by Joyee Flynn
* * * *
I was shaking in my seat as we got the first glimpse of the small village the pack had. The drive hadn’t been easy, and I kept gripping on to the handrail the truck had. It wasn’t that Randall’s driving was bad. I’d just never driven up the trail before. I’d only made the trip out of pack lands a couple of times and always walked it, normally in pup form.
“You can pull up over there,” I said, pointing to where there was a gap in the semicircle of houses.
There weren’t many, not even two dozen. But then again, we weren’t a big pack. There was the first row that all faced toward the town center where people hung out or traded if they needed. Sometimes, Alpha Ed would gather everyone if he had an announcement. Then there was a second row that had been added after the original forming of the pack as we got more members in need of sanctuary.
“Which one’s your house?” Randall asked, and I pointed to the nicer one on the end of the first row. It was also one of the larger houses, and I could feel Randall’s confusion as he pulled up and shut off the truck.
“My dad helped build and refurbish the houses when we moved here.” I explained, remembering helping my dad as he taught me what he’d known about fixing and building. “He used to do construction and general handyman work for our old pack. It was the one thing that seemed to give him some form of peace after my mom died. He taught me a lot even though I rarely do anything besides my own work. But I used to love watching him. He really did love helping people.”
“Then I know where you get that from now,” Randall replied with a soft smile as he leaned in to kiss me. I smiled at him, knowing it was a weak attempt since we could tell what the other one was feeling now, but I had to try. We got out of the truck just as Cameron did, looking around with his mouth hanging open.
“Toby Walker, get your ass over here, boy,” Alpha Ed yelled, completely pissed off, and I started to shake. I wasn’t good with people yelling, especially when it was at me.
“Alpha Ed, I brought help,” I said as I ran over to him and dropped to one knee, showing the formal respect one gives an Alpha. “I met my mate, claimed him, and he brought me to his friend, who’s a veterinarian. I’m feeling much better, and Dr. Dalton helped us get medicine for the whole pack. He said he needed to come to run tests and figure out what’s doing this so we don’t all get sick again after he makes us better.”
“No outsiders, Toby,” Alpha Ed growled as he shook with anger. “What fucking part of that is confusing to you?”
“You sent us out to get help, Alpha Ed,” I replied with a whimper. “I brought help. And Randall is my mate. That makes him pack now, doesn’t it?”
“You’re fucking lying, Toby. I never sent you out to get help,” the Alpha shouted, and I looked up then in confusion. I cringed as I saw Alpha Ed pull back his arm to hit me. Before he could, Randall grabbed the Alpha’s arm.
“Touch my mate and I will fucking end you. Are we clear?” Randall asked so forcefully with such rage coming off of him in waves that I shivered. “Now, Alpha Ed, what did you mean that you didn’t send out for help?”
“I never told anyone to seek help,” the Alpha replied as he pulled his arm away from Randall. I’d never realized that Alpha Ed really wasn’t that much larger than I was until I saw him next to my mate. He had always seemed larger than life to me before. It was obvious that the Alpha was scared of Randall as my mate stood there and stared daggers at him. “I don’t believe in modern medicine. If a pack member isn’t strong enough to survive this, then they deserve to die.”
“What?” I gasped, jumping to my feet. “How could you let your own pack die when we could be helped? And if you didn’t give the order for me to go, who did?”
“I did, Toby,” Grady Fletcher said as he stepped forward out of the crowd we were drawing. “I’m very sorry to have misled you, my friend. But as you can see, my father wouldn’t have done anything to save our pack.”
“I understand,” I replied, smiling at my buddy. Grady wasn’t very involved in the leadership of the pack even though he was second in command after his father. It was nice to see he was standing up when it was needed. I felt Randall move to my side and wrap an arm around my shoulders protectively.
“You ordered Toby to go get help?” Alpha Ed growled at his son, narrowing his eyes at Grady. “You’re not the fucking Alpha here, boy.”
“I realize that, father,” Grady answered as he stared right back at his father in anger. “But left up to you, the pack would have died. And while you might think it’s the natural order of things, I think it’s bullshit.”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter,” the Alpha said as he went to hit his son.
“Don’t even think about it,” Randall growled, stopping the Alpha in his tracks. “Enough with the threats and hitting. What’s done is done. Now, let us help your people.”
“You can’t come onto my land and boss me around,” Alpha Ed shouted but took a step back as Randall moved on the man. “I don’t want my people to have this medicine.”
“Then they will die, Alpha,” Cameron said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I’ve tested Toby’s blood. He’s getting better, but his shifter DNA has parvo. It’s a very deadly disease that dogs can get. And while I believe your human DNA slows it down, eventually, it will kill everyone here, including you.”
“Go home, father,” Grady said softly as he put his hand on his father’s shoulder. It confused me as to what was going on. Grady seemed almost sad instead of angry anymore. “If you don’t want this, then go home and don’t watch. But it will happen.”
“I want them off my land,” Alpha Ed said as he shrugged off Grady’s hand.
“And you and what army is going to force us?” Randall asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “I’m Sheriff of Wenatchee, Alpha. We can bring back the authorities and handle it that way if you prefer. But I don’t see anyone here who’s capable of even stopping us from doing whatever we want.”
I stared at Randall like he’d grown a second head. What the fuck was he talking about? Then I saw he was reaching behind him for my hand as I realized there wasn’t anything coming from him that would make me think he was going to hurt anyone. Trusting my mate, I stepped forward and took his hand. He gave mine a squeeze as he waited for the Alpha to reply. Instead, the man turned on his heel and stormed back to his house.
“You wouldn’t really bring the authorities up here, would you, Randall?” I asked when the Alpha was out of earshot. “I know you won’t hurt anyone, but I don’t get what just happened.”
“Your mate just drew a line in the sand my father wasn’t willing to cross,” Grady chuckled as he moved toward us. He hugged me before extending his hand to my mate. “Congratulations on your mating. Toby is a good friend and a wonderful person. You’re very lucky.”
“I am,” Randall said as he shook Grady’s hand, giving me a wink. “I’m Randall Markins, Sheriff of Wenatchee. This is Dr. Cameron Dalton, the town’s vet and a good friend of mine.”
“Welcome, both of you, and I thank you for coming to help,” Grady said as he turned to shake Cameron’s hand as well before looking at me. “Toby, I wonder if we might have a word in private.”
“Sure, Grady,” I replied as we started to walk to my house before I turned and waved Randall to come with us.
“Should we unload first, pup?” Randall asked me with a smile. “I’m thinking it might not be wise to leave everything in the bed of the trucks with a pissed-off Alpha running around.”
“My mate is so smart,” I pretended to whisper to Grady so Randall could still hear. We shared a laugh, and Grady called over a few of the guys to help unload what we’d brought.
“What the fuck?” Cameron shouted as he went to pull one of the coolers out of the cab of his truck. Randall and I shared a glance before bursting out laughing at the doc’s look of disbelief at the pup that’d lifted a leg and peed on him. “Why am I getting peed on?”
&nb
sp; “Remember you said you wanted a little mate of your own, Cameron?” Randall chuckled as he pointed at the pup when the doc looked at him, confused. “One just claimed you, my friend.”
“Seriously?” Cameron exclaimed as he glanced between the pup and Randall. I was giggling so hard along with Grady because we knew who the pup claiming the doc was. And damn, was Cameron going to have his hands full.
“That’s how Toby claimed me,” Randall answered as he leaned over to kiss me. I looked back up in time to see our friend Quaid shift into human form and leap into Cameron’s arms.
“I’m Quaid,” he announced as he started to rub his naked body against the doc’s. “You’re so fucking hot.”
“Umm, thanks,” Cameron replied as he held on to Quaid, who’d wrapped his arms and legs around the doc.
“I think we should have sex now,” Quaid said before kissing Cameron, who let out a loud moan. I saw Randall’s mouth drop as I grabbed another box and headed into my house, laughing all the way.
“I didn’t get that kind of hello when we met, baby,” Randall whispered in my ear moments later when he joined us. Grady and I shared another laugh as I tried to calm down and explain it to my mate.
“You know the expression horndog?” I asked Randall, waiting until he nodded to continue. “That would be Quaid. We actually call him that, Randall. He’s the horniest person in the pack and has fucked or been fucked by anyone willing.”
“And he’s an exhibitionist,” Grady chuckled as we moved to sit down. My house wasn’t as nice as Randall’s, but it wasn’t much smaller. However, my house did have a fireplace, which I loved to spend time in front of. “I hope your friend likes a lot of sex and to fuck in public, because Quaid is always horny.”
“I have no idea,” Randall replied as he pulled me onto his lap. “I hope you don’t take after Quaid, baby.”
“Well, I’m not into an audience.” I giggled as I moved my ass back against Randall’s groin. “But I am turning into to quite the horndog myself since I’ve met you.”
“That I’m okay with.” Randall growled in my ear playfully before turning back to Grady. “So, what do you need Toby’s help with?”
“Your mate is very smart, my friend.” Grady chuckled, and I just looked between the two of them in disbelief. What could I do to help Grady? And how did Randall know that was what Grady wanted from me?
Chapter 9
Randall chuckled as his mate glanced over his shoulder at him in confusion. He could also feel it coming off of Toby in waves— he was still a little disturbed by this new discovery of being able to share emotions.
“I’ll explain in a minute, but first, I have a few questions for Toby about your mating,” Grady said as he leaned back in Toby’s recliner and stared at them. “How much did your father tell you about finding your mate, Toby?”
“Not much, just the basics of how pup shifters got special mates who needed lots of love and affection that we’re inclined to give,” Toby answered with a shrug. “I mean, I knew from instinct when I smelled Randall that he was my mate, and I ended up peeing on him before I knew what was happening. I just had to, you know?”
“Did you know the shit my dad’s been teaching the pack about mates being a myth is bullshit?” Grady asked, and Randall was intrigued as to where this was going. He’d seen power struggles before, though not in a shifter pack, but this is what it seemed to smell like.
“I knew my dad believed in them. My mom was his mate,” Toby answered sadly, and Randall hugged his little mate. “I just figured with what Alpha Ed was saying that pup shifters don’t have mates. That just dog shifters do like my parents were.”
“A few weeks ago, I looked through my dad’s library when people started to get sick, hoping I could find answers,” Grady said as he leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “I found a book the High Council gives to every pack explaining what each type of shifter can expect from their mates. My father obviously knew about this, and when I asked him, he said he was doing what was best for the pack. That if people knew, they could have mates out there that they’d want to leave the pack for and risk people finding out we were here.”
“I guess that makes sense in a way,” Toby replied slowly as if mulling it over. “It just seems wrong to lie about something so important. I mean, why not just tell us his concerns? It’s not like we don’t listen to Alpha Ed.”
“I agree,” Grady nodded, glancing between the two of them. “Are you feeling each other’s emotions? Did you know about that?”
“Yes, it started today.” Toby giggled as he ran his hands over Randall’s arms. “And no, I didn’t know about it. It kind of came out of nowhere for me. It happened right before Randall said he loved me for the first time.”
“The book I found says it happens after both mates accept and believe in their mating,” he explained gently. “What about the mating link? Can you speak in each other’s minds?”
“No,” Randall answered, shocked at the idea.
“Yes, I knew,” Toby answered at the same time, looking over his shoulder at Randall. “No, we’ve not been doing it yet.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, baby?”
“Would you really have been ready to handle it before now?” Toby asked in his mind, causing him to gasp. “That’s why I didn’t say anything yet, Randall. I’m sorry. I was going to tell you, but you’ve already had so much to take in and process. It’s hard to know what won’t send someone into overload.”
“I understand, my pup,” Randall replied as he kissed Toby’s neck. He wasn’t mad, just shocked and a little shaken at the idea of being able to talk mentally.
“Randall, have you noticed your strength increasing since you felt the emotional bond?” Grady asked as he looked over Randall.
“Not really. I mean, the boxes felt a little lighter than when I loaded them up,” he answered slowly, his eyebrows scrunching together. “But then again, they weren’t all that heavy.”
“According to the mating manual, as it was called, you need to prepare for that,” Grady said, rubbing his hands over his face. “This is something we should all know, not figure out as we go along and scare the shit out of ourselves. According to the book, a pup shifter’s mate will become almost twenty times stronger than they were originally after the mating bond is completed. Meaning after you accepted it. It starts when Toby claimed you, but until you acknowledge it, the process doesn’t begin.”
“I’m sorry, you want to run that by me again?” Randall asked, his mouth hanging open. “You’re saying I’m going to get twenty times stronger? How? When?”
“I don’t know how. I’ve not had a chance to read the rest of my father’s library,” Grady admitted, shaking his head. “And yes, it says you will become the ultimate protector of your pup mate. It can take weeks, but when your DNA has been altered from your mating, you will be able to take on any shifter to protect Toby if he needs it. The book said you’d become stronger than a bear or tiger shifter.”
“Holy shit,” Toby gasped, his eyes wide as he glanced back at Randall. “I didn’t know that. I swear.”
“I believe you, baby.” Randall chuckled at the confusion and fear coming off of his mate. “I can feel your emotions now, remember?”
“Right, sorry,” Toby replied, seeming to calm down again.
“I wanted to bring that to your attention now that I know you’re mated before moving on,” Grady said as he rubbed his hands over his thigh in a nervous gesture. “Remember I asked you a few months ago how much money you gave to my father to help with the pack? I wanted to know how much you were making and where it went.”
“I remember,” Toby answered softly, going stiff on Randall’s lap. “I don’t want to talk about this, Grady.”
“Toby, I’m not asking you because I want money from you.” Grady sighed as he flopped back in the chair. “I tried to tell you this back then, but you shut me down. Have I ever come to you to talk about money or my father before, Toby? This
is important, or I wouldn’t be sitting here or risk sending you out to get help.”
“You think your father’s not using everything Toby gives him on the pack,” Randall said, connecting the dots before Toby did. “Do you have the records of what your father is spending on the pack?”
“Yes, I found them a little while back and came to talk to Toby,” Grady answered with a nod. “I need to know what’s going on here because things aren’t matching up. My father didn’t use to believe in Darwinism and that ‘only the strong survive’ shit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be Alpha of a secret refuge pack for pup shifters. I think he’s going senile and maybe even fallen off his rocker a bit since my mother died the year before last.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” Toby asked, sounding sad. “I would have told you, Grady, if I’d known. But you were just hinting around about the amounts I make and give to people, and that’s what everyone does when they want money from me. And I just shut everyone down because I think I give enough to help and it’s not fair that people put me in that position.”
“I agree, my friend,” Grady said as he got off the chair and went to kneel in front of Toby, resting his hands over his. “I’m not trying to upset you, Toby. We’ve been friends for a long time, but he’s my father. I didn’t want to throw around accusations until I knew more of what was going on.”
“And now, with us getting sick and Alpha Ed not doing anything about it, you know something’s wrong, just not what yet.”
“Yeah, pretty much sums it up.” Grady sighed as he sat back on his heels. “Even when I figure it out, I’m not a fan of the next step either. I don’t want to have to take leadership of the pack from him, but I will if it means what’s best for us.”
“Grady,” Toby whispered, shaking with fear on Randall’s lap. “A fight for pack leadership is a fight to the death.”
“Not if I get him to step down, and if I’m right about what he’s been doing with pack funds, he’d have to,” Grady replied as Randall took all this in. He hugged Toby against his chest as he knew what they had to do. Randall made sure Toby felt comforted when he figured it out next. “Will you help me, Toby? I need to know everything, and I need your help to take over the pack peacefully.”