She smiled and pulled me closer, "Wow you're a wise one huh?" she said rolling her eyes.
I nodded grinning at her playfully, "Oh yeah I'm the wisest that there is, and as your mate you need to do everything that I say" I said trying to look stern. Wow if she knew that our mating made that the other way around I would be in seriously deep shit!
"Oh really, and what if I don't? You going to spank me or something?" she asked raising one brow looking so unbelievably sexy that I almost lost control of my wolf and took her on the kitchen counter in front of her mother and my best friend. I gritted my teeth and didn't say anything.
Luckily the doorbell rang snapping me out of my horny wolf state, she gasped and looked towards the door. I turned her away from the door, as I kissed her softly, "Everything's ok, I need to get the door" I said as I pulled away kissing her forehead. She nodded so I reluctantly let her go and went to meet the man who technically had every right to rip my throat out.
I quickly opened the door to see two men standing there, I knew the one at the front was Brook's father, I'd met him once, at my mothers funeral. He had come to pay his respects and the respects of his pack. He actually looked a little like Brook, he had the exact same colour hair and eyes as hers but Brook's features were her mothers. The guy behind him was taller than me, probably about six foot five, he had light brown hair and blue eyes, both of them wore the same expressions, confusion, curiosity and annoyance.
"Alpha Logan, thank you for coming" I said nodding respectfully.
He put out his hand and I shook it quickly, "What's all this about? Your Jayden, Alpha Philips son right?" he asked frowning slightly.
I nodded "Yes sir, come on in, I'll explain" I said opening the door wider.
The guy at the back held his hand out to me as he walked in, "Pete Jacobs" he said nodding, this must be the Alpha's second in command if he's brought him along too.
"Nice to meet you" I said closing the door and motioning for them to go into the lounge. I followed them in and introduced them to Scott who insisted on staying here to meet Brook's father in case he was angry about the mating, maybe he thought I'd need help taking down and Alpha if it came to that.
Beth was standing there looking uncomfortable, "Hey Beth, what's going on? Why the cryptic phone call?" he asked smiling warmly at her. She looked at me.
"I asked Beth to call you, I need to talk to you about a few things which your not going to like" I said frowning hoping he would hear me out before he tried to kill me.
Brook walked in and Dom's face snapped in her direction, "What the hell happened to your face Brook?" he asked angrily as he stepped closer to her.
"Jayden will explain everything" she said quietly looking at me for help, Alpha Logan's face was so angry as he looked at me that I had to fight with my wolf who wanted to challenge him for dominance. Wow did he think I did that to her?
"I didn't do that" I said quickly, his face relaxed slightly as he turned back to her.
"You got a hug for your Uncle Dom?" he said holding his arms out to her.
She laughed and shook her head amused, "Sure Uncle Dom why not" she said sarcastically as she hugged him.
"I missed you kid, haven't seen you in a month" he said kissing the top of her head, she pulled away and came to stand next to me taking my hand.
"Ok let's get this done" I said nodding for him to sit on the sofa, I waited until he sat down before sitting opposite and pulling Brook down next to me. I tried my best to ignore the glare I was getting from her dad at our close proximity. "Ok so I'll just start at the beginning I guess" I said running a hand through my hair, he nodded looking at me curiously. "Well Brook and I have mated" I said.
He sprung out of his chair, I jumped up too and stood in front of Brook protectively. "You mated her? How the hell could you mate her? I didn't want this life for her! She doesn't need to be involved with shifter stuff!" he roared. I held up my hands innocently, ok better explain quickly before he goes for my throat!
"I needed to claim her, it's the bloodlines! Her blood called for me, I couldn't help it" I said defensively, trying desperately not to react to his anger, I didn't need to make another accidental challenge for Alpha, this one wouldn't be as easy I could tell. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, ok so far so good, I'm still alive.
"I forgot about the bloodlines" he said sadly as he sat back down putting his head in his hands. I watched him to make sure he was calm before I moved my body from the protective place in front of my mate.
"I'm sorry Alpha Logan, I should have asked your permission, I know that but I couldn't help it, we met at a party, it was an accident" I said honestly. He looked at me, anger still on his face but he accepted my reasons, ok issue number two. "Sir there's more, Brook was dating someone who turns out to be Alpha of the Tridents pack" I said trying to control my anger.
His eyes snapped to Brook, "Trey's a shifter?" he asked shocked.
She nodded, "Apparently" she said pressing herself against me as if she was trying to disappear.
"He tried to mate her, I think he wants your pack" I said.
He frowned "He wants my pack?" he asked even more shocked.
I nodded "Yeah, and he is seriously pissed that I've mated with Brook, he wants us all dead, he did that to her face, he's been hurting her for years, but he's gone too far this time, he's threatened my mate so I'm going to kill him and any of his pack that get in my way" I said sternly.
He jumped up again his hands shaking his eyes black, he was so close to shifting, "He's been hurting you? Why the hell didn't you say?" he growled angrily looking at Brook.
"Why would I say anything to you Uncle Dom? I didn't know who you were, why the hell would I confide something like that to you?" she asked angrily doing air quotes around the words Uncle Dom. I took her hand squeezing it gently trying to calm her down, she shouldn't speak to an Alpha like that, even if he is her father.
"For Gods sake! Beth did you know about this?" he cried turning to her mother.
She gasped "If I'd known anything like this was going on do you think it would have still been happening?" she said crying.
"I know that this is a lot for you to take in, but I needed to make you aware in case he comes to try and claim your pack, he won't hurt her again, you have my word" I said desperately trying to control my anger, I couldn't talk about Trey without my wolf trying to get out and smash everything to pieces.
He looked at me, "He's threatened to kill Brook?" he asked his face hard.
I nodded "And her mother" I said.
He clenched his jaw tightly, "And you're going to kill him first?" he asked, Brook stiffened next to me.
"Yes sir, we have a meeting tonight with my pack, I need my fathers permission before I can act, but no matter what he says tonight, Trey Newton is going to die" I said honestly.
He nodded "I'll come with you when you go after him" he said looking at me intently.
"I will too" said the other guy he brought with him. I smiled, ok I wasn't expecting that!
"Thank you" I said gratefully, I knew that I needed more backup than just Scott, not that I doubted either of our abilities but there would be a lot more than just two of them.
He nodded at me before turning back to Brook, "So you know who I am now?" he asked quietly.
She nodded and he looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry Brook, I couldn't have people find out about you, it would have ruined everything for me, this way I still got to be in your life, please forgive me" he asked her pleadingly. Wow he was a nice guy, I could see he cared for her deeply, it was a direct contrast to how my father looked at me.
"Jayden said that it would have been hard for you to have a relationship with me" she said playing with her watch uncomfortably.
"It was hard, especially after Emily died, but you're my daughter Brook, I'll always love you even if it's not as much as you need, and for that I'm sorry, but I've always been here for you" he said looking like he was struggling to talk.
"I understand" she said nodding, she smiled "I've always liked you" she said rolling her eyes.
He grinned happily, "Well I've always liked you too" he said teasingly. "I guess now it's gonna come out about Brook being my daughter, I don't think we can keep it secret anymore" he said looking towards Pete. Pete nodded slightly looking deep in thought, "Once people find out I had a daughter out of mating I'll be banished from my pack" he said frowning looking like he was thinking hard about something.
Brook gasped, "No! I don't want that to happen, that's not fair!" she cried her eyes filling with tears.
Alpha Logan smiled "It's ok Brook, I knew this day would come, I don't mind, you're worth it" he said looking like he was telling the truth.
"Well then Jayden, I guess I should be calling you Alpha Philips" he said smiling warmly at me.
What the hell? Everyone looked at me, Pete dropped his eyes to the floor and nodded respectfully.
No fucking way!
"No, I don't want Alpha" I said honestly shaking my head fiercely.
Alpha Logan smiled "Please, it should be yours, it should pass to my daughters mate, you're the only one I could give it to, if I have to step down and leave the pack without an Alpha then Trey could come in and make the challenge for my pack anyway, this is the only way I can protect them, Alpha should be yours next anyway" he said looking at me intently.
I looked at Brook, I didn't want Alpha of any pack, al I wanted was for her to be safe, I was only twenty, she was only seventeen and in school. We couldn't have the responsibility of running a pack! Brook looked at me shocked, "I can't take it, I'm sorry, we've only just mated, we're too young, I won't put that responsibility on Brook" I said turning to back to him.
He looked at me pleadingly, "Please Jayden, I can see your ready, I can sense your Alpha presence it's very strong, I can't let Trey take my pack, I won't let my pack turn like the Tridents" he said shaking his head fiercely. I looked at Scott who shrugged and looked torn, "Jayden, please, you're my daughters mate, the pack should be yours, either way I'm stepping down as Alpha as I'll be banished anyway, if you take over it will still be passing down through my family, if I step down the pack will be in turmoil until a new Alpha is found, you are the only one I can hand Alpha to, please" he asked begging me with his eyes.
I closed my eyes, shit I didn't want this! But he was right, Trey would join the challenge for the new Alpha and Bane's Creak would end up just like the Tridents, a lawless badass pack that didn't respect the rules. I looked at Brook again, I hated this, I didn't want this at all, but I already felt responsible for his pack, I couldn't let them end up like the Tridents either. "What do you think shortie?" I asked needing to know how she felt about it.
She smiled "I don't know Jay, you should do what you thinks best" she said taking my hand, god she was so damn beautiful!
"But if I take his pack then it will mean responsibility for both of us" I said brushing her hair away from her face.
"Jayden, you do what you think, I trust you to make the right choice" she said making my pride swell immensely. I loved that she trusted me, that she would do whatever asked her to do. I looked into her eyes as I thought about it. I couldn't see any other way to do this, he was right, I didn't want Trey to have his pack either and at least if I took the pack for a while I could step down in a few months and let them fight over it once I had taken care of Trey.
I turned back to Alpha Logan, "Ok" I said quietly. He immediately got down on one knee bowing his head to the floor, so did his lieutenant. Oh shit, what the hell have I done?
"Thank you Alpha Philips" he said still on his knees, wow I did not like the sound of that at all!
"It's ok, you don't need to bow to me like that" I said quickly waving for them to get up, I looked over at Scott to see he had an amused smile on his face, I gave him a warning glance making his smile get even bigger.
They both got up and sat back on the sofa, if I'm Alpha now does that mean I have the power to banish people? "Alpha Logan, as new Alpha of Bane's Creak I guess I'm supposed to banish you for not being true to your mate" I said trying not to smile. He nodded sadly and Brook gasped her grip tightening on my hand, "However, on this occasion I've decided that your experience and knowledge would be useful in the pack, I'd like to keep you on as a special adviser if your willing to take the role" I said smiling.
His eyes snapped to mine, relief clear across his face, "Seriously? Can you do that?" he asked shocked.
I shrugged "I guess I can do whatever I want, I'm Alpha now" I said wrapping my arm around Brook pulling her close to me. I can't believe I've brought all this on her already, she really didn't need all of this extra pressure.
"Thank you" Alpha Logan said gratefully.
I laughed "Well thanks for not killing me for mating your daughter without asking permission" I said a little sheepishly.
He grinned "Well she seems to be happy which is all I could ask for" he said shrugging. I rubbed my hand up and down her back affectionately, that was all I could ask for too.
"So I guess we should get going to the meeting Jay" Scott said standing up, I nodded glancing at the clock, it was almost eight thirty now.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow Alpha Logan about meeting your pack" I said.
He laughed "You can call me Dom and it's not my pack now, it's yours" he said smiling. I groaned internally, this was something I was going to live to regret I could tell.
"Right ok, I need to go and sort out this Trey thing then I'll arrange a time to come to meet your, sorry my pack" I said stumbling over the word.
"Do you think we could come to the meeting with you? I'd like to know what's going on, if we're coming with you when you go to the Tridents then we'll need to know the details, there will be others from your pack that will want to come with you too, Bane's Creak is very loyal" he said smiling fondly.
"Ok I guess you can come to the meeting, I'll talk to my father about it before it starts if we get there quickly" I said grabbing my keys from the side before taking Brook's hand again.
"Beth I'm going to need to you to come too, I don't want to leave you here on your own" I said apologetically, she nodded and slipped on her shoes walking close to Dom, he put his arm around her reassuringly. They seemed to have a good relationship, it was weird to know that what I thought was completely normal with my father was actually not the case if the person works hard enough.
The trouble was seeing him act like this just made me resent my father that much more, if he'd wanted to he could have been in my life like Dom was in Brook's. "Come on then shortie, don't worry about anything, they won't be in wolf form" I said squeezing Brook's hand gently as I led her towards the door.
Chapter 18
When we pulled up to the little field I could see there were already a lot of cars here even though there was twenty minutes left until the meeting. I pulled up close to the trees and walked round to get Brook's door for her, I couldn't help but roll my eyes when she let herself out of the car without waiting for me. "You not used to being treated like a lady?" I asked shutting her door.
She smiled "What's a lady?" she asked teasingly as she wrapped her arm around my waist.
I sighed, she'd get used to it, eventually she'd forget how that asshole treated her. "Not gonna get my door?" Scott asking jokingly as he climbed out of the back.
"Sorry, I forgot you ARE used to being treated like a lady" I said laughing.
"Damn right" Scott said winking at Brook making her laugh, I smiled she seemed to really like him which was nice. I could see he still wanted her but she had absolutely no interest in him in that way, which made me feel a hell of a lot better, I think that if I had any competition for her affections it would be Scott. I just prayed that the mating had worked enough for her to stay interested in only me, she wasn't a full shifter so technically the mating had only worked on her shifter side, hopefully that would overpower her human side and she would never want anyone else.
Alpha Logan pulled u
p next to my car, well technically he wasn't Alpha anymore so I guess I should be thinking of him as just Dom now. He got out followed by Beth and Pete who I guess was now my second in command, I'd have to speak to Scott about that. I always planned on Scott being my second when I took Alpha, he would take the position from his father who was my fathers second, but I guess now that I was Alpha of a different pack I couldn't really do that.
"Hey, you ready?" I asked pulling Brook closer to my side as we turned and walked towards the tree's. I could feel she was trembling slightly, she was nervous about meeting the pack, I think maybe she thought there will be over a hundred wolves running around or something. As we stepped out into the clearing I spotted my father at the top of the field. People were staring towards us knowing that Dom and Pete and Brook and her Mom didn't belong here.
"I'm going to go speak to my father, Scott look after Brook for me ok? Don't let anyone giver her shit" I said sternly, glaring at a couple of girls who were still looking at her jealously. He threw his arm over her shoulder and I felt my wolf want to rip his arm off, I forced him away and kissed the top of her head, "Be right back ok?" I whispered. I turned to walk off but she grabbed my hand making me stop, as I looked back at her she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me hard. Oh my fucking god, is she kidding me right now? Everyone is watching and she makes me get a fucking boner? Damn this girl!
I pressed myself to her making the most of the kiss before I pulled away, "Sorry, but the girls were looking at you" she said apologetically. I laughed and shook my head amused, how the hell could she be jealous of these girls? She knows I don't want any of them!