I wait for Ryan to close the door before finally looking up.
"Sit," Mick orders.
"I'd rather stand."
“It’s not a request. Sit down,” he repeats.
I drop down into the seat across from him. His piercing gaze doing little to relieve the tension that bubbled under my skin. I feel as if I’m about to explode, and I can't help but wonder just how badly I've fucked up this time. Although technically, it’s not my fault.
“Lautner,” Ryan's snaps, and I realize I must have missed my alpha speaking.
“What the fuck is going on with you?” Mick demands.
“It's not my fault …” I begin until I realize just how pathetic I sounded. I might be fucked right now, but I’m no coward. It’s time to take responsibility for my shit.
“During my fight with Tommy, something caught my wolf's attention … a female. I couldn't focus, and Tommy started getting the better of me. I thought he had me at one point until I managed to reign in my wolf and take control. After the fight, I sought her out.”
I watch his face waiting for my words to register.
“Danika Cortez … is my fated mate.” The words tumble out of my mouth, and I wish I could take them back. Saying it out loud just made it too damn real. I’d never been a man that had to deal with emotions; it's what made me good at my job. My father sought to create a monster, and he’d succeeded.
“Your mate?” he seethes, clearly pissed at just finding out the news.
I watch as he closes his eyes, probably thinking about how badly I’ve screwed up again. He wouldn’t be wrong.
“I thought the Ridgeway Pack were forbidden from attending the Warehouse?” Ryan asks.
“Well, it looks like someone forgot to tell Dani that because she was there. She told me her name was Dani Court, not Cortez.”
“Do you realize what this means? She is already spoken for. Fated mate or not, it won't matter in the eyes of the Council. If you act on this, your actions will start a war between the two packs?”
“I have no intention of claiming her. I give you my word. I have this under control.”
“Under control!” he shouts, slamming his hands down on the desk with such force, it moves a few inches towards me. “You couldn't even last five minutes once she entered the room. You don't get it, Lautner, do you? The choice has already been taken from you. It’s never been heard of for a man to reject his mate.”
“Like you said, she is already spoken for,” I reply vehemently, clenching my fists. “Besides, I only found out seconds before she entered that she’s Ridgeway. If I’d had time to prepare, it would have been different.”
“It's an arranged marriage, you know. She never had a say in it and never will. Her father saw to that.”
“It doesn’t make a difference to me whether she wants him or not. It doesn’t change anything,” I reply coldly, keeping my emotions at bay. Which is relatively easy considering I didn’t have any until yesterday when she walked into my life.
Mick studies me intently as I fidget in my seat. “You have to promise me that if you can't handle it, you’ll get the hell out. Go for a run, go to the Warehouse. I don't give a shit. She is here under our protection, as is her fiancé.”
I wince at his words. My mind drifting back to only a few minutes before, and the idiot that dared place his hands on her. I could guarantee Dani's safety, but her fiancés, well, that’s a different story. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already planned his death fifty times since the moment I’d laid eyes on him.
“I promise to leave if it gets to that. I can handle this,” I reply. “The man is stronger than the wolf,” I repeat the words of my father.
Mick’s face softens as he once again sits down. “You're not your father, Lautner. You are not bound to the same mistakes.”
I ignore his comment wishing everyone would back the fuck off about my father issues. They didn’t know the true extent of the monster he became and the hate he’d instilled in me. I was worse than my father. I’m selfish and uncontrollable, bringing me to lie number two. “There's another thing I need to tell you. When the shooter started firing at the Warehouse, I shifted.”
“You shifted?” Ryan cut in, shocked at my carelessness. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“That’s the problem, I wasn’t,” I say between gritted teeth. “He started shooting wildly, and I heard Dani scream. It was instinct.”
“Cal was lenient, I take it?” Mick asks.
I nod. “We came to an agreement over my punishment.”
“What does he want?”
“My blood, to sell. Not yet though. He will call me when it's time.”
Mick opens the bottom drawer of his desk, bringing out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He pours a good measure into both glasses before handing me one, waiting until I’d taken a drink.
“Did I ever tell you what happened with Evie?” he asks, leaning back in his chair.
I shake my head. I knew Evie was Daniel's mom, but she’d left before I got here.
“I loved her, you know. We were childhood sweethearts. When Daniel came along, we couldn’t have been happier. Then she met her fated mate, Blaine,” Mick says sadly.
“She betrayed you,” I say, pissed.
“No, she didn’t betray me; she couldn’t help it. I knew she loved me, but he was her mate. She hated the thought of hurting me, but it wasn’t meant to be. We agreed to part ways, and Daniel stayed here with me.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Lautner, somethings just aren’t in our control. I made a promise to the Council that the two packs could work together.”
“You know I won't let you or my pack down. The man is stronger than the wolf,” I say, looking him dead in the eye.
He nods once before taking another drink. “Only time will tell. For now, I can't risk having you out there tonight. Go for a run, go to your room. I don't care what it takes, but I can't have you around everyone, not tonight. I won't take that risk.”
Chapter 16
Lautner
The cool night air is a welcome relief on my overheated skin as I lean back against the wall. I had left Mick's office, passing straight through the kitchen and out the back door.
“Thought I might find you out here,” Seth says as I open my eyes. “Alphas orders, I take it?”
“Yeah, can’t have me fucking up the Council's plans,” I quip, “besides, it’s for the best. Look about before … in there, I just wanted to say thanks for having my back.”
“Wow, an apology. I think it’s the first I’ve ever gotten from you.”
“And it’ll be the last,” I state with a smile.
“You’re my brother Lautner. I’ve always got your back, even when I disagree with you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was out here.” Dani’s voice floats over me, caressing my skin.
“No worries,” Seth smiles. “Danika, isn’t it? Are you lost?”
“No. I just needed some air. Look, I can go somewhere else,” she offers, looking between us.
“No, stay. I was just leaving. Lautner, you coming?”
I know he is giving me an out, a chance to escape, but I can’t do it. I stay where I am, listening to the sounds of his heavy boots retreating.
“Mind if I join you?” she asks, moving closer.
“It’s a free country,” I mutter. This close, I can hear her heart beating in her chest as her vanilla scent envelops me.
“About last night,” she begins nervously biting her bottom lip. “Can you please not say a word about the Warehouse? It’s just our pack are forbidden to attend.”
I smile, but it's not a friendly smile. It’s the smile of a predator. “Afraid your father will find out you’ve been hanging out with the lower-class wolves,” I reply sarcastically.
“That’s not it,” she replies, putting her head down, although we both know she is lying. She brings her hand up to her face, pushi
ng back a few loose strands of silver blonde hair. The moonlight catching the diamond on her finger.
“I forgot that congratulations are in order,” I spit out, trying to contain the raging jealousy within.
“My father arranged the marriage,” She mumbles, keeping her eyes away from me.
“So I’ve heard. Doesn’t surprise me. Your alpha is a control freak.”
“Can I ask you something?” she says, boldly stepping closer to me. “Why do you look at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you hate me. Last night you wanted nothing to do with me, then …”
“Then what?” I say, needing to hear her words.
“Then I … we …” her face blushes crimson as she inadvertently looks down at my hand, no doubt remembering the orgasm that had ripped through her body. I know I am.
“You kissed me, remember. Not the other way around,” I say as if it were nothing.
“You didn’t put up much of a fight?”
I shrug my shoulders. “You threw yourself at me. I’m wasn’t going to say no. What’s the matter, your fiancé not giving it to you?” I spit, hating the thought of any man's hands touching her skin or feeling her silken heat around him.
She scowls at my words, probably expecting me to be nicer just because I fingered her last night. Well, she’s got the wrong guy for that. I’m a predator and everything about her screams prey, but damn it if that didn’t turn me on even more.
“No, … I … thought we had a connection?”
“And now?” I ask, watching as her tongue swipes enticingly across her bottom lip—that little innocent move calling to my wolf. I lower my shield, letting my wolf's power caress the air around us. I watch, fascinated as her breathing remains the same. Unlike me, she is shivering in the frigid air, not overcome with the mating heat. Before I have a chance to stop myself, I grab her arm, pulling her flush against my body, before spinning and trapping her between my body and the wall.
“My turn,” I growl, sounding somewhere stuck between man and wolf.
The pulse point at her throat beats rapidly at her neck as I stroke my thumb across it.
My wolf calling out to hers, yet she remains dormant to our call. I push harder, letting my power caress her skin. Shit. I shouldn’t be doing this. If I gave my wolf too much power, he would claim her, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing I can do about it. But I have to know for sure. If she really is my mate.
“How do you do that?” I growl, lowering my head to her throat, gently nipping at the delicate area above her collarbone. She moans at the contact, encouraging me to bite harder. I do. My wolf surges forward, demanding I finish this. That I push her jeans down her thighs and seat myself deep inside her, taking her hard and fast as I bite down, claiming her. I loosen my bite fighting back some control. I needed to back off before I did something I would regret, yet I’m lost in the moment, in the scent of her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she moans, my lips kissing their way across her throat, soothing my playful bites. Her hands grip my hips roughly, until finally, I feel the power of her wolf within, pushing against my own.
“There she is.” A fine sheen of sweat breaks out across her skin, answering our call. Her cheeks no longer pale but blushed crimson as she tries to look away.
“Eyes on me, Dani,” I command, feeling the rush of our combined power. There is no doubt about it. Danika Cortez is our mate. Her eyes are dilated as she moans at the searing heat she now feels flowing under her skin. It’s like an addiction. The longer it burns, the more aroused she became. The smell of her arousal is like a fine wine, and I want nothing more than to drink at the pool between her legs. My lips instantly find hers, coaxing her to open to me as she whimpers against my lips. It takes every bit of my resolve not to shred the clothes from her body and take her against the wall, emptying myself into her again and again, until the fire evaporates, or consumes us entirely, whichever comes first.
“What are you doing to me?” she pants angrily, her lust quickly turning to fear, fighting me. The panic in her voice is enough for me to let her go. I watch as she dives straight into her pocket, taking out a pill bottle. She quickly pops the lid taking out two pills and placing them in her mouth.
“What are those?” I demand taking the bottle from her hand.
“Hey,” she snatches them back. “I need those.”
“Why?”
“I suffer seizures,” she replies, turning away.
“Says who? Where do you get them?”
“My father gets them for me, and the rest is none of your business. Can we please not talk about this,” she snaps.
I watch her take a few deep breaths, composing herself. Her breathing once again returning to normal, and her wolf hidden, taking her mating heat with it.
“You need to leave, Dani. There’s nothing for you here,” I lie, taking a step back, wishing I’d followed Seth back inside earlier when I had the chance.
“I-”
“Dani,” a voice bellows angrily, cutting her off before she can continue. “There you are,” Drake says, coming around the corner. His eyes traveling between the two of us, his face a mixture of mistrust and disgust. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.” He goes straight over to Dani, putting his arm around her shoulders as Dani tenses up.
“I’m not alone,” she replies, clearly pissed at the intrusion.
“Your alphas orders were clear. You are to stay with a member of your own pack. It’s not safe.” He throws me a look of pure hatred, which I meet with one of my own.
“We were just talking,” Dani replies, moving away from him as his hand slides off her shoulder.
“Lautner, isn’t it?” he asks, his tone trying to sound threatening but only resulting in making him look weak.
I nod. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’re Deacon, aren’t you?” His face flushes red in anger at my disrespect.
“The name’s Drake,” he spits between clenched teeth, “Beta to the ridgeway Pack, and future mate to the Alpha’s daughter. You are what, nothing but an enforcer?” He dismisses with a wave of his hand.
My smile widens at his description. The man before me couldn’t stomach the job I do.
“That’s right,” I smirk, determined to make fun of him. “I heard it was you that messed up today, killing the hunter?”
“We are one hunter down, thanks to me,” he sneers, just as I feel the brush of his power in the air, knowing his wolf is scoping me out.
My wolf snarls within at the lesser wolf before us. He’s no match for us. “No, you slowed us down. If you’d caught him alive, I would have been able to do my job, and you could have all gone back home and lived happily ever after,” I snap.
Drake's hand lashes out, gripping Dani’s arm tightly, as I catch her wincing in pain. With lightning speed, I pry his wrist from her arm, twisting it back. “You don’t fucking touch her,” I growl, hating the sight of another man's hands on her skin.
“I am her protector, her fiancé, her mate,” he snarls, but I refuse to ease my grip.
“She doesn’t need protecting from me.” I let go of his hand, but the promise in my tone is real. If he did anything like that again. I will take him down.
“Dani, let’s go,” Drake snaps.
I can see the war that is playing out inside of her. It’s written all over her face. She wants to stay, but that would be a big mistake for both of us. Making the decision for her, I turn my back on them, walking away.
Chapter 17
Lautner
Lautner eight years ago
“You ready,” my father asks.
I’m more than ready. I’m sixteen and newly shifted. The power that flows just beneath my skin is intoxicating. My father had been right. It’s a power unlike any other, and I’m looking forward to testing out my newfound strength. It didn’t matter that all these fights were fought in human form. The secret is to open yourself up just enough to let your wolf's predatory in
stincts guide you.
I’d come to love the fights I once hated. The blood, the destruction, they opened up a darkness in me that my father encouraged wholeheartedly. It’s my driving force in the pitiful world of the strays. I’m revered here for my skills.
My eyes glance over to the adoring females on the outside of the makeshift ring, as my father follows my gaze, chuckling.
“You can have it all, Lautner. Whoever you desire. But first, you must prove yourself worthy.”
The bell rings, and my father backs away as I smile at my opponent, cracking my knuckles. My opponent is a few years older than me, but we matched each other well in height and weight. His thick biceps promised a deadly hit, but I didn’t plan on letting him get close enough to test my theory. We circle one another, sizing each other up, waiting for the other to strike first. I lunge forward, hitting hard and fast anywhere I can land. My opponent follows my movements, blocking my every attempt. This guy’s good, but I’m better. He goes to throw a left as I catch his arm, stepping behind him, landing two blows just below his ribcage at his kidney. He goes down hard on his knees, doubling over. I swiftly deliver a punch to the back of his head as he goes down, knowing he isn’t about to get back up.
My body is on fire, hungry for something else as I greedily eye the females outside the ring.
“Go pick one, or two.” My father chuckles, obviously pleased by my performance.
“I thought it wasn’t allowed? I ask cautiously.
“Trust me, you will know when you find the one. Your mate. She will call out to you until you bleed on the inside,” he spits. “It will take everything in you to fight it, but that’s what you’ll do. You’ll fight against the lust and false promises that she’ll undoubtedly make.”
“John mated and he-”
His fist catches me mid-sentence as my head snaps back. It’s my own fault; I should have been more prepared, more ready.
Lautner: A Dark Fated Mates Romance Page 7