Summer’s Wolf

Chapter Nine

“What do you want him to do?” Tristan’s eyes bulged out of his head.

Summer took a step towards him. “Look, Kendrick and Claudius have done some serious things to me, to you, to all of you.” She turned; the pack’s eyes followed her as she moved. As much as she loved performing, public speaking was a much different matter. But she could feel Cullen’s self-confidence inside of her. You don’t care what they think of you, let them look, his soul seemed to be saying to her.

“If I understand this correctly, thirty-three years ago, Kendrick, your former Alpha and the father of Tristan and the Royal Six, came to you as a pack and wanted you to consent to being experimented on by the man who killed my parents, Claudius Brouseax.” She looked at Cullen for confirmation and he nodded. “You guys refused. So, to try to force your compliance, he found himself a witch who bespelled the mated male members of the pack to kill their mates.”

“That’s right.” Tristan interrupted her. “The men killed their mates. Afterwards, they awoke from their trance, realized what they’d done and then committed ritual suicide.”

“It’s part of the mating bond, I get that now. One-half of the pair cannot live a full life without their other half. The compulsion to end one’s existence and meet their other half in the next life would be almost impossible to resist. What I don’t understand is exactly why Kendrick thought this would make all of you want to be experimented on.”

Tristan shook his head. “I’ve never really understood it myself.”

Cullen cleared his throat. “I might. I know how his mind works. He must have figured he’d never get the consent of the whole pack. Mated men are stronger, more sure of themselves. By eliminating them from the equation, he had a pack of mostly younger, less secure members. He thought he could manipulate them by threatening to kill their future mates.”

Next to Tristan, Gabriel nodded. “But he didn’t count on our mother.”

Cullen laughed, his eyes shone brightly as he looked at Summer. “That’s right. Mary Jo did the unthinkable and betrayed her mate. She took the unmated females away in the middle of the night and cast a spell so no one could find them. Leaving Kendrick with thirty, angry, grieving young men who rose up against him instead of caving in. But we were all left alone without any women and no idea how to get them back.”

Summer knew this wasn’t entirely true. There had been two aunts who had suffered through the agony of being without their mates for thirty years to help keep the pack alive. They had transferred all of their power and wisdom to Ashlee before they committed suicide three years ago. But she had never met them and she was so sick of listening to the noble deeds of those who had passed that she thought she might gag on the boredom.

Not to mention that she wasn’t here to rehash the great love story of Tristan and Ashlee. She had her own future to think about now.

A future that would never include reconciling with her parents. That thought hit her mind like a flamethrower and for a moment she couldn’t breathe because of the heat that threatened to destroy her. Cullen put his hand gently on her arm and she felt his cooling presence within her soul.

When she could finally speak around the lump that formed in her throat, she continued. “Here’s my plan. Since my Cullen was Kendrick’s right hand man until the betrayal, I suggest he goes down to Mexico and pretends he hates you, hates this place, and he hates how the pack has changed.” She focused on Tristan. “He tells Kendrick that you’re a weak Alpha and that the pack is disintegrating under your leadership.” Summer saw anger flare in Tristan’s eyes. She decided she better hurry up and finish explaining her plan before Tristan exploded. “He gets Kendrick to take him in. Then he breaks me into the place, and we kill Claudius and Kendrick. No more demons. No more attempted deaths. We open the hotel free and clear of maniacal plots and mad scientists.”

That’s what her parents would have wanted. Summer couldn’t undo what had happened with her parents. There was no way to make any of that right. But she could finish the plans they laid out and ensure nothing bad ever happened again.

“What about all of the sick wolves they’ve created down there?” Azriel, the quietest of the brothers, asked. “None of this was their fault. They’re mental patients he’s abused. We need to do something for them.”

Summer shrugged. “I’ll set fire to the place before we leave. They won’t be able to hurt anybody.” She’d seen those mental patients in action. One of them had tried to rape her. Maybe, if she was given enough time, she would find her compassion again but for the moment she had none.

Azriel’s eyes got wide. “I didn’t mean you should kill them. I thought we could get them some help.” Summer rolled her eyes and then wished she hadn’t. The others didn’t need to know how bloodthirsty she felt. Az turned to Cullen. “Wow, she really is perfect for you.”

“Oh, I’m much meaner than he is.” Some low laughter met her statement and Summer tried to smile too. They all thought they knew Cullen so well but they didn’t. Next to her, he was a giant teddy bear.

Gabriel nodded his head and looked at Tristan. “It could work.”

She narrowed her eyes at the word could. “No. It will work.” Had she ever been this sure of herself before? She almost grinned at the thought. It was Cullen’s soul inside of her. Summer looked over at him expecting him to agree. The look on his face had her quietly gasping for air. He didn’t seem happy. In fact, the way his eyes flared and the strong, obvious bulging pulse in his neck told her he was downright furious.

“I didn’t say I would do it.” Cullen spoke to Tristan but stared at Summer. She gulped. His eyes flashed. What was his problem? It was a good plan. They needed to be proactive. It was imperative that they take the fight to Kendrick and stop letting him determine the rules of the game.

He won’t place us in danger. He’ll never agree to this. Her wolf, who had been contentedly quiet since the mating ceremony, spoke up to explain Cullen’s behavior. What did it say about Summer that she needed to rely on her four legged companion to understand her mate’s point of view?

“Gabriel can come with me. But not Summer. I won’t take my mate into danger.” Cullen’s eyes were all business, he looked hard, scary—the man she’d been fearful of, not the gentle lover whose soul she held with her own. Even like this she could feel her love for him swell up inside of her. The mating bond was such a funny thing. Cullen had waited three hundred years to find her. Fate had determined that he should live centuries alone before she came into his life. It was as if the universe knew who could love him perfectly. Summer felt grateful for his patience and endurance. She knew she’d love him forever, even when he acted like a mean, pompous jerk.

“I’m not staying here. If you leave me, I’ll follow on my own. If you send me back, I’ll just escape again.” She wasn’t lying or exaggerating. There was no way in hell he was going to leave her behind. Her plan required both of them. He glared at her but she glared right back.

Tristan turned to Gabriel who nodded. “All three of you will do this. Cullen will work out who goes in and who doesn’t but I think Summer is right. I think you’re going to need her on this.”

Cullen swore and Summer smiled. He spun around. “You’ll stay at a hotel in Cancun or I will lock you in the car.”

“Like hell I will.” Her eyes blazed. She could match him in this. He needed her, whether he knew it or not, and he needed someone to stand up to him. It was important that someone remind Cullen he wasn’t invincible and he wasn’t always in charge.

Cullen closed his eyes for a second. Summer didn’t want to imagine the argument he was having with his wolf. She knew his furry creature was on her side.

He is. But I’m not sure he should be.

Why is that? Summer felt incredulous. Her own wolf sided with Cullen?

Because.

That’s just plain ridiculous. I’m not going to be a liability to Cullen. Summer crossed her arms over her chest. A strange thought filled her mind. Can you communicate with Cullen’s wolf without my knowing it? Do the two of you have your own conversations?

Don’t be stupid. Summer’s wolf snorted.

Then how do you know he’s on my side?

Because I’m intuitive and I pay attention to behavior. Cullen would never indulge you on this by himself. His softer side comes from his other half.

Cullen sighed and Summer guessed he was finished with his internal discussion. When he spoke it was through gritted teeth. “Fine.” But Summer knew she hadn’t won the argument, he was just through disagreeing with her in front of the pack.

“Now,” Tristan sighed loudly. “Perhaps before it is lunchtime, you could tell us about the flying demons so we know how to fight them if they come back while you’re in Mexico pretending to betray us.” Summer didn’t like the way Tristan said the word pretending, as if it was possible Cullen might really do such a thing. For a second she imagined herself gouging out his eyes. Cullen’s voice brought her back to reality.

“They shed their faces every few minutes. During that time, they are vulnerable. Any other time, they’re vicious, deadly creatures. As Prince Theo found out.”

Tristan nodded. “And you know this how?”

“Do you know the story of how my parents were killed?”

Gabriel shook his head and snorted. “We’re talking about demons here, Cullen. Can we stick to that please?”

Tristan shook his head, ignoring Gabriel’s remark, and anger simmered in Summer’s stomach. Not one of his pack mates had ever taken the time to really know Cullen. As her beloved told the story of his parents’ murders and his coming to the pack, Summer took the time to watch the way he conducted himself. The pack members thought of Cullen as being akin to the bogeyman. Because she owned his soul, she knew how this hurt him. He hadn’t liked being the pack enforcer; Kendrick had used him that way.

He reached the end of the story, how he had chased down and killed his parent’s murderers and Tristan asked a question it hadn’t occurred to Summer to ask.

“How did my father get a hold of the men?”

“They all belonged to a group called ‘The Missionaries of God.’ Their mission, or so they claimed, was to rid the earth of so-called creatures of Satan. That included shifters, obviously those of the wolf variety, and all kinds as well.” Slight murmurs around the room told Summer she hadn’t been the only one to not know there were other kinds of shifters out there. “Witches—not all of them are as bad as the one who cast a spell on us thirty years ago. Wizards—slightly different from a witch. Vampires—you mostly find them hidden in caves and old European crypts. And skinwalkers—you’ll find them in the North American Southwest. The ‘Missionaries of God’ basically wiped out the vampires and the wizard population in Europe. Your grandfather, the Alpha at the time, wasn’t going to let that happen to us.” Summer watched Cullen gulp.

“And?” Tristan’s voice struck out like a sword, cutting through Cullen’s pause.

“So he told Kendrick to take care of it. I was only eleven, I hadn’t even shifted yet. But I remember them pouring through book after book on mystical endeavors. The women wanted nothing to do with it. I didn’t know it at the time, but they accidentally raised some particular demons. Kendrick thought one would be enough. But they come up in pairs. He raised them and he used them to track down and kill all the members of ‘The Missionaries.’”

“Bet they weren’t as easy to control as my father would have liked.” Gabriel scoffed.

“Exactly.” Cullen nodded. “First there were two, eventually there were two hundred. It was a disaster.”

“And yet the pack still let him be Alpha?” Summer’s voice sounded strained. She could feel the emotion radiating from Cullen.

“They never knew about the demons because I figured out how to kill them and eliminated them for Kendrick. I assumed they’d be gone forever but Kendrick must have raised them again.” Cullen looked at the floor.

“And that’s how you became the enforcer? Because you were the only one smart enough to figure out how to kill the creatures and were loyal enough to never tell the pack what Kendrick had done.” Tristan’s voice was soft, his eyes kind. Summer didn’t have to look at Cullen to know he wouldn’t like pity.

“They killed my family. I was grateful to him. I felt he was the only one with the guts to do what needed to be done.” Cullen paused. “I was very young.”

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

“A multitude of things.” Cullen laughed, but it was not joyful.

“Well?”

“There’s another wolf shifter pack living, I believe in New Orleans and I think they’re still in possession of your sister.”

“My what?” Tristan’s roar could have woken the dead and Summer couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Before long she’d be hysterical. Her mate really knew how to put on a show. Evidently she wasn’t the only one interested in the theater.

Cullen’s eyes glowed as they looked at her. He knew exactly what he’d done. Now everyone was going to be totally focused on the bombshell he’d just dropped. A sister? He’d just freed himself to make all his own plans as Tristan would be completely busy elsewhere.