by Nora Phoenix
“Don’t be an ass,” he told Rhene, but there wasn’t much force behind it. He stepped closer to Palani, and they shared an equally long hug.
“I’m happy to see you guys here,” Palani said. “I’m super excited for you to meet my men.”
“I still can’t believe you’re shacking up with three other guys,” Rhene said. “How does that even work?”
Palani lifted an eyebrow. “Really?” he said. “You expect me to answer that? Didn’t they teach you sex ed in school?”
Rhene grinned, one of those cheeky, horny grins only alphas could pull off. “They sure as fuck never covered foursomes.”
“You’re not gonna embarrass me, are you?” Palani asked.
Kean shook his head. “Dude, you should know better by now than to ask a dumb question like that. You do realize who you’re talking to, right?”
“Oh, fuck,” Palani groaned. “Why did I think it was a good idea to invite you two?”
“I don’t know,” Rhene said. “But it’s sure as fuck going to be entertaining.”
Palani was still shaking his head when he took his brothers inside, where Lidon was waiting for them in the hallway. Palani couldn’t explain why, but every time he saw Lidon, he was drawn to him. He’d seen him only minutes before, and still he felt the irresistible urge to walk up to him and seek his touch. And as usual, Lidon gave it to him. Maybe he needed it as much as Palani did?
Lidon gently grabbed his neck to pull him in for a soft kiss. Palani didn’t care his brothers were watching. He needed just a little more. Lidon smiled against his lips as he allowed the kiss to lengthen. When they finally let go, Palani held on to Lidon’s hand as he turned around to face his brothers.
“Guys, this is my mate and alpha, Lidon. Alpha, these are my brothers, Rhene and Kean.”
In the kitchen, Vieno was greeted with a warm hug from both his brothers, who were happy to see him again. It wasn’t until he saw them steal a glance at the omega’s baby bump, which had become pronounced the last few days, that Palani realized he hadn’t even told them Vieno was pregnant.
He closed his eyes for a second, angry with himself for not sharing that information with them. It wasn’t on purpose. So much had happened that he felt like he was always one step behind, somehow. He had told them about losing his job, though not the exact reasons why, but everything after that had just been one thing after another, with no time to take a deep breath and inform his family. Plus, so much of it was connected to the gene, to the conspiracy they had uncovered that it was hard to share just parts of it.
So he stepped next to Vieno, slinging his arm around the omega’s shoulders and pressing a kiss on his forehead. “As you can see, we had some more news to share with the two of you. Vieno is pregnant, and we’re all super excited.”
Vieno beamed as Palani’s brothers hugged him again, congratulating him, and he himself got a strong hug from both his brothers as well. It was easy to see that their joy was genuine, and he relaxed a little, trying to let go of the guilt for not keeping in touch with them more.
They had just sat down in the living room when Enar walked in, smelling fresh after a shower. Palani watched as the familiar ritual ensued where Enar connected with Lidon first for a kiss, then checked in with Vieno to make sure he was okay. Normally, he would’ve snuggled up to Palani next, but that was the moment he seemed to realize they had guests, and he came to a halt. Palani hated seeing the indecision on his mate’s face, undoubtedly caused by worry about how he should behave and whether or not it was okay to be himself.
He reached out for Enar’s hand as he rose from his own seat, pulling him close to his side. “Guys, this is my third mate, Enar, a beta. Doc, these are my brothers.”
He subtly stressed the beta part, not hesitating to share this with his brothers, knowing they were open-minded enough to treat Enar with dignity, and they did. Even Rhene, who could be an arrogant shit at times in full alpha mode, was kind and courteous toward Enar, approaching him as he would have any other beta.
When that last round of introductions was done, Palani started the long explanation of what had really been going on and caught them up on all the developments with the gene, the attack on the ranch, and all their suspensions. To their credit, his brothers listened, asking clarifying questions every now and then. It was a lot to take in, but they took it well, even though Palani saw the worry on Kean’s face.
“These people must have an awful lot of reach to accomplish this much,” Kean said, demonstrating he shared Palani’s aptitude for logical reasoning.
Palani nodded. “They do, and I only just discovered how far that reach goes on both sides.”
They hadn’t informed anyone but Duer about the election fraud he had discovered. Lidon, Enar, and he had talked it over, but they couldn’t come to an agreement on the next step. Lidon’s biggest concern was that they would paint an even bigger target on their backs if they were to reveal this, and Palani couldn’t argue with that. He had suggested informing the rest of the pack, so they could ask for some more opinions on how they should handle this knowledge.
“Alpha, should we call the rest in and inform them all at once?” he asked Lidon.
The alpha nodded in agreement. “Call everyone in.”
Lidon noticed Palani’s brothers sharing a surprised look with each other. He suppressed a smile as Palani got up to call the rest of the pack in. His brothers were in for an even bigger surprise when they saw how many people were living here.
It took about twenty minutes before they had gathered the pack, the living room at full capacity. They should create a bigger common room, Lidon thought. He expected his pack to keep growing for a while, so the living room would soon be insufficient. Maybe they could build a barn where they could all meet? It would have to be outside the gates, though, as it got too crowded within.
They were using far more of his acreage than he’d ever thought possible, so much that they would have to make a more long-term plan to ensure good living and working conditions for everyone. That was more viable thanks to the generous donation from his neighbors. He pondered various options in his head as all the men found a seat.
“Holy crap, how many people are living on the ranch?” Rhene asked.
Palani smiled. “A lot, let’s keep it at that.”
Lidon waited till everyone had quieted down and then spoke up. “All right, pack, there have been some new developments that we feel you all should know. You’ll notice two new faces. These are Palani’s brothers, Rhene and Kean.”
A murmur of friendly welcomes rolled through the room.
“Palani, the floor is yours, my beta.”
Lidon had kept an eye on Palani’s brothers, and he saw them freeze in stunned silence.
“Welcome to the Hayes pack,” Palani said to his brothers, and Lidon’s heart filled with pride. “As you undoubtedly noticed, Lidon is our pack alpha, and I am his second-in-command.”
“A pack?” Rhene asked, looking from Palani to Lidon in confusion.
“Yes. Like back in the days of the wolf shifters,” Palani explained.
Kean and Rhene looked at each other for a second, and then Kean burst out laughing, elbowing his younger brother. “Dammit, bro, he outranks you. Oh my God, this is perfect.”
Palani grinned. The remark might not be entirely constructive, considering the whole pack was present, but Lidon thought it was hilarious. He wasn’t the only one. A ripple of laughter went through the room at Kean’s joke, and Rhene took it good-naturedly.
Palani’s face sobered. “There have been some new developments, as the alpha said, and we’re not sure what to do about them.”
He explained his findings about the election fraud, and the room sat in stunned silence when he was done.
“Oh my god,” Lucan said. “I don’t even have words for this.”
“I know the feeling,” Palani said. “Ever since I discovered this, I’ve been at a loss as what to do about it, especially since the election
s are in two days. What can we do on such short notice? It’s not like they’ll cancel the elections.”
“It’s easy to see we have a civic responsibility here to inform the public,” Grayson said. “But damn, that would certainly put all of us at risk.”
“We haven’t had threats since the attack,” Bray pointed out. “When Lidon went to his meeting at police headquarters, we didn’t spot anyone tailing him. And we’ve been visiting my other brother weekly, and we haven’t seen any activity on our trips either.”
“True, but that’s no guarantee they’ll let this slide. I’m already worried what Palani’s blog post about the gene will do. I can’t imagine the anti-wolf people being too happy about that,” Lidon said.
“If I may say something?” Kean piped up. He waited for Lidon’s nod before he continued. “I am new to this, obviously, and I’m still processing everything, but am I wrong, or are we talking about two different potential enemies? You suspect the guys who attacked the ranch did so because of your investigation into the gene and the insurance fraud, and your theory is that the AWC is behind this. But going public with this information about the election fraud wouldn’t anger them, now would it? It would only play into their hands because the CWP is their opposition. It would be the CWP that stand to lose the most if you reveal their election fraud, but have they ever shown any inclination to be violent?”
Lidon sat stunned as the truth of Kean’s analysis hit him. He was right. Kean was absolutely, one hundred percent right. They’d been worried about painting a bigger target on their backs, but the CWP hadn’t been the one doing the shooting in the first place.
“I can tell you’re related to Palani,” Lidon said with an amused grin. “Excellent point, Kean.”
“He’s right,” Grayson said. “But that’s a huge gamble we’re taking, considering the fact that we have zero concrete evidence for any of our theories. And even if it’s been the AWC so far who has taken to violence, there is no predicting what they will do next. What’s to say they don’t know about this election fraud as well, considering they’re a political party and have to know the statistics are rigged? Why haven’t they spoken up? If we bring this out into the open, we may once again thwart whatever plan they have, and there is no guarantee that won’t result in more violence from them.”
“That, too, is a good point,” Palani said. “To me, the bigger question is not whether or not someone will attack us when we go public with this, but if we should go public with it on principle and if we’re willing to pay the price for it, no matter what that price is.”
“I’m tempted to say we have a civic responsibility that’s bigger than our personal safety,” Enar said. “But then I look at Vieno and our baby, and I’m not sure if I’m willing to pay that price.”
Lidon nodded in agreement, as Enar had voiced his own thoughts and feelings exactly. He didn’t debate the responsibility they had here to the public, to the greater good, but it was a massive risk they were taking with their own safety. If it had been him alone or even him and his mates, it would’ve been different, but now there was a baby in play.
His heart warmed at how Enar had worded it. Our baby. It was their baby, the four of them, and he would do whatever he had to to protect it. Could he run the risk? Was it worth it to put their lives on the line for politics?
“I have to admit I am at the end of my capability to protect this ranch and us,” Bray said quietly, and Lidon realized how much it must’ve cost him to say that with the whole pack present, including his own father and brother. “My men are stretched to their limits, and I am hesitant to bring in new men under these circumstances, especially when I can’t personally vouch for them. If you are bringing in more pack members, or the threat level increases, I can’t guarantee sufficient protection anymore, especially outside the gates.”
“I understand, and no one is blaming you for that, least of all me,” Lidon assured him. “This job has turned into a hell of a lot more than we expected when we brought you in, and you’ve done everything you could to keep us safe. And with great results so far. I agree that we’ll need to take that into consideration and maybe reevaluate the priority of our security. Going forward, it may become untenable to protect pack members outside pack grounds.”
“That would leave me and dad unprotected when we visit my brother if we were to go without Bray,” Lucan said.
“Yes,” Lidon admitted. “But we haven’t made a decision yet about this, so let’s not worry about this until we have to. Also, as Bray said, there has been no evidence of anyone following you or even being interested in you, not since you guys moved here.”
“What would you need to ramp up your ability to secure and protect everyone?” Kean asked, and Lidon loved that the beta had the self-confidence to join in the discussion. The similarity to Palani was almost unreal.
Bray sighed. “More trained men, first of all. It’s not just more bodies that I need, but trained men who know what they’re doing and who I can trust. But also, with all the additions to the original layout of the house and the plans to expand those even further, I really need to make a new master plan for the whole security system. It’s been on my list, but I simply haven’t found the time.”
“We’ll figure out a solution,” Palani said. “Let’s talk more after this, okay?”
Bray nodded, and Lidon saw relief in the alpha’s posture.
“Which brings us back to the question of what to do with our suspicions about election fraud. Is there anyone who feels strongly we should not make this public?” Lidon asked.
He looked around the room, but no one spoke up or even indicated they were against it.
“Okay. Palani and I will figure out how to move forward with this, and we’ll keep you posted.”
“Can I ask about the gene and shifting for a moment?” Kean asked after a short pause. “Is it even possible? I mean, we’re talking about this gene and the effects it’s supposed to have in making shifting possible again, but do we know if this is even realistic?”
Much to Lidon’s surprise, Sando spoke up before he could say anything himself. “Yes,” the omega said, his voice soft but clear. “I haven’t been able to make complete sense of my dad’s latest findings, but I’ve interpreted enough to know that he was onto something. I believe Vieno’s baby will be able to shift when he’s fourteen. All evidence points toward that. But I think we may see changes sooner than in fourteen years.”
Lidon leaned forward, tension rising in his chest. “What do you mean, Sando?”
“I think you’ll be able to shift within a few years, alpha.”
The room fell deadly quiet at the omega’s soft words, and Lidon sat stunned. He’d be able to shift? For real? They had talked about it before, and it had scared the crap out of him, even when it had been a theory. But now? It was paralyzing. What the hell would happen to him? He didn’t even realize he was shaking until Palani calmly took his hand on one side while Vieno snuggled closer on his other side. Enar’s hand came down on his shoulder, and Lidon was comforted once again he was not alone in this.
“What’s your theory, Sando?” Palani finally asked, probaby picking up on the fact that Lidon was too stunned to speak.
“It’s my father’s theory, and I still need to do more research, but the main concept is that the gene in Vieno responds to the strong alpha blood in Lidon and vice versa, and both are feeding on the foursome dynamics. I’d need to do extensive tests to confirm, but I think my father proved that the dynamics of an alpha-beta-omega relationship affect all members positively.”
Lidon’s heart skipped a beat. How was that even possible?
“This is what you suggested as well, based on your research into the old ways,” Palani said to Grayson. “I’m sorry. You recommended some books, but I never got around to reading them.”
“You’ve had a lot on your plate, beta. Give yourself a pass on this one,” Grayson said with kindness.
“How does that work, Sando?” Lido
n asked.
“You were all linked once you alpha mated, somehow, and you feed off each other and reinforce each other. And because Vieno has the gene and you have such strong shifter blood, and because there are four of you, the effects are even stronger—at least, that’s my theory.”
“Like Lidon being able to heal Vieno,” Enar said.
“It would explain why I always feel this urge to connect with you,” Palani said to Lidon, then turned to Enar. “And it explains why Melloni was so excited to hear we were in a foursome, remember? We thought his reaction was a bit weird, but now it makes sense.”
Sando nodded vigorously. “Yes, all that. I’d love to work on this more, but I’d need your permission to test all of you. And I’d need access to a lab and funding.”
Lidon’s first instinct was to promise Sando all the funding he’d need, but he kept himself in check. He wasn’t running out of money anytime soon, but all the renovations and additions and all the extra security measures had resulted in a hard hit on his finances. He’d need to have a long look at them, maybe even consult an accountant before promising anything.
“Rhene is really good with numbers,” Palani said softly in his ear, as if reading his mind. “For all his alpha posturing, he’s a whizz with anything financial and working on getting his MBA.”
Lidon nodded, liking where this was going. “And Kean?”
“He’s a vet tech.”
“They’d wanna join, you think?”
“I’ll ask them, after.”
Even though everyone had noticed their little one-on-one, no one had tried to listen in, Lidon noticed, and that filled him with warmth. They were good men, loyal. He’d chosen well. Or they had, however you wanted to look at it.
“I’m willing to provide funding,” Grayson said.
Lidon’s head snapped around at that calm statement.
“My last few books have done really well on the bestseller list, and I can afford to invest in a cause like this.”
Sando’s mouth dropped open before he recovered himself. “We’re…That’s…I’m honored, but you do understand we’re not talking a couple of grand here, right?”