by Bonnie Vanak
Darius went silent, staring into the empty fireplace. Kara’s heart gave a painful squeeze. “What happened? You told me as soon as everything was stable, you’d go get Sam. Did they move? You can find her, we can help…”
“She’s dead.”
Kara stared, her throat tightening.
“I snuck back to my old man’s pack. Knocked on her mother’s door, asked for Sam.” Darius laughed, but there was no humor in it. “She told me Sam died.”
“She might have lied, might not have wanted to give up her daughter…”
“I saw the gravestone.”
Dear gods. Kara squeezed his hands, feeling helpless, wishing she could comfort him. Gone was his cheerful, mocking air, replaced by a male who seemed cold and distant as an iceberg.
“It’s okay to mourn her,” she told him. “You must grieve.”
“I can’t. I won’t break down.” His rough voice caught. “Sam was my life, and she was the only person I’ll ever love. I can’t mourn her in public because Aiden needs me to appear strong at all times.”
And then she knew that even when a love so deep existed, and your heart shattered after losing a mate, a Lupine could act with strength and courage. Darius had lost everything, but stood firm in his resolve to help her brother build a new, resilient pack.
Kara suddenly knew how to help him. She opened her arms. “Then while your pack is at the barn, allow me the privilege of letting you mourn her here in private.”
A single tear escaped his brimming blue eyes. It cascaded down his thin cheek, splashed onto her hand. Kara drew him close, like a sister would a big brother she comforted.
Darius sobbed, his broad shoulders shaking, as he wept. Tears clogged her own throat. This big male who had helped her brother keep the peace, who held the frail pack together through hard work and respect, needed to grieve.
You are our strength, the heart of our people, who keeps us alive and strong and lets us be whoever we are, omega or alpha. You give us the rare privilege of releasing our feelings without fear. Your father used our frailties to tear us down. You take our frailties and make us stronger.
Ryder’s words echoed in her mind as she held her brother’s best friend and beta, letting him finally grieve his true mate’s death. After a few minutes, he lifted his face, his eyes reddened and swollen. He grabbed some tissues from the box on the end table and wiped his eyes and blew his nose.
“Thanks. I needed that. I look a mess.” He looked around, clearly uneasy. “I can’t let anyone see me like this.”
Kara thought hard. “Wait here. Give me a few minutes.”
She returned with a plate of corn chips. Darius blinked, his eyes puffy and red. “A snack?”
“Aiden’s special recipe for macho nachos. Jalapeno and habanero peppers. And I seasoned the chips and cheese with hot sauce. No one can accuse you of anything more than being stupid, for eating more than one.”
She picked up a chip and nibbled on it, her tongue on fire. “Oh my gods, that is freaking hot!”
They ate the nachos, both of them now crying, their faces red and eyes swollen.
Footsteps sounded on the staircase. Five rugged males from her pack entered the living room, saw Darius sitting with her. One frowned.
“Why are you with my alpha’s mate?”
“She’s my adopted sister. We’re sharing a snack.” Darius coughed. “But don’t try it. It’s lethal.”
“Lethal for weak Lupines,” the male taunted. Scoffing, the Lupine picked up a chip loaded with peppers. Red suffused his face as he ate it. He began to cough and gasp and then tears streamed down his face. The other males pounded him on the back. Suddenly the Lupine shifted into his wolf. Howling, he ran off.
Darius gave the remaining males a level look. “Care for a chip?”
They shook their heads.
“Then get to work on the barn.”
They stared at him.
“Now,” he snapped.
They scurried to obey. Kara grinned at him. “You talk like an alpha.”
Darius shrugged. “It helps keep our males in line, knowing Aiden’s not the only one who can order them around.” He squeezed her hand. “Thanks, kiddo, for everything.”
“Just remember to wash your hands very thoroughly before using the bathroom.”
“Yeah, did that once. My dick felt like someone slathered lava over it. Think it took a whole day before I dared to piss again.”
He reddened. “Sorry about the swearing. Forgot myself.”
Kara laughed. “Never do that, Darius.”
“Piss again after eating hot peppers?” He gave a charming grin.
“Apologize. This is me. And as my mate has pointed out, no one needs to fear being anything but themselves around me ever again.” Ever.
Chapter 11
Kara continued sitting on the sofa after Darius went to supervise the Lupines fixing the barn. She gave a long, luxurious stretch, wincing at her sore muscles. Everything would work out. It was going to be great. Terrific. She closed her eyes.
“It’s not ours,” her brother said roughly.
Kara opened her eyes. Okay, maybe not so terrific. “What are you talking about? Where’s Ryder?”
“In dad’s old office, going through some stuff. I found these, and thought you should look before we tell your new mate.”
The blood drained from Aiden’s face as he set down a dusty box and a sheaf of papers onto the coffee table. “The ranch doesn’t belong to us, Kara. It never did.”
Stunned, she shuffled through the legal papers as he sat beside her. “I don’t get it.”
“Did you know this property belonged to Ryder’s family?”
Kara’s heart stopped.
Her brother’s expression tightened. “Dad didn’t legally own the ranch.”
“But he and mom bought the property fifty years ago!”
“They owned it back then, but money was tight, so they sold it to the Carringtons and Mom and Dad stayed on as managers. Dad paid the taxes, worked the land, and no one ever questioned it. No one bothered going through the crapload of documents until now.”
The papers fell from her trembling hands. Kara stared at Aiden. “Everything he ever said, about us being the alphas, it was a lie.”
“Not a lie. Alastair was an alpha and so was Ryder’s dad.” Aiden opened the box and removed a typed manuscript. “Just a broke one. It’s all here in dad’s book. The Carringtons left their family because Ryder’s grandfather ruled the roost and kept threatening to take Ryder away and raise him the way he thought an alpha’s son should be raised. So they came here for a fresh start, bought the ranch and all the contents from mom and dad. It was an unusual arrangement, but not too odd for the time when Lupines banded together for protection. The ruling of the pack by an alpha pair, while a second alpha pair took care of everyday business. They left the ranch in trust to Ryder.”
Their inheritance had never been theirs after all. Everything belonged to Ryder. She felt cheated for herself, but panicked for her brother.
Kara’s heart thudded harder. “Then there is nothing here to sell. You own nothing.”
“Not a damned acre.” He looked at her solemnly. “I’m all right, though. I’ll survive.”
Her mate came into the room, holding a sweetener packet she’d seen in her father’s office. “Damn that stuff is strong. Just a taste and my mouth went numb.”
“What stuff?” she asked.
“I went to move the bowl of sweetener on Alastair’s desk and noticed something odd. The packets had been opened and resealed. No one ever bothered looking because he was the alpha and that was his desk.”
Stunned, she stared as her mate ripped open a small blue envelope and spilled out the white substance onto the cocktail table.
“Put a little on your tongue,” he told Aiden. “But not much.”
Her brother did so and blinked hard. “Shit. That’s not sweetener.”
“Illegal drugs. He was hiding it in the
packets. Always wondered why Alastair kept all that sweetener on his desk. Used it right before he beat the shit out of me. I left everything in his office alone for you to go through. And now that you’re here, Aiden, I needed to find out what it was.”
Ryder licked his lips. “No wonder the old man went batshit. He was on some lab-created crap that made his system go haywire.”
Aiden swore. “A local Lupine physician gave him pills after my mom died, to help him get through the pain of losing her. He must have gotten addicted, and moved on to something else.”
The granite cocktail table cracked beneath her brother’s smashing fist. “Son of a bitch! Dad knew Lupines can’t handle drugs, especially the shit that gets Skins high. Why did he do it?”
“Maybe he was desperate. Losing control. Every day he struggled to function after losing Mom because he missed her terribly. He probably took the drugs to dull his grief. And then it got too late.” Kara struggled with grief. “That’s why he’d have those horrible mood swings. He’d be calm and peaceful and happy, and perfectly reasonable, and then turn into…”
“A monster.” Ryder tensed, every muscle clenching as if he tried holding back his rage. “It’s why he was so easy for me to take down. He was stoned.”
“No. There’s another reason, Ryder.” She gestured for him to join her on the sofa. Kara squeezed her mate’s hand. “Tell him, Aiden.”
Her brother took a deep breath and revealed what he’d found. Her mate’s eyes widened.
Grief tightened her throat as she remembered all Ryder had suffered at her father’s hands. “You are a true alpha, Ryder, not an omega like Dad said. It’s in your nature to rule. That’s why you always rebelled against my father and why he always punished you. He was desperate to remain in power. But no matter how much he put you down, you came back up fighting.”
She struggled to keep her voice even. “The ranch is yours. When the pack discovers the property legally belonged to your family all along, you’ll have no problem gaining their loyalty. You don’t need me for that.”
“Huh.” He kissed her cheek. “I need you, sweeting, more than ever. I told you, titles are no good in this pack anymore. Other than the only one I’ll allow. Yours. You’re queen of the pack. Ruler of my heart. My mate.”
Aiden grinned. “Spare me the sappiness.” Then his smile dropped. “Legally, the ranch belongs to you. The trust is in your name.”
Her mate’s expression tightened. “Won’t do me any good without an official death certificate. We never told authorities about Alastair’s death. That leaves everything in limbo.”
Aiden frowned. “At least you’ll have the gold to restore the ranch to full working order.”
Kara sighed. “There is no gold. I looked in the trunk Dad kept hidden. All that’s there are photos.”
“If it ever was here.” Aiden ran a hand through his dark hair. “Always thought Dad bragged about a myth. He said he had stored gold for us if we ever needed it, but we had to be damn desperate to sell it.”
Her heart sank to her stomach. “Aiden, you’re going to lose everything you’ve worked so hard to build. All the Lupines you took into your pack will be homeless.”
“Hey.” Aiden framed her face with his large hands. “Listen to me, sis. I love you. Don’t you dare worry about me. You love him, with all your heart, enough to stay here and make this place your home again?”
She nodded. “I love him and this is my home. Our home.”
Gently, he kissed her forehead. “Then that’s all I need to know. Ever since that night when we left here, you’ve been miserable. It’s about damn time you came home and were happy.”
“But what about you and your pack?”
He gave a crooked grin. “We’ll survive. And if I can’t come up with the money somehow, maybe I’ll hire myself out as an escort. I bet women would pay good money for me.”
She wrapped her hands around his wrists, refusing to let him off the hook with a joke. “I love you Aiden. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
His smile faded. “Be happy. It’s all I ask. And when you and this arrogant SOB here have young, send me photos of my nieces and nephews.”
Ryder rested a possessive hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her.”
Aiden’s gaze turned hard. “You’d better. I made a vow two years ago to protect every female under my care and never let her go unless I was absolutely certain she was going to a male who’d protect her as fiercely as I did.”
He stuck out a palm and Ryder shook it.
“If only Alastair had stored treasure.” Ryder shrugged. “All that’s down there in the basement is old junk that’s been there for years. Antiques. Old signs, toys still in their boxes…”
Suddenly his eyes widened and a wide grin split his face. “Antiques. You guys remember the Skin who visited the ranch who offered $1,000 for that old Texaco sign Alastair had hanging by the feeding station? He hung it there as a joke for the cattle, and the old Skin really, really wanted it. He said if we had more old stuff like that it would be worth its weight…”
“In gold,” Aiden finished.
She and Aiden exchanged glances. “Antiques,” she said. “Grandmother’s china, Dad’s collection of old Colt guns. Oil paintings and those jade pieces Grandpa bought in China. All that stuff…”
“Gold,” Aiden finished for her. He rubbed his whiskered chin. “Damn. There’s probably at least $50,000 worth of antiques in that room.”
“It must be worth more. The jade alone was expensive. We have to get it all appraised.” Kara couldn’t believe it. “I also found a crate filled with silver coins.”
“Ingots,” Aiden murmured. “The old bastard collected them, and original Morgan dollars. He could have thousands.”
“Alastair gave me 100 silver ingots when my parents died.” Ryder’s eyes widened. “I sold them last month for cash to pay bills. Each one was worth around $40. I’d say you have at least six figures in coins alone.”
“More than enough to pay off the bank loan, Aiden.” Her voice cracked.
Hope lit Aiden’s eyes, and then he shook his head. “The lands, the buildings and all their contents belong to Ryder. Legally, everything on the property was left in trust to him.”
“Those antiques belong to your family, not mine,” Ryder said solemnly. “I’ll get the items appraised, find a dealer to sell all of it, and in return for doing all the work, I’ll take 10 percent of the profits. Deal?”
Aiden nodded.
They went outside on the porch. The sun shone bright on the fields as a Lupine on a tractor cut the overgrown grass. It promised to be a fine day.
A battered white pick-up truck rattled up the drive and parked before the lodge. David climbed out and mounted the porch steps. “Everything is complete here. My work is done. I shall take my leave now.”
Ryder hooked an arm around Kara’s waist. “Leaving now, when life promises to be much better?”
“I cannot stay. I came here for a purpose, to see this pack settled once more.”
Kara’s jaw dropped as David shapeshifted into a dark-eyed man. Clad in black leather pants, a black shirt and doeskin boots, he stood well over six feet tall. Wind lifted the man’s shoulder-length black hair, each strand tipped with silver, glinting like polished chrome.
Tristan, the Silver Wizard, a member of the Brehon, the four powerful wizard judges of OtherWorlders. Kara lowered her gaze, but Ryder did not, and neither did Aiden.
Her brother leaned against the railing, and folded his arms. “Tristan. Last time Ryder and I saw you years ago, you kicked our asses for shifting into our wolf forms when those Skins jumped us outside the bar.”
“I could have fried your asses for that indiscretion. But you were both drunk and I had mercy,” the wizard said evenly.
“So now what the hell are you doing here?” Aiden asked.
“I came here to help Ryder assume leadership. And now it’s time for me to step aside.”
/> “Terrific timing.” Ryder growled. “You couldn’t have gotten here sooner, say when Alastair was ruining the pack?”
“Things were meant to happen as they will unfold.”
“Stop sounding like a damn fortune cookie,” Ryder snapped. “Where were you when everything was going to shit?”
“At your side, as you will recall. Do not judge me, Lupine.”
The wizard’s voice was dangerously soft.
But Ryder ignored the warning. “Alastair turned psycho long before I was pushed into challenging him. He hurt Kara!”
“You have free will, Ryder. You did not choose to leave,” the wizard pointed out. “And neither did Kara. You did this because of your love for Kara, and your respect for her father. Is that not true? If not, correct me.”
Ryder fell silent at that.
He gave them a critical look. “Alastair committed many wrongdoings and now it is time to heal. It is up to you, and Aiden and Kara, to forgive the past and move ahead. To forgive Alastair for all he did.”
A knot formed in her stomach. Kara stepped forward and looked directly at the powerful wizard. “I can forgive him. I know now what it is like to love so completely, your heart shatters when your mate is missing.”
Her mouth wobbled and her voice dropped to a bare whisper. “I just wish, wherever he was, he’d be at peace. He never had any peace after she died.”
The wizard gave her a gentle smile. “He’s with your mother now, Kara, and they are at peace, in Tir Na-nog, the land where the departed live, home to the Brehon. He did what he did because he loved her so much he could not bear the pain of losing his mate. He’s suffered enough in his earthly life.”
The wizard gave Ryder a solemn look. “You will find the official death certificate for Alastair on his desk. It is dated for today. With the death certificate you may fully assume ownership.”
“How did you get the death certificate? We buried him on the property and never informed the authorities. It’s why I kept forging his signature to pay bills and purchase food,” Ryder asked.