Mated (Olde Town Pack Book 2)

by Katie Salidas

  Rachel had surprised him, taking charge the way she did. She was refreshing in her honesty about sex, and uncaring of station or rank. She had an inner strength he admired, and didn’t shy away from going after something she wanted.

  Some men might find that intimidating. No doubt her previous mate had. The bastard. He deserved what he got, a death befitting his cowardice. Some wolves were not alphas even if their bloodline claimed that right for them.

  Rachel was no ordinary woman. She truly had an Alpha’s spirit. To have overcome so much and still be willing to throw herself to the wolves as she did was nothing short of inspiring.

  She inspired other things within him as well.

  He let the memory of her gorgeous body play out, watching the replay of her erotic dance as she ground her hips. Those perfect breasts bouncing in hypnotic rhythm. Gods, she was perfect, and she’d given him an experience he couldn’t wait to repeat. And with that thought, he finally allowed consciousness to pull him out of the dream world so he could roll over and wake her for round two.

  Another first. Actually wanting to wake up next to a woman. Brady chuckled to himself and checked his breath in his hand. Wolf noses being what they were, he’d probably scare her off with his dragon breath, but he’d at least get in a “Good morning” before popping off to the bathroom to brush up. And then, a little wake up sex to start the day right.

  Brady yawned and stretched as he rolled over, but stopped dead when he found the other side of his bed empty.

  “Well, that’s a first,” he mumbled to himself, not quite sure how to feel at that moment.

  Her scent lingered on the pillow. The outline of her form left a wrinkle in the sheets like the Ghost of One Night Stand’s past, but not a shred of clothing remained. No underwear balled up in the corner for him to remember her by. Not even a note to thank him for a fun time. Though in truth, he really wanted to thank her. But for all his hoping to see some true evidence of what had transpired, all he had left was an odd sensation of....

  He couldn’t even put a word to the feeling.

  One night stands were best ended by quick and painless goodbyes; a crafty exit while he was in the shower, or maybe even right after the deed had been done. “That was fun, let’s do it again sometime,” or some other vague pleasantry that was mutually understood to mean, “Go away. We’re done here.”

  He was often the one urging women out the door. Sometimes being the one to sneak out in the dark of night. Being on the other foot felt... wrong. And he didn’t like it.

  Maybe this was why his reputation with women was so bad. What a terrible feeling! Had he not been so secure in his abilities, he might have thought he hadn’t been good enough, but the way she’d writhed and moaned his name the night before was evidence enough. He’d more than satisfied her.

  So why run off?

  The thought vexed him, as did the unfamiliar ached tugging at his chest.

  Hunger perhaps. That had to be it. He hadn’t eaten much, and the beast needed to be fed. The world would make sense after a shower and some good food.

  His phone buzzed on the nightstand, a perfect distraction from his current state of uncomfortable feelings.

  Ten unread messages from his brother. Each one reading:

  Aiden: Wake up sleeping beauty, you have work to do.

  Brady chuckled at his brother’s casual joke but picked up on the undertone of urgency. He’d left quite a mess the night before. Dead bodies, rigged games, and his disappearing act at the end.

  And this was all supposed to be a weekend of camaraderie and teamwork between packs.

  Whoops.

  TWELVE

  As it always did, a shower washed away the sins of his previous evening. Brady realized he’d let himself get carried away with Rachel. She’d been smart to leave before dawn. Had she stayed, they’d probably have enjoyed one more round between the sheets and then it would have been business as usual for Brady.

  Nothing had changed.

  His was a life of duty and danger. The pack needed him, and he needed the action that being a second son provided. The perfect symbiosis that left little room for anything else.

  And Rachel, hot as she was, needed to start her new life now that she was free of her mate.

  Brady left his room ready to take on his duty. But first, food.

  The only benefit of having a large party at their nature preserve compound was the excessive catering. A more than acceptable silver lining to all the trouble caused by massive gatherings. And if they still had some bacon or maybe fried ham available, he’d kiss whoever the cook on duty was.

  His wolf heartily agreed, adding a little oomph to his steps as he headed down the corridor toward the tent kitchens.

  “You dog!” Fallon caught him off guard, rounding a corner just as he hit the lobby. She punched him in the arm playfully. “Nailed that one quick.”

  It took him a second to pick up on what she was talking about, but the moment he did, the vision of Rachel’s naked body returned, and so did his smile. “Just following orders.” He winked at Fallon.

  “Whose would that be?” Fallon cocked her head sideways, but her look had more accusation than amusement in it.

  “Wasn’t it you who said I should sleep my way across New England?” He held up a finger and made a quick slash of a check mark in the air, and finished with a laugh, but that uncomfortable aching tugged at his chest when the vision of Rachel vanished just as she had that morning. He needed to talk to her and make sure things were cool between them. Self-proclaimed king of the one-nighters, Brady hadn’t intended to sleep with Rachel at all. She’d been mated, a taboo even he respected. Even if her mate was dead, propriety demanded he wait until the body had gone cold first. Not that he’d intended any of that to happen. Damn. The more he thought about it, the more fucked up the situation was. And he couldn’t shake that annoying feeling whispering uncertainties in his mind. He could be a dog, no denying that, but he did have honor. What he’d done had not been honorable. But he could make that right. He just needed to talk with her.

  “And here I thought you liked her.” Fallon’s smile faded as she stared at him as if expecting an explanation.

  Gods help her future children. Fallon had the angry mother look down pat.

  Brady heaved a sigh. He wasn’t about to get all emotional in front of Fallon and let her in on the battle going on in his mind, but the way her demeanor changed hearing his joke made him search for a way to clear the air. “I do. But. You know I’m...”

  “A sex addict?” Fallon finished his sentence for him.

  “Partly, yeah,” Brady snickered. “I’m just not the settling type. I love women. All women.” He hoped she’d accept that for now. He needed a way out of the conversation and quick, so he could go salvage some of his honor.

  “It doesn’t work like that.” Fallon rolled her eyes.

  “It takes all kinds.” Brady shrugged, not knowing what to say.

  Clearly his response failed to satisfy Fallon. Her tone sharpened. “It makes you a great big dick.”

  “Well, I do have–”

  “Shut up,” Fallon barked at him. “She seems like a nice girl. Don’t... okay... just don’t!”

  Brady held up his hands, not sure what he’d done or said that had riled her up so much, though admittedly his mind had been elsewhere for most of the conversation. But he didn’t deserve her spite. He hadn’t even made the advance on Rachel. She’d come knocking at his door. She threw herself at him. But could he tell Fallon that? Even if he did, at this point she’d already made her mind up about the situation. “Sorry. I’ll be cool. I’m not trying to make new enemies. Okay?”

  “Just for a minute, try and think with your big head... okay?” Fallon sighed.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Brady said with a cheesy smile, hoping to lighten her mood.

  “And your brother is waiting,” she added pointedly.

  “Do I get to stop for breakfast first before I go before the firing sq
uad?”

  “Maybe if you’d gotten up at a decent hour, sure, but we finished breakfast a while ago.”

  His shoulders slumped. “So much for food.”

  “I’ll bring you a coffee if you like. Lunch won’t be ready for another hour.”

  At least the snarl had left her voice. Brady counted that as a blessing, though he wouldn’t put it past her spitting in his coffee. Somehow he’d managed to get on her bad side without trying. What the hell was wrong with him? Had he broken his mojo with women?

  “Thanks. Black with as much sugar as you can pour in the cup. I’m exhausted.” He flashed her his best smile and added, “Pretty please.”

  Fallon turned away, mumbling, “Three guesses why” as she walked away.

  That was a low blow. Aside from the very fun and totally unexpected sex, he’d spent the entire night being the second son of the pack, doing all that title entailed – chasing down rogue wolves, fighting to the death, and executing traitors. His night had been pretty fucking busy. But knowing better, he kept his mouth shut and continued down the hallway towards Aiden’s office. He hoped the reception there would be friendlier. At least his brother wouldn’t give him crap for sleeping with someone. And then he remembered leaving a corpse at his feet. That might get him a smack on the snout with a rolled up newspaper.

  Brady laughed, trying to imagine his brother doing just that, and it helped to ease the gnawing sense of dread he had as he knocked on Aiden’s door.

  “Get in here,” Aiden’s voice carried loudly through the wooden door.

  Round two. Brady sighed and entered his brother’s office.

  Aiden looked as tired as Brady felt. Pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke on the phone pacing the length of his office, Aiden had the haggard look of a man who’d spent the entire night putting out fires.

  “That is not for you to decide,” Aiden snarled into the phone.

  Brady listened, hoping to catch the other end of the conversation, but before he could hear another word, his brother ended the call.

  “So much for peace.” Aiden blew out a breath and then looked to his brother. “That girl of yours was more than just some random mate.”

  “She was a broodmate. We knew that already.” Brady shrugged. “Old news.”

  “Yes – she was supposed to further the Marsden line of succession.”

  “You’re shitting me, right?” The news hit Brady smack in the face. “Marsden. As in Charles Marsden, Regional Alpha of the Rufus Reds?”

  “The same. Yes.”

  “Fuck me!” Brady collapsed into a chair opposite Aiden’s desk. “Please tell me we didn’t kill off the next in line?” Brady struggled to remember the asshole’s name. “Chris, Casey, Craig... that was it.”

  “Thankfully, no. You did not kill the next in line. He had two older brothers, but he was still part of the Alpha family,” Aiden said with a heavy sigh.

  “And now they’re mad....” Brady led the train of thought.

  “Mad would be an understatement,” Aiden scoffed, as he continued to pace the room.

  “Well, they should be for raising such a coward.” Brady looked down at his hands, remembering the weight of the head as he snapped the bastard’s neck, ending his life. He’d done too many in the past, part of the job of being an enforcer, but never had he so nonchalantly ended one so high born. Wolf royalty, as it were, deserved a little bit more courtesy when it came to their death.

  “That’s beside the point. From what I understand, they knew the mating was unhappy. It was a business deal. She comes from an extremely strong line of wolves who were looking to move up in the world. She’d been offered a life of luxury in exchange for her position.”

  “That’s a horrible position. No real power in the pack. Used for breeding. Hardly worth a comfortable house and a few dollars in her pocket.”

  “Wolves have been doing it happily for years.” Aiden shrugged. “It’s not our place to judge what happens outside of our territory, deplorable as it may be.”

  “I doubt anyone accepts that fate happily,” Brady added with a snarl, imagining the kind of life Rachel had led.

  “You don’t have to argue with me over this. We stand united here. That practice is banned in our territory. However, with the Reds, it is still somewhat common. And from what they had told me, Craig had other women on the side to satisfy his extracurricular activities.”

  “Because having a beauty like Rachel wasn’t enough.” Brady almost snorted with laughter. “Talk about greedy.”

  “Guilt falls on both parties for the failure of their mating. Charles spoke at length about Rachel being too strong-willed to accept her place. She would not have him.”

  “Do you blame her?” Brady asked. The idea was ludicrous. “He was a coward and an asshole.”

  “Right.” Aiden chuckled and nearly allowed a smile to break through his serious expression. “But apparently she was sleeping around the pack. And a girl that Craig was supposedly going to name as a mistress ended up dead.”

  “Three guesses who they blamed for that one.”

  Aiden shook his head. “Whether the charges are trumped up or not, they claim she was on the run from a death sentence in their territory. They’re ordering us to hand over the girl and are blaming us for the death of their son.”

  “Sounds like someone is spinning a tall tale to save face.”

  “Be that as it may,” – Aiden finally stopped pacing and took his seat behind his desk – “we should find out more information if we can. As it stands, they want the girl on a plane now, and back in their territory to face judgment by evening.”

  “Or?”

  “They are prepared to take her by force.”

  “They can’t have her!” Brady found himself standing before he’d even thought to make a move. They could come pry her out of his cold, dead arms. No way in hell was he sending her back to them to be killed.

  “Relax, brother. I’m not sending her anywhere. I’m not going to give in to any demands from their territory, but I do want you to investigate further into Rachel’s story,” Aiden said. “Find the truth between the stories both parties are telling.”

  He’d always admired his brother’s level-headed approach to things, and the fact that he considered Brady’s feelings in the matter. That mutual respect was part of why they worked so well together. “I’ll dig up what I can. But it may take a little time. Can we afford it?”

  “You take care of learning the truth, and protect that girl. Keep her under lock and key. I’ll manage the diplomacy as best I can. And once we finish the revelry festivities, we can turn our full attention to dealing with the Reds.”

  “I’m on it.” Brady turned toward the door just as it opened and found Fallon standing with two cups of coffee in her hands. “Going to have to take this one to go,” he said and swiped a hot mug as he walked away.

  THIRTEEN

  It would have been beneficial for Brady to ask where Rachel had been assigned before leaving Aiden’s office, but halfway to the cafeteria that had been set up outdoors for the event, it was too late to turn back now and possibly walk in on his brother and Fallon doing their thing. The rest of the pack wouldn’t dare barge into the office unannounced, but more than once, he’d walked in on the mated pair doing more than paperwork on the old mahogany desk. Not a sight he cared to see again.

  And hunger had his wolf clawing up to the surface. The beast needed to be fed.

  Brady slugged his coffee and crossed the yard, returning to his original plan of getting a bite to eat before starting his work.

  Lunch might not have been ready yet, but the tantalizing scent of cooking meat called him to behind the flaps of the makeshift cafeteria tent like a siren promising his heart’s desire.

  Who needed fully cooked meat anyway? The wolf ate it raw and bloody, letting the iron give depth to the meat’s flavor.

  Salivating as he parted the tent flaps, ready to eat anything closely resembling food, Brady called out
“What’s for lunch?” as he entered.

  Wolves on his security team stood at attention, leaving bowls of half eaten stew steaming on the table.

  He could do with a bowl or three of that. Brady stared hungrily as he walked the length of the tent.

  “Relax, boys, I’m only here for the food,” he said congenially, nodding to a few of the wolves as he passed them, but the looks he received in return were less than happy.

  Sour faces and disgruntled murmurs were the response to his greeting.

  How had he managed to annoy so many people in such short a time? Brady wondered. Girls he could understand, but the men of his security group? Could last night’s games really have meant that much to them? Surely not; most were already mated, ineligible for a prize like Rachel even if she had truly been a prize.

  “What’s got your panties all up in a bunch?” Brady met the angriest of the group head on. Jordan. Excellent in a fight, and from a strong family. But regardless of his strength, he was a soldier, and Brady his leader. Appealing to the nature of his wolf, he locked eyes as an Alpha demanding respect. “If you’ve got a problem then speak.”

  “Was that all a setup?” Jordan replied, holding eye contact with Brady arrogantly.

  “Yes,” Brady said without hesitation. Hungry and feeling challenged by his subordinate, his temper rested on a knife’s edge. His wolf welcomed a fight, but the human half tempered that anger slightly. “I found that girl beaten, bloody, and moments from death. I had to do what was necessary to weed out the guilty parties.”

  Jordan lowered his eyes in submission. “And you couldn’t trust us to know those details?”

  “I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t know who to trust. We’re overrun with wolves for this festival right now. Ears are always listening. What would have happened if I had divulged our plan and the wrong person heard?” Brady asked, still staring Jordan down despite the lesser wolf already showing submission.

  Jordan shrugged in response.

  “Exactly. Even among my most trusted, I could not speak for fear of the wrong ears picking it up. Don’t be so butt-hurt about it.” Brady rolled his eyes and turned away to continue his stroll toward the buffet tables.