Chapter 23
Dorian
Hacker werewolves…or shifters depending on who I was talking to.
Great.
“We’re going to ignore why that sounds just as ridiculous as you running a hacker group.” There was something he’d left out about that app thing, but it wasn’t the time to delve into it. “Why did you ask him to have everyone waiting by the entrance to the pack land?”
I needed to find some books about the non-human communities.
“To start with, it’ll be a show of force that he might not be expecting and with the numbers it should be safe.
” Before I could start asking questions, he was smart and kept going.
“Unless he’s a strong mage, the pack will be more than he can handle.
Once he’s on pack land a gun won’t work and I’m betting he doesn’t know that either. ”
And the list just got longer.
“So there’s a spell that prevents guns from firing?” He nodded confidently. “I think I’m going to need you to go over the spells that have been put on the property.”
It seemed like a strategic mistake not to know that even if it was just about not looking stupid.
Braun seemed to agree. “Yes, I’ll start off with everything I know but we’ve owned this land for nearly two hundred years. When we bring in a mage who specializes with that kind of stuff, I’ll have them go over as much as they can with both of us.”
Good.
“Thank you.” What else? “Are we trying to chase him off or get information from him?”
“Both.” Thankfully, Braun knew he couldn’t stop there.
“I want him to see that Emeric isn’t alone or with a weak pack from a numbers perspective.
If he actually follows us in, I’m hoping we get some kind of information from him.
I also want him to feel the magic of the land and the pack.
That’s different than just seeing that I can call up a dozen wolves at a moment’s notice. ”
A dozen?
Oh.
“Do that many people work from home?” Ha. He grinned.
“Yes, and we have a few stay-at-home parents for a variety of reasons.” His expression grew more serious again as we got closer to the entrance to the pack land.
“I think we might need to look at growing the pack again, though. We haven’t had anyone who’s job was just defending the pack in twenty years. ”
“Because you have a strong pack and you’ve done a good job keeping it safe in other ways.” I wasn’t sure I’d have thought of doing that in his position. “You’ve created a stable pack and you’re thriving. It’s just bad luck that you’ve run into crazy.”
Of some sort.
Nodding slowly, Braun seemed to be pushing the issue to the back of his mind as he slowed and made the last turn. The area was so beautiful it just made me want to smile even though that wasn’t the reaction I needed to be giving off at the moment.
Because the man in the SUV thought following us was a good idea.
“Why is he doing the potty dance?” Wishing I could see more clearly, I huffed as Braun laughed. “What?”
“It’s the reaction to one of the spells. I was surprised you could drive onto the property without having a reaction.” He laughed when I turned to glare at him. “You should’ve at least been uncomfortable with following me.”
Really?
“No. The property is beautiful and, I guess, if I was looking to catalogue my response, I get slightly distracted because of that?” I usually didn’t notice the landscape but I thought it was just because of how old it felt. “We’ll figure that out later.”
Because we’d come to a stop.
“Oh, everyone is fast. They’re all so impressive looking.” I had no idea how to tell anyone apart or even if they were male or female, so I just appreciated the variation in the coloring and how fierce they looked…and that they were all smaller than Braun so I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Not that there was anything to worry about.
“I’m not even going to ask you to stay in the car.” He had to try not to smile when I nodded. “I am going to ask that you stay behind me or the others because you are a lot more fragile than we are.”
“Understandable.” And not an unreasonable request. “I am not headstrong and/or trying to get myself attacked so you have to rescue me. I’m practical.”
He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “A fact that I am eternally grateful for…and one that’s making me question what you’ve been reading.”
I was never going to explain that…or the monster smut that was currently on my Kindle.
Research was important.
“Let’s go see what the moron wants because he isn’t smart enough to have driven away.” Some people just weren’t bright. “I bet he was terrible in math class growing up.”
He probably hadn’t done his homework either.
“We’re not going to ask that.” Braun shot me a serious look but I just smiled and reached for the door before waiting patiently. “Thank you for letting me get out first.”
I wasn’t worried but I was smart enough to be cautious.
“Of course.” Werewolf pack or not, I didn’t want him distracted over my bad behavior.
I was smarter than the woman I’d been reading about on my lunch break.
“You don’t look any more innocent than I do.” Looking fierce and grumbly, he climbed out of the car and suddenly just looked bigger than he had moments before. I knew it was my own view of him, but it was like he’d just turned back into an Alpha when he’d simply been Braun before.
It probably wasn’t magic but I felt like I needed to pay more attention to my surroundings.
I was a bit worried the good part would start before I got out of the car, but he was silent and glowering as he walked around the font and came over to my door. It was perfect because he looked sexy doing it and I didn’t miss anything.
But I was a good Alpha Mate, whatever that actually meant, and looked serious as he opened the door and I got out. His mate was smart too because I immediately moved behind him without having to be reminded or for him to have to take his eyes off the moron.
Who was getting out of his SUV.
Good grief some people weren’t smart.
He was even still doing wiggles and huffs that made him look like a constipated toddler. His bald head and nearly growling glare should’ve made him look intimidating but I just couldn’t get past the wiggles.
People just weren’t scary once you wanted to ask them if they needed the bathroom.
“You can’t fucking kidnap pups, Alpha asshole or not.” He managed to stop wiggling long enough to shout out the insults but he’d already blown his entrance even if he was nearly Braun’s size. “Guardianship was given to Alpha Otto and was registered with the council. Hand him over.”
Excuse me?
Braun scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Bullshit. Guardianship isn’t finalized until after any inquiry and you guys killed his father. That means inquiry.”
It was good to know there were steps in this situation.
“He’s also asked to join my pack, so that’s got to be taken into consideration as well.” Braun’s tone was confident but he was also making it clear what he thought of the other man. “And there’s the fact that his only immediate relative belongs to my pack.”
All good points which seemed to stump the now confused-looking man.
“He’s ours.” He seemed to think that was all he needed to say. “Alpha Otto claimed him as pack.”
Claimed him?
“He’s not a fucking piece of furniture, moron. Claims for the pack only work on objects like land, not people.” If Braun had been just a bit less of an adult he’d have said duh, but he held himself back admirably. “He’s already started to bond to me, so he wasn’t even fully bonded to your Alpha.”
That was interesting…so was the way it made tall, bald, and broody all confused.
“He’s been claimed by Alpha Otto.” Repeating that wasn’t going to make it more believable, especially when he seemed less confident about it as time went on.
“Again. That’s not how it works. He can’t claim people. Magic doesn’t make slaves.” That time Braun rolled his eyes. “That’s why a wolf has to request to join the pack and the magic judges their intent. Ancestors above. Who’s running your pack?”
That seemed like a good question because SUV guy blinked. “Alpha Otto claimed him.”
We were doing that again?
Really?
It took all I could to keep that off my face but Braun wasn’t trying as hard. “For fuck’s sake. Don’t be an idiot.”
Out of the corner of my eye I could see several of the wolves around us jerk like they were laughing too, but they were quiet and I didn’t think the confused man noticed.
“Alpha Otto claimed him.” Looking even more confused, he finally glanced around the wolves around us. “He said…he said he claimed the pup.”
Were we making progress?
“He can’t.” Braun must’ve thought so too because the frustration in his voice eased. “That is literally not how the magic of the pack works.”
Did the man not understand that?
“The magic that makes me Alpha is literally built from the pack. He cannot just claim someone to be a member of the pack. That is not how the magic works.” Braun paused, giving me the impression he was trying to decide if anything was getting through.
Nothing.
Just blinks, so he tried again.
“That’s why pups are members of the pack in name only until their magic comes of age.
Emeric couldn’t have been claimed. He has to do the claiming.
Pups or new members are literally the ones claiming the pack.
” It was a good explanation as far as I could tell, but I seemed to be the only one who thought it was some kind of BDSM relationship.
Did Emeric know any of this?
His random comments about how his previous pack had been run made me doubt it.
“They are claiming me as their Alpha. Not the other way around.” Dropping his voice, Braun’s tone eased again. “Magic doesn’t make slaves. This is the first law of pack. I’m not going to quote that old high German because it’s a pain in the ass, but magic doesn’t make slaves. Period.”
That was really good to know and it sounded like some of the authors I’d found needed to hear that lesson.
It seemed to be one he needed to hear too because he turned around and climbed back in the SUV.
That was incredibly unfulfilling.
I wasn’t sure if everyone else felt the same way but they watched in silence as the SUV did a three-point turn and headed back down the road.
Yep, still unfulfilling.
I got a bit of satisfaction as the wolves turned to Braun and waited in utter stillness. He must’ve done something because they all tipped their heads before moving deeper into the woods around the road and then disappeared.
Yep, that was better.
Braun waited for some signal or sense to tell him something because from one moment to the next the rough Alpha was gone and my mate was back.
He turned around and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and resting his head on mine.
“He has no idea how the magic of the pack is supposed to work.”
“I don’t know how you’re right but I think you are.
” Wrapping my arms around my mate, I let out a long breath.
“If this were a book, not that I read those kinds, but if we were living in a book it would’ve been because someone has fucked up their magic system through inappropriate shenanigans or the Alpha is so evil it’s warped the magic. ”
Were those even options in the real world?
It was Braun’s turn to sigh. “I have no idea what could’ve gone this wrong.”
We’d figure it out.
“I think we need to get more information from Emeric and then I think you’re going to need to make more calls.” Braun’s groan had me trying not to laugh and hugging him tighter. “Once we’re done, I’ll…I’ll reward you?”
It sounded like the right option but I had to admit to drawing a blank at that point.
Chuckling, Braun leaned down and pressed a kiss right under my ear. “Anything I want, Wolfchen?”
The shiver that raced through me got another wicked laugh from him. “I think that’s a yes, but give your consent, my mate.”
“I consent.” To whatever my naughty mate’s mind could come up with. “I’ll probably be embarrassed first, though.”
“We’ll see.” Straightening, he looked lighter as he glanced around. “We’re going to need to change the plan around. Let’s go get Emeric and we’ll have our conversation first.”
Yes…that couldn’t be put off any longer.
“Then phone calls and then your reward.” Whatever that would be. “You’ll have to let me know how to prepare for it.”
I managed to say that without blushing or sounding awkward, but Braun’s devilish smirk said he’d imagined the naughtiest way to interpret it. “Needy boy.”
Maybe.
We’d gotten up and out of the house so early my old neighbors hadn’t even been dressed as they’d hung out their front doors.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Because I wasn’t just going to randomly start throwing out options just in case…of something. “Let’s go.”
Or I’d end up saying something ridiculous.