Mating Brand

by Laurann Dohner

  The older man didn’t look happy but he sat. “I’m still worried about our human neighbors. They need us to protect them.”

  Rave looked ready to lunge at Raymond but it wasn’t Brand who prevented bloodshed. Braden handled the situation.

  “I know about prides too. They’re totally anal about keeping shifter secrets. They make us look lax about that. Dad sent me to deal with a few of them when Rave was busy. They aren’t about to do anything that will expose what they are to our human neighbors. We’re the targets.”

  “When did Dad do that?” Rave touched Braden’s shoulder to get his attention.

  The youngest Harris shot him a quick look. “Someone likes to go to biker rallies sometimes. Life doesn’t stop just because you leave town.”

  “Why you and not me?” Anton frowned. “I didn’t know that either.”

  Braden grinned. “Dad knows I’m up for anything that involves pussies—and I’m good with them.”

  Grady smacked him on the back of the head. “Funny. Let’s cut the shit and deal with this mess.”

  “Yeah,” Brand agreed. He wanted to get this over with and return to Charma as soon as possible. He knew she had to be afraid in a house full of werewolves. He glanced upward, hoping she was okay.

  Anton backed away from their small circle to address the room. “The prides are coming here and they want a fight.” His eyes transformed to show his inner wolf while his fangs grew. “We’re going to make them regret invading our territory.”

  “Hell yeah,” Kane growled, rallying his enforcers. “We’re more than up for it.”

  Brand laughed. “It was a bad decision to hit us during mating heat. You know our pack motto. If you can’t fuck, fight!”

  Braden chuckled. “I want a leather jacket with those words printed across my back.”

  Rave glared at him. “He was kidding.”

  “I’m not. We should make it our official slogan while Dad is allowing us to lead the pack.”

  Chapter Nine

  Charma couldn’t sit still after she’d barricaded the door. Worry for Brand and his pack left her feeling nervous and edgy. She turned off all the lights and opened the window. Fresh air breezed inside the room as she peered out into the night.

  The moon gave off enough light for her enhanced vision to take in all the details of everything going on around the side of the house she viewed. Heavy woods surrounded the property but the trees had been cut back far enough to make it impossible for anyone to sneak close enough to break in. Sentries were posted, their dark shapes barely distinguishable unless someone was looking for them, as she was.

  She eased down to her knees, rested her chin on her folded hands on the windowsill, and strained her ears for any noises beyond the branches whispering in the wind. It was only a matter of time before the attack began.

  No way could she stand to lose Brand. Life can’t be that cruel, right? She chewed on her bottom lip, hoping not. They’d both been through too much for fate to separate them once more.

  Temptation pulled at her to use the cell phone Brand had forgotten when he’d left. She doubted anyone would try to retrieve her but she wasn’t willing to chance it. Her car had been a piece of shit. No way would Garrett have spared the expense of putting any kind of system on it that could be tracked.

  She crawled over and retrieved Brand’s cell phone. It was a nice one and it took her a minute to figure out how to use it. She dialed Megan’s cell, not wanting to deal with her parents. They’d be angry that she’d fled the pride and she wasn’t sure she could trust them. It was sad but true. Both of them were grateful to the pride for being alive.

  It rang twice before her sister picked up. “Who is this?” Alarm was clear in her voice. “How did you get this number?”

  “Hi, Meg. It’s Charma.”

  “Who is B. Harris? Where are you? Garrett called and came over here looking for you. He seemed worried.”

  She refrained from snorting. He was such a good liar. “I left him. I’m not coming back.”

  Silence ensued and she imagined her sister was a little shocked. “He beat you again, didn’t he?”

  It was Charma’s turn to be a little stunned. Did her whole family know?

  “Char?” Meg lowered her voice and a door closed. “Are you hurt? Do you need me to come to you? Some of the pride are nearby but I can sneak out. Tell me what you need and where you are. I know Darbin and my mate can’t protect you without starting a war between our prides, but we can help. Do you need money? Where did you go? Are you safe?”

  “You knew Garrett hit me sometimes?”

  A small sniff escaped Megan. “I suspected but had no proof. I do now. I never saw your mate treat you as well as Cole does me. I’m so sorry. You did it to protect us, didn’t you? I wondered why you mated Garrett. You always said he was a prick but then you agreed to be with him after you returned from college. You’ve always refused to answer my questions but Cole and I talked. He said you might have done it for us, the family.”

  “Yeah.” Charma sat on the floor, leaned against the bed. “Percy is a bastard. You know how he rules. He wanted me mated to his son and that was the end of it.”

  “Darbin isn’t anything like him. My father-by-mate is pretty awesome.”

  “I’m glad you ended up with a good pride, honey. I called to tell you that I’m safe.”

  “Have you called our parents?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to?”

  “No. You can’t tell them about the name on the caller ID. I’m trusting you, Meg. I doubt Garrett will come after me but I’m not willing to risk it. Okay?”

  “Is this B. Harris a friend of yours?”

  She hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

  “I have all the time in the world for you.”

  She hesitated but knew she could trust her sister. “I met him in college and we fell in love. I had to give him up for the family. I ran to him, and that’s who I’m with. I’m safe and he still loves me.”

  Her sister sucked in air. “A human?” She recovered before Charma could speak. “Okay. I can deal with that. You can hide what you are from him, and hell, I guess you could get him drunk when you go into heat and feed him Viagra to help him keep up with your sex drive. He’ll just think he became some mega stud. I won’t judge.”

  “Um…”

  “No. It’s okay,” Meg insisted. “Since you don’t shift, you can pull it off. Just dye your hair…tell him those spots down your back are faded tattoos you got while you were drunk as a teen. Contacts can be worn for days at a time. You can take them out while he’s not with you. Does he live near pride lands? Are you close to us? Because Darbin can order our people to never mention it if they see you. Just be real careful.”

  “He’s not human.”

  “Oh my god. You ran off with a pride male? I don’t remember a Harris as one of Percy’s. Is he one of Darbin’s? I haven’t met the ones who live farther out.” Her voice lowered to a murmur. “Are you in our pride? Shit! It’s okay though. Darbin can order them not to mention you’re here. That will probably work out better.”

  “Brand isn’t a pride member,” she admitted. “He’s a werewolf.”

  “What?” her sister shouted.

  Charma winced. “Calm down.”

  Her sister lowered her voice to a whisper. “A werewolf? Is that what you said?”

  “Yes. We met at college and lived together.”

  Total silence.

  “Are you still there, Meg?”

  “I am.” Her sister took a ragged breath. “I’m flabbergasted.”

  “I know.”

  “He doesn’t try to eat you?”

  Charma couldn’t help but laugh. “Every chance he gets, but in a good way.”

  “Oh!” Meg laughed too. “Got it.” She sobered. “Is he good to you?”

  “We love each other, and he is amazing. I mated him.”

  Her sister gasped.

  “I know what you�
��re thinking.”

  “You’re already mated.”

  “Was. Not anymore, not to Garrett. Brand is my true mate.”

  “This is a lot to take in.”

  “I know. I don’t want you to worry. You can tell the family I’m safe but nothing else.”

  “Mom and Dad would flip if they knew any of this. They’d tell Garrett and Percy. You can’t trust them.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll keep your secret. You saved our lives. Cole and I suspected you prevented us from being turned into breeders. That was it, wasn’t it?”

  There was no reason to lie. “Yeah. Percy threatened to kill our parents, along with Adam, and sell us off to other prides.”

  “What a fuckhead,” Meg hissed. “I always hated him. He tried to prevent me from mating Cole. He wanted me to stay in his pride instead.”

  “I’m so sorry I couldn’t give you any warning that I was leaving but I didn’t have time.”

  “The important thing is you’re safe and I know that.” Megan paused. “I’m going to memorize this number and then delete it. I’ll buy a disposable phone to call you and give you the new number. I don’t want to risk Garrett hunting for you and trying to get hold of my phone to do it. I refuse to lose contact with you. Promise me that you’ll stay in touch.”

  “I promise.”

  “A werewolf.” Her sister chuckled. “You always were one to buck tradition. First it was college and now this.”

  “He’s amazing, Megan. I wish you could meet him.”

  “I plan to see you. Once Cole gets home from his trip, we’ll figure it out.”

  Charma’s breath froze in her lungs. “What trip?”

  “The Prides called a joining and he’s been sent to help fight our enemy.”

  “Oh shit. Can you call him?”

  “Yes. He always keeps his cell with him.”

  “Tell him and the others of your pride to come home right now. Save his life.”

  “Why?” Megan sounded alarmed.

  “It’s my pack, Megan. My mate’s, anyway. That’s who the council plans to attack. The werewolves aren’t plotting to eradicate our kind. A neighboring pride came into their territory and kidnapped a she-cat mated to a werewolf. They had to kill to get her back.”

  “Fuck.” Megan panted.

  “Yeah. Call your mate, but you can’t tell him I’m here or why he can’t allow your pride to fight with the werewolves. Whoever is with him might overhear the conversation.”

  “What a nightmare.”

  Charma couldn’t agree more.

  “I’ll tell him I smelled werewolf in the woods behind our house. His duty to protect us overrides everything else. It will send them rushing back here.”

  “You’d lie for me?”

  “In a heartbeat. I’ll tell him the truth once he’s home. He’ll understand. Plus, talk about making bad first impressions upon meeting your family-by-mate. A battleground isn’t ideal, and no damn way are we going to allow our mates to kill each other. I love you. I’ll call you in a few days—or call me if things go bad there.”

  “I love you too. Call your mate now.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Charma replaced Brand’s cell phone where he’d left it and hugged her chest. She should have thought about the fact that Darbin might be asked to send some of his males to fight, probably his own son, but she hadn’t considered much beyond reaching Brand’s pack to warn them so he’d be safe. She knew Megan would talk Cole into coming home with their males. The werewolves would have fewer pride to fight.

  She crawled back across the floor to the window, staying low in case any of the pride males were in the woods and had climbed trees to get a look inside the windows.

  She peeked outside, searching the night with her enhanced vision. She closed the window to mask her scent. It would be stronger while she was in heat.

  * * * * *

  Brand pressed tightly against the trunk of the tree he’d climbed. The pride wouldn’t expect wolves to attack from above. He glanced across the open area to seek out the other members of his pack, hiding in similar locations surrounding the house. The scent of their enemy hadn’t reached them yet but reports had come in that out-of-town cars had parked along the road leading into the woods.

  A slight noise drew his attention. He turned his head and saw a dark figure creeping out of the basement door. His hands clenched in anger as he watched Braden dart away. His cousin had been ordered to stay inside but he’d obviously disobeyed Anton. He almost called out, to demand he get his ass back inside, but reconsidered, not willing to give away his location in case the pride had approached without detection. It was possible.

  His cousins were going to wring their youngest brother’s neck when they realized he’d joined the fight. Part of Brand sympathized with Braden. He knew all about being young and making bad choices. Charma talking him out of mating her when he’d been lucky enough to find the right woman had been the worst one. He’d come home angry and bitter. He’d been lonely without her and used violence as an outlet. Braden might be experiencing the same affliction, since he was horny as hell and banned from fucking anyone in the pack. The heat made it ten times worse.

  The wind shifted and the faint stench of cat teased his nose. He jerked his head in that direction and reached for the infrared binoculars hanging around his neck. His eyesight was excellent but they helped him see farther. He caught a slight movement and zoomed in.

  A group of seven strangers were by the creek, about to climb up the embankment on the north side. He started to signal his pack but something odd happened.

  A tall man withdrew something from his pocket that he guessed was a phone. He seemed to listen for long seconds and then a quick hand motion had all of them turning and rushing away in the opposite direction.

  It worried Brand. They either had fled in fear from the coming fight or they had a new target. Braden hadn’t gone in that direction so he knew they weren’t pursuing his cousin. He used the binoculars to track the strangers through the trees. They were moving fast, running at full speed, heading directly toward the old cemetery. No pack homes were in that area but there was a road.

  He climbed higher when the tops of other trees blocked his view and finally spotted the dark line of pavement. No street lights had been placed that far out but lights came on. They were faint. He watched as two sets of twin beams picked up speed, curving out of sight.

  They were leaving. The road they traveled would take them away from the pack.

  Brand climbed down to his original spot on the thick branch, pondering why the seven pride members had fled. Had they scented all the wolves lying in wait and decided it wasn’t a good night to die?

  A smile curved his lips. They might not have a fight after all. The pride seemed to be on the run. His lips parted to speak, his intention to tell the others, but an owl hoot silenced him. He craned his neck to search for the source, finding Rave in another tree a few dozen yards away.

  His cousin pointed and he caught a glimpse of movement. He lifted his binoculars again and located nearly a dozen more strangers. They cautiously used the foliage to advance. The wind blew in the wrong direction to pick up their scent but it was obvious they weren’t friendly.

  He removed the binoculars and hooked the strap on the tree, staring at Anton. His cousin glanced around, seeming to wait until he had everyone’s attention. A few quick hand motions signaled their orders.

  Brand removed his shirt but kept the sweatpants on since they wouldn’t hinder movement. His shoes had been left inside the house. He bent and crawled farther out on the thick branch until he lay flat on his stomach. It wasn’t the most comfortable position he’d ever been in but it was necessary. It was an easy eight-foot drop to the ground. It was just a matter of waiting for the enemy to draw closer.

  He kept still, his rage building. The alpha blood would allow him to shift completely within seconds of his feet hitting the ground. His fingertips tingled as his n
ails grew into sharp claws and hair sprouted along his skin to protect it against the rough bark of the tree. He and his cousins would attack first, to give the other enforcers at least thirty seconds to complete their transformations into full wolves.

  The pride inched closer, seemingly oblivious to the danger above them. Brand glanced toward the alpha house, his gaze on the uppermost window, near the roofline. Charma had closed the window and it was dark up there, but he could sense her watching, waiting for him to return. His determination to kill the invaders and end the war as quickly as possible made him impatient.

  The pride came forward, using bushes and trees in an attempt to hide their approach. He watched as a few of them took to the trees.

  A smile curved his lips when the first pride male came into contact with Rave. A howl ripped the silence as two large figures crashed to the ground in a jumble of fighting limbs. Brand dropped to the ground and attacked a pride member who rushed to assist the one getting thrashed by his cousin. The male hissed before his fingers sprouted sharp claws. Brand snarled, showing his fangs, and tore into the man’s upper shoulder as they clashed.

  He ignored the sounds of fighting as his pack engaged the pride members. A lot of pent-up anger surged out of him. He just wished he could take out his rage on the one who’d mated and abused Charma. She’d said the son of a bitch hadn’t been sent to wage war, just amplifying his belief that the guy was a pussy in every sense of the word. The day would come, though, he silently swore, that he’d track that animal down.

  “Keep a few alive,” Anton snarled, loud enough to be heard.

  It didn’t make sense to Brand but he followed orders, just severely maiming his opponent. The shifter stopped fighting once Brand used his claws to slash the male’s right cheek open and then broke his shoulder. He left him huddled in pain and attacked another leopard streaking toward the house.

  The thing was fast, but Brand caught him by his back leg mid-leap when he attempted to jump onto the second floor landing. His teeth sank into the leopard’s meaty thigh. The male yowled in pain and crashed to the ground. He rolled over, his claws slicing at the thick fur protecting Brand’s chest, but Brand rolled to the side, avoiding the deadly strike as the shifter went for his heart. He inwardly winced at the thought of the new scars he’d have.