After my embarrassing confrontation with Liam last night, I was pleasantly surprised not to wake until sunlight was shining through the cracks of our tent. I was up before Augie, so I quickly dressed and went to my dad’s tent, but he wasn’t there. I ventured to the one he said we’d use for a meeting area, finding him and Davis leaning over a table going over paperwork.
“Morning,” I said as I entered.
“Oh good, you’re up early. We have the schedule for today,” my dad said as he handed me a piece of paper.
I glanced it over. Nothing too strenuous except for a supposed friendly game between the alphas-in-training. Good thing I had Augie whip my ass into shape over the last two days. For the most part, we were encouraged to socialize with the other packs and build relationships. This worked well for us and what we were trying to do.
“This doesn’t seem too bad.” I peeked up at my dad. “Why do you look so worried? I had the best trainers. I’ll be fine.”
“Damn right, you did,” Augie said, coming in behind me. “Thanks for waking me, doll face.”
I was going to murder him.
“Do I want to know where that nickname came from?” my dad asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.
“No,” I answered before Augie could. “Why do you look so worried already?” I asked once again.
“I don’t like that you’ll be going up against the others, even if it says ‘friendly’. This was supposed to be informational investigating, not hands-on.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “You knew that any of them could have challenged me anyway. I thought that was the reason for all the hell Augie and Davis put me through before we left. There’s still a chance for that to happen, even outside whatever is planned for us later.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I like it or won’t worry about it.”
Davis looked slightly amused, and I decided I was done having this conversation. “All right then. You two enjoy the rest of your meeting while Augie and I go walk around.”
“Don’t go too far this morning, Taya,” my dad warned.
I saluted him and turned for the exit, grabbing Augie as I did. “Let’s see what this place looks like during the day.”
Augie appeared as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it. I almost asked him what, then decided I probably didn’t want to know. We walked side by side through the tent area until we reached the open desert. The section of the grounds we were staying on was unimpressive. More dry and cracked ground, varying in reds and tans. Not much of anything to see. The sun was beating down on us, and I felt my skin already burning. Everything was warmer here. On the plus side, the horizon was a mixture of orange and purple as the sun rose higher in the sky.
“Let’s head toward the other side of camp,” I suggested. “I want to go check out the mountain over there.”
Augie nodded, and we made our way back. Thankfully, there was no activity outside of the tents from the East Coast territory. I really had no desire to see Liam anytime soon. We saw a few others but passed by with a simple nod. I wasn’t quite ready to socialize yet. Just as we were almost clear of the tents, someone grabbed my arm, jerking me back around.
I let out a loud snarl and yanked my arm from the firm grasp.
“What the hell is your problem?” Augie snapped at the shitbag who thought he could lay his hands on me.
The guy brought his hands up as a sly grin appeared on his face. I recognized the ugly mug immediately and had to quiet my wolf.
“Calm down now, I didn’t mean any harm. I didn’t expect you to be so jumpy. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Rafe from the Rocky Mountain pack.”
He stretched his hand out, but I stared at him with disgust. I might not be able to rip his head off, but I wasn’t going to be courteous to him either.
“Touch me like that again, and I’ll introduce you to my wolf,” I growled.
He tsked at me before taking a step closer and lowering his voice. “Don’t be stupid like your brother, Taya. You see how well that worked out for him.”
I raised my hand to strike him. Screw politics. Screw this asshole.
Before I could connect my fist with Rafe’s smug face, Augie yanked me back. “He’s not worth it. Think about your dad.”
Damn it all to hell! I turned on my heels and stormed away as Rafe cackled behind us. “See you soon, Taya,” he taunted.
I clenched and unclenched my hands while concentrating on keeping my wolf at bay. Typically my control was impeccable, but with all that had happened, I was losing my tight grasp on it. It had been years since I came that close to shifting without conscious effort.
Augie carefully placed his hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t we stick to the tents until more people are out and about this morning?”
I grunted my reply and followed him back to our tent. If Rafe said one more snide comment to me while we were here, I couldn’t promise I would stop my wolf from tearing him to shreds and enjoy every second of it.
***
I never realized how much I despised socializing until today. I had never been forced to interact with so many people in my entire life, and I was so ready to be done. Augie stayed by my side the whole morning. We watched my dad play his role perfectly as chief of the alphas and proud father while keeping his emotions in check as others offered their condolences for our loss.
Davis had left to check out the Rocky Mountain territory and was due back tomorrow morning. I wished I had been able to go with him. His job sounded like a lot more fun than ours. I had to smile and nod while meeting the other alphas and whomever they brought with them. The two we’d met so far seemed clueless about anything Declan had been up to.
Augie’s book training had been helpful as well. When expected of me, I was able to ask questions about their packs and not sound like a complete idiot. I’d have to thank him later.
“You ready for one more meeting, Taya?” my dad asked.
I groaned. “No, but I don’t think I have a choice.”
“My dear daughter, you’re the one who insisted on coming with us.”
He was enjoying my misery too much. Probably payback for all the grey hairs I’d given him over the years.
“Where to next?” Augie asked.
We had already visited with the Southwest and Midwest packs. That left two more, neither of which I cared to meet officially. The Rocky Mountain and East Coast territories.
“I’d rather not have Taya around Declan, so let’s go see what Elijah and his boys are up to,” my dad answered.
Ugh. I hoped Liam was occupied and wouldn’t be present. Even more so that his brothers were less annoying than him. The profile Augie had on him said he was the eldest of triplets. Maybe his brothers would be less arrogant.
Augie snickered at my unease, which made him deserve a friendly elbow to the gut. He snagged my arm and flipped me around before I made contact, catching me off guard. I ended up with both arms trapped behind my back and legs twisted up. Augie didn’t often catch me by surprise, but he was on his game today. I refused to admit it might be because I was off mine.
“Damn it, Augie,” I wailed. “Let me go!”
He laughed as he loosened his grip. “Quit taking your frustrations out on me.”
I wiggled free and walked ahead of him to stand closer to my dad. “Does Declan have other kids?” I asked, remembering there hadn’t been much about their family in the papers I had read.
“He did,” my dad said. “His wife and second son died during delivery. Not that it gives him an excuse for what he’s doing, but he changed after that. Focused on nothing but work for years until Rafe was old enough to be involved. Then, he brought Rafe into the fold, and they seem to feed off each other’s misery. Rafe will do anything to please his father.”
That was just great. Emotionally-damaged psychos. Just what I wanted to deal with. I turned to ask Augie a question but tripped on a stupid rock. I overcorrected in an attempt to keep from falling face first into the ground, and the side of my body slammed into something hard and much larger. Holy hell, that hurt!
“Whoa there, gorgeous.” Large hands came around my arms. “Are you okay?”
My head swung up, and my eyes met striking blue ones. It was Liam’s face, but with less haughtiness to it and different-colored eyes. I had a sliver of hope he was an Anders brother I might be able to get along with.
“Sorry about that,” I said as I got my footing back. “I’m Taya Rush.”
I reached my hand out in greeting, but he grabbed my other one, bringing me in for a hug and making me laugh at his friendliness.
“Handshakes are for men. When I meet a beautiful lady, she deserves a squeeze.” He grinned widely. “I’m Caleb, the more attractive one of my brothers.”
I couldn’t help the laughter that left my lips. “You’re triplets, so how do you figure?”
“Oh contraire, my beauty.” He tsked. “We may look alike, but I assure you, we are very different.”
Caleb had the same dirty-blond hair as Liam, as well as the strong facial lines and broad shoulders. The most significant difference was the blue color of his eyes. It felt lighter and more joyful than Liam’s green ones, which were filled with superiority.
“I won’t argue with you there.” I grinned.
My dad and Augie made themselves known and exchanged greetings with Caleb that were less eventful than mine.
“We were just headed to see your dad, so I could introduce Taya,” my dad said. “Is he around?”
Caleb grinned and nodded. “He sure is. Follow me, and I’ll introduce you to him and my brothers.”
Ugh. Not his brothers. I had hoped to avoid Liam until the “friendly competition” time. Then, I would have been too busy kicking asses and taking names to care if he was around or not.
Caleb eyed me suspiciously, and I wondered if he had already heard about my run-in with Liam last night.
We followed him for several minutes without incident. Once we arrived in their camp area, I made sure to stay close to Augie. I hoped he would prevent me from having any more interactions with Liam, but knowing him, he’d probably be the first one to throw me under the proverbial bus.
“Hey, Aiden!” Caleb called out as he got closer to one of the tents. “Come meet Taya.”
Caleb winked at me, and a few members of their pack turned our way. The way he said my name had my curiosity piqued. What did he think he knew about me and why had he singled me out?
Aiden finally strolled out of the tent. He appeared to be not too happy about coming out to meet us. His hair was shaved, and with the defined lines of his strong jaw, I was actually a little intimidated by him. He had piercing silver eyes, which narrowed first on me and then my dad. He was the same height and size of his brothers, but he was a whole lot rougher around the edges.
“Aiden, say hello,” Caleb joked as if he was talking to a child.
Aiden walked closer to us and accepted a handshake from my dad. “Nice to meet you, Aiden,” he said.
“You as well.”
Aiden didn’t offer Augie or me the same courtesy, but I wasn’t about to complain. I watched him as he made his way back to the tent and I brought my attention back to Caleb. Him, I liked. He put off such a happy vibe that I doubted anyone could dislike him.
“Our dad and Liam are around the back. I’m sure you want to meet them, too.” Caleb winked at me again, and I glared at him. Oh, yeah. He knew something, and I imagined it didn’t fare well for me.
“Thank you, Caleb,” my dad said. “We appreciate you introducing us.”
Ha! That made one of us.
Augie nudged me with his arm. “You doing okay?”
I smiled up at him and looped my arm through his. “I’m peachy.”
“Liar,” he whispered, and I shrugged my shoulders. Nothing I could do about the circumstances except avoid conversations with Liam, and that’s exactly what I planned to do. I was super grown up about the whole situation. Not.
“Alpha,” Caleb said with much less enthusiasm than he had just a moment ago.
“What?” the man snapped, his attention on some papers scattered on the table in front of him.
I was trying to remember his name, but I couldn’t for the life of me place it, even though my dad had said it moments before we ran into Caleb. Crap. I wasn’t supposed to have them all memorized, was I? If so, I was failing epically.
Caleb cleared his throat, and his dad finally looked up to see he had an audience. His entire demeanor changed within seconds. He went from rough and stern to calm and relaxed, just like that.
“Elijah, it’s been a while,” my dad said in a friendly greeting.
The alpha’s grin widened, and he took a few steps closer to my dad. My stance went rigid as I wasn’t sure what to expect. My dad might have been friends with him once, but unless he was keeping secrets, it had been a decade since they’d seen each other.
Surprising all of us, Elijah pulled my dad in for a hug. “That it has, my old friend. I was hoping I’d see you soon.”
Interesting. I wondered if he saved the broody exterior for his sons or if we just caught him in an off mood. Whatever. I didn’t plan on hanging around long enough to find out.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Cord,” Elijah said reverently. “If there is anything we can do, all you have to do is ask.”
“We appreciate that, and I’ll likely take you up on that.” My dad nodded before gesturing to me. “This is my daughter Taya.”
I stepped forward and shook Elijah’s hand. His palms were calloused, and his grip was firm. I met his stormy grey eyes briefly and then lowered my gaze out of respect. He definitely wasn’t an alpha I wanted to challenge.
“Taya, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you over the years,” Elijah said with a sly grin.
I laughed at that. “Well, I’m sure it’s all true. I’ve been told I’m quite the handful. Being the anomaly I am, I figured I had to cause some trouble, right?”
Elijah’s boisterous laughter made the grin on my face grow until Liam came around the corner. His eyes met mine, and I held his gaze briefly, hoping to show I wasn’t going to let him under my skin again.
“Gerald, this is my other son Liam,” Elijah said proudly. “He’s my alpha-in-training. The four of us should get together and discuss some things.”
I didn’t miss the undertone of importance in Elijah’s statement, but even so, I would be avoiding that meeting like the plague.
“Nice to see you again, Taya,” Liam said.
Before I could form a reply, I was saved by the bell. Literally.
A loud bell rang, and I turned to my dad, hoping he knew what it was.
“You two should head out,” my dad said, motioning to Liam and me. “Sounds like whatever competition they set up is about to start.”
I snagged Augie’s hand and strode away before turning my head slightly to say goodbye. “See you over there.”
My dad glared at me for my rude departure, but I didn’t care. I had more important things to worry about, like figuring out how badly I could kick Rafe’s ass in this friendly competition without other people realizing I genuinely wished him dead.