Chapter 7 ~ New Alpha In Town

Venom called Maddox into his office a week after he had been home. He wanted to discuss what was going on.. things were heating up with Cabot.. and Delaney’s ex-mate had allied with him.. having decided Venom’s territory was too big. What they didn’t realize was Maddox was about to take over twenty five hundred acres.. of the eight thousand in Venom’s possession.

Delaney told Maddox that the farm and its three hundred acres would also be his. Maddox asked “Has your brother brought this up with our council? If he thought his complaint was above board.. he would petition the council for review.”

Venom nodded “I wondered the same thing.. but my brother would avoid a fight with me, at all costs. He knows I would kill him. He is a weak man.. with weak ambitions. It is obvious he has enough backing to make him feel brave. I fear a war is coming.. which is why I want your club chapter up and running.”

Maddox smiled “Whatever you need from me.. My inner circle has been decided upon. Hunter will be my VP/Beta. Valerie will be my mate’s Beta.. when I find her.. regardless of whether she and Hunter are mates. Derek will be my Sergeant at Arms/Gamma.. and Brock is my Enforcer/Delta. A guy I went to school with, Beau.. will be Treasurer/Techie..”

Venom smiled “All good choices.. Have you chosen their road names? I will give you yours at your ascension to Alpha..then your induction ceremony as President to Warrior Wolves 2.”

Maddox laughed “Any hints? It’s not going to be something lame, right? I don’t want to have to wear a patch that reads Peaches or some shit.” Venom laughed “While it sounds really appealing.. I wouldn’t do that to you, little bro.”

Then he gets serious again “Almost all our members under the age of twenty five want to join your club..but I want you to recruit new blood, too.. Military.. wolves.. or human.. Find some clean, cute Sweet Butts.. your men will thank you. A lot of them need to let off steam.. and they like to do it by fucking.”

Maddox shrugged “Maybe I will have Valerie and Delilah choose the girls. I want to keep the tradition of our clubs being a safe haven for rejected or widowed wolves.”

Venom nodded “Manic will be staying here with his boys. Derek and Brock are his rocks now.. since PeeWee was killed. Losing your mate is devastating.. without his boys.. I doubt he would have made it. Are you keeping your circle’s road names private until the ceremony?”

Maddox laughed “Nope.. Hunter will remain Hunter.. because.. well.. he is..Val is Dove.. Hunter calls her his little dove.. Derek is Hammer.. his fists are like hammers..and Brock is Digger because fuck with him and he will dig your grave.”

Venom nodded “Good.. I like it! Now.. next order of business… Your ascension and induction will take place on the next full moon.. and that just happens to be Valerie’s eighteenth birthday. Killing two birds with one stone. I’m just hoping you don’t get too much bigger when the mantle from the Moon settles around your shoulders.”

They laughed and Maddox shook his head “I filled out, yeah? A lot! Even surprised myself.. Shit, bro.. I’m 6’6 now! Can you imagine?”

Gizmo said “We are still investigating what’s happened to Delilah’s parents.. although it is definitely pointing to her mother’s death being murder.. I am working on tracing Elizabeth’s steps.. from David’s death.. to the day they made contact.. This investigation has taken me down so many backroads that deadend without warning. And that poor girl is struggling to not choke the life out of her stepsister.. every time she sees her.”

Maddox said “When Beau arrives this weekend, would you bring him up to speed on what we know? Fresh eyes may highlight something that’s been overlooked. I’d hate to think her dad is out there somewhere.. needing rescued.”

Venom agreed “There’s no telling what shape he will be in… if we find him. I promised Delilah full disclosure.. so, as we find something out… I tell her. When we found out her mother had, indeed, been murdered.. She cried.. mourned her all over again.. for a solid ten minutes. And I thought.. okay.. the tears break my heart.. but I can understand grief.. Then anger hit.. and she destroyed my office.. My whole fucking office.. Obliterated.. Gone..”

Maddox laughed “I thought this looked like new furniture. It’s nice, though.. maybe it was time you renovated, anyway?”

Venom grinned “That little girl is strong.. so strong, in fact.. it took Torin five times to get her to submit. And I believe it only happened because Blue respects him. But it’s funny as fuck.. As soon as anyone even mentions the word office.. Delilah apologizes profusely all over again.”

Then Venom sighed “We have to discuss the Marcus situation. We can’t fool ourselves into thinking he’s not going to want some form of payback. I expect him to actually try to extort money somehow. He knows that Delaney has a trust fund.. your mother told him.. when she transferred her own trust into hers.”

Maddox nodded “I have been thinking about it.. He doesn’t seem an overly intelligent individual.. When he shows up.. maybe I should play him a bit.. Make him think I am on his side.. against Laney. Even though I am definitely not liking the idea of being anywhere near that snail slime.”

Venom shook his head “I don’t think that’s a good idea.. I know you’re a grown man.. and Alpha in your own right.. I would never presume to tell you what to do.. but I know your sister.. She won’t have a problem telling you exactly what she thinks.”

Maddox smiled “She would definitely have an opinion.. but Venom.. Please know that I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. You are my big brother and I will always need you. Your support.. your advice.. your love. I have learned so much from you about the kind of man I want to be.”

Both men walked out to the club bar.. Maddox ordered a bud light.. as Hunter walked in with Valerie. Her face flushed.. a strange scowl in place. Maddox asked “Where’s your friend?” Val scoffed and snottily said “What? She’s not your friend anymore? You go away for two years and now she’s not your friend? Well.. MY friend is working tonight.”

Maddox laughed at her “I didn’t mean to offend you.. Of course I consider her my friend.. Val, what’s got your panties twisted?” She groaned “Fucking Bethany.. and the wicked stepsister.. They spray painted slut on both sides of Delilah’s gas tank. Ruined her awesome paint job.. I was so pissed.. All Delilah said was she would repaint it.. she wouldn’t get mad because she wasn’t in the mood to kill anybody today.”

Hunter asked “She’ll repaint it? She did that paint job? The wolves howling at the moon beside the waterfall? She did that?” Valerie nodded “She painted mine, too.. That Betty Boop was all her.. freehand.”

He jumped up.. said “Hot damn!” And started pulling Valerie out the door. Maddox cracked up “Where you running off to, bro?” He shouted “To ask Delilah to paint my bike! I know exactly what I want!”

Maddox jumped up.. heading out the door “Wait up! I’ll go with! I want to see what was done to her bike.”

The trio rode into town.. straight to the diner. The place was hopping. Of course we had to show up at dinner time. Hunter said “Well.. we might as well grab a table and have something to eat. The burgers are the best in the world!”

Maddox laughed “Okay.. Let’s do it. I want to see the bike first.. Y’all go ahead and get us a table.” They parted ways, and Maddox walked behind the diner to see Delilah’s bike.. What he found, pissed him off.

Bethany and Emily were in the process of taking the gas cap off.. and Sophia had a bag of sugar.. Steele growled so loud the ground shook “What in THE fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The three girls startled.. Sophia dropped the bag of sugar.. Bethany jumped.. and Erica stood.. staring at Maddox “Maddox? Is that you? You… umm.. You filled out..” and she stepped closer to him.. about to lay her hand on his arm.

He grabbed her wrist and snarled “Don’t ever touch me!” As he mind linked Hunter to get out back. “What the fuck were you thinking? To a biker.. their bike is sacred.. like their mother would be. It is a part of them.. not just a ride.. And that particular bike is a sixty thousand dollar machine. You deliberately set out to destroy it. For what!? If you can offer me a valid reason for why you would maliciously do that.. I won’t lock you in my cells.”

Hunter walked over.. with Delaney and Valerie..and Maddox explained what he interrupted.. “Now, I am waiting for them each to explain what Delilah has done for them to destroy something as precious as a biker’s ride.”

Emily sneered “She’s got you all fooled. She’s not the nice girl you think she is!” Delaney laughed “That’s the best you got? You’re jealous? High School is over girls.. Time to leave your little girl toys on the playground.”

Maddox looked at Hunter “Have Derek bring the transport.. A couple days in the cells should show them I won’t tolerate this shit.”

Delaney laughed again “Looks like there’s a new Alpha in town!”