The Power Of The Bite (8 page)

“Fuck.” Now all of Cole’s cockiness and composure was gone. He looked around nervously but the friends he had come with were long gone, and while Zane noticed other wolf shifter’s keeping a wary eye on the exchange, they all kept their distance. Seems Cole didn’t have as much support as he might have thought.

“I need to speak to you in your office,” Cole said at last.

Dax nodded, stood up and held out his hand for Zane.

“Alone,” Cole added urgently.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Zane wasn’t letting that creep within ten foot of his mate if he could help it.

Zane managed a smirk of his own as he stood up, and slipped out of the booth, catching Broz’s eye as he did so. He pointed out the back where Dax’s office was and Broz nodded. Zane knew his friends would be loitering in the corridor within seconds. Taking Dax’s hand, the two men walked confidently to the office, Cole trailing along behind them. Zane wasn’t happy at having a wolf at his back, unless it was Dax of course, but he too old to show any fear to someone who was essentially a puppy.

Chapter Nine

Cole didn’t say anything further until Dax was seated in his office chair. Zane perched beside him on the desk, a small smile threatening his lips as he was reminded of the only other time he’d been in the room. Dax’s shifting in his seat had Zane assuming his mate was having similar trips down memory lane. It might have been a dumb idea, and Zane hadn’t been able to sit straight for days afterwards, but Dax’s claiming had been both the roughest and the most amazing time of Zane’s life – with the exception of the night before. That had been pretty special too, no roughness required.

“What did you want to see me about, Cole?”

“We’ve been besties forever, right?” Cole started. Zane snorted. What grown man in his right mind used the word besties? Cole ignored him.

“Last time we spoke you said you’d quit the pack. You wanted the ice king here. You were leaving town.”

“Yes, so?” Dax was calm and Zane had a momentary flash of his mate taking him over the side of the desk. It’d been pretty hot the first time. Although Dax had been nowhere near calm that night. Not like he was now.

“So I am the next strongest wolf in the pack. It makes sense that I become Alpha if you aren’t around.”

“You’re a beta wolf. Always was, always will be,” Dax’s eyes were cold. “You’d have made a great second, but you could never lead. You know that, and so does my father. He intends on making sure of it.”

“How the hell can I get out of this challenge then?” Cole slumped in the nearest chair, looking like death warmed over. At least in Zane’s opinion. He wasn’t sure what Dax was thinking.

“You can’t.” Now Dax’s voice was as cold as the look on his face, reminding Zane all over again why he’d sacrificed so much for three long months. His mate was born to be an Alpha and never was that fact more evident than it was right then. “I take it you had witnesses, used the proper terminology, set the time and date?”

Cole nodded.

“Then you’re fucked. Knowing my Father, he’ll try and kill you as an example to others. If he loses and submits, then I have orders from him to take you out. He’s prepared to stand down so submission is an option, but if you kill him, then I will kill you without hesitation.”

Cole seemed to be thinking about his options, which he didn’t seem to have many of, at least from Zane’s point of view. He felt Dax’s hand on his thigh and rested his own on top of it, more than happy to sit things out, although he would not and could not take his eyes off of Cole. The man was a threat in so many ways.

Finally Cole brightened. “This could still all work out. We all know your Father’s getting older and wants to retire completely. He won’t win against my wolf, I am stronger than him. So if I win, then you challenge me, I’ll submit after making a reasonable show of it, and then you can be Alpha and I’ll be your second, the way it was supposed to be. No harm done.”

Zane wasn’t surprised when Dax laughed, but he knew Cole was. Dax really let himself go when he allowed himself too and Zane felt his own lips twitch in response. Life was good with a happy mate.

“It’s not going to happen, Cole. Surely you can see that,” Dax said when he finally got his laughing under control. “My Father might be old, but he’s an Alpha, so he’s still going to give you a run for your money. Even if you did beat him, I
will
beat you, and if you think I’m going to have someone with Alpha aspirations as my second, you are clearly barking up the wrong tree. After the way you spoke about letting my mate die, and then challenging my Father behind my back, I will never trust you again.”

“I’ve got pack support, there are a lot of men and women around who would follow me,” Cole argued. “I can help keep your mate safe in the pack if you appoint me as second. Who else could you choose for such a position?”

“Zane can look after himself, and I’m happy to make him pack second as well as Alpha Mate. If that doesn’t work out then I will resign from my position, because unlike you I have no wish to see the pack unhappy. But if I do decide to leave then I will get in touch with the Council first and get them to appoint a proper Alpha as leader, not a beta wolf with a warped imagination.”

“We grew up together, it was always going to be you and me. How can you turn your back on us now?”

In a flash, Zane understood what was going on. “You always thought you were going to be Alpha Mate, didn’t you? That’s why you told Dax to just let me die. If I died, then there was no way Dax could be recovered enough to find and claim a decent mate in the three months he’d been given. You were just willing and waiting to step into the breach, all in the guise of helping out your
bestie
.”

“Surely not. You were like a brother to me.” Dax seemed shocked but Cole’s face told the whole story.

“You knew you couldn’t be Alpha, but you could be the next best thing. Dax had claimed me months ago, so when I died his wolf was going to be severely depressed. Dax wouldn’t have been in a position to run the pack, he’d be lucky if he made it through the claiming. And of course you knew all that too. You knew that once Dax had claimed you then you would be set for life. A bonded wolf shifter never divorces even if they’re hellishly unfaithful to each other. I bet the best news you ever heard was when you knew Dax had claimed me, especially when he hadn’t been claimed in return. This whole situation just fell into your lap like a gift from the Fates.”

“And it was my fucking gift,” Cole snarled. “I’m the one who’s been by his side for years, I’m the one who should have been in his bed all this time. Not a fucking bloodsucker like you. I don’t know what magic you used to convince Dax to claim you, but I will fucking find you out, and then you’d better watch out.”

This time it was Zane who laughed. “There’s no trickery involved here, you stupid puppy. I didn’t want Dax to claim me, because unlike you I put the needs of my mate and your fucking pack first. Dax will be a good Alpha – good for his pack, good for this town. But you? You just wanted to be Alpha Mate so you could score an endless supply of hot ass and fucking favors. I watched Dax for a long time before he approached me. You think I didn’t notice how he always paid for everything, how you always used to boss around the staff like you were the one in charge? You haven’t got a decent selfless bone in your body, and I hope that Nathanial does kill you tomorrow, because it is the only way my mate would ever be truly safe. The only threat he ever had in the pack was from you – your gossip, the rumors you started. The only thing I don’t understand is why you decided to challenge Nathanial yourself when you thought Dax was leaving town with me. You never had a shit show in hell of winning or ever ruling the pack like you wanted.”

“Yes, Cole, I…” Dax never got a chance to finish his sentence because Cole charged. Not at Dax of course, even he wouldn’t be that stupid. But Cole didn’t seem to have gotten the memo that pointed out vampires were typically a lot stronger than wolves, because he had no hesitation in leaping on Zane and taking him to the ground.

As Zane fought to save his throat, which Cole was clawing at with his human hands, he could hear Dax yelling above him. The door burst open, but Zane wasn’t concerned about that. He’d already exacted a promise from Broz that if anything happened then Dax was to be protected at all costs. Dax didn’t sound very happy about it, given the yelling that was going on, but Zane trusted his friends a damn sight more than Dax should have trusted his.

Twisting to one side, Zane wrenched Cole’s hands away from his throat. He knew his eyes had gone red and his fangs were well past his lips. Holding firmly onto Cole’s wrists so the man couldn’t go anywhere, Zane struggled to his feet, looking for the advantage. Cole kicked and screamed and growled a hell of a lot, but with his wrists caught tight, Zane knew he couldn’t shift. This wasn’t the first time he’d tangled with a wolf shifter. Still holding firm, Zane kicked back with his feet, finding the wall. Perfect. In one super-fast move, Zane ran up the wall and pushed off, diving down and around, forcing Cole to the ground in a convoluted pile driver. Cole hitting his head on the corner of Dax’s desk as he went down was the icing on the cake. The wolf was out cold.

Zane turned, still half crouched, and scanned the room slowly, searching out any and all predators. His blood was pumped from the fight, his eyes picking out heat signatures rather than actual features. But even in his partially shifted state, Zane honed in on Dax in an instant. His mate was unharmed, although a little angry it would seem and trying to get to Zane.

“Let him calm down a minute.” Zane heard Broz say quietly. “He won’t hurt you, but he’s not sure the danger’s passed yet.”

His friend was right. There were far too many hot blooded heat signatures standing behind his mate, although Zane could make out the cooler body signs of his friends forming a solid wall between Dax and the other wolves. Dax seemed to understand because he wrenched himself free from Broz and stood proudly between Zane and the others, rather than running to Zane directly.

“Zane is my mate.” Dax spoke clearly so every wolf in the corridor could hear. “He protected me from a traitor to our pack and way of life, Cole. Cole who dared to challenge my Father, who thought to rise above the station he was born to, to take over this pack and use it for his own selfish gains. I am deeply hurt by Cole’s betrayal, and Cole will be punished for it, by my Father, as is right. But know this. Today my fated mate proved he is more than a match for any of you, and I know with all of my heart that he will protect me from anyone he deems a threat. I am proud to call this man my own, and I will fight to the death anyone who has a problem with this union. Now go on, go back to your evening. There’s nothing else to see here.”  Dax made shooing movements with his hands, and with some whispered rumblings the wolf shifters all moved back to the main part of the club.

Zane could feel his sight morphing back to normal and his fangs receded as Dax came closer. He let his mate crush him in his arms, instinctively knowing that Dax had been scared for him and that his wolf needed to reaffirm that he was all right. Dax tilted his neck and without a word Zane took the invitation. While he didn’t need the blood as food value, his nerves would definitely benefit from the connection with his mate. 

As he fed, Zane could hear Broz on the phone to someone, probably Nathaniel. Dax had said clearly that it was up to Nathaniel to take care of Cole’s punishment. In the meantime he concentrated on the life force trickling down his throat. Yes his mate had been scared and worried for him, like a good mate should be. Arousal, well that was always present in Dax’s blood. And there it was again, something sweeter than arousal, yet with more depth than any sugar. Whatever it was, it was potent and addictive and something Zane had never come across before. Forcing himself to stop, because that special something was enough to have Zane feeding for hours if it were ever possible, Zane pulled back and licked up Dax’s neck.

“You taste unbelievably special,” he muttered against Dax’s ear.

“It’s a special ingredient reserved just for you,” Dax promised, his eyes alight with…something. Zane wasn’t sure what it was he could read in Dax’s eyes. He could hope that it might be…but surely not. Although the warmth in Dax’s eyes was impossible to ignore and Zane found himself drowning in liquid light.

Unfortunately real life intruded far too soon. This time from a knock on Dax’s office door. Dax turned, still holding onto Zane and leaning against him as though shielding him from any threat.

“Come in,” Dax called out, and Zane flicked a quick look at Cole who was now tied up, but still passed out on the office floor. The other vampires had left the office after ensuring Cole was secured, and only he and Dax were left. Four large wolves came into the office, and Dax must have known who they were because he stiffened.

“Alpha Apparent, we’ve been sent by the Alpha to retrieve the traitor Cole and to take your mate in for questioning.”

“You can’t have my mate. That is not negotiable,” Dax said calmly. “Cole is ready for transporting, and I ask your discretion in seeing to it that he is taken out the back way. There are many humans here this evening who don’t need to be involved in any unpleasantness, and we clearly don’t want the human authorities involved.”

“I understand. However, with regards to your alleged mate please consider my position,” the taller of the wolves said. “As the head enforcer for your Father it is his orders I follow, not yours. We have strict instructions to take this man to the cells to await questioning tomorrow morning. Provided he answers the Alpha’s questions honestly and fully then he should be back with you before the challenge tomorrow night.”

“And if I decide I’d rather fight you, than allow you to take my reason for living, what then?”  Zane could feel Dax’s body tense as though he was ready to make good his threat.

“It would be unfortunate, but as you can see there are four of us and only one of you, and I do have my orders.”

“There are actually two of us,” Zane said, stepping forward to stand by Dax’s side. There was no way in hell he was going to let his mate fight alone.

“Actually,” Broz’s voice came from the doorway. “There are now eight of us, which beats your four quite nicely don’t you think?”

“You have vampires involved in this?” The tall enforcer looked at Dax with a horrified expression on his face.

“They are friends of mine, Lance,” Dax said firmly. “Friends who see no problems with forging good shifter and vampire relations. Longtime friends of my vampire mate, and men who not only have military training that extends before you were born, but who also have no desire to see Zane locked up for simply protecting his personal safety. Cole attacked him without provocation and Zane took care of the matter by himself.”