Alpha Wolf

Chapter Eleven

Michael was more grateful to Scarlett than he could express. She really handled everything. He wondered if she knew how remarkable it was that she’d done that. Even as she’d stared downward and stubbornly looked no one in the eye except him, she’d managed to take a head count—the number forty-five still blew his mind—figured out who had cars, how many people could fit in each and sent a group to the grocery store to purchase enough food to feed everyone for two days. If they all slept in shifts, stopped minimally and ate in the car they could be at the dock waiting for the Westervelt boat in just over twenty-nine hours.

So far the plan had gone without a hitch. He was supposed to be sleeping. It was Marvin’s turn to drive Scarlett’s car. After she’d obsessed about letting him drive, which had gone on constantly somewhere between Chattanooga until they’d approached West Virginia when she’d finally conked out.

He opened his eyes, figuring Marvin and the two other wolves—Chester and Liam—

knew he was awake anyway. It had been so much easier to fly down.

“I still haven’t told Tristan we’re coming.” He needed to, considering they were about fifteen hours away.

“You could do what I do when I want to get out of having an actual conversation.”

Marvin glanced in his direction before turning his eyes back to the road.

“What’s that?”

“Send him a text message and then turn off the phone.”

Actually, that would be kind of funny. He wouldn’t do it to Tristan, though. No, that brother had too much on his plate being Alpha. Theo, however … the idea had possibility. Smiling at the thought, even as he knew he wouldn’t do it, he pulled Scarlett’s cell phone out of her purse. His was long gone, having been lost in one of the shifts during the fights that had gone down in New Orleans. That was the problem with the shifting process. Your clothes were magically destroyed and anything in the pockets went poof right along with them.

He dialed Tristan’s number. It rang three times and his brother answered. Even over the phone he could tell he was tired.

“My Alpha.”

It was the formal way to address his younger brother. Respectful and certainly something Tristan had earned.

“My brother. What number is this? I almost didn’t pick up.”

Michael laughed. “Sorry, Trip, have you been getting a lot of telemarketers?”

“Well, no. However, generally I know the numbers that come up. Ashlee programmed this thing for me. It normally says ‘Michael’ if you’re calling.”

If Michael wasn’t careful, this was all they were going to talk about. “It’s my mate’s phone.”

“That’s right. Theo told us you were mated. Congratulations. I assume you’re bringing her here since our missing sister has vanished.”

Michael swallowed. “I am.”

“What time does your flight get in?”

“We’re not flying.”

Ah … hell.

Just tell him. Scarlett’s voice in his head startled him and he turned around noticing for the first time her amber eyes open and regarding him.

“Did you decide you needed some kind of road trip?”

Every once in a while someone in the pack taught his brother some slang. Unlike the rest of them, Tristan had always been so serious; he’d never learned the vernacular that was used even during his own childhood. When he said things like “road trip”, it made the rest of them want to crack up. Not that they would, they just kind of silently snickered.

Michael often wondered if Tristan knew and that was why he did it.

Blinking, he finally spoke. “Something has happened, my Alpha.”

“We’re back to ‘My Alpha’ that must mean it’s a serious something. Tell me what it is.”

“When I got down here, I found the pack in total chaos. Nero had just died and two rival factions competed to take his space. One was worse than the other but they were both bad. My mate had been sorely abused.”

“Abused how?”

Looking up at the rearview mirror, he saw her face and she glanced down. Tell him.

He’ll be my Alpha, he should know.

“Physically and sexually. Scarlett was so beat up when I got here she could barely walk or speak.”

Staring at her now, since she’d shifted and found the magic that came with a wolf, she seemed better. Her bruises faded more every second.

Tristan growled. “Did you kill them?”

Adjusting the phone, he regarded Marvin. The other shifter did a good job of not making eye contact with him, as did the two wolves in the backseat. Even Scarlett acted as if she gave him privacy by not speaking aloud. He was more than cognizant of the fact that everyone in the car could hear Tristan as well as he could. There was no such thing as shifter privacy.

“I killed one after he attacked me. I beat the other one in a fight and sent him away.”

“I would have killed both of them.”

Michael knew this to be true. That’s why Tristan was Tristan and Michael was Michael.

“Anyway, I tried to teach the pack some of the right ways to behave. They really took to the lessons.”

Tristan laughed. “I’m not surprised. You taught me. No one understands Pack better than you. That’s why you’ll always be one of our top Alphas. Men follow you. You’re a born leader even though you have no interest in being supreme Alpha.”

“They’re all coming home with me. They insisted. They’re all swearing allegiance to you.”

Silence met him on the other end of the phone and he looked up to make eye contact with Scarlett again. She smiled at him in what he thought seemed like a reassuring manner.

“You explained what the situation is here?”

Michael closed his eyes. “More than once.”

“And they still wanted to come?”

“Yes.”

He heard Tristan’s footsteps in the background. Seconds later, he heard a door swing open and the sounds of outdoors filled the phone. “Then that’s fine. I’m always glad for more Pack.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Then why do you sound like you still want to vomit?”

There was no point in stalling. Inside of him, his wolf had laid down. Brother or no brother, phone or in person, Tristan was a forced to be reckoned with. Even over the phone, his power could make Michael’s wolf tremble from the magic he produced. “I haven’t told you how many there are.”

“How many?”

“Forty-five.”

He waited for Tristan’s explosion. Nothing but the sound of the Alpha’s breathing could be heard.

Finally, Michael’s younger brother spoke. “How far away are you?”

Studying the GPS in the car, Michael answered. “About fifteen hours.”

“Ashlee is going to freak out having to get everything ready, but we’ll make it happen.”

“You’re not going to comment on the number?”

Tristan laughed. “I’m overwhelmed. Once again, you have saved us.”

Michael blinked. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Theo told you about Dad’s numbers. There was no way we stood a chance, but now that you found us more people who want to join us, we might.” Tristan’s voice had a tremor and Michael had to blink away his own tears. He turned his head, not that it helped, so the others in the car couldn’t see him.

“They have to be trained. They’re adults but they’ve no instruction—”

Tristan interrupted. “We’ll teach them.”

“They’re anxious to learn.”

“You always do this, Michael, you always come through for us when all hope is lost.”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t, my Alpha.” If anything, he was a constant failure.

“You held us together for thirty years while I floundered. You saved my life when I was cursed. You endured Dad’s wrath over and over again so I wouldn’t have to.”

“Tristan, I—”

His brother interrupted. “Call me when you’re an hour away.”

With that, his Alpha disconnected their conversation.

“He’s wonderful.”

Scarlett’s voice was warm water flowing over his body on a cold night. It was heaven.

“He is.”

“Mostly because he recognizes how good you were.”

Michael wasn’t sure what he’d ever done to deserve so many people loving him. He would take it, nonetheless.

* * * *

Standing in front of the dock waiting for the boat to come back and take the next group over to Westervelt, Michael pulled Scarlett up against him.

“You okay?”

She’d been quiet since they’d arrived. Of course, that might be because there was so much organizing to get the boat situation handled.

“I am. I need to tell you something.”

“Sure.”

She bit down on her lip. “You know how I can see things? How I can see a story that someone tells, if they’ve lived the story?”

“Yes.”

“I saw the day you ordered the witch killed.”

He raised his eyebrows and let go of her. Taking two steps toward the water he found that this time he was the one who couldn’t meet her gaze. So she knew the full extent of what he’d done. She’d seen with her eyes that he’d ordered the wretched woman killed and bled to save Tristan’s life.

Well, there was probably some kind of justice in it. His soft, gentle mate should know what he was capable of.

“I would do it again.” He knew his voice sounded more like a growl than a voice and he couldn’t control that.

“Your brother was dying. He was going slowly insane.”

He laughed, looking up at the sky. How to make her understand? “Thirty years ago while I was asleep in my bed, my father cursed the mated men to kill their spouses. They awoke and started butchering them. As soon as they’d done that, they’d snap out of it, realize what they’d done, and end their life. Some of them didn’t even wait for the ritual suicide. They just found a weapon and did the deed.”

Michael gasped as he stared at Scarlett whose eyes were huge. “Are you seeing this right now as I speak it?”

She blinked. “I am.”

He backed up another two steps. “I won’t continue.” He would not have her live it.

The woman had been through too much in her life. By all that was holy, he would spare her the memory of that night.

“You can tell me. You lived it. So can I.”

“No.” He ground his teeth in his mouth. “Let’s just say there was no way my brother would have the same fate. Not while I was living to stop it.”

She walked forward and grabbed his hand. “I know. That’s why I want you to stop beating yourself up about it. I can feel the ache in your soul. Let it go.”

Her touch jolted him out of the rage he felt about that memory. “You … you … you don’t judge me?”

“No. I want you to stop judging yourself. I’m in no position to think anything about any decisions others make. Before you, there was no one who would have really cared if I lived or died. I don’t know what it must be like to have someone willing to kill for my safety.”

“Except you do.”

He sent the phrase telepathically to her and he watched her eyes widen. “You’re right. You killed Zack for me.”

“I would do anything for you.”

She pressed herself closer and he could smell her scent. Closing his eyes, he put his head down on top of hers as he embraced her in a tight hug.

“Mine.”

He wasn’t sure he’d spoken aloud until he heard his own voice in his ears. Up against his chest, he felt her nod. Good, she agreed. For a while, he might need reassurance about it.

Walking to him, he heard his brother, Gabriel, speak. “Sweet.”

Michael opened his eyes to roll them. Letting Scarlett go a little bit so he could look at the brother who was directly younger than him, he resisted the urge to tell him to go away.

They’d been close, probably the closest out of the whole group until recently.

Something was wrong with Gabriel. It wasn’t that he’d gone “bad”. Michael was certain that could never happen to his brother, to any of them, after what they’d seen and no one worked harder to uncover traitors than Gabriel Kane.

He was just harder now. Any softness to Gabriel had long since left and most days he wasn’t sure if he spoke to his wolf or the person he’d known for one hundred and ninety years.

“What’s going on, younger brother?”

Gabriel must have gotten off the boat that just arrived.

“I’m leaving.”

“You’re kidding?” When his brother didn’t say no, Michael continued. “We need you. We have forty-five wolves to train. Where is Tristan sending you?”

“He’s not in charge of this particular mission. I have someone to kidnap.”

Michael let go of Scarlett altogether. “What? Are you crazy?”

“It’s not your problem. Let’s put it this way, I’m either going to be a hero or I won’t be at all.”

Michael’s heart pounded hard in his chest. Gabriel was serious, dead serious, Michael could smell it. “Hold on. Okay? I’ll go with you. We’ll grab Rex and the three of us will go.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Sorry. If Rex were here, I would take him but he’s not.

He’s off witch-hunting.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Smiling, Gabriel took two steps away. “You can’t. You’re mated now. It’s different.”

“You’ll find yours.”

Gabriel raised his hands out in front of him like a shield. “Don’t wish that on me. I don’t need to be pussy-whipped.”

Now that wasn’t okay. “Hey, watch your language.”

“It’s an expression.”

“I’m not Tristan, I’m not falling for that. I know exactly what it means.”

“Anyway, I’m just here to say goodbye and to say I’m glad to see you’re not considering ritual suicide anymore.”

Behind him he heard Scarlett gasp. He whirled around. “Scarlett, I…”

She interrupted, even as she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You were considering what?”

“Sorry, man.”

Michael turned to look at Gabriel. He hoped his glare said just how angry he was.

Why did he have to go and do that?

He spun back to Scarlett. “Let me explain. Ritual suicide is…”

“I know what it is. We actually had that in our pack. It’s an out. When a shifter feels that he can’t wait any longer for his mate, he can opt out. Or if the other half dies, he can use it to follow.”

Okay, so she understood. “I had started to think about it. Not all the time. I’m two hundred and ten years old.”

Her eyes welled with tears and one by one they escaped her amber depths until there was a steady stream of them down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered. Gods, he had just made her cry. Suddenly, he wasn’t certain he could breathe.

She spoke on a sob, wrapping her arms around herself as she backed away from him.

“You would have left me here? Have I missed something in all the talking you did about mates? Isn’t it our duty to hang on until the universe presents the person to you? No matter how long it takes?”

He moved forward, reaching for her, but she put her hand out to stop him. It was a small gesture even as it pinned his feet to the ground. “I would have been here all alone and never known you. You cared so little about waiting for your mate?”

No! “That’s not true.”

Do something. His wolf paced inside of him.

Michael had no clue what to do about this. He’d worried she would be mad that he’d ordered the witch dead not that he’d considered the ritual.

“I never would have left before the war was over and really, what does it matter? I’m here. I didn’t do it. Fate brought us together.”

“I guess I was just lucky that happened before you got tired of waiting.” She wiped her eyes with her palm as she turned to walk onto the boat. “If you don’t understand, I’m not sure I can explain it to you.”

Keeping her head down, she walked the plank onto the boat that would take them to Westervelt.

Finally able to make his feet work, he followed her. “Scarlett…”

A growl stopped him in his tracks. Turning, he raised an eyebrow at the culprits.

Todd, Seamus and Barge had wolf eyes as they glared at him.

“Do you want to explain that growl?”

Todd stepped forward. “You just made Scarlett cry.”

Hell. He had appointed them her protectors, it looked as if they were going to take that duty seriously. Even if, in this case, they decided to protect her from him.

“That’s my mate.”

Barge shrugged. “Seems to me the lady doesn’t want to see you right now.”

Michael thanked the Gods that none of his brothers were around to see this right now. He’d never live it down. Set away from his own mate by the very shifters he’d explained the concept of true pack.

“You imbeciles beat her up not three days ago.”

Now it was Seamus’ turn to talk. “That was before. We would never dream of it now. We apologized and she accepted. What’s your excuse?”

As the boat moved, Michael wanted to throw himself overboard and swim. “This was something I thought about before I even met her.”

Todd sat down in one of the deckchairs. “Have you apologized?”

“I was going to when you growled at me.”

Barge shook his head. “I think she needs a few minutes. Give her a break to calm down.”

That didn’t sound like terrible advice. Moving to the deck chair, he sat down watching the mainland disappear into the horizon. “I can’t believe I’m taking love advice from the three of you.”

Truth was, he had no clue what else to do. His mate was hurting and she wasn’t wrong. It had been a selfish thing to have thought. Especially when she’d lived her life thinking she would never have a mate and no one would ever rescue her, but she’d still hung on.

There was no doubt. Scarlett was braver than he was. How long did women usually stay mad about things like this? He wasn’t asking the three shifters near him that was for sure.

Fix this. His wolf ordered.

He wanted to. Bad.