“Of course you are.” Bianca frowned.
Jack could tell that Bianca was torn—she loved her Guide and took comfort in her presence but wanted to spare her the exhausting and potentially dangerous trip. Not to mention the way the tension between Bianca and Jack sharpened when Sara was nearby.
“My sister will be there,” Sara explained. “The second Usher will join us.”
“I thought your sister lived in California?” Jack turned his head to look at the Guide.
“She did. She’s been negligent in her role. She’s going to join us to see if she can atone for that negligence. The second Usher will have to make himself known to your brother Patrick if there is going to be a Wolves’ Council.”
“Do you know who the second Usher is?” Jack’s voice was quiet.
“Yes,” Sara replied, looking down.
“Can you tell me?”
“Not yet. He doesn’t know himself yet. My sister has a lot of explaining to do.” Sara frowned. “This is making things more complicated than they need to be. I’m furious with her.”
Jack could feel a touch of Sara’s fury. It was tempered with sadness and bewilderment. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder for comfort.
“I’m sorry, Sara. You can’t choose family,” he empathized.
She let out a shrill laugh. “Oh, Jack, as we go to visit your brother, I’ll remind you that you said that.”
Chapter Eleven
THE EIGHT WOLVES and Sara traveled in two cars south toward Jack’s family’s home. The two Mercedes-Benz R class vehicles comfortably sat six passengers each, and Jack was secretly thankful that he’d be able to show off a little of his new pack’s financial success to his brothers, as well.
In a power play, all power was important.
The large estate on the Chesapeake Bay housed the Alpha of the Mid-Atlantic Pack, as well as Jack’s younger brothers, Ted and Fionn, and other high-ranking wolves in the pack, including Jack’s parents, Roisin and Cormac. Jack and his brothers had watched the area grow less secluded over the decades as bridges were built and the bay was brought to heel by commerce, but the Murphy family estate was surrounded by a large wall, and inside it, the land remained mostly unchanged since Jack’s rough and tumble childhood. This was to be the first time Jack would go to what had been his home since his severance from Mid-Atlantic. Anxiety and aggression simultaneously rolled through him as he drove, his wolf making his loyalties known. Jack was Amazon, no matter where his family’s loyalties lay.
“Jack?” Bianca murmured, stroking his hand with her own.
He looked up. “I’m okay,” he reassured her. “We’ll be there soon. I can’t wait for you to meet Teddy.” His smile was wide when he spoke of his younger brother. He and Ted had always been close; they were only two years apart in age. They’d both served in the war, though Ted had been in the Army and served in Europe. His smile grew impossibly wider thinking of the good-natured heckling they’d exchanged every year during the Army-Navy football game. “He’s really a great guy.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting all of them, even Alpha Dickhead,” Bianca teased.
“Stop here,” Sara said suddenly from the back seat.
Jack pulled the car over and stopped. Sara vaulted from the car, leaping into the air and shifting, her clothing falling to the ground below her. Kathy, Jack, and Bianca all climbed out of the car, watching the raven swoop away toward a wooded area near the highway. Kathy picked up Sara’s clothing, folded them briskly and set them on the roof of the car.
“Where is she going?” Angelo had pulled over as well and stepped out of his car as he asked the question.
“Her sister,” Bianca said. “Her sister is going to join us here.”
Angelo nodded and pulled out his cell phone, taking advantage of the stop to check in with his team back on the compound. A stream of Spanish erupted from his lips as he spoke to one of his wolves.
Jack turned to Bianca. “Do you want to call Ellen?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I trust her. She’ll call if she needs us.”
“Okay, then. I’m going to call Teddy and let him know we’re about an hour away.” He pulled out his own phone and dialed his younger brother’s number. He felt a smile of anticipation as he waited for Ted to pick up.
His brother answered on the second ring. “Ted Murphy.”
“Teddy, it’s Jack.”
“Hey, Jackie.” Ted’s voice sounded tense, controlled.
Jack reached out and brushed his brother’s mind, but it was closed to him. Ted was purposefully blocking his mind. He frowned. Something wasn’t right with this situation if Ted was guarding his thoughts.
“Teddy, we’re going to be there in about an hour. Is Paddy there?”
“Yeah. Listen, he’s pissed as hell at you. He’s not in control of his wolf.”
“What?”
An Alpha should never lose control of his wolf. If Patrick was shifting involuntarily, it was an unforgivable weakness.
“Things are really tense. I’ve been made Guardian, so I need to be sure I see you first so that I can offer my protection under parley law. If he sees you first, he might attack.”
“Holy shit, Ted,” Jack swore.
Bianca put her hand on his shoulder questioningly. He shook his head, and she stepped back.
“Can you meet us before we get to the house?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be outside the gate. Jack, if he attacks you…”
“He won’t,” Jack interrupted. “You’ll get to us first.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to lose a brother today.” Jack could hear the tension in his brother’s voice again, and he realized Ted was straining under the pressure of keeping his thoughts secret from his Alpha, and that’s why his brother’s mind was blocked.
“Ted. Are you blocking him?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how successfully. So hurry.”
“See you soon,” Jack said, hanging up. He quickly filled his pack-mates in on his discussion with Ted.
“He can block his Alpha?” Angelo asked softly, amazement filling his voice.
“Apparently. Ted is a pretty strong wolf, but I didn’t realize he was that strong. Kathy is the only other wolf I’ve met who can block others to that extent.”
Before they could explore that line of thought, a youthful woman emerged from the woods with Sara perched on her shoulder in her raven form. The woman had long dark hair that flowed freely in soft curls to her waist, and she was dressed in flared jeans and a flowing peasant blouse. She looked like she’d stepped out of the sixties, a modern-day flower child. As she approached, Jack realized that he knew her.
“Annie?” He felt the name on his lips.
She ducked her head, looking ashamed. “Hi, Jack,” she replied with a rueful smile. “I think you know my sister, Sara?” She held out her hand, and Sara hopped from Annie to Jack.
“She is Guide to the second Usher.” Jack felt Sara’s voice in his mind, cold and sharp, with a visual of the second Usher. The shock of her projection into his head stabbed—a vicious migraine—and Jack slammed a hand to his forehead, gasping, as he fell to his knees.
“Jack?” Bianca shouted, piercing through the pain.
He stood, shaking his head. “I’m fine. Sara’s never projected a clear visual to me before from in her animal form. It was startling—in more ways than one.” He growled at Annie.
“What’s going on?” Bianca demanded.
“I met the second Usher about twenty years ago,” Annie replied.
Jack glared at her through narrowed eyes.
“He was a young wolf, and I approached him in my human form. He knew I was a shifter, and he assumed I was like him. I didn’t correct him. A mistake. He was incredibly charming, dynamic in a way I’d never imagined. I was drawn to him, and I let him take me to bed. That was my second mistake.” She blushed at this. “He bit me, in the heat of the moment. After, I spoke directly into his mind.
That was another mistake, probably the biggest.
“He thought we were mated. He pressed his suit hard, and we fought. He was in my head, constantly, barraging me with images of our liaison. His presence was overwhelming. I went to California to think things over and decide upon a different approach. I didn’t realize things would be happening so quickly.” She ventured a glance at Sara, still perched on Jack’s shoulder.
Jack and Bianca could both feel annoyance and fury rolling through Sara.
“Jack’s brother Fionn is the second Usher,” she finished.
Jack growled—he was livid. Everything he’d learned from Monica about what the second Usher needed to be, everything his brother was supposed to be, and he’d been reduced to…
“You let him believe all these years that his mate left him? Do you know he has two human children? Did you know that he screws any female he can sweet-talk into his bed? He uses all that charm and magnetism to play around and shirk his duties and flirt with exposure. He’s the least fit wolf I can imagine to be an Alpha, and it’s your damn fault.”
He watched Annie cringe at the aggression in his voice, but his fury wouldn’t be contained. He let his teeth shift and snarled at her. “If you were a wolf, I’d blood you.” He yanked his teeth back, having made his point.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to fix it. I promise,” she replied earnestly. “Jack, I hurt your pack and your family. Can you forgive me?”
“Fix it. Then we’ll talk,” Jack growled as he turned his back to her. “For now, everyone in the car,” he ordered.
Sara waited until the others were in the cars before she shifted back into her human form and got dressed. She climbed into the back seat with Kathy and Annie and frowned at her sister.
“Annie.” She frowned. “I wish you’d told me. I could have helped you.”
“I’m sorry, Sara,” Annie whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Jack glanced at her in the mirror, his fury still burning in his gut.
“Well, what’s done is done,” Sara murmured. “We can still move forward. We just need to get a few things in order. The sooner we get Fionn and Monica together, the better.” She sighed. “Jack, I’m sorry that I projected so violently. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No, it’s okay. It just startled me.”
True to his word, Ted was waiting outside the gate to Jack’s family home, standing next to his car as he watched the road. He grinned broadly when Jack stepped out of the car to greet him. They hugged, hard, and then Ted rushed through the formal intonation:
“Jack Murphy, Bianca Murphy, you have come to parley with Mid-Atlantic Pack. You and your wolves are under my protection as Guardian and will not be harmed within our ranks.”
Then he let out an explosive breath.
“Keeping Patrick out of my head is exhausting.” He smiled ruefully. “And thankfully, no longer necessary.”
“You were keeping everyone out.” Jack sent the thought to his brother.
“Necessary,” Ted shot back. Then, out loud said, “Hi, everyone. I’m Ted Murphy, Jack’s younger brother.” He scented the air, acknowledging the other wolves. When he saw Annie and Sara, a growl ripped from his throat.
“You.” He snarled at Annie, shifting his claws. “What’s the matter? Didn’t do enough damage the first time around?”
“Ted.” Jack put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “She isn’t Fionn’s mate. She was never intended to be. She’s not even wolf.”
Ted sniffed the air again, the angry look on his face changing to wonder as he looked at her.
“What are you?”
“I need to see Fionn.” She shrugged. “He’s not going to believe me until he sees me shift. Hell, maybe not even then. I would prefer to only strip down and shift for show once, if that’s okay.”
Jack raised an eyebrow at that. He had assumed Annie was a bird like Sara, but if she needed to remove her clothes, she’d be shifting into a larger animal. Curious, he looked at Sara, who just shook her head.
Just then, a black SUV came barreling down the long drive toward them. It came to a stop, and Patrick jumped out, snarling. His wolf haunted his eyes, and his teeth and hands had shifted. Though smaller than his brothers, he was still muscular, powerfully-built. His presence was strong, dominant, but twisted.
Ted was right; he’d lost control of his wolf.
“Patrick!” Ted snarled back. “Our brother and his mate and their pack-mates have been offered my protection for parley. Pull yourself together.”
“You snuck around me,” Patrick growled at Ted. “You blocked me out and deliberately disobeyed me.”
“Patrick, if you don’t get a grip on your wolf, I will have to challenge you.” Ted got up in Patrick’s face, showing his own teeth.
The Amazon wolves watched, respectful of the traditions of challenge to pack leadership, knowing they would not interfere unless one of their own were attacked. Jack felt his wolf, angry and wary as he watched his brothers. He knew Ted was strong enough to best Patrick, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
With a shudder, Patrick pulled in his teeth and relaxed his claws into hands again. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, reaching for Jack’s hand. “Brother. You and your mate, as well as your wolves, are under the protection of the pack. You will not be harmed by the wolves of Mid-Atlantic.”
He spoke the words as though he was forcing himself to do so, and Jack realized that was probably true. Patrick was furious with him and wanted nothing more than to shred him.
“Paddy. You’re still my big brother. We’ll sort this.” Then, out loud said, “Paddy. We need to see Fionn as soon as possible. Our pack business is going to have to wait.” He gestured to Annie.
Patrick’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of her, and he nodded, biting back whatever reaction she had provoked.
“Come on up to the house. He’s entertaining.” Patrick rolled his eyes.
“Oh, good grief. Can’t that hound keep his dick in his pants?” Bianca asked under her breath.
Jack stifled a laugh. “Be nice, mate. This is how he copes with stress. We should leave some of our wolves at the gate, just in case. My family is not a threat, but I don’t know who is going to come through that gate next. I want our eyes out here.”
Bianca turned to their wolves. “Angelo, Kathy, stay here with the rest of the team. Sara, Annie, with us.”
When they pulled up in front of the house, Bianca took in the large columns and ancient trees and let out a sigh of pleasure.
“What a beautiful place to grow up,” she said, taking Jack’s hand. She was aware that the Mid-Atlantic wolves with Patrick were staring at her with barely-contained curiosity, and in some cases, fear. These wouldn’t be the first wolves to fear her. She raised her chin in a gesture of defiance.
“Aye, that’s my girl,” Jack whispered in her ear. “That sexy chin in the air thing you do gets me hard.”
With a snort of laughter, she pushed past him into the house. The sight that greeted her made her smile. While Patrick disappeared up a staircase, a much-less tense Ted had his arm around a woman’s waist as she stood in front of a vast stovetop—their two heads pressed together as though deep in conspiracy. She set down her wooden spoon and turned to face them.
“Jack!” she cried out, running to him and giving him a hug.
“Mama,” he answered, hugging her tight to his chest. “I’d like you to meet my mate, Bianca.” He turned his mother to face Bianca. “Bianca, this is my mother, Roisin Murphy.”
Bianca felt her face flood with warmth as she took the older woman’s hand. Mother-in-law. A new relationship to navigate.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Roisin.” She tried to pronounce the name the way Jack had: Rosheen.
“This is so wonderful—a mate for my Jackie! I wish he didn’t have to travel all the way to New England to find you, but if it means grandbabies, I’m down with that.” The older woman grinned, enfolding a now-laughing Bianca into a warm embra
ce. Jack’s mother continued, “I can’t wait until my mate meets you. He’s got the boat out in the Bay right now. Hopefully he’ll bring in some fish for supper.”
“Mama, we need Fionn,” Jack interrupted.
“Oh dear. Well, he’s upstairs with Shelly.” She arched an eyebrow, glanced toward the stairwell, and then pointedly turned back to her stovetop.
“I’ll get him.” Ted started up the stairs. “Help yourselves to a beer or whatever. The sooner we get the Annie-Fionn thing taken care of, the better.” He disappeared around the landing.
Jack wrapped his arms around Bianca’s waist, breathing in her scent. “Goddess, you smell amazing,” he whispered.
Bianca felt the blush climbing her face again. All it took was a few words, and she was ready to jump him.
Suddenly, a female wolf came bounding down the stairs in her human form, an annoyed look on her face. She scowled at Jack and hurried out the front door.
“Shelly?” Bianca guessed, sizing up the female.
Jack nodded. “She’s a royal bitch. And she’s got a mate. I can’t believe he’s sleeping with her,” he whispered back.
“She could be trouble.” Bianca sent the thought toward Jack. Something about the way the woman had looked at Jack unnerved her. Like she was angry with him for leaving Mid-A?
“Nah, she’s just annoyed that she didn’t get off.”
“I think there’s more to it than that. I wish I could read her.”
Before Jack could ask her what she meant, Ted and Fionn came down the stairs, and Bianca felt herself bowled over by the strength of Fionn’s magnetism.
“Whoa,” she breathed.
Fionn was handsome, like all the Murphy brothers. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt before coming downstairs, showing off arms sleeved with tattoos and a ring in his left nipple. His hair was mussed and his beard was scraggly, but he had blue eyes and a boyish grin. He boasted the same muscular build as his brothers, but even beyond his good looks, he had an aura of charm to him that made her heartbeat quicken. She understood immediately why Annie had panicked and fled to California. A wolf with Fionn’s ability to enthrall others would be devastating in seduction. He faced Jack with a sardonic smirk.
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