Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

S imon ushered Archie and Harry into the drawing room. They had been his closest childhood friends, and he had always planned to make them his beta and omega, respectively. The two men couldn't have been more different physically. Harry, unlike Archie, wasn't even six feet tall, had studied to be a veterinarian, and although fit, didn't have the usual muscular physique of a ranking pack member. Simon didn't care. He valued his friend for his diplomatic skills, which were legendary.

"Graham, so good of you to join us," said Simon, when the senior statesman of the pack had joined them.

"I am happy to help in any way I can, my Alpha. Word is spreading quickly that you have finally assumed your rightful place."

"My alpha?" asked Archie. "So, you've really done it? About damn time."

"Our alpha is going to precipitate a smooth transition of power," started Graham in a cool, cultured voice.

Archie laughed. "I think his father will go easily enough, but his mother is another matter altogether. If looks could kill, we would all be dead."

"I agree," said Simon. "Graham, I'd like your take on my mother. She tends to behave when I'm anywhere in the vicinity, but I don't think she'll give up the reins of power easily."

"No, Sir. I don't imagine she will and especially not to your mate. Tales of Ms. Halsey's display of temper, intelligence, and daring have already made the rounds at the townhouse and the castle and are seen as a welcome change to your mother's strictly imposed caste system."

Simon nodded. "I am aware of all the things you have done in service to the pack, and I appreciate them all."

"Thank you, Sir. Serving as your father's beta has had its rewards and its challenges. I believe the pack will thrive once again and regain both its social standing and the power it once had. Your father, forgive me Alpha, is a fool, and your mother a bit of a bully. Neither has ever put the needs of our people ahead of their own selfish desires."

"And your calm and steady presence has meant that the pack got what it needed. Your service will never be forgotten and will not go unrewarded. Is everyone clear on the plan for this evening?"

"I know I'm supposed to be waiting with a plane for Mariah after the gala, but then what?" Harry laughed. "I understand our new mistress is not enamored of the idea of being your fated mate and bit you at your mother's dinner party."

"Mariah's bid for freedom last night embarrassed my mother. She feels that by allowing my mate to get away, I looked weak in front of the other alphas."

"More than that," said Graham, "She believes the pack should have listened to her as mistress and gone after Mariah. However, mid-rant she changed her mind and forbade anyone from helping. She came to the conclusion that Mariah is a completely unsuitable mate for you."

"I don't think that came as a surprise to anyone, do you?" said Simon, who then turned to Archie and Harry. "Did you two know that Graham and my Aunt Cecily have been having an affair for decades?"

"Why you old dog you," quipped Archie.

"Seriously? All this time? Blimey, did you think we were all idiots?" added Harry.

"We were very discreet. Our alpha has given me permission to take my love to mate. As an aside, Alpha, she was almost overcome with both your generosity and your blessing."

"Graham," Simon said in a serious tone, "I don't know that it's a good idea for Aunt Cecily to go back to Gloucestershire for a while. Tell her to go shopping and get whatever she needs, but don't let her leave the estate without an escort."

"I don't think the Hunters or her origin pack would bother with her. She's lived as a non-entity for years."

Simon shook his head. "I wish you'd told me sooner how you felt about her."

"We never felt the time was right."

"This pack has benefited enormously from your stable influence," said Archie. "I only hope I am someday worthy to fill your paw prints."

Graham smiled at the younger wolf. "You already are." He turned to face Simon. "I fear the dowager mistress is not going to go without a lot of drama. I've left a man stationed outside her door. I also have one at your father's door, but I suspect he'll be sleeping it off for the next several hours."

"I don't mean to be rude, but did either of you get a whiff of Alistair?" asked Harry, looking between Graham and Archie.

"Is something amiss?" asked Simon.

Archie nodded. "Yes. He smells like death. I don't mean he smells bad, but rather the scent of death is all around him."

Simon brought his hand up to his face and wiped his mouth. "Graham, leave a man stationed outside on his balcony as well."

"What are you thinking?" asked Harry, sitting forward.

"I don't know," answered Simon honestly. "But I don't think I want him running loose until we figure it out. Archie, are you still sure you can handle things here without Graham, Harry, or me? Graham is escorting my Aunt Cecily and Harry will be piloting the plane Mariah thinks is taking her to the States but will in fact bring her to Tanglewood. And I'll be driving from the gala straight to the castle, so I won't have time to stop back here to check on you."

"I don't foresee any problems," said Archie. "The pack is behind you, and we have your mother and father out of harm's way."

"Very good," said Simon, glancing at his watch. "I'm going to go have a drink with the rest of the pack and make the formal announcement about my taking over as alpha, and about Graham and Cecily's bonding. Is everything ready for the broadcast?"

"I managed to get the video feed set up for the Castle. It'll play live on all of the televisions in the common area and an email and text have been sent with a link."

"Then gentlemen, let this be the beginning of a new era for the London pack. I thank you all for your support and faith in me."

Simon joined the pack gathered at the pack's residence in London. Once the video feed had been established with the castle, Simon informed the pack that he had removed and replaced his father as alpha of the pack and that he would be taking Mariah to mate. When the cheering had subsided, he let them know that Archie and Harry would be the pack's beta and omega respectively and that Graham would remain a ranking member as consigliere and Graham and his Aunt Cecily were to be formally bonded. The announcements were met with rousing cheers from an enthusiastic pack. Simon had spent a short while enjoying the company of those he would now lead before excusing himself to deal with other pressing matters and leaving them in the capable hands of Graham, Archie and Harry.

On his way back to his home in the Cresswell Mews, Simon arranged to pick up refreshments for the group. He had just finished setting everything up when the members of the small group that had banded together to find, fight, and destroy the Darkness began to arrive. Mindful of their limited amount of time and thinking of his plans for Mariah, Simon was determined to keep the group on task.

"I want to keep you in the loop about what's happening within my pack. Earlier today I precipitated a fairly bloodless coup and ousted my father as alpha. I don't think my mother would have minded that so much, except I also informed her she would be stepping down as the ranking she-wolf in the pack."

Abriana laughed. "I've met your mother. I'll bet she would have happily spilled your blood."

Simon grinned at her. "Let's just say I now know the true meaning of the term ‘if looks could kill.' I also offered my Aunt Cecily sanctuary within my pack and she and our former beta, who will remain as a consigliere, will become a bonded pair. I had no idea how they felt about each other, and they have had a long-standing love affair. My father is sleeping it off at the townhouse, but I doubt he'll care. I have my beta and omega in place and have been assured by those I trust that I have the full support of the entire pack."

"I'd say congratulations, but I think you have a lot of work ahead of you," said Jed.

"I do indeed, on many fronts. But it has to be done. Skylar, was the Yard able to help you with your investigation?"

"Not a lot. I was at a disadvantage since they don't know about the murders at your castle, and the last thing they want to deal with is a serial killer. But they were very nice and oh so polite and allowed me to go through the records I wanted to see." Skylar laughed. "They made Piper and Travis stay down in the lobby. When I got back, there were a bunch of hunky bobbies gathered around Piper, being regaled with stories about the life of a cowgirl."

Simon and his guests laughed, except for Piper, who shrugged innocently.

Travis rolled his eyes. "One of these days your outrageous flirting is going to get you hogtied and mated to an alpha wolf who won't put up with your bullshit."

Piper laughed. "He'll have to catch me first."

Skylar continued. "I was able to connect three human victims to the wolf slayings—two here in the city and one out at Tanglewood. I'm pretty damn sure they were Hunters. I know Kat confirmed that the picture you showed her was of the Hunter the Darkness took at Alcatraz. I find it interesting that none of the victim's remains showed the kind of damage like the one left behind on the Rock had."

"That makes sense," said Kat. "According to MawMaw Chantal, it fed on the first victim. It never intended to use it as a host."

Jed smiled at his mate. "Chantal said that Kat had denied it whatever it was that it needed to sustain itself with her as its host. When I asked her how it had survived in the vessel Jean Lafitte had contained it in, she speculated that it had been in stasis, and had no need to feed. But now that it's free, it needs to consume lifeforces in order for it to exist in our world."

Simon turned to the other four members of the group. "How was your run at the castle?"

Jed grinned but took Kat's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Your home is magnificent. I always forget that America is such a young country compared to Italy and Britain. Luna de Lobo has some of the oldest buildings in California and yet they're downright contemporary compared with Tanglewood, La Fortezza, and Calon Onest."

Simon sat forward, keenly interested in what the answer to his next question would be. "Did you notice anything amiss? Did I overlook something?" The four wolves who had visited Tanglewood Castle exchanged glances. "What is it? Tell me."

"Everything was fine," said Kat. "As Jed said, your home, gardens, and forest are breathtaking. You are never to repeat this to Marco or my father, but I think it's more beautiful than La Fortezza."

Kat proceeded to tell Simon all that had occurred at the castle and their belief that the Darkness had taken up residence there, either in a human or a wolf. They had been unwilling to try and discern who the host was because they worried it would recognize Kat and realize that the group was onto it and meant to destroy it.

L unch with her girlfriends and Renata had put Mariah in the best of moods. Had she not been concerned with evading Simon Howard she would have loved to remain in London longer. Simon Howard. Who the fuck did he think he was, anyway? Did he really believe he could announce to the world that she was his fated mate and she would crawl right into his bed and welcome him and his knot?

Who was she kidding? As much as she didn't want to be anyone's mate, Simon Howard was appealing as all get-out. Everything about Howard made all her nerve endings fire. He hadn't touched her in any way other than a perfunctory manner, and yet if she closed her eyes, she could still feel the way his lips had brushed against the back of her hand and imagine the muscle underneath the elegant suit. He'd done more to spark her arousal in those few moments than any other wolf or man ever had. It was as if he was a magnet, and she was steel. His draw for her was undeniable.

Mariah had always been her mother's daughter as far as her taste in men went. She liked them hard muscled, tattooed, and on a motorcycle. That little voice in the back of her head reminded her that her mother loved and lusted after her father in a way that was incendiary, and her father was most often found in a business suit. Then again, Mariah's favorite picture of her parents was one where they posed on their vintage Harley and her dad wore jeans, a black t-shirt, and a motorcycle jacket. Her mother sat behind him in a similar outfit, her head resting on his shoulder. They both had enormous smiles on their faces and any idiot could see how much they loved each other.

The suit Simon had worn the night before had been exquisitely tailored to fit him. As a little girl, Mariah loved to go with her dad to his tailor and look at all the materials; the coats and pants made of fine wool, the smooth silk of the ties, and pinpoint oxford cloth for shirts. She knew a quality suit when she saw one. Simon's suit had not been able to hide his muscular physique. He had the most amazing blue eyes and blond hair. She normally liked her men dark, but not in his case. And his clean-shaven face was in stark contrast to the five o'clock shadow she normally preferred. He had the look of an alpha—a cultured and civilized one—but an alpha nonetheless.

Mariah had stopped by the store where she'd bought her dress and picked up the one for the gala. As gorgeous as it was, she preferred the one she'd had on the previous night, that had been destroyed when she'd shifted.

After lunch, she'd turned down the invitation from the other girls to go with them to get a mani/pedi. She needed a little down time to herself, and knew that the best way for her to spend the hours before a big event was to do a little personal TLC on her own. She'd gone for a mani/pedi and to have her hair done—by herself.

Instead of her normal bright red or black nail polish, she'd opted for a metallic bronze that both she and the nail technician had thought complemented the dress. Once she was done with her nails and toes, she went to a hair stylist who was a member of the club. Julia was a true artist and when she was done, Mariah's sexy, messy updo was perfect. She made her way back to Baker Street, and before she went inside she thanked the bodyguards for their assistance.

"We won't be with you this evening," said the taller of the two men who had accompanied her all day. "The boss made sure you have guys who look good in monkey suits. They'll be with you at the event, and our team is providing security. When you're ready to leave the museum, they'll take you to a private airport just north of the city and put you on the plane you rented. One overnight flight and you're back in the States by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks again," she said. "You guys have been great, and I hope I wasn't too much of a pain in the ass."

"No ma'am," said the wall of muscle. "I wish all of our protectees were this easy and this nice. Have fun this evening."

Mariah smiled and gave a little wave as she headed up the stairs to change. The museum was sending a car for her, and soon she would be meeting her parents and friends, as well as a veritable who's who of London dignitaries. Up in her room, she packed her things to take with her. Once she was on the plane, she would change into something more comfortable for the flight home.

One of the two bodyguards who would be with her at the gala came up to get her suitcase and carry-on bag. When he'd left, she got out of the robe and double-checked the foundation needed for her dress. The bra had an underwire with boning to provide support, and a dropped back that fastened below the cowl scoop. Surprisingly, it was more comfortable than she'd anticipated. She pulled on a pair of sheer thigh-high stockings and slid her feet into the comfortable ballet shoes, wrapping the silk ribbons midway up her calves. She looked at herself in the mirror. For once she thought she looked pretty damn good.

At the final fitting for her dress, she'd discovered that because of the way the material clung to her lower body, it looked better if she didn't wear panties. She felt a bit scandalous going to a big event without something covering her nether region, but she didn't have much of a choice. She put on a pair of earrings that she'd spotted on her walk between the boutique and the nail salon, and finally slipped the dress on over her head.

Looking again at her reflection, she had to admit, it was perfection. The dress was elegant and sleek, yet had a sense of playfulness and freedom. She looked every inch the bohemian artist daughter of a wealthy business tycoon.

She'd put her ID and money in her carry-on bag since she wouldn't need them at the gala, and now she didn't have to carry anything with her.

"Wow," said the girl at the club's reception desk as Mariah descended the stairs and headed for the door. "You look amazing."

"Thanks. I always feel like I'm playing dress-up at these things. I'm at home in fet wear or overalls and a tank top, so when I put on a fancy dress I feel like a fraud. I'm constantly worried someone's going to call me out and run me off."

"You're no fraud. You're a true artist and your sculptures are incredible."

"Ms. Halsey? We're ready to move," said one of the bodyguards. They escorted her out to the waiting limo.