Chapter 7
Braxton
Oh, Nyah Lightfeather is going to be a challenge, and I do love a good challenge. She might have thought her little speech about not wanting to be my mate would deter me, but I’m not like any man or wolf she has ever met. One thing my father taught me is if you really wanted something, then you better work your ass off to get it. I have applied that logic into my business life which is why I am so successful. Now, I’m going to work my ass off to make Nyah my mate.
“Knock, knock,” Levi says, standing in the doorway, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I waved him in. He enters, then closes the door.
“So, how did the meeting go with your mate?” he asks, taking the seat where Nyah sat.
“Businesswise, it went extremely well. Nyah has excellent notes and ideas for improving the hotel,” I responded, handing him the copies Fonda made.
Levi nods as he looks over them. “These are very good and detailed. I can see why she was promoted to General Manager.”
“I do too. I think Nyah is going to be one of our best GM’s,” I add.
Levi sat the papers on my desk, then asked, “So, that was the business side of things. On the personal side, does she know you’re her mate?”
“She knows, but she’s denying it,” I growl, not trying to.
“Oh, shit,” Levi whispers. “So, what are you going to do?”
A mischievous smile spreads across my face. “I’m going to do what I do best and claim what is mine.”
Pressing the button on my office phone to connect to Fonda, I wait for her to answer.
“Yes, Mr. Hillard,” she says.
“Fonda, clear my schedule for the rest of the day. I have some personal affairs to take care of.”
“Right away, Mr. Hillard. Should I reschedule your appointments?”
“That would be perfect, Fonda and thank you.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Hillard,” Fonda returns in a sultry tone.
Levi laughs, shaking his finger at me. “You better be careful with that one. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Nyah can deny the bond between the two of you, but if her wolf notices another has affections towards you, there’s going to be trouble.”
I chuckle, saying, “Trust me, it won’t come to that. Have a valet to bring the car around. We’re about to take a trip to the Midnight Pack’s land. I think it’s time for me to officially meet my new father-in-law.”
Thirty minutes later, Levi and I are on our way. Normally, he would drive but since I already knew how to get there, I jumped in the driver’s seat. I already had a plan formulated in my head. Since Nyah wanted to deny our bond, then my only other recourse was to involve her father who is also her Alpha. If Alpha Lightfeather is like any of the traditional pack leaders, he will uphold our bond even with Nyah disagreeing with it.
We finally made it onto the land. Using my wolf’s memory, I steered us to Alpha Lightfeather’s house. I park in front of the modest cabin.
As Levi and I get out, an older Black man with wavy hair pulled back into a long ponytail with an axe in his hand comes from behind the cabin. He has to be damn near seven feet tall and built like a fucking freight train. No doubt he’s Alpha Lightfeather. As he approaches us, I notice the deer fawn following him. I assume it’s the same one Nyah saved the night before.
“Can I help you?” Alpha Lightfeather asks, stopping a few feet away from us.
This is the time for me to put on my charm. Closing the door to the sedan, I step closer to the Alpha and extend my hand. “Hello, Alpha Lightfeather. I’m Braxton Hillard and this is my Beta, Levi Cornell. I just bought the old Harris Hotel in town.”
My admission somewhat puts him at ease as he shakes my hand. “So, you’re the new owner. My daughter, Nyah told me a little bit about you earlier today.”
So, she’s already had a conversation with her father about me...interesting. I wonder how much did she disclose to him?
Alpha Lightfeather continues, “I told her to invite you to our lands...but also to let you know to meet with me first.”
Placing my free hand over ours, I tell him, “She hasn’t extended the invitation as of yet, but I’m sure she was getting around to it.”
“I’m sure she was, but with her new position, you’re probably keeping her busy,” Alpha Lightfeather says. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re not here to talk about the hotel and I was getting ready to serve lunch to the Pack. So, the two of you can follow me this way.”
He points the axe in the direction he came from, then walks away. I shrug my shoulders when Levi looks at me before going in the same direction as Alpha Lightfeather.
We end up in his backyard where there is a whole roasted hog on a picnic table and other tables loaded with more food. If this is what they served for lunch, I can only imagine the amount of food they have for dinner.
Alpha Lightfeather begins to use the axe to cut away parts of the hog as members of his Pack line up with their plates in hand.
“Alpha Lightfeather, can Levi and I help serve?” I ask.
His shoulders hunched over as he turned his head towards me. His wolf’s eyes glare back at me as his meaty hand wraps around my throat. “No. Did you not think I wouldn’t recognize you as the wolf that was on my land yesterday?” Levi tries to come to my defense but is soon surrounded by members of the Pack. Although I know he could take down at least three on my behalf, I motion for him to stand down.
“I apologize for not getting permission from you. I didn’t mean any disrespect. That is one of the reasons why I came today,” I inform.
Alpha Lightfeather’s eyes switch back. “The only reason why I don’t rip your throat out is because my wolf and I recognize you as Nyah’s mate.”
“But she is denying the bond. I’m here because I need you to let Nyah know the significance of the bond between mates.” I argue with my eyes now the color of my wolf’s who’s just below the surface of my skin, ready to attack. I keep him at bay.
“She knows and I will not force it upon her. The decision is solely up to Nyah,” Alpha Lightfeather says, then releases me.
My instinct was to put the elder Alpha in his place, but I knew that would be another reason why Nyah would deny me and could potentially start a war between her family and mine. So, instead I stand toe-to-toe with the Alpha and ask, “Where can we help out?”
“You and your Beta are our guests. So, please get in line and enjoy the lunch we have prepared,” he replies.
“Thank you, Alpha,” I say before Levi, and I head to the back of the line.
“I hope this shit is worth it,” Levi whispers.
“It is,” I assure.
Lunch ended up being very tasty and the Pack started opening up to us. Alpha Lightfeather and his Beta Horace came and sat at our table and began to tell Levi and I a little bit of history on the Pack.
“What Pack are the two of you from?” Alpha Lightfeather inquires.
Picking up my napkin, I wipe my mouth, then reply, “Our Pack, Lunar Wolves is based outside of Dallas. My father, Bryant Hillard, is our Alpha.”
Alpha Lightfeather chuckles. “I know your father. Bryant and I met years ago at the Council of Alpha’s summit. Wow, what a small world. How is Bryant doing these days?”
“He’s doing very well, enjoying the life of an Alpha,” I laugh.
“The next time you talk to Bryant, tell him I said hello and we need to talk soon. Especially, since our kids are mates.”
I saw the surprised expression that fell on Horace’s face from Alpha Lightfeather’s declaration.
Smirking, I tell him, “I definitely will. I’m sure he’ll want to be here when Nyah and I officially announce to everyone we’re mates.”
Alpha Lightfeather’s shoulders shake from his laughter. “I wish you luck, but my daughter is just like her daddy...stubborn. You got your work cut out for you.” His eyes move behind me. “Speaking of your mate, she has arrived.”
I turn to see Nyah, walking into the backyard. She immediately stops in her tracks when she sees me sitting at the table with her father.
“What the Hell is he doing here?” She hisses as her eyes move from me to her father.
Before I can respond, Alpha Lightfeather says, “Nyah, Braxton came to inform me he was the wolf here yesterday. After clearing the air, he apologized for not coming to me beforehand and I accepted his apology.”
When Nyah looks at me, I smile. I know she wasn’t expecting to hear that, especially since she said she chose to keep the information from her father. One thing Nyah needs to know about me is I don’t play Checkers, I play Chess. I will always be one move ahead. I play to win and by the time all of this is over with, I will win my most cherished prize, Nyah.
Nyah glares at us as her eyes switch from her natural brown to the honey color of her wolf. A man approaches her, then slides his arm around her waist.
“Nyah, are you okay?” he asks her.
Nyah puts some space between them, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering who the fuck is this asshole who thinks it’s appropriate to touch my mate? I’m ready to jump on his ass when I feel a sharp kick to my leg under the table. Growling, I look at everyone at the table. When I stop at Alpha Lightfeather, he closes his eyes while moving his head from side to side.
“Now is not the time,” he informs. “That’s Corey, the son of my Beta, Horace. He has had a crush on Nyah since they were kids.”
“I don’t give a fuck who he is. All I see is another man touching my mate. My wolf and I want to yank his arms from his body, so he won’t be able to touch her again.”
Alpha Lightfeather nods. “Trust me, I know how you’re feeling. I felt the same way with my Willa. She’s not here, but I would react the same way if someone said anything out of the way about her.”
Levi elbows me, getting my attention. “Alpha Lightfeather is right. That ass may be crowding her space, but he’s not her mate. You are.”
“Unless my son challenges him to be her mate,” Horace counters with a challenging look. “And I think he will once he finds out about this.”
Taking a sip from my sun-brewed iced tea that the Pack made, I swallow it down before reiterating, “I hope you already have your son’s plot picked out because I will kill anyone that gets in between me and my mate.”
“Is that a threat?” Horace snarls, peering at me, then to Alpha Lightfeather. “Alpha, he needs to be escorted off our land right now.”
Holding up my hand, I say, “That wasn’t a threat, it was a guarantee. Nyah is my mate and the only thing that is keeping me from sending your son to the Gods is Alpha Lightfeather. I have enough respect for him to not shed the blood of his Pack members on his land.”
Horace boldly stands. “You talk a lot of shit for an outsider.”
After taking another sip of the flavorful tea, I set my sights on Horace. “I might be an outsider, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nyah is my mate. You need to tell your son he’s barking up the wrong tree.”
“What’s going on over here?” Nyah asks, coming up to our table with the junior asshole at her side.