by Delta James
“Oh, I accepted that our kind has fated mates. I just didn’t think there would be one for me in this life. You once told me to choose another because you were a killer.”
“You’ve seen me,” she said quietly. “You know it to be true.”
“You are not the only one who has killed in defense of what is right. You didn’t take those men’s lives capriciously. They forfeited their lives by their actions. You merely collected what was due. Those who had thought to make a raid on America through the Gulf didn’t live to tell others that they had failed. There were no survivors on their side when Jean-Michel and I struck first. We had determined that we wanted not only to stop their plan but to send a message to those who had thought to perpetuate their perversity here in North America.”
“Ah, so that’s it... I’m your penance for your sins,” she said, nuzzling the hollow of his throat.
“As I am yours.”
“Then I guess we truly are well suited, cowboy, and you’re stuck with me.”
He smoothed her hair away from her face. “Through this life and all the lives to come.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Riley had to admit, her new little sister was a useful wolf to have on one’s side. Heather was quickly becoming a trusted ally. Amy had skillfully manipulated Sam into suggesting the party/reception for her and Cameron. Riley had some misgivings about lulling Cameron into the idea that she had settled down and was accepting his leadership and following the rules. She then reasoned that she had in fact done just that. She just was never going to be one to simply toe the line. She knew that he did value her ability to provide intelligence and analysis of the information he deemed necessary.
Riley cautioned Amy several times that when the whole thing blew up and her part in the deception was discovered she’d be in all kinds of trouble. Not only would it be Sam bent on punishing her, but her older brother as alpha would be demanding that he do so and sufficiently enough that Cameron’s pride, anger, and hurt were assuaged.
“Here’s the thing, Amy, you might want to distance yourself from this whole thing. Much as he loves you, and me for that matter, Cameron is going to be pissed. When he realizes we played him he will not be pleased. You got us past the big hurdle, getting everyone on board for the party. We can say I set you up and you had no knowledge about what was at the heart of it.”
“Do I strike you as the kind of she-wolf who runs from trouble? I know I’m younger than you and have led a fairly sheltered life thanks to my older brother, but I am shifter-born same as you. What these bastards are doing to women is a grotesque perversion of how women are supposed to be treated. Were some of us forced to run and taken into pairings we didn’t think we wanted...”
“Or wanted desperately but didn’t want to want them?” suggested Riley.
Amy grinned at her. “There is that. It’s just so annoying. But in any event, I don’t know these women any better than you do. But what’s being done to them is horrific and needs to be stopped. I know the Coalition is working to bring the whole thing down, but these three women up in Montreal may not have that kind of time before they are brutalized.”
Riley laid her hand on Amy’s arm. “I agree, but it seems these three women are being held out as special. Ava reported that only the wealthiest and most powerful packs have been invited to come bid on them. I doubt they’ve been violated... yet. That’s going to be a powerful draw to those invited to bid. We’ll get them, Amy.”
“Then what? Do you bring them into the very pack system that allowed this to happen?”
“We let them decide their own fates. For all their unwillingness to move as swiftly as we might like them to, any of the Coalition packs will take them in and let them heal. But there’s a kind of underground railroad for she-wolves that has existed for hundreds of years. Skylar and Roz know how to get hold of them and they have already said they’re ready to step up and get them away to wherever they want. They can set them up with phony identities and ensure they can do whatever they want with the rest of their lives.”
Amy shook her head. “I’m not sure I’d want to live separate from a pack.”
“That’s because you and I have only ever known kindness and love within the packs we were part of. Intellectually we can know what they’ve suffered, but you haven’t seen their eyes. There are times when I close mine and that it’s all I can see.” Riley shook her head. “It’s then that I seek to be even closer to your brother.”
Amy plugged her ears with her fingers. “La, la, la, la. I do not need to hear about my brother’s sexual prowess in bed.”
Riley laughed. “I’ll just say this... it’s pretty impressive.”
“Gross, Riley! But no. There’s a part of me that wants to be able to tell my children I was part of those who stood up and put this atrocity down.”
“And you will, sister mine, you will. So, what do you have on your checklist for me today?”
Amy had taken to meeting with Riley daily in order to go over her checklist for the upcoming party. Heather often met with them and the three were forming a close bond, which would only serve the Wolf Meadow pack well. As much as any pack benefitted from its three ranking male members being close-knit, so too did the pack fare best when the mates to those ranking members had a deep kinship with one another.
Riley had feared that sharing responsibility not only for the party but for the raid in Montreal would be difficult for her. She had operated as a lone wolf for several years only aided by information supplied from others that supplemented her own. She found having an entire network of women dedicated to the same end was of enormous benefit.
Cameron had removed the desk he used in his study. It was a massive, ornate thing that had been used by the alphas of the Wolf Meadow pack for more than two hundred years. He had replaced it with an antique partner’s desk and made Riley a part of his study. He had encouraged her to add more femininity or things that made her happy to any and all areas of the house but especially in what was now referred to as their study and their bedroom.
“You know Gia and Aidan are coming with the boys. Bethan will be sending information they’ve been able to collect from that house you raided in Belfast. Apparently one of those mother fuckers got drunk in the wrong pub and one of the members of your old pack hauled his ass back to Galway. Of course, Gia wasn’t privy to anything they got out of their interrogation, but apparently Ava has given Bethan a hack into her mate’s system and she has it all.”
“Who knew we could be so effective at gathering intelligence?” quipped Riley.
Heather said with amusement, “Oh, you knew. You were once Bae Diogel. I swear there is nothing the women that were part of that pack for even a short length of time can’t do. I look at Darby now and marvel that she didn’t kill her first mate long before she left him.”
“Before then,” Riley reminded her, “there was no place to run. Well, apparently there was all along the eastern seaboard but nothing anywhere else.”
“We have to find a way to expand that network,” said Amy quietly.
“We will,” replied Riley and Heather in unison.
“Darby is coming,” continued Amy, “as are Skylar, Roz, Ava, Maddie, and I think Catherine. Marco is not sure he can get away but Catherine is bound and determined to get here.”
Heather shook her head. “It might be better if she isn’t.”
“Why do you say that,” asked Riley.
“I think we’ve got them fooled so far, but if all of you troublemakers...” started Heather.
“Me, a troublemaker? Who got her butt blistered last week for getting on a horse she’s not supposed to... again?”
Heather grinned. “Yeah, that would be me. I swear to God I’m going to ride that damn beast.”
“I tell you what,” offered Riley. “When I get back from Montreal, I’ll give you lessons. I might be able to persuade Cameron to let me do that. God knows I won’t be able to ride with any degree of comfort.”
; They all laughed.
“Neither will the rest of us,” said Amy. “You were right when you said not only is Sam going to take me to task over this, but Cameron will be on him to make sure it gets done right to Cameron’s satisfaction. But bad as it’s going to be for me, your butt is toast, Riley.”
Riley sighed, “I know. But he’ll probably knot and tie me to take my mind off of it.”
“Gross, Riley,” wailed Amy, who was secretly happy that her brother had found a woman who could keep up with his strong sex drive and seemed as eager as he was to indulge that need.
Sam had stated a couple of times that a great part of Cameron’s recent ability to simply relax was due to the time he spent in the company of his mate. And while the two rode out every morning to watch the sunrise, neither came down from their room for the day before ten. It was a great source of amusement amongst the entire pack.
“Any idea where you’ll take them once you have them?”
Riley nodded. “I’ve been giving that a lot of thought. I think to Ava and Declan. Ava said they have two young, strong males with them, but more important they are close to Montreal and also to the underground railroad to get them out of there if need be.”
Heather shook her head. “One of those girls was turned without her consent. So was I. It’s awful. You’re suddenly ripped away from everything you knew. Your plans, your dreams, the life you thought you’d have are all gone. Without any warning, you’re thrust into a society that you know nothing about... never even knew existed. Then you find out you’re not human and oh, by the way, the men get to do whatever they want to you.”
Riley reached for her hand. “I can’t even imagine how horrible that was for you. Roz was turned as well and she was with a pack that saved her from what you went through, but still used to talk about how overwhelming it was. I can’t even imagine.”
Gabriel knocked and stuck his head in the door. “Sweetheart? Are you all right? I was headed out to go meet Cam, but felt your upset.”
Heather smiled. “And then you get rescued and taken to New Orleans only to get swept off by some hunky, sexy cowboy in Texas.”
Gabe looked at her lovingly as he crossed the room to her. “I’d better be the sexy cowboy you’re talking about, mate.”
“The one and only,” she said, reaching up to pull his face down so she could kiss him. “You know I often think if what I went through when I was first turned is the price I had to pay to be here with you... it’s one I’d pay again.”
“Ewww,” Riley and Amy exclaimed.
Gabriel ended the deep kiss with two softer ones before lifting his head. “And that’s enough out of you two,” he said, making all three women laugh.
“Yes, Beta,” Amy said with dubious respect and then looked to Riley.
“Don’t look at me. My mate is alpha and I am alpha as well. I dropped his ass once... I could do it again. Only this time I won’t aim for his nuts. I’d hate Heather to have to do without.”
Gabe laughed and shook his head. “Keep it up, little wolf, and I’ll ask our alpha to have a word with you about your lack of deference to a ranking member of this pack.”
“I got news for you, Gabe, as long as I defer to him and keep him warm and happy at night... you lose.”
“You’re probably right about that. He does seem head over heels for you.”
“As I am for him,” Riley reassured him.
Gabe shook his head; smiling broadly, he leaned down to kiss Heather a last time before he left them in peace.
“Okay, that, I like,” said Heather. “Well, most times. He is so attuned to me. If I’m the least little bit upset about something, he knows. And all he wants is to make it right for me. He is so wonderful and loving. I really meant what I said. If he’s what I get for the rest of the shit I put up with before Darby came back for us, that’s a deal I’d make again.”
“Did Jean-Michel really make your old mate sign the relinquishment document in blood?” asked Amy.
“He did indeed,” replied Heather, “and gave it to me after it had been recognized by the High Council. I know we get exasperated with them and they are often overprotective and overly bossy, but I really do think the men in our pack and in the pack in New Orleans treat their women well.”
Amy nodded. “Neither of you were here, but we had a young wolf join the pack and he backhanded one of the unmated females because she wouldn’t fuck him. I’ve never seen Cameron so furious. I really thought he was going to kill him. The jerk actually scared her more than hurt her, but Cam won’t put up with that kind of bullshit. Although he routinely tells my Sam he needs to get after me more often and with a higher degree of harshness.”
“That’s all right, Amy, you’re in good company. Those of us girls with alphas as older brothers have a tendency to be kind of bratty. Bianca from Skylar’s pack tells the best stories about herself before she met Nick. Talk about a wild child! And Gia? But of course, I was the perfect little sister.”
Both Amy and Heather spit out the beverages they were drinking.
“I’ve got two of our girls assembling backpacks for your team, Riley. We’ve got weapons, ammo, water, maps of the area, disposable cell phones, several passports for all of you, including each of the girls, and emergency beacons. All of the beacons go to the same signal so any one or all of you can hit the emergency button and Anna will know right where you are.”
“Good work, Heather. I can’t tell you how much easier this is than when I was doing it on my own.”
“Oh,” she continued excitedly. “Ava was able to pull pictures for two of the three and so their passports are complete. You’ll only have to worry about the one girl. The one you said helped you and the girls in Belfast get away.”
“That’s really good news. To make them stand up to anything other than a nominal look will take a bit of time. A bunch of women crossing the border together will be suspicious. I think we’re going to have to break into smaller groups,” said Riley, thinking out loud.
“No, you don’t,” said Amy. “We’ve got another backpack being filled with bridal party things. We figured you could float the story that one of you is getting married and this was an impromptu bachelorette party and you’re having to get home in order not to miss the wedding.”
Riley grinned at her. “Good thinking. What do we have for transportation?”
“SUVs just like what you wanted. I was worried about Cam seeing it show up on the expense sheets so I reached out to one of the women in Mason Daniels’ pack up north. Apparently she has some connections in Canada for all kinds of things—passports, transportation, etc.”
“And you just shot to hell any hope of being able to disclaim you knew about all of this beforehand.”
Heather laughed. “I think you continue to labor under the assumption that the women of your pack won’t stand proudly at your side when the shit hits the fan. Cracks me up. They say three men can keep a secret only if two of them are dead. Well, apparently she-wolves are really good at it.”
They all laughed and ended the meeting. Riley headed out the front door.
“Mistress? Is there something you need?” called Sam.
She turned and said, “Yes, but you won’t be able to get it for me. I’m off to saddle my horse and go find your alpha to have my way with him.”
Sam laughed. “I very much doubt he’ll mind. Do you know where he is?”
“He said he was going to be up with the Angus cattle. We’re moving them or something. He told me he’d start teaching me how to sort them. I figure Echo knows his job and I’ll just go for a ride. He’s a clever boy, my Echo.”
It had been a source of delight to all those who rode how quickly Echo had switched allegiance from Cameron to Riley. The gelding had become her personal guard dog. No one, including Cameron himself, was allowed to raise their voice to her without the big appaloosa taking steps to ensure no one could actually get to Riley.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The night o
f the big party had finally arrived. Guests had been arriving for days. Riley was touched by how many had wanted to come and rearranged their schedules in order to do so. Her reunion with her brother and his family had made Cameron glad that he had agreed with Sam’s suggestion to host a big party in honor of his bonding with Riley. That she seemed delighted to see everyone was evidence that he had made the right decision. The only fly in his ointment so to speak was that she seemed a little on edge. Nothing he could really put his finger on. When he’d asked her, she had reassured him that it was simply wanting to get everything right for their guests and for their pack.
Both he and Riley had been disappointed that Marco and Catherine could not attend. Marco had business that would not allow him the time to come and had flat out refused to allow Catherine to attend by herself... even heavily escorted. As he’d pointed out, the only time he’d let her go someplace without him had been last year to Calon Onest when she, Skylar, and Maddie had blithely circumvented measures made to the contrary and had escaped to go after the Dutchman. Cameron had incurred Riley’s wrath when he’d pointed out had the situation been reversed, he would have made the same decision.
Riley had proven over the past few weeks to have an uncanny ability to bring people together. All of the women of their pack had gladly pitched in to help plan and execute the party. The men had mostly been banished to supplying hard labor and going along with their plan. It had been a very happy and productive time. Cameron was happy that Riley was settling in so quickly and it was becoming hard to remember that she hadn’t always been one of them or that she had not wanted to acknowledge and accept her place as his fated mate.
Cameron entered the house and headed toward his room. Riley felt him approach and pushed a seductive alpha wave at him as he entered. She could feel his level of arousal rise as he entered the room to find her clad in only one of his shirts—her normal attire for their bedroom.
“Didn’t we discuss you resting this afternoon?” Cameron asked.