Feral Sins

CHAPTER FIVE

An overwhelming need to pee woke Taryn. The rays of moonlight peeking through the curtains had been replaced by sunlight, telling her it was early morning. Her intention to stretch was inhibited by the tanned, muscly arm and leg belonging to the wolf behind her, both of which were draped over her as if to trap her there. She smiled at that. Then her smile widened as she recalled being woken a few times in the night. Yeah it could be said that they had engaged in a sexual marathon. Trey was insatiable and had impressive stamina, even for a shifter.

Having wriggled out from under his hold, she went to answer the call of nature. She found herself staring longingly at the luxurious tub – a hot bath sounded fabulous…but her rumbling stomach had other ideas.

A few minutes later she was dressed and heading through the damn network of tunnels. The familiar black door that led to the kitchen wouldn’t be too hard to find; she could just follow the scents of meat and eggs and hot toasted bread. The chattering stopped as she entered and five strange faces looked at her curiously, though they didn’t seem surprised to see her. Obviously word had gotten out about Trey having finally brought her here.

As simple as this moment was, it was also pivotal. Her stay here wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. Her being Lance Warner’s daughter would be enough to make some wolves give her a hard time. It wouldn’t matter that her mating with Trey might ultimately aid their cause. She was still a Warner and there was no way any of them would want to answer to her. Also, the fact that she was latent meant that some people would regard her in the same way that Brodie did – a freak of nature, an easy target, someone who didn’t even count as a shifter. They would test her patience and strength, and make her stay here difficult.

As such, there were a few ways she could handle her first few moments in their pack. One, she could present them with a dazzling smile and introduce herself needlessly, hoping to win them over with a friendly attitude. Two, she could act aloof, distant, and ignore any attempts to goad her. Or three, she could just be her usual ray of sarcastic fucking sunshine and tell anyone who pushed her to go eat shit.

A bigger person would have gone with option two, but, well, she was a bitch. So she decided to go with number three. “Look, I’m not much of a morning person because I tend to sleep through it so if you’re hoping to piss me off then proceed with extreme caution. We’ll get along just fine though if you don’t treat me any differently than you would a princess.” With that, she nodded at the stunned faces and hopped up onto the countertop.

The plump brunette who had been pouring coffee for the others then approached her. “You must be Taryn,” she said, smiling. “I’m Grace. I cook, clean and say ‘shit’ a lot.”

“Ah, someone who speaks my language.”

She gestured at the dining table where croissants, toasted bread, bacon, scrambled eggs, baked beans, sausages, platters of cold meat, various fruits, and cereals were all laid out. “The wolf over there with the glasses and the goatee who’s the epitome of geeky, that’s my mate Rhett. The Bill Clinton lookalike is Brock, a cousin of Trey’s dad. The guy next to him with the spiky blonde hair and the baby face is Cam. And the unfairly gorgeous female opposite him with the unfairly great legs is Cam’s mate, Lydia.”

“Stop mooning over my mate’s legs, Grace,” groused Cam playfully before shovelling half a croissant in his mouth.

“You’re like a little doll,” said Lydia, smiling at Taryn. She was the only one other than Grace who had a smile for her. “No one would ever think you had such a smart, awesome mouth.”

“Coffee, tea, or orange juice?” asked Grace while Taryn took one of the empty plates and piled bacon, scrambled eggs and toasted bread on it.

“Coffee.” Plate in hand, she parked her ass back on the counter. At Grace’s amused but questioning look, she shrugged. “I always sit on the counter. A little quirk of mine.”

Grace’s gaze skimmed over her, taking in the various marks of possession that decorated her flesh. “Well, short of having ‘Property of Trey Coleman’ tattooed on your forehead, he couldn’t have made it any clearer that he considered you his, could he?”

Very true. In addition to those marks that Trey had left while they consummated the claiming, there were those that he had made during the second, third and fourth rounds that followed through the night. There was a bite at the hollow of her throat, another on her inner wrist, a third one on the swell of her breast, and also claw marks on both upper arms – and they were only the ones that weren’t hidden beneath her black t-shirt, navy jeans, and black leather knee boots.

And what had Trey’s response been when she told him that he may have overdone it a little with the marking? A shrug followed by a very smug grin.

Maybe it would be fair to say that if she hadn’t fought him so hard on the issue of belonging to him then she wouldn’t be in this state. Yeah, but that only applied to the first time. After that, she had conceded belonging to him as his mate, although she had snarled at him with every concession. He hadn’t had any need to keep it up.

She wondered if maybe the drive behind it had been that he had sensed that her admission was only half-hearted. Once she had belonged to someone and when he had been taken from her it nearly killed her, even though they had never mated. As it was, Joey had taken a chunk of her with him when he died. And that was okay, because that was his chunk to take. But she wouldn’t give that much of herself to another person again. Her soul wouldn’t survive the loss a second time as there wouldn’t be enough of her left to allow her to live. She would simply exist, breathing in and out and in and out, but nothing more. And this was a male who she would lose – that was a sure thing. So, yeah she would belong to Trey on a physical level, but no more than that.

It was actually best that way as it meant there was no chance whatsoever of the process of imprinting being sparked. Despite Trey’s mark-happy behavior, he didn’t want that any more than she did. It was simply in the nature of the male to want to completely possess his mate inside and out. This male would just have to make do.

“And I thought I looked badly marked up on my claiming night,” said Lydia.

“Can I, um, ask,” began Rhett, “is it true that you’re, um, latent?” At her nod he added, “Do you still feel your wolf or is she buried deep?”

Grace quickly interrupted. “You should know that Rhett is one of the most curious people to have ever walked the face of the Earth. Whereas he’s great with computers and anything technical, he’s not an expert with human emotion. It wouldn’t occur to him that he might offend you by bringing it up.” She shot him a reprimanding glare.

Taryn shrugged. “It’s fine. No, my wolf’s not buried, she’s very much aware and very much a pain in the ass.” Rhett seemed about to ask her something else, but a sharp look from Grace had him returning his attention to his meal.

“It’s going to be nice having some more female company,” said Lydia. “We’re way too outnumbered by the males.”

Taryn arched a brow. “There aren’t many women?”

“Well, there are three others but they don’t really count. Selma and Hope are your typical walking tributes to Barbie, and are both vain and bitchy. And Greta’s….well, she’s horrid.”

“Lydia,” censured Brock. “Have a little respect.” The look he gave Taryn was withering.

Lydia ignored him. “She thinks she rules the place because she’s the Alpha’s grandmother, likes to boss us females around. The males can’t do any wrong in her eyes. She mothers Trey, Dante and the enforcers something awful, calls them her boys. And, well, she doesn’t like females sniffing around her boys.”

“She’s even worse when it comes to Trey.” Grace’s smile was sympathetic. “Scares off every female who goes near him.”

“Surely she’s not going to want to scare me off when Trey needs to claim I’m his mate for his super plan.” Their winces said that wouldn’t be the case.

“Need a Warner? Now that’s a joke.” The deep voice belonged to a male who, though nowhere near as good-looking or muscular as Trey, bore a few similarities to him. He had the same strong nose and chin, the same artic blue eyes, the same height. Whereas Trey’s dark scowl somehow looked good on him, it made this guy look creepy. She only had to look at his posture and the flash of bitterness in his eyes to know the guy had a chip on his shoulder. She had to wonder just what that chip was all about. He took a seat beside Lydia and then glared at Taryn. “We don’t need a Warner, and we don’t need a latent.”

“I don’t need your approval,” retorted Taryn. “So fuck off.” That seemed to surprise him, but she wasn’t under the illusion that it would shut him up.

Grace sighed. She didn’t appear any happier by his presence than Taryn was. “That’s Kirk, Brock’s son, so he’s sort of Trey’s cousin.” She mouthed, ‘And an asshole’.

His nostrils flared as he looked at Taryn. “If you think we’re all going to bow down to a Warner then think again.”

Taryn smiled at Grace. “Isn’t it great when just your very existence infuriates someone? You’ve got to love that kind of power.”

The sound of very merry whistling was soon followed by the entrance of Marcus and Trick. One look at the marks on her body and that clown grin took over Marcus’ face. Trick simply snickered.

“Hey little sister.” Trick ruffled Grace’s hair, earning himself a scowl and a smack on the shoulder.

“Go, sit, eat, don’t bother me,” she grumbled. Chuckling, he took a seat at the table and practically attacked the plate piled with slices of cold meet. “Here,” said Grace as she handed Marcus a goody bag. “See you later.”

Marcus opened it and sighed happily. “Is it wrong that I’d sell my soul for your cooking? If you weren’t already mated I’d snap you up.”

Grace rolled her eyes but a blush stained her cheeks. Taryn couldn’t blame her – the guy was seriously hot. Hell, all the enforcers were. “He’s guarding the gate today so he only has time to pop in and out,” she explained to Taryn after he had left the room.

Taryn looked up as Dante entered and went straight to the jug of coffee. He poured some into a Bart Simpson mug, inhaled the aroma deeply, and then took a sip. It was only then that he turned to everyone, apparently now equipped to interact with others as he had caffeine in his system. The instant he saw her he almost choked on his drink. She would have said she didn’t look that bad, but she did.

“Now I know why you kept yelling at him for biting you.” At her raised brow, he explained while grinning wickedly, “As Beta, my room’s next to the Alpha’s. How does he look?”

“You’ll see for yourself, won’t you.” In truth, she hadn’t marked Trey. Her wolf had wanted her to, had desperately tried to surface in response to Taryn’s resistance. But no chance was Taryn going to encourage his wolf’s sense of possessiveness by marking him back, not when this was temporary. Also, it would be easier on her wolf when they separated if she hadn’t branded him. It would be easier on Taryn too. Trey hadn’t questioned her about it or urged her to mark him so she could conclude from that that he was on the same wavelength.

Dante took another swig of his coffee. “I said that Trey – although he’s not usually possessive – would mark you up proper. The others, including Trey, thought he would be able to rein it in because you aren’t true mates. I have to say that I’m kind of enjoying that I was right.”

“Your life is that sad?”

“You don’t get it. Trey never marks his women. He’s always teased us whenever we’ve gotten even the slightest bit possessive with our partners. I’m just enjoying how the tables have turned.”

“To be fair,” said Trick, pausing in the demolishing of his cereal, “it’s a little different since he mated her.”

Dante looked about to say something but was distracted by the entrance of Ryan, Dominic, Tao and Trey. Ryan acknowledged her with a grunt, Dominic with a teeny nod, and Tao with a fierce scowl.

“Yes it is a fabulous morning and yes I did have an amazing sleep, thank you,” she said to them sweetly.

Just for the hell of it, Trey delivered a sharp nip to her bottom lip before taking a seat at the table with the others. Inwardly he frowned at this strange primal urge that he had to be close to her and touch her. Naturally he ignored it, but his irritation remained. Trey hadn’t hungered for touch for a long time and he didn’t like the idea that that might be changing.

He hadn’t been too pleased when he woke up to find himself alone. He’d originally hoped to taste her this morning since oral sex had been out of the question last night while she was battling his dominance so hard. He hadn’t been able to pin her down to taste her and he certainly hadn’t been interested in risking sliding his dick between those snapping teeth. Damn if their battles for dominance hadn’t been the hottest thing ever though.

Dante leaned back in his seat, smiling at Trey. “So…how come you didn’t mark her?”

Low laughs filled the room but Trey just ignored them. Okay he’d probably gone a little too far, but he simply liked the look of his mark on Taryn’s flesh. Once he’d gotten passed that annoyance with himself for his urge to do it, he hadn’t held himself back.

“Poor girl looks like she had a fight with a vampire. Oh and you, Taryn, damn you can curse. What did she call you at one point, Trey? Oh that was it. A motherfucking ass-licking sod of a cock-sucking goddamn bitch.” Grace and Lydia laughed.

“I’m an expressive person,” she said with an innocent shrug.

“I especially liked the part when she threatened to slice your cock off in your sleep if you didn’t stop spanking her. So where did she mark you?”

Trey knew the question was rhetorical. Females tended to mark their males around the groin and obviously Dante figured that was the case with Taryn. Rather than correct him, he allowed him to think that. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t marked him. Oh she’d nipped him and scratched him a few times through the night, but it had only ever been in retaliation and it was never deep enough to even draw blood, let alone mark.

His wolf didn’t like it, and Trey was pretty sure that her wolf wouldn’t be too pleased about it either. Maybe she would do it when the battles for dominance had eased, he mused. He didn’t bother asking himself why he even gave a shit. This mating stuff fucked with the brain.

“How does it feel to have a female who won’t bow down to you?” Dante’s grin was roguish.

Trey returned the grin. “It makes life interesting.” Very interesting.

“I don’t know how you can fuck a Warner,” snarled Kirk.

An unnerving growl filled the sudden silence and Taryn’s wolf began pacing and releasing a growl of her own as if to back up her mate.

Trey’s entire focus was on a fidgety Kirk. “Don’t. Insult. Taryn. Again.” Just like last night, the very idea of anyone insulting her made his blood boil.

Keeping his head bowed, Kirk rose from his seat and stalked out of the kitchen. Brock gave Trey an apologetic smile and then followed after his son.

“You’re right,” Taryn said to Grace who was taking Kirk’s now vacant seat, “he is an asshole.”

“We’ll be leaving here in a couple of hours to head to the meeting with the Mediator,” Trey told her. “In the meantime I’ll be in my office, but there’ll be plenty of people around if you need anything.”

Yeah, all of whom are hoping I die a painful death very soon. “I wouldn’t have pictured you as the type to have an office.”

“I have investments in a number of different businesses and I like to keep an eye on them. Feel free to wander round or whatever.”

“I will once I’ve been for a run.”

The eagerness in her voice surprised him. “You still have that need even though you’re latent?”

“My wolf gets restless and uncomfortable if I don’t. She still craves that feeling of being free, the kind that comes from running with other wolves.” Although these wolves were only temporarily her pack, her wolf wasn’t affected by that.

Trey couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to be latent. He wasn’t sure who would have gone crazy first, him or his wolf. The fact that Taryn was not only sane, but free of bitterness and hatefulness demonstrated just how strong a person she was.

As he sat sipping the remainder of his coffee, he watched her chewing on a piece of bacon. Such a simple sight and yet he couldn’t move his eyes from her. There was such an effortless sensuality to her movements. Each one was graceful, almost fluid. The way she chewed her food and licked that carnal mouth had his cock so hard he could probably hammer nails with it.

Dante’s eyes were helplessly glued to her – something which Trey wasn’t pleased about, but couldn’t blame him for. Even his enforcers seemed to begrudgingly admire her innate grace. She really was the most sensual creature he had ever seen. The fact that she was totally without vanity and completely oblivious to how provocative she was only increased her attraction. She was truly nothing like any of the women he had been with in the past.

“Trey?!”

Definitely nothing like the female who was currently heading toward the kitchen. Once, he had fucked the woman once and yet ever since that night four years ago Selma had acted as though she had rights to him. He’d kind of hoped that she would have moved on by now, but apparently the universe thought it would be more fun this way.

“An ex?” Taryn was surprised at just how much the idea irked her.

“For her to be an ex, there would’ve been some kind of relationship to begin with.”

“In other words, she’s someone you used to fuck?”

“I like to think of her as more of a mistake.”

“Trey, is it true?” demanded Selma as she stomped inside with Hope at her side. Instantly Selma’s nostrils flared as she took in the other scents in the room. Her head whipped round to face Taryn. Trey watched as Taryn smiled warmly at her, but there was something dark in that smile, something that warned Selma to be very careful.

Taryn cocked her head at the females. Oh Lydia hadn’t been kidding when she said they were living tributes to Barbie complete with peroxide blonde hair, fake tan and an overabundance of make-up. The taller of the two lowered her eyes at the sight of Taryn, but Trey’s ‘mistake’ was mightily pissed. Good.

Selma’s focus quickly returned to him. “You mated her? You actually mated her?”

“Why are you so surprised? I told each of you about my plan at our last pack meeting.”

“Yeah but I never thought you’d really do it! She’s a Warner. And I just…I thought that you and me would mate.”

Several snorts snatched Trey’s attention. He watched as Dante, his enforcers, Grace and Lydia all exchanged glances that said Selma was obviously delusional.

Selma planted her hands on her hips. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Trey held his hand out invitingly to Taryn. Smiling, she crossed the room and let him pull her onto his lap. “Taryn, Selma. Selma, Taryn.”

“Oh I’m just Selma to you now?”

She was only ever just Selma to him. Of course he had known that she was hoping he’d mate her and she would have the position of Alpha female. He hadn’t known that she thought she had a chance.

Taryn rolled her eyes. “I suppose this is the part where you enlighten me about how you’re his ex – perhaps even the love of his life – and then I’m supposed to feel insanely jealous. Sorry, but it’s just too early in the morning for me to muster that kind of response. Maybe you should try again later.” Though that wasn’t to say that Taryn wasn’t tempted to slap her purely for having touched Trey – as idiotic as that was.

“Seriously, Trey, you can’t honestly have mated her. She’s not even your type. I mean she’s thin. And mouthy. And small. Even her boobs are on the small side.”

“I have nice feet.”

“You’re not his type!”

“You mean because I can read and write?”

Selma flushed and stamped her foot. “Trey? Trey?”

Finally he spared the whining woman a glance. He’d only been half-listening to the conversation as he’d been too busy nuzzling Taryn’s neck, breathing in her exotic scent. As he licked over his claiming mark, a tremor ran through her.

Taryn gave him a sideways glance. “Trey, you really shouldn’t do that unless you want me to jump you while we have an audience.” The ass licked it again.

“Hello!” barked Selma, waving. She was a picture of jealousy.

“Oh sorry, did you say something?” asked Taryn innocently.

The ringing of Trey’s cell phone cut off whatever Selma had been about to say. Seeing that the caller was Ryan, he brought both him and Taryn to their feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.” With one last lick to his mark, he released her, relishing the flush on her cheeks, and left the room to take the call in private.

As if Selma wasn’t staring at her with utter hatred in her eyes and obviously planning her murder, Taryn leaned against the counter as she tackled her last slice of bacon.

“I feel sorry for Trey being stuck with you, even if it’s only for a few months. Seriously, Dante, what was he thinking mating a Warner?”

“You wouldn’t have liked her no matter who she was and we all know why.”

“Oh come on, Dante, if what I’ve heard is right then she’s latent for God’s sake.” God, the woman sounded like Brodie.

Taryn sighed. “You know, I really wish people would stop talking about my latency like it’s the second coming of Christ. I’m not the only latent shifter.”

Selma gave her a pitying look. “You have to admit that a latent couldn’t manage being an Alpha Female.”

“I suppose you would do a much better job.”

“Yes, I would. Even if this mating was real, it wouldn’t have lasted long. Once Trey and his wolf began to realize just how weak their mate is, their interest in you would have swiftly dwindled. They’d have gone looking for a female wolf who can complement them and their strength. And when that happened, I’d have been waiting.”

Trey was just ending the call when the sound of a loud crash hit his ears and had him cursing in surprise. He raced into the kitchen and stared, confounded, at the vision before him. Selma was very ungracefully splayed out on the floor after obviously having smacked her head against the wall, if the trail of blood was anything to go by. Everyone at the table had risen from their seat and was staring down at her, wide-eyed. And Taryn…well she was leaning against the counter calmly biting into a slice of bacon as if there wasn’t a woman moaning and bleeding all over the floor.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded. Taryn’s expression was perfectly serene when she peered up at him.

“She fell.”

The sound of muffled laughter had his attention returning to the table to find Dante, Grace, Lydia, Cam and Rhett chuckling so hard they were shaking. Although the others were silent, none of them – not even Hope – had been able to hold back an amused grin.

Taryn sighed. “I think I’ll go on that run now. Grace, that breakfast was excellent.” She then made her way around a moaning Selma, pointedly ignoring her. “Close your mouth, Trey, or you’ll catch flies.”

Still totally bemused and also a little horny as a result of her alpha vibes pulsating around her, Trey stared after her as she pranced out of the room humming a tune he didn’t recognise.

“Taryn’s one mean bitch,” said Dante approvingly.

“Trey, look what she did to me!” whined Selma.

He didn’t want to. “Dante, Tao, you coming?” Both rose from the table and thanked Grace before following him out of the room. “What was all that about anyway?”

“Just Selma being her usual irritating self,” replied Dante. “You should’ve seen the way Taryn picked her up and slung her at the wall. It was awesome.”

Tao nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly. “That female’s freakishly strong for her size.”

Oh Trey already knew that from their battles last night. His lips curved into a smile as he imagined battling with her all over again tonight.

Taryn was in a better mood after her short run. The cold breeze on her face combined with the familiar scents of the forest had left her feeling refreshed and settled her wolf. Only then had she began to wander through the maze of tunnels to familiarise herself with what would be her home for the next few months. Three hours later Taryn was in the doorway of the living area, gaping.

A wander around had confirmed that not one inch of the place was anything but spectacular. There were four floors and each one of them featured dozens of en-suite bedrooms, a small kitchenette, and a laundry room. On the fourth floor where Trey, Dante and the enforcers slept was – in addition to a laundry room – a pool room, a game room, an office, the huge amazing kitchen and a large living area. The blend of modern and antique furnishings was a feature throughout the entire place, never once clashing.

She was nothing short of awed and had found something to gasp at in each and every room. But this room…whoa. The audio-visual system was state of the art, the decorative swirly carvings on the main wall were amazing, the many armchairs all looked comfy enough to sleep on, but it was the item in the center of the living area that had her attention. Is it a bed? Is it a sofa? The freaking thing looked more like a giant cushion.

There had been a sectional sofa in her pack house too, but it wasn’t anything like this. The black leather was clearly top quality and it could comfortably seat at least eighteen people. One end was a gorgeous chaise lounge while the other end had a recliner. It was so big and bulky that not only did her ass sink into it, but her feet didn’t even touch the floor. It totally dwarfed her. Suddenly she felt like one of the Borrowers.

Oh she could get used to this luxury. She wasn’t a materialistic person, never had been, and she totally agreed that money didn’t bring you happiness. Still, she’d rather be depressed wearing Prada than dirty rags.

“Comfy?”

Taryn looked at the doorway to see Tao there, scowling. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you resented me being comfortable.”

He shrugged. “I’m not convinced your dad will give us an alliance, which means we’ll have brought all this trouble on ourselves and not even get what the pack needs out of this mating.”

“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you kidnapped me, huh?”

“Believe me, if I could have talked Trey out of this, I would’ve, but I respect Trey and I follow his orders.”

“That’s nice. You can leave now. I promise your idiotic opinion will be noted.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw – something which seemed to be a habit with him whenever she was around. “There’s nothing idiotic about not wanting Lance Warner’s daughter in my house or around my pack. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, don’t they.”

“Hey, I have a suggestion, why not put a condom over your head – if you’re going to act like a complete dick then it makes sense to dress like one.” His mouth actually twitched at that, but Taryn just sighed and retrieved the remote control from the round pine coffee table. Switching on the T.V., she sought out the sports channels.

Tao came to stand beside the sofa. “You watch boxing?”

“I missed the fight between Jacobs and Leighton last night. I just want to watch the repeat then you can watch whatever you like.”

Frowning, Tao gingerly sat beside her. “Fifty says Leighton won.”

Taryn stared at him curiously then nodded. “Seventy says Jacob won by knock-out.”

Well this was a surprise.

On leaving his office, Trey had followed the trail of Taryn’s delicious scent to track her down. Considering how Tao had been treating her up until this point, the last thing Trey would have expected was to find the pair of them laughing and joking while watching boxing on T.V. Her response to Selma would have shown the pack that she wasn’t an easy target or someone who took any shit, but he hadn’t thought it would be enough to win anyone’s respect just yet. Clearly he had been wrong. He should have been glad about that. It was a good thing for her to have Tao as an ally. Strangely, Trey found himself wanting to punch his Head Enforcer for putting that smile on her face. His wolf…well, he wanted to gut him.

“Ready to go?”

She looked up at him, frowning at the strain in his voice. “Sure.” Her frown deepened when instead of walking on ahead of her with Dominic and Ryan he waited for her to reach his side. She noticed that Dante was smiling – the kind of smile that said he knew something she didn’t. Well whatever. Trey remained at her side all the way to the car and even sat with her in the backseat which, for some reason, had Dante’s smile widening.

Her wolf enjoyed having her mate so close, enjoyed having his scent cocooning her. Unfortunately, just as Taryn had feared, it was proving to be uncomfortable for her wolf when they parted for too long. She wouldn’t have thought that five hours counted as ‘long’, but her wolf had been restless and on edge until the moment he entered the living area. His presence made her automatically feel safe, reassured, and relaxed.

“Has your father been in touch with you yet?” Trey asked her.

“No. He’ll be too busy sulking.”

“You know there’s a chance he’ll turn up tomorrow with Roscoe, don’t you.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I know.” She doubted he would, but there was still a chance.

“And you know what will happen if he tries to take you, don’t you.”

She wondered if he even realized that the hand of the arm he’d hooked around her headrest was now playing with her hair. “Even if he comes, it’ll only be Roscoe who’ll challenge you.”

“I hope you’re right. I want that alliance with your father, but there’s no chance I’ll be able to hold back my wolf if he tries to take you.”

The heavy dose of possessiveness in his voice had her lips twitching. What made it more amusing was that she could see how much the unfamiliar sense of possessiveness irritated him. “I did try to warn you that it wouldn’t matter to your wolf that we aren’t true mates.”

He shot her a glare. “Smart ass.”

“Aw, I love you too.”

He snorted and faced forward again, resisting the urge to nibble on her bottom lip. And the urge to kiss her. And the urge to lick over his mark. His wolf, on the other hand, liked all three of those ideas and was growling his encouragement at Trey. His wolf had…missed her. He brooded and fretted when he wasn’t around her, pushing at Trey to go hunt her down. Whenever he was around her, his wolf wanted to lick every inch of her and roll around in her scent. It was dumb and it was pathetic and it made Trey want to kick his wolf’s ass.

Eventually they arrived at a restaurant in the next territory that Taryn knew belonged to the wolf pack that the Mediator was part of. She also knew they wouldn’t be having the meeting inside the restaurant, but within the wooded area behind it – a place where many shifters had come to blows in the past when Mediation meetings hadn’t gone so well. Hopefully this wouldn’t be one of those times.

Seeing the tension in Trey’s shoulders as he opened her car door and the way he very reluctantly stepped aside, she smiled. “Your wolf doesn’t want me to go, does he? He doesn’t want me being around the naughty wolf.” The poor guy was in totally unfamiliar territory with all this protectiveness and possessiveness.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m glad you find this amusing.”

Knowing what would ease his wolf, she did what she hadn’t yet seen anyone do. She invaded Trey’s personal space, sliding her arms around his waist. Oh it could be said that she had been up in his personal space plenty of times while he fucked her senseless, but sexual touching and social touching were two very different things, two very different needs. And it seemed like Trey had conditioned himself to ignore the latter need. He stiffened for a few seconds and then his arms went around her, surprising her. Little by little the tension in him eased as he allowed his wolf to take solace in her closeness and her scent. “Ready?”

“Let’s get this over with,” he grumbled. In keeping with their true mate act, he took her small hand in his and kept her close as they followed the narrow pebbly path that ran through the wooded area. Although he had been assured that there would be enough security to guarantee that his uncle couldn’t make an abrupt attack, Trey still listened intently as they walked. His hearing picked up nothing other than the scurrying of the small forest animals, the even breathing of each of his pack, and the crunch of fallen dead leaves and sticks beneath their feet.

The path stopped at a clearing and there, at a long wooden table, sat his uncle Darryl, three males from Darryl’s pack, and a tall dark guy who he guessed was the Mediator. Standing either side of the table were six tall, bulky males who were clearly some members of the security team. His wolf tensed and growled at Darryl’s scent, offended by it. The memories of the day Trey attacked his father slapped him hard. He could remember his father’s sneers, snarls and the harsh words that had inevitably robbed Trey of all control. Even now he couldn’t regret what he’d done and he doubted that he ever would.

Forcing away the dark feelings attempting to swamp him, he tightened his hold on Taryn’s hand as they strolled over to the table. Everyone stood as they reached it, and Trey watched as Darryl’s eyes zoomed in on Taryn and the marks covering her.

“Let’s all sit, shall we,” suggested the Mediator as he took the head seat. Trey sat with Taryn and Dante on either side of him while Tao, Ryan and Dominic stood behind them.

The evil uncle was not at all what Taryn had been expecting. It was hard to believe he was actually related to Trey. There was no resemblance there at all except for the strong nose. His squinty eyes, lazy posture, perfectly parted dark hair, and sly smile all gave off the impression of a smarmy, cunning bastard. She couldn’t help feeling satisfied that her presence had thrown him.

“Afternoon, everyone,” said the Mediator, rubbing his prominent jaw. “My name is Dean Milton and I’ve been appointed by the council to act as Mediator in this dispute. My role is to guide this discussion and aid you in exploring your issues in the hope that an agreement can be reached. Note that both parties are free to leave at any point and that a decision will not be made in your absence. Before we go any further, could each party please introduce themselves, starting with the Applicant.”

“Darryl Coleman, Alpha of the Bjorn Pack,” the smarmy ass drawled with a self-satisfied smirk. “On my right is my Beta and on my left is my Head Enforcer. At my back are some of my enforcers.”

Dean nodded then looked at Trey. “Now if the Respondent could also introduce himself and the wolves with him.”

“Trey Coleman, Alpha of the Phoenix Pack. Behind me you’ll see my Head Enforcer and two of my enforcers. On my left is my Beta and on my right” – he stroked a hand through her hair – “is my mate, Taryn.” He knew the smile he shot his uncle wasn’t a pleasant one.

“Thank you,” said Dean. “Now I’ll ask you both, beginning with the Applicant, to outline the issue as you see it. I ask you not to interrupt each other.”

Darryl straightened in his seat. “It’s been a long time, Trey. You look well. Can I ask how the rest of the pack are doing?”

“You can, but I won’t answer.”

“I see you’ve mated. A beautiful female.”

“Well we’re not here to exchange pleasantries so cut the shit.”

After a sigh, he fixed a concerned look on his face. “It is regrettable that our pack divided the way it did. It never sat well with any of us. I, in particular, worried for your safety and that of those who left with you.”

Trey heard a snort behind him and thought it might have been Dominic. He was tempted to snort himself.

“A great many of us have carried that guilt. But you know your father…I do not wish to speak ill of the dead, but it is a fact that my brother was too damn stubborn for his own good. He refused to lift the banishment no matter how hard we appealed to him. As unfortunate as his passing is, it has also given us an opportunity to introduce changes and progressions. And we wish to welcome you back into the pack. With me as Alpha, of course.”

Dean arched a brow at Trey. “As the Respondent, what is your stance?”

He began massaging Taryn’s nape, drawing strength from her closeness to keep his wolf calm. “You always did talk shit, Darryl. I prefer bare facts. Shall I share some with you? A bare fact is that you were right at my father’s side when he banished me, encouraging his decision. Another is that if you had really wanted to overrule the banishment you could have, as Beta, applied to the council. A third is that you couldn’t care if I live or die, your motivation to unite the pack is not regret or concern. So what the fuck is it?”

Taryn noted that the Mediator didn’t look in the least bit surprised that Trey wasn’t interested in a civil discussion. He could probably see through Darryl’s act just as easily as they could.

“I don’t blame you for this anger, Trey,” said Darryl. “But why not let it go and unite the packs once again?”

“Why not just tell me what this is really all about? Is it my territory that you want? Is it to enlarge the pack? Is it just to be a pain in my ass?”

Where the idea came from she wasn’t sure, but an idea suddenly occurred to Taryn. “Maybe he has a perverse wish to see you bow down to him.” All eyes darted to her and then to Darryl.

Dante pursed his lips. “Maybe it’s all four.”

“You can’t tell me that neither you nor your wolf has missed your homeland,” said Darryl. “Surely you’ve dreamed of coming home many times.”

Trey blew out a breath and shook his head. “Did I ever wish to return to a place where people who were supposed to care for me had been so eager to sling me out? No, no I didn’t at all. The whole prodigal son thing isn’t for me.”

“So you have no inclination to unite your pack with Darryl’s?” asked Dean.

“None whatsoever,” replied Trey.

Darryl’s expression turned dark and bitter. “Don’t make this become a battle. It’s not one you can win.”

“Did I introduce my mate properly? I don’t think I did, did I? Taryn, meet Darryl Coleman. Uncle, meet Taryn Warner.” He grinned inwardly at the flicker of unease that crossed Darryl’s face.

“Taryn Warner,” repeated Dean, smiling at her. “You once healed a friend of mine, Lennox Gellar, his nose had been broken. You were also the person who broke it.”

She shrugged. “He deserved it.” Oh and he really had.

“If your reputation’s anything to go by, that wasn’t your first broken nose.” At her unrepentant shrug, he asked, amused, “You don’t think that perhaps you have anger management issues?”

“Punching people is managing my anger.”

Strangely not liking the playful banter going on between his mate and the Mediator, Trey tangled a hand in her hair – a shifter gesture of ownership. “Are you going to do the wise thing and drop this?” he asked Darryl.

“The wise thing would be for you to sign an agreement now that says our packs are now one and I rule as Alpha.”

Taryn couldn’t stop the snort from popping out. “And who in La La Land told you that would ever happen? Probably the same person who told you that you’re a good liar.”

He spluttered. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on, you talk so much shit I can smell it on your breath.”

“I take it this means no agreement can be reached,” said Dean quickly, obviously wanting to stop the conversation from becoming any more argumentative than it already was. “Darryl, do you wish to pursue this further or are you willing to withdraw your application?”

“I’m not backing down.”

Trey leaned forward in his seat. “Then I accept your challenge.”

Dean sighed. “You know the drill. Twelve weeks. Twelve weeks must pass before either of you can act on that challenge. Hopefully you can both come to an amicable agreement within that time.”

“How many times does that actually happen?” she asked Dean, curious.

“More often than you might think. About forty-five percent of the time disputes are nothing but impulsive challenges that neither side particular cares to follow through with once their tempers have eased. Without that twelve week cooling off period there would be many pointless battles and many pointless deaths. So maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to placate the humans by forming a council.”

Darryl snarled. “Unless within that time my nephew agrees to unite the pack, my challenge will be followed through. Those wolves are mine. And I’ll very much enjoy taking those caves of yours. Maybe I’ll even take your mate as mine.”

Trey’s menacing growl had everyone jerking. Feeling him tense as if to spring, she squeezed his hand hard enough to cause pain – a sharp pain that would cut through the anger fogging his thoughts. She curled her upper lip at Darryl. “Call me shallow, but I do prefer good looking guys. And you…well it seems like the best part of you dried up on your mom’s thigh.” She probably shouldn’t have found it so amusing that he didn’t seem to be breathing, but, well, it was a bitch thing.

Dean quickly said, “Meeting over. Trey, I’m going to ask you and your wolves to leave first.”

“What do you mean first?” griped Darryl.

“In the interest of preventing confrontations from occurring, the protocol is to keep ten minutes between the time that each party leaves.”

Eager to be away from Darryl before his wolf surfaced, Trey stood upright, pulling Taryn to her feet. “Let’s go, baby.” Surprising him, she leaned against his arm, offering him support that he hadn’t known he needed. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Darryl,” he growled, his eyes flashing wolf. The temptation to tear off his limbs and rip out his throat for trying to lay claim to what was his was riding Trey hard. Satisfied by Darryl’s nervous expression, he nodded and stalked back to the Toyota.

Once back on pack territory, Trey closed himself in his office, needing that privacy to fight off the memories haunting him and the grey cloud that seemed to be hanging over him. Yeah he was a brooder. It wasn’t the memory of his dad severely wounded that haunted him. Nor was it the memory of how many suddenly turned against him just like that. It was a memory of something far worse, something that he shouldn’t be able to shove to the back of his mind to only haunt him from time to time. But he wasn’t a person who ‘felt’ the way everybody else did. He knew instincts, he knew urges, he knew logic, but ‘feelings’…not so much.

It wasn’t that he was cold, just that he’d closed himself off a long time ago as what he now knew was a defence mechanism. It was most likely a bad thing and strongly linked to his underdeveloped conscience, but it was also one of the things that had made it possible for him to take on the responsibilities of Alpha at fourteen and get his pack through that difficult time of the banishment.

As usual, Dante never left him to brood in peace for long. A knock on the office door half an hour later was followed immediately by Dante’s entrance. He was the only wolf who didn’t wait for permission to enter, and he was the only one who could get away with it. “Are you done?”

“Is Greta back yet?”

“Got back about ten minutes ago. She’s in the kitchen packing away boxes of some weird herbal tea. Um, I think you might want to know that on my way here I saw Taryn going to refill her coffee mug.”

Trey groaned. “Shit. Tell me they’re not alone.”

“Who do you think will start cursing first?”

Sighing, Trey strolled out of his office en-route to the kitchen to rescue his mate from his rather antisocial, borderline psychotic grandmother.

“I don’t like you.”

Taryn almost laughed at the growling old woman sitting at the table. The second Taryn had entered the kitchen Greta had begun hovering around as Taryn refilled her mug and then perched herself on the counter, dipping mini cookies in her coffee. Going by how nosy Greta appeared to be, Taryn had been expecting her to ply her with dozens of personal questions. Instead, she had sat in total silence as she watched Taryn’s every move, scowling the entire time.

Rather than irritated, Taryn found herself amused. Greta reminded her of her bitter grandmother. She also reminded her of Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho. “Now that’s not a very nice welcome for your grandson’s mate.”

“You might have gotten one if you’d been his true mate,” she snapped, flicking her short fuzzy greying hair away from her face. “But you’re not.”

“No, I’m not.”

“And I don’t like or trust you one little bit.”

Taryn gave a slight shrug. “I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t give a shit.”

A dramatic gasp of outrage escaped from Greta. “How dare you speak to me like that! You will watch your language in my presence.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“This mating-for-a-deal wouldn’t have happened in my day. I told him he didn’t need a mate to build alliances – Darryl won’t go through with his challenge. But did Trey listen to me? Noooo. And now look what we’ve ended up with. A tiny little fart with a tarty tongue. All his life I warned him about power hungry females, but has he listened to me? Noooo. He’s not only gone and brought one home, but he’s mated with her. Well you just remember that you won’t be here for long. And don’t expect me to treat you as Alpha female. You’re nothing as far as I’m concerned. Just some cling-on slut who wants a position she never would have had if she hadn’t made a deal with my grandson.”

Taryn cocked her head at the old woman. “So…the dead do contact us.”

Greta growled and pointed at her. “I’ve seen your sort before.”

“Really?”

“Common. Disrespectful. A hussy -”

“How did you know I was a hussy?” It was a strain not to laugh as the woman became more and more irritated by Taryn’s lack of reaction to her taunts. Greta had nothing on her own grandmother.

“- and as if that’s not bad enough, you’re blonde. That’s all we need, isn’t it. A bimbo.”

“Hmm. I really hope I don’t sound condescending – that means talking down to someone – but, you know, you really shouldn’t believe everything you think.”

Another growl. “My grandson doesn’t need a hussy.”

“Well he must want one.”

“He’ll want you out of here as soon as he sees what you’re really like. He’ll sling you out. Yeah, and he won’t be gentle about it.”

“Oh I do love a rough touch,” said Taryn dreamily.

“Think you’re funny, do you? Think you’re smart?”

“You want to know what I think? Okay. I think you’ve been behaving as mistress of the place because your Trey’s grandmother. You look at me and you see a threat to your lovely little world and you don’t like it. Well I’ll tell you something, Greta. If you think I’ll be scared away by a sour crone who’s so old she dreams in black and white then you’re in for a massive disappointment. I made a deal with Trey, and I’ll be here until I’ve lived up to my half of it. In the meantime, feel free to keep up the insults and the intimidation techniques – all I ask is that if at any point it seems like I care please tell me because I really don’t want you getting the wrong impression.”

Greta, her face purple, slapped her hand down hard on the table. “That’s it. Out. I want you out. Now.” When Taryn just stared at her Greta growled out, “I. Want. You. Out.”

Taryn held up her index finger. “Just give me a second. Attempting to give a fuck…Attempting harder to give a fuck…Sorry, there was an error. Fuck not given.”

Both women looked up as Trey and Dante walked in and skidded to a halt. Taryn found her mouth curving at their nervous looks. Obviously they had guessed Greta would be like this. Taryn’s wolf settled a little as she picked up her mate’s scent. “Aww, Trey, you didn’t tell me your grandmother was such a kind, delightful soul.”

Trey was surprised by Taryn’s smile. Clearly she was holding up just fine against Greta.

“You really want this trollop as a mate?”

“Watch it, Greta,” Trey cautioned in a low voice.

“I don’t have to be polite to her. She’s nothing but a hussy!”

“You sure like to repeat yourself, don’t you, woman,” said Taryn with an air of boredom.

“I want her gone!”

He folded his arms across his chest, trying hard to prevent a grin from surfacing. If Greta was looking so flustered and annoyed then she was obviously losing at the confrontation she had undoubtedly begun for no other reason than she didn’t like females around him. “That won’t be happening.”

“I refuse to accept her as part of my pack!”

“Why is that exactly?”

“You should hear the way she’s been talking to me. Disrespectful is an understatement! Worse, she’s a hussy! She won’t be faithful to you. She’ll be all over your enforcers, spreading herself around them like butter on toast.”

“It really is disconcerting just how well you’ve read me, Greta,” said Taryn.

With a growl that had all eyes widening, Greta stood. “I said I want her gone!” She focused on Taryn then. “I want you gone!”

Taryn gave her a mock frown. “Now really, Greta, anger is such an ugly thing.”

“It’s Ms Tyler to you, hussy.”

“Sure thing, Greta.”

Turning to Trey, she ranted, “Have you heard the way she talks to me? She has no respect! She’s rude! She’s -”

“Staying exactly where she is,” finished Trey firmly, hearing his wolf growl his agreement. Trey wasn’t a grandson talking to his grandmother now. He was the Alpha talking to a pack member.

“But she’s not your true mate and she’s not good enough for you!”

“I’m aware that she’s not my true mate, it has nothing to do with why she’s here.”

“She’s not good enough for you!”

He had a moment when he considered pulling his hair out. “You don’t even know her so how could you know anything about her or whether or not she’s good enough for me?”

“Is it true that she’s latent? You picked a latent for an Alpha female?”

Trey was ready to snap at Greta for making such a comment when alpha waves suddenly reached out and hit them all with the force of a sledgehammer. The vibes clotted the air, smothering him while at the same time invigorating him. He turned to Taryn to see her glaring at Greta, and realized she was letting his grandmother see exactly how powerful an alpha her wolf was. Obviously she’d had enough of being insulted. He couldn’t blame her. Unfortunately for him – and probably for Dante too – her dominant display went straight to his cock, hardening it painfully.

“Taryn?” he said softly. She looked at him, smiling, and suddenly the waves eased. “You okay?”

Nodding, Taryn slid from the counter and did a very feline stretch. “I think I should leave the room though. I can feel those hussy urges coming on me already. Probably best if I go before I leap on you or Dante.”

Trey looked at his gaping grandmother who had obviously not expected such a demonstration of power from little Taryn. “I don’t want to have to go through this again,” he said in a grave tone, knowing how tenacious Greta could be. “She’s my mate. Accept it. And if you want her to treat you with respect then remember it works both ways.”

Taryn sighed. “No, she’s right. My behavior has been truly unacceptable. Accept my apologies, Ms Tyler. I know I really should have more respect for the dead.” With a grin and a wink, she then strutted out of the kitchen. Her grin widened as she heard an outraged gasp burst out of the old woman.

“Hey you did good,” praised Dante, chuckling. “Didn’t cry or anything.”

“Something tells me I’ll have to put up with that every – Hey!” She gaped at Trey as he snatched the mug from her hand and gave it to Dante. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Baby, you got me hard as a rock after that display of dominance in there. If I’m not inside you in the next five minutes, I’ll lose it.”

“Oh hell no!”

Locking his arms around her, Trey carried her through the tunnels, ignoring her kicks and the string of profanities she hurled at him. Once in the bedroom, he dumped her on the bed. “Now I’m going to fuck you and make you come so hard you can’t breathe. Deal with it.”