Chapter Twelve
“Anton? Wake up, damn it!”
The familiar voice had him struggling to fight off the groggy haze that engulfed him. A hand slapped his cheek and his eyes opened. He stared into his cousin’s face, inches above his own. Brand frowned.
“What happened? Why did you kill a human?”
Anton tried to think around the fog inside his head. A dead human? What the hell? He realized he lay sprawled naked on a cold, firm surface, and when he turned his head a little, he recognized one of the holding cells in his father’s basement.
“I…what happened?”
“F*ck if I know.” Brand gripped his arm and shoulder, forcing him to sit up. “I came here to talk to Uncle Elroy, found the front door locked, which was weird since it’s always open, and tried the basement door to make sure everything was cool. Instead I only smelled blood and death when I came inside. I found you passed out cold, locked in this cell. Did you go nuts? There’s a dead human two feet from us. Did you two fight?”
A face surfaced in his memory. A woman, a pretty one, with long, curly red hair and bright blue eyes. His heart raced and he remembered everything as it clicked into place.
“Help me up.”
“I’m trying. I’m not sure if I should have unlocked the door or not. Are you nuts? Did you have some kind of breakdown?”
“My mother is going to kill my father and Grady. She’s gone after my woman too.”
“Shit.” Brand gasped, struggling to help Anton up. “So you killed the human trapped in here with you?”
“My mother did it. She used the blood scent to lure me inside the cell.” He got to his unsteady feet, swayed, and knew he’d fall on his ass if his cousin’s arms didn’t support him. “She drugged me.”
“I can tell.” Brand had to half drag him outside the cell. “What do I do?” He helped Anton into the apartment area of the basement.
“There are drugs stored inside the cabinet by the cells. Find a green shot, not a red one. Give it to me.”
Brand dumped him on the couch and darted back toward the cells. Anton gripped his head, the room spun a little, and he fought to remain conscious. It seemed to take an eternity before Brand crouched before him, holding up a green syringe.
“This one? What the hell is it?”
“Naloxone. We keep it and narcotic sedatives here. Shoot me directly in the vein with it already. It will counteract the other.”
“Sounds dangerous. Let me call for help.”
“No time. It works lightning fast.” Anton tried to reach for the syringe but his hand missed by inches, his equilibrium off. “F*ck. Just stick me.”
“Fine.” Brand used his teeth to tear off the plastic tip from the needle and stuck it in the big vein at the bend of Anton’s elbow.
Within a minute his sluggish body responded. The drowsiness vanished. He took some deep breaths and focused on the task at hand.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get me a phone.”
Brand withdrew a cell phone from his back pocket and held it out. Anton grabbed it, careful not to crush the thing in his hand since anger was pumping him up, and dialed Rave’s number. He got the machine.
“Pick up, Rave. It’s an emergency. Stop f*cking and grab the phone.”
Seconds later an out-of-breath Rave answered. “This better be super important.”
“Mom is going to kill Dad and Grady,” he spoke quickly. “And she’s sent someone after Shannon. Maybe more than one. They are going to be pride. Get to my apartment and protect my woman right now. Our mother drugged me and locked me up. Brand is with me. I’ll call everyone else. Get to Shannon now!”
“Is this a joke?”
“No.”
“F*ck!” Rave snarled.
“Go to her, damn it. She’s alone.”
“I’m going.” Rave hung up.
Brand straightened, rushed to the closet that contained an assortment of clothes and pulled some out for Anton while Anton dialed Grady’s number. Mika, his mate, answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Put Grady on the phone.”
“He’s in the shower. Which one of you is this? I can’t tell you brothers apart on the phone.” She laughed.
“This is Anton. Mom is planning to kill Dad and Grady. Just tell him to watch his back and protect you. This isn’t a joke. Stay there or go somewhere safe but don’t trust that bitch.” He hung up before she could react.
He dialed Von and Braden but neither of them answered their cell phones. He left them curt, detailed messages telling them what their mother had set into motion and asked them to go to his place to protect Shannon. He barely remembered to warn them that she had puma blood so they didn’t freak out when they smelled her shifter genes if they had missed hearing the rumors. He hung up and realized Brand gawked at him.
“Don’t,” he threatened. “Yes, she’s mine.”
“I heard you’d hooked up with a woman but nobody said she was a cat shifter.”
“Part.” Anton managed to stand now, his legs steady under him, and jerked the clothes out of his cousin’s hands. “She’s mostly human and it doesn’t matter to me if you approve or not.”
“I didn’t say anything negative.” Brand seemed to recover from his stunned state. “I can’t believe this is happening. I know your mom is mean and she’s done some crappy shit over the years but Uncle Elroy is her mate.”
“It seems she hates him.”
“Can’t you call your place and warn Shannon?”
“I turned the phones off.” He snarled, jerking sweatpants up his legs. “We were starting mating heat and I didn’t want to be interrupted. Mom sent a runner to escort me here or I’d still be at home. She said Dad had been severely injured. Didn’t you smell his blood inside the cell too?”
“I just assumed you’d fought with your father when he put you there. Hell of a time for Aunt Eve to pull this shit. It’s near genius. Everyone already hooked up for the heat is nailing each other and the rest of the pack is either hunting for someone to hook up with or running in the woods for the free-for-all. It’s going to be tough to track down anyone and find help. You said she sent pride after your Shannon? She had to have invited them into our territory and assured them it would be safe. Otherwise there’s no way they’d dare come here.”
“Yeah. I have no idea how many of them to expect either. My brothers have to get their messages. They’ll come. We all have to take turns patrolling. That means we check them often.” He headed out the door with Brand right behind him. “I need your help. I can’t shift yet and I need a ride home. I also need you to help me protect Shannon. We may be in for a hell of a fight.”
“You know I’d do anything for you and I never want to miss a good fight.”
Brand jumped into the driver’s side of his truck and started the engine while Anton took the passenger seat.
“Are you going to have a problem helping me protect a part-puma shifter?”
Brand threw the truck into drive. “In college, I fell in love with a spotted-leopard half-breed.” He cleared his throat. “I never told anyone that before. She just up and left me one day.”
Anton’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I didn’t give a second thought to us supposedly being enemies. I just loved her, man. God, it tore my heart out when I realized she’d run out on me. I wanted to mate her but I guess she didn’t want to stand up to her family or our pack. I’ll help you protect your puma.”
“Thanks.”
Anton closed his eyes, his body finally leveling off from the drugs in his system, happy for his ability to heal quickly. The horror of the situation nearly leveled him. His mother had always been cold, remote, and not the best influence but mates didn’t kill each other. He’d believed his father put up with too much from the woman—it had always been a bone of contention between them after her poor treatment of his older half brother Grady—but she actually planned to kill two people he loved. Three. She was going after Shannon as well.
His cousin drove down the street, breaking every speed law their city held. He gripped the door as the truck took a turn too fast. He loved Shannon. No doubt about it. Somehow it had finally happened after all the years he’d tried to find a woman to mate. He’d enjoyed sex with other women but none of them had made him feel. He’d suspected he loved Shannon, had started to adjust to the idea, but now that she faced danger he knew how deeply that love ran. He’d go insane if something were to happen to his sexy little kitten.
The bar came into sight and he spotted Rave’s motorcycle parked in front of the building. Some of the tension eased. Shannon wasn’t alone anymore. Brand slammed on the brakes behind the bike and Anton jumped out before the engine died. The front door to the bar had been kicked in but he didn’t give a damn how Rave had gained entry to reach Shannon and protect her. He could replace a door but never her.
Brand was right behind him when he pounded up the stairs to spot another door Rave had kicked in. He nearly slammed into the back of his shirtless, shoeless brother, standing just inside his apartment, only wearing jeans. Rave spun to face him, snarled, and his claws shot out until he saw who ran at him. He barely missed nailing Anton in the face, his claws missing his throat by mere inches.
“I was too late,” Rave’s grim voice informed him. “The doors were kicked in. I found blood on the bed, hers by the scent, but it’s not fresh.” He paused. “She’s gone, Anton. They took her. I smell two pride males.”
Anton threw back his head and howled his rage. A hand gripped his shoulder from behind. He turned his head but it wasn’t Brand who gripped him. His youngest brother, Braden, stood behind him. Von had arrived as well. All three males had matching, furious expressions.
“They took her.” Anton snarled the words. “They kidnapped my Shannon.”
“We’ll get her back,” Rave swore softly. “There’s only one pride close to us. I’ve scoped their territory in the past. I sometimes have to hang out at a biker bar that borders their lands. There’s a lot of rogue activity there and I keep an eye on it for the pack to make sure they don’t cause us problems.”
“Rave,” Anton warned softly.
He laughed. “What? I’m just trying to let her know she’s got nothing to worry about. No way will anyone start any shit with us surrounding her.”
Annoyance made Anton scowl. He squeezed Shannon’s hand. “It will be fine. My father is actually a lot nicer than my mother. My older brother mated a human and he backed Grady’s decision. My mother didn’t like it one bit, but then, there’s not much she doesn’t hate.”
“You can say that again,” Rave muttered. “I was forbidden to even date human women.” He made a face at Von. “Thanks to him.”
Von’s grin faded. “Drop it.”
Shannon glanced at Anton. He hesitated. “Von fell for a human but it didn’t work out.”
“I said drop it,” Von demanded. “We don’t discuss it, ever.”
Curiosity piqued Shannon but obviously no one would discuss the subject. It had to be a sore topic for Von. She got the impression the human woman had hurt him. No one spoke the rest of the drive to a secluded house surrounded by woods.
The house looked nice and very normal. Shannon wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see but a middle-class ranch house wasn’t it. The van stopped and they all got out. Anton kept a tight hold on her hand.
“If you get scared,” he dipped his head to peer into her eyes, “don’t bolt away from me. Grab me. I’d rather hold you than have to get you down from a ceiling beam.” A grin softened his words. “There are some pack members here. Not too many but I smell at least ten. There’s nothing to fear, kitten. You’re perfectly safe with me.”
She winced. “Don’t let me go, just in case. I swear, I’ll die of embarrassment if my instincts make me do something humiliating in front of your father.”
“You’re getting better at controlling it. You’ve done great in a van full of us.”
“You’re right!” That cheered her up and made her feel more confident that she wouldn’t do something she’d regret.
He chuckled. “Maybe your puma is starting to think it’s part werewolf from adjusting to my scent.”
“I don’t think so. When those pride guys came into your apartment after me, I was scared but my instincts didn’t respond the way they do around your kind. It really pissed me off. I wanted to flee and tried but I didn’t go all ninja climbing skills.”
Anger darkened his handsome features. “It had to be the heat you’re in. It recognized them as other pumas.” He snarled that last word, really getting worked up.
Shannon gaped at him, unsure what had set him off but he totally had gone off the deep end, furious.
He took a few deep breaths. “I’m jealous.” He calmed, getting control of his temper. “I feel my wolf, what it wants and how it reacts to things, even when I’m in skin. It makes me wonder if the cat inside you prefers it if you were with one of those a*sholes who kidnapped you. You are too human to control those puma genes of yours but only react to whatever instincts come with them.”
Understanding dawned and she stepped into him, gazing into his eyes. “As you pointed out, I’m too human. I can’t feel a cat inside me. It’s just me in here with some crazy fears that I react to. You’re the only man I want, Anton.”
His arm slid around her waist to pull her against him and he lifted her hand to brush a kiss over her knuckles. He smiled.
“I hate to break this up,” Von interrupted softly. “We need to go inside. They are waiting.”
“I know.” Anton lowered her hand. “Let’s go.”
He released her waist, stepped back, but gripped her hand tight enough that she knew even if she panicked, she wouldn’t be able to jerk free. She followed close behind him as they entered a nice living room and then walked to the back of the house to a doorway that had stairs leading downward. Rave and Von kept in front of them with Braden and Brand behind.
The couches and chairs were taken by a group of men who all turned their heads to watch them carefully. Fear shot through Shannon as she glanced at the werewolves in skin, sure all of them were exactly that, and her nose itched. She wanted to hide behind Anton when he stopped at the bottom of the stairs but she forced the urge back and stayed at his side instead. She kept her chin up as a man suddenly walked from a hallway at the back of the room. One look at his familiar features assured her this had to be Anton’s father but he didn’t look as old as he should. He didn’t even look forty.
“Dad.” Rave spoke first. “I’m so sorry Mom has done this.”
The man didn’t look well. The black, shaggy hair that fell to his shoulders had an unkempt appearance, and dark circles made his gaze appear haunted. He focused on Shannon and while she didn’t sense any hostility, he sure didn’t seem happy to see her either.
“This is her?” he rasped gruffly.
Anton tensed. “Yes. This is Shannon Alvers. She’s only a quarter puma. She can’t shift, Dad. She’s no threat to anyone here.”
“I’m Elroy Harris.” He paused. “I lead the Harris Pack. First, I want to apologize for the way our pups attacked you and dragged you into our world. It shouldn’t have happened. I don’t condone attacking other shifters without reason and certainly not female ones. I’m sure you were raised hearing terrible stories about our kind but we aren’t brutal killers.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Harris.” She spoke softly around the lump that had formed in her throat. She’d never expected him to apologize to her.
His black eyebrow lifted. “I wouldn’t call it nice. We haven’t exactly been friendly toward you…except for one of us.” He turned his dark gaze on Anton. “It seems my son has taken great interest in you.”
“Dad…” Anton paused. “Are you okay? You look like hell.”
“My mate is currently locked inside a cell, which I’m told she trapped you in earlier, and the scent of the man she killed still lingers. She really told you she planned to kill me?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. She also wants to be rid of Grady. You were both on her list.”
Elroy’s broad shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry too. Betrayal by the one closest to you is the hardest to take. She’s put me in a hell of a situation, hasn’t she? She attacked one of our children when she pulled that stunt with you and threatened the life of my oldest son.” He glanced at Shannon and then back at Anton. “Did your mother know you’d marked her? I can smell it from here. You must have bitten deep.”
“Yes.” Anton hesitated. “She knew and thought she’d keep me drugged during mating heat to keep me from going feral without Shannon.”
“I heard she called those pride males to take your woman.” His voice deepened, his features revealed his anger, and his hands clenched at his sides. “She invited them into my territory to take what you’d claimed. She risked your life and that of all of our sons by making you go after your woman. My mate plotted against our entire pack by her actions.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.” Von cautiously approached his father. “We love her too and this hurts us all. She’s your mate, though, which makes it much worse. We’ve grown accustomed to the hurtful things she’s capable of doing, yet she’s still our mother. I wish we could take your pain.”
“You can’t but I appreciate it. I love my sons.” He met each of their gazes. “I called our enforcers here to discuss what is to be done about this. We’re too emotionally involved to make sane, logical judgments when it comes to your mother.”
“What are we going to do?” Rave shoved his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “We usually kill anyone who betrays the pack this severely but obviously that’s out.”
Elroy blinked away tears. “I could never kill my mate, despite what she planned to do to me. I wish I could forgive it, I want to, but she endangered all of you. I can’t allow her to remain in a position to do it again.”
Braden sniffed, his hand rose to wipe at tears on his cheeks, and he cleared his throat. “We could banish her back to her family’s pack. Grandpa would make certain she didn’t cause trouble. He’d also take care of her.”
Elroy glanced at the men seated around the room. One of them, a tall blond, nodded. “That’s fair. The pack wouldn’t object to that. No one could possibly expect you to kill your mate, Alpha.”
The tension on Elroy’s face lessened. “So be it then. I’ll call Douglas, inform him of what his daughter has done, and tell him we’re sending her to him. She’s officially stripped of being my mate, a member of this pack, and banished forever for her crimes.”
“F*ck,” Rave sighed. “What about you, Dad? You’re mated to her and it’s mating heat. You can’t let her go until after it passes. You’ll go insane.”
An older man in his sixties rose from a chair. “We discussed this before you arrived. I’m going to put Elroy into an induced coma until mating heat passes. Because they are mated he’ll go through serious depression and withdrawals from his mate anyway. I’m more concerned about his grief over losing his mate. It could kill him. They’ve been together for so long he might not survive the loss. I’ll have to monitor him and keep him drugged regardless so we have nothing to lose.”
Anton closed his eyes, his hold on Shannon loosened, and she peered up at him. She hurt for him and the amount of pain on his features saddened her. She squeezed his hand and he opened his eyes to meet her concerned gaze. He gave her a sad smile before he broke eye contact to look at his father.
“I’ll lead the pack in your absence. I don’t want you to worry about anything but making it through this tough time. You’re better off without a mate who would harm you or us. We all love her but she doesn’t know how to love us back.”
Elroy turned away, his chin dropped to his chest, and his shoulders shook. Rave wrapped an arm around him and led him down the hallway, out of sight. The older man quickly followed behind the departing pair.
Anton turned his head to glance at his brothers. “He’s strong and will survive. Doc will take excellent care of him.” His voice grew harsh. “I’m in charge now. If anyone wants to challenge me, speak up, and we’ll take this outside.”
Fear jolted Shannon when she realized what he’d said. The knowledge that he might have to fight another werewolf left her feeling stark terror. No one inside the room spoke to protest his announcement.
“Good.” Anton sighed. “It’s official. I’m the temporary alpha.” He hesitated. “Temporary. That’s the key word here. Dad will get past this and I’ll concede the title back to him. We need to show a strong front for the pack. It’s imperative they know everything will remain the same and it hasn’t weakened us in any way.”
The blond cleared his throat. “What about her, Anton? No disrespect but it’s going to cause waves with some that you’ve marked the enemy.” The guy bit his lip. “I heard you say she can’t shift and is mainly human, but as an enforcer, it’s my job to point out all possible problems.”
Von stepped forward. “If it becomes a point of contention with our pack or outside challengers who believe there’s the possibility of taking the alpha position here, I’ll step up. We’ve already discussed that scenario if it came down to Dad having to step down, which has now happened. It’s fine, Kane. One of us will lead the Harris Pack. I highly doubt anyone would want to challenge all my brothers and that’s what they would be up against.” He met Anton’s stare. “I phoned Grady while you and Shannon were changing clothes. He is willing to fight to help us hold the pack. We’re totally united.”
“I never doubted that.” Anton addressed the blond. “Kane, I want you and your men to spread word that everything is taken care of and they have no reason for alarm. Perhaps it would be better if you just told them we’re sharing the alpha position while our father recovers. Make sure everyone knows the entire Harris family…” He paused to glance back at Brand. “Are you united with us?”
Brand grinned. “You know I love a good fight. I’ve always got your backs.”
Anton chuckled. “I knew that but I didn’t want to speak for you.” He faced Kane again. “You heard him. If they feel stupid enough to think it’s a good time to challenge for lead position in the pack, it will be the last thing they ever do.”
Kane grinned. “You have the support of your enforcers.” He shot a glance at the other men. “I can speak for them since they know I’ll kill them otherwise.”
A few of the men chuckled.
Anton grew serious. “I hate to do this during mating heat but for the time being we double up in teams. We have no idea how this news will affect outsiders and there’s plenty of them in town. No one goes anywhere without someone to defend their back.”
“Shit,” Rave groaned, walking back into the room. “Only on patrol, right?”
“No.” Anton shook his head. “They may use the heat to feel it’s a perfect time to attack. Pair up at all times.”
“No,” Braden groaned. “Anything but that.”
Rave suddenly laughed. “What’s wrong, Braden? Are you afraid to have a witness around to see how little you know about females? I’ll pair up with you. I’ll be more than happy to give you advice if you’re doing something wrong.”
Shannon tugged on Anton’s hand. He looked down at her. “Does that mean what I think it does? I…” Her cheeks flamed with heat and her voice lowered. “I’m not having sex with someone else inside a room with us. I can’t.”
He pulled her against his side and laughed. “Not in the same room but they’ll be close enough that we can look out for each other if someone shows up to attack.”
“You both can stay at my house,” Von offered. “I’ve got enough bedrooms and I’ve got a hell of a security system. I paired up with Debbie for mating heat and you know she won’t cause any problems over Shannon’s bloodlines.”
Kane chuckled. “Debbie, huh? That’s brave.”
Von shrugged. “I have no interest in mating her and we all know she’s already set on mating with someone else. I like her. She’s fun and easy to get along with.”
“You know Parker won’t be happy about it.”
“Then he shouldn’t have run away. He’s spending his heat with someone else since he’s not here with her. Debbie is my friend, and if he won’t take care of her, I will. She’s too vulnerable at this moment to trust any other male not to take advantage of the heat to mate her. She’s safe with me.”
Kane’s humor vanished. “That’s true. She’s too sweet and attractive. I know a dozen males who’d try to seduce her into a mating and I’d hate to see them die when Parker finally grabs a clue. He’d kill any man who claimed her.”
Shannon glanced up at Anton for clarification. He sighed. “You’ll like Debbie. She’s a half-breed. Some werewolves are old school and believe mating half-breeds taints the pack. Parker’s family convinced him that mating her would ruin their precious heritage and the moron left to avoid his feelings for her.”
Rave cleared his throat. “I hate to break this up but I’m starting to suffer from the heat. I feel aggressive as hell and I have a woman waiting at my place. Let’s partner up and assign schedules. In another half-hour, if I’m not f*cking someone, there’s going to be a fight.”
Kane laughed. “Let’s get down to business then. I’m not f*cking you, man.”
“You’d be the bitch, not me.” Rave winked. “And you’re so not my type.”