Bully Alpha Daddy (Gold Wolves Black Ops #1)

Chapter 8 - Declan

Mira froze, her eyes growing wide. Fear radiated off her in waves.

“Mira?” Jackson had materialized as if summoned by her palpable fright. When Mira remained frozen and silent, he turned to me and Will. “What happened? What did you say?”

“Just that her old pack alpha was here and wanted to speak with her.” Will glanced at me. “You as well, Declan. He said it was a matter between him, Mira, and the alpha of the pack.”

The words seemed to reanimate Mira. Her head spun toward me. “Tell him I’m not here,” she said.

“What’s going on?” I demanded.

She hesitated, eyes darting all over the place. “It’s complicated,” she said. “I’ll explain everything, I promise. Just please, tell him I’m not here.”

“I can’t,” Will said apologetically. “He knows you’re here. He recognized your scent.”

The rest of the little remaining color that lingered in her face melted away. It was obvious by the rigid set of her jaw and body that she was trying her best to appear calm and composed. However, the steeliness didn’t quite reach her eyes. They darted from face to face like shifting emeralds, the faintest hint of fear lingering in their depths.

“Did he say why?” I asked.

Will shook his head. “Just said it was important and a matter of inter-pack relations.”

I glanced back to Mira. When her eyes met mine, I asked, “How bad is it?”

She swallowed. “Pretty bad,” she finally admitted.

“Figures,” I sighed. Will watched expectantly, along with most of the Gold Wolves, who had begun to notice something was wrong. To him, I said, “Show him into the office. We’ll meet him there in a minute.”

The instant I said this, Mira took several steps back, shaking her head. “I can’t go talk to him,” she said. “I just can’t.”

“Do it,” I growled to Will. He gave a curt nod, glancing at Mira curiously, then turned and returned to the front of the house. Once he had vanished through the hall, I turned back to Mira.

“Please don’t make me do this,” she pleaded.

“I don’t have a choice,” I said. “If he’s here because of something to do with the inter-pack treaties, then as alpha, I have to give him an audience. And if it involves you and he’s requested you being there, then I have to comply.” If it weren’t for that fact, I probably would have turned him away just because of how terrified Mira clearly was.

“I don’t have to be there,” she said.

“Yes, you do.”

The look on her face made me wish I could tell her otherwise. She looked like a frightened deer, ready to sprint into the woods, but I couldn’t let her.

“Please,” she whispered, so softly that it only carried to me.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” I said reassuringly. “I’m coming with you.”

She opened her mouth as though she was about to object, but then she closed it again and gave a short jerk of the head. “Thank you,” she said, though the words were barely audible.

I put my hand on my shoulder, trying to give her some sort of comfort, some way she could ground herself. I turned to Chris, who had come over to the group when he had sensed trouble. “Chris, do me a favor,” I said. “Take Dani to the playroom and keep her there until this is all sorted out, okay?” I didn’t like the idea of another alpha being in my house without advanced warning. The presumptuousness of it made my wolf snarl and bristle. I wasn’t going to let Dani stay unattended until I knew she was safe.

Chris nodded. “I saw her hiding under the kitchen table,” he said. “I’ll take care of her.”

“If she gives you any trouble, tell her she’ll have words with me after,” I growled. I wasn’t too worried, though. She seemed to listen to Chris more than the others.

When he vanished as he headed toward the kitchen, I turned back to Mira, who still looked pale as a ghost. I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “It’s going to be okay,” I promised. “Let’s get this over with.”

We walked through the house to my office, Mira a half-step behind me. I could smell the anxiety mixing with her scent. The fact that this alpha scared Mira this much made my blood boil. What the hell had happened at her old pack to make her this frightened? I’d known it was something bad, but it appeared I had underestimated the severity.

Nolan and Trent stood by the door, waiting for us. They glanced at Mira curiously before turning their attention back to me.

“He’s in there,” Nolan said. “Will is with him.”

“Stay out here,” I told Trent and Nolan. They nodded, taking up posts on either side of the door. Jackson lingered behind Mira, hovering just behind her and to the right like an overprotective shadow. He saw me watching and seemed to know immediately what I was thinking. A low, menacing growl radiated from his throat.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m sure as hell not waiting out here,” Jackson snarled. “I’m staying with her. Fight me if you want.”

“You’re my second,” I said. “Of course you can come in.” With another alpha on the other side of the door, I wouldn’t have risked him overhearing an argument even if I hadn’t wanted Jackson in the room. Still, I shot him a silent warning look that said keep your claws and fangs to yourself unless I say otherwise. His eyes flickered reluctantly, but he gave a brief, jerky nod of understanding.

“Come on,” I said to Mira. My hand went to the small of her back. I felt her stiffen beneath my fingers before relaxing into the touch. She glanced up at me, a mix of something that might have been reluctant trust and unease melding in her eyes. She didn’t want to rely on me, but she also knew she had no other option.

I opened the door.

“Ah, Mira.” Harrison smiled, eyes looking her up and down. “I was wondering where you had run off to. You’d given us quite a fright.”

Mira’s jaw tightened, but she stared back at Harrison, not saying anything.

I stepped forward. “I’m Declan. The Gold Wolves alpha,” I said. Something in Harrison’s expression flickered, something akin to alarm. But beyond that, he showed no signs of recognizing the name. “This is Jackson, my second.”

Harrison glanced between Jackson and Mira as if noting their similar eye shape and identical sharp nose. If he recognized they were siblings, he didn’t give any indication. He seemed too preoccupied with Mira to notice anything else.

“Pleasure. I’m Harrison. This is my second, Rex.”

Harrison held out his hand for me to shake it. I didn’t take it. After a moment, he lowered his hand. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to speak with you, too.”

“So I heard,” I said. “Will, do me a favor and stay outside with the others.” Once the door had shut behind him, I asked, “What about?”

“I’m here to take Mira back to our pack,” Harrison said.

Behind me, I sensed Mira stiffening and could smell her anxiety mount. My wolf snarled, flexing his claws. He didn’t like the other alpha’s oily smile or presumptuous manner. He particularly didn’t like the borderline lecherous leer he was giving Mira. I took a step in front of her, blocking his view.

“Why?” I asked.

Harrison raised an eyebrow. “Are we really going to do this song and dance?” he asked, sounding bored.

“She’s not going anywhere unless she wants to,” I growled.

Harrison snorted. “That’s not her choice to make. Or yours, for that matter.” He pointed behind me at Mira. “That woman is a runaway and a murderer.”

Out of everything he could have possibly said, I hadn’t anticipated that. For the first time, I felt off-balance, temporarily stunned by the statement. Mira was the last person I would ever have expected to be accused of murder. It sounded so far off the mark that I nearly laughed. I probably would have had Mira not flinched at the declaration, as though he had said exactly what she had anticipated.

“What?” Jackson snarled behind me. He took a step toward Harrison. “You’ve got some nerve, asshole.”

I held up a hand. Jackson fell silent, though I could still sense his anger as he stood to my right, simmering. I, for my part, tried to keep my expression neutral even as indignation on Mira’s behalf bubbled inside me. I studied Mira out of the corner of my eye, trying not to give my own thoughts and emotions away. Her eyes met mine. Her jaw set as she gave the faintest hint of a head shake, trying to tell me it wasn’t true. I believed her.

Turning my attention back to Harrison, I deliberated my options. The polite way of handling this would be to remain diplomatic. But the threatening bravado he kept throwing out made my wolf want to tear out his throat. I wasn’t going to let him get away with idle threats and brashness. He was clearly the type of person who was used to getting his way. A big fish in a small pond. I wasn’t going to let him get away with this.

“I’ve known Mira for a long time,” I said. “I have a hard time believing that this woman—” I jerked my head toward her “—is capable of murder. So you’re going to have to be pretty damn convincing if you think I’m going to believe you.”

Harrison’s eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms. “That’s none of your business,” he growled. “She’s under suspicion of murder. As per inter-pack rules, you’re obligated to hand her over to me so she can stand trial.”

I turned my head just enough to look at Mira, trying to read her expression. She looked like she had sunk into herself, as if she were a turtle trying to retreat into its shell. But when she met my gaze, she’d replaced some of the fear with earnest determination. She was frightened but didn’t plan on leaving without a fight. I had to admire her for that. Even if I hadn’t been certain of her innocence before, I would have done what I did next for that alone.

I turned back to Harrison. “No,” I said.

Behind me, Mira sucked in a breath. I couldn’t tell if it was out of shock or relief.

Harrison froze. His eyes narrowed, and he took several steps toward me. I stood my ground, watching as he approached, refusing to break eye contact. “What did you say?” he hissed.

“I said no. I’m pack alpha. Mira lives with me. As such, she is under my protection.”

To his credit, he didn’t back down, even as I towered a good six inches over him. “Are you saying she’s part of your pack now?” he asked. The mocking, skeptical tone nearly made me claw his throat there and then. I didn’t need my years of special-ops training to know what this guy was about. It was obvious he felt entitled to Mira and had expected me to just hand her over without a fight.

He had picked the wrong alpha.

“Yes,” I said. “I would have thought that was obvious at this point. And I’m not going to hand her over. As I said, she’s under my protection.”

Surprise flickered across Harrison’s face. His cheeks turned ruddy, as if he’d been drinking.

“You’re going to protect a murderer?” he demanded.

“As I said, I don’t believe she’s a murderer. Unless you have concrete evidence of some crime, then I have no obligation to hand her over. In fact, as a member of my pack, I have a duty to protect her against unwarranted accusations.” I gave a sinister grin that showed my sharpened fangs. “And these certainly sound unwarranted. Any particular reason you’re antagonizing an innocent woman?”

Harrison quivered with barely contained rage. His eyes turned wolf, and I could tell he wanted to fight. Hell, I would welcome it. I’d show him the consequences of picking on Mira. But he seemed to register Jackson and Nolan on either side of me. Jackson looked as ready to murder Harrison as I did.

The other alpha glanced at his own men, clearly not as willing to fight. He let out a low, frustrated growl and seemed to decide on a different strategy.

“Wolves can’t just join another pack. They have to marry into it.” He jerked his head at Mira. “That’s why she was such a loner. She never learned her lesson.”

“Watch it,” Jackson snarled, taking a half-step toward Harrison. Rex growled, moving to protect his alpha in case Jackson tried anything. I growled at Jackson, who stopped reluctantly in his tracks. In truth, I wanted to tear into Harrison as much as Jackson did.

Peering over at Mira, I saw her staring straight at Harrison, her chin out and her jaw set. But I could see the fear in her eyes. The fact that this asshole elicited this kind of response in her made me want to rip him limb from limb even more.

She glanced at me, then away. She needed me, needed my help. There was only one thing I could think of that would guarantee her safety, only I wasn’t sure if she would be particularly enthused about the idea. But it was the only way. She would have to deal with it.

I took a step back, entwining Mira’s hand in mine. I could feel her hand stiffen, and I gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Mira is my mate,” I said.

Jackson’s head whipped around to stare at me. I didn’t look in his direction. Next to me, I could sense Mira’s shock, heard the barely audible intake of breath. Her hand didn’t leave mine. If anything, her grip tightened.

Harrison snorted, his expression derisive at first, then skeptical when I didn’t move my gaze from him. His eyes narrowed. He took several steps toward Mira, stopping when I let out a snarl of warning for him not to get closer. He halted but leaned forward and gave a deliberate, exaggerated sniff.

“I don’t smell you on her,” he snarled.

“The ceremony’s tomorrow,” I responded. Again, I squeezed Mira’s hand.

Harrison’s eyes darkened. “I don’t believe you.”

“Believe whatever you want to believe,” I said, shrugging. “The ceremony’s tomorrow. And, as per inter-pack treaties, I am under no obligation to hand over my mate. As I’m sure you’re aware.”

Harrison’s expression curled into an ugly sneer as he glowered first at me, then at Mira. “This isn’t over,” he threatened.

“Yes. It is.” I squeezed Mira’s hand tighter, not taking my eyes off Harrison.

“This whole thing reeks of bullshit,” Harrison said. He took a step toward Mira, arm twitching as if preparing to grab her. My wolf howled in rage at the other alpha’s gall, and my own anger surged.

“Take one more step toward my mate, and you’ll lose your arm,” I said. There was not a hint of bravado or threat in the words. Just cool certainty and truth.

Harrison froze.

“This conversation is over,” I continued. Still holding Mira’s hand, I strolled to the door and flung it open, revealing the other Gold Wolves all lurking on the other side, clearly trying to listen in. They straightened as the door opened, none of them looking remotely guilty. Still, their spec-ops skills were already rusty if they were this obvious about it. It would have been amusing if I weren’t so angry.

“Will, Trent, please show these gentlemen out,” I said. I would have done it myself, but I didn’t want to leave Mira alone, and I was fairly certain Jackson would have killed me had I sent him away after everything that had just happened.

“With pleasure,” Trent growled, not bothering to hide his contempt. It appeared their eavesdropping attempts had been successful. Each of the wolves standing on the other side of the door was glowering at Harrison and Rex with undisguised animosity.

“Thank you for your concern,” I told the bristling Harrison. I kept eye contact, my expression cool and indifferent. “But as you can see, there’s nothing for you to do here anymore. I think you should get back to your own pack and leave us alone.”

“You’re going to regret this,” Harrison snarled.

He spun on his heels, giving a jerk of his head to his cronies, and marched off. Will and Trent flanked them. Mira, Jackson, and I stayed where we were, my hand still gripping hers as the footsteps faded in the distance.

The instant we heard the front door slam shut, Mira extracted her hand from mine and raced out of the office, fleeing toward the stairs.