Chapter 8
Brick
“Just fuck one and see,” Vance says. He’s talking to Nickel, but my wolf bristles like I’m being told to cheat on our mate. As if I’d be tempted by any other wolf when I have Madison.
“That’s Vance’s solution to everything,” Jake says. We’re standing in the hotel lobby, waiting for our ride to the site of the Swedish Pack Games.
This trip is torture. Every second away from Madison, I grow more grouchy and more on edge. I barely speak. Eat little. Bare my teeth at my friends for harmless jokes.
“I hear there are a handful of new female wolves in attendance.” Nickel faces the glorious view showcased by the hotel windows. There are mountains in the distance, and in the foreground, pine trees bow under the weight of the snow. “But we can always sod off and go heli-skiing.”
“Heli-skiing? Like, jump out of a helicopter with your skis on? The resort has that?”
“They must. I heard a helicopter go by a few minutes ago.”
Their voices fade into the background. My wolf is growling, a constant low rumble in my chest. I need to get him under control before we’re in front of the other packs.
“Car’s here,” Vance says, and I lead my wolves towards the front door. The place is full of shifters. Representatives from packs all over the world mill around, putting my wolf on edge even more. Mostly European–Spanish, Italian, German, French–but there are a few wolves from a Brazilian pack climbing into a big white van ahead of our SUV. They’re dressed like they’re ready for an Arctic adventure in puffers of bright yellow and green.
I wear my baleful expression like a concrete mask. My wolf is still on edge, and everything feels like a threat.
I’m about to hop in the front seat when a familiar voice calls, “Brick!” A strawberry blonde in a bright pink ski outfit bounces up to us, her eyes sparkling.
My baby sister, Scarlett, who I haven’t seen since last summer.
She’s fresh-faced and glowing, as beautiful as a supermodel on a runway. Head after head turns to watch her pass. I snarl, showing my fangs, and they all look away.
She skids to a stop in front of me, arms thrown out for a hug.
“Where have you been?” I snap. “I don’t like you hanging out here unescorted.”
“Geez.” She catches me glowering at a nearby wolf–a Norwegian, judging from his big Viking-esque beard. “Easy, big bro. Protective much?”
“Scarlett.” Nickel motions for her to tone it down. She stops, notices my amber eyes, and sobers.
She knows nothing about Madi or the moon madness. I don’t want her caught up in New York politics while she’s over here in school. My own college experience was ruined by pack politics. I don’t want hers to be, too.
“Excuse me, Alpha,” she says in a more respectful tone. “I had a project I was working on with a professor for a grant deadline. I got in late last night.”
“All right.” I force myself to calm down and pull her into my arms for a short hug. My wolf wants to tear apart every male wolf who’s sniffing her scent, even though she’s old enough to mate, and that is the whole purpose of the pack games. “It’s good to see you. And yes, baby sister, I’m protective as hell.” Especially since she has no father to act as her guardian.
“Understandable.” She pulls away, still grinning. “Hey everybody.” She exchanges hugs or fist bumps with everyone, including Billy, who’s lurking a few feet behind us. She gives him an extra pat, as if to comfort him. The past few weeks have carved grooves of tension deep into his forehead and around his eyes. He looks older, tired.
“So what’s the deal?” Scarlett asks, her mood bubbly as pink champagne. “This is my first time at the games.”
“No, really? I never would’ve guessed,” Vance deadpans, and she punches his arm. He yelps and clutches his arm, pretending her punch hurts.
“C’mon, noob, I’ll show you the ropes.” Jake throws an arm around her shoulder and steers her to the side of the SUV. “First we ride to the site of the games. There’ll be a big bonfire where we all gather and the organizer tells us how the game of the day is played. It’s usually a competition of some sort–strength, speed, tracking ability. And the purpose is for us all to mingle and find our mates.”
“Right.” She wrinkles her nose. “And how many of these wolves have you slept with, player?”
Vance howls. “Oh, she has your number.”
I know they”re having fun, but I’m on edge, and if I don’t get my wolf under control, someone’s going to lose a jugular. “Come on,” I order, and we all climb in the SUVs to head to the games.
The sooner I get through the stupid Games, the sooner I’ll get back to being with Madi where I belong.
* * *
Madi
It’s weird waking up alone. And it’s weird that I feel weird because how long have Brick and I been waking up next to each other? A few days?
So much has changed, I have whiplash. I stare down at the giant emerald-cut rock on my finger. Did a billionaire werewolf really chase me down the beach last night to make me wear his diamond ring?
The same guy who then told me he’s going to mating games in Sweden where he’s pretending to be single.
Asshole.
No, he’s not an asshole. Things aren’t so black and white. There’s a ring on my finger. A promise that he wants to make a life with me. It’s just that right now the life he’s offering me sucks eggs.
I throw my legs over the side of the bed and climb out to look at the view. At least I”m on a beautiful island. I might as well enjoy it. The windows show an idyllic day–brilliant blue and sunny skies, balmy weather. It’s cool enough I might need a light sweater in the shade, but I bet I’ll heat up on the beach. I throw on a blue sundress and toss a pair of pretty white sandals and cardigan into a woven seagrass tote. A pair of designer sunglasses, and I’m set for the day. I now have the Coastal Grandma wardrobe of my dreams, and all it took was dating a billionaire to get it.
Back in my normal life, I’d be scrambling across freezing sidewalks to the sweaty subway with my second-hand bag and practical, well-worn flats. Now I’m alone on a private island in a billionaire’s mansion. With werewolves patrolling the beach to guard me.
Life sure comes at you fast. The sand is shifting beneath my feet. I need to remember who I am. He can’t take that away. I won’t be swept off my feet by all this glamor and the whirlwind of wealth and privilege. He can hide me away, he can keep secrets from me, but he can’t make me someone I’m not. I won’t allow it.
I just wish I could figure out what to do. I check my phone to see if Catherine let me know her plans. She said she would come, but I’m not sure when. My phone is dead–I forgot to plug it in last night, so I head to the huge room I think of as the living room to find my cord.
And stop short when I see Brick’s mom sitting by the pool outside. I called her last night and asked her to come, but I didn’t realize she’d get here so fast.
I throw the door open. “Catherine?”
“Madi.” She turns with a warm smile. Her cream color lounge set and cashmere cardigan would make Diane Keaton jealous.
“You’re here,” I blurt because my brain is still catching up. Catherine is here? Already? I need a latte.
“I took the jet overnight.”
“Oh.” Right. The ultra wealthy don’t have to book tickets. They can just order up their private jets, spend the night in a comfy bed, and wake up at their destination. No big deal.
I’ll never get used to this.
Catherine chuckles. “I wanted to be here sooner rather than later. How about we have some coffee out here? I instructed Ariadne to make you your favorite. Vanilla latte, right?” She points at the second mug of coffee on the table.
“Right.” She’s more at home here than I am. Which makes sense–she’s probably used to beach-front mansions filled with everything you could desire.
The tight muscles in my back and neck relax. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
I sit with her in the sunlight. The patio furniture is pristine, and there’s not a speck of sand on the pavers. The only sign of anyone is a dark shape walking the beach–one of the guards on patrol, holding a nasty-looking gun. He strolls out of sight only to reappear in five minute increments.
Catherine notices me studying the guard. “Security is tight. It has to be. Brick wouldn’t leave you undefended.”
“He shouldn’t have left at all.”
“What’s going on?” An ocean of kindness warms Catherine’s voice.
I swallow down a lump in my throat. I don’t know how much I should tell her. Even though I believe she’s in my corner, Brick doesn’t trust her, and she is still from the enemy pack. I keep it vague. “I need to understand everything about the history and rivalry of the two packs as well as everything there is to know about what it means to be alpha.”
“Oh, is that all?” Catherine lets out a chuckle. “No, of course, I’m happy to help get you up to speed. I know you’re very bright. I’m sure you feel out of your depth with your sudden indoctrination into our world.”
A sense of relief moves through me. I was right to bring her out here. “Yes.”
“Where do I begin? The Adalwulfs and the Blackthroats have been rival packs since New York City was called New Amsterdam. My family came over from the royal bloodlines of Germany. The Blackthroats were British pack royals. Nickel and Brick are distant relations.”
I absorb that. British royal wolves. It gives new meaning to the song “Werewolves in London.”
“As with the human immigrants to the new world, the goal was to seize ownership of land, resources and wealth to establish new, powerful packs in America. Both packs were part of the original Wall Street trading.
“The rivalry ran deep. Challenges and killings were ordinary occurrences in the old days. Then over the years, things grew more civilized. An uneasy truce developed after World War II. Instead of outright grabs for power, the focus became on undercutting each other in business. Stealing clients, buying up land for hunting, and a continuous attempt to lure the other pack’s members into defecting.”
A gorgeous young woman with long black hair and thick lash extensions comes to our table. “Good morning. Can I bring you something to eat?”
“Hi Ariadne. I would love a little fruit and yogurt,” Catherine says. I marvel that she already learned our waitress’s name. Catherine is classy. She embodies a very different leadership style from her son.
“I’ll have the same,” I say.
After Ariadne walks away, I whisper, “Is she a wolf?”
Catherine nods. “Yes. The Blackthroats bought this island to preserve it from development and then granted permanent hunting rights to the local pack. In exchange, they serve the Blackthroat pack alpha. And they are well-compensated, of course.”
Whoa. How feudalistic.
“Is there a way to tell if someone is a shifter? Signs to look for apart from the changing eye color?”
“For you? No. We go by smell.”
I nod. “Sorry, please continue about the pack rivalry.”
“Well, Brick’s in a difficult position now. His pack members will perceive mating a human as a weakness to the royal bloodline and to the pack as a whole. My brother and nephew will surely exploit it to the fullest when news gets out.” She lowers her sunglasses and arches her brows. “I haven’t heard that news is out yet, though?”
I hide my pain with a sip of coffee.
“I’m sure it’s the reason he waited until it was almost too late to claim you. Or perhaps that was more about my family’s treachery in throwing you two apart with the breach in Moon Co’s security.” Catherine sips her tea. “Although I can’t understand why Odin or Aiden would want to throw you apart. It seems it’s more in the Adalwulf’s interest to exploit the relationship as a weakness.”
“So they don’t tell you their machinations?”
“I haven’t been privy to any decisions regarding the Blackthroats since the day my father allowed Bruce Blackthroat to claim me on an altar before the entire pack.”
I draw back in shock.
“Oh yes. It was quite disgusting. He claimed me, left a pup in my belly, and was forced to leave. That was the arrangement made between our packs. He paid massive amounts of money to my pack in exchange for stolen moments with me. The rules were that he could keep the pups—but my pack would keep me.” Catherine’s eyes fill with tears.
“What? That’s horrible!”
“The Blackthroat pack would never accept me into their own, and mine wouldn’t let me go. After the pups were weaned, I only got to see them one day a week.”
“I can’t imagine how awful that was for everyone involved.”
“I don’t want my son and his mate to suffer a similar fate.”
“Well, for what it’s worth I don’t think it was your family who drove the wedge between us with the security breach. It was Billy who believed me responsible.”
“Ah, yes. Well, the Whites are notorious human-haters. He probably wanted you away from Brick. But don’t take it personally. He’s Brick’s second–perhaps not the biggest or strongest in the Blackthroat pack but certainly the most vicious. His urge and duty is to defend his alpha and the pack at all costs.”
“It’s hard not to take it personally,” I mutter as Ariadne appears with bowls of Greek yogurt topped with juicy raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
“I know. When I mated Brick’s father, it should have heralded an end to the rivalry. It was a golden opportunity for joining the two powerful packs into one. But our seeress saw only doom.”
“Seeress?”
“Oma. She’s not really anyone’s grandmother, though. She’s a virgin, which is necessary to hold her power. During the years of witch hunting and trials, the Adalwulfs saw an opportunity. They offered their protection to a witch coven in exchange for access to their powers. One of theirs was brought into our pack and bred with our kind. The Seeress’ power is interwoven with the alpha’s. Her sight guides his power, but she also draws power from him. Oma has been alive an unnaturally long time. She would have died long ago if she were not sucking the life and sanity from my brother, Odin. I suspect both will die soon.”
A shiver runs across my shoulder blades and down the outside of my arms to my pinky fingers. There’s something creepy and wrong about what Catherine just described.
“You must understand, my brother and nephew will stop at nothing to destroy the Blackthroat pack. They are absolutely brutal. Odin is insane–poisoned by the Seeress. And Aiden is worse.”
“The Blackthroats don’t have a seeress?”
“No. With Brick as alpha, they are far more modern as a pack.”
We finish our breakfast and thank Ariadne when she comes to clear the table.
“Let”s take a walk on the beach,” I suggest. Catherine accepts with a gracious nod and leads the way down the stone path to the sand. I study her movements as if I’ll be quizzed later. Not to be weird, but I’d love to have half her elegance and poise.
If Brick and I do marry, she’ll be my mother-in-law. Would we live in the Berkshires?
I can’t think about that now.
A wet breeze blows off the sea. Catherine looks down the endless beach, her expression clear. Her skin is flawless, her makeup perfect, her shoes and jewelry understated in a way that tells me they’re eye-poppingly expensive. She looks fit to grace the cover of a magazine. She always does. And yet, my overall impression of her is that she’s profoundly sad.
“My family used me as a weapon to destroy my own mate. The only reason I didn’t let myself die of grief was because Scarlett was still young. I couldn’t let her lose both her parents.”
I reach out and squeeze Catherine’s hand.
It feels intrusive to ask, but I need to know everything. I need to know how the Adalwulfs work and think. “How did…how did it happen?”
“It was his birthday. I bought him cigars from Cuba, and I came over on my visiting day. After we were intimate, he smoked one of the cigars.” Her voice wobbles. “It was laced with silver powder.”
“Silver kills shifters.” I remember the employee handbook forbidding silver cutlery.
“Yes. You know why they worked so hard to frame me as the poisoner? Murderer? Because they knew Brick wouldn’t take revenge against his own mother.” Her eyes crinkle, fathomless with unimaginable pain. “He hates me for what he thinks I’ve done, but he couldn’t destroy me.”
“If it had been an outsider, Brick would’ve rallied his entire pack and wiped mine off the face of the earth. Even at eighteen, he could’ve done it. He’s ten times the leader his father was.”
I suck in a breath.
“Have you told him that?”
“They wanted to sow turmoil, and that’s exactly what they did.”
“That’s diabolical.”
“It is. I know you’re new to our world, but you’ll learn how ruthless the Adalwulfs are. Odin is dying, but he’s a megalomaniac hell bent on destroying our pack. And Aiden is worse.”
“You hate them,” I realize, hearing the rancor in her voice. “Even though they are your family.”
“Odin killed my mate. I will never forgive him or Oma. When it comes down to it, I don’t belong with the Adalwulfs.”
“And Brick won’t let you join the Blackthroats,” I murmur, comprehending the enormity of the situation.
“My family would kill me before they let me defect. That’s what they told Bruce when we realized we were mates.”
Chills sweep down my arms again.
“What else am I to tell you? Do you know about wolves in the wild?” When I shake my head, she says, “They’re led by an alpha pair. A male and a female, the main breeding pair. For years, biologists thought the male alpha led the pack. It wasn’t until a volunteer reviewed data, that they realized the female alpha made the decisions, and the male fell in behind her. Most of the time, when the pack is moving, the alpha female is out front. She chooses where the pack goes and where to make her den.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Neither did the biologists until a volunteer correctly reported what she observed. She saw what the biologists overlooked because they were men who imposed their own world view on the facts, and she was a thirteen-year old girl.”
I chuckle.
“I thought you’d like that story.” Catherine heads closer to the surf and stops to shade her eyes and look out to sea. I do the same.
“Wolf shifters aren’t that different,” Catherine says. “The men think they lead, but they’re nothing without a mate. They are meant to be part of an alpha pair.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
She turns to face me. “You are an alpha, just like my son. Equal to him, in fact.”
My throat is tight, so I swallow a few times. “He told me I’m weak.”
“Strength isn’t always about muscles and speed. Fangs and claws. You are his mate, Madi. That means you are destined to lead the pack. At his side. As Brick’s equal.”
I pause because in the distance, there’s the sound of a helicopter. I turn east, shading my eyes against the bright morning sun. A dark shape appears, flying low over the sea. A helicopter.
My heart leaps. Is it Brick on his way back?
Another black helicopter appears beside the first. Then another. And three more behind them.
Are all Brick’s top wolves coming back with him? In their own helicopters?
Catherine sucks in a breath, her cheeks gone pale.
Something’s wrong.
A few hundred feet away on the beach, the guard on patrol is shouting into his walkie-talkie before holstering it with a curse. “Signal’s down. They’re blocking it.” He whirls and runs towards us, gripping his automatic weapon in both hands. “Get off the beach! We’re under attack!”
More black helicopters appear, blotting out the sun. There’s a dozen of them in a precise triangle formation, like they’re part of a military exercise.
Catherine grabs my arm. “Run!”
I dash along beside her, tripping in the sand. Only Catherine’s death grip on my biceps keeps me from face planting. We hurtle back towards the main buildings, the guard covering our backs.
“What’s happening?” I pant.
“Adalwulfs.” Her voice is grim.
I glance back. The helicopters are almost to the beach. “Wh–”
“No time. We need to get inside.” She pulls me along. We race up the dune.
We’re almost to the patio when there’s a rat-tat-tat sound. I duck automatically, racing to hunker down behind the patio table. Beyond the dune, the guard is making a stand, aiming his Ak-47 at the helicopters.
There’s a whistling sound and the beach explodes. Sand flies into the air. A buzzing sound fills my ears, and the stench of smoke and mortar stings my eyes and nose.
The sand rains back down. There’s no sign of the guard with the gun.
“This way!” Ariadne is there, her eyes glowing amber. “There’s a safe room!”
Catherine hauls me up and pushes me across the pavers to the door. “Quickly.” She’s breathless, or maybe that’s the ringing in my ears.
The sound of gunfire and the blast of heavy artillery shakes the house. Will they fire on us?
My whole body is shaking. I race with her through the sitting rooms, dodging around the beautiful furniture. I bump into a pedestal holding a blue and white vase, and the whole thing crashes to the floor. Glass shatters. Catherine and Ariadne don’t pause. “This way.” Ariadne leads us through a kitchen, into the pantry, where she moves a one pound can of Manzano tomatoes and opens a hidden panel to reveal a keypad. “Stand back.” We do, and the whole shelf swings out. Behind it is another keypad and a steel door. She presses in the code. The door opens with a hissing sound. There’s a narrow room with a bed. No windows. Just looking at it makes me claustrophobic.
Ariadne makes an urgent motion for me to enter with her.
“Get inside,” Catherine orders when I hesitate. “You’ll be safe.”
“What about you?”
She shakes her head. “They’re not here for me.”
I stand my ground. “Tell me what’s happening.”
Catherine’s pupils are constricted to tiny dots. As strong as she was on the beach, she looks frail, like a hearty wind could blow her away. “I didn’t know. I swear it on my mate’s grave.”
“I’m not blaming you.” I grip her shoulders. “I know you didn’t betray us. But I need to know what’s going on.”
“It’s stupid. This has Odin’s pawprints all over it. He’s gone mad. Those helicopters have the mark of his personal guard. This is his last stand, and if I know him, he won’t hold back. He’ll throw every wolf he has at our defenses until they break.”
Another blast shakes the house. Cans rattle on their shelves, and Catherine shudders as if she’s been hit.
“Get in the safe room!” Ariadne yells. “I am shutting the door!”
“Please.” Catherine adds. “You must be safe. My son will never forgive me if you’re not.”
I let her push me into the room, and I wrap my arms around myself as Ariadne locks the door. The dim lights switch on as soon as the door shuts and locks.
“Madi,” Catherine calls. The sound is muffled, but I hear her.
“Yes? I’m here.” I lean against the steel door.
“Whatever you do, whatever you hear, you must stay in there.”
I open my mouth, but another explosion swallows my okay.
Am I really safe in here? What if they bomb the house?
What the fuck is Odin thinking? This will create an international incident. Or maybe not because the island is private and remote enough.
I had no idea the Adalwulfs would be so reckless and risk so much. When it comes to pack warfare, I”m in over my head. It”s clear Brick and his top wolf weren’t overreacting when they said their enemies were ruthless.
That poor guard. And what about the rest of them?
The safe room is tiny and horrible. I pace back and forth, it takes five steps to go from one side of the bed to the other. Ariadne huddles on the bed, chanting something that sounds like a prayer under her breath.
The seconds tick down, dread building like poison in my system. Have the Adalwulfs landed? With as many of them as there are, they could take the beach.
Through the thick door, there are shouts.
I press myself against the door, trying to hear more. Gunshots make me cringe, but I stay where I am.
Rough bootsteps march by. A man’s voice barks, “Where is she?”
I can’t hear Catherine’s soft answer. More angry interrogation and a harsh slapping sound and a soft cry.
“No,” I shout and pound on the door. “Don’t hurt her!”
“Quiet,” Ariadne hisses.
The sounds of violence and distress continue. I look around for a weapon or a way to call for help. My hands shake with adrenaline, so I make myself slow down and check a cabinet, but there’s only jugs of water and energy bars, first aid kits and gas masks. Nothing I can use to help.
I find myself standing in front of the door, whispering, stop it.
What am I doing? She told me not to leave, but I can’t just stand here and listen to them kill her.
Strength isn’t always about muscles and speed. Fangs and claws. You are his mate, Madi. That means you are destined to lead the pack at his side. As Brick’s equal.
A leader wouldn’t cringe in a safe room and leave a sixty-year-old woman to face the enemy.
A keypad is by the door. I glance at Ariadne. I have a feeling she wouldn’t open this door if I asked. What’s the code? I hit a big green button, hoping it’ll override things.
“Don’t!” Ariadne shouts.
A pause and then the sound of hydraulic pressure releasing. The door swings open.
Catherine’s crumpled on the tiled floor. A huge man in black body armor stands over her, a machete upraised to strike.
“No,” I shout. He raises his head, and I tense at his brutal, scarred features. “Don’t hurt her. I’ll come with you.”
“No,” Catherine protests feebly, struggling to push herself up. The man kicks her. She flies across the pantry, crashing into an opposite wall. The shelf cracks, and she falls to the floor. Glass jars rain down, shattering on the tile. Catherine lies among the wreckage–so still, I fear she’s dead.
“Stop it,” I scream, rushing him. He catches me easily and drags me through the kitchen and into the hall. Two more black clad guards flank us.
“We’ve got her,” the scarred brute tells them. “Let’s go.” He pins me under his arm, and I struggle until something pricks my neck, and the darkness swallows me.