His eyes narrowed. “Bond or no bond, we aren’t letting you go, Delilah. Get the idea out of your head now.”
Her eyes might just bug out while steam came from her ears. “Do you see me leaving? Why would you think that?”
He shook his head. “Not guessing. I know the same way I know what Aaron’s thinking. We’re connected. I’m picking up your feelings. Like you and your animals, I bet.”
Okay, that was just creepy. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea he’d always be able to read her like this, even though his assumption wasn’t entirely wrong. She was entitled to keep her own thoughts to herself, right? He just grinned at her while her mind raced and her heart started to pound. She’d never be free of them, would she? They’d know if she tried to leave. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. They intrigued her, but Cooper was implying she had no say in it. She snarled softly.
“I’m not some human woman you can push around. Why are you so sure I’m your mate anyway?”
She was the first generation of female werewolves. Maybe she hadn’t got the full set of genes. He dipped his head to her neck, inhaled deeply, then stroked it with a long swipe of his tongue.
“It’s the way you taste, your scent. The way you make me feel. The way you make my dick hard just being in the same room. It’s the way you make me whole. I know, Lilah. Trust me, I know.”
Her mouth went dry. There was no way, no logical, safe way to respond to him. She felt a crazy connection to him, both of them. Had since she arrived last night. It was exhilarating and it should scare the hell out of her. It did scare her but not enough. She was saved from having to come up with words when he stood and pulled her up with him.
“We should get going.” His grin was pure mischief. “I’m sure Aaron’s wondering what’s taking so long.”
Ten
Some kid Cooper didn’t recognize opened the door and told him everyone was in the meeting room down the hall. When they walked in, his grip tightened on Delilah’s hand, and he threaded his way through the crowd. Surprise at the gathering had him arching his eyebrows when he reached his brother. Aaron stood with twins Cooper recognized from the Panhandle pack, Rule and Lawe Sanders. Both where hunters.
He didn’t like this one damned bit. What the hell was going on? In their home, just him and Delilah, he’d dismissed her concerns about the pack knowing who and what she was. Now he had an idea just how visceral her fear was. It vibrated in him, though she hid hers damned well. Her hand tightened on his subtly and he was aware of her deep, calming breaths. He could feel the wolf in her and was stunned to realize no one else sensed it, she hid so well.
“Did I miss a memo or something?”
His gaze swept the crowd while Aaron pulled Delilah between them and bent to nuzzle her nape. It was an action not missed by the crowd, and Cooper found himself on the receiving end of several knowing glances as he catalogued the room. It looked like a who’s who of Appalachian hunters, current and retired. The ones who were mated stood with their women, but there were far too many single werewolves in the room for his comfort.
His gaze shifted back to Aaron. “What’s going on?”
Aaron straightened and the hard look was back in his eyes. He jerked his head toward a pair of twins, the hunters, standing next to them.
“Rule and Lawe are chasing a rogue who happens to target twins.”
Twins. Cooper stilled, focusing his attention on the brothers. Hunting this close to Christmas, which was only days away, was rarely done. Family, pack, was too important in the werewolf world to ignore major holidays. These two should be home with their own pack. It would take a major threat, and sure knowledge, to make them skip it.
“How long?” he asked them.
“A few weeks.”
“Obviously, Greg and Jeff were not the first,” Aaron said.
“The others?”
Aaron’s mouth firmed into an angry line. “Dead.”
Cooper knew exactly how he felt. They should have been warned. “And Jeff?”
Aaron shook his head. “Still missing.”
Cooper felt Aaron’s conclusions mirror his own. They both knew it was likely Jeff was already dead. The door opened, and Trey and Eric, born in the Appalachian pack but now part of the Alabama pack, came in with their mates, Tara and Mary, following them and whispering, their heads bent close together. Eric and Mary walked in the opposite direction while Trey paused and looked around.
His gaze stopped on their small group and he moved in their direction, his mate at his side. The crowd parted for him, and Cooper hid a grin at the way Tara rolled her eyes. He may be the most feared hunter in a generation, but his mate obviously didn’t share that fear. The two newcomers stopped in front of them, Trey holding his mate’s hand and keeping her at his side.
“Cooper.” He nodded. “Aaron.”
Then his gaze zeroed in on Delilah, as if taking her measure. Next to him, Cooper felt her withdraw under the penetrating look. She wasn’t accustomed to being in a pack, was conditioned to hide what she was. He couldn’t blame her for feeling overwhelmed, but he already knew her. She was strong and smart and beautiful. She just needed to find her feet in this kind of situation. He sent her strength, reassurance and felt the same from Aaron. It seemed to bolster her, and her spine straightened, her chin lifted. Trey finally nodded and smiled a little.
A smiling Trey Williams did not give one the warm and fuzzies. Cooper felt Delilah’s hand shake in his before she controlled herself. Hell, it gave even him and Aaron pause. Irritated, Trey’s mate jabbed her elbow in his side, and he woofed out a breath, rubbing his ribs as he looked down at her.
She stepped forward and turned to him, clearly exasperated. “I swear, sometimes I think you were raised by real wolves. Mad and deranged wolves.” He scowled but she smiled back sweetly and patted his arm. “It would explain so much.”
Cooper choked on a laugh. Tara smiled at Delilah and held her hand out. “I’m Tara and the rude one here is my mate, Trey.”
Tara spared a second to turn and glare at Trey over her shoulder. Cooper used the moment to rub the smile off his face. When she turned back, Delilah let go of his hand long enough to shake Tara’s.
“I’m Delilah.”
Tara waited for further introductions and Cooper squeezed Delilah’s hand. She blinked, realized he expected her to introduce him and his brother. She nodded at them in turn. “Cooper and Aaron.”
He almost took exception to her leaving the mate part off, but he understood her fears and knew she was processing a hell of a lot of change here. They’d let her relax before they pushed the nature of their relationship. Let her adjust. He caught Aaron’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing, though he had a whole lot to fill his brother in on. He wouldn’t be so confident then. Rule and Lawe were introduced as the door opened again.
Billy Cagle and his mate walked in, and Cooper studied her. He’d heard the story of Wyatt, of course, had heard that Billy had to follow her to Florida to claim her. Aaron didn’t know her well but he liked her. They’d obviously worked things out since she was pregnant, her belly big and round, her face radiant with happiness. His breath caught in his throat, and he wondered what Delilah would look like in a similar state, knew the first birth would be twin boys.
She gasped, and he looked down to see her watching him, a blush spreading down her neck. He’d meant to share the image with Aaron, but she must have caught it, too. How did she feel about that? He couldn’t pursue that question in this crowd and was distracted from the thought when Clint approached. An older, retired hunter, Clint Osborn had taken the enforcer position after Jackson’s appointment as alpha, until Aaron had been able to retire from the hunters and take over. At forty-two, he was one of the oldest unmated werewolves Cooper knew. He shook Clint’s hand.
“Good to see you home, Cooper.” Clint cocked an eyebrow, taking in the threesome. “I take it that it’s for good?”
Cooper smiled while giving the obvious an
swer. “Yes.”
Clint’s arrival was apparently what Trey had been waiting for, and he finally spoke, his gaze steady on Aaron. “I’m not enforcer here.”
When he didn’t go on, Aaron prodded him, his smile crooked, his tone wry. “But if you were?”
Trey shrugged. “I’d take advantage of all these single hunters. Set up extra patrols.”
Aaron didn’t bristle at the command in Trey’s voice. Instead, he nodded. Cooper understood he’d already made those arrangements as his gaze swept the room again. There were several people he’d expect to see at this kind of gathering that were absent.
“Already done.”
Trey nodded, and Cooper realized he’d known before he gave the suggestion. What was he up to then?
“The hunters are sending an analyst. A profiler I guess you’d call her,” Trey said.
He cut his gaze to Clint while everyone waited for him to go on. Cooper felt his brother’s impatience join his own and wanted to ask what the big deal was. Finally, Trey said, “Ellen should be here soon. Jackson sent a driver to the airport. And she’ll need a guard.”
The three members of his pack straightened, curious and alert, and Cooper asked the question they all shared. “Brant’s daughter?”
Trey nodded.
“I’ll do it,” Clint said.
Trey’s smile was slight, but there was no doubting the humor in it. “I thought you would.”
“Can it, Williams,” Clint said. “I may have almost ten years on you, but you’d do well to remember who taught you how to fight. I can still kick your ass.”
Cooper felt like he’d missed a whole conversation and reviewed what he knew of Ellen. Her mother hadn’t been mated to Brant, and she’d left years ago, taking her daughter with her when the girl was a teenager. For safety reasons, they’d settled in the town where hunter headquarters was located. She’d be about thirty now. He knew she did some work for the hunters, but he hadn’t actually seen her in years. He handled his communication with their leader, Anthony, by phone and email. From the gleam of interest in Rule’s and Lawe’s eyes though, he guessed they had seen her more recently.
His questions would have to wait, however. Jackson and Summer came in, followed by Darius, the Alabama alpha and another former Appalachian member, and his mate Meg. Fascinated, Cooper watched as the two pairs split and worked the room. In their wake, people began to leave. Finally, the two pairs stopped at his group. Considering how at odds Jackson and Darius had been a year and half ago, it was amazing to see them work so easily in concert now. And very cool to see, too. He remembered in the years before Brant died that Jackson and Darius often worked rooms like this together. It was good to see them allied again.
Jackson grinned at him. “So, do I get two enforcers for the price of one now?”
He met Aaron’s gaze and together they glanced at Delilah. They would never leave her unprotected, and Jackson should know better than to ask.
Cooper snorted. “No.”
“Well, damn,” he joked, turning his gaze to Delilah. The attention raised Cooper’s hackles, and he had to remind himself Jackson wasn’t interested in his woman. The alpha had a mate. But he didn’t know who she was yet. Didn’t know what she could do.
“You made it in just before the storm shut the airport down for the night. Sorry we couldn’t give you a room here. I got invaded last week.”
Darius and Summer both elbowed him in the ribs at that crack, and he glared at them.
“It would be nice if some people remembered who was in charge around here.”
Darius just grinned, and Summer rolled her eyes. She was the second mate he’d seen do that in less than hour. He wasn’t sure he liked his mate witnessing it, but he wanted the closeness, the ease he witnessed.
“I take it your accommodations are okay? Do you need anything?” Jackson asked Delilah.
Cooper held his breath, wondering if she’d ask about the cabin she’d been promised, wondering if she’d ask for somewhere else to stay. She hesitated longer than he liked, and Jackson gave him a hard look.
“Everything’s fine,” Delilah answered.
“Good.” He nodded then sighed. “It’s a dangerous time to be here though, staying with twins. I’m inclined to move you out of there.”
“No,” he and Aaron answered together forcefully.
There was no way they were handing her protection over to anyone else. Not even their alpha. Hell, they weren’t letting anyone near her even if there weren’t a rogue on the loose. He felt Delilah’s frustration. She didn’t understand everything that was going on, the different nuances at play. The politics. Jackson met their gazes briefly then turned back to Delilah and let his gaze linger on her neck. Every werewolf left in the room got the message. She was unclaimed.
“She came here to work for me, and she’s under my protection until…someone else steps up to fill that role.”
Cooper was certain he’d been about to say until she was officially claimed by her mates, but Jackson couldn’t be sure how much she knew yet. Next to Cooper, Delilah huffed.
“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.” She tried to free herself from their grasps and glared at them when they wouldn’t release her. “I don’t need a keeper or a protector.”
At that pronouncement, Jackson became the alpha. The friendly, open man morphed into a dangerous predator. His eyes shifted, going cold and glowing. Cooper was damned glad he was on their side, but he didn’t appreciate that censorious gaze being directed at his mate. He bristled, while Aaron mentally told him to chill the fuck out. But his brother didn’t know what he did and they both froze as they felt Delilah gather herself. As they felt the wild and primitive part of her nature prepare to unleash. She kept it contained with a skill he admired, kept it so well bottled no one else noticed. Was it just because they didn’t expect it from a woman or was it something else? Did she have more Regis DNA in her than she knew?
“Here we go again,” Summer muttered.
She laid her hand on Jackson’s arm, and the touch seemed to calm him, force him to collect himself.
“I’m sure there are many things that Delilah doesn’t know about us yet, but it’s best not to rush through all those explanations at once. Everyone…” Her gaze lingered on Cooper and his brother before continuing. “…understands the need for caution and haste.”
Summer slid her hand down Jackson’s arm, and when she reached his hand, he laced their fingers together, bringing their joined hands to his lips. He smiled at her, and Cooper didn’t like witnessing the private moment at all. He hadn’t been afraid that having a mate would soften him, weaken him. Would it? Mentally, he pulled back to consider the possibility. Delilah had to have a strong mate so he’d be what she needed. Slowly, Jackson released his mate and turned his attention back to the group.
“For now, she stays with y’all. Don’t make me regret that decision.”
Summer smiled, and he heard Delilah grinding her teeth, biting back the words she obviously longed to say before they could spill out. He squeezed her hand, trying to communicate his pride in her.
“Delilah, Summer’s going to show you around. I need to have a word in private with the twins.”
If it was possible, Cooper stood straighter. Narrowing his gaze, he felt his wolf leap up and take control. His ability to protect her had just been questioned, and now he was expected to let her go off on her own? Not in this lifetime. Before he could form a coherent response, Billy was next to Jackson, his big arms crossed over his chest. Waiting. Aggressive behavior against the alpha wouldn’t be tolerated. Even his own brother growled at him, low in his throat with disapproval, the warning obvious. Jackson just smiled, stood loose limbed and confidant, and watched.
Cooper forced his wolf down, forced his anger down. He leaned over to Delilah, kissed her neck and scraped his teeth over the delicate skin. Damn, he should have done it earlier. The hell with waiting for Aaron. He let her hand go and took a step back,
felt the room sigh in relief. He trailed his fingers down the side of her face.
“If you need us, call. You know how.”
Then Summer was taking her arm, leading her out of the room, and chattering the whole time. When they were gone, Jackson spoke again as he walked toward the door.
“Upstairs.”
He and Aaron followed, his brother whispering to him on the stairs. “Don’t be a fucking idiot, Cooper.”
He grunted. How could he not? And Aaron would kick himself when he heard everything. Cooper noticed when they entered the study that Darius, Billy, Eric, Clint, and the Florida hunters followed. Except for Jude, Lawe, and himself it was a Who’s Who of werewolf leadership. Jackson sat behind his desk, Billy perched on the edge, and Aaron stood behind them both with his arms crossed over his chest and glared at him. If he didn’t find the situation so ridiculous, he would have felt like a schoolboy brought to task.
Jackson glanced over his shoulder at Aaron then returned his gaze to Cooper. “How much does she know?”
Eleven
“She knows what we are and a little of how we’re organized.”
She knew a hell of a lot more but he wouldn’t betray his mate’s secrets to anyone, not even his alpha.
Jackson nodded. “It’s a start, but the situation can’t be allowed to continue. Claim her. Bind her. Get it done as soon as possible.”
Cooper bristled again but forced a calmness into his limbs he didn’t feel. He didn’t need to be told how to take care of his mate, especially from a man who’d had to resort to kidnapping his.
“I’m tempted to kick someone out so y’all will have a room here until this is handled,” Jackson said.
Trey shrugged. “We’ll go. I still have a house nearby and there’s entirely too much togetherness here .”
Aaron shook his head, picking up Cooper’s mood. “No. We aren’t far, and all three of us can be here during the day anyway. She won’t be alone.”
Lunar Mates Volume Two: Books 4-6 Page 14