by Lisa Oliver
Fagin’s Folly
(Alpha and Omega Book #6)
By Lisa Oliver
Fagin’s Folly (Alpha and Omega Series #6)
Copyright © Lisa Oliver, 2018
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover Design by Lisa Oliver
First Edition April 2018
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Lisa Oliver. [email protected]
No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Lisa Oliver. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.
Fagin’s Folly is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Trademark Names used in this story
Denny’s – Denny’s Restaurants.
Dedication
To all my lovely readers who understand that I have to go where my muse takes me – otherwise he goes on strike.
To Amanda and Pat for helping pick up the mistakes in my text.
To Phil, for reminding me to read Sean Penn and
To the amazing readers I have in my teaser group who send me so much inspiration.
Thank you all so much
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books By Lisa/Lee Oliver
Chapter One
Fagin came with a grunt and a sigh. The grunt – well, having sex could be hard work if done right and the sigh…yeah, the reasons for that were better left unsaid in present company. The body beneath him was hardly one he’d remotely dream about even after six tequilas and half a bottle of rum. But unfortunately, he had responsibilities and that meant keeping up appearances. Carefully catching hold of the edge of the condom he pulled out with a plop, making sure he left nothing behind.
“I don’t know why you use those wretched things,” Missy pouted as she laid back in a practiced sensual pose. Fagin had seen it a dozen times. “You know I’m the best bitch you’ll find to carry your pups and it’s not as though we haven’t got my father’s approval. He’s expecting a mating announcement any day now.”
Ignoring her, Fagin went through to the bathroom. Wrapping the used condom in a mass of toilet tissue, he made sure it was firmly flushed before he could relax. Instead of joining Missy on the bed, which was clearly her intention, he pulled out clean jeans and slipped them on. A matching black muscle shirt, his leather jacket and boots and he was set. His keys jangled as he picked them up.
“You’re going out? Now?” Missy shook her head as she sat up, clutching the sheets in just the right way to show more than she was covering. Her black curls, that fascinated Fagin at first, were rioting around her head. “Fagin, baby, we need to talk. You heard what I said about Daddy. He’s pressing me for a date and I can’t put him off much longer.”
Fagin’s wolf growled low and mean in his head and Fagin had to compose himself for a moment before opening his mouth. “What date are we talking about, Missy?” He asked, well aware what she was panting after.
It’s what every other female in his father’s pack was hoping for and none of them had got the hint yet. It wasn’t going to happen. The pushy females were why he only kept an apartment on pack grounds but had his main house out of pack territory and it was why he only made an appearance once a week to appease his father.
“Well, our mating.” Missy’s chocolate brown eyes widened. “You don’t think I’d just jump into bed with any old mongrel, do you? I’ve got standards. I’d never have allowed you….”
“Allowed me to what, Missy? Are you really sure you should be calling me a mongrel?” Fagin crossed his arms and gave her his best glare. Missy shrunk back against the sheets as his alpha power bounced around the walls. “There was no ‘allowed’ about anything we did. You came onto me so hard I thought you were half incubus. This shit about us mating is exactly that. Shit. Wolves in this pack have sex all the time with any partner willing, you included. I know for a fact you’re not faithful to me. When did I ever mention taking you as a bond mate?”
“You might not have said it but you have to bond with someone,” Missy snapped back. Fagin showed his fangs and she smoothed her frowns into a semblance of a smile. “Everyone knows you have to have an heir before you can become Alpha. Your poor father’s….”
“There’s nothing poor about my father.” Fagin’s claws cut into his palm. “Are you suggesting our Alpha is weak?”
The color drained from Missy’s face. “No, of course not. But….”
“But nothing.” Fagin was running on his last nerve. He should have cut Missy loose after the first night, but his father actually looked proud of him when he saw them together. He won’t be proud once I tell him the truth and what else is new. Forcing away thoughts of his father, he focused on Missy. “You and me, whatever you want to call it. It’s finished. Done. Kaput. No more. Lose my number, don’t come around here and if you’ve made any plans with your father, cancel them.”
“You, you….” Missy stormed out of bed, coming towards him, her boobs bouncing as she raised her hand ready to strike.
“It’ll be the last thing you do.” Fagin didn’t flinch and Missy stopped when they were barely a hair’s breadth apart. Her hand stroked his leather jacket and her features softened.
“Don’t be like this, Fagin.” Missy’s naked breasts rubbed against his clothing. “We’re good together and it’s not as though you fancy anyone else in the pack as a mate. Bond with me, let me carry your pups and I promise I’ll turn a blind eye to any of your extracurricular activities. I know you’d do the same for me.”
Fagin stiffened. How could she…nah, she doesn’t know anything. Fagin made it his life mission to keep his extracurricular activities strictly on the down low. Forcing his body to relax he grabbed Missy’s wrist none to gently and pushed her away. “When I have pups, it will be with my fated mate or no-one at all. Got it?”
“You have to have pups.” Missy snatched her dress off the floor and flung it over her head. “It’s pack law and as alpha-heir, you have no choice but to follow it.”
His heart dropped but Fagin refused to let that show on his face. He knew his time in the pack was coming to an end, but like many wolves, m
aking the jump from being a pack animal to a lone wolf wasn’t easy. Fagin’s two younger brothers were already breeding like rabbits and his lack of a mate was commented on at every pack run. It’s time. Opening his mouth, he set the ball rolling. “Then maybe it’s time I left the pack.”
The words fell between them like boulders; solid and impossible to take back. Missy’s mouth dropped open and her eyes were like saucers. “Leave the pack?” Tears rolled down Missy’s face as she ran over, holding him tight enough to break a rib. “Don’t leave. You can’t leave. The pack will fall apart if you’re not here. Please don’t leave me.”
Missy was almost convincing, but then she had to go and spoil it with her last plea. All at once Fagin saw her deception for what it was. Her father was a mid-ranking beta. Her mother ran off with her true mate when Missy was young, and Missy’s only hope of leaving her father’s house was to be mated to someone stronger. Like him.
Pushing the woman away for the second time in less than five minutes, Fagin smiled. “If you want to leave your father’s house so bad then you’d better tell Bobby Joe to grow some balls. Did you think I’d miss the smell of his scent in your pubes? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with my father. You’ve done me a favor today and I won’t forget it.”
“Well, you can do one for me too,” Missy’s hands were worse than octopus tentacles and Fagin resisted the urge to slap her. “One more session to get me pregnant. I’ll carry your pups, then Bobby Joe and I can be mated, and both our positions will be assured.”
“I am not a freaking sperm donor.” Fagin growled to show he was serious. “For fucks sake, the pack law on mates and heirs is so old fashioned it’s ridiculous. If Bobby Joe had any steel in his spine there’s no way he’d raise an alpha heir in my absence. He’d want you carrying his own pups. I can’t believe he let you lay with me at all.”
“But he said he didn’t mind. We’ve talked about this….” Missy trailed off realizing her mistake.
“Do your zip up, you’re coming with me.” Fagin grabbed Missy roughly by the arm, pushing her through his apartment. Buster, his best friend and pseudo bodyguard was leaning against his front door frame, cleaning his nails with his ever present knife. “Bring the car around and call the pack house and let them know we’re coming. Oh, and ask someone there to pick up Bobby Joe so he can meet us in my father’s office.”
A flick of his eyebrow let Fagin know he’d be explaining all to his friend over drinks later but for now he let his anger build. Sure, his father expected him to follow the rules. Bond with a female. Have pups. He’d been hearing the same broken record since he turned eighteen and that was a good ten years before. Yes, his father still insisted on bringing it up every time they spoke to each other, but Fagin couldn’t see his father condoning Missy’s sick little plan to improve her own standing in the pack by having his offspring. Offspring he didn’t want, at least with her. Not with any woman; not that he’d be mentioning that to his father. Barely resisting the urge to smack Missy’s head against the rim of the car door, Fagin climbed in beside Buster and fumed all the way to the pack house.
Chapter Two
“It’s not a bad idea,” His father, Jerome’s voice was low, but Fagin heard him perfectly. “With pups you can take over my position and your mother and I can finally have the vacation she’s always dreamed of.”
Fagin stared at his father. The eyes were the same steely blue as his. Jerome’s kept his black hair short, just like his, although Fagin had let his grow longer on the top. Fagin was three inches taller at six feet five, but Jerome still packed a lot of muscle. Jerome had wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and a permanent furrow above his brow but apart from that they looked more like brothers than father and son. The package was the same as Fagin had seen almost every day of his life, but it was as if the man he was studying now had suddenly become a complete stranger.
“You want me to breed with Missy even though she wants to mate with Bobby Joe?” Fagin was sure there must be something wrong with his hearing. It was the only explanation that made sense.
“I’m not getting any younger and you’ve got some stupid notion about meeting your true mate. Given that for any one of us, the odds aren’t good on finding her, I think the waiting is a dumb idea. But if Missy’s pregnant with your pups then I can advise the elders I’m stepping down and you can take your rightful place. I’m not seeing a problem here. It’s not as though you’d have to look after them.”
“Not a problem?” Fagin could hardly believe his ears. Yes, Jerome was harsh. Any alpha worth his salt had to be, but he’d been a fair man as Fagin went through the hormonal changes shifting and puberty brought to any young wolf. He barely raised an eyebrow when Fagin told him he was moving out and running his own bar in the human side of town the day after his twenty-first birthday.
Now, as he met eyes so like his own, Fagin had to wonder when everything had changed. Jerome didn’t give anything away when Fagin complained about Missy’s plans. He simply told Missy, Bobby Joe and Buster he wished to speak to his son alone. And now this. His father’s unequivocal support for one of the most callous plans ever conceived. Fagin supposed he should be lucky his father had insisted on privacy.
“Father. Alpha.” Fuck Fagin didn’t know what he could say. “I don’t want my kids raised by Bobby Joe, especially if they’re future alphas.”
“Then mate Missy yourself.” The chair creaked as Jerome leaned forward on the desk. “Look boy, I’ve put up with your independence long enough. I understand the need to sow wild oats and have a semblance of freedom, but the bottom line has always been you inheriting this pack. To do that you have to abide by the rules. That time has come. The moment Missy is pregnant this pack is yours.”
“Why don’t you change the freaking rules?” Fagin tugged on his hair, frustrated by his father’s inability to understand.
“An alpha’s position is always more stable when he has a mate by his side and pups ensure the line of succession.”
“Unless that alpha is challenged. Dad…” Fagin was going to say he didn’t want to rule the pack; that he’d never wanted that, but he shut his mouth just in time. His ears were still ringing from the last time he mentioned it. “I’m not ready and I won’t mate with Missy. My true mate is out there somewhere.” He needed to stall for more time. “Let me go on a road trip. One month. That’s all I ask. Give me one month to find the mate intended for me by the Fates and if I don’t then I’ll come back and do whatever you say.”
“When you come back you’ll have pups with one of the females in the pack? It doesn’t have to be Missy.”
Fagin nodded.
“And you’ll take Buster with you?”
“Dad, I’m not going to be visiting other packs. I just want to hit the road and let my animal spirit guide me.”
“You will take Buster with you.” When Jerome used his alpha voice Fagin’s wolf bristled. He knew he could challenge and take his dad, force him to submit, but the mere thought of doing that made Fagin’s stomach churn.
“I will take Buster with me, provided you give Missy and Bobby Joe permission to become bonded mates.” Fagin learned the art of negotiation on his father’s knee.
Jerome’s lips twitched. “Before you get back, I presume?”
“As quickly as possible.” They both knew the next full moon was only four days away.
“And you will take a mate and become alpha in one month’s time?”
The ‘yes’ his father required hovered on Fagin’s lips, but he settled for a nod instead. He wasn’t about to lie to the man who’d raised him, especially when Jerome could scent it. He also wasn’t going to mention that his heart told him his true mate would be a man so coming back with his mate under his arm wasn’t an option.
Now all I have to do is find him, Fagin thought as he said his goodbyes and hurried from his father’s office. Missy called out to him as he went past, but he ignored her, simply indicating for Buster to follow. As soo
n as they hit the parking lot, Buster opened fire.
“What the hell was all that in there?”
“Are you angry at me or Missy? And be careful how you answer.” Fagin slid into the driver’s seat and revved the engine. He did love the sound of a V8.
“Missy, of course. I can’t believe she’d be harebrained enough to think you’d mate with her.”
“She’ll be happy with Bobby Joe. If he’s got any sense he’ll get her with pup before the next full moon and she’ll leave my dick alone. My dad’s given us permission to take a road trip. I have a month to find my mate.”
Slipping the car into gear, Fagin headed for his bar. He’d need to arrange for his manager to cover for him while he was away. If things went the way he hoped, he’d probably have to sell the place but if he did it now, it would look too suspicious. Regardless, his manager was a good man and would look after things until he’d made his decision. No matter what happened, by morning’s light he’d be on his way. Where? He didn’t have a clue but with his animal spirit restless under his skin, Fagin was sure his mate was near. It was just a matter of finding him.
“From the tenseness in your jaw, I take it you’re not planning on coming back.” Buster’s comment was easily heard over the roar of the engine.
“That obvious, huh?” Fagin flicked a glance at his oldest friend. Buster was four years older than he was, the son of Jerome’s second. An alpha in his own right, there wasn’t anything they hadn’t shared except one important detail. Fagin wondered if now was a good time to share his news or leave it until they were on their trip.
Honesty won out. If Buster agreed like the rest of the pack he’d grown up in that same-sex mates were wrong, then he’d prefer to find out before they were stuck together in the middle of nowhere. “If the Fates care about me the way I’ve been told, then my mate will be male. I won’t have anything to come back to.” Fagin felt the ten-pound weight he’d carried on his heart lift as he spoke the truth for the first time in his life.