âLet me have this one. Heâs cute, and I want to play with him!â Jesús slides up behind one of the men, slightly farther out from the rest.
He jumps a mile high, growls at Jesús, and then runs to his pack to avoid the taunting smirk and kissing motions.
The twins chuckle as they round on them, making more sexy winks and kissing motions, cooing naughtily. Theyâre humiliating them while standing casually.
Languishing like theyâre hanging out in a field waiting for a sports tournament to beginâno hint of fear, wariness, or even rage. Just taunting confidence of a pack that knows, as a unit, theyâre fierce.
âI donât think youâre his type. He likes the soft, submissive femmes so that he can feel all man about it,â Radar says, poking fun at the member trying to cower behind his pack.
Colton grins at the hilarity of his very intimidating fellows. Obviously, heâs used to this kind of response when they encounter an enemy, and he doesnât seem fazed by it.
It now makes sense who was whooping and making a noise upon arriving as though heading to a party.
Theyâre comical in a terrifying, psychotic way, and you can tell every one of them has tasted blood on a battlefield. You only get that kind of bold scariness from experience.
The jokes and presence of his subs seem to have calmed Colton down considerably, and I can sense the waves of fury ebbing away as he realizes this pack isnât worth it.
Not one of them is trying to enforce a fight, and Deacon seems to be trying to diffuse rather than entice despite his eyes faintly glowing.
Theyâre what I thought when I met them, omega coward, and theyâre not even worthy enough to fight them.
âYou donât want to battle. Thatâs fine by me. My people donât need bloodshed on their doorstep.
âWe have children here, but youâre not leaving with either of these women without going through me.
âSo maybe you should turn around, tuck your tail back up your ass where it belongs, and tell my daddy I said to go fuck himself. That I know everything. Heâll know what you mean.
âMaybe on the drive back to the mountain, you and your crew should evaluate which side of the Santo pack youâre going to run with from here on in because the future doesnât look pretty if itâs his.â
Colton snarls in his face, returning to intimidation with no hint of hesitation or nervousness. Heâs about an inch away from pissing on Deacon and marking his territory.
His overwhelming hostility has the other wolf crumbling.
Colton doesnât sound like Colton. He sounds like a man, not a boy. Iâm seeing him in a new light, a confident leader who is highly accomplished at handling people like Deacon.
Iâve never had to come head-to-head with fierce Colton or seen his natural aggression beyond the orphanage, and I wonder what his taking his father down looked like.
I canât lie; my inner wolf likes it, and Iâm almost drooling over him at the moment.
My insides are all churned up, and I have to step back and take a few deep breaths to calm the raging hormones once more.
The Fates picked the right male to match me to. I couldnât want him more than at this moment. His dominance turns me on.
âI⦠um. Heâll kill us if we donât take⦠umm⦠I donât know what went down, but Iâll have to see for myself what Juan says about this,â Deacon says, at a loss for words.
I can feel every ounce of his bravado slipping away.
He visibly swallows as he realizes he just questioned his possible leader, and I swear he almost sits on the ground the way his legs seem to twitch momentarily.
âIâll kill you if you touch her. So, thereâs that,â Colton reiterates with a head nod and shrugs.
I shake my head at Deacon, disgusted with the weakness I see before me and smothered in confidence as my temper ignites.
âNot so tough when you donât have me disabled and stuck alone in a glass room, are you?â I snarl, moving out entirely behind Colton, half expecting him to hush me and send me back, but he doesnât.
He turns to me slightly, catches my eyes with his glowing amber ones, and then slides aside to encourage me to come closer. I guess because he knows Deacon is no real threat to me.
He relaxes a little, and like a wild wolf would encourage his mate to take part in a hunt or teach her, he urges me to him. He just let his subs berate theirs, so I guess itâs my turn.
My wolf ignites at the invitation, eyes burning in my skull, and I know they must be glowing as red as Coltonâs are amber with the tension in the air.
âWhat the fuck?â Deacon almost trips backward as he scrambles a step away and locks an alarmed pair of human eyes on mine, shocked at what he sees.
âMiss those pretties, huh? I guess probably because you were busy shooting her in the back!â Colton teases cruelly, pulling me with a hand on my upper arm and sliding me in front so Iâm between him and Deacon.
He gets me close even though he wants me to stand up to this asshat, but he needs to know heâs also keeping me safe.
âWhat the hell is wrong with her eyes?â Deacon canât conceal his fear, and this time he trips trying to get away and lands on his ass.
He is scrambling as he thuds with a soft noise and tries to reel backward away from me.
âNothing. I think theyâre sexy.
âHowever, it does mean you had a lucky escape. Had my princesa here not been more concerned about getting the fuck away from you, she could have taken down your entire team with minimal effort.
âMaybe I should let her rebalance the scales if you think you can take her.â Colton slides his hand up my back and moves in next to me so weâre hip to hip.
He lazily lassoes his arm around my shoulders so it hangs casually and adopts that teenage boy pose of a guy razzing the hell out of someone he deems inferior.
Deacon hesitates. I can see the questions forming in his head as he looks from Colton to me and back and scrambles to his feet, backing away.
Itâs obvious heâs rattled, and he keeps gawking at me and then back at his pack as though theyâre linking.
I see the unease as they look at one another and shrink closer to the vehicles, our sub-pack moving in and not giving them an inch.
âWhy donât we make it fun? If he can take you, his pack gets to leave. If he canât, well⦠we kill them,â Colton says.
He turns to me with a dark expression, a wry smile, his words making the blood in my veins run cold, but his mind-link kicks in immediately.
~âI wonât ever let anyone hurt you. Heâll not take that offer, so relax. Heâs about ready to run. Iâm not going to kill anyone. Iâm just messing with him, baby, because itâs fun.â~
Colton is doing what a mate should do: teach, guide, and instill confidence in his femme, and I can feel him encouraging me to take back my power from Deacon.
It ignites a fire in me that pulses through my bones, muscles, and nerve endings, and I can almost taste that thin veil coming at me without trying.
Maybe itâs the inner rage I felt from the second this asshole pulled up.
Or perhaps itâs having Colton by my side coaxing me, encouraging softly, being what I need, yet knowing it can never be thatâs churning me up and empowering me insanely.
âIâm not in the mood for shredding my clothes, so how about⦠if he can get to his truck before I get to him, I forget all about it. He can go, and weâre done.â I raise a brow, sarcasm oozing from every pore.
Colton smiles, looking at our prey. He knows I will make Deacon run back to his truck like a coward and humiliate him in front of everyone without even attempting to follow.
I understand why his subs like teasing and tormenting. It gives me a real power kick.
âIâm not against you shooting him in the back, baby. An eye for an eye.â He leans in and kisses me on the temple, lingering a moment as Deacon continues glancing from him to me and back again.
Deacon pales visibly and starts to stammer and stutter. He raises his hands and looks about, poised to run away, but trips over his feet and falls epically to his knees in front of everyone.
Colton breaks into a laugh and completely ruins it with that proper hearty break of mood as he lets out that youthful, entertained, sweet melody of husky beauty.
âIâm sorry, I canât⦠itâs too funny. Fuck off, Deacon. None of you are welcome here. This is where my mom and my femme stay, and if we see you here again, Iâll happily rip your throat out.
âTake that as a friendly warning and tell my father whatever the fuck you want. Just leave!â Colton doesnât wait for an answer.
He slides his arm from me and turns, pushing his hand into mine to get me to follow him back to the manor and leave this idiot to get chased out by the subs.
Colton is doing what I asked and ensuring we do not expose the vulnerable to gruesome violence. Heâs leaving before he does something stupid to these idiots.
Iâm slower to turn and catch Deaconâs eyes igniting from the corner of my eye.
His left hand claws up with sharp, knife-like talons as he lets that part of him turn before he lurches to his feet, extending his hand, and aims right for the back of Coltonâs skull.
Right at a wolfâs skull, with enough force that itâs a death stroke, and I impulsively yell out.
I throw my hand out to stop him, aiming right for that son of a bitch, my palm stretched toward him to shield my love, to save him from harm.
Pure instinct is taking over with the way my heart leaps into my mouth, and my whole body pauses in shock and disbelief, my veins running cold.
I need to protect my fated mate at all costs, and I donât think or hesitate. Colton is my soul mate and half of me, and I wonât let that piece of shit, Deacon, take a stab at his back and end him in such a cowardly way.
Much like watching a wet baseball being thrown hard, losing its water content and spewing traces in the air as it hurls at speed, I send something like a transparent orb at him from my splayed hand.
It travels fast and straight, slowing down time and space, so I see it happening almost in slow motion.
It hits him right in the chest with so much force it makes an echoing thud that reverberates around the clearing.
It has a similar effect to that of the bear, only with less velocity and rage behind it, more shock, more focus, and a reaction more than anything.
Deacon goes from jumping toward Colton with intent to being rammed harshly in the chest by my orb and thrown a few feet behind him into the side of the vehicle.
He comes to a shuddering halt as his body slams it and dents it like I just cannonballed it with a steel boulder.
He stops dead, groaning in pain, the air silencing around us as he slides down the side of the truck, winded, gasping for air, and in utter shock.
His pack cowers around, watching this show of force. The air sizzles around us as everyone who just witnessed it stares in utter disbeliefâshocked.
âWell, thatâs a gift.â Meadowâs voice floats my way, breaking the silence and the tension as I inhale and look around to see most eyes are on me.
Itâs only now I realize sheâs seven feet away to my left; she must have leapt to come to the defense of Colton too, and her eyes are glowing amber, ready to take down that son of a bitch had he struck her alpha.
Deaconâs pack wastes no time running, dragging Deacon with them back into the two trucks and speedily getting off the ground.
Soon as they do, the trucks rev into life and back out at top speed, gravel spraying all around us in dramatic fashion at their fast and furious exit while Colton turns to me and catches me off guard.
He picks me up in a sweep of weightlessness, grinning at me proudly.
He hooks my legs around his waist, pulling me down and kissing me right on the lips as he yanks my body into his.
I have no time to react, pulled in and held tight as his warm lips press to mine and take my breath away completely.
I hate that his kiss is still familiar, ignites feelings inside, inviting, like finding my way home, and I have to stop myself from leaning in and letting him continue.
âThatâs my girl. Warrior queen protecting her man. Thank you, baby.â He moves his face back, so weâre no longer close enough to do it again, causing a little wave of disappointment that I chastise myself for.
My cheeks flush with heat and embarrassment that he kissed me in front of everyone. Iâm so breathless from his unexpected attention and aware that every wolf out here is looking at us.
I shouldnât untangle and get him to put me down while his pack watches us. Itâll make it uncomfortable for him.
Itâs disrespectful to humiliate the alpha. Instead, I slide my hands around his neck to steady myself in this pretty weird position I find myself in.
Iâm aware this is inappropriate for a marked wolf, yet I allow him to carry me like this. I still donât see any sign of Carmen, and Iâm sure I would have heard her if she had seen this.
No way she wouldnât be screeching at me to deafness if sheâs around.
His hands are now under my ass to keep me lifted as he turns me around to the approaching sub-pack like this is perfectly natural for him to carry me this way. They swarm in around us.
âWhat was that exactly?â Cesar comes out first as Colton bounces me a little and smiles boyishly.
Heâs overcome with weird, joyful energy and a strong sense of pride that suffocates me as his emotions drown mine out.
âThat was Lorey and part of what she is capable of doing. Telekinesis possibly. I think she might be an empath, too. Christ, that was impressive as fuck,â he says, spinning me.
I get a little jiggle before he slides me down to the ground onto my feet and tugs me in against him, lassoed by that arm once more and held lazily.
I donât know how to feel about it, as everything rushed me at once, and it was impulsiveâthe reaction, seeing what I did again, and then this. I have to stop and let my brain catch up to his words.
âWhat?â I turn to him and gawk, eyes widening at himâso many questions about where he just pulled that from.
âThe shaman knows a lot about this shit, and itâs common in vampires, apparently. Absorption is her wolf, and this itâs the other half. Alora is a hybrid of the two. I am too. Only my momâs a witch.â
Coltonâs voice drops as he says it, and I swear, the entire area falls deathly silent, unbearably so, as the entire sub-pack and those beyond who heard him stare at us with mouths open in disbelief.
He just outed us for the whole pack to hear, and those who didnât will know soon enough as gossip spreads through the link. Colton clearly doesnât want secrets the way his father did for years.
âLike us?â Remi finally butts in, breaking the tension, and I stand stock-still, my heart beating through my chest at the fact heâs going to tell them everything now.
I was so not prepared for this. My body turns icy cold as fear overtakes me.
My lungs almost shrivel up, and I sag a little to cower in his arms as they all move in on us, a sea of faces and endless questioning looks.
Colton seems completely serious, but I can feel his hesitation in what heâs doing, that ingrained fear his family bonded pack will reject us and send us into exile, or worse.
A pack has a right to kill intruders or any they deem a threat, and I guess Iâm definitely in that category.
âKind of. I think you need to let me bond project to see what Alora and I know.â Colton looks around them.
I hold my breath, waiting, poised, but none of the sub-pack seems to react dramatically. Thereâs confusion, and a couple of questioning glances between them, but overall, they just nod.
I didnât know packs could project to one another as a group, but it makes sense if you make a chain and pass memory to memory. I just thought it was something only the imprinted or mated could do.
Meadow turns and stares out at the wolves in the clearing. I can tell sheâs linking.
Within seconds, they all turn tail and head back to wherever they came from, clearing the area and giving us space and quiet.
They heard, and I donât doubt they will get answers after the sub-pack gets them.
Our secrets, who we are, Juanâs complete lie in life, are about to become public knowledge, and I couldnât be any more terrified. No more secrets within this pack, no more hiding what I am.
What we are.
Meadow steps up first, lifts Coltonâs hand to her temple, adding mine to the other side of her face, and smiles encouragingly. So much faith and love in that one slight nod.
âWeâre your pack. Show us the truth. It wonât change a thing about what we are to you.â