Chapter 17

Seventeen

The Alpha showing up with the pack has given me the distraction I need. Bran has all but forgotten about the necklace as he stalks from the room.

“Wait,” I call and jog to catch up. “Bran, wait.”

He stops at the end of the hallway. Jimmy is already gone.

“Think about this for a second.”

“Which part, Mouse?” he challenges. “The Alpha thinking he can insert himself into my business or you disobeying me?” There is a pulsing glow in his irises and a clear bite to his words.

Maybe he hasn’t forgotten about the necklace after all.

“I’m not your business ,” I correct. “I’m your girlfriend and I would think you’d use any tool at your disposal to protect me. Also you don’t have to be territorial all of the damn time.”

“Yes. I do.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, fine, but Cal is an asset and not taking advantage of him is a stupid strategy. If you want to be all tactical or whatever.”

The angry glow fades from his eyes.

“If Cal wants to risk his life for this, let him.”

Some of the tension ebbs out of his shoulders. “Perhaps you have a mind for war after all.”

I try not to beam beneath the compliment.

“So the Alpha stays?”

Bran huffs out a disgruntled breath. “Fine. Yes, he stays. Now hurry up and get dressed. If I have to look at you in nothing but a towel for much longer, I will be bending you over the nearest piece of furniture.”

A searing heat comes to my clit and Bran gives me one quick shake of his head. “No. We do not have time for that. Now go.” He smacks me on the ass.

“Hey!”

“Go on, naughty little mouse.”

“Fine. I’m going. You’ll wait for me?”

Pulling out his cell phone, he taps at a name and gives me a nod. “I promise,” he says.

Bran never breaks his promises.

Back in the bedroom, I pull out my Pledge dress from the closet. Kelly had it finalized for me months ago before all of this went down. Bran had someone return to our house to fetch it and I’m grateful he did.

I’m not one to go gaga over a dress, not like Kelly. But this one is special.

It was Mom’s Pledge dress.

Mom had always had a thing for Audrey Hepburn, or really anything from old Hollywood. The dress was an A-line made of green satin with beading along the modest V-neck.

Kelly and I had it taken in at the waist to fit me better and had the sleeves taken off.

When I pull it on and stand in front of the full-length mirror, I’m suddenly overcome with emotion.

I wish Mom were here.

I wish I didn’t have to worry about my sister.

I wish Mom would have told me who and what I was before she died, what this power is that might be running through my veins.

There is still no hint of what that power might be.

Why did you keep this secret from me, Mom?

Why?

Before I turn into a blubbering mess, I pull in several breaths and close my eyes, counting to ten.

No sense dwelling on what is and what isn’t. I can’t go back and Mom isn’t coming back so I have to deal with the hand I’m dealt.

“Jess?” Kelly’s voice sounds from the hallway.

“I’m in here. You can come in.”

She appears behind me in the mirror a few seconds later and when she takes in the sight of me, her eyes get misty.

“No,” I say. “No crying.”

She bites at the corner of her bottom lip. “Sorry. I’m trying not to get emotional.”

“Let’s focus on the dress instead. How does it look?” I hold up the skirt and do a half turn.

“Lovely. Mom would have loved seeing you in it.”

“I think so too. It turned out so well.”

She comes into the bathroom and messes with my hair. “You should have blow-dried this. Now it’ll be all messed up.”

“Just put it into a bun.”

“I suppose I could do that. Sit.”

I pull out the stool from beneath the vanity and sit.

Kelly fusses behind me. “I wish I could be there.”

“I do too. But promise me you’ll stay here? In the Anneliese?”

“Of course I will.” With skills that border on magic, Kelly tames my hair into a neat bun, then pulls a few wispy strands out along my face. “Any makeup?”

I grab a tube of mascara and lipstick. “This will do.”

Within a few minutes, I’m ready to go.”

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Everything will go according to plan.”

A lump forms in my throat. Kelly plants a kiss on my cheek.

“Love you, sissy,” I say.

“I love you too.”

We leave the bedroom together and find Bran and Damien waiting by the front door, both in tailored black suits.

When Bran sees me, his eyes widen and his body goes rigid.

“What?” I ask.

“You look gorgeous, little mouse.”

He rarely compliments me in this way. I think for Bran, physical appearance is not as important as it is for other people. He operates on feeling and gut instinct and what we have is something far deeper than physical attraction.

But even so, hearing him say those words makes me immediately blush and want to bat my eyelashes like an idiot.

What, this old thing?

He’d admonish me for playing that game.

“Thank you,” I answer.

The look in his eyes tells me that if we survive this day, he will be doing very naughty things to me later. It’ll give me something to look forward to.

“If you’re done,” Damien says wearily, “we should be going. Kelly, you’ll stay here with Jimmy. There will be several vampires stationed outside the Anneliese. You are not to leave under any circumstances, understood?”

She nods. “I got it.”

“Now come,” Bran says and takes me into the wide sweep of his arms. “Let’s go see what the Alpha has to say and then we’ll be on our way.”

Jimmy wasn’t lying. The entire Midnight Pack is waiting outside Duval House.

“Well, this is unprecedented,” Damien says from the wide wrap-around porch. The sun has already sunk below the trees, but the night is still light enough to make out the vast size of the pack. There must be sixty men and women here.

Cal stands at the head with Fox at his left. The rest of the shifters are behind.

“Alpha,” Bran says, “we didn’t discuss this.”

“I made a deal with Jessie, not you,” Cal calls back, his deep, raspy voice reverberating across the property.

Bran’s tongue runs along the inside of his bottom lip.

“Bran,” I mutter beside him.

He clamps his mouth shut and takes my hand. He and Damien have me sandwiched between them as we make our way down the steps.

We come to a stop several feet away from the Alpha.

“What does this deal entail?” Bran gives me a sidelong glance before turning to Cal.

“I promised her I’d have her back,” Cal answers. “In exchange for her help with my mate.”

“And who is this mate?” Damien asks.

Fox steps forward. “That’s none of your business.”

Cal holds out his arm, stopping his beta from going further.

“I’m just here to lend my support,” Cal says. “Imagine what your enemies will think when they see you show up with the pack behind you.”

“I imagine they’ll wonder if I have enough dog food to feed you all.”

“Bran!” I shout.

He crosses his arms over his chest.

“No need to worry, Jessie,” Cal says. “I suspect I will be growing on your vampire boyfriend soon enough.”

Bran’s mouth drops open. “Excuse me? Why do you say that?”

“I have a psychic, remember?”

“Yes, I do. And if you’re insinuating that I might come to regard you as a friend or ally, you are very much mistaken, Alpha.”

Cal snickers and turns away. The pack parts for him.

“Alpha!” Bran shouts.

“We should be going,” Cal calls over his shoulder. “The night is getting away from us. If you’ll drive, the pack will run beside you.”

I can’t help but laugh. This is a gift I didn’t know I needed. But is Cal being serious? That seems a silly thing to joke about. I suspect Cal doesn’t exactly want to be friends with Bran, but maybe our interests will continue to intersect and the two alpha men will come to an understanding.

I like the thought of it. Especially if Sam is destined to be with Cal.

“Stop smiling, Mouse,” Bran mutters.

I clamp my hand over my mouth, but I’m sure he can tell the smile is still in my eyes.

He scowls and starts for his SUV, grumbling the whole way.

Bran drives with me tucked in the back, hidden behind dark tinted windows. Damien is in the passenger seat.

We don’t speak.

I watch the blur of the pack racing through the woods beside us.

My stomach turns into knots the closer we get to the Harbor.

I can get through this.

It’s going to be fine.

Most Pledges are just routine ceremonies. You make your Pledge. You sign some papers. You carry on with your life.

Nothing will be different about mine at all?—

Except when we pull into the parking lot outside the Harbor, my heart drops.

It’s packed.

More packed than on any other Pledge Day.

Judging by the number of vehicles and people milling around outside, everyone who matters is here.

“Holy shit,” I say from the back. “Who are all these people? Is there another Pledge today? Maybe ten?”

“No,” Damien answers, “yours was the only one on the schedule.”

Christ.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

There is always reserved parking for the Pledgees, so Bran parks along the front of the building.

And standing just outside the entrance is none other than Julian, with half the Renshaw coven beside him.