Wayward Son (The Wayward Trilogy Book 1)

by Mandi Konesni

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sitting at the table, the velvet box in his pocket felt like a brick, heavy against his thigh. Watching Adele laugh and interact with his family was something he'd never get tired of seeing. She fit in here, was welcomed with open arms as one of them. She wouldn't have to worry about being alone in the world again, that was for damn sure.

  Once dessert was doled out and people began to disperse throughout the place, Thian tugged at her hand, leading her towards the back of the house. Moving onto the deck, he headed for the gravel path that led to the gardens the women had begun tending to. As night had fallen, little solar lights had come on, making the place look sort of romantic with the stars above and flowers all around. Well, as romantic as he was gonna get here at the Clubhouse.

  As she turned to look at him, he reached down, smoothing the frown lines from her forehead with a chuckle. “Don't look so worried, Princess. I haven't stolen you away just to give you bad news, or whatever's going through that pretty little head of yours at the moment. C'mere and sit with me a minute.”

  Brushing some of the dirt off of the little garden bench in the corner that held most of the little lights, he heard her mumbling under her breath about pigheaded, weird men before she sat down, glancing up expectantly. Once he sat beside her, he took her tiny hands into his larger ones.

  He got lost for a moment, marveling at the contrast in the softness of her skin against his rougher texture, the way he could clasp both of her hands in the palm of one of his. When she cleared her throat and arched her brow at him, he felt a flush creeping up his cheeks. She'd caught him staring at her hands, of all fucking things to be mesmerized at.

  “I ah... I went to visit my uncle today. Told him about you. Did a lot of thinking on the way home, about my life, where I pictured it going from here. How much things have changed now that you're in it. I used to think I'd never settle down, never be one of the mated brothers.”

  “Then I met you, and everything's changed. I can't picture the future without you in it. Whenever I think of things I want to do now, I see you doing them with me. When I look at the years stretching out in front of me, all I can imagine is facing them with you at my side. I know this shit got sprung on you and things have been crazy, but you're the strongest woman I know. If anyone could step into my fucked up life and embrace it, it'd be you.”

  Getting down on one knee right there in the dirt, he heard her gasp as he pulled the small box from his pocket. Opening it, he could see the reflection of the black onyx in her eyes from the lights surrounding them as he met her gaze once more, his hand resting on her knee.

  “We got a lot of shit to figure out, but my leopard and I would like nothing more than to figure things out with you. For as long as you'll tolerate us. Will you do us the honor of becoming our mate and our wife, Adele?”

  The tears that glistened on her lashes trembled along with her bottom lip before she practically threw herself into his arms, knocking him off balance and tipping them over into the dirt. As she peppered his face with kisses, the only thing he heard was the resounding “yes” she nearly screamed.

  If it was up to him, they'd have been married that week. However, it was absolutely not up to him. Adele wanted him to be involved in all the decisions, especially as she didn't have her mother to run her choices by. The women of the Club helped, but Adele was insistent that this be a partnership right from the beginning. He didn't much care what fucking color the goddamn plates were, or if the flowers matched the damn linens. He hadn't known how many choices there were to make. If he did? He would have insisted on eloping to Vegas.

  Still, he wanted to keep her happy, so he sat for hours looking at friggin Pinterest boards. He vetoed some horrid pink color she told him was mauve, and some ugly ass flowers on huge stalks that looked like weeds. If Thian didn't know better, he'd swear some of the choices were hideous on purpose, just so she could see what he'd fight her on.

  He figured out he was right when he started noticing she'd have a little smirk occasionally when he protested particularly heinous choices. After that, he gladly took a more active role. He couldn't trust her with all the planning if she was going to purposely attempt to aggravate him. Once he actually started giving his opinion, he noticed that... suspiciously, the more horrendous choices disappeared from the boards. Sneaky wench.

  They finally settled on a simple black and teal affair. Elegant, understated, and both could agree on it. The black was his choice, the teal was Adele's. Once the color scheme was officially decided, everything seemed to move faster than he thought possible. Before he knew it, he was standing in an unused room in a rented cabin, fussing with the teal tie until his uncle sighed and came over to help him.

  This was the moment he'd been waiting for, for what seemed like all his life. Funny, he hadn't felt like he'd been missing half of his heart until he'd met her. Now? He didn't think he could bear to live without her. He'd heard of some men getting nervous on the big day, getting cold feet. Instead, he was eager to get out there, to get this shit over with. To have her be his, in both name and deed. It was important to her, as a human, that these customs be observed. So it was important to him, as well.

  Stepping into the large main hall of the cabin, he grinned. The entire Club had turned out to represent. Some had even ridden in from Texas to fill the seats, to ensure Adele didn't miss not having family of her own here today. He sure appreciated it. The only blood family here for him was his uncle. He hadn't even told the rest. For one, they wouldn't care. For two? He didn't want them here, anyway.

  Taking his spot at the altar, he nearly held his breath as the music started and the doors opened once more. Everyone in the seats stood, obscuring his view for a moment. When Adele finally came into view, Thian swore he stopped breathing at first. She was breathtaking.

  The dress had been what she'd termed 'dip dyed' at the bottom, a darker teal leading to lighter teal as it headed up toward her knees. That drew the attention upward, to the corset top that cinched in her waist, making her already impressive chest appear even more mouthwatering. Thian's leopard snarled at the idea of the others staring at her before he stomped the impulse down. She was here for him. Hell, she only had eyes for him.

  Meeting her gaze from across the room, his smile matched hers. She was beaming, blonde hair swept away from her face, leaving tendrils curling down to brush her throat. The black onyx jewelry she wore matched her engagement ring and the symbolism of him being the only black leopard in the family. Today, he'd add her silver wedding band.

  He barely heard what the minister was saying as he stared into her eyes. It felt like he was drowning, like he could see forever in them, not just tomorrow.

  Thian had never been a man of pretty words, but he wished he had them for her, so he could tell her just how much she'd changed him, how much she'd come to mean to him in such a short amount of time. Instead, he dutifully repeated the vows he needed to make, putting all the emotion he felt into each word he spoke. To him, these vows were sacred... this was it for him. She was his forever and always.

  Once she'd done the same, they slipped their rings on each other's fingers, then he swept her into his arms for their first kiss as husband and wife. The cheers and applause that surrounded them echoed in the large room, seeming to shake the damn rafters. Breaking apart, he brushed the tears from the edges of her eyes with his thumbs, ignoring the cat's urge to seal the marriage with the full mating ritual. Nature could wait. For now, it was time to celebrate their human union.

  The Clubhouse had been decked out in black and teal to match the occasion. Tables were laden down with so many buffet trays, he was convinced the tables themselves were starting to sag. The family had gone all out for this, determined to give Adele the wedding of her dreams after the shit with her father had left her with nothing. On another table, presents were piled high, which had him frowning. He had no idea where they were gonna put all that shit.

  Adele had made the registry, even aft
er he'd warned her he only had the cabin and a small apartment in town. She'd been quite steely eyed when she'd told him that if he didn't like her choices for his places, then they could just get a bigger home. Since she did at least gain her inheritance from her mother that the lawyers couldn't touch, Thian couldn't argue with her. It appeared they'd be house shopping, sooner or later.

  He was whipped and wrapped around her tiny little fingers, and he didn't mind in the least. When she got that feisty look in her eyes, he knew he was about to have a great fucking night, once they got past the bickering. He grinned at the thought, watching her dancing with the women she'd chosen as her bridal party. He loved her. It was as insane and as simple as that. Everything she did was damn near perfect to him, even when she was being exasperating as hell.

  As they swept around the cleared floor for their first dance, he found himself wishing this would never end. Today was simply the calm before the storm... tomorrow they'd be going after the group that had dared to attack shifter females, attempting to put a stop to the entire operation. Thian knew he had to do his job, but for now, all he wanted was to spend the rest of his life wrapped in this woman's arms. She'd tamed him, and he was perfectly okay with that.

  Chapter Seventeen

  By the time all the intel was sorted, they'd found fifteen females. Fucking fifteen of 'em, all shifters. Nearly all kidnapped after hopping in a Ryde after leaving friends or work. The worst part? Now they knew one of the kidnapped women was Knox's mate. That put this into an all hands on deck scenario. If anything happened to her... fuck, Thian didn't even want to think about it. Not after finding Adele.

  Chantal was still healing from what they'd done to her, skinning her from ankle to knee, and Snow had found her quickly. How much more damage could they do, after having Knox's mate for weeks now? The fear and worry had a grim pallor over their usual excitement for a case. Everyone knew the men who'd captured her were dead men walking. They just didn't know how Knox would handle it if they were too late.

  After locating the secluded cabin and coating themselves with the special lotion they used to hide their scents, the bears headed off to make a goddamn unholy racket in the hopes of drawing out the inhabitants. Manic, the resident otter, was on the water. He'd already disabled the boat and would alert them if anyone tried escaping that way. In total, there were five men inside, three humans and two shifters.

  By the time Pidge yelled that they had a leopard on the table ready to skin, the commotion the bears were making had netted them two... one shifter, one human. That meant three still unaccounted for. While Knox took off up the stairs to his mate, the rest of the club headed down. No one knew what shape the women would be in, or how many were still alive. They'd brought vans and a few cages for transport if needed, but they were sincerely hoping most were untouched.

  Thian headed downstairs, grinning as they met the other shifter coming up. He was no match for them and was quickly trussed up and tossed aside with a member to watch him. On the lower level, the smell was atrocious... the idiots must have tossed the women in the cells and pretty much visited them just to toss them crumbs after that. It was clear they hadn't been bathed or given medical attention since they'd been taken. Hell, they barely looked fed.

  The large crew of shifters made short work of gathering the women up, bundling them in soft blankets before ushering them outside. Thian was furious, but he kept the darker emotions locked down. The women didn't need to see any more anger, not after what they'd been through.

  Smacking the side of the second van after the last woman had been loaded in, the driver got it started and headed toward the Clubhouse, where the women would be checked over by the doc and taken care of until their family members could be alerted to come retrieve them safely.

  Turning back towards his family, Thian saw the dismay on their faces and sighed. It looked like Dean Roberts, the mastermind of this shit, got away. At least they now knew he was a shifter, and a vulture at that. They weren't going to go into the second ambush blind. That was something, at least.

  There was also good news. Jayda, Knox's mate, had made it out alive. She was banged up, starved and scarred, but otherwise whole. The two men preparing to skin her hadn't gotten far. According to Pidge, an owl shifter who'd been hovering outside the window, she'd put up a helluva fight. By the time Knox had arrived, the room was bathed in blood. Thian smirked at that. She'd fit in with their crew just fine.

  Once back at the Clubhouse, the females took over caring for the women as the men dealt with figuring out what to do about Roberts and the captives they currently held. Obviously none would be leaving alive, but if they could gain any extra information out of the shifters before they allowed death to have the bastards, they would.

  Thian could admit, he took great pleasure in ensuring there was no more intel to be extracted before he left the basement, leaving them with the other members. Heading back to the room he and Adele were sharing for the night, he got straight into a hot shower. He didn't need to be bringing their blood back to his female.

  She'd made him promise before they'd gotten married that he'd never hide things from her. She already knew what he was and the things he did... what his job was for the Club. After all, he doubted she'd forget the way she found out he was a shifter. Some things you couldn't erase from your memory.

  Since she knew what he did, she tended to worry when he left. He couldn't blame her, not really. He'd promised to always be honest with her unless it was Club business that couldn't be shared. Even then, he'd tell her why. Just because she understood, didn't mean she had to see the evidence.

  Crawling into bed behind her, he smiled as she immediately curled against him, allowing him to tuck his arms around her. Nuzzling her throat, he sighed. He hadn't realized what he was missing before, not having a woman to come home to after dealing with the shit he dealt with on a daily basis. Adele was a balm to soothe the beast inside that raged to escape and tear the world apart until Roberts was dead for what he'd done to those women.

  “Thian? Can we talk?”

  Her voice was timid and soft, something his usual firecracker wife was not. Concerned, Thian shifted, tugging her until she could face him. Lines of worry creased her forehead, which he immediately reached to smooth with his thumbs. What the hell had she gotten herself worked up about now? If someone had upset her, there'd be hell to pay.

  “What's wrong, Princess? You know you can always talk to me, don't need permission for that, ever.”

  “I've been thinking about our mating. We said we wanted to do it after we got married, and I was all for it... excited, even. But with everything going on, I don't know if we still should.”

  Ice seized Thian's heart. She didn't want to be mated to him? Did that mean she didn't want to stay with him at all, or was she just having doubts about shifter life? He didn't know if he could survive losing her. Not after seeing what life was like with her in it. He couldn't go back to what he'd had before. The emptiness he'd been satisfied with until he'd met her.

  “Princess, you're gonna have to explain your thought process a little more here, because right now, you've got me panicking a bit and I'm not sure how you want me to respond.”

  She smiled then, tilting her head to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop it. I love you Thian, more than I ever thought was possible. But that's just it... I can't bear to lose you. If we mate and my life is tied to yours in that way and something happens, I don't know if I could ever survive it. I would follow you, I know it. Not only that, but they could use me against you if they had the chance. Right now, we're just married. Mates? I'm a liability.”

  When he opened his mouth to protest, she pressed her finger against his lips to shut him up. “This isn't up for negotiation, Thian. Until Roberts is dead and the women are safe, I will not put us in more danger. Take care of what you need to, and then we'll finish this.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  A few days later, the
y got their chance at the vulture again. Pidge had slipped a tracker into his car, and Aces had tracked him right back to his cabin. Since the first plan had worked out so well, they figured why change it? The bears went ahead, allowing their scent to draw him out of hiding. Right on cue, Roberts headed outside, demanding to know why they were on his property. Fucking idiot.

  Once again, their business dealings came in handy... the lotion protected them, disguising their scents. He never knew what hit him. To be honest, they were all ready to tear him into pieces at hearing the plans he had for the women. Pidge had managed to steal an item of the vulture's through the doggy door of the cabin and bring it back to Knox, who'd used it to learn what Roberts was truly up to, so they were forewarned.

  He wasn't just kidnapping them to steal their pelts. He wanted to breed them to create rare colors and patterns, basically becoming a shifter furrier. After they outlived their usefulness, he'd toss them aside like yesterday's trash, skinned and half-dead, if taking their pelt hadn't killed them already. After what their women had already been through... after what other women had been through... there wasn't a soul here who didn't want to see Roberts pay for his misdeeds.

  When the bears rushed him, he dodged backwards, right into Thian's waiting arms. Everything seemed to happen in an instant then, so fast, but almost in slow motion as well. Thian lost his grip on the damn bird as the man shifted, twisting from his claws. As the others surrounded the porch, Wooly got too close, and the vulture's claws caught him across the chest. When he heard the bear bellow in pain and drop lifeless to the ground, the snarl that escaped Thian should have paralyzed Roberts, if he had any goddamn sense of fear at all.

  As Gray knocked him on the back of the head before ducking out of the way of the poisoned talons, sending him pitching forward to the ground,Thian moved forward, swiping at him with bared claws. Together, they managed to keep him prone on the wooden planked porch as the other members shifted back to human.