Chapter 22

Walker

Lindsey was a skeptic through and through. I didn"t mind though. It just meant I needed to show her instead of just telling her things. She had to experience life for herself to actually believe it. But now that we were properly mated, it was important to do things right, and that meant telling Kyle Westin.

I sent him a quick text and learned that he was at home and not in his office at the Alpha House, so I headed that way.

"It"s pretty here, peaceful," Lindsey said as I pulled up to the house.

Kyle had full rights to the Alpha House, yet he opted to live away from town with his family and just work there. Meanwhile, his parents, the previous Alpha and Pack Mother, resided there.

We parked, and I walked around to help Lindsey out of the car, keeping ahold of her hand as we walked up to the house. Kelsey met us at the front door.

"Hi. Welcome home." She hugged me and gave me a curious look when Lindsey didn"t growl. Taking a closer look at the two of us, she leaned in and sniffed me. "Oh. Oh no. Kyle, get in here."

She pulled the both of us into the house and shut the door.

"Hey guys. You must be Lindsey. I"m Kyle Westin, Alpha of Westin Pack. It"s really nice to meet you."

"Oh yeah, I"m Kelsey, his mate, Pack Mother, blah blah blah. Kyle, they already sealed their bond."

Shock was evident on his face as he looked back and forth between us.

"Well, shit."

Lindsey stiffened and shot me a look that said I told you so. I could sense her pain and knew she was about to bolt.

I grabbed her by the waist just as she started to take off.

"Hold up. What the hell is going on, Kyle? I promised her that she would be safe here, that you"d be okay with her. What changed?" I demanded, even knowing I had no right to demand anything of my Alpha.

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Sit down. Please. Both of you. We need to talk. It"s not what you think." He waited until we sat down to speak again. "First, Lindsey, it really is nice to meet you, and we are happy to have you here in our territory and thrilled that Walker has finally found his true mate. That means a lot to us. And we do respect the true-mate bond. The two of you did nothing wrong, and I"m sorry if our reactions gave you that impression."

"So, what is going on then?" I asked.

They shared a look I didn"t like and the slightly glazed look in Kyle"s eyes told me that they were talking through a telepathic connection, something only fully-bonded pairs could do. Kyle and Kelsey were young for that, but it was common knowledge that they had bonded quickly after a prolonged mating period that was possibly accelerated by her witch powers.

Lindsey elbowed me, and I looked over at my mate.

"They're discussing what or how to tell us whatever this is about," I explained.

"Fully bonded?"

I nodded.

"But they"re so young."

Kelsey laughed. "We get that a lot. It"s suspected to have been expedited due to my own witch powers."

Lindsey"s jaw dropped. "You"re a witch?"

"I told you that."

"But I didn"t believe it."

I groaned. "I told you witches are safe here, or at least as safe as they can be. In part because no one wants to mess with Kelsey. You may think you"re scary, but she is terrifying."

That seemed to have backfired on me. Lindsey was ready to bolt.

"Relax, I"m harmless unless pissed off, and the only thing that pisses me off to that degree is someone coming to do harm to our Pack."

"What is your power?"

"I"m an Alpha she-wolf with multiple elemental powers and other things."

"Multiple powers? But how is that possible."

"It"s a long story. I"ll tell you another time," I told her. "Now can you just say whatever it is you don"t want to tell us?"

Kyle sighed. "You know the Grand Council was here while you were away and dealing with everything, right?"

"Yes. No one updated me on why, but I knew they were coming."

"They've been relatively quiet for a while now. Not really addressing some of the concerns I and other Alphas have petitioned them on. And now suddenly there is a push for them to regain some control."

"The Challenges," I said coldly. "Leonard, Alpha of the NOLA wolves, told me he was going to send some of his she-wolves to challenge Lindsey after we sealed our bond."

"And you sealed it without consulting with us first?" Kelsey asked.

"True mates. That"s still a thing, right?"

I didn"t like the look they shared once more.

"I"m working on it," Kyle finally said.

"What does that mean?" I practically yelled.

"Exactly as I said. I"m working on it. After years of no response, they suddenly come to me saying that true mates will not be accepted on exemptions. I"ve already been on the phone with our five closest allies and we"ll be spreading that reach to others soon. I was going to advise you two to lay low until then and let this pass first," he explained.

I groaned, ready to kick my own ass for acting so rash.

"It"s okay. They can"t beat me," Lindsey assured me.

"In your fur, yes. But Leonard said he would petition the Grand Council to force a fight in your skin to level the playing field."

"He said what?" Kyle yelled.

"You heard me. This was already in the plans. He thinks that if one of his she-wolves wins he"ll somehow gain control of me and therefore have an in for control of Westin Force."

"That"s insane. You already gave your allegiance to Kyle," Kelsey said.

"I know and that hasn"t and will not change. I"m telling you he"s mental."

"Don"t underestimate him," Lindsey said. "He will manipulate the system and play the martyr to swing things towards his own agenda."

"At no time in our history has skin-to-skin battles to the death been acceptable. That"s not going to happen on my watch."

"And he officially banished Lindsey from NOLA. I was there as a witness and so were a lot of the team members. He has zero claim to her."

Kelsey turned towards Lindsey. "How are you holding up?"

"I"m fine."

"I know you don"t really know us, and I"ve heard enough of your story already to assume trust isn"t exactly high on your list. Your former Alpha banished you and so the thought of joining another Pack probably isn"t high on your to-do list."

Lindsey scoffed. "It"s impossible. No Alpha in his right mind would accept a banished wolf, let alone a beast like me. If you truly know my story, or even part of it, then you know that you really don"t want me near your Pack."

Kyle scowled and looked directly at me. "Is there some reason I shouldn"t want her in my Pack?"

I growled despite him being an Alpha. "No sir! She's the best and kindest woman I know. I would stake my life on that."

He nodded. "Then I suppose I"m just not in my right mind. The easiest solution of all would be to have you give allegiance to me and officially become part of Westin Pack. And before you argue that you"re not full wolf, I know you were born a wolf. But besides that, I don"t just accept wolves into my Pack. Loyalty goes far beyond breed. I have had gorillas, foxes, bears, panthers, and others give allegiance and become full Pack members. And I"m aware of your concerns about the children. I actually met them while I was having lunch with my youngest this week. Given all they"ve been through, they appear to be perfectly normal and well-adjusted children. I would like to believe that"s a testament to you."

"But they aren"t my biological children. I don"t even know what breed they are," Lindsey blurted.

He looked from her back to me. "Does that bother you, Walker?"

"Not in the least. Make no mistake, they are my children. Should we need to set that straight legally, I"m happy to do so."

"Then I also assume that even without Lindsey"s allegiance to the Pack, that you would file for a special housing allowance for your family, including her and the two children?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. On rare occasions I would approve such a request, especially coming from one of my Westin Force members. So Lindsey, the ball falls in your court now with how we proceed. Should I approve his petition for a special housing allowance which would allow you and the children to stay within my territory but without the full rights and privileges of a pack member, or would you prefer to join Westin Pack alongside your mate? Because if the two of you tell me you"re moving on, I just might get down on my knees and beg. I"ve personally come to trust and rely on Walker more than most. And I hope that given your current situation that I will not fully lose you as security for my family. It is no problem for you to travel with your family on these missions, or at least ninety percent of them. I will of course confirm this with my Alpha friends whose territories you may temporarily rely on, but they should have no issues with my assurance of safety."

I reached for Lindsey"s hand and squeezed it. I could see how overwhelmed she was with all of this. She was so certain that Kyle wouldn"t let her stay here, though this morning as we had sealed our bond, that was the last thing on either of our minds.

"What would this mean for the Challenges?" she asked.

I"d forgotten all about those and growled at the thought.

Kyle just ignored me. "I fight for my Pack, every single member. And I will pull Westin Pack out of the Grand Council alliance entirely before I let them force you to fight in your skin to the death. That is beyond barbaric."

Lindsey"s eyes widened in shock. "You"d do that for someone like me? Why?"

"My family means more to me than anything else, and I don"t just mean Kelsey and my boys or even my parents, siblings, and their families. Every single being residing in my territory is my responsibility. Sorry," he reached for Kelsey"s hand and intertwined their fingers. "Our responsibility. Westin Pack is the largest wolf shifter Pack in the entire world. We have more security and leverage than anyone. Our alliances are strong. Leonard thinks he has the upper hand because he"s old school friends with several of the Grand Council members, but there"s a reason the Grand Council has gone silent these last several years. They do not want to cross me and my mate."

"Then why now?" she asked.

"They finally got a new Grand Council member who"s shaking things up. He"s young and ambitious. And he was a former NOLA wolf. Now to become a Grand Council member one has to remove all allegiances to a specific pack. One of my Betas, Cole Anderson, was offered the position several years back and declined, knowing he could in no way stay neutral when it came to Westin and Collier Packs. He had his reasons and was right to turn down the offer. I"m not convinced this guy is as honorable."

"Who is it?"

"Roy Douglas."

Lindsey groaned. "No way he isn"t still loyal to NOLA. His father was one of Leonard"s Enforcers."

"I"ve heard the rumor of that. You"re certain?"

She nodded.

"Thanks, that"s the kind of intel I need to decide how best to proceed."

"So, what do you think?" I asked her, wishing we had time to really discuss it without the Alpha standing over us.

"You have a little time," Kyle surprised me by saying. "Not much, but some before I need an answer."

"May I ask to see your spirit animal before you go?" Kelsey asked curiously.

"Beast," Lindsey corrected her.

"You call it a beast?"

"It is a beast. I don"t know what else you"d call it."

"And you really are in full control of it?" Kyle inquired.

"I am not. We're generally in perfect sync, though sometimes I do overreact influenced by her aggressive nature."

"Like kidnapping your mate?" he guessed.

She blushed and muttered, "Something like that."

"So can I?" Kelsey asked again, excitedly.

"Not in here. We should go outside."

We all followed her to the driveway. I could sense she was nervous and looked to me for help.

"It"s okay," I assured her.

It had to be, because I didn"t relish trying to take down an Alpha and his very powerful mate if it wasn"t.

I knew she had no reason to trust Kyle, but I did, and much to my relief, she trusted me.

Lindsey turned her back to them, knowing I was there to watch out for her. She stripped out of her clothes and quickly shifted.

The two of them stood there in surprise.

"I sat in on the mission debrief and heard what they said, but I don"t think that quite prepares you for seeing it yourself," Kyle said.

Kelsey watched her with open curiosity.

"Lindsey are you in control of the beast?"

Her large wolf head nodded.

"Can you show me how you carried Walker when you flew away with him?"

I groaned as her claws painlessly clamped down around my shoulders. She didn"t fly off though, instead she ran around the house and then back.

"I thought they said you could actually fly with those wings."

"Kelsey," I yelled as Lindsey launched into the air and circled the house several times before landing again. It wasn"t a big circle and made me a little dizzy as my feet hit the floor.

"Did you use your powers to get her to do that?" Kyle asked his mate.

"Nope. That was all her."

"Amazing. Thank you for the demonstration, Lindsey. Your, uh, beast is quite remarkable."

She nodded her head and shifted back to her skin. I covered her and they gave her the courtesy of averting their eyes as she dressed.

"Were you always able to shift so easily with your beast?" Kelsey asked.

"No. At some point in the experimentation process I shifted and was stuck. I couldn"t get out and the beast was in control. Just like when a shifter shifts for the first time, some can regain control and shift back immediately, while others could take hours, days, maybe even weeks to figure it out. So think worst case scenario on steroids. But I figured it out eventually."

"I'd love to hear more about this. Could we maybe have lunch one day this week? The four of us even," Kelsey suggested.

"Um, okay. Sure."

"Can we have until then to decide what"s best for us and let you know then?" I asked.

"Yeah, that"ll be okay," Kyle said. "But in the meantime, lay low and don"t share the happy news outside your team, okay?"

I hated the idea of hiding the fact we"d mated. It made me feel like I should be ashamed of it or something, but I knew that was just an emotional reaction. He was trying to get us out of the Challenges and protect my mate. For that, I would do it.

I gave him a nod, and then we said our goodbyes.