After a short drive over a rocky trail, they finally arrived at Bedrock – there was really no other word for it, was there? She found it amazing that even with light coming from some of the windows it didn’t stand out at all. It was one of those things that unless you were looking for it, you’d probably miss it. “Who did all this?”
“Apparently the ancestors of the last pack started it yonks ago. It’s been added to and modernised over the years. We did a lot of improvements to it ourselves.”
“There are actually hotels in places like Turkey that are luxurious cave dwellings just like this,” Dante told her as he drove through an opening in the bottom of the mountain which Taryn soon realized was actually a concealed parking lot.
As she hopped out of the Toyota, she noticed Tao parking her Hyundai Tucson a few spaces away. His sulky expression as he got out of the car was the same one he had worn when Trey ordered him to drive it here for her. “I need to get my bag out of the trunk,” she told Trey as she took a step toward her car.
“Tao will get it.”
The Head Enforcer froze and a muscle ticked in his jaw. Begrudgingly he retrieved her bag and Taryn couldn’t help smirking at his petulant behavior. The ass shook his head when she went to take the bag from him and stormed past her, following behind Trey and Dante as they strolled out of the opening they had just driven through. Smiley gestured for her to go before him and Burly. Sighing, she removed her high heels and headed for Bedrock.
The night was dark, cool and silent. The earthy smell, the little sounds of small animals, the wonderful night-breeze, the rustling of the tree branches…all of it called to her wolf. She wanted to explore this new woodland, wanted to find out what those unfamiliar scents and sounds were around her. Instead Taryn was hiking up several narrow flights of steps that had been carved into the mountain wall.
They came to a large door that appeared to be at the centre of the other entrances. Then they were going through an indoor maze of tunnels that took them deep into the mountain. Taryn was pretty sure she would get lost if left to wander anywhere alone. Eventually they came to a black door that led to the same kitchen she had sat in only a few days ago.
Realized that she had been pretty much dismissed as unimportant right now, Taryn hopped onto the black marble counter and grabbed herself a peach from the fruit bowl. Munching happily on it, she listened as all five male wolves sat around the table discussing strategies for when his uncle made his challenge. They were so cool about it that anyone would think they were referring to an X-Box game or something as opposed to an actual life or death situation. There was even a kind of child-like excitement there.
Rolling her eyes, she dug out her cell phone from her purse and read the dozens of text messages she had received from several members of the pack. All were asking if the rumor that she had mated Trey Coleman was true. Shaya and Caleb had sent several, both expressing concern about his reputation and trying to convince her that she was wrong about him being her true mate. She knew she would have to respond to them soon, but right now she was feeling too raw.
Aware that all had suddenly gone quiet, she looked up from her cell to find several pairs of eyes focused on her. Surprised, she pulled her finger from her mouth having sucked off the peach juice. “What?”
Trey cleared his throat. “Nothing.” Not liking even the thought of the other males ogling her, he shot them all a cautioning look. Of course he couldn’t blame them. She was so damn sensual and so damn unaware of it.
“By the way,” said Dante, grinning from ear to ear, “welcome to the pack, Taryn.”
She snorted. “You might not be saying that when Roscoe appears on your territory.”
“Are you kidding? We’re looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, we have to thank you for bringing a bit of life to things round here,” agreed Smiley as he leaned back in his chair – or Marcus, as he had introduced himself as on the drive here. Although he didn’t seem any more accepting of her than the others did, he wasn’t as antisocial toward her as they were.
“You have to understand, Taryn,” said Dante, “we don’t get a lot of challenges. This is the most excitement our pack has had in a while.”
“Why were your dad’s enforcers following you around?” asked Trey.
“When Roscoe came to visit I wasn’t very nice and they considered me a flight risk. The mating ceremony was supposed to take place in a few days.”
“Do you think her dad will keep fighting this?” asked Burly. His name was Patrick, remembered Taryn – or ‘Trick’ for short.
Trey shook his head. “He might be pissed off and wish things had happened differently, but it’s like Taryn said. He’ll be worried I’ll defeat him and make him look weak to the rest of his pack. He recognised that my wolf was more dominant than his.”
“And the alliance? Do you think we have any chance of getting it?”
Trey looked at her. “What do you think?”
“I’d say yes,” she said. “I saw the look on his face when you asked if an alliance with you wouldn’t have meant anything to him. It gave him something to think about.”
Dante tilted his head at her. “He’ll switch loyalties that easily from Roscoe to Trey?”
“As long as he gets an alliance with a powerful alpha out of this, he’ll be content. Give it a few weeks for him to finish sulking and he’ll make contact, wanting us to meet up. I’ll put money on it.”
“You’re that confident?”
“He’s that fickle.”
“Well, we’ll know for sure on Sunday,” said Trey. “If he comes along with Roscoe, he’s stating that he allies himself with him, no matter the outcome.”
“Do you think Roscoe will come as soon as he realizes you’ve mated Taryn?” asked Dante.
“Yep. What time’s he due to arrive on Sunday?” Trey asked her.
“Early in the morning.”
“Greta’s not due back ’til after lunch. She’ll be disappointed she missed the confrontation.”