Kianna and Her Three Alpha Wolves [Featherstone Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (26 page)

Duncan leaned down so that he could see her eyes and said, “We are so incredibly proud of you, Kia. What exactly did you do to stop Jeff anyway?” he asked.

Sniffling a little more she lifted her head and said, “I told him that if I was your mate, then I was also his alpha. I didn’t know whether or not it would work or even if it was true, but I needed to do something so that Jeff didn’t have to live through the guilt of killing someone in cold blood. If it hadn’t worked, I probably would have bashed him over the head with a frying pan.”

All the men in the room burst out laughing as they smiled at her.

“What the hell is so funny?” she asked, indignation written all over her face.

“Are you sure you aren’t part wolf, baby?” Duncan said through his laughter, “Because you have the instincts of one.”

“Well, after dealing with the three of you, I think I’ve pick up a trick or two.” She smiled coyly at him.

She gently pulled out of Alex’s arms and faced Teaghen and asked, “What are we going to do with Ray and his buddies?”

Sighing, Teaghen sat down in his chair again, only this time he pulled Kianna onto his lap.

“Ray will be taken to the sheriff to be dealt with, but as for the others, I’m having Duke make a few calls to find out more about them. They’re bad news all around, baby, and if the authorities can’t deal with them, then I will. From what Ray says, they’ve been kidnapping women for quite some time, and it needs to be stopped.”

As if on cue, Duke came back into the room with a deep frown on his face. “I’ve just notified the federal authorities, and it seems they’ve been looking for Sal DeMarcos for a while now. He left town just before he was to be indicted on a number of charges, including murder. The agent that I spoke with told me that there’s a long history behind his family. There are a couple of women who escaped from one of Sal’s brothels back east and are more than willing to testify. Sal didn’t seem to be the usual mobster, though, because he openly talked in front of the girls about some of his crimes. But if Ray ever hopes to walk free again, he’s going to have to tell the feds everything he knows, as well.”

Resting her head on Teaghen’s shoulder, Kianna couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her brother. He never stood a chance with a father like Bubba Deacon. His life was set on course when he was a child.

* * * *

Teaghen could feel the sadness coming from their mate and wanted to alleviate it in any way he could, but they all knew that, no matter how bad Ray’s childhood was, he made his own choices as an adult, and he now had to pay for them.

“I’m sorry that Ray is such an ass, baby. Bubba was a bastard, and I hope he spends eternity in hell for what he put you through.” Kissing the top of her head, he snuggled her in close against his chest.

Alex lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the couch to lay down with her.

“You need to rest a little now, kitten,” he said quietly. “All the dragons have been slain, and your world is safe. It’s now time for a nap.”

But before he could get her settled in for a nap, she said, “Take me home, Alex. I want to rest at home, not here. This isn’t home for me. It never really was.”

Alex smiled and kissed the top of her head, saying, “Sure, little one, we’ll take you home so you can rest.”

* * * *

It was light out when she awoke alone in bed and wondered where her men were. She barely remembered being brought home. She’d been so emotionally wrung out that she wasn’t able to keep her eyes open.

Lying back on the soft pillows, she thought about all the changes that had happened in her life in such a short period of time. She had always known that she came home for the Featherstone brothers, but she never in her wildest imagination dreamed that they would love her and care for her the way they did. She’d loved them since she was a little girl and was more that prepared to spend some time with them and then watch them walk away. She was just so glad they didn’t.

The door opened, and Alex and Teaghen came into the room.

“Good morning, kitten. How’d you sleep?” Alex asked her as he climbed up beside her on the bed to gently kiss her on the lips.

“I feel really good, guys. I can’t believe it’s daytime though. I guess I didn’t realize how exhausted I was from everything.” Kianna turned to lay facing Alex and rest her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and just let herself breathe in his scent. Hearing movement beside her, she opened her eyes just as Teaghen lay down on the other side of her and pulled her back against his chest.

“Where’s Duncan?” she asked, a little worried that maybe she’d done something to upset him.

Nuzzling into the back of her neck, Teaghen’s voice whispered softly over her skin.

“He said he had something important that couldn’t wait. He should be back anytime now. He’s been gone since well before daybreak.”

Alex kissed the tip of her nose, asking, “Why the worried look, baby? He’ll be back before you know it. He had to go and speak with the sheriff this morning and pick up a couple of things, that’s all.”

“I just wished he would have been here when I woke up, too. And why did I wake up in this big bed all alone?” she pouted with a smile on her face.

“Well now, kitten,” Teaghen gently turned her to face him completely. “As much as we would have all loved to climb right into this big, warm bed with you, there was a lot of things to be dealt with last night.”

Kianna started to say something, but he put his finger gently against her lips, saying, “As much as you wanted to be there, you needed rest more. You’ve been so strong since the moment you arrived back home. You needed rest, baby, before you made yourself sick.”

He was blessed by the biggest smile from Kianna. God, she was so beautiful, he thought as the back of his hand stroked down her cheek.

“How about I get up, have a quick shower, and no, neither of you are going to help wash my back.” She laughed when she saw the hopeful looks on their faces. “And I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

Teaghen reached under the sheet that still covered her and slowly slid his hand up to cup her breast, her eyes clouded with desire.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to wash your back, kitten?”

She could hear both Teaghen and Alex’s laughter from behind her, when somehow she found the strength to push them away and jump out of bed. Grabbing some clothing, she ran to the bathroom and locked the door with them still snickering behind her.

* * * *

Duncan had everything they needed and was headed home. He’d gone to the sheriff’s office to double-check that all the people involved were still locked up tight. From the sounds of it, Ray and the two other lackeys were spilling everything they knew about Salvatore DeMarcos.

His nephews gave the feds enough information to charge their uncle with multiple murders, so he’d be going away for a very, very long time. The nephews were headed into witness protection, and Ray was headed for a long stay in the federal prison system. And after picking up the information from Sean’s safety deposit box, Ray would be spending the rest of his life behind bars.

With all the bad guys taken care of, it was now time to take care of their mate. He couldn’t wait to get home with the surprise. He just hoped that Kianna would like it as well.

Parking in front of the house, he raced out of the truck and up the stairs inside to the master bedroom where he’d left his mate sleeping.

His heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest when he entered the room and there was no one there.

Where the hell could she be?
He headed out into the gardens in the back and found both his brothers and Kianna sitting on the grass talking.

He stopped in his tracks so that he could just watch his mate for a few minutes, unnoticed. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, leaving her lovely neck available to his kisses. He remembered how much she loved it when one of them ran their lips down it and across the top of her shoulders.

“Duncan, you’re back!” Kianna squealed. Standing, she ran across the lush, green grass and launched herself into his arms.

“I missed you when I woke up this morning,” she said with a huge smile on her face.

“I missed you, too, baby, but I wanted to make sure that all the loose ends had been tied up so that we could start fresh.” Duncan reached around and lifted her up by her ass. Kianna instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight.

Looking into her eyes, Duncan wanted nothing more than to strip her bare and bury his face in between her luscious thighs. His wolf howled inside to be free to reclaim their mate. Instead, he brought his lips close to hers and gently brushed a light kiss over them. Kianna sighed and tried to pull him closer for a harder kiss, but he just smiled against her lips and walked with her to where his brothers sat. He wasn’t going to let himself get distracted from the task at hand, and that was to finally show their mate just how much she meant to them.

After extricating himself from the arms of their woman, he placed her so that she was standing in the center of the circle now made by him and his brothers.

“What’s going on, boys?” she said as she laughed and turned around to look at each one of them.

All three men dropped to their knees, and Duncan presented a small velvet box to her. Opening it, Duncan could see how hard Kianna was fighting not to burst into tears.

“Kianna, our mate, we have belonged to you since you were a child but had to wait until you grew and experienced life before we allowed ourselves to claim you. As the alphas of our pack, we have always known that we would share a mate. You were destined to be ours as we were destined to be yours. Without you, we are lost but with you, we are unstoppable. We love you with everything that we are, both human and wolf, and would like nothing better than if you would marry us.” Taking the ring out of the box, Duncan placed it on her finger.

* * * *

Alex took her hand next. Kissing it gently, he looked up at the woman who it seemed he and his brothers had waited a lifetime for, saying, “Kitten, I find myself at a bit of a loss for words. I’m not the eloquent speaker like my brother, but I do know how I feel. You have made me whole. That is the only way to describe the absolute joy I feel every time you walk into the room or look at one of us with such trust in your eyes. You honored us by becoming our mate. Now we would like to honor you by making an honest woman out of you.” They all laughed, and Kianna leaned down and kissed Alex’s hand.

“You all have given me more than you could possible realize,” she sniffed, wiping away the tear that had escaped down her cheek.

“Growing up, you three were my saviors, whether you realized it or not. Living with Bubba was a nightmare made bearable only because I knew, when things got really awful, I had a place to go and feel safe. You three gave me that, and you gave me my dads. I’ve learned a lot about how difficult it was for them to watch their mate with another man, especially one who abused her. But I have come to find out from reading my mom’s journals, in the last few days, it is pack law that a wolf cannot claim another man’s mate as their own. She has to make the decision to leave on her own, and thank God that my mom found the strength to do just that.”

Taking hold of Teaghen’s hand with her free one, Kianna pulled both Alex and Teaghen to their feet. Duncan was already standing close behind her. She knew that without even having to turn around. She could feel him.

“Mom stayed with Bubba because of me, and that was the only reason. She thought that Bubba would treat me differently as I got older, but when she saw that it was only getting worse, she took me away, after his last beating, and divorced him. That gave Jeff and Sammy the freedom to finally claim her. You all have been with me since I was little, and I love you so much for that. I loved you with a child’s love, then a teenager’s crush, and now a woman’s passion. You calm everything inside me. When chaos reigns all around me, you just
calm
my soul, and I know that I can get through anything. I would love to become your wife, but I do see a serious problem with it.” She tried to put a serious frown on her face, but with the look of fear and surprise on her mates’ faces, she was having a difficult time keeping it there.