A New Beginning

  Brooks wrung his hands all the way home, only half-listening to Sadie and Sophie chattering in the backseat about their day. Josiah let him be, and Brooks’ hammering heart only slowed when they pulled up outside the house, and David walked out of the stables, relief written all over his handsome face.

  Brooks didn’t have time to get the door to the bus fully open before David was there and lifting the beta from his seat. Brooks’ nervousness melted as the scent of his alpha enveloped him and calm poured over his frazzled senses.

  “Where have you been? I couldn’t find you anywhere,” David said into Brooks’ hair.

  A stab of remorse hit Brooks at the worry in his alpha’s voice. Sounds of doors closing and the girls talking to Josiah barely registered as he clung to David and let the feeling of being where he was supposed to be seep into him and set everything right again. “I went with Josiah to get the girls. I meant to tell you; I’m sorry.”

  David kissed Brooks on the forehead and then on the lips. As soon as his tongue entered Brooks’ mouth, the alpha pulled back. “You were with Jax.”

  Brooks didn’t know his heart could hammer so hard. Of course, David could smell and taste Jax all over him. “Yes.”

  Anger, curiosity, jealousy, possessiveness, and hurt played over David’s face in quick succession like a poorly edited movie.

  Brooks tried to explain. “I wanted to ask him about doing research as a job. And, well, I’ve missed him. He’s always working, and he’s like a phantom in our bed.” With you planted stubbornly between us.

  David’s face settled on uncertain curiosity. “Did…he say anything about…”

  “The three of us? Some. I told him he should talk to you without me there making you crazy.” Brooks wasn’t about to get into what Jax had said about leaving.

  David’s face softened. “I hope you know I don’t like myself right now. I can’t seem to help it.”

  Brooks smiled. “I do know that.” Brooks kissed David, took his hand, and together they walked into the pack house.

  * * * *

  Brooks wished he could be a fly on the wall for David and Jax’s conversation, but he knew his presence would keep David in a state of constant protectiveness. So, when Jax got home, Brooks walked across the lawn to visit Diego. He found the beta playing cards with Abram, Nate, Sid, Austin, and Mike, although it looked from the jumble of text books on the table that Sid recently had been studying.

  The group greeted Brooks and made room for him at the long game table Mike had built. The alpha was good with his hands; the table was both functional and attractive. Diego had arranged the piece of furniture in the middle of the room, and everyone had brought chairs from their own places. A single floor lamp cast a halo over the players.

  Diego glanced from his fan of cards to Brooks and back again. “We’re playing poker, amigo. Want to play the next hand?”

  “I don’t know how to play.”

  “We’ll teach you,” Mike said.

  The next couple of hours went by quickly, as Brooks caught on to the rules and began to play in earnest. They didn’t have anything to bet with, but pre-game boasting followed by heckling the winner was incentive enough not to lose.

  When the group tired of the game, Diego broke out the chips and dip.

  Brooks was in heaven as he crunched on the salty snack. “We never had these at the compound.”

  “That’s because there wasn’t a Walmart close by,” Sid said. “There’s something to be said for living in the city.”

  Diego headed for the small kitchen, and Mike called to him, “I got some beer when I picked up the snacks. I put it in the fridge.”

  “Beer?” Brooks glanced from one face to another. Only Sid looked surprised.

  “Yeah, man. You want one?” Diego opened the door of the small refrigerator on the counter. He worked construction and, like everyone else who joined, had agreed to turn over his pay to the pack. River took care of the over-all expenses and allotted sums for pack members for personal use. Recently River had been talking with Nate about helping him with the books, as Nate had recently taken some accounting courses at the community college. The newcomers seemed like a good fit, but Brooks was uncomfortable about the beer.

  “We don’t drink,” Brooks said.

  “Aw, yeah. Forgot you were carrying. Sorry, man. Sid?”

  Sid looked from Diego to Brooks and back again. “He meant the pack doesn’t drink.”

  Diego stilled, and Mike and Austin exchanged looks.

  Nate spoke first. “Are you kidding me? Why not?”

  “River feels drinking leads to trouble,” Brooks said. “And it has—at the compound we left. Everything’s gone to hell.”

  “We drank beer in my old pack,” Abram said. “One of our members got supplies in the nearest town and worked out a way to brew it.”

  “Besides, you’re talking about liquor,” Diego told Brooks. “Beer’s different. And we don’t get drunk. We just have a brew when we get together like this.” Diego handed Mike and Austin bottles and twisted the top off his. Abram and Nate had colas.

  Brooks wasn’t sure what to do. He knew he wasn’t going to drink, but the fact others were could be a problem. He looked to Sid for support.

  “I’ve been meaning to bring the subject up with River,” the other beta admitted.

  “What? Why?”

  Sid shrugged. “Well, some guys have asked me out after class, and I’ve had a beer now and then. I’ve done research. It isn’t as potent as other things. Some medical professionals say drinking wine can even be good for you. Besides, River never said we couldn’t drink away from the pack house. I heard he even dipped into some of the medicinal whiskey when Josiah had appendicitis.”

  Brooks shook his head. “That was completely different from recreational drinking. Besides, David said River got rid of that bottle of whiskey after that because he felt he’d set a bad example by numbing his fear with alcohol.” He turned to the others. “I don’t feel right about you guys drinking when it’s something we don’t do here.”

  Mike took another swig. The bottle was frosty, and Mike’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “If it was such a big deal, wouldn’t River have included it in the pack rules? I don’t remember him mentioning it.”

  “I don’t think it occurred to him, or he would have. We aren’t used to it being an issue.”

  “Bring it up to him later. What’s the harm in us having a couple now while we relax?” Mike looked at Austin, who shrugged. Not much of a talker, the other alpha sat on the sofa, one arm draped over the back, drinking his beer and brooding.

  Brooks knew he couldn’t do anything about the situation right then; and he didn’t want to press the issue to the point of making everyone uncomfortable, so he let it go.

  Later, Brooks and Sid walked back to the main house. Spring hung just around the corner like a promise. Brooks could smell it in the air.

  “Do you really think it’s okay to have beer?” he asked Sid.

  “It isn’t very strong. If you tried it, you’d understand. The first time I had it, I only drank about half the bottle. I felt funny at first. Kind of dizzy. But I kept eating and the feeling soon faded. After that, I could drink a bottle without feeling much of anything, and I liked how the beer tasted—cold and smooth going down. It’s particularly good with tacos at the place near the college. Drinking it made me feel like everyone else. I don’t like standing out, and I don’t see the harm in drinking it unless someone starts doing it to get drunk.”

  Brooks didn’t like being put in the place of authority, but as the second-in-command’s mate, it was his duty. “Getting drunk wouldn’t even be a possibility if we don’t allow it. And you’re walking a fine line by drinking it at all.”

  Sid frowned. “I haven’t had it often, and like I said—River never forbade having it off pack land. Maybe it’s the pregnancy, but you’re blowing this out of proportion.”

  Brooks took a deep breath and let it out before
speaking. “Just because River never specifically spelled it out doesn’t mean it’s okay. The way I see it, you’re making excuses because you know you’ve done wrong.”

  “Sorry I’m not as perfect as you,” Sid mumbled.

  Brooks decided to pretend he didn’t hear Sid. He was too tired for a full-blown argument.

  “The guys like it,” Sid continued, “and it seems unfair to make them give it up. Abram even had it in his old pack which proves it doesn’t have to be a problem for werewolves.”

  “If it isn’t that important to them, they shouldn’t mind giving it up,” Brooks said. “And if it is important, it’s a problem.”

  “But they like it, and they shouldn’t have to give up something they like if it isn’t hurting anyone.”

  They fell into silence. Overhead, a sharp gust of wind blew the clouds over the moon, leaving the two werewolves in darkness. Soon the moon would be full and the pack could run. Brooks couldn’t wait. He’d been restless lately, and it would probably be his last run before the baby was born.

  “I need to tell David they were drinking.”

  Sid sighed, finally giving in. “I guess. Feels kind of like ratting them out, though. I mean, Mike’s right. Wouldn’t River have said something if it were that big a deal?”

  Brooks rubbed his eyes. They were going around in circles, and he was getting tired. He couldn’t stay up late now he was carrying, and his feet and back hurt like a bastard. He slowed his steps, and Sid adjusted to keep pace with him.

  “Things are different here than on the compound,” Sid said. “You don’t see it as much as I do. I’m out around humans all the time, and they think nothing of having a drink with lunch. Most people don’t have drinking problems.”

  “All I’m saying is the subject needs to be addressed, particularly after what’s happened back at the compound. If I don’t mention it, I’ll feel like I’m lying.” Brooks opened the front door, which thankfully brought an end to the subject. Toward the back of the house, the sound of a baby crying carried through a closed door. Probably PJ, who never settled down easily for bed.

  “Goodnight,” Sid said in a reconciliatory tone as he headed up the stairs.

  “‘Night.”

  Brooks continued to the kitchen and drank a glass of milk. As he climbed the stairs, he wondered if Jax and David had had a good talk, or if he’d open the bedroom door to find David alone. Surely Jax wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. After what had happened between them in Jax’s office, Brooks knew Jax felt something more than fondness for him. The baby pressed on the beta’s bladder, so Brooks made a detour to the hall bathroom before heading for bed.

  Quietly, he opened the door. The smell of sex hung in the dark room, and Brooks could make out the forms of two bodies under the covers. Relief coursed through him.

  Tiredly, Brooks undressed and got into bed beside David. His alpha murmured something in his sleep and wrapped his arms around Brooks, back to Jax, settling his hands on the mound of their baby. Brooks wanted to know what had happened, but he’d have to wait until morning to ask. He closed his eyes and let sleep tug at him.

  Chapter 15: David

  As the last vestiges of sleep left him, David felt good. If the alpha had known that a simple conversation with Brooks would have taken so much weight off him, he would have done it a long time ago. And then he’d talked to Jax, and without his pregnant mate present, all feelings for his human mate had returned.

  As soon as Jax had walked in the room, David had known his lover planned to leave them. If at certain times David had thought he’d be okay with it, it had been clear at that moment—without the scent of Brooks’ pregnancy to confuse things—David couldn’t let it happen.

  After apologizing for how he’d been treating Jax, David had tried to explain he couldn’t help himself; his testosterone peaked when his pregnant mate was around, and there wasn’t anything he could do about that.

  Jax had expressed some fear that the baby would evoke similar feelings, but David had reassured him, even though he had no idea what would happen. All he had known was he couldn’t let Jax walk out of their lives.

  David had wound up on his knees with Jax’s cock hitting the back of his throat. He hadn’t been able to get enough. He’d practically begged Jax to fuck him, and this morning David was sore, but incredibly content.

  Gradually, as the alpha’s mind settled and memories of the night before dimmed, voices around him began to register, and he opened his eyes to find Brooks and Jax talking softly, hands clasped on the pillow above David’s head. The sudden onslaught of savage, uncontrollable anger rocked David to his core. He raised his upper lip in a snarl and sprung upright on the bed. Too late, Jax immediately let go of Brooks’ hand. David’s mind fogged with fury. Jax had been touching David’s mate. David’s unborn pup nestled in Brooks’ body that Jax had touched. David’s wolf rose from within and primal growls issued from his mouth. He was on the edge of a shift, and the touch of Brooks’ hand on the alpha’s back only marginally calmed the beast within.

  Jax rolled off the bed to his feet, stumbling backward as David moved into a crouch on the bed, black mist crawling over his vision. Only David’s supreme concentration held the shift at bay, but the rational side of him was quickly losing to the primitive need to protect his mate and unborn pup.

  “Fuck, David, cool it!” Jax backed away only to bump into the wall.

  “David.”

  The alpha could hear the urgency and fear in Brooks’ voice. Fighting for control, the bed shaking with his attempt to hold himself in place, David struggled to listen to his mate’s pleas.

  Brooks scrambled off the bed and hurried across the room to the door, as far away from Jax as he could get in the small room. “Everything’s fine. See? I’m way over here…nowhere near Jax.”

  David was too far gone. He growled, hunching over, eyes trained on Jax, who looked nervous. Brooks let out a howl, bound to bring the whole pack rushing in, and David still held enough reason to be glad.

  If Jax had remained still, maybe David could have held himself in place until help arrived, but the human made a move toward the door, and David lost his control, immediately shifting and leaping off the bed. Jax hit the floor with a loud thud but managed to roll onto his stomach and cover his head before the white wolf could bite.

  “David, no!” River was suddenly there, trying to drag David away, one hand gripping the loose skin at the large wolf’s neck and the other arm locked around its middle.

  The memory of Jax’s low whispers to Brooks, the sight of their clasped hands, and the smell and taste of the human on his mate the day before had the alpha intent on ripping Jax’s head off. The alpha wolf surged forward, jaws snapping, dragging River with him before the pack alpha finally managed to insinuate his body between the cowering human and angry wolf. David snarled viciously, white fur standing on end. The fear on Jax’s face both hurt and exhilarated David. I’m no alpha bitch, his mind screamed in triumph as he snapped his powerful jaws within inches of the human’s face, River only just managing to hold the wolf at bay.

  In human form, the pack alpha couldn’t hold the big wolf for long, and, sensing victory, David redoubled his efforts. Nose inches from Jax, saliva dripping onto the human’s hair, the scent of desperate fear rolling off Jax incited David’s anger rather than cooled it, and the tiny voice inside the alpha formerly pleading for him to stop was completely extinguished.

  With a mighty tug, Kane and Leo yanked at the white wolf, and River managed to pull Jax to his feet and push him out the door. As soon as the human was out of sight, the anger drained out of David and he shifted, falling to the floor.

  The room slowly came back into focus. Kane and Leo stood above him, breathing heavily. Across the room, River blocked the closed door. Brooks crept close to David, and the alpha noticed blood dotting the floor.

  “Did I…is he…” He could barely rasp the words out.

  “He’ll be fine.” River crossed the roo
m to crouch beside David. “Are you all right?”

  David let out a hoarse laugh. He’d almost killed Jax, and River was asking him if he was all right.

  “I’m fine. Gods. Will one of you check on him?”

  Leo left the room.

  River spoke to his friend in a calm, soothing tone, a testament to David’s earlier savage state. “It’s a natural reaction. Jax isn’t actually your mate, and you perceive him as a threat.”

  David swallowed, an occasional tremor running through him as his body recovered from the sudden, violent change that had overtaken him.

  “I’m sorry.” Brooks trembled against the alpha. “I should have left the room when I woke up. I shouldn’t have spoken with him. I shouldn’t have let him touch me…”

  “It’s not your fault,” David said. He wrapped his arm around his mate.

  “Yes, it is. I know how you’re affected when he’s around me. Last night the two of you seemed to have made up, and I was so glad. Now I’ve ruined it.”

  River got to his feet and motioned to Kane. “We’ll give you some privacy.” They left the room, shutting the door behind them.

  David inwardly took stock of himself. He’d never been so crazed his wolf broke through without prompting. It was terrifying to think about. “It’s my fault.”

  Brooks rested his cheek on David’s chest. “You were protecting me.”

  “You didn’t need my protection. Not from Jax.”

  “He’ll understand it’s just the pregnancy.”

  David squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know if Jax would. Not this time.

  * * * *

  David rested most of the day. He wanted to find Jax and try to talk to him, but he was exhausted from the violence of his shift that morning. Brooks brought the alpha soup and sat with him while he ate. David asked about Jax, but Brooks said he hadn’t seen him.

  Darkness had fallen when Jax finally walked into the bedroom.

  “You all right?” he asked, surprising David, who’d thought Jax would be angry.