The boy below me goes still, but I don’t stop. Even when little drops of water land on his cheek. Had it started raining? I had no idea. Hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me away as I’m announced the winner. My father's smile turns into a frown when he notices the tears on my face. I quickly wipe them away, straightening my shoulders.
“You did good, Lautner.” My father claps a hand to my back as we head out the door of the abandoned barn, back to his car.
“Will the boy be alright?” I ask.
My father stops abruptly, turning me to face him, and I shudder under the intensity of his gaze.
“There are two types of people in this world, Lautner. Those who are strong and those who are weak. Which do you want to be?”
“Strong,” I say as my father nods in approval.
“Then it doesn’t matter about your opponent. You won to fight another day.”
Chapter 13
Dani
It’s late in the afternoon, and Lacey had stayed with me all day as I packed my bag ready for my trip to Stone Valley. “You should definitely take these with you,” she says with a smile, producing the black lace and silk underwear she had bought me last Christmas.
I snatch them from her hands. “Lace, I have no intention of giving Drake the wrong idea.”
“I meant in case anything happens with Lautner?” She raises her eyebrow suggestively, biting her lip.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen with my Father and Drake around. I probably won’t even get the chance to speak with him,” I reply, placing them in my bag, just in case.
“Promise you will call me tonight and let me know how it goes?” she asks worriedly.
“I promise. I plan to hide out in my room as much as possible over the next few days.”
“Danika.” My father's voice carries up the stairs. “It’s time to go.”
I quickly check my phone, hoping to see a text back from Daniel. I’d texted him earlier, warning him of my arrival. The last thing I need is for Lautner to cause a scene and start shouting at me to leave again. Disappointed, I turn my phone off, hiding it at the bottom of my bag.
I rush over to Lacey, giving her one last hug before leaving the room. The butterflies that had plagued me all afternoon going into overdrive as I descend the stairs. I have no idea what will happen over the next few days, and I dread not having my best friend by my side.
There’s a total of six of us heading to Stone Valley, and no one is looking forward to it. There are many reasons why packs keep themselves isolated from others of their kind. Bitter rivalries and distrust are only the start. The idea of putting two packs under one roof screams like a bad idea, but the Council's orders cannot be broken.
My father smirks up at me from where he stands at the bottom of the stairs. He had something up his sleeve, and I knew it would be something I wouldn’t like. It’s at that moment I notice Drake waiting by his side, wearing the same expression.
“Danika,” Drake greets me coldly. A shiver of unease running down my spine as I wonder just what they have planned for me. “As we are heading into enemy territory as it were, I feel it only right that you wear my ring to let everyone know to whom you belong.”
I scoff silently at his words. To whom I Belong. Is he fucking kidding me? But I know he isn’t. That’s all I am to him. An item to use and discard as he chooses.
As my foot hits the bottom stair, he holds out the gaudiest ring I have ever seen. It screams money and possession.
“Take it,” my father growls, his mouth turning into a cruel smile at my obvious discomfort.
I reach out to take the ring from Drake’s hand, but he pulls back.
“Allow me,” he replies, taking my left hand in his. The butterflies that had been swimming around inside me all day going into overdrive at his touch, dropping at such speed, I’m sure I’m about to be sick. I remain frozen in place as he slides the ring onto my finger.
“There you are now,” my father chuckles, no doubt enjoying the uncomfortable position he’d thrown me into.
Drake watches me warily. He must’ve been expecting me to put up more of a fight over the ring. Usually, he would have been right, but I wasn’t in the mood to piss my father off any more than necessary. I’m heading into the unknown in Stone Valley, and I can’t take the risk.
I follow Drake outside as he climbs straight into the passenger seat of my father’s Lincoln Navigator. I would be traveling with my father, Drake, and Sid. While Terry and Logan would go in his Jeep. Following his lead, I climb into the backseat, putting my headphones in and randomly selecting one of my Spotify playlists on my iPod.
As the sound of a random rock song begins to play, I look down at the hideous ring adorning my finger—Lacey’s words replaying in my mind. “If Lautner is your fated mate, he isn’t going to take well to you turning up with another man. These guys turn totally possessive. It won’t be long until your Father and Drake find out?”
I close my eyes, praying that Daniel had received my text and told his pack brothers the truth about me. If not, the Stone Valley Pack were going to be in for one hell of a surprise when I walked through their door.
***
I turn my attention to the window as my father navigates a path down an old dirt track through the woods that would lead us into Stone Valley. The sun had set about thirty minutes ago, and it’s getting harder to make out the road ahead of us. The car dips suddenly as my father slams on the brakes. “Bloody potholes,” he mutters before starting forward again.
“What,” I snap, irritated, catching Drake staring at me from the corner of my eye.
“Nothing, just picturing you tied up naked in my bed. It won't be long now,” he leers.
“We’re not married yet. I suggest you get rid of that thought, right …” The back window shatters behind me as I put my hands over my head in protection.
“Get down!” my father shouts as I quickly unclip my seatbelt and huddle in a ball on the floor. I can hear the bullets continue to pound against the side of the car. Sid is beside me, and I hear his door open as he rolls out the door preparing to protect his alpha. At the sound of howling, I realize the others must have followed suit. The gunshots fade as my pack brothers race off into the night, preparing to attack their prey.
A blood-curdling scream in the distance is the only sound as I close my eyes, wishing I weren’t so defenseless. It seemed like forever until I finally hear Terry’s voice call out, “You’re safe now, Dani.”
My legs feel like jelly as I shakily climb out of the car, holding onto the door for support.
“How many?” my father demands as he comes to stand beside me.
“At least five that we counted,” Terry replies.
“Where’s Drake?” my father asks, looking around as if just noticing he is a man down.
“Over here.” Drake strolls down the hill, naked, a big smile on his face. Behind him, he drags the body of a man. He stops before us bowing his head to his alpha. “I managed to catch this one before he got away.”
I stare down at the dead man at his feet. Fresh blood still pumping from the severed artery at his neck where Drake had gone in for the kill.
The man is young, younger than I expected. He must only be early twenties if that.
“You should have kept him alive,” my father scolds. “The enforcers could have gotten more information out of him.”
“With all due respect, Alpha. He tried to kill you and your daughter. We are one less hunter down. Once the packs convene, I’m sure we can capture a live one,” he responds, throwing me a wink.
“You just better hope Lautner doesn’t send you to the pit,” Terry jibe’s behind him as Sid snickers. Lautner. Just the sound of his name has my heart beating faster. It wouldn’t be long now before I saw him again. I’m just not sure if I’m excited or scared.
Drake scowls as he stares Terry down. “You dare talk to your Beta that way?” he snarls, Terry and Sid both dropping their heads, remaining quie
t.
Satisfied at their submission, Drake storms off as I turn to Terry. “What’s the pit?” I ask, eager to hear of anything that involves Lautner.
“It's just a rumor I've heard. Lautner is the Stone Valley Pack enforcer and a mean son of a bitch, from what I hear. Apparently, he has an underground chamber where he tortures and kills strays. But don’t worry, Dani, I'm sure it's just that, a rumor.” He smiles as he goes to follow the rest of the pack.
Terry, Drake, and Sid get to work burying the body while Logan changes the blown-out tire. The car is a mess, but it worked. It would get us the rest of the way to Stone Valley.
I draw closer to my father. I can hear him shouting down the phone from inside his car—no doubt speaking to the Stone Valley Pack Alpha, letting him know what happened. Nervously I look around, hoping the hunters won’t show up again.
“They’re long gone,” Drake says, coming to stand by me as I look up, grateful to see he is now fully clothed.
“I wasn’t looking,” I snap, hating that he’d noticed. I hated to feel weak, and the worst part is, he knows it. “Why did you ask that I come?” I change the subject.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my fiancé, after all. A man needs to know his female is safe. Who knows where they could be sneaking off too?” His hand trails up my arm to my throat, but there is nothing gentle in his gesture. “Because that’s what you are, Dani, mine.”
I look up, meeting his harsh stare head-on. The bastard knew all about my visit to the Warehouse. I should have known one of them would have had someone following me.
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself,” I say, hoping he can't see the panic rising within me.
“Let’s go,” my father interrupts as Drake's hand falls from my throat, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Chapter 14
Lautner
“Lautner. Wake up!” Seth bangs against my door, waking me from a restless slumber for the second time that day. Groaning, I roll out of bed.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I open the door. “What is it?”
“The Ridgeway Pack were attacked on their way here.”
“Any casualties?” I ask, instantly awake, my body craving some action—anything to take my mind off of her.
“Not on our side, but one of them killed a hunter,” he replies, shrugging his shoulders.
“Idiot. We need one alive, at least for now,” I reply, irritated.
“Mick wants everyone downstairs now before they arrive.”
“Yeah, alright, I’ll be down in a minute.”
Closing the door, I quickly change into a black wifebeater and jeans before going into the bathroom and throwing some cold water on my face.
Fuck, I silently growl, wishing they’d caught one alive. A bit of violence would have sated the monster within, if only for a little while. You know what else would sate your monster, that pretty little blonde? My wolf perks up. “Shut up,” I mutter out loud to myself. The sooner these seventy-two hours were up, the sooner I could get my life back on track.
***
Everyone is already waiting in the bar when I enter. Mick looks up, giving me a quick glance before resuming his conversation with Ryan. Good. The last thing I need is another lecture on my tardiness.
After a few minutes, Mick stands up, clearing his throat. “I’m sure you’ve heard the Ridgeway Pack were attacked on their way here. No casualties on our side, but we are one less hunter down.”
“How many hunters?” I ask.
“Five.”
I nod. That’s no big deal.
“Their Alphas pissed; his only daughter is with them.”
“His daughter?” Seth chimes in. “What the hell is he bringing her for? Surely he would want to keep her out of danger.”
“That’s his business, not ours,” Mick states. “They should be here in the next few minutes. I don’t have to tell you, but I’m going to anyway. We need to play nice. That means no fighting and for fucks sake, stay the hell away from his daughter.”
I pretend not to notice that his words are directed at me. He needn’t have worried. I’ve no intention of sleeping with the Alphas daughter. My wolf and I are already too preoccupied with the feisty blonde Dani, who is already screwing up my life for the foreseeable future.
I nod along with everyone else needing another drink. I head over to the bar where Seth is already there, waiting.
“You planning on playing nice?” he quips as I sit down next to him.
“That depends. Are you planning on leaving the mate shit alone?”
He chuckles. “We’ll call it a truce for tonight.”
“Lautner,” Daniel calls out. His eyes are wild as he looks around the room striding over, his phone in his hand. “I really need to talk to you.”
“Not now, Daniel,” I snap.
“Look, it's important. It’s about last night,” he continues.
“What is it?” I ask, pissed that he would even bring this up.
“Dani … she … “
“Don’t you talk about her? Not here,” I seethe.
“You don’t understand,” he shouts, shaking in frustration.
“Spit it out, Daniel,” Ryan interjects, coming over.
“Last night, at the Warehouse, she told everyone her name was Dani Court, but really her name is Danika Cortez. As in daughter to the Alpha of the Ridgeway Pack, and she is on her way here.”
“Shit,” mutters Seth beside me as I stare Daniel down.
“What did you do, Lautner?” Ryan demands.
“I-”
Mick clears his throat. “They’re here.”
Chapter 15
Lautner
Dani. Here. My heart begins beating precariously in my chest as I rub my sweaty palms against the side of my jeans. My wolf is doing goddamn somersaults within as I wait, holding my breath.
An older man is first through the door. This must be the Alpha Cortez. His reputation is almost as bad as mine. Almost. I sneer as his eyes scan the room; distaste evident on his face. He is everything I imagined, from his expensive suit and shiny shoes to the look of superiority he wore on his face. It’s well known he never got his hands dirty. He had enough money to sit back and let everyone else do the dirty work for him.
I wait impatiently as a few others file in, but I pay them little attention. Usually, I would be able to give a play-by-play account of their age, height, weight, and clothes, but they were not who I was interested in. No, the one I was waiting for hadn't shown. I didn't know whether to be relieved or pissed at Daniel for getting our hopes up. Mate.
"Leave it. I Don't need any help," her voice snaps out angrily as the door pushes open, and Dani walks in. I grip the countertop in front of me, forcing myself to remain seated. The mating heat slams back into me with such force I feel as though I'm suffocating, and she is my only source of oxygen. I know if I could just take her into my arms, she would burn with me like the sweetest sin, fighting fire with fire. She looks just as good as I remember from last night. Her clothing more casual this time in jeans and a tight sweater looked just as good on her as any dress.
My eyes stalk her every move as she heads straight over to stand beside her father. I want to look away, but the magnetic pull from last night won’t let me. I watch her face soften, her anger leaving her as she introduces herself to Mick and Ryan. My hands are aching from their death grip against the countertop as I wait for her to look over. Finally, she looks my way, her eyes are wary as if she doesn’t know how to respond to seeing me again, and I feel the same way.
She nervously nibbles the bottom of her lip as her eyes leave mine, and I notice the man standing by her side. I watch frozen as he throws his arms around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his body.
"Lautner," I hear someone call out, but I can't focus. All I can think about is removing the man's hand from her body.
“And finally,” Cortez resumes. “May I introduce my daughter, Danika, and her fiancé, Drake.”
“Don’t,” Seth whispers in a voice so low I can barely hear him, his hand encircling my wrist.
I turn to look at him, finding myself halfway across the room, not even realizing I’d moved.
“Not now,” I hear him say under his breath, his fingers increasing their pressure. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a few of the Ridgeway Pack take a few steps back. Good. I never played well with others, and right now, I would gladly show them just what I’m capable of. Growling, I slowly back up with Seth keeping his hand firmly on my wrist. I would kick his ass if I weren’t so grateful for the distraction.
I can feel the suspicious stares of everyone in the room watching me as I sit down. I turn around, meeting Mick’s intense gaze head-on. There was going to be hell to pay once the introductions were over. I had never really lied to my alpha before, and now I would have to admit to not just one mistake, but two.
Fiancé. How can this be? She belonged to me. My mate. Mine alone. Whether I want to accept it or not.
I force my head down, refusing to look in her direction until Ryan approaches me.
"Mick wants to see you. Now!"
Seth instantly stands by my side, ready to join me.
"Just Lautner," Ryan orders.
Seth looks to Ryan as if ready to argue but now isn't the time, not with a room full of enemy pack. Mick would already be pissed, and I didn't want to escalate the situation.
"Stay here, Seth. I got this."
I follow Ryan as he leads me out back through the kitchen and into the office where Mick is already waiting. It’s the only place we can talk freely without being overheard in a house full of shifters. The walls are soundproofed, and for what I’m about to tell Mick, it’s a damn good thing too, or this treaty would be over in a matter of minutes.
Lautner: A Dark Fated Mates Romance Page 6