In Her Mate's Arms Page 5

  A mighty blow from Terry’s forelegs sent Dane sprawling, and perhaps, Kacie thought, it could end here with no bloodshed. She bit her lip, trying not to breathe or do anything to distract the two wolves. Terry stood on Dane’s neck, holding the older wolf down. Dane twisted his head to snap at Terry’s legs, hoping to find some way to push him off. Then, he twisted and bolted to his feet, lunging at Terry’s neck with a snarl.

  Gasps went through the crowd. Terry moved, unharmed, and as if that final action had broken the last of the Iron Horse alpha’s restraint he turned with a low growl that sent a shiver of foreboding through Kacie and everyone else in attendance. He’d given Dane a chance to get out of this with honor. Simply submit and Dane could have left with his pack and his dignity intact. He’d tossed aside that chance. This would go as far as it needed to now and both alphas knew that.

  Terry swiped at Dane, sending the big wolf staggering. Though the wolf appeared fat, out of shape, muscle lay beneath it, and he fought back, each alpha trying to get a hold on the other’s neck.

  Kacie reached for Sloan’s hand and held it tight. At one time fights like these had been common as alpha battled alpha for the right to take over and rule packs. Carmen’s treaty, the Shifters United, had attempted to put a stop to it, and those assembled knew now why. Because it was an ugly fight, where even if Terry won, there’d be no victor. Just grim determination and doing what must be done.

  Terry grabbed a hold of the back of Dane’s neck. The wolf twisted and fought, trying to dislodge him. Snarls and tufts of fur filled the air. A trickle of red appeared along the back of Dane’s neck, and Kacie feared Terry would have to kill the wolf just to get him to stop this foolish crusade. Anyone looking would know that he was beat, that it’d been a mismatched fight from the start, one full of bluster while the other determined to protect his pack. Still, Dane fought.

  The Iron Horse alpha kicked out with a hind leg, sweeping Dane’s out from underneath him and the wolf fell on his side with a heavy thud, breathing heavily. Terry gave no mercy. He pounced, standing over the alpha, his teeth at his throat. One twist of his head and he’d rip out Dane’s throat. The fight would be over.

  Dane’s form shimmered. The bulk of Terry’s wolf hid the other alpha’s nudity from view. “What are you waiting for? Do it. Kill me. It’s your right.” The words remained suspended between them, man and wolf.

  Terry’s teeth tightened. A warning or a fulfillment of Dane’s wishes, Kacie didn’t know. Her heart pounded just thinking that perhaps this would be the moment Dane received exactly what he wanted. That he’d be killed by another alpha and make himself the victim, turn himself in a martyr for the old ways. She gripped Sloan’s hand, not wanting that to happen and tried to reassure herself that it wouldn’t.

  In a flash Terry shifted. He moved, replacing his teeth with his hand, gripped tightly around Dane’s meaty neck. “It’s over. Yield.”

  Dane pummeled Terry’s ribs with his fists, the meaty sound of impact echoing with dull thuds.

  Still, Terry remained firm. “Yield,” he ordered again, this time louder.

  “Never!” Dane spat in Terry’s face.

  Terry frowned. Without releasing his grip, he punched Dane hard enough to send the man’s head twisting into the dirt. One, solid impact, and then the alpha lay still. Terry waited a moment, and when Dane didn’t move, he grabbed his clothes and pulled on his pants. Someone, from somewhere, found a blanket and tossed it over Dane’s still form.

  Jerome ran up and injected something into Dane. “He’ll sleep for a few hours.” Four young, muscled members of the pack ran up with a folded canvas, and working together, they unrolled it, got Dane onto it and carried him to the pack of a waiting truck.

  Carmen moved to the edge of the stage. “Terry and Iron Horse pack won the Pack’s Right. Kacie will stay with her mate. The Council cannot decide the fate of Hat Rock’s leader, for they are not a member of Shifters United. We’re taking Dane to a barn where he can sleep off the tranquilizer he received after his loss and then Terry can make the decision as to his fate.” She turned to Terry. “By old pack law you can still order his death. I know you will carefully consider your decision.” She descended the stage with her mate, and the other alphas left too, until only she and her mate remained behind as the crowd moved toward Terry’s house to await his word.

  Chapter Eight

  Kacie’s stomach turned sour, churning and growling her unease with the entire situation. For this to happen over her—she hated it. Though she knew Dane had brought whatever fate he’d receive onto himself with his own actions, she also knew she’d played a role. If she hadn’t ran…then she wouldn’t have discovered her mate. At least not as quickly.

  Sloan and Terry, along with his wife and other senior members of the pack, sat behind closed doors. Carter and his brother were ostracized, sitting on the edge of the group, and Kacie turned her back on them. She strode toward the house with the other mates, to see what their partners decided.

  A hand rested on her shoulder, and an unfamiliar male voice said, “Kacie, wait.”

  She turned and saw the shifter who must be Carter’s brother. “What do you want?”

  “I never asked for this. Look, Carter dragged me into this—”

  Kacie pulled away. “Then you’re a weak-willed wolf for not saying anything. Why are you here? Go away. I don’t think you’re Hat Rock, so I am sure that this isn’t any of your business.”

  “I’m a lone wolf,” he said. “No. I’m not Hat Rock. Carter and I don’t share a mother and the alpha, Dane, wouldn’t let me in the pack. I thought…” He raked his fingers through his shaggy dark blond hair and shook his head. “Hell, I don’t know what I thought except that maybe this would give me a pack of my own.”

  Kacie frowned. “This isn’t the way to find a pack. Look, just go. Leave this. It’s not your problem and by being here, you’re aligning yourself with Carter and Date. I hate to be the one to break the news, but your half-brother made his bed a long time ago. Find your own way. I’m sure you’ll find a pack in time, but only if you leave this mess.”

  “Yeah. I get that now. I just wanted to let you know there isn’t any hard feelings.”

  Kacie snorted. Sloan stopped beside her, his hand possessively on her waist. She leaned into his warmth and strength, not caring if it made Carter’s brother uncomfortable. Maybe it was time for some of that group to be uncomfortable with their own decisions and their chosen alpha. “I don’t know you. You’re not my mate, and I’ve found my mate. So yeah, if you need me to say it there aren’t any hard feelings. But if you don’t mind a bit of advice, find out who you are and what you want before you do go trying to find your mate.”

  “I will. Thanks.” He turned on his heel and left.

  “You okay? He didn’t bother you?”

  “I’m fine. I guess in his own way he was trying to apologize. Has Dane awakened?” She glanced at the group of people still milling around on the alpha’s lawn. While some of them had left, many members of the Iron Horse pack remained. Through the crowd, she saw Carmen and her mate talking to another older wolf couple.

  “Not yet. Terry is there with him, along with his second. I should be there as the third, but Terry told me to stay with you in case Carter or someone else tried anything, though last I heard Carter asked to be let in to see his alpha and they’d allowed that. This will be over soon. I’m sure.”

  Kacie squeezed her mate in a big hug and rested her head on his chest. “I hope so. It’s too late now for what ifs and wishes. Even if it would have changed something, I don’t think I would have done anything different. I just want it over with, you know. I want us to start our life together. I’m accepted into the pack. You’re my mate. And finding you has been more than I’d ever wished for when I fled my pack.” She reached up and cupped his cheek.

  “Me too.” He kissed the top of her head. “Carmen’s coming here.”

  “Dane’s awake,” Carmen announced when she a
nd her mate stopped in front of them. “He’s asking to see you.”

  “Then we better go,” Sloan replied and followed Carmen and her mate toward the barn.

  Kacie fell into step beside him, unwilling to let go of her mate for any length of time. She feared that with Dane awake that he’d find a way to take her away, to claim Pack’s Right, though he’d lost fair and square. The conversation with Carter’s brother unnerved her. Were they really so naive that they didn’t realize what they were doing, not just to Hat Rock but Iron Horse as well? Did they really think this would end well for Dane or them? The walk to the barn seemed to take forever.

  She arrived to find a window open and Dane staring out of it. She stepped back, caught by Sloan, when she saw him. Bruises marred his face almost in a mirror of her own, except for the dark, bruised handprint around his neck.

  “Kacie,” he said. “I rescind my call to Pack’s Right.”

  She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Even in defeat he refused to admit the truth. He’d lost and had Terry wanted, he could claim the entirety of Hat Rock’s property and pack members for Iron Horse. Not that he would. The pack members weren’t anyone to covet and the territory was small in comparison to his. “I suppose you want thanks for that. But you lost, Dane. You lost me when you slapped me. You lost when you lay on the ground, submissive to Iron Horse’s alpha. You think you’re going to stand in the way of me and my mate. You’re not. I have no ties to Hat Rock and I renounce you.”

  Dane flinched at her words. “I suppose I deserve that. Carter here—” He jerked his thumb in the direction of someone Kacie couldn’t see. “Has convinced me that you’re not worth fighting for.”

  Sloan stepped forward, and this time, she tightened her hand around his arm to hold him back. “He’s not worth it,” she said, making sure her voice carried. “You can’t stop progress. Someday, if there’s any of Hat Rock to remain, someone will want to join Shifters United. Maybe it’ll wait for a new alpha. Maybe it’ll be whatever rises out of the ashes when you and Carter are gone. You can’t live forever Dane, and someday, your hold on that pack will ease.” Kacie turned to Terry who came to stand beside her. “What is your judgment?”

  “Banishment. Hat Rock territory is off limits to any shifter of my pack and that of any pack, den, nest, shiver, or any other shifter group that is allied with Shifters United. Travel through Hat Rock to get to other areas is permitted where detours are not feasible. But no pack member will stop, spend money, or otherwise do any business within Hat Rock territory. So it is decreed,” he replied and turned to his second. “Please start spreading the word.”

  “Then we won’t find any more members or mates,” Dane said softly.

  “You brought this upon yourself,” Carmen said. “I’ve already sent word that all Shifters United members must obey Iron Horse’s resolution. Hat Rock will not be welcome within Shifters United as long as you, or your second, remain in power.” She glanced at Terry. “You will ensure he’s safely escorted to his vehicle and directed to leave.”

  Terry nodded. “We’ll make sure that happens.”

  “Good. Kacie and Sloan, I’d like to meet with you privately,” Carmen said and directed them off to a clearing well away from the barn.

  Kacie stood next to her mate, certain if anyone was going to tell her what they thought she did wrong that they were going to be in for a rude awakening. It didn’t matter if it were Carmen or the entirety of Shifters United. She’d spent her years being a beaten down member of Hat Rock. Now that Sloan, and Iron Horse, had showed her what it was like to be part of a pack that valued and respected its members, she vowed to remain.

  “I just wanted to make sure that you two were settled and to see if Shifters United could do anything for you,” Carmen said with a warm smile. “You handled yourselves quite well, and I’ll be making sure to communicate that to your alpha.” She turned to Kacie. “As far as I’m concerned you’re a member of Iron Horse.”

  “Thank you,” Kacie replied. She glanced at her mate. “I don’t think we need anything. Thank you for asking.”

  “I think we’re fine. I may ask you to officiate at our wedding at some time in the future.” He smiled down at Kacie.

  She swore her knees were going to melt. A wedding? To her mate? With everything happening, she hadn’t even gotten that far, but now that she could entertain the idea, there was no one else she wanted to have as the officiant than Carmen. “Yes, that’d be perfect.”

  “Then consider it done. No pressure. Just let me know when.” From close to the barn, her mate waved for her attention. “If you’ll excuse me?”

  “Thank you. And yes, of course,” Kacie replied. She leaned into her mate, suddenly tired and feeling as if she wanted to sleep for twenty-four hours straight. Relief filled her, taking away the fear and worry that she’d experienced over the course of the last week and a half or so. “Do we have to stay much longer?” she asked when Carmen had gone.

  “Let me check in with my alpha, but I don’t think so. It’d be good to go home.”

  Home. It sounded wonderful. And not the safe house, but Sloan’s big home with its too perfect kitchen and space for everyone. A home filled with his niece’s laughter and the frustration of homework. Filled with the love of a family that had come together during a difficult time. And most of all, filled with the love of a wolf for his mate, now that he’d found her.

  It didn’t take long for Terry to give his approval for them to leave. Keep in touch, he’d said, and Sloan assured him that they would. Already, the wolves that had carried Dane to the barn were accompanying him to the parking lot and his car, determined to ensure he and Carter didn’t cause a scene. Kacie wondered on the drive back to Sloan’s if she should feel sorry for her former alpha. Then decided no, she shouldn’t. He’d made his decisions, and that they’d ended with Hat Rock’s exile, rather than Dane’s death or something worse, probably was a blessing.

  When they arrived home, her mate made a lunch from some leftovers, chopping up some beef brisket he’d smoked and mixed in some chipotle peppers and tomatoes to make a filling for some burritos with cheese and salsa. Something quick and easy, and she appreciated it as he set the steaming plate down before her. “Eat up,” he said. “You’ll need your strength for later.” He winked and the heat in his gaze told her everything she needed to know.

  Chapter Nine

  Kacie would have laughed out loud at her nervousness as Sloan led her upstairs to his bedroom if that wouldn’t ruin the mood. The house was quiet. Jerri had taken her niece to the park and maybe for an outing to give the two of them some alone in case things didn’t go well. A text from Carmen indicated that they’d gotten Dane to his car and well away from Iron Horse Territory. Flutters filled her stomach as she followed Sloan down the hall. Which was rather silly, because they’d certainly made love before, and she’d seen, and tasted, all of him. When it came to each other, they had no secrets.

  And yet, being here in his wing of the house, with its hardwood floors and tastefully decorated, but masculine walls and wooden accents, made everything completely different from the safe house with its neutral design in both colors and decorations. She noticed a couple of empty rooms, doors open, but not filled with furniture as she passed, and then what must be a study because it held a large wooden desk and cases full of books and trophies. Too soon, she moved past the open door to keep up with Sloan and paused at the wide, double doors at the end of the hall. His master suite.

  The room took her breath away. Larger than maybe her entire apartment. A huge bed took up the center of the room, flanked by four posts with wolves carved at each end. Dark wood dressers stood, one on each wall, and she wondered if one of them were empty, perhaps waiting for her. The walk-in closet appeared to go on forever, and when she took two steps into the door she saw the long buffet upon which sat the biggest television she’d ever seen. Words failed her. The bedroom appeared as if it were for an alpha, a king, and suddenly she felt very small and v
ulnerable. She’d never dreamed she’d be in a room like this, let alone about to make lover to her mate in it.

  Sloan turned to face her. He stroked her cheek, his fingers lingering on her skin. “Are you all right? You’re white as a ghost.”

  “Just…I’ve never seen your room before. This is…” Her gaze fixated on a large canvas on which was painted wolves running in the forest at night. “A lot,” she finished.

  “Too much? I always thought of it as my den. My guy cave.” He caressed her cheek until he slid his fingers through her hair to draw her close. “Maybe it needs a feminine touch. I know I do.”

  He kissed her and everything melted away. It didn’t matter that the room was too much, that she’d nearly lost her mate today, that—She couldn’t think about those things anymore as his lips moved over hers and she melted against him. She gripped his biceps, swaying toward him until he wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her. Her thighs brushed his and heat blossomed through her body. A need ached deep in her core, a desire to be possessed by him and have him fulfill her every need.

  They moved toward the bed in lockstep, not even wanting to separate enough to move differently, and when Sloan tumbled her onto the tall, soft mattress, she sighed as she bounced and settled on the bed. Like laying on a cloud. Not that the safe house was bad, not at all. But here, the thick mattress cradled her body and supported her. She kissed Sloan again, telegraphing with lips and tongue what she couldn’t say aloud. I love you. You’re my mate.

  They rolled together on the bed, neither one gaining the upper hand. Though she longed to submit to her mate, to finally bare her throat and become one with him in every way possible, she refused to relinquish the control she had over him. Only when he pushed up her shirt and flattened his palm on her stomach did she still and give into the want filling every pore of her body. She tugged at his shirt.