Chapter Nineteen
Madi
I’m Brick Blackthroat’s fated mate.
Also, I’m in love.
It feels insane to admit what has been true for a long time.
I guess I’ve always protected my heart, except around the few I completely trust. Aubrey. My mom. Brayden. That’s it.
But now, it feels like my entire chest has been blown wide open. My heart is swinging in the wind with no protection.
No guarantee.
But knowing Brick’s wolf needs me to survive is a pretty strong assurance he’ll stick around. He’s not going to abandon me like my rich, asshole sperm-donor did.
“Tell me more about this mating bite.” I gingerly touch the swollen puncture marks in my shoulder. I’m on my back in his bed, and Brick is sucking my toes, one by one, determined to deliver me to death by multiple orgasms.
We’ve been holed up naked in his apartment for two days now, and every minute, I fall more and more in love.
“It means I claimed you, Madi. I embedded my scent permanently into your skin. Every shifter who comes near you will know you belong to me.” The moon shines through the glass of the window, bathing the bed in pale light, making Brick’s eyes glow amber.
“Belong to you? What century is this?”
“It means I belong to you, then.” The warmth of his gaze on my face makes my heart flip-flop in my chest. “A mated wolf will do anything for his female. Everything. Your happiness, safety, and sexual satisfaction are now my highest concern.”
There’s so much for my brain to wrap around. I’m still trying to assimilate it all.
“So it’s like the shifter form of marriage?”
“Yes. But it’s far more intense than a human pairing. Wolves mate for life. They only have one fated mate. That mate is everything to them.”
“Like Eagle and Ruby.”
He kisses up the inside of my ankle, sending tingles straight up my inner thigh to my core. “Actually, they aren’t fated mates. Their love was conventional. The human variety. Eagle fell in love with the pack princess at a young age and worked his ass off to prove he was worthy of claiming her.”
“Oh.” I digest this information.
“My father wouldn’t condone the mating, but after his death, I allowed it.”
“You allowed it?”
Brick grins. “Ruby is pack royalty. If I forbade the mating, Eagle would’ve had to challenge me, and he would’ve lost.”
“Medieval.”
“Yes. But I was a young alpha. Eagle made himself indispensable to me and was a rock for Ruby. There’s no way I would’ve denied their happiness. Especially not after watching my parents’ miserable mating.”
“So…Ruby doesn’t have a fated mate?”
Brick shrugs. “She might have one out there somewhere. I think both of them fear one of their true fated mates will show up and blow their lives up.”
I stare at Brick. “That would be terrible.”
“Yes. But finding one’s fated mate isn’t guaranteed. And as you know, when a male wolf doesn’t mate by the time he reaches his prime, he runs the risk of going moon mad. Eagle and Ruby were meant for each other whether their biology clicks as fated mates or not.”
My mind reels as I take it all in. I remember what he told me about his parents–the Romeo and Juliet of rival packs. “So your dad needed your mom to stay alive, but they were sworn enemies.”
“Yes, exactly. Ruby, Scarlet and I were born from a loveless match.”
“It’s so crazy. You would think the three of you–their offspring–would be the ones capable of joining the two packs together.”
“Yes. That’s exactly the prophecy the Adalwulf’s seeress had and why they had to orchestrate my father’s murder before I was old enough to lead.”
“But you did lead.”
Brick’s jaw hardens. “Yes.”
I stroke away the tension in his face, pull him down for a kiss. Our tongues mate and tangle. Brick pushes me to my back and climbs over me, nudging my thighs open once more.
“I guess stamina isn’t a problem for wolves.” I grip his cock with my hand and guide him in.
“Stamina will never be a problem when you’re in my bed, Madi.” He pushes in deep, then eases back and repeats the action. “I have a perpetual hard-on if you’re in the same room.”
“Don’t forget I’m human.” I rock my hips up to meet him.
He instantly freezes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Are you sore?”
I grip his hips and pull him back in. “Yes, but it feels good.”
He moves slowly, without aggression, keeping his gaze locked on mine. My belly flutters with the intensity of it. My body heats. My heart glows.
This is what it means to be desired. To be truly cherished. To be loved.
Brick’s eyes begin to glow amber. He picks up speed, but still keeps it gentle. Still trains his gaze on mine, holding me captive to receive the intensity of the moment.
Of his promise. He’s mine now. I’m his.
This is what it feels like to be important to Brick Blackthroat, my billionaire boss. The werewolf of Wall Street. Alpha of his pack.
The man I thought endangered my heart is actually the one person I’m safest with. Because I’m his one and only.
His fated mate.
* * *
Brick
I wake surrounded by Madi”s sweet scent. The watery winter light slants over the bed, illuminating her angelic face. For the first time in months, my wolf is content. All because of her. The human assistant who turned my life upside down.
Madi. My mate.
Mine.
I’m debating how I should wake her, when her eyes slit open, and she yawns. “Morning.”
“Good morning.” I gather her close, noting how she winces when she moves. Humans aren’t meant to have mating bites, but whenever I check the puncture marks to make sure they’re healing, I get so aroused I can’t resist putting her on her hands and knees and claiming her all over again.
I have to be careful with her, though. She survived my savagery and faced down my feral wolf and took everything I gave her in bed for the past few days, but she’s probably still sore. She deserves some care and tenderness.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.” She stretches in my arms. “What time is it?”
“Time to get up.” I roll her to her side and lightly smack her ass. “You’ll be late to work, and you’ve said yourself, your boss can be a real dick.”
Her giggle is like champagne bubbles in my bloodstream. “If I’m late, do you think he’ll punish me?”
A wave of desire takes my breath away. “Always.” I lean down and claim her lips, drinking her in. She’s all I ever wanted. All I ever needed. And I’ll never get enough.
I’m seconds away from ripping away the blanket, rolling her to her back, and filling her up when she pulls away and swats my shoulder.
“Enough. I need something to eat. And a shower.”
I show my teeth, ready to dominate her, but her stomach growls. The sound saps my strength. She’s the center of my world now, and her needs are my priority.
Sex can wait. I need to take care of my mate.
“Shower first.” I rise and help her up, wrapping her in the blanket, so she’s not cold. “I’ll order some food.”
I grab my phone, and it lights up with an incoming call. Eagle. I have a bunch of missed calls from him and the others, including Billy who’s still on my shit list. They’ll be wanting to know I’m all right.
“Go on in,” I urge her. “I’ll join you.”
“Please do,” she murmurs, and the smile she shoots me over her shoulder makes me want to chase her down and take her right on the floor.
Down, boy.No sense having a mate who’s too sore to walk. Although it would be a good excuse to keep her in my bed…
My phone buzzes with a voicemail and lights up again. Eagle’s going to keep calling until he hears my voice. I grab my phone and answer. “What.”
“Alpha. Thank fates.”
“What’s happening?” The water for the shower goes on, distracting me, and I lope across the room to the windows overlooking Central Park, so I can focus on this call.
“The Adalwulfs are what”s happening.”
That gets my attention. What now? We have the breech contained. “What did they do?” My voice drops an octave, my wolf snarling through. We have a mate to protect.
“It’s bad.” Eagle sounds exhausted. “They released footage of your wolf in the boardroom.”
“What? When?”
“Last night. One of Aidan’s cronies must’ve taken it when you two sparred. An email went out to everyone in our pack. It doesn’t show you shifting from human form to wolf. But everyone in our pack knows what your wolf looks like. They know it’s you. They know you were out of control.”
My mind is already spinning, evaluating.
This is bad. Really bad. Things are shifting toward Aiden’s favor. I will not allow the Adalwulfs to win again.
Not on my life.
“All right. Let’s issue a statement, do some damage control–”
“It’s too late for that. The pack’s in chaos.”
Fuck.
I close my eyes. The worst thing I could imagine is happening.
Eagle continues, “The top families in the pack have already called for a town hall meeting. Your top wolves all stand by you, you know that. Nickel and Ruby have also met with the most volatile agitators, told them you’re still our alpha. You still lead the pack.”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
Eagle hesitates. “They think you’re moon mad over some human.” He doesn’t add, Because you were.
“No. I’m not.” Not any more. That problem has been solved. I head to my closet to get dressed. “When is the meeting? I’ll be there.” A show of strength, that’s what I need. I’m almost recovered from the moon madness. I could fight if I had to.
“Is that wise? Some of the younger ones want to challenge you. No one wants to defect, but they have to know you’ll lead us.”
A growl erupts from my throat. “I am alpha. I lead the pack. I will destroy any challengers.”
“All right.” Eagle sounds relieved. He probably was worried my top wolves would have to fight all challengers for me.
“Meet me at the office,” I tell him. “You and Nickel. We’ll send out a broadcast. Round up some of the heads of families, see if we can meet with them before the meeting or one by one to prove I’m still their alpha. We’ll want all the support we can get before the pack-wide meeting.” I can fix it. I held the pack together by the skin of my teeth when my father died. I can do it again.
“And what about the human? You going to tell everyone about her?”
My brain races as I consider my options. I can’t reveal anything about Madi to the pack. Not if they already think I’m weak. She’ll have to remain my secret.
“As far as anyone’s concerned, she doesn’t exist. I fired my human secretary, like all the others. It’s no big deal.” Eagle hears the lie in my voice but doesn’t say anything. He’ll help me sell it to our pack. “I’m still in fighting form. We’ve uncovered the spy and the Adalwulfs plot and removed the threat. We’re stronger than ever.”
“So we cover up everything that happened? The fact that the human’s your…” he hesitates. He doesn’t want to say it. “Your mate?”
“What mate?” There’s a pang of guilt in my gut at rejecting Madi like this, but it’s for the greater good.
I was born an alpha, born to lead. I can’t allow anyone to distract me from that.
Not even her.
“Tell Sully to send two of the enforcers downstairs up to guard the door to my penthouse. I need Madi safe.”
“Done.” Eagle ends the call.
“Brick?” She appears, wrapped in a towel. “Weren’t you going to join me?” She sees me buttoning up my work shirt, and her playful grin drops away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Pack stuff.”
“Pack stuff? What–”
“It’s handled.” I cut her off. My wolf hates that I’m being rude, but I don’t have time to explain the intricacies of pack hierarchy right now. Not when my pack is about to implode. “I’m heading into the office.”
“Okay. How can I help?”
“You can’t.” I grab a suit jacket and shrug it on. I don’t bother with a tie. If things go south at the pack meeting, I might have to fight a few upstarts for dominance.
“Okay. I’ll get ready… Do you have anything I can wear to work?” She’s trying to sound teasing, maybe make a joke about keeping a stash of peek-a-boob dresses here in my closet but can’t quite manage it.
“You’re not going.”
Her head jerks back. “What?”
“I’m sorry, Madi, but you’re not going back to the office–not today, not ever.”
Her face goes white like I’ve slapped her. “You said you didn’t replace me.” Her voice is dangerously quiet.
“It’s not safe for you out there. We’re under active attack by the Adalwulfs. And no, there’s nothing you can do to help. You’re not a part of it. You can’t be–you’re human. ”
Her expression hardens, her walls slamming into place. I see the moment when all the trust, all the beautiful intimacy between us goes up in flames. She presses her lips together, her eyes narrowing.
The anger in her scent riles my wolf even more than the threat to my pack, but there’s nothing I can do to fix it. I’m the one who’s made her angry.
“I see.” She heads for the bed, grabbing her yoga pants and putting them on under her towel.
I can’t bear to watch her close down, shut me out. I force myself to turn and head for the door. “I have to go.”
My wolf whines like he’s been wounded. But he knows we have no choice. Madi is safe and secure here. We have to protect our pack.
She’s fully dressed, and on my heels. I whirl and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
I’m sorry, I want to say. But I can’t. Because I have to choose my pack.
One day, she might understand.
* * *
Madi
I push Brick away, incensed. “So, I’m still fired?”
His expression is pained. “For now. You can’t come to work. The situation’s…delicate.”
Delicate? I am perfectly capable of problem-solving all the sticky situations that arise for him. Even when I was falsely accused, I was the one who solved the mystery.
“And I can’t be trusted with the details? Have I not proven I can solve any problem?”
Brick’s expression is unyielding.
My face gets hot. “I can’t believe this.” I push past him and grab my coat.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not staying here.”
“You can’t leave.”
Warning bells clang in my head. “What do you mean? I can’t go home?”
“No. I have to keep you safe. And a secret.”
“What?”
“Madi… our mating…it has to be a secret. No one can know.”
My stomach caves like he punched me. My throat goes dry.
“You’re human. My mating you won’t be acceptable to my pack. I could lose everything.”
I can’t believe this. It’s just like my mom and Brett-fucking-Harrington. I’m not good enough to be presented to society. But in this case, it’s wolf society.
I’m going to be sick.
“You’re a weakness to the pack. My weakness.”
I’m ice cold. “Screw this.” I yank open the front door.
Brick moves fast, somehow getting through the door first to block me.
Two beefy men stand outside like sentries. “Good morning, Alpha,” one of them says gruffly.
“Tell no one that she’s here. Guard her with your life. No one gets in” –he turns to give me an unfathomable look– “or out.”
“What?” He can’t mean that. I harden my voice. “You can’t lock me in here, Brick Blackthroat. If you leave me here now, I’ll never forgive–”
The door shuts. Only my pride keeps me from rushing forward and beating on it, cursing the man who made me such beautiful promises. Promises that didn’t last a week.
I’ll be calm. Logical. I step forward, ready to try the door. I can reason with Brick and solve this dilemma just like I’ve solved every other one.
But my strength gives out when I hear the cold, final click of a deadbolt, and I realize I’m locked in. I’m a bird in a gilded cage. A princess in a tower.
Trapped.
Betrayed.
Utterly alone.