by Lori King
If Cadence didn’t win…
Her whole body revolted and she started to retch as she forced herself out of the water and hunched over on the bank, emptying her stomach in the grass. It’s a good thing Cadence isn’t around. I’m sure this isn’t behavior appropriate for his future Queen.
The sound of grass crunching startled her, and she lifted her head to see her best friend Tawny coming through the trees. Just the sight of the tall blonde woman broke through the barrier that Whitney had so carefully erected to hold back her emotions, and she felt hot tears sliding down her face.
“Oh, honey! What did they do to you? Are you okay? Should I get Delaky or Devin? Or Liam! Yes, Liam will rip out their throats!” Tawny tugged Whitney to her feet and helped her move to the flat rock to sit down.
Whitney wasn’t able to do more than shake her head as she cried into Tawny’s shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent of coconut that always seemed to surround her friend. Tawny held her trembling body and whispered soothing words into her ear. In the human world, two women hugging while one was nude would be thought odd, but werewolves were a different case altogether. Nudity was their norm. It did no good to be falsely modest when at a moment’s notice your body could shift into another being and tear away the shreds of propriety. It took several minutes before she got her emotional tidal wave back under control, and when she finally lifted her head, she could see the concern in her friend’s pale green eyes.
“Talk to me, Winnie. What happened?” Just the sound of her childhood friend using that nickname was a comfort. Tawny had been calling her Winnie since they learned to talk and she wasn’t able to pronounce her name correctly. It stuck and Whitney never even considered asking her to change it.
“I’m mated,” Whitney whispered, staring at the grass.
“So I gathered from the claim marks on your neck. Please tell me they didn’t force you.” Tawny’s tone was harder than Whitney could ever remember hearing from the reserved woman, and when she looked up she was shocked to see Tawny was already in partial shift.
“No! They didn’t force me at all. After…well, everything, I got upset and freaked out. Cadence was talking about me being the next Alpha-bitch of their pack and how I would have to act appropriately—” Tawny snorted, and her features shifted back to fully human, her lips curling in a small smile. “It’s not funny. I am going to have to leave the Gray Pack.”
All of the color drained from her best friend’s face, and Whitney felt the wave of sorrow and doubt wash over her again.
“I’m sorry, Winnie. I didn’t think about that. I mean, I knew it, but I guess it didn’t seem like a real possibility. What if he doesn’t win?” Tawny’s eyes were wide with shock.
Whitney shook her head and stood abruptly to pace. “I can’t imagine that right now. They’ve already set the rules of the battle. All I can do is hope for the best outcome.”
“But Whitney, you’re mated now. If they die…” Tawny’s voice cracked as she, too, realized the severity of the situation.
“I know,” Whitney whispered.
For several tense moments, the two women stared off into space, and then they were clinging to each other, crying out emotions that couldn’t be restrained. Falling apart in the safety of each other’s embrace. There were no words to ease the fear or the heartache. The way werewolf biology worked, once they were bonded and claimed, they were two halves of a whole, or in this case, three legs of a triangle. If one of the pair died, the other couldn’t survive. In a triad, there was a good chance two could survive without their third, but not one of three, and there was no way Mateo would let his cousin enter the battle alone. Now Whitney’s life hinged on the battle just as much as her mates’ did.
“I could really use a bowl of ice cream right now,” she whispered, and Tawny let out a grim laugh.
“We need to talk to Devin.” She hiccupped in Whitney’s ear.
Shaking her head, she drew back. “No, I need to talk to my mom first.”
“Okay, but Winnie, please promise me that you’ll talk to Devin, too.”
As the Alpha of the Gray Pack, Devin was responsible for the well-being of all of the wolves in the pack. Whitney nodded and stayed quiet, because she didn’t have the heart to remind Tawny that she wasn’t a Gray wolf anymore. As of an hour ago, she became a Diego wolf, when she mated them. Cold dread filled her stomach, but she forced herself to shift and follow Tawny through the trees to the only person Whitney wanted to see.
Her mom met them at the back door of her childhood home. Standing on the doorstep, with her long black hair tied back in a braid, barely a hint of silver showing at her temples, she was an older version of Whitney. Whitney shifted as she broke free of the tree line and ran into her mother’s arms.
“What’s this?” Victoria Gray held her tightly. Whitney knew that her mother could feel the anguish and confusion pouring off of her, but at the moment she wasn’t strong enough to shield it. “Are you this unhappy about the men you’re mated to? The way I heard it you were under their spell and didn’t resist much when they whisked you off today.”
Whitney flushed under her mother’s scrutiny. “I was, Mama, but then I realized that being mated means leaving everything I know. I can’t do that.”
Her mother rolled her eyes and turned back into the kitchen. “Of course you can. Wolves do it all of the time. Did you think you would find a rogue mate who suddenly wanted to be tied to a pack once he met you?”
Whitney grumbled and headed straight for the freezer that she knew her mother kept stocked with the ice cream she loved as she avoided her mother’s question. She needed sugar to think clearly, and at a time like this, thinking clearly was absolutely necessary. When it was put like that, there was no way to argue that the truth had been staring her in the face ever since she realized that her mate wasn’t among the Gray pack wolves.
Victoria wrapped one arm around her daughter’s shoulder and kissed her temple. “Whitney, you aren’t a little girl anymore. You can’t expect everything to be easy, but just like the rest of us you have to grow up and handle it. Now, tell me more about these handsome men that swept you off of your feet. Liam didn’t give me much. He just snarled at me when I wanted details. All I know is they are some of the Diego men.”
Tawny laughed. “Sounds like Liam.”
Whitney shot her best friend a glare before answering. “It’s Cadence Diego and his cousin, Mateo.”
Her mother went an odd shade of white, but her spine stiffened and her chin tipped up. “Barton’s son? Does Devin know?”
Whitney nodded, watching cautiously as her mother began moving around the room anxiously, deep in thought. She got out a couple of napkins and passed them out before she disappeared into the laundry room for a moment with a frown on her face. When she reappeared, she held a bundle of clothes in her hands and she met Whitney’s confused look straight on.
“Do they make you happy?”
“They made me happy several times today,” Whitney answered, and all three women laughed. Victoria handed them each a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt to dress in before taking out another spoon and stealing a bite of ice cream for herself.
“You know, I always knew you were destined to be an Alpha-bitch. It’s in your nature. I remember how you used to boss your brothers around when you were tiny, and they actually listened.”
“I can’t remember Liam or Ryley listening to anything Whitney had to say,” Tawny said with a snort of disbelief. “Rafe yes, because he has a calm head on his shoulders. Well, he did before Shandi anyway.”
Victoria’s face bore the look of a woman with a secret. “You might be surprised at the control a woman has over a man who loves her. Whether that is the love of a lover, or the love of family, it’s still very important, and not to be underestimated. When they were children, all Whitney had to do was state her desires and her brothers would regularly fall into line. Much the way Devin and Damon jump to do Caroline’s bidding when she feels it
necessary to voice an opinion.”
Whitney shook her head again. “Having an Alpha nature doesn’t mean I can be an Alpha-bitch, Mama. I never even went to the Pack school. I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to behave properly in that role. If Cadence wins the battle, I will have to move to Chicago with them and be a leader for their pack, but if he doesn’t, the alternative is even worse.”
Victoria nodded. “Yes, I see the predicament.” They were all silent for a few minutes before she spoke again. “Do you believe he can win?”
“Of course.” Whitney was surprised how quickly the answer fell from her lips and her wolf rose to back her mate. “I mean, he was born to the position. The other men want it, but Cadence has it in his blood. He can win.”
“Then there is nothing to worry about other than getting you packed and prepared for your new home. Once you’re there and settled, Daddy and I can come up to visit. I might even consider letting the boys come, too.”
“There is no way Rafe and Ry will leave Shandi again for a while. Leaving her to go to Wyoming was hard enough on all three of them. Maybe Liam and Tina can come, though?”
“Me, too!” Tawny exclaimed, stealing Whitney’s spoon out of her hand. “Maybe I’ll go with you for good. It’s not like I have anything holding me here now that Mom and Dad are gone.”
Victoria frowned at her. “What about your brothers?”
Tawny had three brothers who were all a little younger than her. Justin, Tate, and Heath were thick as thieves and had been pretty withdrawn since the death of their parents a few years before. Their mom had always been a sickly woman, which was unusual for a werewolf. When she got pneumonia one fall, she slowly slipped away. Their father followed hours later of natural causes. It was the way of the wolf, but it was hard on the four of them. Tawny had leaned on Victoria and Henley Gray as her surrogate parents, but the three brothers hadn’t bothered to seek out comfort. They had pulled into themselves and leaned on each other. It was something Whitney had been meaning to talk with Devin and Damon about, but now it seemed a silly thing to worry about.
“I’m not sure they would notice that I was gone. Lately Devin has had them working every minute of daylight to get new cabins built for the coming influx of wolves. If Whitney and I both move, that opens up two single cabins.”
Whitney felt tears fill her eyes again. “You would really come with me?”
“Of course, Winnie. You’re my soul sister. Sometimes I wonder if we should have mated,” Tawny teased with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a wink, and they all three broke down in giggles.
Once Whitney had calmed back down, she hugged the two women to her. “You’re right. I know Cadence is strong enough to win, but he will need my support. Somehow I’ll manage to push aside my fears about moving and help him through this.”
“Good girl. Now, I want all of the steamy details before your father gets home.” Victoria pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge and tugged the ice cream over into the middle of the three of them, passing Whitney a third spoon to replace the stolen one.
“Me, too!” Tawny said as she helped herself to another spoonful of the treat. “I have to live vicariously through someone.”
The three of them laughed and talked for nearly an hour about Whitney’s mating, Tawny’s lack of a man, the Diego Alpha battle, and the impending arrival of the Quiver Creek Pack. It seemed there was no shortage of excitement at the Gray Pack den.
The sound of the front door opening startled them all and Whitney heard Tina call out, “Whitney? I found something I believe belongs to you.”
Whitney leapt to her feet and raced into the living room. She could feel them, and her wolf was suddenly taking control of her body. Spotting them behind her sister-in-law, she leapt into Mateo’s arms, laughing loudly when he let out a snarl and pressed his nose into her hair. Cadence embraced her from the back, and she sighed with pleasure.
“So it’s true? You really are a mated woman now.” Tina’s voice broke through the fog of lust that had begun clouding Whitney’s brain, and she forced herself to release Mateo and stand on her own feet.
“Yep, seems like it.”
Tina nodded and smiled. “Congratulations to all three of you. Next time don’t leave them wandering the den alone. Men are like small children, Whit, they are easily lost.”
Cadence’s jaw clenched and he growled low in his throat. “Excuse me?”
“She’s just joking, right, Tina?” Whitney asked with a pointed look.
Tina’s responding smirk and wink took all of the steam out of her sarcastic words. “That’s me, always joking. Anyway, when I found them by the side of the road, I figured I better bring them home and look for their owners.”
Mateo and Cadence were both frowning now, but Whitney just laughed. “She’s just saying it to get under your skin, guys. Tina takes a little getting used to. I’m glad she brought you to me, though.”
Mateo leaned in and nipped her earlobe. “Mi amor, you were away for so long. I know Cadence is a moron, but don’t punish me for his flaws next time, please?”
She nodded and tilted her head a little for him. “I needed time to think.” She could feel Cadence moving in behind her again, having lost interest in Tina the moment Whitney submitted to Mateo’s mouth.
“I was an idiot, little flower, please forgive me,” he said, licking the bite mark he had placed on her neck earlier in the day. Her knees trembled and her body melted.
“Forgiven,” she murmured, writhing between the two of them.
Mateo pulled back and frowned down at her flushed face. “Have you been drinking?”
“Just a few glasses of wine.”
“You’re drunk!”
“Damn near,” she responded with a giggle.
Cadence cursed and Mateo’s jaw clenched, making Whitney frown. “What? Can’t a girl have a few glasses of wine and a pint of ice cream with her mama and her bestie?”
“I think we should talk about this in private.” Mateo growled, and she pulled back in confusion.
“Before you two run off with my daughter again, how about you come inside and we get acquainted?” Henley Gray stood in the front doorway with a serious look on his face, and Whitney saw Mateo swallow hard. She could feel Cadence’s heart racing through their embrace, and she tried to look at her father through their eyes.
Henley was six foot tall, and still in extremely good shape for a man in his sixties. His silver hair and bluish-gray eyes should have made him look drab, but instead they gave him an almost magical appearance. Looking closely at his face, she could see the laugh lines visible around his mouth and eyes and a scar on his chin from his attempt to help her brothers build a tree house in a tree that wasn’t strong enough to hold the four of them. Just seeing him so protective of her, and yet knowing the warmth that was inside of him, made her love him that much more.
“Go easy on them, Daddy. I’m keeping them,” she said, dropping her head to Mateo’s wide chest and breathing in his spicy scent. His arms tightened around her, and Cadence kissed the crown of her head, assuring her that he was there, too.
“We’ll see,” Henley said churlishly. “Introduce us, princess.”
“Guys, this is my dad, Henley Gray, and Dad this is—”
Cadence stepped forward with his hand out. “Cadence Diego, Mr. Gray. It’s nice to meet you.”
Henley shook his hand but continued to glare back as Mateo stepped forward and held out a hand. “I’m Mateo Diego, sir.”
“So you two are part of the Alpha battle contenders.” It wasn’t really a question as much as a statement, but both men nodded. “Let me guess, you’re his second?” This time the question was directed at Mateo, who inclined his head in the affirmative. “Thought so. I was the former Alpha, Jim Gray’s Beta for more than forty years, so I can sense who is Dominant pretty easily. Tell me, how exactly did you meet my daughter?”
The flush that darkened Mateo’s cheeks was so surprising that Whitney laughed. “Dad
, be nice. They arrived this morning with the rest of the Diego pack representatives. We felt the connection before we could even see each other.”
Victoria piped up from behind the threesome. “The mating lust. You remember that, Henley love, don’t you? I know it’s been more than three decades since you felt it last, but it left an impression, right?”
The moment his eyes settled on his wife, all of the angry tension seemed to seep out of Henley’s body, and he nodded. “I do. I’ve never felt anything more powerful in my life. However, that’s not to say I appreciate the rumors that are circling the pack. From the way I hear it, you boys carted my daughter off within a few minutes of meeting her.”
“To be fair, your daughter is the one who suggested we seek a more private place to get acquainted,” Cadence responded, tucking Whitney in at his side. “But I do understand your concerns, Mr. Gray. All I can tell you is that before I even met her I think I was falling for her.”
Behind them, Tawny sighed wistfully. “I need a man.”
And Tina snorted. “I need a drink.” Making everyone laugh. Even Henley cracked a smile.
“Tell me, Diego, what happens next?”
“With what, sir?” Cadence asked curiously.
“Well, obviously if you’ve mated my daughter, your intentions are serious, so tell me what happens next? Do you intend on risking her life so that you can battle to lead the Diego pack, or are you going to withdraw from the battle and remain here?”
A stunned silence filled the room, and Whitney glanced up at Cadence nervously. There was concern and doubt in his eyes for a fleeting second before he tipped his chin stubbornly and said, “I am the true born Alpha of my pack, Mr. Gray. To withdraw from the battle would be unfair to those in my pack who need my protection and my leadership. I can understand your fears, and I will readily admit that I have some of my own, but there is no option at this point.”