“You deserve more than a slap to the back of the head, young man. You may be Alpha but you’re still my son!” Vicky said forcefully.
Not wanting to hear anymore, Ricky continued to walk to the front door. This time he couldn’t help the small chuckle that bubbled up and escaped. It seemed he had at least one person on his side in this house and he would place bets on who would win. Suddenly the darkness that had begun to swallow him seemed a little lighter. He’d deal with his mate later, for now he just wanted to relax and enjoy a few minutes with his brother.
Sandy had just finished telling Ricky about the tour he’d taken of the school with Sparky and the headmaster when the sound of motorcycles filled the air. A moment later the front door opened and Alpha Grant exited followed by Sparky and Tank. For a moment Ricky glanced up at his mate through his bangs; he had to admit the man was walking sex on a stick. Too bad he felt so intimidated by the shifter. Grant walked over and stood behind him.
He placed his finger under Ricky’s chin and forced him once again to look up. “You and I need to talk, my mate.”
“Yes, sir,” Ricky replied softly.
Grant sighed and Ricky could see sadness in his mate’s dark brown eyes. Before they could continue, three motorcycles pulled up in front of the wrap around porch. Blaze dismounted and walked closer. “We’re ready to go, Alpha Grant.”
“Good. I hope Shadow’s Intel is accurate,” Alpha Grant replied.
“He’s good at what he does—we all are.” Blaze winked at Sandy who for once was quiet.
Ricky chuckled at the look of awe on the youngster’s face. Of course, the three large black bikes were impressive.
The lighthearted banter stopped, as Blaze’s eyes appeared to glow with anger. “We have never lost a man and I don’t intend to start now. We’ll find Radar and Samantha, you can bet on it.”
Sparky stepped down and walked towards Dove’s bike. “What on earth? Is that—it is! You’re taking Nutcruncher with you?”
Ricky glanced back towards the motorcycles and noticed that there was a small bucket seat settled between the handlebars on Dove’s motorcycle. Sure enough, sitting up in the special seat was the robotic squirrel they had used to rescue him. He’d never seen the squirrel in action, but he’d heard about how the animal got its name. Even now he felt like crossing his legs. He couldn’t help laughing though when he realized not only was the squirrel sitting in the small seat, but it was wearing leather chaps, a leather jacket and a small black helmet—did they even make helmets that small?
Sparky took a closer look but then clapped his hands and exclaimed, “Wait—wait, I have something for Nutcruncher! I’ll be right back.” Ricky wondered what the crazy shifter was up to. His question was answered as Sparky returned a moment later with a small piece of sparkling purple cloth in his hands.
“You can’t have a mascot without giving him his own scarf,” Sparky exclaimed, as he wrapped the vibrant purple cloth around the squirrel’s neck. For a moment Dove looked like he was going to deck the shifter, but Falcon simply laughed. “Well at least you’ll be able to find him if he jumps off and goes to find some nuts along the way.”
“Keep it up and I’ll let him check out yours,” Dove growled.
Blaze chuckled. “I think we better get going before Dove decides to let Nutcruncher loose on Sparky or Falcon.”
Alpha Grant shook his head. “Sparky get up here and leave the squirrel alone.” He walked down the steps and watched as Blaze mounted his bike and started the engine. “Stay safe and make sure you let us know when you find them. Don’t engage on your own,” Alpha Grant ordered.
“Yes Sir!” Blaze tipped his head before he put on his helmet and signaled for the other two to follow. Ricky watched as the three men disappeared into the afternoon sun. He wrapped his arms around his middle and couldn’t help the small shudder that shook his frame. There was something evil going on and Alpha Clifton was in the center of whatever it was. He only hoped that when they discovered the crazy Alpha’s plans, they wouldn’t be too late to stop it.
About The Author
Raven lives in a small town in northern Illinois. She has been writing for years, but after discovering the world of paranormal romance, her muse and a few close friends finally prodded her to delve into this genre of writing. There is nothing better than a good romance filled with werewolves, hot men and other paranormal creatures to pass the time.
Most evenings you can find her reading, writing or cuddling up with her menagerie of cats and dogs.
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acebook, Twitter or her website: www.darkwingpublications.com and of course you can always email her at [email protected]
Stay tuned for Book 2 of The Guardian Pack series: Battle for a Mates Heart
The Alpha's Promise Page 24