“Dante knows better than that.”
The Beta winced. “Yeah, I’d kind of like to keep my foreskin.”
Trey sighed at her. “Pain in my ass.”
“Pain in your cock if you try sending me home.”
And so the growling continued.
Finally they arrived at the diner and, much like last time, Trey received many wary looks. To her surprise, so did Taryn. Clearly the Brodie incident was still fresh in everybody’s minds. She picked up Lance’s scent almost immediately. Sitting at a long table surrounded by ten of his powerful alliances, he looked exactly like the big man he wanted to look. Scattered around the diner were enforcers and bodyguards ready to protect their Alpha’s at the slightest hint of danger. Trey subtly directed his own enforcers to do the same, other than Tao who came along with him, Taryn and Dante to the table.
All the Alpha’s stood, and all looked pretty insulted that Trey was keeping his Beta and Head Enforcer so close – it was considered a sign that he distrusted them. But then their eyes went to Taryn and she guessed that they had scented her condition and, thus, the reason for Trey’s cautiousness. She was proven right when her father spoke.
“Trey, Taryn. Congratulations.” Strangely enough, he sounded like he meant it. All the Alpha’s followed suit, congratulating them both and inviting them to sit opposite Lance.
“Thanks,” said Taryn while Trey gave them a nod. Dante and Tao stood directly behind their seat, alert and wearing ‘don’t dare try anything’ expressions. She hid a smile at the apprehension wafting from the wolves at the table. These might be very powerful Alphas, but they were still intimidated by Trey.
Lance introduced each of the Alpha wolves, though it hadn’t been necessary. Trey knew who each and every one of them was, just as he knew that each and every one of them had had problems with his father’s pack in the past. Much like Lance, his father had been good at making enemies. It was little wonder then that they were there, prepared to listen and possibly be present for the battle.
“Could you tell us what exactly the trouble is that you have with the Bjorn pack?” asked Lance.
Massaging Taryn’s nape the entire time, Trey explained about his banishment, his father’s death, and his uncle’s challenge. “My hope was that he would back down at some point before the twelve weeks were up. Instead, as ‘encouragement’ for me to give him what he wants, he ordered an attack on Taryn -”
“An attack on you?” If Taryn hadn’t known better, she might have thought Lance actually cared.
“- which very much backfired, leaving her unharmed.”
“It was most likely a trap,” said one of the Alpha’s – a very muscular red-headed guy with an accent Taryn couldn’t place. She didn’t bother to hide her smug ‘told you so’ smile from Trey, petty though it was.
“Yes, and that was the only thing that kept me from reacting.”
“This happened while you were pregnant?” asked another of the Alphas.
“If it had, he’d be dead right now and we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” replied Taryn.
Damn right, thought Trey. “The challenge takes place tomorrow. My uncle won’t keep this as a battle between two Alpha’s – he’s too much of a coward for that. He has many alliances, so I’m expecting a large number of wolves to appear with him. Nick Axton, the Alpha of the Ryland Pack, has already offered his support.”
“Ryland Pack,” repeated Lance. He looked at Taryn. “Your uncle Don mated into that pack, right?”
She nodded and smiled. “He sends his love.” Lance rolled his eyes.
A roundish, grim looking wolf looked at Trey curiously. “Nick’s a powerful Alpha, but his pack isn’t much larger than yours.”
“Exactly,” said Trey. “That’s why I’m low on numbers, and that’s why I’m here.”
“If you win tomorrow, what do you intend to do with who is left of the Bjorn Pack and with their territory?” asked Lance.
“Let me make it clear that when I win tomorrow, I don’t intend to make any wolves outcasts or distribute the territory amongst others. I know a lot about being out there with no protection or territory and I have no wish to place others in the same situation. Whoever is left of the pack will be permitted to keep their territory and choose a new Alpha providing they swear their allegiance to me. They’ll be expected to do the same for any packs who back me, but that is the most I can offer in terms of reward for anyone’s backing. So, in other words, if that and a chance to settle some scores with Darryl isn’t enough for any of you, it’s important you say so now.”
“So, all in all, we have the support of only one other pack?” asked Cam later that day over dinner, sounding both panicky and beaten.
“Two,” corrected Dante. “Nick Axton also gave us his support, remember.”
Taryn watched from her position on the counter as the faces of those at the table all melted into ones of despair. Seeing that she had – gasp – paused in eating her meal, Trey and Grace, who stood either side of her, scowled at her until she jammed a chunk of steak in her mouth.
Kirk gave Trey an accusatory look. “You said that mating with Taryn would give us the alliances we need to get through this challenge.”
“And you said Darryl would never follow it through,” Dominic pointed out.
“Didn’t I say it would all be for nothing?”
Taryn didn’t even see Trey move. One moment he was at her side, the next moment he was clamping his hand around Kirk’s throat and snatching him from his seat.
“All for nothing, huh?” Trey growled. “That’s my mate you’re talking about. My mate who is pregnant with my child. My mate who is also your Alpha female.”
“Trey, I know he crossed a line, but…he can’t breathe.” Brock tried appealing to Trey with a look, but it was useless.
“There’s only so far you can push someone, Kirk, and you’ve pushed me too hard, too far, too many times. One more shove from you will be all it takes for me lose it.” The fear wafting from his cousin satisfied both Trey and his wolf enough so that they were prepared to release him. Kirk flopped back into his seat, coughing and trying to gasp in air. Trey returned to Taryn’s side and she kissed him lightly, easing his tension slightly.
“What time are Lance and Nick each coming with their enforcers?” asked Lydia.
“They’ve agreed to arrive here at noon. I’ve no idea what time Darryl will appear, but I don’t think it will be any earlier than then.”
“We might not have only Lance and Nick,” said Rhett. “You’ve had a lot of messages over the pack web, Trey. It seems that word’s gotten round about the challenge. Apparently Darryl has earned himself a number of enemies over the years and they’re all offering to be present tomorrow to stand at your side.”
“Standing at his side as in actively getting involved in the battle, or as in literally just standing there like lemons?” asked Grace.
“The term means that they’ll be present and act as back-up if things go to shit,” Taryn explained. “Unless Trey looks like he’s losing, they won’t get involved.”
“They’re more or less just people who want to watch like nosy bastards so they can go and tell everyone about how they were there,” said Trick. Ryan grunted his agreement.
An unexpected yawn escaped Taryn and she allowed her head to drop onto Trey’s shoulder as she closed her eyes.
“Tired, baby? Come on, let’s get you to bed, you need sleep.”
“I’m not tired. I’m just checking my eyelids for holes. It could take a while.”
He chuckled and scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. “Bed.”
“You’ll get tired more easily over the first month of your pregnancy,” Grace told her. “It’s totally normal.”
Having said their goodnights, Trey carried her to their bedroom, liking that she didn’t fight him and allowed him to carry her. Once inside he carefully laid her on the bed and peeled away her jeans before then removing her long sleeved t-shirt. “What’s with
the glum look on your face, baby?”
“You’re kidding, right? Take your pick. There’s the fact that you’ll be in a battle tomorrow. There’s the horrible knowledge that we have a traitor in our pack. Oh and there’s the little matter of me being hidden away tomorrow instead of being part of the battle.”
He sighed and draped himself over her, kissing her neck softly, wanting to relax her. “Baby, you can’t be upset with me for asking you to stay clear of a battle.”
“I’m not. There’s no way I’d endanger our baby like that. I just worry something will happen to you. Any of you. It’s worse knowing I’m a healer and I can help but won’t be there to help.”
“I can understand how you’re feeling. I’d be going ape shit crazy now if I knew you were going to be near any danger and didn’t even have me with you. But I need you to stay here, inside. Nothing can happen to you or the baby, Taryn, it just can’t, I’d never get through it.”
“Nothing can happen to you either, so make damn sure you come back to me.” She fused her mouth to his, kissing him hard. He tangled a hand in her hair and tugged, reminding her who the more dominant was, and then he took over the kiss. His tongue plundered her mouth just as she wanted his cock to plunder her body, but for some reason he was holding himself back. He was so tense it was like he was bracing himself for some kind of impact. She arched against him and felt the very hard proof of his arousal. His entire body stiffened and he looked like he wanted to jump off the bed. “What’s the matter?”
His eyes danced to her stomach and then back to her face. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She groaned. “Is that why you’re holding back? Trey, you won’t hurt me or the baby by fucking me.” He didn’t look convinced. She sighed dramatically. “I suppose I could just get my old vibrator out or -”
He pinned her with his gaze. “Nothing goes inside you except my cock, remember.”
“Yes, and I remember agreeing that…but it was pending the applicable terms.”
“Applicable terms?”
“In situations where you’re denying me said cock, I get to dig out my vibrator and take care of the matter myself.” His face molded into a menacing scowl. Or, at least, he thought she’d find it menacing. Instead, she laughed. And cupped the erection pressing insistently against the denim of his jeans. “I want it. It’s mine.”
“Yes, it’s yours,” he allowed, “pending the applicable terms. In situations where you’re threatening to cheat on me with a fake cock, you don’t get any.”
Tricky little bastard. “It really is a good thing I love you and your cock, Trey, or I’d have had to snap it off for that.” An expression of shock replaced his scowl. She placed a finger to his lips. “Don’t say it back. I don’t want you to say what I know you don’t mean. Maybe one day you can mean it, but we both know that’s not today. I just want you to know.”
This was why she deserved a better mate – he was so damn wrong for her it wasn’t even funny. Still, she was staying exactly where she was. “You’re all there is for me, Taryn. I’m broken, baby. You know that. Before you…it was like those bits of me were just scattered all over the place. I’ve never felt whole. Not until you. You hold those pieces together. It’s not an exaggeration when I say you hold my sanity in your hands. Without you, I’d fall apart.” If that made any sense to her, he’d be surprised.
She stroked his bottom lip with the pad of her thumb. “Thank you for that. Now do me already.”
He sighed dramatically. “I’m mated to a nympho.”
“Ass.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The ringing of Trey’s cell phone had everyone in the kitchen stiffening, particularly Taryn who was sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist. Without releasing her gaze, he dug it out of his pocket and answered. “Hello.”
“They’re here,” Ryan informed him.
Trey wasn’t surprised that they had arrived at 10 A.M. The only reason he had told the pack last night that he was expecting Darryl around noon was because Trey didn’t want the informant telling Darryl he’d be ready for the bastard. “How many?”
“Dominic says there’s something like one hundred and seventy out there, but it’s likely that some of them are just there to stand at his side.”
“What about the three packs that offered to come and stand at our side, are they here?”
“Arrived an hour ago just before Lance and Nick. Everyone’s waiting just inside the gate.” They had arranged for their allies to arrive early, suspecting Darryl would make an attack in the morning time in the belief that he would be catching Trey unawares.
“Okay. Don’t let Darryl and his crew through the gate until I get there.”
“Sure.”
Trey ended the call and handed his cell over to Taryn. “I’ll lose it in the battle if I take it with me out there.”
She tightened her legs around him, wishing she could just hold him there and ask the others to face Darryl. Yes that was selfish and unfair, but she couldn’t help wanting that and she wasn’t going to apologize for it. This was her mate, the other half of her soul, the father of her child. If she had the right to be selfish about anything, it was him.
“I have to go, baby,” he told her softly.
She nodded sadly. “I know. Be careful. You have to come back to me.”
“There’ll be a lot of blood on my hands by the end of this battle. You know that, right?”
She pressed her forehead to his. “Do you honestly think I’d judge you for protecting your family, your pack, your territory? Darryl obviously wants to die. Assist him.”
Damn this woman got to him. Never had she judged him – not for being who he was, not for what he could and couldn’t feel, and not for anything he’d done or was capable of doing. He kissed her hard and deep, urging her into him, taking strength from her in a way that he had never been able to do with another person. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and took her scent deep inside him, let it flow over him and center both him and his wolf. He hated to leave her, especially right now. Every primal instinct he had told him to stay at her side and be her constant protector, but there was no choice. He couldn’t tell the other males of his pack to face the danger alone – that wasn’t who he was and it wasn’t what an Alpha did.
“I need you to promise me something,” he said as he locked his gaze with hers. “I need you to promise me that no matter what you feel over our link, no matter what you think is happening, you stay here. You don’t try to reach me, you don’t take a chance out there just so you can heal me. You stay here with Grace, Lydia, Greta, Hope, Brock, and Selma. You focus on keeping yourself safe and our baby safe. Promise me.” He wasn’t surprised when she gave him a look that could kill. A lesser man would have cowered.
“That’s not fair,” she said through her teeth. “Of course I don’t want anything to happen to the baby, but by asking me to make this promise you’re asking me to choose between you both, and I can’t do that.”
He cupped her face with his hands as he insisted, “Yes you can and you will. I’m not asking you to choose, I’m asking you to keep yourself and the baby safe.”
She blinked back tears. Her wolf whined inside her head. “If you died, I wouldn’t survive it anyway.”
“Yes you would. You’re so goddamn strong, you could get through anything.” It made him proud to have her. For the first time, he was actually glad that the mating bond was only partially developed as it meant that she had a better chance of surviving the bond being broken. Not that he planned on dying today, but there was always a possibility. “I have to go.”
Reluctantly she uncurled her limbs from around him. “I love you, even though you’re being an unfair prick.”
He chuckled, but the sound didn’t hide the anger he felt with himself for not being able to give her those words.
Knowing what was going through his head, she gave him a cautioning look. “I don’t need words, I just n
eed you to come back.”
“I plan on it.” Having kissed her one last time, he turned to see Grace and Lydia both crying as they had a private moment with their own mates while Kirk and Brock hugged each other tightly. Although Cam, Rhett, and Kirk weren’t enforcers and only ever worked as security guards for the gate, Trey couldn’t afford to leave them behind. He needed all the wolves he could get, especially since they needed Brock to stay behind – they wanted the females to have at least one male with them.
Dante had expressed concern about taking Kirk along with them since he was one of their suspects, but somehow Trey just couldn’t see the informant being him. They would find out soon enough – if it was Kirk, he would join with Darryl when they reached the gate.
As Dante, Tao, Marcus and Trick were saying their goodbyes to Taryn, Greta came and hugged Trey tight. “Take care, son. Rip the bastard apart.”