“You know that we do not choose our mates, Cory? Kianna is ours, and nothing could or would ever change that. You know this. Why are you doing this, beta?” Teaghen wanted to keep them talking for as long as possible. Maybe if they kept them distracted a little, he and his brothers would be able to figure out a way out of this without anyone getting hurt.
“Why are you here, Cory?” Alex snarled at him.
“Now that Ray and his friends are in jail, my income has dropped considerably. See, I’ve known about the Deacons’ side business for some time now, and when I went to Ray and told him I knew what he was up to, he decided that it would be a good idea to have an insider on his payroll. The money was just too good to pass up.” Cory turned and pointed the gun directly at Alex.
“You betrayed your pack…your families, for money?” Teaghen was pissed right off by not only those facts but also because they had been doing it without any of them knowing anything about it.
Devon had, at least, the good grace to bow his head in shame before saying, “Alpha, I will not excuse my actions, but the money for me was a necessity. Both my parents are extremely ill and need medical attention from the special hospital in Texas. You know, the one that caters to shifters?”
“Of course we know of it, we own it,” Duncan roared at him in anger.
Devon’s face paled immediately, and then he turned and looked at Cory with a questioning look.
“What’s he talking about, Cory? You said it was owned by the government and that I had to pay two hundred thousand before my parents could even begin being seen by their doctors. You told me that you had gone to the alphas for help and they had turned you down. It was all a lie, wasn’t it?” Devon turned and aimed the gun at Cory.
“Devon, don’t be such a pussy. They wouldn’t help even if we did ask them. They’re too worried about themselves to give us lowly betas any help.”
Devon turned to Alex, the gun still in his hand, and turned it so the barrel faced himself and handed it to Alex.
Kianna moved from behind Teaghen so quickly that he didn’t have a chance to grab her, but she slowed her pace as she moved closer to where Devon now sat at the table looking completely lost.
Placing her hand on his lowered head, she said, “How long have you been helping your brother, Devon?”
Devon raised his head to face her. “Only for about a week now, Kia. Cory told me that he’d been doing it for about six months before that and that if I helped, we’d be able to get our parents the help they need.”
* * * *
Turning to look at Cory, Kianna could see the hate in his eyes. He wasn’t concerned about his parents. He was in it for the money only. He looked at her just like Ray used to look at her right before he beat the crap out of her.
“So, Cory, if the money is so good, then why haven’t you at least started to pay for some of your parents’ treatment? And by the way, what are they ill with? My understanding is that shifters don’t get sick like us lowly humans do. They don’t get cancer or any other serious diseases, so what illness does your mom and dad have?” There was something wrong with this whole scenario, and Kianna knew it. She just had to find out what it was.
“Shut up, bitch, and sit back down before I put a bullet between your eyes. You’re the cause of all the problems. Maybe I should just shoot—”
Before he had a chance to say anything else, Devon leapt from the chair and knocked the gun from his brother’s hand.
“What the fuck are you doing, Devon? They’re going to rip our throats out now,” Cory screamed.
“It’s no less than what we deserve brother. But before they do, I want you to answer some of Kianna’s questions. You were the one that always took Mom and Dad to the doctor. You were the one that was supposed to be taking care of them while I was in the marines. Yet when I came home, they were both bedridden and didn’t even recognize me.” The realization that his brother had been lying to him was written in the agonized look on Devon’s face.
Duncan grabbed Cory from behind, his forearm across his throat, his claws extended. “Answer your brother, beta, and this time, be a man and tell him the truth.”
Cory looked at his brother and started to laugh. Not the happy kind, the sick, demented kind of laugh.
“You were the lucky one, asshole,” he spat. “You left and joined the marines, leaving me to look after the ranch and our parents. All they did was talk about you, how worried Mom was about you while I slaved away on that fucking ranch with an old man. But I made sure they did what I wanted them to do.” Cory’s eyes were wild with rage. “For the last year, I’ve been putting very small amounts of silver nitrate in their food. Not enough to kill them right away, but just enough to weaken them and let them die slowly so that it would look like natural causes.”
“You sick little fuck.” Devon’s claws began to show, and he swiped one across the chest of his brother.
Alex grabbed him and pulled him back, but Devon was enraged and couldn’t hear his alpha.
“Beta, you will stand down now.” The room went silent, and all eyes turned to Kianna.
Devon’s claws immediately disappeared, and he became visibly calmer.
“Devon, you will sit down in that chair and remain there until you are told to move. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?” Lowering his head, he did exactly as he was told.
Astonished looks met her as she turned toward Cory. “You are a disgrace to your family. Not only did you disrespect your alphas, your pack, and your parents, but you tried to use the love and trust that your brother has for you along the way.” Shaking her head, she walked to one of the kitchen cupboards and reached in and grabbed a first-aid kit.
“I know you will heal fast, but in the meantime, I don’t want any more of your blood dripping onto my kitchen floor.” She pulled out some ointment and gauze and not so gingerly bandaged the wound across his chest. Again facing him, Kianna said, “As your alpha female, I have no power to dispense any punishment. That will be my mate’s decision. My hope for you is that, if they allow you to live, you find the help you need and maybe someday repay your parents for all the heartache you have caused them.”
Having let go of Devon, Alex grabbed his mate and pulled her back against him, whispering in her ear, “You are in such deep trouble, my mate.” He smiled at her when she turned her lips to him for a kiss.
Chapter 16
Two hours later, Cory had been taken to the pack’s holding cell until his fate was decided. Devon still sat at their kitchen table, awaiting his punishment.
He tensed visibly when his three alphas walked back into the room after meeting with some of the elders and others. But from the look on Jeff’s and Sammy’s faces, Devon’s fate was grim.
“Before you pass judgment on me, can I say something?” Devon asked.
“Go ahead, Devon,” Teaghen said quietly.
“I understand and accept any punishment that you give to me. And even though I’m not in the position to ask a favor I will anyway because what Cory and I did, or were about to do, shouldn’t reflect badly on our mom and dad. They are good pack members, and if they hadn’t been poisoned by Cory…” Devon stood, shoulders back and chest out. Kianna watched as he then laid his neck bare for his alphas.
Somehow, Kianna knew that her men were not going to kill their beta.
“Devon, we realize that you were only doing what you felt was best to save you parents, but I have to ask you one question.” Devon straightened and faced Alex.
“What did your brother and you plan to do with our mate? We know what the real plan was, but what did your brother tell you?” Alex kept staring straight into his young beta’s eyes and waited.
“It doesn’t matter what he told me, alpha. I know now it was a lie, but that doesn’t make what I did right.”
Kianna couldn’t help when a tear slid down her cheek, so she turned away from the men to wipe it quickly away.
“You will be punished either way, but give me the courtesy of answ
ering my question young man.” Devon cringed a little when Alex raised his voice.
“Cory told me that all we were to do was to take Kianna to the city and wait for one of Sal’s men to come and pick her up and hold her until you paid ransom for her.”
Stepping forward, both Teaghen and Duncan now stood facing Devon as well. Kianna watched as Teaghen raised his hand and then gently placed it on the young man’s shoulder.
“What you did was so wrong, Dev. We are your alphas, and as such, it is our duty and our privilege to care for all members of our pack. Your parents are already being flown to our hospital for the proper care, and from what I understand, now that they are no longer receiving the silver nitrate, they should regain their strength quickly.”
A tear rolled down Devon’s cheek, and he bowed his head in thanks.
“But…you, my young friend, need to learn a few things. You have not been listening to your wolf, have you? You allowed your love for you brother to override you instincts, and that is not good. Your wolf is part of you, and when he is restless or unsettled about something or someone, he will let you know. Why did you not listen to him?”
“Cory is right about one thing. I was lucky when I left the ranch. I got to see the world and help a lot of people. I met so many different people from all over while he stayed at the ranch to help my dad. I think I felt guilty because of it, so when my wolf started to howl, I pushed him down.”
Duncan placed his hands on either side of Devon’s face and shook him gently. “Your wolf never lies to you. He howls and is restless when he knows something isn’t right.”
Clearing his throat, Teaghen nodded for both his brothers to step back.
“As your alphas, it is our job to make sure that when you make a mistake that you learn from it so that you never repeat it again. Dominic is on his way here to pick you up…”
Teaghen watched the young beta’s eyes widened at the mention on their toughest beta.
“Dominic is taking you and a few of the other younger beta out on a six-month-long training session. You will live in the forest, surviving only on what your wolf catches for you. Dominic is going to retrain you to listen to your wolf, and he’s not going to be easy on you. He knows what has happened here, and so as an ex-marine himself, he is not happy. Listen to him, and allow yourself to again hear your wolf.”
Just as Teaghen finished, there was a loud knock on the door. Duncan moved to open it, and Kianna’s eyes went wide when she saw the man standing in the doorway. He was well over six and a half feet tall with arms and legs the size of tree trunks. His chest was covered by a white T-shirt that looked as if, if he moved the wrong way, it would shred into a million pieces from the stress of his muscles. Long, dark-brown hair hanging to his shoulder only gave him more of that bad-boy look. He somehow looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place him.
“Teaghen, Duncan, Alex, I’m glad you called me about this little shit.” The voice of the brute in front of her matched his size. It was deep and rich and made her want to stand at attention.
“Devon, you’ll go with Dominic and do exactly as he tells you. If we hear that you are giving him any difficulties, you will be banished from the pack. You are strong and can get through this, but never forget the mistake that you almost made here today. Next time, you will die.” Teaghen stepped back so that Dominic could come in a little more.
Smiling at her, Dominic winked and said, “And who is this beautiful angel standing in your kitchen, Alex?”
Clearing his throat, Alex took Kianna’s hand and pulled her into his arms, saying in a very possessive tone, “Kianna is our mate, Dominic, so keep your eyes to yourself.”
“Kia…? Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s you, sweetie.” Three very loud growls came from the men now surrounding her. Kianna looked a little more closely at the giant standing in front of her, and as recognition set in, she couldn’t help but go to him and give him a big hug, which, if they didn’t know both of them so well, would have cost Dominic his life.
“Oh, Dom…my, how you have grown! I can’t believe it’s actually you. The last time I saw you was in Mr. Pierce’s science class. You were the biggest nerd in the littlest body.” She stepped back, placed her hands on her hips, and said, “You seem to have sprouted up a lot over the past fifteen years.”
* * * *
Dominic laughed and shocked the shit out of his alphas because he very rarely even smiled let alone laughed out loud.
“Yeah, for the longest while, Dad thought that I was going to be the runt of the litter, but then my first year in college, I hooked up with this really great trainer, and the rest is history. But look at you, gorgeous, I knew you would be back, but to be the mate of these three morons is not what I expected.”
“Hey…” Duncan barked. “Show some respect.” His slight grin let them all know he was only joking.
“Yeah, well, you three just stole the love of my life before I even got a chance at her.” Dominic smiled and stood to hug her again.
“Hands off the mate, buddy.” Teaghen pulled a laughing Kianna out of their friend’s arms and into his.
“You just make sure you three take real good care of this lady, she’s special.” Reaching out, he stroked a very large finger down her cheek.
“She was the only girl in school who was ever nice to me. No matter how awkward I acted, she was always there with a smile.”
Teaghen kissed the top of their mate’s head and smiled. “We know how special she is and plan to spoil her rotten and treat her like the princess she is.”
Kianna’s rolled her eyes and guffawed. “I’m no princess, that’s for sure, but I won’t stop you all from spoiling me rotten.” She leaned back and kissed Teaghen’s chin since it was the only part she could reach. At least the one decent part she could reach.
* * * *
Dominic looked down at the little woman surrounded by his friends and sighed. He’d always had a little crush on Kianna, but as a teenager, he was too terrified to ask her out on a date. He knew she wasn’t his mate, but that hadn’t stopped him from dreaming a little.
Putting his game face back on, he turned to look down at the young beta seated at the kitchen table.
“Stand up, marine,” he barked. Walking close to Devon, he got right in his face and said, “You are mine for the next six months, young man. If you thought that basics for the marine were hard, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I’m going to make sure that you never allow yourself to stifle your wolf again. And I will also make sure that you remember to respect your alphas. They are good men and would do anything for a pack member. By the time I’m finished with you, you won’t ever question that again. Now head outside and get into the HUMMER that’s parked out front. Don’t say a word. No good-byes, just get your ass in the vehicle, now.”
Devon didn’t question the order, he just followed it. With a quick look at Kianna, he bowed his head and left.
“I’ll make sure he and the others are up to speed on what is expected of them. I’ll also make sure to let them know that as part of this pack, they have to learn to trust their alphas in all things. That’s something that we sometimes forget, and for that, I’m sorry. When we train the betas, we make sure they can protect the pack, but we have forgotten to help them to feel why it’s so important. When we grew up, the elders made sure that all of us were so attuned to our wolves that it was just natural to for us to hear them. Now we worry so much about outside influences and protecting our youngsters from some of the dangers that we haven’t given them the tools they need to protect their wolves. We are all born with the wolf instinct, but if we don’t listen to it, they tend to stop talking to us.”
Dominic turned and headed out to the HUMMER and the waiting Devon.
As Dominic glanced back at his alphas, his eyes were filled with regret. Regret of past mistakes and lost opportunities. His alphas knew his story and why he was so knowledgeable on this subject, but they would let him tell it in his own time, when he was
ready. Until then he knew if he ever needed help from them, they would gladly give it.
* * * *
Alone, they were finally alone, and Kianna was scared shitless. Over the past few weeks, all of them had been living under a cloud of danger. Now that danger was gone. Would she still be enough for them? Damn straight, she would be. She had claimed them as much as they had claimed her, and it was now time to assert her claim. Her alpha woman wanted her mates. She smiled at the thought of how she had come to see herself as their alpha mate. Although she wasn’t a shifter when they had claimed her, they had given her something through their bite that had allowed her to have more wolf-like instincts. That was the only way that she could explain how she knew what to do to calm Jeff and Devon and how they had listened to her without question.
“What is that little smile on your face about, kitten?” Alex asked as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. His heat enveloped her immediately, and she leaned back against him.
“I was just thinking that ever since you claimed me, I mean with your bite and all, my reactions to things have been different,” she told him.
“What do you mean, different?”
Turning in his arms she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, leaning her face against his chest.
“Somehow, I just know what to do in certain situations. Like with Jeff and then again with Devon. I knew exactly what to do to calm them, and I did it. My senses also seem a lot sharper, too. My hearing and sight have greatly increased. Is that all part of our mating?” she asked.
“I know the increased sight and hearing is part of it, as well as the slowing of the aging process, but I don’t know about the way you were able to calm Devon when we couldn’t. I think maybe that it is different for every mate, and with you being human, we aren’t exactly sure what to expect. Your mom developed some interesting qualities when she mated with Jeff and Sammy, but she’s the only one that I know of who has ever developed any extra abilities.”
Kianna and Her Three Alpha Wolves [Featherstone Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 19