by Lisa Oliver
“Hush, my alpha. It’s okay.” The images Devyn were getting from Rex’s mind went too fast for him to make much sense of them, but there was no denying Bovis had been a sick and cruel man. Throughout the disturbing montage, Rex’s father’s serene smug smile shone through.
“It’s not okay. I did nothing, don’t you understand? Nothing. Back in the pack all I could think of was of ways of getting my dick serviced and staying away from the girls who thought they could do it for me. I left. I never gave them a thought. It wasn’t until Tony came to me, that I even got in touch with my father again and that was only to give him hell for him letting Bovis beat Tony half to death. And all this time, all this time I meant nothing more to my father than a way of paying back his debt. I can’t think… I can’t process…. Fuck. I’m a useless alpha.”
Devyn could feel Rex’s pain with every beat of his heart. There wasn’t much he could do except soothe the shattered wolf who was having a meltdown long overdue. Yes, Devyn was the wolf who’d been shunned by the pack when he was a baby, but Gregor had been good to him. Devyn might never have heard words of love, but Gregor showed his feelings in a million ways.
Rex had never had any of that support or caring. Devyn sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Fates. If his mate hadn’t left his pack when he had, there’s no telling what might have happened to him once his father knew he’d never fulfill his alpha potential; never father cubs, or be the type of alpha Rex’s father thought he should be.
“I’m sorry.” Rex inhaled sharply and let his breath out slowly. “Oh, fuck. I can’t imagine what you must think of me now. I just… I killed Bovis. I took another person’s life, something I don‘t believe anyone has the right to do. I know I did it for the right reasons. He threatened you. Gods. How long had he been watching us before he made his move? I had no idea. I never thought….”
“Babe.” Resisting Rex’s hold, Devyn sat up. His mate was well on the way to breaking down again. But even with the red eyes and puffy lips, he thought his mate had never looked more like an alpha. “What’s done is done. I’m glad you don’t go killing people all willy nilly. I wouldn’t want a cruel alpha in my life, and you’re not cruel. You’re a good man, who’s sometimes a little bit clueless, but your heart is always in the right place.”
“You don’t think I should’ve been nicer to my father? He really didn’t look good today.”
Damn it. If Rex knew the power of his puppy dog eyes, Devyn would never get anything done. “The man was going to kill your mate, so you could be handed off to a magic user with no thought about the life you’ve built for yourself, or the man you’ve become. I don’t think being nice fits that sort of situation.”
“Without my help, he’s going to die.”
From the gray pallor the guy was sporting when Devyn saw him last, he was surprised the man wasn’t dead already. “Your father brought everything he is coping with down on his own head. To use his health in a sick manipulative way, to get you to do what he wants you to do, is wrong on so many levels I can’t begin to count. It’s called consequence, babe. Consequence. If your dad had waited for his true mate, or I don’t know, adopted a half a dozen kids instead of forcing Fate’s hands… it really doesn’t matter. Whatever happens to him will be the Fates’ intention so just let it go.”
Pecking his mate’s lips with his own, Devyn put on a fake glare. “Now, don’t think I didn’t hear what you said to your dad about fucking the Adams boys. Have I got something to feel jealous about when we visit them later?”
“Never,” Rex said fiercely. “Ma Adams has got some sexy looking boys and they all like to play, and no, it’s not like they’re all related. It’s just what everyone calls them. She likes youthful energies around her and as she gets jealous of any females around, she makes sure she takes in gay magic users who’ve been abandoned by their families. They’re old school magics. They have sex for just about any reason. Hell, I used to come across them having sex just to celebrate the sun coming up in the morning. They were a fun diversion for a sixteen year old alpha with more hormones than commonsense.”
“Kinky.” Devyn grinned to show he wasn’t judging. But then he turned serious for a moment. “If this woman is so old school, why did she want your father to give up an alpha child?”
“I guess we’ll find that out when we talk to her.” Rex’s stomach took that moment to grumble and Devyn’s did the same. “Dad was probably right. Ma Adams knew he’d hate the thought of any of his children preferring their own sex. The fact that he was prepared to go through with it anyway….”
He trailed off and as Devyn heard the sound of the outer motel door opening, he knew their alone time was over for now. “I do love you,” he said quickly, leaning in for another kiss.
I love you too. Yum. Having a mind-link was going to come in handy.
Chapter Twenty Four
The meal helped. Hell, the orgasm, the claiming bite aching slightly on his shoulder, and seeing Devyn fully dressed in company this time all worked towards helping him feel more like himself. Rex knew he should’ve felt embarrassed at breaking down with his mate, but he felt strangely calm about it. He had worried his emotional outburst might have prevented Devyn from having his own, but the man chatted cheerfully with Tony, Gregor, and Rogan while they were eating, and seemed happy to curl up against Rex’s shoulder on the forty minute drive to the Adams’ compound.
“The Adams boys always look at me funny,” Rogan broke the silence as the huge house came into view. While the pack houses on the other side of the forest were all variations on a log cabin theme, Ma Adams had built herself a Victorian three story villa.
“They’re gay, Rogan,” Tony smirked. “They probably think you’re a good looking man who they’d like to have sex with.”
“Tony!” Gregor snapped, but there was no bite in his tone. “Can we remember anything outside the norm for the pack is still a bit confusing for young Rogan.”
“He’s not a pup, he’s an adult,” Tony teased. “You don’t have a problem with men having sex with other men, do you Rogan?”
“We probably should’ve asked that before we took him with us,” Rex muttered to his mate. The look on Rogan’s face was delightful, even if his cheeks looked hot enough to fry an egg on.
“I know about sex. I know about men having sex with other men,” he said looking out the vehicle window. “I just never saw the need to have it before, and the alpha said….”
“Just remember, Rogan, there’s a good chance anything my father might have told you is bullshit,” Rex reminded him.
“Oh. Okay.” Rogan shrugged. “It didn’t matter what I wanted anyway, because the alpha said I wasn’t allowed to have sex with any of the pack females until after you’d made your selection. And it’s not as though I could have it with anyone else in the pack, because I was never allowed to leave the alpha for long. Sex, I mean. You know. Sex stuff.”
“Our baby’s a virgin,” Tony crowed delightedly, nudging Gregor’s shoulder with his head. “You’ll have to have the wolves and the butterflies talk with him, babe.”
“Wolves and butterflies? How can they have sex?” Rogan looked puzzled. “Their bits wouldn’t fit each other.”
“Neither do bird and bee bits,” Tony said, still cackling. “You see when a….”
“We’re here,” Rex said hurriedly as the SUV drew up in front of the house. “Can we get our minds out of the gutter now? We shouldn’t be here long, but Rogan, I just want you to keep your opinions to yourself, no matter what you see. If there’s anything that confuses or bothers you, talk about it with Tony and Gregor on the way home, okay?”
“Men sexing men doesn’t bother me,” Rogan muttered. “I think it’s hot.” He obviously forgot everyone could hear him. Tony was laughing into his mate’s neck and even Devyn had a quiet snigger.
“Rogan?” Rex was fighting his own smile.
“Yes, alpha. I promise I won’t cause any trouble.” Rogan looked so serious Rex felt h
is own lips twitch.
“You ready, precious?” Rex turned his attention to his mate. “I would rather leave you in the car to be honest, but I think it’s important she see us together and I’m not sure how safe you’d be out here.”
“You’re not going without me.” Devyn rubbed his eyes. “I’m not going to be able to see much detail, and you’re going to have to carry me seeing as my chair isn’t here either. But I’ll be able to get some impression of the guys your sixteen year old self thought was sexy enough to bonk.”
“Bonk? Really?” Rex coughed to cover his laugh. “Hormonal, remember. Back then, a knot in a tree trunk looked sexy.”
“Which doesn’t say a lot about the Adams’ boys,” Devyn laughed. “Let me judge their sexiness or otherwise for myself. Shall we?”
Hmm. Rex wasn’t sure taking Devyn was a good idea now. But he climbed out of the wagon, his wolf warning him of the eyes peering from behind the curtains. He’d never had an issue with Mother Adams or her boys before, but he hadn’t seen them in a lot of years. They’d better not touch my mate, or I’ll fucking eat them and not in the way they might remember.
With Gregor and Tony on one side of him, and Rogan on the other, Rex strode up the stairs, pulling on his alpha power. He might not have thought himself a strong alpha in human form, but his wolf had a different opinion. The Adams’ had dealt with his father for a lot of years. It was about time they remembered how a true alpha behaved.
The man who opened the door looked no more than twenty, although Rex knew he had to be fifty at least. “Morgan. Long time, no see. Is your mother home?”
“Devil’s horn-breath, you’ve grown up in the last twenty odd years.” Morgan’s eyes were like an oily caress, up and down. “Rex Loupe, and friends,” he added his eyes taking in the rest of them. “What an unexpected honor. Come in. Mother was just talking about you.”
A crackle of wards washed over Rex’s skin as he stepped through the door, Devyn still in his arms. “Does your friend need a chair of his own, or will your lap be sufficient,” Morgan purred at his side.
“My true mate will be staying with me.” Rex turned his head and showed his teeth.
“Ooh, a true mate. How delicious.” Morgan’s pale green eyes gleamed. “Come in and tell us all the details. Mother,” he called out. “Rex and his true mate are here.”
“That claiming was a true mate claim,” A tall woman sat in her chair in front of the fire. Rex’s wolf bristled that she didn’t bother to get up. “No wonder my scrying pool bubbled like it was on fire. Come in, sit down. Morgan will get some tea.”
“That’s fine,” Rex said quickly, taking the seat Ma Adams pointed to and letting Devyn get comfortable on his lap. “We don’t need tea. I just came to talk to you about the deal you made with my father.”
“Magic users don’t spell wolves with tea,” Ma Adams said reprovingly. “They can’t. A wolf can smell it.”
Rex felt his cheeks warm. Mother Adams was a beautiful woman, with long black hair that had a bolt of white falling down the left side of her face. Rex had no idea how old she was. Her looks never changed in all the years he’d known her. It was her eyes that mesmerized a person – hazel to the point of gold, they were direct, hard and missed nothing.
“A cup of tea will be lovely, thank you,” Devyn said softly. “Chamomile if you have it. It’s been a rather trying twenty four hours.” Morgan disappeared, presumably into the kitchen.
“I can imagine sweet omega.” Rex bristled as Ma Adams gaze turned on Devyn. “Please believe me. If I’d known your alpha had found his true mate, I wouldn’t have interfered or caused your distress.”
“I appreciate that, thank you.” Devyn wiggled under her stare, but Rex noticed he kept his head upright and didn’t cower. “Excuse me asking this, but have we met?”
“A few times. I’ve been in your delightful shop. You’re incredibly talented. I’ve also…,” Ma Adams rested her long finger on her chin. “Hmm, how to put this. Let’s just say, I was there when your home pack treated you like yesterday’s trash. Indeed, you might say, I was responsible for the bear that found you.”
“It was you,” Gregor growled from behind Rex’s chair. “I thought I recognized the scent. This boy was covered in it when I found him.”
“Someone had to keep him warm,” Ma Adams didn’t seem the least bit worried about angering a bear. “You were remarkably slow witted when it came to seeing what was under your nose. I damn near had to paint an arrow in the snow for you.”
Morgan bustled in, busying himself pouring tea from a giant china pot. Fortunately, he didn’t try and press the cups on his visitors, or Rex would have likely thrown it at him. His brain was still trying to cope with the new revelation, and Devyn’s emotional response to it.
“Excuse me,” Devyn said, when Morgan took his place by Ma Adams’ side. “Are you saying you saved me from dying in the forest that day?”
Ma Adams waved her elegant hand back and forth. “I wouldn’t say save exactly. I just kept you warm enough so you wouldn’t perish before the bear got to you. To be honest, your wailing was getting on my last nerves. I did think of taking you home myself, but then what would I do with a wolf with no back feet? I knew the bear was close. Damn thing was leaving his markings all over the place. I kept watch. I made sure you’d be safe, but it’s the bear who saved you, not me. I’m not that altruistic.”
“Mother Adams,” Rex bit his lip to stop his growl at the wince Devyn tried to hide when the woman mentioned his lack of feet. “Why do you need a wolf at all? I mean, clearly that’s why you made the deal with my father all those years ago. What did you hope to gain from having an alpha wolf under your control?”
“Nothing, really.” Ma Adams shrugged. “Your father is an idiot. Always has been, clinging to the old ways like it made him special. I’m surprised he has any pack left at all. At the time, he had no strength and I didn’t imagine for a moment any of his offspring would have any either.”
That was not what Rex expected to hear. “So why make the deal at all? You didn’t owe him anything. He was the one asking for the favor, not you. Why didn’t you just send him on his way?”
Another shrug. “I was bored, and I rather liked the idea that your father would always know he owed me something precious. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know he would use his kids as commodities. Any decent alpha worth his salt would never dream of giving up a child to a forced mating. He just proved my point on how useless he was, honestly. But still. The deal was done and here we are.”
“My father’s on his last legs. You did that to bring me home. Why bother, if you knew I was mated.” Rex felt his anger surge. “Do you know how close he came to having my true mate killed, all because of something he believes he owes you?”
“I didn’t know you were true mated. I didn’t know the omega was meant for you. Truth be told, I was hoping you’d come back, take your father out, and do some good for that wretched pack of yours.” Ma Adams hid a yawn behind an elegantly placed hand. When her hand came away, Rex noted the malicious grin.
“Your father still owes me. That hasn’t changed. Clearly, my original plans for you will no longer work.” Rex suddenly felt dirty as her eyes followed the breadth of his shoulders, and then shot down to his thighs. Thank fuck Devyn is sitting on my lap. Rex was sure his dick would shrivel up and fall off if she got near it.
“My father’s dying – at your hand, I might add, or your magic at least. Why should I pay for my father’s foolishness?”
“You wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for me. You or your beta brother standing so protectively at your shoulder. Your mate was another one who wouldn’t have survived without my intervention either, so I think you owe me plenty.”
Rex growled, even as the truth of her words hit him. “I will not mate with one of your boys. I’m already true mated. You might have done something to my mother, allowing her to give birth….”
“Your father, actually,” Ma Adams in
terrupted smoothly. “It was your father who had the issue in the spunk department, not your blessed mother. She was just the poor besotted fool who had to suffer his attentions. Why do you think your father hid behind that wretched second of his all those years?”
“He won’t be doing that any longer,” Rex muttered before he could stop himself.
Ma Adams laughed, clapping her hands. “See, some good did come out of this after all. Please tell me he’s dead. Oh, of course he is. That’s why you look like you’re trying to shit a melon.”
Rex was sure he did not look like that, but he was determined to bring this farce to an end. “Seeing as I did you a favor, ridding the area of Bovis, then any possible debt you think I owe you for the existence of me, my mate, and my brother is cleared then.”
“Hmm… close, but not quite. There’s still the little matter of your father’s original deal.”
“Our Dad’s responsible for that,” Tony yelled. “You can’t visit the sins of the father on his children, or something like that,” he finished, muttering, looking to his mate for reassurance.
Ma Adams barely flicked Tony a glance. “I can if I want to. You forget. You all came to me willingly, no doubt thinking yourself smug and safe behind the paranormal mating laws. But that young enforcer you have lurking behind you isn’t claimed by anyone.”
“He’s under my protection. I won’t allow you to use him, to clear a curse on an old man who doesn’t give a shit about any of us.” Rex ignored Rogan’s strangled gasp, focusing on the woman in front of him. Something still didn’t add up. “You still haven’t said why you wanted a wolf in the first place and why you’re pushing this when you could’ve made a claim against my father twenty years ago.”
With a long suffering sigh, Ma Adams turned to her boys who were now circling her chair. There were six of them, all in their mid-twenties, scantily clad and drop-dead sexy. Pre-Devyn, Rex would’ve sauntered over, dropped his pants and let those boys get at him. “Explain to him, dears, why it is we’d like a wolf to join our happy family.”