Pack Mates (Were Chronicles) (4 page)

He would know where to go from there once he knew more about the woman. Stepping into his bedroom, he couldn’t help but remember the fantasies he’d had about her. He’d woken hard and needing and had had to jerk off again before he’d gone in search of his morning caffeine.

One way or another, he needed to decide what to do about her. He couldn’t keep her from his family for much longer.

* * * *

Nikki had slept like the dead. She’d meant to be awake when Brandon had got off shift but she hadn’t heard a thing once she’d passed out in bed. Upon waking, she had been thrown for a minute before she could place where she was. Then the memory of the trouble they could be in had her stomach in knots as she had dressed for the day.

She looked forward to seeing her friend again but she now wished she hadn’t invited her to breakfast. She needed to have a conversation with her brother.

She moved quietly around the house, starting the coffee pot and turning on the television before she started breakfast.

She was just placing the cinnamon rolls in the oven when Brandon appeared in the doorway. She poured him a cup and set it on the bar between them.

He grunted his thanks and took a seat.

Gently placing the spatula she was holding onto the counter, she leaned against the bar.

Brandon drank half the coffee before he glanced up at her.

“Justin told you?”

Nikki nodded. Guess it was going to happen now. “How could you even consider it?” she asked softly.

He looked down and rubbed the side of his mug. “I hadn’t really. Some of the older members approached me and I figured they were just upset and would get over it.”

“But they didn’t,” she guessed.

“No, as the ceremony gets closer they are getting more desperate. Word is that Dylan Cross will fill his inner circle with his own wolves. Cameron had discussed that some of our Pack would be involved, but I guess Dylan is backing out on that. So we would be losing the Pack and that scares people. Especially if the shifters do go public soon as planned. If I don’t do it, then someone else will.”

“Someone not as strong as you,” she filled in.

He didn’t answer so she just watched him, the man who had been her mother and father for the last twenty years.

“Do you even want to be Alpha?” she asked when he remained silent.

He looked up and she read the answer in his eyes. He didn’t but he felt trapped.

She walked around the counter and wrapped an arm around his neck. “I don’t want to lose you,” she whispered into his ear.

He hugged her tight and they just held each other. Nikki couldn’t believe this was happening. She had to find a way to save them all.

“We’ll figure it out,” she promised.

He gave her one last squeeze before letting her go and standing. “In two days? I’ve been trying to come up with another way for months now. And I don’t want you to get involved. I just wanted you home. I wanted to have some time with you.”

She bit her lip at the lost look on his face. She had never understood before how much responsibility her brother carried.

“I love you.”

He smiled, just the corners of his lips curving up. “I love you too. I gotta get ready for work. Just yell when breakfast is ready.”

She watched him go. There had to be something she could do.

She didn’t have long to think about it before the back door open and the whirlwind of her best friend entered. Hands full of bags and children, Sabrina swept in, distracting her from her problems.

Breakfast was a noisy but wonderful event. The kids had woken Justin up, so he’d made it down right behind Brandon. They shared a look of worry but both remained quiet.

Both men eventually left for work, leaving the women and kids. Sabrina ushered the two older kids into the den to watch television as Nikki sat with another cup of coffee at the table holding baby Julian.

Sabrina topped off the mugs before sitting down beside her.

“How are things around here?” her friend asked.

Nikki was glad she had brought it up. She didn’t want to confide too much but she needed to talk to someone. “As well as can be expected.”

Sabrina sent her a sympathetic look. “I know a lot of the other members of the Pack are worried, but I don’t know that a challenge is the way to go. Cameron is giving his blessing for the new Alpha. He has been working on the transition being as smooth as possible. I think it was a great idea of Dylan Cross to bring the Pack members in before he took over so everyone could merge together.”

Nikki was glad her friend agreed. “How’s it been around here since the new members came? Any problems?”

“No, as far as I’ve heard, they’ve brought in more money, businesses, and are a pretty good bunch.”

“Then why all this talk about the challenge?”

Sabrina shrugged. “It’s mostly the older generation. You know how they are about change. And this is a big one.”

“Yeah, but Cameron wouldn’t bring someone in he didn’t trust. It couldn’t have been easy to decide. He even consulted the Alpha council.”

“I know. But you know how it is. So much has happened within the shifter world in the last few months. Talking about going public, the feline Prince being kidnapped, and now a new leader here. They are just trying to control something.”

Nikki thought about the new information. “Does Cameron know? He should be able to do something.”

“I don’t think so. He wouldn’t want a challenge. He would for sure try to talk to Brandon. But what can you say? I haven’t actually heard if Brandon is going to challenge. Just the rumour that he should.”

“Someone has to tell Cameron,” Nikki insisted.

“And if Brandon doesn’t challenge it could put him in jeopardy. What would you do in his position? He can’t act on a rumour.”

“What do you know about the new Alpha?”

“Just that he was an Enforcer at his old Pack. He showed all the signs of being a great leader but their Pack had several wolves descended from the Alpha who would want the position. To be an Alpha, he had to go somewhere else.”

She had to ask, Nikki knew, but she dreaded bringing up the name. “What do you know about his brother, RJ Cross?”

Sabrina grinned. “Good-looking, smart, but a little rough around the edges. He owns the tattoo parlour in town, drives a Harley, and has every woman in town lusting after him.”

“Hmm,” Nikki murmured, not exactly happy that the thought of every woman in town making eyes at the stranger made her feel extremely jealous. Damn, she’d just met the guy.

“He has another brother, too,” Sabrina informed her.

“Really?”

“Younger than Dylan and RJ. He works at the paper with Max. Max says he’s quiet and keeps to himself. Nice and wicked smart.”

“So both the brothers already work in town?” That was good information. If she wanted to protect her brother, she needed as much information as she could find on them.

“Yep, why? What are you going to do?” Sabrina asked with a nervous laugh.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Well, whatever you do, it has to be quick,” Sabrina told her, standing. “Not everyone wants a challenge, but if there is one, sides will be drawn. Brandon would have the entire town on his. That’s a lot of pressure.”

Picking up the mugs and a few plates from the kitchen, Nikki agreed silently. If she was going to help, she needed to get started.

Chapter Five

RJ was impressed with the number of articles written by Nicole B. Stratton. She had travelled to several countries, writing about what she saw and bringing awareness to the many cultures that were ignored around the world. It was obvious the woman was good at what she did and truly enjoyed it.

It also raised the question—why would she put that on hold to come back home? Why now? And would she be leaving soon?

The last question was purely personal. He wanted to see more of the woman and knew one taste of her was not going to be enough.

The alarm on his watch beeped and he glanced at the time. It was already late morning and he needed to get into town to open his shop, even if the people who came in the shop only wanted to check out the new Alpha’s brother.

He stuffed the articles in his top desk drawer before logging off his computer.

He showered quickly before dressing in a faded pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His custom boots and jacket followed. Locking up behind himself, he wondered what Nikki was doing that morning.

If she hadn’t known who he was the night before, surely she did by now. It might make it more difficult to get closer to her but he was a determined man.

He wouldn’t trade on his feelings for her to get information on her brother, but a woman with the integrity to write the articles he’d read couldn’t be behind a hostile takeover.

And a challenge would be just that. Cameron had chosen his brother to lead the Pack. It angered him that the old Alpha’s wishes were not being respected, in addition to the fact that he wouldn’t stand for any threat against his family.

The hum of his bike was loud in the quietness of the yard. He drove slowly and carefully towards town. Brandon Stratton had already pulled him over once. It had been a tense battle of strength between the two men. RJ knew the sheriff had been testing his control. Pushing his buttons to see what he would do.

He had managed to hang onto his wolf and not give the sheriff what he wanted. After taking the speeding ticket, he had been almost certain he’d briefly seen respect in Brandon’s eyes but couldn’t be sure.

He took the side streets until he reached the back alley in which he parked. He entered his shop through the back door and flipped on the lights. The shop remained neat and clean from the night before.

His footsteps echoed as he crossed the front entry to the windows and doors. He opened the blinds, letting the bright sunlight in to gleam against the stainless steel countertops. He was just reaching for the ‘Open’ sign when he spotted her.

She crossed the street with long, confident strides. He smiled as he watched her. She was dressed in almost identical style to his. Faded jeans, a snug, fitted black T-shirt, with black sneakers. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he could almost imagine hanging on to her hair as she went down on him. His cock rose and he licked his lips in need.

He wasn’t surprised when he realised she was heading in the direction of his shop.

Everything he had learnt from the internet made him think she would attack any problem head on. Hopefully he could get her on his side. Not against her brother, but against a challenge.

He unlocked the door and pulled it open when she was still several feet away.

Surprise crossed her face before she wiped it with a look of determination. She nodded at him as she passed beside him to enter.

He closed the door behind her, leaving the sign on ‘Closed’.

She walked around the shop, taking in his pride and joy. He let her prowl and admired her as she roamed. After several minutes, she paused and turned to him.

“We have a problem,” she told him.

“Just one?” he asked, crossing his arms.

She laughed. “One problem at a time, I think.”

“Okay.” He waved to one of the couches. “Have a seat.”

She sat down and he chose one of the other chairs so he could be directly in front of her. He wanted to sit close but he wasn’t sure if he did that he would be able to keep his hands off her.

It was better that he put some distance between them, for now anyway. She smelt clean and fresh. He closed his eyes briefly and breathed in deep, pulling her scent inside him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw her staring down at her hands.

“Which problem would you like to discuss today?” he asked. He didn’t like the thought of her being upset. The urge to join her on the couch was strong once again.

“Our brothers.”

He tensed. He didn’t mean to but it was a reaction he couldn’t hide. As soon as he did, she shifted away from him. He took several deep breaths in hopes of calming himself and putting her at ease.

“I have heard rumours,” he admitted, not wanting to give too much away until he knew her stance. “It concerns me.”

“It concerns you? That’s all you have to say? Just an everyday nuisance?” she accused. “Don’t you want to do something to stop it?”

He laughed. This spitfire of a woman was sure intriguing. “You’ve been here, what? Twelve hours? I have been here for weeks. In all that time, not one person has asked my opinion. And if they did, I would tell them that Cameron chose his replacement and the members of this community need to accept it.”

She frowned and shook her head. “What’s your brother going to do about it?”

“What’s my brother going to do? Are you saying Brandon is going to challenge?”

“No!” she practically yelled. She caught herself and cleared her throat. “No, I’m not saying that. But there are people in this town who don’t want your brother to be Alpha. He needs to address it.”

He was amused. Even though the entire situation was serious, he admired the woman sitting across from him. “My brother plans on accepting the position of the Alpha of the Midessa pack as requested by the current Alpha Cameron King,” he told her formally. “He does not have to prove his worth to anyone and does not have to ask permission. This has already been decided.”