“I think he did and I don’t blame him.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed as he felt the heat of her anger through their link.
“I think I just officially lost my appetite. You go to dinner. Tell them I’m not feeling well. Or you can tell them you and Galen injured me when you both tossed your dicks around. Whatever.”
“That’s rude to Grace and Cade. They made preparations for this dinner. They’ve invited a lot of the pack over tonight just to meet you. This is my family and I’d be really hurt if you insulted them to punish me.”
He clearly struck a nerve and knew he should feel bad, but he wanted her at his side. Wanted to show her off and yes, he wanted her to meet the people most important to him after her and Galen.
She went still for long moments and finally made an agitated sound. “I can’t believe you’re playing it this way. This isn’t over, Jack. You will have a bill come due for this crap.” She buttoned her coat with shaking hands, slapping his away when he tried to assist. “God forbid I ever fucking do something for myself. God forbid I insult them when neither of them could be bothered to come here to help you move your stuff. God forbid I have feelings or opinions on anything.”
She left him to lock the inner door and grab his coat to dash after her. He locked the outer door and caught up to her at the corner. “Don’t run off like that. This freak is out there.”
“Jack?” She smiled up at him sweetly, but he wasn’t fooled.
He put his arm around her shoulder and she stiffened. Too bad.
“What is it, gorgeous?” He walked them toward Cade and Grace’s.
“Fuck off. I’m not playing right now, understand? I’ll go to this dinner because you’re right, it would be rude of me not to go and despite my wanting to twist your balls off right now, I do care that the people you love, love me too. However, you need to give me some credit and not treat me like I’m dim.” She pinched him, interrupting the protest he’d been about to give. “Don’t patronize me. You used that crap to manipulate me. I don’t like to be manipulated. Makes me feel like never sucking your cock again.”
Wisely, he shut up, but kept his arm around her as they walked over. It wasn’t far and the night was chilly but clear and the air smelled good. He had her at his side, they’d survived a disagreement and she hadn’t killed him or yanked off any of his favorite body parts, so he considered that a win.
Chapter Twelve
Galen was so angry he had to pause at his parents’ front gate before going inside. He knew she’d been hazed a bit, but the level of detail had made him sick. How dare they treat her that way?
He understood she wanted to stand on her own. Respected that about her. She was right that they’d gain respect for her when she handled things without going to him. But there was way more than the usual silliness. This was a serious offense against his mate and a breach of jamboree protocol. He was angry at them, and at himself, for not knowing.
It still felt like home when he entered the cluttered entry. Pictures of all eight de La Vega children and their parents filled the wall space. More pictures, more and more with added husbands, wives and children, sat in frames on shelves and tabletops. A discarded pair of rollerblades rested under a bench near the door.
His mother stood in the kitchen, her glasses perched on her nose, watching his niece April scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet.
Galen smiled, kissing April’s cheek before hugging his mother.
“What a lovely surprise. What brings you here tonight and where’s your wife?” She looked around him, toward the doorway he’d come through.
“What am I? Leftovers?”
She shrugged. “I like your wife, what can I say. But you’re always my boy.”
“She and Jack are on their way over to his Alphas’ house for dinner. It’s a big deal.” He smiled, knowing between the two of them, they could probably manage to keep Renee out of trouble. Or, well at the very least, alive. Jack’s entry into their life hadn’t been expected, but Galen was thankful for it nonetheless.
“Nanna’s got the cookies now, sweetie.” His mother shooed his niece out and slid the baking sheet into the oven. “Now, you want to be telling me why you’re here and not there?”
“I found out today that some cats partially shifted and threatened Renee. I also found out my sister called her a gold-digging whore and told her if we had children they’d be weak. I know you and Renee had a rocky start, but this isn’t right.”
She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. “Our rocky start was really about me. You know that, right? She and I are fine now. She set me straight. Your wife is a strong, powerful woman. That she’s as well liked as she is by most of this jamboree is a testament to that. It took a while, longer than most, but she’s settling in. Or I thought she was. Did she tell you which of us threatened her?”
“She won’t tell me. She’d told Jack some stuff. I guess she was nervous about tonight and revealed some things about what she’d experienced here. But when I found out, I demanded she tell me so I could deal with it. Mami, she’s obsessed with standing on her own two feet or some such bullshit. I appreciate that she wants to be strong, but how could she not tell me? Didn’t she trust me to protect her?”
“I suppose you shared with her that you felt her wanting to stand on her own two feet was bullshit?” His mother gave him a close inspection. “Though I don’t see any missing limbs. She’s more patient than I’d be in her place, Galen. As for the rest, of course she trusts you. If she didn’t, she would have run to you the first time it happened rather than working through it on her own. If she’d been in real danger, she knows she can count on you. Imputing anything else from her actions is silly. She’s human, Galen. Fragile. Breakable. Easily injured. But she held her own with fully grown shifters. She proved something to the jamboree and to herself. She’s a powerful woman. She didn’t tell you because she loves you and she knows how much this family means to you. She didn’t tell you because she needed to do this herself. And she did.” His mother shrugged.
“So we’ll just let it slide that one of our cats unsheathed a claw at my mate?” Galen’s anger tore at his gut.
“You’re the one who brought home a human, boy. Did you think that would be a cakewalk? Really? If so, you’re not very smart. As for the unsheathing, what if it was Beth?”
“What if it was? Mami, she went into Renee’s shop and told her she was pregnant. Not to celebrate with her sister-in-law, but to lord it over her. To use a wonderful thing to make my wife feel worthless. This is not acceptable. That’s beyond Renee and whatever her personal stance is. This is my sister, a subordinate in this jamboree, deliberately trying to harm my mate.”
“The punishment for unsheathing a claw at a human is beating. Your sister could lose the baby. You’re willing to do that? Because of something she might have done two years ago?”
“Stop with the devil’s advocate stuff!” He slammed a hand down on the counter.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I know you did not just come into my kitchen and raise your voice to your mother. Renee may be patient because you’re so pretty and all, but I’ve got eight kids and a pretty mate, I know your game.”
He hung his head. “I’m sorry. It makes me angry. She’s the best thing I’ve ever known. This is bullshit. My family should love her. How can they not? Instead, she comes here with an open heart and she gets shit on. How can I ever feel right in bringing her here ever again?”
“Of course it makes you angry. You wouldn’t care if you didn’t love her. You wouldn’t be scared if you didn’t understand possessing the most wonderful thing in the world also means you can lose it. Each time one of you took the first step I worried. When you went out into the world. When you began to bring dates home.” She gave him that infuriating shrug of hers. “Your family does love her. So Beth?
??s a fool. So Carlos is a fool. Six out of eight is good odds. This isn’t solely about us being shifters. All families deal with this stuff. Who doesn’t like who, who is dating what person. Imagine what it will be like when Papi gets old enough Max will take over. Oh the fighting! But it’s our way. Renee knows this. She knows she’s loved and while I know she wishes she and Beth got along, it’s never going to happen. I’ve already counseled her on this topic. Your sister is stubborn and myopic. She loves you, but she can’t see that if she gave Renee a chance, things would go much better.”
“Did you know Beth is the one who unsheathed a claw?”
“Your father found out. Not from Renee, but from someone else who’d witnessed it. Your father disciplined her. That’s all you need to know. It’s done and as far as I know she never did it again.”
“And no one saw fit to tell me?”
“To be honest, I figured Renee would have by now. It was eighteen months ago. She would have been well within her rights to do so. As far as Papi telling you, why should he? He runs the jamboree. He took care of a problem. There’s no need to make this worse than it was. She took her punishment in flesh.”
“I have to go. This doesn’t sit well with me. I can’t bring her around if it’s unsafe. My cat...”
“Your cat knows she is safe here. If you stop bringing her around the only person who loses is Renee. Everyone will think she ran to you. She’ll lose all the ground she’s won. She worked hard for that ground. Harder than I ever imagined she would. But she did and I’m telling you right now, you go to her and tell her you’re sorry and buy her something. Don’t mess this up.”
He groaned.
“I’m right about this and you know it. Go on. Papi will be back soon with pizza and several grandchildren. If they see you, you’ll never escape.” She grinned.
“So I just walk away from this? My woman has been threatened and disrespected for four years and that’s just fine and dandy?”
“Your woman came here the first time and said four words. Her eyes were so wide I thought she might have passed out from shock. The last time she was here, she was positively covered in children and your siblings who adore her. All this other stuff is meaningless. This is our world, Galen. She knows it and you know it. She stands where she is, not for any other reason than because she made it happen. So no, it’s not fine and dandy she was threatened and disrespected. But that’s not how it is today except for two exceptions and a few old-school cats from the jamboree who’ll be dead in a few years anyway, so who cares? I watch out for her. So do many of your siblings and their mates. She is one of us, even if she has no fur. She has power and, as I told her on the phone yesterday, if she singed a few cats who got out of line with her magic, she’ll be even more fine.”
“You talk to her on the phone? What ever happened between you two?”
“Of course I talk to her on the phone. Several times a week. As for what happened, none of your business, boy. Now go on before I maim you for being impertinent.”
“You’re bloodthirsty.” He smiled, for real this time. He would take care of the Beth situation. Carlos was in Costa Rica, but when he returned, Galen would rip him a new one. He’d never take his eyes from her at a jamboree gathering again. Still, his mother was right about most of the situation. Renee had stood on her own and proven herself a powerful mate. He would have to remember to compliment her on it. Only later when she wouldn’t assume he was patronizing her.
“I am. Where do you think you get it? Your papi is mellow. He’s a poet who practices law. Me? I’ll rip throats out and then read poetry. Now go to her. We’d like to meet Jack too. I’m interested to see what this bond you three share looks like. I can see it on you now. I was concerned about you, about you having to share someone you so clearly adore. Things are good between the three of you?”
“Mami, that story is very long. I’ll tell you when we go to breakfast on Thursday. For now just know I love them both and they both love me. I don’t feel threatened, which I worried I might. It’s early days, I’m sure we’ll have our rough spots, but I think we’ve got a concrete bond and real respect. We can make it through whatever gets thrown at us. Rosemary told me she came by and warded the house.”
“She did. And they went to the office and warded the entire building including the parking garage. They want to be sure anywhere Renee will be, will be safe. This mage sounds dangerous. We’ll be watching.”
His stomach clenched a moment at the memory of what Renee had suffered. How she’d been during the attack.
“What she remembered...”
His mother hugged him. “Is past. You’re here with her now. Get going and tell Renee I send my love.”
Remnants of her anger still clung to Renee as they approached the big building he told her was owned by Cade and Grace. Strong emotion pulsed through her veins, from Galen doing God knew what at the de La Vegas’ house to her own upset. Jack, she’d begun to realize, was hard to shake. His attitude was one of utter calm and total efficiency.
“Here we are. Let’s go through the front so I can introduce you to the guards. I want everyone to know you on sight. It’ll be easier for you to come and go if they know who you are.”
Oh how she wanted to stomp her foot and make him drag her in! But she was a big girl and she knew how important this was to Jack. She’d make him pay for being a dick later. Since she was there anyway, she really did want to meet his friends and she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit, at least in her head, that she was dying to see what Grace was like.
Two ridiculously gargantuan males stood just inside the doors. At first glance, the place appeared to be luxury condos, but once she got inside, she saw it was far more than that.
When the guards saw who it was, they stood at attention.
“Hey, Jack! You finally brought Renee to meet us.” The male speaking was gloriously beautiful. Tall, lithe, his brown eyes missed nothing as he inclined his head. A river of straight, fragrant hair the color of darkest sky slid forward.
“Akio, this is Renee, my mate. One of them.” Jack laughed.
She shook hands and tried not to blush. “It’s nice to meet you, Akio.” She grinned. “By the way, Southie?”
Akio nodded. “You’re good with accents.”
“I volunteer at a community center there. I teach classes on photography. When I’m there for a long time, I pick it up and my Boston thickens.”
“I used to think it would lessen. The longer I lived out this way, it should soften up.” He snorted. “Not so much.”
“Ha! So you say. When I first met you I had no idea what the hell you were saying about a third of the time. You’re way better now,” Jack said.
The other male stepped forward and bumped hips with Akio to move him aside. “I’m Tony. Jack won’t shut up about you so I feel like I know you already. Welcome to the pack.”
Tony was built like a tank. Short, red hair, freckles and an easy smile hid the predator just beneath the surface.
She took the hand he held out. “Nice to meet you.”
“Go on through. Belly was shouting for you about five minutes ago.”
Jack turned to Renee. “Belly is our nickname for Annabelle Warden. She’s the middle kiddo and a holy terror. She’s four so she knows everything and as long as it’s all about her, things are good to go.”
Renee smiled back, squeezing his hand. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was so very sweet. But she managed. There’d be an ass kicking later.
“Ready?” he asked quietly. “They’re going to love you. How could they not?”
“A question for the ages I’m sure. Come on then. Let’s get this show on the road. God.” She froze. “Should we have brought something? Flowers? A dessert?”
He pulled her through some double doors and the whole place opened up. They’d tak
en half the building’s apartments and gutted them, apparently to make one open three-story living space.
“This is fabulous. Absolutely breathtaking.” The view was of a rambling garden just beyond the windows and then down to the water and the cityscape beyond.
“You must be Renee.”
She turned and holy wow. This had to be Grace and suddenly Renee wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Petite, elegant and beautiful, she was everything Renee was not. How could she compete?
“You must be Grace. Jack has spoken of you often.”
Oh yes, this wasn’t awkward at all. She wanted to roll her eyes or punch Jack, maybe both. Instead she shook hands with a woman Jack had loved for years and pretended this was all totally normal for her.
“That you, Jack?” A man walked through a far doorway, holding a chattering toddler. Two dressed-up little girls rushed past him straight to Jack, who scooped them up with a laugh. So much joy on his face! It rushed through their link. He truly loved these children and these people. Wolves. Whatever.
She envied him this family, but was grateful he had it to draw strength and comfort from.
Grace had moved to Jack, her hand on his forearm as they spoke to the children. She’d been thoroughly dismissed apparently. The way she stood effectively shut Renee out of their little moment. She realized how very little patience for this sort of crap she had left. Couldn’t Grace be a normal ex-girlfriend who’d make pointed and backhanded comments about Renee’s shoes or how cute her face was? No, she had to be an uber werewolf doctor who looked like she could wear opera gloves and pearls and not look as if she were on her way to a Halloween party.
The man who had to be Cade Warden, and holy hotness, that man was something else, put the toddler down and within seconds, the little one headed to Renee on cautious feet.
“I’m Cade Warden. I’m very pleased to meet you. Welcome to National Pack.” He bowed over her hand and kissed it. He straightened and put a hand at the small of her back. “Would you like a tour while Jack remembers his manners?”