CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

Sipping coffee at the kitchen island the next morning, Bree watched as Alex snatched yet another Danish pastry from the cupboard. There was no denying that wolverines had a formidable appetite.He’d already eaten a stack of pancakes … and tried to steal some of hers. In too good a mood to claw at him, she’d simply slapped his hand.

Well, waking to the feel of a talented tongue fluttering between her folds was bound to put any woman in a good mood, wasn’t it? Add in that Alex ate her pussy until she came in his mouth and then fucked her in the shower and, yeah, Bree was one very content girl.

If he found it odd to spend the morning at her home, he didn’t show it. No, he boldly moved around the place like he lived there, appearing completely at ease.

“I’ll walk with you to Pot of Gold, but I can’t stay,” he said. “I have some things to take care of at the steakhouse today.” He co-owned the very popular restaurant with Vinnie. She’d eaten there a few times—the food was damn good.

“You need to tell the chef to put profiteroles back on the dessert menu,” she said.

“Didn’t you once throw one of those at Moira’s head?”

“Me waste a profiterole? No.” She drank the last of her coffee. “That was Elle.”

“I should’ve guessed,” he mumbled.

Watching him closely, she asked, “You still sure you want to try ‘more’ on for size?”

His brow creased. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”

“You’ve never had a relationship before, and you’re not used to letting women into your life. It might not be as easy as you think.” And it had occurred to Bree that the thought of her leaving the pride might have spurred him into making such a decision when he wasn’t ready for it.

He shrugged. “That doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I didn’t want to before now. Like I’ve already said, I loathe you much less than I do others. You don’t make me want to throw things at you.”

She couldn’t help but smile. This wasn’t a man who’d hug her much, flatter her, and shower her with romantic gestures. But, in his own way, he’d never let her doubt him. “Well, I’d totally hold in my farts for you.”

Amusement lit his eyes. “That says everything.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Such a strong foundation we have.”

“Exactly, so I’d say we’ve got a chance of making this work. It’s a chance we’re going to take. Now stop asking me stupid questions and let’s go.”

Later that day, as Alex headed to the elevator of his complex, he checked the time on his phone. He needed to hurry if he wanted to catch Bree before she left Pot of Gold. His plan was to escort her home and spend yet another evening with her.

Stepping into the elevator, he pressed the button for the first floor. Deep inside him, his beast paced, eager to get to her. The animal had been in a foul mood ever since Alex parted from her that morning.

He’d first escorted her inside the store and given her a quick kiss. No one had commented, but his mother had given him a nod of approval. Elle and his father seemed pleased as well.

The Cages, particularly Bernadette, wouldn’t be so accepting of the relationship, but Alex had no plans to hide it. They’d likely dismiss it as a meaningless fling. They wouldn’t be worried that Bree would be “stolen” from Paxton. But they would still see it as a betrayal on Alex’s part. And when they realized it was more than a fling, they’d be royally pissed.

Personally, he couldn’t give a rat’s ass. But he would lose all patience with them if they vented their anger on Bree.

The elevator came to a stop two floors below his own. When the doors slid open, he silently cursed. Because standing a few feet in front of him was Drina. His beast rumbled a sound of sheer annoyance.

She blinked. “Hi.”

He didn’t return the greeting.

Drina cautiously stepped into the elevator and turned to face forward. As the metal doors slid closed, she gave him a sideways glance. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was drunk. But that’s no excuse,” she hurried to add.

She was right. There was no excuse for hammering her fists on his front door while yelling his name at the top of her lungs. He hadn’t even been home. He’d been having dinner with Bree when his neighbor called and gave him the lowdown. Apparently, Drina’s mother had come and taken her home.

“It won’t happen again,” she said.

Alex didn’t respond. He just watched the digital number on the elevator screen go lower and lower and lower. He’d already spoken to Vinnie about her behavior. The Alpha intended to have a long talk with her. This shit wasn’t acceptable, and she clearly needed help that she wasn’t getting.

“Look, I know my head’s a mess right now, and I know I need to sort my shit out,” she said. “I will. I swear. And I’ll stop coming to you for … company. But I could really use a friend right now. Not a friend with benefits. Just a friend. One who’s not also Giles’ friend. There aren’t many of them in the pride.”

“Told you, Drina—you want to talk to someone, go to one of the omegas.”

The elevator came to a smooth stop on the first floor. Without a word to the female beside him, Alex stalked out and made a beeline for the exit.

Drina hurried after him. “I don’t want to talk about personal things to someone I barely know. I want to talk to someone I trust.” She paused. “You never asked me why Giles and I didn’t fully imprint.”

“It’s not my business.”

“He had a theory.”

Uninterested, Alex didn’t ask her to expand. He just pushed open the main door and walked out.

She dashed around him and planted herself in his path. “Just listen to me for a sec. Please.”

“Drina, I do not have time for this shit.”

“Giles blamed me when we didn’t imprint on each other. He accused me of caring for you; he said that it was getting in the way of the bond. What if he was right, Alex? What if I couldn’t bond with him for the same reason that you’ve never bonded with other women—what if it’s because we care for each other?”

The fuck? “I’ve told you before, I don’t care for you.”

She jutted out her chin. “I don’t believe that.”

That didn’t surprise him. She seemed determined to believe only what she wanted to believe.

“I love you, Alex.”

Now that got his back up, because … “You don’t even fucking know me.”

She frowned. “That’s not true. We were together for over a month—”

“We were fucking for over a month,” he corrected. “That’s it. You don’t know me at all.” He’d say that very few people outside his immediately family did. Bree was one of them. “You don’t love me, Drina. And I don’t love you. You need to accept that; need to move on with your life. Now we’re done here.” Alex skirted around her and stalked away.

He glanced at his phone again to check the time. Shit. Bree had usually already left the jewelry store by now. It was possible that she was already gone. Cursing beneath his breath, he quickened his pace.

She’d never been followed before. It was super weird.

At first, Bree had thought her instincts were off and that her pacing feline was just being paranoid. Because, seriously, who stalked a pallas cat while surrounded by dozens of her pride mates?

Now yeah, okay, the enforcers were being somewhat discreet in patrolling the streets, easily blending in with the public, but it was really a no-brainer that there’d be some hanging around, right?

Her tail was at least ten feet behind her in the middle of the street. She’d caught a brief glimpse of him when twisting to apologize to a stranger for, just to give her an excuse to turn, accidentally-on-purpose bumping into them. He was tall. Kind of podgy. Clean-shaven. Average facial features that her cat would like to claw off.

If Bree slowed, he slowed. If she stopped, he stopped. If she sped up, he sped up. All of which confirmed that her instincts were not misleading her. She had indeed picked up a tail. And it was time to get rid of him.

Halting near the mouth of an alley, Bree rooted through her purse as if in search of something. She sensed him closing in on her and picked up a faint smell of wolf, but she kept her eyes on the contents of her purse.

Sidling up to her, he cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”

She looked his way and frowned at the cell phone he offered her.

“I just need you to take this call,” the wolf told her, his voice polite and calming. “He said you’d know him as John Jones.”

She stilled, and her feline let out a long hiss. “Did he now?”

“It’ll only take a minute.”

Curiosity pricked at her. Well, she was a cat. “Okay.” She lifted her hands as if to placate him, but it was code to any enforcers watching that she didn’t want them to immediately intervene.

Bree took the cell—a very old model that she hadn’t seen in a long while—and put it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Ah, Miss Dwyer,” said a voice she recognized. “I had hoped to speak to you in person. But after hearing about the recent attack on you, I suspect your pride mates would surround me in an instant if I were to come near you again, despite meaning you no harm.”

She wasn’t entirely sure she believed that last bit. “If you’re simply going to repeat the questions you asked last time we spoke—”

“I have information I think you’ll want.”

She felt her brow furrow. “Information about what, exactly?”

“Come to me, give me the answers I want from you, and I’ll tell you. My friend, Frasier, will bring you to me. You and I can have a little chat, and then he’ll return you to your pride.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth that you have info for me?”

“I give you my word, Miss Dwyer, that I’m in possession of information you’ll very much want. I also give you my word that you will be returned home alive and unharmed.”

Not freaking likely. “All right.”

“Good,” he said, his pleasure clear in his tone. “I look forward to seeing you.”

He shouldn’t. The line went dead, so she handed the phone back to the wolf.

He gestured at a Civic that was parked across the road. “My car’s right over there.”

She folded her arms. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere.”

His face went hard. “I’m afraid I can’t accept that answer. I have strict orders to take you with me.”

She’d suspected as much. “You can take me … if you can catch me.” She raced down the alley, sure he’d follow. He did, obviously thinking it would be an excellent way to corner her.

Reaching the rear of the alley, she swerved to face him.

He pulled out a gun, the motherfucker. There was a click as he took off the safety. “I really don’t want to use this but—”

The homeless people sprang into action, leaping from their cardboard shelters and surrounding him in a blink. He struggled, but it was useless. The two disguised enforcers quickly snatched the gun out of his hand and forced him through a black door that led to what would have been one of the florist’s storerooms if Vinnie didn’t use it as a place to “question people.”

Bree followed them into the dark, dank room. Her nose wrinkled. The empty space reeked of mold and mildew.

The enforcers pinned the wolf to the wall like a butterfly, ignoring his curses, protests, and pleas. They just stared at him as if they did this shit every day.

Bree nodded at her pride mates in thanks as she crossed to the panting, wide-eyed wolf. “You thought you’d trap me, huh,” she said to him. “It turns out that the one springing the trap was me.” Tate had drummed the if-anyone-comes-for-you-run-to-the-alley plan into her head a thousand times, convinced the hyenas would strike again one way or another.

Hearing footsteps and the muffled voices of Vinnie, Tate, and Luke, she sighed. “Shame you and I don’t have more time to chat, canine.” The Alpha and his sons would take over now for sure, which meant she’d have to step back and simply watch. But first …

She slammed her fist into his jaw, making his head snap to the side. “That’s for pulling a gun on me, you little shit.”

Entering the room, Vinnie sighed. “Pallas cats are so unforgiving, aren’t they?” His eyes sharpened on the wolf. “Well, well, well. It’s been a while, Frasier. You may not remember Frasier Banks, boys. He’s not only a latent, pack-less wolf shifter who poses as a human and once worked for the police force, he was also once on a mobster’s payroll.”

Bree felt her brows lift. Vinnie had rubbed up against enough crime syndicates to know such things about people.

Tate tilted his head, his unblinking stare fixed on Frasier. “You do like to live dangerously, don’t you?”

“My question is,” began Vinnie, “why would a dirty ex-cop who has virtually nothing to do with shifters suddenly come at my pride like this?”

His skin clammy, Frasier replied, “It’s not about you. I just wanted the girl.”

“Because?” prompted Vinnie.

“Because some people will make my life very uncomfortable if I don’t take her to them to be questioned.”

“Questioned?” The Alpha echoed. “When you say, ‘powerful people,’ do you mean those mobsters I mentioned?”

Frasier shook his head hard. “These guys are shifters.”

“And you’re on their payroll?”

“No, they promised me protection if I did the occasional favor for them. People like me don’t last long without some form of protection.”

“Who are they?” Vinnie exhaled heavily when the wolf didn’t respond. “Please do something new and different and simply just give us the information. If you don’t, I’ll have to pass you on to someone who’ll make you feel like talking and, well, I’d rather not watch a wolverine eat yet another person alive.”

“Think of it this way,” Luke said to Frasier. “It’s their fault you’re about to die. Do you want them walking the Earth while you’re six-foot under it?”

“Die?” echoed Frasier, eyes wide. “I never hurt her. Hell, I didn’t even touch her.”

“You pulled a gun on her,” Luke reminded him.

“To scare her into leaving with me, that’s all.” Frasier’s gaze darted back to the Alpha. “I don’t hurt women, Vinnie. That’s not me.”

“I’m not sure I believe him, Vin,” said Bree.

“He is known to be a liar.” The Alpha hummed. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Frasier?”

“No, of course not. Look, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, I will. Just promise to let me go afterward.”

Vinnie’s eyes slid to the wall and narrowed. He nodded. “All right, I promise not to kill you if you give me the answers I’m looking for.”

His shoulders slumping, Frasier closed his eyes. “Thank you. The Alpha hyena’s name is Dale Bray. He never introduced his Beta or Head Enforcer. They’re from the Silva Clan. I don’t know where their territory is, and I’ve never met anyone who does—they keep its location secret on purpose. I just know it’s underground somewhere.”

Bree hadn’t heard of the clan. Nothing on Vinnie’s face gave away whether he knew of it.

Vinnie’s eyes narrowed. “What information are they seeking from Bree?”

“They wouldn’t tell me,” replied Frasier. “They did say they have info they think she’ll want to know. They seem to want her help with something, but I don’t know what.”

“Where do you usually meet them?”

“I don’t. They come to me when they want something, and they always give me a burner phone to use for whatever the job is. They never give me the same number to contact them on, so I’m guessing they use burner phones, too—I don’t know for sure, though.”

“Did they ever mention Paxton Cage to you?”

Frasier shook his head. “They don’t tell me more than I need to know. I wish I had more info to give you, but I don’t.”

“There’s nothing more you can tell me?”

“No, nothing,” replied Frasier, sweat trickling down his temple. “They just want to talk to her—they gave me their word that she wouldn’t be harmed. I wouldn’t have followed their orders if they meant to hurt her.”

“Now that was a big, fat lie,” Bree sensed.

Vinnie nodded. “It was indeed. You didn’t care that those men might hurt one of my cats, Frasier. You didn’t care that you might have to shoot her to ensure her cooperation. You only cared that you followed their orders so that you didn’t lose their protection. I suppose you’ve done far worse things for them in the past, and I suspect you’d have even killed Bree if they’d asked it of you.”

Frasier’s eyes flickered, but he shook his head. “You’re wrong. Look, I told you what you wanted to know. You promised you’d let me go if I did.”

“Well, no, I promised I wouldn’t kill you. And I won’t.” Vinnie tipped his head toward Bree. “But she will.”

With her furious cat pressing close to her skin, Bree crossed to him and sliced out her claws. He’d not only aimed a gun at her, he would have forced her to go with him to a bunch of hyenas that probably would have hurt her in a big way. And he hadn’t cared. He deserved a fuck of a lot more pain than she was about to put him through, but torture really wasn’t her thing. It was her cat’s thing, though. And the feline didn’t want him to die clean.

The wolf eyed her razor-sharp claws, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I was just following orders.”

“No use in trying to appeal to my merciful streak, canine—I don’t have one. Pallas cats, well, we tend to hold grudges. And I can’t exactly let you live when I need to send a message to your hyena friends, can I?” Bree rammed her claws into the fucker’s throat and twisted, cutting through arteries and tendons, just as her cat wanted. Bree didn’t move from that spot until the life left his eyes. Only then did her feline settle slightly.

As the enforcers dropped the body on the ground, Vinnie turned to her and asked, “You all right?”

Nodding, Bree sheathed her claws. “I had a little chat on the wolf’s burner phone with Dale Bray, otherwise known as John Jones. Honestly, I like the fake name better.”

“What did he—” Vinnie cut off at the sound of heavy, fast-approaching footsteps.

Alex prowled into the room, his body tense, his chin up, his jaw hard, oozing a truck load of menace that thickened the air. He made a beeline for her, his eyes cold, flinty, and glittering with something very dark as they swept over her—probably checking for injuries.

His hand curved around her neck. “You okay?”

She placed her hands on his upper arms. God, there was so much barely restrained anger in his muscles. “I’m fine. And, as you can see,” she added, gesturing at the dead wolf, “my short-term stalker has been taken care of.”

Alex looked at Vinnie. “Who was he?”

The Alpha’s gaze danced from Alex to Bree. “Does this mean you’re not leaving the pride, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” Alex responded for her. “Now, who is that bastard on the floor?”

“Frasier Banks,” said Vinnie. “A latent lone shifter who also happened to be a dirty cop once-upon-a-time. Some of the enforcers clocked him following Bree. They meant to grab him straight away and herd him into the alley, but she signaled for them to wait.”

Alex’s attention snapped back to her. “You signaled for them to wait?”

She lifted her chin. “Yes, because he gave me what looked like a burner phone and told me that John Jones wanted to speak with me.”

He growled. “I don’t care if he said God himself had been on the other end of that line—you should have let the enforcers do their thing.”

“Well, aren’t you just a breath of fresh judgmental air?”

“He could have been lying to you, Bree. There could have been no one waiting to speak with you. The whole thing could have just been a distraction while someone—”

“If I’d thought it was a situation I couldn’t handle, I wouldn’t have given that signal.”

Vinnie raised a hand when Alex would have spoken again. “Hold it, I want to hear from Bree what happened.”

She told him everything, beginning with when she’d first realized she was being followed. “To put it simply, the hyenas aren’t giving up.”

Alex, looking no less pissed, cut his gaze back to Vinnie. “His claim to have information for her was obviously a lure. He couldn’t get to her, so he needed to make her go to him.”

Nodding, Vinnie turned to Luke. “Find out everything you can on Dale Bray, the Silva Clan, and any whispers of where their underground territory might be.”

Luke nodded. “It’ll be done.”

“From now on, I’m walking you home every night, Bree,” Alex declared. “Before you start chewing chunks out of my ass, hear me out. I’m not trying to strike at your pride. I don’t for one second think you’re incapable of protecting yourself. I just don’t want you to be put into yet another situation in which you’re forced to do it. I want to be there as a deterrent to anyone thinking of fucking with you.”

“I was going to suggest you have an escort home from now on,” said Tate. “The hyenas will try something else, Bree. You want someone to be there with you when they do.”

“You’d want the same for Elle if the situation were reversed,” Luke pointed out. “Even the strongest person can be brought down.”

Vinnie nodded. “And then there’s the fact that the hyenas—”

“Oh my God, stop ganging up on me, I’ll agree to the escort,” Bree burst out. It wasn’t as if Alex wouldn’t accompany her home most days anyway. And it was the smart thing to do. Plus, Luke was right—she’d want the same for Elle.

Alex smoothed a hand up and down her back, his tension easing slightly. “Good. Now let’s get out of here. There’s someone I need to speak to.”

Alex was reading an article on his cell phone when the door to the en suite bathroom opened. Clad only in towels and chuckling like little kids, Dominic and Mila padded into the bedroom.

Mila’s face hardened the moment she spotted Alex sitting on her plush armchair. “For shit’s sake! Can you not just knock on the damn bedroom door like everyone else? Or even call in advance to say you’re coming?”

“I could,” said Alex. But he wouldn’t. He liked sneaking onto Phoenix Pack territory and working his way through the network of tunnels within the ancient cave dwelling—no one ever saw him unless he wanted them to. Plus, annoying his sister was a nice bonus.

Dominic shook his head at him. “How the hell do you keep bypassing our security measures and creeping onto our land?”

Alex frowned. “How many times do you need me to say it? I’m a wolverine. We go where we want to go.”

The wolf planted his fists on his hips. “But every time you point out a weak spot in our security, we cover it.”

“You say that like it would ever make a difference.”

Mila all but stomped her foot. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to talk to your mate.” Alex sank further into the chair. “You ever heard of the Silva Clan?”

Dominic pursed his lips. “Doesn’t ring any bells. Why?”

“The hyenas who waylaid Bree belong to the clan. The Alpha’s name is Dale Bray.”

“Never heard of him. I take it they made a reappearance.”

“In a sense, yes, they did.” Alex told them about the incident with Frasier Banks.

“How is Bree?” asked Mila.

“Fine. Fuck all rattles her for long.” Which made Alex proud as hell. “But I don’t want her living with this cloud of danger hanging over her head. I can’t get rid of it until I know where the clan’s territory is.” He paused. “Did you know she was planning on leaving the pride?”

Mila’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Why the hell would she want—? Dani.” She sighed.

“She was part of why Bree wanted to leave. I can understand why. Just yesterday, the bitch went to Vinnie and asked him to strip Bree of some of her omega duties.”

Mila’s jaw tightened. “Dani’s going to push her too far one day, and she’s going to regret it. You said Bree was planning to leave. Does that mean she’s reconsidering it?”

“It means she’s not going anywhere,” Alex stated.

A smile curled Mila’s mouth. “Oh, I see how it is. It’s about damn time you made your move.” Her eyes narrowed a little. “How serious is it? Are you talking a fling, or something more?”

“It’s more,” replied Alex.

“Does she know that?”

“Yeah. She said she’s content to just go with the flow and see what happens.”

Mila snorted. “You don’t go with the flow. You dictate how the flow will go.” She shook her head. “That poor girl has no clue what she’s dealing with, does she?”

Alex gave an innocent shrug. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh, yes, you do.” Mila pointed a finger at him. “You don’t waste words, but you can be pretty damn compelling when it suits you—you know just what to say to get what you want. Poor Bree thinks she has a choice on how this relationship will go. But we both know that if you don’t hear what you want from her, you’ll flick that ‘pretty damn compelling’ switch, muddle her brain with steamy make-out sessions, and generally do just about whatever it takes to coax her into giving you your way.”

“Yeah, but she hasn’t considered that yet.” Alex lifted his shoulders. “Is there any harm is letting her believe she has all this under control?”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Dominic. “It’s considerate, really.”

Alex nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”

Mila glared at them both. “It’s not considerate. It’s manipulative.”

“It’s wolverine-style dating,” Dominic pointed out. “Bree will handle it. She’s tough.”

Mila huffed. “True. Which I admire, because that girl’s been through a lot. I’m kind of surprised you left her side, Alex. Who’s with her?”

“Taryn.”

“As in my Alpha female, Taryn? Why is—wait, you snuck Bree onto our territory, didn’t you?”

Alex shrugged. “It was that or leave her behind.”

“You couldn’t have just driven through the gate like everyone else?”

“There would have been no fun in that.”

Mila flicked a hand. “I’m done here, go.”

“I’m not feeling loved right now.”

“And I’m not giving a hot shit.”