Braden grinned. “Thanks.”
Kane glared. “I can’t wait until you mature. Like I don’t have enough to do without cleaning up your messes.”
“Let’s change the subject,” Brand suggested, wanting to save Braden some grief.
“I agree. Enough,” Anton softly ordered. “You’ve all got one hour to pack a bag, grab whoever you’re spending your heat with and get back here. We’re going on lockdown until this is over.” He stared at Kane. “Patrols go out in shifts, with two of us and enforcers, no less than eight-member teams at a time. That’s how it’s going to be until the pride realizes they can’t win. I refuse to lose anyone on my watch while our father is down. I gave him my word we’d take care of everyone, and that means nobody dies.”
“Easier said than done,” Kane muttered. “But agreed. We stick together while we’re out and everyone stays ready to roll if trouble hits. I’ll call my brother. He took the night shift but he’s slept for at least four hours by now.”
Brand sighed. “Great. It’s going to be damn crowded here. I just took a mate.”
“So did I.” Anton gave him a sympathetic look. “Protecting them takes priority over privacy right now.”
“Is Dad safe? He can’t defend himself while he’s drugged. Maybe we should wake him.” Braden seemed nervous.
“He’s stashed with the doctor. The prides won’t find him, and I assigned three elder, trusted enforcers to stand guard,” Anton informed him. “We can’t risk waking him until after heat. The severed mate bond would kill him for sure at this time. The best chance he has of surviving is being kept in an induced coma.”
“We’ve got this,” Grady confirmed. “Dad’s safer where he is.”
“What about my fucking schedule?” Rave arched his eyebrows. “I have appointments booked with those bitches from other packs. Do I just have them come here?”
“I’ll call their packs to cancel the meetings. I’m sure their fathers won’t want to send them into a battle zone just on the off chance that you’ll pick one of them to mate. I know they want a Harris to add to their bloodline but they want their daughters alive more.” Anton shrugged. “It’s too dangerous for them to be here, and I don’t want a pack war on top of it if one of them were to die when a fight breaks out.”
“Then who am I supposed to fuck?” A horrified look crossed Rave’s face.
Braden snickered. “Your hand. It isn’t so funny when it’s being said to you, is it? I suggest you stop at a store and buy a dozen bottles of lotion. You’ll want the oily kind.”
Rave opened his mouth to speak but his cell phone rang, halting whatever response he was about to make. He grabbed it but shot a menacing glare at his baby brother before leaving the room to answer. “It’s my shop. I have to take this.”
“Let’s go.” Anton sighed. “We’ll kick some ass hard and fast so this ends quickly. I don’t know how I’m going to tell Shannon about our new living arrangements but it’s necessary. She had a hard enough time not being embarrassed having one of my brothers within hearing range of us in bed. Now she’s going to have an entire houseful to deal with.”
Brand said nothing but he hated the idea of subjecting Charma to so many werewolves too. She wasn’t used to them and he wasn’t sure how she’d react. Keeping her protected was paramount though. She’d be safer with plenty of pack to guard the house while he worked his patrol shifts.
Rave returned, his face grim. “Some bitch showed up at my shop. It has to be my two o’clock appointment arriving a bit early, but she mustn’t have gotten the address I texted her. At least I’ll get in one last fuck before I return. I’ll make a few calls about the bar too. It will be handled.”
“An hour,” Anton warned. “One. Make it a quickie and send her home, damn it. Don’t bring her back. I mean it about not wanting them endangered if shit hits the fan. Those women are alpha-blooded and their packs would take serious offense if we allowed her to stay in a war zone.”
“Got it.” Rave sailed out the front door.
Brand turned and motioned to Braden that it was time to leave. He wanted to get back to Charma. He missed her and hated leaving her alone.
Chapter Seven
The phone rang and Charma rolled over on the bed to reach for the receiver on the nightstand. “Hello?”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.”
The other woman sounded perky and young. “Were you looking for Brand? He’s not home right now.”
“Who is this?” The tone changed from friendly to downright hostile.
A stab of jealousy pierced her heart for a second and suspicion flared that the person on the other end of the line was someone Brand had been seeing before her arrival. She was torn between the satisfaction of being able to claim Brand as her mate and knowing the right thing to do would be to allow him to be the one to share that news.
“I’m Charma. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Did he hook up with you during the heat? Goddamn it!” The woman snarled. “That bastard. He was supposed to meet up with me in the woods yesterday but never showed. I just heard the runnings were called off so I assumed he wasn’t able to make it because of the trouble they said is heading our way.”
Charma winced, her suspicion confirmed. She wasn’t sure what to say, so remained silent.
“I don’t recognize your voice.” The woman was worked up, her voice angry. “But let me tell you something about Brand Harris. He’s a cold son of a bitch without a heart. He’ll use you and toss you away as soon as some fresh meat hits town. Ask any woman in the pack and they’ll tell you how sorry you’ll be if you think he’s a keeper.”
That pissed Charma off. “Brand is a wonderful, loving man.”
The woman snorted loudly. “Right. You keep saying that until you realize it’s just sex to him. You think you’re the first bitch he’s fooled into thinking he’d be a great mate? I could give you a list of people to call who’d tell you the truth. Don’t get too comfortable, bitch. Your ass will be booted out of the territory as soon as the heat is over. He’s a user.”
That was it. No one insulted her mate. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Peggy. Did I mention he hates kids? What kind of jerk does that? He’s nothing like Alpha Elroy. Now that’s a real man who values taking care of his pack and has a sense of honor. He should banish his nephew and do this entire pack a favor.”
“I wanted to give Brand the chance to break this to you gently but you don’t seem the nice type who deserves that respect, since you show none for him. Brand is my mate. He loves me. How dare you try to spread the garbage you just spewed? I know him better than you ever did if you actually believe that bullshit. He’s very loving, very kind, and he reeks of honor. He also loves children. He’s always wanted to have them with me. Did you ever consider if he’s cold to you, it might be because you’re a nasty, spiteful bitch? I’ll tell him you called.” She slammed the phone down.
Charma closed her eyes and cursed. She hadn’t handled that well. The phone rang again and she gritted her teeth. She lifted the receiver. “Hello?” She had a sinking feeling it would be Peggy calling back. She wasn’t wrong.
“He mated you?”
“Yes.” Charma took a deep breath and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. “We go way back. I just arrived in town last night.”
“And he mated you?” Peggy gasped.
“We’re as mated as a couple can be.”
“Son of a bitch! That bastard! That rat! That—”
“I’ve heard enough. I’ll tell Brand you called. Please don’t call back. I don’t want to hear any more.” Charma hung up.
The phone didn’t ring a third time. She rolled out of bed and entered Brand’s bathroom, grabbing his robe off the hook. It smelled of him. She decided to go search the kitchen for some chocolate. Brand loved the stuff so she felt certain she’d find a hidden stash somewhere.
The front door opened as she cro
ssed the living room and Brand walked in. He grinned, his gaze raking her from head to foot. “I thought you were going to wait for me in bed?” He closed and locked the door behind him. He moved purposefully, his intent to take her to bed obvious.
She held up a hand. “Give me a few minutes.” She fled into the kitchen.
Brand followed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied, opening his pantry. “Where’s your candy bar stash?”
“Top right, behind the cereal boxes. Hon, what’s wrong? You’re tense.”
He knew her well, but she knew him too. She found the box. It was nearly full. Her wolf had always loved his chocolate. She removed two candy bars and spun, holding one out to him.
“You had a phone call while you were gone. Peggy is very upset. I’m sorry but she said some bad things about you that set me off. I told her we were mated, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t real kind about it.”
His expression twisted into a grimace. “Shit. It’s not what you think. I’ve never slept with her.”
That surprised Charma. “She’s angry that you didn’t meet her yesterday.”
“She set that up but I never agreed.” He tossed the candy bar on the counter then stalked closer, boxed her into the corner and snagged hers to send it flying across the room. “Don’t let her upset you. She lost her mate last year and was trying to talk me into taking on her and her nine pups.”
“Nine? She sounded so young.”
“She mated at eighteen and now she’s thirty. Dan pretty much kept her pregnant because she wanted a ton of kids. He was a good guy, but had bad taste in women. She’s kind of annoying with her hyper personality.”
Guilt struck. “Her mate died? That’s awful.”
“Yeah. It was. She’d asked my cousin to stop serving him drinks at his place, so he went to a bar out of our territory and ended up taking on some rogues in a fight. He lost his life. We tracked them down and dealt with the ones responsible.” He flattened his palms on the wall to keep her in place but didn’t touch her. “I’m sorry she upset you.”
“I was more angry than hurt. She said some terrible things about you that weren’t true.”
“That’s Peggy. She’s kind of immature and tends to blow everything out of proportion when she doesn’t get her way. Are you okay?” He paused. “Are we okay? I never touched her.”
She stared into his eyes, knowing he spoke the truth. She stepped into him until she pressed against his body. “Why would she say such horrible things about you?”
He frowned. “What did she say?”
“You hate kids, you’re coldhearted. She pretty much made you sound like a jerk.”
“I told you that you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, hon. Some women see me as heartless. I don’t hate kids. I just didn’t want to take on her nine pups.”
“You offered to love any children I had.”
“That’s because they would have been a part of you. Peggy wanted a pup wrangler and she sure as hell doesn’t love me. She likes my bank account.”
“Your bank account?”
“I do well in real estate.”
That surprised her. “You were going to become the accountant for your pack.”
“Things changed after you left. I doubled my classes to finish my degree but I just couldn’t stand to be there without you.” His big hands gently wrapped around her hips. “I discovered I love tearing shit apart so I started flipping houses. You know. Buying rundown properties and fixing them up to sell at a much higher price. I started my own company and have done well. I’m not rich by some standards but we’re financially stable. I also help the pack as an enforcer. We get a salary for that because it can take up a lot of hours, depending on the time of year.”
“Like when you guys go into mating heat?”
“Exactly.” His voice deepened. “Speaking of which, I need you.”
She forgot about the candy bars. She gripped Brand’s shoulders and jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Take me to the bedroom. I don’t want your cousin catching us again. Is he here?”
“Yeah.” Brand cupped her ass, carrying her out of the kitchen. “He’s downstairs packing.”
“He’s leaving?”
He hesitated. “We’ll talk about that at the alpha house later. I must have you right now.”
He dropped her on the bed, turned and tried to close the busted door. A frustrated growl tore from him when the broken doorjamb prevented it from closing. One punch and the jamb snapped off. The door closed completely and he moved to the dresser, dragging it over as reinforcement, to effectively make sure they weren’t disturbed. He turned and hastily removed his shirt.
Charma removed his robe and tossed it to the floor, then took a seat. Desire darkened Brand’s gaze, which was locked on her breasts. She leaned back and centered her body on the mattress. It warmed her to feel so desired by Brand. He kicked off his boots and shoved down his jeans. She smiled at the sight of his stiff erection and licked her lips.
Brand advanced. “Don’t even tease. I can’t let you do that.”
Her gaze lifted. “I miss tasting you.”
He climbed on the bed, his hungry stare taking in every inch of her from head to toe. “I miss your mouth wrapped around my cock too. You have no damn idea how many times I tormented myself with that memory but I’m too out of control. I need to be inside you, and I won’t be all that gentle once I am.”
She reached for him, sliding her palms over his firm chest. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
“Nope. It’s just a warning. Roll over and get on your knees.”
“I’m not ready,” she admitted. “No foreplay?”
“We have to be at the alpha house in less than an hour. I’ll get you wet but I want you on all fours right now.”
Questions surfaced but he wasn’t in the mood to talk. She stopped exploring his rib cage with her fingers and rolled onto her stomach. He moved back as she lifted to her hands and knees.
“Spread wide for me.”
She parted her legs farther and Brand made an animalistic sound. She lowered her head and waited, hoping he wouldn’t just take her. Her body wasn’t prepared.
He fixed that by stretching out on his back, gripping her hips, and settling her spread thighs directly over his face. His hot, wet mouth located her clit.
Her nails dug into the bed. She’d forgotten how he sometimes didn’t bother with formalities like kissing her lips or even bothering to tell her what he was about to do. Her mate growled, sending vibrations to that sensitive bundle of nerves as he used his tongue. Teeth raked gently over it, too, and she threw her head back.
“Fuck, baby,” she panted. “Slow down. It’s too intense.”
He ignored her, focusing on one spot that drove her out of her mind. It was as if he was determined to make her come fast and hard. She tried to jerk away because the pleasure was too raw and intense but his hands clenched, holding her in place with no way to escape. Her muscles tensed and she gave in, not fighting. The climax tore through her with a brutal force that left her crying out, without the ability to even form words.
His hands released her, she was aware of that much, and the mattress shifted under her as he moved. She would have fallen over from the motion but his arm hooked around her waist before she lost her balance and his cock nudged the entrance to her pussy. He drove in deep with one fluid thrust, his thick shaft forcing her muscles to part and accept him. He dropped down to curve around her and used his free hand to brace on the bed beside one of hers.
“You’re wet now,” he snarled.
There was no denying that. Brand pounded her, fucking her deep. He was rock hard, thick, and moved fast enough that she had no chance of matching his pace. A new kind of pleasure began building, until she knew she was about to come again. Time lost meaning as she cried out, her mind blown a second time.
Brand clenched his teeth to avoid sinking them into Charma’s exposed shoulder. Her throaty moans and t
he sound of her coming sent him over the edge. He drove in deep, his body seizing as his semen blasted out, filling his mate. Heaven. That’s where she takes me every time we make love.
He almost snorted at the term when he stopped coming and could think straight again. He had her pinned under him and he eased his hold on her waist to make sure she wasn’t being crushed. That wasn’t making love. Guilt struck next. She deserved tenderness from him, not what he’d just done.
“Was I too rough?”
She tossed her hair and looked back at him. Her smile alleviated any apprehension. His hand massaged her, since he wasn’t willing to pull his dick out of her, happy to keep them joined at the hips.
“I’ve got nothing to complain about.”
He didn’t agree. “Sorry.”
Her smile faded. “Don’t. If you didn’t notice, I enjoyed that a lot.”
“I just screwed you, when I should have taken my time and met more of your needs instead of just my own.”
“They were met.” She wiggled her ass and tried to move out from under him.
Regretfully, he lifted up, allowing her to go. “I just missed you and hadn’t planned to be gone so long.” It was a lousy excuse but it was the truth.
She rolled over and sat, peering steadfastly into his eyes. “I like it when you get down and dirty sometimes.”
His chest tightened and he knew it was caused by the unbounded love he felt for her. “Is that what you called that?”
She laughed and pointed a finger at her lap. “You went down, and then when you were going at me, you were saying dirty words.”
He leaned forward and she flattened on the bed to allow him to ease down on top of her. He was careful to distribute his weight so she could breathe easily and continue to catch her breath. “I love you, Charma.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips with a brush of her own. “I love you too.”
“I just worry that I’m going to screw this up somehow. I can’t take coming home to an empty house a second time.”