Chapter 9
Ryde was worried. He knew he was putting on a brave, unworried face for Dominique, but he had no idea how his people would react. Many had lost family members in the war and harbored a deep hate toward the vampires.
He glanced at his mate. She looked delicious enough to eat in the leggings and long top that accentuated her curves. The top was low cut and showed off the pendant perfectly.
He smoothed her hair back off her shoulders and touched the mating mark on her neck. Being close to her, touching her, settled some of the rioting emotions within him.
“We’re going out together. No matter what, stay with me.”
“I had no intention of going anywhere without you.”
“Good.”
He kissed her briefly and then reached for the door. The eight males he’d called for were waiting in the yard, their faces a mixture of curiosity and sleepiness. He and Dominique stepped out onto the back deck and stopped at the top of the stairs that led down to the grass. The sky was dark, but the outside floodlights lit up the yard like it was noon.
“I called you all here this morning because the mating necklace spell brought my true mate to me.” He paused for a moment and then continued, “She’s a vampire, and her name is Dominique Tremaine. Her sister is the mistress of the city of Arbor.”
For what felt like an eternity, the males didn’t so much as twitch an eyelid, and then they growled. The four high-ranked males pushed the elders behind their backs and bared their fangs and claws. He could scent their fear, an acrid taste that sat bitter at the back of his mouth.
“You will stand down!” he ordered. When the males didn’t back down from their defensive postures, he called on his wolf and roared out his fury.
And then something amazing happened.
Beside him, Dominique bared her fangs and howled, too, her voice joining his in a sound of pure power. The males were overcome with the authority of their joint positions, and although Ryde could tell they weren’t thrilled, all eight males dropped to their knees and bared their necks in submission.
“The fuck?” Dominique whispered.
He picked up her hand and kissed the top. “We’ll talk later.”
She nodded sharply and they faced the males once more. “If you’re done acting like assholes, I called you here for a reason. You don’t have to like that my true mate is a vampire, but you do need to be respectful. Am I clear?”
Finn lifted his head and nodded. He didn’t look happy, but at least he wasn’t all fangs and claws. Ryde liked the male. He didn’t want to have to fight him, especially not when there was much more at stake than the fact that his mate was an immortal.
“What do you need, Alpha?” Finn asked.
The males relaxed slightly and rose to their feet. They didn’t seem defensive, but they did still look wary.
“I was going to wait until tonight to bring Dominique before the pack, then step forward for a mating-by-combat.”
Don, one of the elders, arched a white brow. “We haven’t had one of those in decades.”
“Why can’t you just leave?” Yon asked. “If she’s not welcome in our territory because of our laws, why would you fight? You could just concede alpha and walk.”
He snarled. “I have a daughter.”
“Oh. Sorry, Alpha. I wasn’t thinking.”
Ryde could relate. He’d spent a lot of time in the past thinking about himself and the pack and not about his daughter. The last thing he’d do is walk away from the pack with Dominique and leave Bri behind.
“I will fight for our mating, but first we must deal with the vampires.”
He explained the threat that was coming at sunset. He didn’t doubt for a moment that Natasha would send her army to kill them all. As hurt as Dominique had been by her sister’s betrayal, Ryde hadn’t been surprised. Natasha had a reputation for being ruthless to the point of cruelty. She would absolutely have viewed Dominique’s mating as an act of treachery. When the sun rose and Dominique didn’t return to Arbor, Natasha would declare war on the pack, and Ryde and his people would have no choice but to fight.
Finn let out a growl. “This shouldn’t be our fight.”
“She’s the alpha female,” Dahl, the fourth-ranked male, said. “Until Ryde declares her before the pack and fights for their mating, she’s technically our leader. That means this fight is our fight.”
Leon, one of the elders, cleared his throat. “I don’t think the vampires would care if the pack supported the mating or not. If they’re coming to bring war, they will bring it, period. It would be foolish to lock ourselves in our homes and leave the alpha pair on their own. The vampires would come with blood lust in their minds, and none of us would be safe.”
Dominique looked at Ryde. “He’s not wrong. My sister will tell the army that every wolf is fair game.”
“She’s the alpha female by mating,” Roy, an elder, said. “That means we need to support her, and Ryde, period.”
Ryde looked over the group. A few seemed fine with things, but the males he trusted the most weren’t happy by any stretch. “The army will come at sunset. Our warriors need to be ready at the border to fight. I don’t care if you don’t like what my mate is. Until the fight is over and we’ve won, she is your leader as much as I am, and you will fight for her and for our pack, or you’ll be in the shed in prison, waiting to stand trial for treason.”
Finn snarled. “What happens when we win?”
“Then you can fight me in the mating-by-combat. But I warn you, I’m of a mind to stay alpha and keep my beautiful mate, so you’d better come with fangs and claws ready. I won’t go down easily.”
Finn gnashed his teeth and rolled his shoulders. “The warriors will be ready before sunset.”
Four of the eight males left, two elders and two high-ranked males staying behind. Ryde and Dominique stepped down onto the grass and she shook their hands.
“I’d like to say that your mating is a happy event,” Leon said, “but this is unprecedented. I’ve never heard of a mating necklace bringing a vampire to a shifter.”
Dominique touched the pendant. “It happened, though.”
“I’m a firm believer in the mating necklace,” Dahl said. “It brought my Claire to me, and she and I are perfectly matched. I don’t doubt that you’re the mate for our alpha, and I stand behind you and your mating.”
Roy said, “I believe that most of the pack members will not be happy about this, but they’ll follow orders. Depending on what happens with this battle, you may have a lot more males stepping up to challenge you for alpha.”
Ryde grunted in agreement. He looked to the skyline and saw the first ribbons of dawn stretching out across the sky. “It’s time to get my mate indoors. Thank you for your support. I’ll be in touch throughout the day as we prepare for the battle ahead.”
He dismissed the remaining males and stood in the yard until it was only him and Dominique.
“That wasn’t too bad,” he said.
“What? Half of the people you trust are against us.”
“Yes, but half aren’t.”
“Can’t we just grab Bri and run away together?” She chewed on her bottom lip and looked up to the second floor.
“We’d be on the run forever, branded as rogues. There wouldn’t be a pack for us, a safe place we could hide.”
“Damn it.”
“This is a hard road to start our future on, but it’s worth it.”
“Not if you die.”
“I have no intention of dying today, or any other day.” He growled at the end to punctuate his sentence.
Dominique smiled. “Me, either.”
“Good, then let’s go to work. I need to draw up plans for the battle.”
“I can’t.”
“What?”
“I promised Bri I’d be there when she woke up.”
“Her room isn’t light-tight.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Before he could protest, she kissed him on the lips and hurried inside. He stared at the open door into the house in disbelief. Was she really choosing Bri over preparing for war? And what did it say about him that he’d entirely forgotten about his daughter in the quest to keep his mate safe?
Dominique had just proved herself a better parent in the last few hours than he had been in the last few years.
With a muttered curse, he stomped into the house and headed for the office. He’d spend time with his daughter once that was done, and she’d understand that he was working so hard to keep their family safe.