Chapter 8 #2
The hallway was quite grand, but at the same time it had a certain southern charm that was quite welcoming.
The walls were painted a warm cream color and the dark wood crown molding gave it a rich character that spoke to the home’s age.
There were some beautiful paintings along the walls that depicted various scenes in the bayou, from sunset to sunrise and everywhere in between.
There were even a few renditions of the quarter and I paused by one that had Café Du Monde in the background.
Cautiously, I reached out to touch it, lightly tracing my fingertip across the textured surface. Lawson still held my hand in his and squeezed it in support.
“Together,” he murmured.
I didn’t answer. I wasn’t quite sure what all of this meant for me yet. I was certain of one thing though.
I was going to make the Venuti pay for what they’d done to my father.
When I was ready, I dropped my hand and allowed him to lead me through the rest of the house.
He guided me through one guestroom after another as well as a number of extravagantly decorated offices including his own.
There were sitting rooms, balcony gardens, and even more guestrooms on the upper floors.
It was oddly deserted for such a massive home, but I didn’t say anything about it yet.
It wasn’t until we descended to the ground floor that we came across anyone at all.
I blushed and smiled tentatively when I saw who it was.
Toboe was waiting outside a set of carved wooden doors that looked like they belonged at the entryway of a church. He grinned once he saw the two of us and I found that his unending happiness was endearing. I liked him, even if he’d seen his alpha take my virgin asshole for the first time.
I blushed and tried to put my embarrassment out of my mind. Thankfully, Lawson and Toboe started talking to one another, leaving me alone to stew in my own unexpectedly delayed mortification.
“Most of the pack is gathered inside, boss, at least the ones we could spare. I took the liberty of directing a fair number of them to guard the perimeter and stationed more than usual in the quarter. I figured you’d approve,” Toboe explained to him.
“I do approve,” Lawson answered. “Any recent changes I should know about?”
“No. Not yet,” Toboe replied.
“I want to know immediately if you sense anything. I mean it. Anything at all,” Lawson commanded.
“You’ll be the first to know,” Toboe answered, his voice laden with firm resolve.
Lawson nodded once, effectively ending the conversation. He opened the big door, revealing what looked to be a fairly large amphitheater behind them. Most of the seats were filled. There were far more members of the Crescent Moon Pack than I’d anticipated.
The room was circular, and down in the center was a platform with two leather chairs set up almost like a pair of thrones.
Lawson began to descend the stairs, striding toward the middle with me in tow.
Many of the seats were full, men and women of his pack watching as we walked by.
There were small details I noticed as we walked down the aisle; the beautiful hard wood beneath our feet, the molding along the edges as well as the carved handrails along the aisle.
The southern charm I’d seen throughout the house wasn’t lost in this room and I found that I liked it just as much as the rest.
When we reached the bottom, Lawson sat down in the largest chair and pointed at the one next to him, directing me to sit too.
With a bit of trepidation, I sat down beside him, looking out at those gathered in the room with us.
Their expressions were ones of curiosity and a mild sense of reservation as they studied me, but I could understand that.
I was a stranger in their midst, and I was sitting right next to their king.
Instead of letting it get to me, I lifted my head with confidence. Lawson cleared his throat, and I crossed my legs as I leaned back against the chair, playing the part of a queen in their midst. It felt kind of nice the longer I embraced it.
“Welcome, pack members,” he said, his words echoing loudly all around us.
A hush fell over the crowd, and they turned toward him, at least for a minute or two.
It didn’t take them long to give into temptation and look back at me.
I stayed quiet, enjoying the feeling of being encased in mystery, for a little while longer anyway.
“I called you here to talk to you about a few things, the first being some rather precarious developments in our ongoing situation with the Venuti Clan. It appears they’ve undermined our authority here in the quarter more than any of us have realized for months now, and it’s about time we reminded them that the Crescent Moon Pack has just as much, if not more power, than they do,” he began.
A cheer rang out over the audience and Lawson waited patiently for them to quiet back down.
I glanced from him to the pack, trying to figure out what he had in mind.
His pack looked at him with quiet apprehension, but it was overshadowed by an overwhelming sense of loyalty and respect.
The more I watched them, the more I could see that they both loved and feared him.
I don’t know why, but I decided that I liked that.
“Unbeknownst to them however, I have a secret weapon that may very well be the key to their downfall. Everyone, I want you to meet my mate, Ava Winters,” Lawson continued. His pronouncement was a bit irksome, but I swallowed it down.
I noticed some movement at the back of the room, and I watched as Toboe entered through the big set of wooden doors. He stood at the back of the aisle and observed over the proceedings, his gaze passing over the excited members of his pack at the announcement that their alpha had found his mate.
Lawson glanced at me, and we locked eyes for just a moment, but it was enough to send my body into a tailspin of desire.
My nipples pebbled and I pressed my palms against my thighs in an effort to keep my arousal at bay. It was frustrating not having control over my own body and it was starting to infuriate me.
“As your alpha, I demand that you show her the same deference and loyalty that you give me. She may be human, but she is also my mate,” he continued. “I expect every single one of you to respect that.”
His possessiveness left me unsettled, balanced somewhere on the edge of annoyance and desire.
There was a burning sort of fury brewing inside me and I couldn’t seem to keep it at bay.
He kept speaking and I wondered if he was going to allow me to say anything about what I was here for.
I didn’t like it, but I swallowed that feeling, deciding to just let him continue to speak.
At least for now.
“She has the capability to create a rather special, very advanced weapon that is extremely effective against the Venuti, and she is going to share that with all of us,” he said next, and my fury exploded.
The fuck I was. That knowledge was mine and I wasn’t about to begin sharing it.
There was no containing myself now, no biting my lip and keeping myself quiet. I was going to tell him exactly how I felt, and he was going to listen to every word I said. I didn’t much care if he liked any of it either.
Sure, he may insist on calling me his mate and I couldn’t change how my body was continually responding to his presence, but that didn’t mean I was going to share my father’s work with him.
I didn’t need him or his pack. I’d only ever needed myself and that wasn’t going to change just because I bore his mark on my neck.
“That was never a part of the plan, Lawson. I don’t need your help and I’m certainly not going to give away my father’s lifework to you and your pack. I can handle the Venuti myself,” I declared proudly.
The room went silent. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife and I could have sworn everyone in the audience stopped breathing.
Lawson cleared his throat, and I lifted my chin even higher in defiance.
My palms felt oddly sweaty, and I squeezed my fingers into tight little fists in order to try to ignore it.
“No. You won’t, little mate. You’re going to teach all of us how to make your sunfire bullets and we are going to make sure the Venuti never treads on our territory again.
We’re going to do it together, as a pack,” he replied.
His words were thick with warning, and I knew that I was angering him. To be honest, I didn’t much care.
I was too wet, too needy, and far too angry to listen to the small voice of reason in the back of my head.
“You may have forced me to be your mate, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to obey your every command. I didn’t choose to be a part of your pack. You can’t order me around like a dog,” I retorted, making sure that he could hear the defiance in every syllable that came out of my mouth.
He sighed, and it made my stomach drop precipitously to my toes.
With a deep breath, I tried to remain brave as he pushed himself out of the seat, but even that began to waver as he walked toward me.
I didn’t run. Maybe I should have in that moment, but by the time he grasped my upper arm and pulled me out of my own chair it was far too late.
I gritted my teeth, firmly setting my mouth in a thin line as I pulled every ounce of brazen courage inside me that I could manage.
His eyes were dark, glinting with unspoken warning.
The first tendril of regret played at my heart as his fingers tightened just enough to pull me back toward his seat.
With his other hand, he swiftly untied the wrap dress and roughly pulled it open.
I fought him, but his movements were faster as he forced it down the length of my arm.
Quickly, he grasped my other arm and did the same on the other side, baring me swiftly and effectively before I could do anything to stop it.
He’d stripped me in front of his entire pack.