Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-four
Phoenix
I’d just made everything a million times worse. I hadn’t expected to unravel at the rate I was. It had only been two days. Two whole days, and after as many sleepless nights, I couldn’t stay away any longer. I’d even been useless on the job and had to leave Nicholas overseeing it.
Kaylan had turned up because my dad had texted him. He probably hoped he would knock some sense into me.
I was out of Matthew’s truck before he’d even pulled up, and I slammed into the pack house. My dad and Simeon rose to their feet as I rushed in, and I snarled at the sight of Simeon. The human half of my brain knew Simeon wasn’t to blame, but my wolf was looking for a target.
“Son?” my dad asked, hearing the snarl in my throat.
I headed for Simeon as I smelled Kaylan and Nicholas following me in, and I grabbed him by his shirt front before he’d even stood up.
“He won’t come home,” I nearly roared. Simeon immediately tilted his head, showing me his neck, and fuck, for the first time in my life, I was tempted to destroy one of my wolves.
I let go in disgust and sank onto the sofa.
“He’s overwhelmed,” Kaylan said. “Not that I blame him.”
I leaned forward and rested my face in my hands. I knew that—all of it.
“I also think he’s resisting because he feels backed into a corner,” my dad said. “He knows he’ll have to—” He clamped his mouth closed and shot me an apologetic look.
Kaylan glanced at me. “What?”
I swallowed. “He’s pregnant.”
Kaylan’s jaw dropped. “The fuck?”
“Freaky mix of blood mates and me being alpha.” I rubbed my head. “It’s why I’m reacting so quickly to his absence, as well, or my wolf is.”
“And you’re surprised he needs breathing space?”
I shook my head while my dad caught Kaylan up on everything that had happened. “Who knows about this?”
I looked at my dad. “The people in this room, Esther, and Graystone.”
“Where were you when Graystone told you?” Kaylan pushed.
“On the deck,” Simeon answered. “But we’d have smelled any strange scents.”
“But it wouldn’t be strange, would it?” Kaylan pointed out. “Plus, you guys were a little shocked.”
I paused. “My wolf would’ve registered a pack member coming closer, even if I was distracted, but would my wolf have dismissed it?”
Dad shrugged. “Blood-mated alphas have enhanced senses.”
“Alpha.” Simeon stood up, and I waved him down. He might be insensitive to my mate, but he would never betray the pack.
I eyed Kaylan. “You never said why you were here.” He’d just jumped in Matthew’s truck as we were leaving.
“I did some digging on Emery’s dad. So he’s basically been trading illegally. More than he told Emery. He fled Japan before he was arrested. But he owes a lot of people in this country money, as well, and that’s the issue. It’s unlikely anyone from Japan will bother.”
“So you think the threat is home-grown?” Simeon asked.
Kaylan nodded. “Believe it or not, there are a lot of human crime families that like to play the stock exchange, and fucking with them isn’t a good move.”
Dad nudged me. “And you thought wolves were complicated.”
I appreciated Dad trying to lighten things, but the heavy weight dragging me down never lifted.
Dad stood. “I don’t think there’s anything else we can do tonight.”
I eyed him, feeling like crap about him not being home, but as if he heard me, he sent me an understanding smile. Simeon went outside, and I glanced at Kaylan.
“Do you have to go right away?”
Kaylan winced. “Sorry, yes. We’re having a problem with a local group of hunters, and I’m trying to keep tempers even.”
I clasped his arm. “I don’t deserve you. Have you heard from Bayer?”
He shook his head, sadly. “No, but I’m seriously thinking about breaking him out.”
Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea. “Let me know,” I promised.
He nodded and left.
My dad was left. “What can I do to help you with Emery?”
Make him love me, I answered in my head, knowing I couldn’t voice it, not even to my dad.
“I can stay,” Dad offered, but I shook my head.
“I’m going to bed. Then I’m going to work out how I can grovel.”
Dad chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.” Then he pulled me into a hug, and I clung on for a moment. I needed it.
I didn’t bother locking the door. We didn’t, as a rule, as our senses of smell and hearing were a better warning system than any key.
I was exhausted, and somehow, despite tossing and turning until two-ish, I woke when Dad opened the door.
I sat up as he walked into the bedroom. “Son.”
I was suddenly very awake. “What is it? Emery—”
“No, there’s a pack meeting been called for in an hour. Runners have just been sent all around.”
I struggled for a second to understand. “You called a pack meeting?”
“Of course not,” Dad said. “Nicholas did.”
“What?” I jumped up and found my clothes. “Why the fuck—”
Dad gripped my shoulder. “I think he’s challenging you.”
I stilled in shock. Challenging me? It was possible, obviously, but our pack had been passed from father to son for over 1600 years, and then only went to a nephew because a son died.
“Do you know why? Specifically,” I added because I could take a good guess.
“I’ve been told it’s because of Emery,” Dad admitted.
“Because he’s human?” I asked incredulously.
“No, Son. Because he isn’t here.”
“And he saw us fight,” I said.
“I was told it wasn’t because he thinks you’re incompetent, just because of Emery you’ve taken your eye off the ball.”
“And the silver-skins,” I acknowledged. “He isn’t wrong.” I met Dad’s gaze, but he stepped forward, took me by the shoulders, and shook me, hard.
“Phoenix, you’re the strongest alpha there is for this pack. Your blood mate gives you abilities I could only dream of. Nicholas might be an alpha, but he’s nowhere near matching you in strength.”
“You say that, Dad, but apart from an increase in hearing and scent, I haven’t noticed—”
“Because you haven’t needed them.” He held up his hand. “And no, I don’t know specifics.”
I pulled on my jeans. I didn’t bother with a shirt. “How will he challenge me?”
“He’ll go straight to the elders and a pack vote. If he has more than two-thirds of the pack, he doesn’t need to issue a physical challenge, but even if he does, that’s still a counter-option for you. Even if he has a unanimous vote, which he won’t, a challenge is always your counter.”
Which was a fight to the death. A physical challenge could just be won with submission, but I knew as well as Dad I would never regain the respect of the pack without a death.
I rubbed my chest. Emery’s absence was a physical ache, and for a moment, I wondered if Nicholas would be better for the pack.
If I couldn’t convince Emery to stay, I wouldn’t be alpha for much longer anyway.
“No, Son. You’re the best alpha,” Dad said, reading my mind. I grimaced and walked into the bathroom. “I’m putting the coffee on,” he said and headed to the kitchen. “You have time, and you need to be awake.”
Matthew, Esther, Isla, and Simeon all appeared within the next few minutes.
Dad caught up Isla and Esther on what had happened last night and why he thought the challenge was being called.
I shared Emery’s pregnancy with Isla and Matthew, as they were the last betas apart from Nicholas not to know, but Isla didn’t seem as shocked as I was expecting.
She shrugged. “Male pregnancy used to be possible in bear shifters. It’s rare, and as far as I’m aware, has never happened in mated humans, but it has happened.”
“It never occurred to me to ask Kaylan.” I looked around, surprised he wasn’t here.
“I called him,” Dad said, correctly guessing my thoughts again. “But this is a pack matter, so it might be a good thing if the elders don’t see him.”
“Do we know how much support Nicholas has?” Matthew asked.
“He’d probably have less if I wasn’t here,” Isla said matter-of-factly. She smirked. “So you’d better win, boss, or I’m out of a job.”
“You’re not the only one,” Matthew promised, and I shook my head.
“Whatever happens, the pack needs to stay together.”
“I go where you go,” Matthew said, and I saw the look he and Isla exchanged. I knew they were meant to be mates, but inter-species mating was even worse to some shifters than humans. If I survived today, I was going to talk to Matthew. They deserved what happiness they could get.
Simeon glanced out of the window. “The pack is gathering,” he murmured.
I nodded and didn’t bother drinking my coffee. Following Dad, we walked outside and down the steps. Nicholas, his father, and younger brother were standing watching us.
The pack elders were different from the elders summoned to the Gathering.
Esther was there, but she was the only one I was sure of.
Dad would normally be counted, but as I was his son, he didn’t get a vote.
The other three were Malachai Edwards, Karl Mallam, and Lavinia Dawson.
Lavinia was very traditional, and Malachai was mated to Nicholas’s grandmother, but she wasn’t an heir, so his vote was counted.
And Karl of course was the elder that had put forward his daughter as my brood-mate.
To be honest, the only vote I was sure of was Esther.
Graystone and his pack were here, but they didn’t get a vote either. They had to be part of the pack for a year before they could be counted.
“Alpha,” Nicholas spoke. “I have served your father faithfully for over forty years, and I hoped to continue in that role to assist you. However, I feel that the distraction of a human mate is taking you away from the pack when our very existence is threatened by the silver-skins. I respectfully argue your focus is understandably on your mating difficulties and not on the pack. I believe I have the experience to guide us through this difficult time and challenge you for the role of alpha.”
I ignored the emptiness in my gut and the ache that was quickly turning into something else and looked at the pack, including a respectful nod to the elders.
“I’m the first blood-bonded alpha with a human mate for over two thousand years,” I started.
“While Nicholas has the experience, which is why I shrewdly asked him to serve as one of my betas, I have age on my side and the strength that goes with it for the battle to come. This war—and it will be a war—will need both strength and experience.” I paused, letting that settle in.
Making it clear that I was offering the best of both worlds.
“And as for my mate, yes, he’s human, and yes, it’s taking him a few days to settle to pack life, and I know you’re all excited to welcome him. Perhaps—”
“Then where is your mate, Alpha?” Nicholas interrupted. “When he left three days ago, he had his belongings with him.”
I met his gaze as if there was nothing wrong whatsoever, but I cursed silently as I’d forgotten Nicholas took him.
“He’s visiting friends in Minton, as you know because you gave him a ride while I was meeting my other betas.
Most of you know he was a kindergarten teacher.
I have no problem with him still meeting old work colleagues, as we’re expecting a huge life change from him, and that in no way means he doesn’t want to stay. ”
“He should be here,” Karl grumbled, and there were a few answering mutters from the pack.
Nicholas continued, “There are many of us that object to you taking a beta from a different species, as well. I know a dozen wolves worthy of the title of beta commander, yet you picked none of them. If you truly had the pack’s interest at heart, you wouldn’t be diluting our bloodlines, you would be strengthening them. ”
“Is that so,” I snapped, my temper rising, and my wolf—as much an alpha as I—growled in my head. He sounded jealous.
“You cannot effectively run the pack if your blood mate, as you insist he is, is absent,” Nicholas continued.
“Where is he, Alpha?” Martin Chase called out.
“Where’s your blood mate?” Ellie Grady took up the call.
I opened my mouth to tell them all to go to hell and demand Nicholas fight me for the pack alpha, when I smelled something amazing and turned.
Emery walked toward me next to Kaylan, and I could have kissed them both. “Sorry,” Emery called out clear enough for everyone to hear. “Danny says hi to those that know him, and he can’t wait for you guys to finish his new classroom.”
Emery carried straight on to my side and lifted his face as soon as he neared me in an unspoken demand.
I eagerly planted a kiss on his gorgeous lips and only the sound of laughter made me realize we were both on display.
Wolves grinned and shouted out invites for us both as they turned to walk home.
I blew out a sigh of relief and glanced at my dad who nodded to Nicholas.
Well, shit. Yeah, I couldn’t have him as a beta now. I needed people I could trust.
“Wait!” Nicholas yelled, and the pack paused and turned back. I immediately steered Emery behind me and glanced at Kaylan. He knew to get Emery to safety if Nicholas attacked.
Nicholas said, “If your blood mate really intends on staying, then why did he put our race at risk by telling his human father of our existence? The same worthless human that’s demanding seven million dollars from the pack to keep quiet about it?”
Well, fuck.