Force of the Dark Wolf (Force of Nature Series) (29 page)

They were moving down the road before the car came around the corner.
Several times she looked at the wolf in the back as she drove
,
but the wolf stayed low.
Alexis was sure she knew who was behind them because she continued to whimper all the way to the pack house.
When they pulled into the gated area the car, a black SUV
,
sped by them.

They were moving up the drive before anyone spoke.
And when Gordon did Alexis wasn’t sure
if
she
wanted to go inside or not.
There were things going on here that she was sure was going to be bad.

“The persons in the car, they were following us, you know that
,
right?”
She stared at him.
“The pack will help us
,
Alexis, all of us.”
He looked at the wolf in the back.
“All of us.”

~~~

Gordon was rolling out of the vehicle before it came to a complete stop.
He was glad that he’d reached out to Austin.
He was even gladder that they had taken his warning seriously and were now standing on the front deck with about two dozen shifted wolves surrounding CJ, Dallas
,
and him.

“He drove by
,
but I got his plate.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that he just happened on that road at that time.
Send a few wolves after him and see if they can pick him up.”
Alexis was coming around her vehicle with Stacy as the wolves did his bidding.
“This is Stacy O’Brien.
She’ll need something to put on when she—
”

“You hold it right there
,
mister.” Gordon turned and raised a brow to Alexis as she snapped at him. “You aren’t the big cheese here and I’m pretty sure the last time I looked
,
wom
e
n had all kinds of rights that even big
,
bad wolves like you can understand.”

Gordon heard his brothers laugh and CJ was the loudest.
He was about ready to snarl at his mate when she came up to him with her wolf standing between them.
With a snap of her finger and a sharp point to the right, Stacy moved.

“You did that really well,” Austin said with laugher in his voice.
“So you’ve found yourself an alpha person and didn’t even know it.”

Gordon didn’t know whether to be pleased or pissed. He opted for pleased with a small dose of pissed when he turned to look at Alexis.
Christ
,
she was beautiful standing there with three wolves standing behind her.
Gordon wasn’t sure where they’d come from
,
but he was sure he was gathering a pack without even knowing it.
He glanced at the two males and Stacy and then back at Alexis.

“Do you have any idea what Austin is talking about?”
He wasn’t surprise
d
when she shook her head.
“The wolves that are there with you have just pledged themselves and their loyalty to you.
By breaking pack from Austin’s
,
we’ve just inherited them into ours.
Understand?”

“I don’t want a pack,” she said
,
trying to step away from them
,
and he noticed that Stacy stayed where she was.
“I can barely be parent to a few kids.
I can’t imagine how it will be trying to be a…I thought it was called an alpha bitch?”

Gordon tried not to laugh
,
but when CJ came down off the deck and toward them he knew that her explanation was going to be worth it.
He watched her waddle toward them, her and all seven months of her belly.

“Oh I’m so not going to be called a bitch of any kind.
When Austin called me that the first time I nearly took his head off.”
CJ grinned.
“Actually
,
I threatened all sorts of things I was going to do to him
,
so we came up with ‘alpha person
.
’
Though now I suppose that alpha bitch is more suiting. I’ve been something of a terror these past few months.”

The man on the deck didn’t say a word…at least not out loud
,
but Gordon heard him through their brotherly link.
“Something of a terror?
Holy hell, she’s been a nightmare.
And if you tell her I said that, I’ll make you a eunuch.
All of you.”

“All right.
The pack said that they got nothing from the SUV,” Dallas said quietly.
“We should take this inside.
Come. Now.”

Gordon watched the pack move as one. The only few that stayed were the two males
, the names of which
Gordon couldn’t remember
,
and Stacy.
She didn’t move even though the compulsion was very strong.
The only indication she gave that she’d heard him was a small flick of her ear.
Gordon tried to hide his laughter behind his hand when Dallas tried again to get them to move.

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Alexis said.
“Come on in
,
guys.
I think it’s going to be a really long night and I
,
for one
,
could use a beer.”

The males stood and looked back at Stacy
,
who hadn’t moved.
When Alexis told him to go inside and take the others with him he started to tell her no. But Stacy growled low in her throat and spoke to him again.

“
I won’t go in as a wolf. Not there with all those males.
I’ll talk to Alexis
,
but not to anyone in the house.”
Gordon didn’t get a chance to answer her before she spoke again.
“I will protect her. I was the head of security in the other pack. Your mate will be safe with me.”

Gordon looked directly to the female knowing that Austin and Alexis both would be able to hear him and not caring.
“Harm comes to her and I will kill you.
I will make it a long and horrible death.
So much so that you’ll beg for your death.”

“No harm with come to her.
None. On this I swear my allegiance to you.
I will die
,
myself
,
before harm comes to her.”

Gordon nodded.
He turned on his heel and entered the house without another backward glance.
He knew what he was doing was foolhardy
,
but he also knew that the female was right.
She would die for Alexis.
It was the why that puzzled him.

“She won’t die.
Neither will you.”
Gordon looked at Phil as he spoke.
“Your mate is the last shifter
i
n this world.
And boy
,
have I got a story for you.”

Gordon reached out and grabbed the vampire before he could think about it.
He pulled his friend into his body and gave him a hug that only other supe
s
could give each other
—
tight and hardy.
When he released him, Phil held on for just a few seconds longer and Gordon felt the weight of the past few days lighten just a little.
Before he stepped back he whispered in his ear.

“She’s in New York.
She’s there on a business trip that will bring her back this way in two weeks.
If you want to catch her there she’s staying at the Beverly Wilshire on Tenth.”

Phil stepped back.
The look of shock on his face was priceless.
Before either of them said a word
,
though, Gordon’s mother came from the kitchen.
She was holding a tray of food and both men reached to take it from her.

“No, I have it.
Come on.
I have a bag of clothes on the table for the young girl. CJ said she needed something to put on.”
She s
et
the tray down as she started handing out sandwiches.
“There are some bigger shirts and a few of those stretchy pants too. Not sure how big she is
,
but I’m thinking she’s a tiny little thing.
The children are in the back yard playing with some of the other pack and your aunt Glad is having herself a lay in. Poor thing is all done in.
Gordon, your brother said he would be by later. He said to tell you he’s on a case and you’d understand.
Come on now, let’s begin. I’m dying to know what this pretty book is about.”

They adjourned to the living room as CJ took the bag of clothing out to the deck. She was gone for a while and when Gordon started to get up and go to see if anything had happened to Alexis, Austin stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“They’re fine.
The pack is watching them.
And your pack is still on the steps. By the way, congratulations are in order
,
I suppose.
Those two
…
” Austin nodded to the front door and the two males sitting there watching.
“They’ve been uncomfortable here for a few months and were just about to move on.
I’m glad they found you and Alexis.”

Gordon only nodded. He’d not only gotten a mate
,
it seemed
,
but a pack as well. He wondered where they’d go from here and wondered if they could stay at least for a little while longer.
He didn’t want to leave his family just yet, especially not with Austin becoming a father in a few months.
He nodded again before he took a healthy bite from the sandwich and a good drink of iced tea.
As much as he wanted a beer he wasn’t sure what was going on outside and wanted to be on his best game.

He looked up when CJ and Alexis came in with a very beautiful woman.
He stood up and started toward her.
He’d only seen her from afar
,
but the scent was all hers.
He was nearly to her when she snarled deep in her throat at him.
This woman had claws.