When he finally regained his human form, he realized that one of his men was shouting right in his face.
How dare he?
Jason punched the man in the side of the head so hard that the man’s skull cracked beneath his fist.
That was true power!
The man fell to the ground, eyes rolling back in his head.
“Sir!” one of his men cried pleadingly. “Please! We’ve got a problem!”
“What the fuck?” he screamed at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Manny was trying to tell you, sir, but you wouldn’t…” The man saw the look on Jason’s face and cringed, whining submissively.
“What’s the fucking deal? What’s going on?” Spittle flew from Jason’s mouth.
Incompetent assholes.
“Our lookout says that the car stopped right before the stopsticks. Like they knew exactly where they were. The car is just sitting there.”
What? That was impossible! He’d laid the stopsticks down himself, this morning, and nobody would have betrayed him. The only way that Austin could know where the stopsticks were would be if his visions were actually working. And Korbin had made sure that Austin wouldn’t be able to access his true power.
Hadn’t he?
“Sir! Incoming!” one of his other men yelled.
He scented them right before he heard them.
Dozens of wolves.
No, make that at least a hundred.
Some of the scents were unfamiliar, but some of them – fucking hell – it smelled as if his own pack was coming to take him out. And they’d brought reinforcements.
They would only do that if they knew that he’d framed Roy. Knew that he’d been the one to kill the hikers.
His men ran forward, raising their rifles to their shoulders.
He staggered back a few steps, stunned by the magnitude of the betrayal he was facing.
Several of his men glanced back at him. Like they expected him to run out front or something. Sacrifice himself. Be some kind of martyr.
No fucking way.
He shifted, turned, and ran.
And his men dropped their rifles, and they shifted too, the cowardly little bastards. He’d paid them to fight for him! To defend him! How dare they run?
The only good thing about them running was that it meant there were more targets, and it would be harder for the traitors to zero in on him.
Bullets whizzed past his head, and he smelled silver.
It was all over. His reign as Alpha. His life. No pack in the nation would take him in.
And all because of Austin. That wretched, rotten hound, a bastard in every sense of the word.
Chapter Seventeen
Savannah grinned with appreciation as she made her way across the lawn towards Austin, who was mowing the grass in front of her family’s house.
She was admiring the view, and it wasn’t just because of all the work that Austin had put in over the past few weeks.
Sure, the house now had a hell of a lot more curb appeal.
He’d pulled all the weeds up as soon as he and Savannah had arrived back home, and laid down sod. The yard was now a pristine emerald square, and freshly planted flowers ringed the trees and clustered on either side of the steps. He’d painted the faded white Adirondack chairs on the front porch a deep blue. The hedges were trimmed, and the window shutters were painted in a blue that complemented the chairs. There was a stone pathway leading to a wrought-iron bench under the shade of an oak tree.
But the best view was of Austin himself. He’d stripped down to his waist today, just wearing a pair of jeans and his sneakers, and there was a fine sheen of sweat glistening on his muscled torso. A ripple of lust burned through her as she admired the carved perfection of his six-pack, the swell of his biceps, and the treasure trail of hair leading downward from his navel.
He was pure muscle and sinew and sarcasm and sex, and best of all, he was hers. All hers.
They’d spent every free minute with each other since they’d gotten back. They’d chased after a couple of minor bounties with relatively small rewards. Austin had snagged one, Savannah had snagged the other.
The rest of the time they were joined at the hip. Austin still gave her grief every day, of course. She wouldn’t have had it any other way – because she got to dish it right back to him. It kept life fun.
She’d been afraid that maybe things would get boring when she and Austin weren’t sparring over who got to chase down marks, but they hadn’t. Austin never bored her, and he seemed endlessly happy in her presence. He liked their sarcastic banter, sure , but he also loved to just sit there holding hands and watching the sunset, or quiet dinners together, or steamy lovemaking sessions where he held her down and made her scream with pleasure.
Anthony hadn’t been too disappointed that they’d lost out on getting a bounty for Roy. He and his two younger brothers were helping out around the property, and as long as they had food and a roof over their heads, he was content.
Jessamine ribbed her endlessly about Austin, but then, if she hadn’t, Savannah would have been worried.
The scent of new-mown grass perfumed the air, and layered with that was the salty scent of Austin’s sweat and the musk of his arousal. She loved that she had effect on him.
“Looking good.” She smiled, holding out the glass of ice water she’d brought from the restaurant. “If this whole bounty hunter thing doesn’t work out for you, you can be my lawn boy.”
Austin turned off the lawn mower and reached over to grab the water. He took a long sip, and she smiled as she watched the muscles of his throat working and the beads of water on his lips. “Does the job come with special perks?” He grinned wickedly at her and cupped her left butt cheek in his hand, squeezing hard.
Arousal rushed through her, and there was a dampness between her legs and an ache that only Austin could cure. She stifled a moan, but then looked around to make sure her mother wasn’t watching.
“Careful. I don’t want She Who Must Not Be Named to spray us with the hose again,” she warned him, stepping away quickly.
“I cannot wait until our mating ceremony,” Austin groaned.
Her mother was actually insisting that they live separately until they could schedule the ceremony. Austin wanted Savannah to move in with him, but Laurel wouldn’t hear of it.
Savannah had to sneak out in the middle of the night to be with him, then sneak back to her house in the morning. Laurel must have known, but she was at least keeping up appearances.
They were planning an enormous mating ceremony, inviting everyone in town and Tully’s pack as well.
They just had one little issue that needed to be dealt with first.
Algernon.
“By the way, Jason’s been spotted in Idaho,” Savannah told Austin.
“I saw that. There’s a decent bounty on him, too. After the mating ceremony, maybe I’ll go after him.”
Savannah snorted. “I know a lot of foxes in Idaho. Foxes who would point me in the right direction. Maybe I’ll go after him.”
Austin winked at her. “Winner gets to be sexually serviced all night long.”
She punched him lightly on the arm. “Babe, you do that for me anyway.”
“It is my absolute pleasure.” Austin made a little fake half-bow.
“By the way, have you heard anything about Roy?”
“Nope, he seems to have disappeared again.”
“I hope he’s okay. Oddly enough, I miss that crazy old nutbag. Don’t you?”
Austin barked out a laugh. “Miss him? Are you crazy? Hell no, I don’t miss him. That trip was the most miserable few days of my life. And I grew up with a dad who got his jollies from throwing me against walls.”
If he had to really think about it, he’d have to admit Roy had been helpful. Without him, there was a good chance Jason would have killed him. And he’d helped Austin to accept his visions. Once Austin and Savannah had had their mating ceremony, he’d beg
in studying with a Seer. He’d use his powers to keep his family safe.
He reached out and pulled Savannah to him, looping his arms around her waist.
“I am going to kiss you, and I don’t care if your mother turns the hose on us. Worth it.”
Savannah glanced across the parking lot. “That sounds absolutely— oh, hold on. Look who’s here. I should practice my curtsy. It’s the Lord of All Fartbreath.”
As they watched, Algernon pulled in to the parking lot in front of the restaurant.
Austin glanced at his watch. “An hour early, the little bitch,” he said.
Savannah and Austin headed across the lawn towards the restaurant. Laurel hurried out of the restaurant to join them. Niall, Anthony and Jessamine were on her heels. They stood on the front steps with Austin in front of them.
He fit right in, Savannah thought happily. He was one of them. They were his pack now, his blood.
Algernon walked across the lawn to greet them, baring his little teeth in a nasty smile. A small horde of his bodyguards followed him, their hands on their hip holsters, nervously fingering their pistols. Austin caught a whiff of silver; they had silver-coated bullets. They’d come well prepared.
“Nice,” Algernon said. “Looks like you cleaned this garbage dump up just in time for me to take over. Of course, it’s still a pigsty, and I’m going to be filing a lawsuit for all the damages you’ve caused to my property. Lowering its value.”
“Yep,” Austin drawled. Savannah, standing next to him, pasted on her prettiest, least sincere smile.
“Wherever you work, I’ll be attaching your wages to make up for the damages,” Algernon snapped. “Pretty much forever.”
“Of course you will,” Austin said, nodding.
“Naturally,” Savannah agreed.
Algernon glared at them. He wanted to see them rattled. Upset. Begging.
“Don’t think that you can weasel your way out of it,” he snapped at Savannah.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. The law is the law.” She nodded politely.
Algernon fixed Austin with a cold glower. “I understand that your little bounty expedition fell apart and that psychotic wolf Roy is wandering around free somewhere. And you refused to take over the Washborn pack, which was stupid. They’re wealthy. You could have used the money to bail your girlfriend out. I guess you don’t care about her very much.”
“Is that a fact?” Austin put on his most polite smile.
Algernon’s face twisted with rage.
“You’re not even part of this conversation!” He tried to move past Austin to get to Laurel, and Austin bared his teeth in a snarl.
Algernon fell back a step – and a dozen of his men stepped forward, pulling their pistols out.
“Get off my property. Now,” he barked. “As of this minute, you’re trespassing on my land, and I am within my rights to have my men take you out. You don’t even have a pack to back you up anymore. You’re a lone wolf.”
Savannah let out a low, rumbling growl. Don’t fuck with my mate. “Watch yourself,” she snapped.
Algernon let out a little high-pitched giggle. His eyes glowed with malicious glee. “Who’s going to stop me? You? Because he’s got no rights here.”
“How about me?” Grant’s voice thundered over Austin’s shoulder. He stepped out of the front door of the restaurant and walked down the steps. He was holding an envelope in his hand.
A dozen more wolves filed out of the restaurant’s front door, crowding around him.
“He’s early,” one of them complained to Grant, pointing to Algernon. “He interrupted my lunch. Can I eat him?”
“No, I don’t want to deal with you puking in the car all the way back,” Grant said firmly.
“You can’t associate with him!” Algernon cried shrilly. “I know who you are! You’re Grant Bronson! This man was barred from your pack!”
“This man was barred from the Hidden Hills Pack,” Grant said calmly. “Hello. I’m Grant Bronson, newly appointed Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. As Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, I am not bound by Hidden Hills laws. My brother and me, we can hang out and party all day long. These days, we frequently do. He’s introduced me to a dive bar called the Watering Hole with surprisingly delicious beer. “
Grant, the expert at ferreting out legal loopholes, had also found out that while Cliff and his family couldn’t visit Austin directly or go to his house, they could visit Grant’s new pack any time they wanted. And if Austin was there visiting Grant at the same time Cliff and his family were there, there was nothing the Elders could do about it.
Grant shoved the envelope into Algernon’s hand. “Paid in full,” he said.
Algernon ripped the envelope open. He looked at the money order nestled inside. His face turned purple with rage.
“You…you’re giving charity to these…these beggars?” he screeched.
Grant shook his head. “There’s no charity. They grow a very valuable strain of the Somnorus herb on their property. I’m going into business with them, to manufacture and distribute it. This money represents my down payment to them.”
“And now,” Laurel added, stepping forward, “get the fuck off my lawn and don’t ever come back, you little asshole.”
There was a universal gasp from her family. And then they started clapping. And then they started cheering.
“Mom! Mom! Mom!” they chanted in ragged unison. Jessamine smacked Anthony on the arm. “You’re an honorary Orman, derp-face. Chant!” she ordered him, and he joined them, pumping his fist in the air. “Mom! Mom! Mom!”
Laurel reached into her purse and pulled out two five-dollar bills. “Go put these in the swear jar, dear,” she said to Jessamine. “I am very ashamed of myself for setting such a bad example. I hope I haven’t steered you down a path from which you can never return.” But her eyes were twinkling with happiness.
She’d listened to Roy’s suggestion about the swear jar. Jessamine probably lost ten percent of her wages to it, which made her curse even more.
Algernon stamped on the ground in rage.
The family turned and filed back into the restaurant to finish eating. The last they saw, Algernon was punching his bodyguards and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Chapter Eighteen
It was an early afternoon on a humid August day when Austin strode through the door of Pistols and Purses, Savannah’s favorite shop, in downtown Foxhaven.
He’d spent the morning talking to Seers from different packs around the country. He’d found one in Oregon, not too far from where he lived, who would be willing to work with him and train him to harness his power and use it safely, in a way that didn’t make his head explode. He’d have to travel a few hours to get to his pack, and and spend a week at a time there, but it would be worth it. He could use his power to keep his family safe.
So far, he hadn’t tried to summon up any more visions, and he hadn’t been visited by any. He wanted to wait until he knew how to use his gift properly before he ventured into that territory again.
He had a few hours to kill before he and Savannah had their rehearsal dinner at the restaurant that evening. The restaurant had been closed for the day. Grant and his mate would be there in a couple of hours. Cliff couldn’t make it to the rehearsal dinner, but he’d be there at the mating ceremony.
He’d come to this particular shop because he knew they had specially designed handbags that would conceal a pistol. Savannah would love it.
“Oh my God,” a familiar voice growled behind him. “You really are a pussy. You are an actual vagina.”
He turned around to glare at Roy, who was standing there with a smirk on his face. He barely recognized him. Roy had trimmed his hair and beard, and he was wearing clean jeans, new hiking boots, and a red checked button-down shirt. He smelled faintly of cologne. He’d gone from the wild-haired lunatic of the mountains to a clean, well-groomed man who could have stepped out of an advertisement for Outdoor Living Magazine.
; “What are you doing here?” Austin demanded.
“I hear they make the best roast beef sandwiches in the Northwest here, at a little restaurant called To Dine For,” Roy said. “Oh, I like that one for you.” He pointed at a pink, frilly little purse that dangled off the arm of a mannequin. “Although it might be a little too butch.”
Austin snorted. “I’m here to buy a present for my mate, ass-face. Where have you been for the last few weeks? Savannah was worried about you.” Then he scowled. “And I wasn’t, by the way.”
Roy smiled, as if Austin’s insult hadn’t bothered him in the least. “Well, I’ve been thinking about courting Miss Laurel, but I wanted to hang out and see if I could act sane for a little while first. Talk to people without killing them. Doesn’t seem to be an issue. Now that I have something I’m actually looking forward to, I’m finding it easier to be reasonably civilized.”
“Laurel might have mentioned you from time to time,” Austin said. Roy’s face lit up. “Mostly complaining about how rude you were.” And Roy’s face fell again. Austin sighed. “But honestly, she wouldn’t have been talking about you that much if she didn’t like you. I would just suggest taking it slow. Show up and apologize again. Just hang around, come back for lunch every day, and she’ll warm up to you after a while.”
Roy nodded thoughtfully. “Take it slow. I can do that,” he said.
A sudden icy sensation washed over Austin, coming from nowhere, and he shuddered.
“Now what? You upset about the idea of me being an in-law?” Roy scoffed. “Believe me, I don’t love the idea either, you little peckerwood.”
“Nah, I don’t know. Just a chill. I get them sometimes. Air conditioning?” He looked around but didn’t see an A.C. unit or a fan.
Roy’s face went from joking to dead serious. “It’s hot as hell in here, dude. My balls are sweating. There’s no chill – it’s your Seer power. Call your mate.”
Once upon a time, Austin would have argued. Not anymore.
He called, his heart starting to hammer in his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief when she answered.
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