Brought to Heel

by Delta James

“It would be best to tell them both that. She’s kind of a hellion and it might be better to let him deal with her from the get go.”

  “Good idea. I’ll announce it after dinner. But I told Sky that I wouldn’t be opposed to an open house for the eligible alphas to come and meet Lacey. Maybe there will be a spark like there was with Oliver and Roz. Sky offered to get Lacey’s and Darby’s promises to behave combined with her own until they were placed if I’d allow Darby the same. Is your estimation of Darby that she’d be willing to go along with that plan?”

  Nick was thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I think so. She’s a bright girl. She knows she’ll be safest with a strong alpha. I hate to say this out loud, but I think the more leeway you can give these girls in choosing their own mates, the better off we’ll be.”

  “What did Bianca think of Darby?”

  “She rather liked her. She advocated for me to go talk to her before dinner. First with her and then with me. She figured out that a lot of the nastiness we saw this afternoon was fear-based. She did her best to alleviate her concerns and thought if I talked with her it would make her feel safe enough to settle down.”

  Dylan thought about what Nick had said. “Tell the men on watch by that house to keep an eye for anything funny electronically. Anna has to have some pretty good programming skills to have pulled off that stunt with the sailboat.”

  “She’s been an absolute angel. In fact, the easiest of the lot of them to deal with.”

  “And that’s what worries me. These girls have lived on their own without anyone to answer to for a long time. They’ve shown they won’t willingly give that up.”

  “So not so besotted with your new mate that you’re willing to believe everything is all rainbows and unicorns?”

  Dylan laughed. “Oh, I’m that besotted. But I’m also mindful that my mate has lethal skills and kept that band of mischief makers under the radar for more than five years… not an easy feat. They almost got past us because I underestimated her this afternoon. I won’t make that same mistake again.”

  “I have to admit, your Skylar is one helluva a woman. I wouldn’t want to be mated to her, but impressive nonetheless.”

  “Glad to hear it. I’d hate to have to make Bianca a widow.”

  Bianca came back out to take the tray up to Skylar. “Gentlemen? You have guests waiting. Dylan, I had a plate put together for Skylar. I thought I’d run it up to her if that’s all right.”

  Dylan nodded.

  “But be quick, Bianca. You’re still hostess to the pack. I expect you to do so with your usual aplomb.” Nick leaned in to nuzzle his wife and whispered, “I’d prefer for my hand to be paddling your backside tonight to get you more turned on than to have to punish you for misbehavior.”

  She giggled and ran up the stairs.

  Chapter Eight

  Skylar stood on the balcony watching the moon rise. When the watchman stopped to keep an eye on her, she waved. He might be watching her, and she may have agreed to behave until she’d done as much as she could for both Lacey and Darby but she was watching them as well. The more she could get them used to her sitting or standing on the balcony, the more they would relax and the easier it would be for her to escape and slip away.

  She turned when she heard the knock on her bedroom door. She called for whomever it was to come in. The pretty blonde she met briefly this afternoon with Roz entered carrying a tray. She walked back into the room, pulling the doors closed behind her.

  “It’s Bianca, isn’t it? You’re Nick’s mate?”

  “Guilty as charged.” She put the tray down on the small table in the reading nook. “That won’t work, you know.”

  “What won’t?”

  “Trying to lull them into not paying attention when you go out. Dylan said he underestimated you once and won’t do it again. The men watching this house are all ours. No way they’d let our alpha’s mate make a run for it. Wouldn’t do you any good any way.”

  “So Susannah tells me,” she said, measuring the blonde. “You don’t want me here, do you?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know yet. If you’re thinking I don’t want you taking over as lady of the house, you’re dead ass wrong. But if you’re thinking I’m worried you’ll harm our pack or hurt Dylan, you couldn’t be more right. But the jury’s still out, Red. Have yourself a nice evening.”

  “I’ll do that, Blondie.”

  Bianca stopped at the door and turned to look at Skylar. “You’ll have to come up with something more definitive than Blondie. While you’re the only redhead, blondes around here are a dime a dozen. And I’m sorry about the posturing. Susannah says you’re actually very nice, but I’m worried about Dylan. He’s my alpha and my friend. I wouldn’t want to see him hurt.”

  “Then perhaps you should talk to him about keeping his nose out of other people’s packs… especially when that pack wasn’t bothering anybody.”

  “I’d really rather we weren’t adversaries,” Bianca said, softening her tone.

  Skylar forced her body to relax and approached Bianca. She extended her hand. “Me too. Hi, I’m Skylar. I’m new here.”

  Bianca laughed and shook her hand. “Hi, I’m Bianca, resident bitch.”

  They locked eyes and neither blinked, but then they began to laugh. Skylar lifted the cloche off the dinner plate. It was piled high with food. “Are you kidding me? Do the males around here like their females fat?”

  “Nah, they feed us well so they don’t feel guilty when they work it off on us all night,” she said, laughing.

  Skylar put the cloche back over the plate. “Can you do me a tiny favor?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Take this to the guy who got stuck watching my balcony all night? Tell him I’ve given my word to Dylan to behave and not try to escape until after Roz and Darby… have found new homes.” Her voice had a catch in it when she uttered the last part.

  Bianca came forward and embraced her. “Don’t, Skylar. Dylan will do right by them. He wants to make you happy. He’ll see that all of them are sent to places they can be happy. And he doesn’t tolerate the mistreatment of women… ever or under any circumstances.”

  “Want to take a look at the welts he gifted me this afternoon and tell me that again?”

  Bianca smiled. “Only if you can tell me honestly that you didn’t do something to warrant it.” Skylar said nothing but slowly started to grin. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I hate it when I’ve pissed Nick off to the point where he takes either a strap or his belt to me. But in the darkest places of my little soul, I know I deserved it and I love him all the more for it.”

  “I don’t love Dylan.”

  Bianca turned to leave. “Yet,” she called over her shoulder, laughing as she closed the door behind her.

  Skylar laughed. If the other women of the pack were like Susannah and Bianca, this might not be such a bad place. She shook her head and amended to herself… such a bad place for the next week or so.

  * * *

  Dylan saw Bianca returning with the plate of food. “Did she not want it?”

  “She said she wasn’t that hungry. She did keep the salad, bread, and dessert. She asked that I take it out to whoever is stuck watching the balcony. Is that all right?”

  Dylan nodded. “It’s fine. Thank you, Bianca. Susannah did share with me that they had devoured the food she took up with the margaritas earlier.” He studied Bianca’s face carefully. “You’ve been awfully quiet today. What are you thinking?”

  One of the things Dylan didn’t tolerate was lying or tap dancing around the truth. When he asked you a question, he wanted an answer. More than one girl had found herself over her mate’s knee on Dylan’s orders because she forgot that fundamental rule.

  “I didn’t think I was going to like her,” Bianca admitted.

  “Why not?”

  “Uhm, she fired a flare gun at you and threatened you with a knife? I know you’re the big bad alpha in these parts, but it doesn’t mean you’re immortal
or indestructible. But I think she might be all right. I don’t know that you can trust her… she was definitely out on that balcony calculating her chances.”

  Dylan laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. I think we’ve got a bit of time. She’s promised to behave until Roz and Darby are placed. But I think you’re right. Once they’re safe, all bets are off.”

  “Will you mark her as yours before then?”

  “I’m not sure. Part of me knows that would be the safer thing to do and give me leverage if she tries to play another pack against me. But there’s another part that would prefer either her to choose to be here with me or to let her run and take her down that way.”

  Bianca looked like she wanted to say something, but then thought better of it.

  “What is it, Bianca?”

  “It’s not for me to say, Alpha.”

  “Bianca, it is for you to say. Do I need to tell Nick his plan to spank you erotically needs to be replaced with a discipline spanking?”

  “No, Alpha. Please don’t.”

  Nick walked over to join them and heard the last bit of their conversation. He didn’t much care what it was that Bianca wasn’t saying, she needed to remember that Dylan was her alpha and she would treat him with the respect he was due. “Bianca, answer Dylan, now,” came Nick’s stern voice from behind her.

  She looked between the two men and knew she had no choice. “I don’t want her to feel like we’re all ganging up on her. I know what that feels like.”

  Both men smiled. Bianca had been sent to Dylan’s pack as an unruly, unmated female. Her brother had been alpha of a pack further up the East Coast. He’d found himself unable to control her and she’d managed to scare off all the available males in the area. Bianca’s brother had asked Dylan if he might take her in and see if his pack couldn’t get her under control and perhaps find her a mate within his pack. Dylan was aware he had hoped that mate would be Dylan himself.

  From the moment Bianca had entered the house, Nick had her scent and was willing to take on anyone, including Dylan, to claim her. She’d tried to deny what was obvious to everyone. Dylan had simply told Nick she was his to claim, but that she either needed to accept his claim or he needed to force her to run. Nick had opted to put the mouthy, bratty blonde over his knee and force her to accept his claim. From the first time he bedded her, Bianca had been madly in love with Nick and devoted to him. Next on her list of people she loved was Dylan, whom she credited with bringing her to Nick.

  “You may be able to trust her until Roz and Darby are placed, but after that she’ll bolt at the first opportunity.”

  Dylan nodded. “Did you plan to run?”

  She grinned. “Still do. And if he’ll ever let me have a night off from serving his sexual needs, I’m outta here.”

  Dylan and Nick laughed.

  “Then, Nick, my friend, you have nothing to worry about. Take the plate to the kitchen and have one of the staff members take it out to Seth. Let’s get our guests fed.”

  They walked into the drawing room and led the group gathered there to the dining room for dinner.

  * * *

  Skylar heard a noise from outside and quietly walked out onto the balcony to see what was going on. She saw one of the staff members hand Seth her plate of food. He looked up and waved to acknowledge her generosity.

  She looked at the clock. It was a little before eight. If she wanted to go enjoy the deep soaker tub, she needed to get started. She took a shower in the separate shower area appreciating the water pressure and multiple showerheads. Once clean, she wrapped her hair in a towel and sank into the hot water in the tub. It was all she could do not to purr; it felt wonderful. She leaned back and relaxed. She might as well enjoy herself while she was here.

  * * *

  Dinner in the main dining room was sumptuous. The food was prepared by the estate’s five-star chef. Thomas knew his employer was a werewolf and didn’t care. He’d been forced out of the restaurant he’d built by his son and business partner. Heartbroken by their betrayal, he had thought to end his life one dark and stormy night. Dylan had saved him and upon hearing his circumstances offered him a place at Calon Gwyllt. He had served the estate and its owner from that point forward and found a home among them.

  Dinner conversation was lively and animated. As there would be members of the Bae Diogel pack at the table, Dylan had spread the word that they weren’t to talk about what had transpired earlier in the day.

  Oliver and Roz entered the dining room. Dylan watched as he ushered her to her seat. Dylan smiled. To the casual observer, it looked like a solicitous man escorting his mate to the table and helping with her chair. Dylan could see that Oliver had an almost death-like grip on Roz’s elbow and was taking her to the table and putting her in her seat. With the gingerly way she sat down, Dylan was fairly sure that Roz had pushed the refined alpha from the Hamptons just a bit too far and her backside had paid the price.

  “So, Dylan,” Roz started in a most pleasant voice, “do you treat all your prisoners this well or is this some kind of last meal before we’re all condemned?”

  “Rozalyn. Behave yourself,” said Oliver through gritted teeth.

  “Not to worry, Oliver. It’s a legitimate question. First, as you are well aware, you are not a prisoner…”

  “So, we’re free to leave?” she inquired.

  “I would take that up with your mate were I you. I would also tread a bit more lightly. While your mate is a well-educated and very kind man, like myself he has his limits. Do not think to test him, Roz. I fear your backside will not want to pay the price he will exact.”

  She started to make another barbed retort, but quieted when Oliver put his hand over hers and squeezed.

  “You’ll have to forgive Rozalyn this evening. I do believe all the excitement this afternoon has put her a bit out of sorts.”

  “Out of sorts?” she sniped.

  “Yes, because if that isn’t what’s causing your unseemly behavior, perhaps you’d like to go upstairs where we can discuss it and a cure for what’s ailing you in private.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, but his eyes bored a hole through hers. “Is that what you’d like?”

  Roz tried to remove her hand from his but found his grip was that of a steel trap. Oliver continued to stare down his mate who finally relented and said quietly, “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  The rest of the guests went back to eating their dinner as if nothing had transpired. Referring to Roz as difficult had been a gross misnomer by his beta. The girl needed a serious attitude adjustment. Dylan watched as Oliver continued to work at keeping her in line, but with no claim on her and in another alpha’s home he was walking a fine line.

  After dessert was consumed, Dylan had the chef come in to the dining room and led his guests in a round of applause. The old man blushed and got tongue-tied but enjoyed the praise and attention. As the guests began to wander into the drawing room, Dylan motioned for Nick, quietly asked him to keep close watch on Roz, and asked Oliver to join him in his study. He gave him further instructions that he also wanted to see Lacey after he’d had a chance to speak with Oliver.

  “Pardon me, Alpha,” interrupted Thomas. “May I have a word?”

  “Of course, Thomas. What can I do for you?”

  “Might I get a bit of time with the mistress this evening? I’d like to know what she’d like done with the kitchen, what her likes and dislikes are, that sort of thing.”

  Dylan looked at his watch. “It’s almost 8:30 and right about now she ought to be getting into bed. I’m afraid the day’s activities have exhausted her.”

  Thomas grinned at him, thinking his employer was a kind and gallant gentleman. The entire household knew he had punished his new mate and sent her to bed early.

  “It can wait until tomorrow. Is there anything special you’d like for brunch?” inquired Thomas.

  “If you could ask Susannah if she knows something Skylar is particularly fond of, I�
�d like to have it as one of the items on the buffet.”

  Thomas smiled. It was true, his alpha was smitten with his new mate. “As you wish.” Thomas went in search of the omega’s mate.

  Dylan walked to his study and opened the doors out onto the expansive patio. It was nippy out but the cool sea breeze smelled divine.

  “You wanted to see me, Dylan?” Oliver said as he entered the room.

  “Yes. First, I wanted to thank you for your help today with the ladies of Bae Diogel. Second, it seems obvious, but I feel I should ask. Would you like to claim Roz as your mate?”

  Oliver smiled. “Yes, very much so. They always say you’ll know your life mate. I’ve known since Bash sent me the picture of her and her sister before they were turned. Then this afternoon when I caught hold of the scruff of her neck, any doubts were eradicated. It was all I could do not to force her to change back and claim her on the beach.”

  “She’s not an alpha, but she has a lot of alpha tendencies. She’s going to be a handful and that’s putting it kindly.”

  Oliver laughed. “She’s a wild hellcat whose been allowed far too much freedom for far too long. But I look forward to teaching her to behave… if, of course, you do me the honor of allowing me to take her to mate.”

  Dylan shook his head. “What is it about the hellions that calls to us to master them? Mine wanted to gut me with a knife earlier today. And all I could think about was warming her pretty backside with my hand before putting her on her back and burying my knot in her.”

  Oliver nodded. “I’m familiar with the feeling… painfully so. Am I to take it that you have no objection to my taking Roz as my mate?”

  “None whatsoever. I had thought before dinner to ask you to wait until you had her home, but after her performance at dinner, I think the sooner she gets a good taste of your discipline, the better she’ll be for it. I do want her to be able to speak with Skylar before she leaves. I’ll leave it to you to decide if you’re all right with that and whether you feel you need to take her home before you claim her or choose to do so while you’re here. You’re welcome to stay here if you like. We’re going to have a house party next weekend so I can place Lacey and Darby.”