WE WALK ACROSS the compound to Max’s house. He’s not there, but if he’s back, he won’t be alone. We need to sort this shit out without injury. And we need to do it fast.
‘Stay close. I don’t want anyone left behind, or anyone’s back exposed, you feel me?’ Jared says.
I nod, looking over at Brody.
‘Shit goes down, where your loyalties gonna lie?’ I ask Brody.
‘Fuck! I’ve already proved my loyalty. I fought beside you, didn’t I?’
‘That’s your alpha in there,’ I point out.
‘Not anymore,’ he states like he’s a piece of shit. I nod. Nothing more needs to be said. He wasn’t happy before we arrived, that much was clear. I don’t need reasons and my gut feeling about him is good. We don’t knock. Brody lives there, so we walk in right behind him. First thing I see is his mother cowering in the corner of the kitchen. Max is standing above her with his belt raised. Howard goes fucking apeshit, and I don’t really know what happens next, it’s so fucking fast. Howard has Max by the throat, and Jared doesn’t stop him. I walk over to Brody’s mother and offer my hand. She looks at me like I have three heads, and spits at my feet. Oh. Fuck you too. I pull my hand away and step the fuck back—she can get her own arse up.
‘Where the fuck is she?’ Howard growls through clenched teeth. With that, another guy comes through the back, holding up a gun. I pull mine and aim it at his forehead.
‘Not necessary, my friend, step back,’ I tell him. Max is now up against the wall with his feet dangling. The guy drops his gun and passes it over.
‘WHERE. IS. SHE?’ Howard asks again. Max’s eyes are starting to bulge, and he’s choking, but he still says nothing.
‘I’m here,’ someone says from behind me. Howard drops Max the minute he hears her, going over to her immediately, checking her over. He doesn’t touch her, just looks at her. No, that’s not right, he drinks her in—every fucking detail. When he’s satisfied with what he sees he turns to Jared.
‘She’s coming back with me.’
Max starts to say something, but Howard cuts him off. ‘You wanna keep your pack?’
Max frowns.
‘Either I take your pack and your alpha status, or I leave and take her with me. Choice is yours.’
What the fuck? What had I missed? I knew there had been a problem brewing, and I knew it was something we were going to talk about, but Howard running the American pack? Jesus. Again, Max starts to speak. This time though, Jared cuts him off.
‘It’s irrelevant at this point. Because depending on your next fucking answer, you won’t live long.’
I chuckle to myself. I hate Max, and the way he treats women is disgusting. The way he’s behaving right now is not like how an Alpha male should. He’s looking at Jared like he might piss his pants. I pull him up from the floor where he’s slumped after Howard dropped him.
‘You follow this pussy?’ I ask the guy at his back. He glares at me.
I pull out a chair from the shitty table in the corner and sit Max in it. He slumps, still recovering from his run-in with Howard’s hands around his throat. Jared steps up into his face.
‘Where the fuck were you when shit went down with the kitsunes?’
‘What shit? When?’ he asks, he’s trying and failing to convince us he knows nothing.
‘Don’t play dumb,’ Jared says, shaking his head and pulling a face that says, ‘I’m not a fucking idiot.’ Max starts to make excuses again, and Jared sticks a knife in the chair right between his legs. Fucker nearly loses a bollock, and he whines at how close a call it is. I smell blood, so Jared must have nicked his leg. ‘I’ll ask you again. Where the fuck were you when all the shit went down here the other day?’
‘We had a deal to complete, guns. We were delivering them, but they didn’t show.’
‘So you took your whole pack to an arms deal?’
Max shakes his head. ‘Not the whole pack—just some of the men.’
‘Only male you left behind was Brody. Was that because you question his loyalty? And because you knew what was coming?’
‘I didn’t fucking know!’
‘Come on, Max, you didn’t expect to come back to us still here, did you?’
‘No. I was hoping you’d have fucked off.’
‘No, Max. You thought we’d be wiped out by the Kitsunes you’ve been making fucking deals with?’
Max’s eyes widen a touch. Shock. Then the stuttering and head shaking starts.
‘Why would I make deals with kitsunes?’
‘You tell me, Max?’
The guy near the back door is a twitchy motherfucker, and I don’t like the vibes I’m getting. I’m about to tell him to kneel and face the wall when a shot goes off behind me. I feel the fucking bullet whiz past my ear, and then the fucker in front is yelping in pain. Bullet in his knee. I turn just as Howard nods at me. He obviously had the same feeling. Jared stops for a second to look around, making sure we have the situation under control. He nods and turns back.
‘That night we went in for the kitsunes. Did they know we were coming?’
‘How the fuck should I know what they knew?’ he retorts, leading Jared on a merry dance for at least another thirty minutes. The guy on the floor is bleeding out and getting paler and paler by the minute. Brody’s mother moves to him and ties his belt around his leg. We should have done that already, but I’ll be fucked if I am going to help one of these fuckers anytime soon.
‘I’m going to start poking holes if you don’t give me a straight answer, Max,’ Jared says. He’s eerily calm. Not many people know what that means. But I do. He’s ready to snap. The guy on the floor is moaning like a bitch, getting on my last nerve. Brody’s mother is shushing him. Jared whips his gun from his waistband as he turns, pulling the trigger. The whining stops as the bullet penetrates the skull. There is silence for a beat of a second and then hysterical screaming ensues.
‘Shut her up,’ Jared shouts, and Brody and his sister move to their mother, practically dragging her from the room.
‘Max, this is your last chance to tell me what the fuck is going on,’ Jared says, poking his knife just under his eye.
‘Okay okay, just don’t kill me?’
‘Start talking!’
‘The kitsunes have been buying guns for a long time. They sell them on. I don’t know who to, but this woman approached me, knowing I deal in arms. Fuck, it was about a year ago, and I’ve been selling them guns every three months since.’
‘So, you’ve been arming the enemy?’
‘They ain’t my enemy.’
‘So, to protect your investment, you told them we were coming that night?’
Max nods. ‘I just thought they’d leave and you wouldn’t find anyone.’
Jared punches him in the jaw. He flies off the chair and lands in a heap on the floor. Jared drags him back up and sits him down again.
‘So, you knew they were coming here, and you took all your men and left us to be fucking slaughtered?’ Jared says through gritted teeth, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Max shakes his head, no.
‘I was meant to be making an arms deal that day. They were supposed to meet me. They didn’t show, then I get word of what went down here, and I didn’t know what the fuck to do.’
‘You’re supposed to be the fucking alpha. Pathetic piece of shit.’
‘My old lady told me to stay away—told me that you were going to kill me. I came back because she told me you’d left.’
‘Is that why you were beating her with a fucking belt?’ Howard interjects.
‘She lied to me,’ he simply states.
‘No, she didn’t,’ Brody says, matter of factly as he comes back into the room. ‘I told her you had all left because I fucking knew she was snitching. She chose that piece of shit over her own kids.’ Jared looks over his shoulder at Brody and gives him a small nod of approval.
Tell me how you run things here?’ Jared asks.
‘He fucking lords it up while the women and children fear for their lives,’ Brody spits.
‘Explain why a member of your pack has such a shitty opinion of his alpha?’ Jared asks calmly.
‘Because I’m old school. These young un’s don’t like it.’
‘More like a fucking cult,’ Brody spits again.
Max glares at Brody, and I see the disgust there.
‘You little cunt. You just don’t like being told you can’t dip your dick,’ Max spews with a laugh in his words.
‘Fuck you. It’s not about that. No other male in this pack is allowed to mate because he fucks all the females, willing or not. That’s what it’s about, you sick fuck.’
‘That so?’ Jared asks.
Max nods like he’s proud of that fact. ‘So your ‘old lady’. She okay with that?’
‘She doesn’t get a choice. It’s the way it is and the way it will stay.’
‘You got kids, Max?’
‘Yeah, six sons, a daughter and another on the way.’
‘Brody, go and get his eldest son. What’s his name?’
‘Karl. I’ll go and get him,’ Brody leaves the house and Max is looking on wide-eyed.
‘How old is Karl?’ I ask.
‘None of your damn business,’ Max spits. I laugh as I walk over and crack him right in the nose, making his head snap back, and his nose bleed.
‘How. Old. Is. Karl?’ I ask again.
‘Twenty-four,’ he mumbles around a mouth full of blood.
‘How easy was that? I just wanted to make sure we weren’t killing any little kids, you know.’
‘What?’ Max shouts, shock evident in his voice.
‘We don’t kill little kids, but twenty-four. He’s more than old enough,’ I say, smiling. Jared wouldn’t condone killing his son for his mistake, that I know, but he isn’t above bluffing, and he’ll definitely hurt the guy to get what he needs.
‘Is Karl your heir?’ Jared asks.
‘I suppose so,’ he mumbles.
‘He is or he isn’t? It’s a simple enough question.’
‘He’ll eventually take over. But I’m not planning on handing over the reins.’
‘So, is he allowed to get his dick wet or that rule stand for him too?’
‘He goes to town to be with human women like all the others. The females of the pack are mine.’
‘Willow?’ Howard asks, with vehemence in his voice.
For some reason, Max thinks it’s appropriate to grin. ‘I’ve been getting her ready—been looking forward to that one.’
‘You won’t be fucking touching her,’ Howard growls.
‘Oh, that’s right, you’re taking her with you, or taking my pack.’ He smiles, showing blood-coated teeth.
‘Not necessarily. Let’s see how long you live first. I might not need to do shit.’
Brody walks in at that point, dragging who I assume is Karl with a busted-up face.
‘What the fuck is this about?’ he demands.
‘Daddy here thinks he might trade your life for his,’ Jared says calmly as we all watch the colour drain from Karl’s face.
‘Dad?’ He looks at his father, and I see disbelief there as his dad looks away. He knew this was what we were going to say and the bastard is happy for us to kill his son to save himself.
Jared steps up and puts his gun to Karl’s forehead as Brody pushes him to his knees.
‘We almost lost one of our best men that night—a brother—you know what that means, Max?’
He refuses to look up—refuses to speak. ‘Karl?’ Jared asks. His eyes are wide, looking at his father, his teeth gritted. He nods, making the gun barrel hit him twice in the centre of his forehead.
‘Tell me what it means, Karl,’ Jared demands.
‘Means you want blood for blood.’
‘Smart man,’ Jared says looking at Max though.
‘So Max. Alpha to alpha. I’m going to do you a solid out of respect for your position. I’m going to give you a choice.’
Max still doesn’t look at his son.
‘You get to choose whose blood I spill today—yours or your son’s. I’m going to count to three. Howard pulls his gun and aims at Max. ‘One… two… Thr—’
‘His… fuck… his,’ Max screams. Howard pulls the trigger and Max slumps to the ground, blood spilling all over the floor. Karl, still on his knees, stays emotionless. No doubt his life just flashed before his eyes.
‘There never was a choice, Karl. I wanted you here because you’re the eldest son, so by rights, the alpha heir.’
Karl nods.
‘I wanted you to see what a cowardly piece of shit your father and alpha was so you can take over the pack and run it properly.’
Karl nods again.
‘Are you up to that?’ He looks Jared right in the eye when he says, ‘Yes.’
‘Good because your other option was Howard, and I’m not ready to lose my right-hand man yet.’
Karl stands and is staring at Howard. ‘No need. I’ve got this.’
He starts to leave the room, but I step into his path. I shake my head. ‘You’ve got to understand that we can’t just let you walk out of here after we just killed your alpha?’
He gets all up in my face. ‘Well that makes me the alpha here now, so step back and out of my way.’
‘Aww, you’re cute. No, you’re staying.’
‘What the fuck? Jared?’ he asks. ‘Thought that was it?’ He motions to his dead father.
‘Listen, I’m not looking to fall out with you, but I don’t know you from shit, and after your father’s devious ways, I’d rather hang onto you for a while, until my pack and our females are safely on our way home, you feel me?’
‘Which is when?’ he huffs.
‘All being well, we’ll go in the morning—if we can get flights.’
I text Devon and ask her to sort that out as soon as possible. I get an immediate reply. So with that under control, we need to sort out the issue of Brody’s sister, and we’ll be good. Howard shouts for her like he’s read my mind. When she comes in, she doesn’t even flinch at the fact that her alpha is dead on the floor.
‘Do you have a passport?’ Howard asks her.
‘Yeah, why?’
‘Because you’re coming to England with me.’
‘Like fuck I am. I’m not going anywhere with you.’
‘Did I say you had a fucking choice?’ Howard snarls, making Brody step up to him.
‘Willow. Go and get your passport, you’re going,’ he tells her.
‘What the fuck, Brody?’
‘Willow,’ he demands, and she stomps from the room. ‘I want to come too,’ he says, shocking me. Jared too, by the look on his face.
‘What about your mother?’ Howard asks.
‘She was willing to give her daughter to that bastard—she can rot in fucking hell for me.’
Jared doesn’t hesitate. He agrees. And so our pack had just grown by two.
‘You’re all forgetting that it’s up to me!’ says Karl from the corner.
‘Ain’t shit up to you until we leave—get that straight in your mind, and we’ll be good’
‘Not okay. An alpha doesn’t let another come on his turf and bark orders—’
‘No, you’re right, he doesn’t, but YOU are not the alpha yet. He just killed him, making ME the only alpha in this fucking room. You wanna challenge that go right ahead!’ Jared holds his arms out to his sides like he’s asking for a hug. He’s saying take your best shot. He’s leaning up against the counter with his legs crossed at the ankle, relaxed as fuck. Not at all threatened. Karl doesn’t move. He grinds his teeth together, probably sensible since he doesn’t want to run his mouth, that would be stupid.
‘I am gifting you the alpha position, remember that. I could just as easily appoint Howard or anyone else I choose, but… I am giving it to you because that’s how it should be. Don’t make me change my mind. When we are on the plane home. Then you can lead your pack in any way you want, we clear?’
‘Crystal.’ He’s pissed. ‘I want the girl to stay,’ he says, and I’m shocked at the audacity of this little prick. I slap the back of his head.
‘Are you stupid, motherfucker?’ I ask. He comes at me then. I knew it wouldn’t take much to make him snap. One punch to the top of his head has him out cold. Idiot. But leaves my hand hurting like a bitch.
It’s quiet, so I text Devon again, telling her that Brody and his sister will be travelling too. And I ask how Maiya is. ‘Fine and fine’ is the reply I get.
‘Fine as in she’s good, or fine but not really?’ I send back. Fuck if I know what it means when they say fine. It means so many different things when coming from a female. Fine, I’m gonna kill your arse when you get in. Fine, but I’m not talking to you. Fine, I’m actually good. Or fine, whatever. So which is it?
‘She’s good, Brad.’
‘Great, thanks,’ I reply and put my phone away. Karl is waking up on the floor now, so Howard goes and helps him to his feet. He brushes his hands off him though, so Howard mutters a fuck you and lets him fall back to his ass.
‘Right, think we’re done here. Brody, you and Willow get what you need to take now. We won’t be coming back here. You can stay over at the house with us, and we’ll leave together. Howard, you wanna make sure Willow is packing? Brad, will you check on their mother and make sure she’s staying put. Karl, this can be sorted out tomorrow after we leave, okay?’ He gestures to the two bodies on the floor.
Karl doesn’t do shit—just nods. I’m not happy leaving Jared on his own, but that’s not because he’s not capable of taking care of that little dipshit, it just goes against the grain. I go though and find the mother in her room. A whole lot of snot and snivelling greets me—she looks like a fucking middle aged hooker with her wrinkled tits pushed up in a bra that’s obviously too small and a vest top that looks like it’s seen better days and should be on a teenager. Her hair is thinning, and it’s bleached white blonde. Her lips are red, and her eye make-up is a horrible blue shade—she has black streaks all the way down her face, and she looks like a junkie who needs a fix. I look her over properly, and I find track marks. So she is a junkie. No wonder Brody is happy to leave the bitch here.
‘What are you rattling for?’ I ask.
‘Fuck you,’ she spits at my feet.
‘What’s your problem?’ I ask. ‘I’m trying to fucking help you out.’
‘Don’t need your help—you fucking monkey.’
‘Wow, my black ass would be offended, if you weren’t a skanky ass hooker.’
She starts making monkey noises at me. I was thinking about sorting her a fix out, but nah, bitch can cold turkey in there. I check the door. No lock. So I check rooms until I find one with a lock. Unlucky for her, it’s the basement. I go and get her, pushing her through the door, and throwing a bottle of water in after her. Stupid cunt. I get back to the kitchen and find both Brody and Willow.
‘Any of you two racist or does that stop with your cunt of a mother?’
‘Fuck, what did she do?’ Brody asks.
‘Got her arse thrown in the basement for the night.’
‘I’m sorry, man,’ Brody says genuinely. I do like this kid. And I don’t think for one minute the attitude of his deadbeat mother has skewed his views at all, and I’m glad he’s joining our pack. He’ll be a fucking good addition. We all head back to the house with a reluctant Willow following her brother.
‘You better not be lying to me, Brody. I swear if you leave me at the airport I will kick up a storm. I won’t go.’
‘Relax, Will. I’m going, I swear it.’
These two are close. It’s obvious, and she’s a fighter to boot. I can see her standing up to anyone. The way she stood up to Howard and then the kitsunes. Shit, she was like any one of us males out there.
‘How old are you?’ I ask Willow.
‘Almost eighteen, why?’ I glance over at Howard and then Brody, who has a grim look on his face.
‘Just wondered,’ I tell her, clearing my throat before I glance at Howard again. It’s not as if she isn’t legal. I mean sixteen is legal in England, but I think her brother has plans to keep her innocent for as long as possible. Thankfully it’s not me pining after her—she has Howard written all over her. And I don’t reckon he’ll get her easily either. Spitfire should be her nickname. And I reckon she’ll give him hell.
We get back to the house and inform everyone what’s gone down. Jared and Devon go over the flight details, and it looks like we’ll be flying out in the early hours of the morning because she can’t get everyone on a more reasonably-timed flight. So ass-crack of dawn here we come. Maiya is sitting at the table with the girls when we walk in, and that makes me smile. I wrap my arms around her shoulders while we talk through the details. When we’re done, Jared tells us we should get sleep, deciding that a few of the guys will stay on guard duty and sleep on the plane. So, I take Maiya’s hand and pull her along behind me. I look over my shoulder and go instantly hard at the smile on her face. I get her to the bedroom, and she’s still smiling.
‘You glad to be going home?’ I ask,
She nods, coming at me, capturing my lips with hers. I let her lead, and we end up on the bed. It’s fucking hard, not taking control, and one day I hope to get her to the point where she can relinquish it and let me show her all the ways I can fuck her. But for now, she’s got the reins, and I go where she wants me to go. Not a problem. I’m on my back, and she’s climbing up my body. My zipper goes down first, followed by the button on my jeans, then she pauses and looks at me. I meet her eyes with my own. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and she looks so hot. But I see the hesitation in her eyes.
‘Just do it. Stop thinking so much and just do whatever it is that you’re thinking about doing, okay?’
A shy look crosses her face, and she blushes a little. I can’t take it. She’s too goddamn sexy like this. I sit up, and our chests press together. Her perfect tits squashed up against me. I slip my tongue in alongside hers, and I almost want to climb inside, it’s so fucking good. A moan slips from her lips and makes me all kinda crazy. I have to give myself a mental talking down so I don’t take over. But she presses her hands to my chest until I’m laid down again. I wait and am about to tell her again to just do it when her hands go to my jeans again, so I keep the fuck quiet. My dick is peeking out of the top of my boxers, and I watch as she licks her lips and then presses them to the head of my dick. My head hits the pillow, and I groan. Pulling my jeans and boxers down, she tries to get them past my ass, so I lift, and she slips them down. I pull my t-shirt up and over my head, and that’s it, I’m naked, and my cock is standing at attention.
Her tongue slips out again, and I want to capture it between my teeth and suck on it. She’s so fucking sexy right now, looking at my dick like she’s starving for it. I grasp the hem of her top and wait until she gives me the okay with just a small look. I pull it over her head and then move to her bra, releasing her tits, which bounce at just the right height for me to suck a pert nipple into my mouth. Her breath hitches and her eyes close as I graze it with my teeth. I move to her jeans and ask her permission. She has to get up off her knees so I can get them off, but I have a feeling I know what she wants to do.
If she wants my dick, she can experience her first sixty-nine. But I just have to make it so it’s her idea. As she shimmies out of her jeans, I watch with a greedy appetite for her pussy. I growl as she climbs back onto the bed and makes her way up my body with a sultry look on her face. I could fucking devour her. She hesitates as she gets to my cock. I know she wants me in her mouth, and I know this is my opportunity to get her where I want her. Her head lowers, and she licks the tip. My mouth opens a touch as I slip inside. I watch as she hollows her cheeks, and I slide further in. Fuck, I need a picture of this shit. So fucking hot. How have I never realised how sexy this looks?
Because it wasn’t Maiya, that’s why.
I’m tempted to grab my phone, but I know she isn’t ready for that yet. One day.
I groan in appreciation as she slides up my shaft. Fuck it’s good.
‘Sweetheart, do me a favour?’
Her eyes widen a little, and she pulls up and off me with a pop. ‘Did I do it wrong?’
‘Fuck, no. It’s perfect, but I want to spin you around, okay?’
‘Like this?’ she asks kneeling to the side of me.
‘Nope, further this way,’ I tell her, beckoning with my fingers. She shuffles a bit further up and then a little more. She’s still not where I need her.
‘Brad, any further, and I won’t reach you.’
‘Believe me, you will reach. Now, come here and sit on my face.’
‘What?’
‘Sit on my face, sweetheart.’
She moves slightly but not with confidence. ‘Straddle me, and you can carry on doing what you were doing.’
‘Umm… okay.’ She timidly throws a knee over my face, and I pull my hands up both her thighs. She bends over and reaches for my dick again, sliding me back into her mouth. Bliss. I lick at her clit and feel a shudder ripple through her body. I slide a finger inside, and she hums her appreciation, and that fucking turns me on so much. My eyes close, and I pause what I’m doing because the feeling is so intense. Then she starts to move again.
It isn’t long before we’re more or less in a rhythm with each other. I suck her clit into my mouth while I thrust my fingers inside and she screams out while her legs shake. She has my dick in her hand, and she’s squeezing so tight like she’s holding on for her life. The walls of her pussy are milking my fingers, and she tries to pull away, shouting my name, her orgasm getting too much. We need to get past the precipice, so I hold her in place, making sure I see her through the other side of her climax. When her hand loosens on my dick, I slow my fingers and lap slowly at her swollen clit.
‘Oh my god, Brad,’ she says breathlessly. I want to be inside her while she’s still feeling the effects of the orgasm.
‘Babe, I’m gonna flip you onto your back, you okay with that?’
She nods, and I do it so fast she doesn’t get a chance to complain. I slide inside, and I groan out in pleasure, as I’m seated as far as I can go. She stiffens up a little, so I don’t move. This is maybe a step too far for her, so I move to get up, but her arms come up around my shoulders to keep me in place.
‘Please, don’t stop, Brad. I need to get past this. I need to make good memories.’
I close my eyes against the pain that causes me. But fuck if I will let that ruin this for her. I kiss her lips, and she opens for me. This needs to be slow, sensual, and all about making her feel amazing. I thrust slowly, never breaking the kiss. I reach down and pull up her knees, so I can slide in deeper. Her answering moan is all I need to keep the pace. We kiss the whole time, and it’s fucking perfect. I break the kiss when I feel the first clench of her pussy, pulling back to get a better thrust. Her head goes back, and her eyes practically roll as she groans. Fuck, yes. I thrust harder and faster, and she starts to pant. I need to go over with her, but I want this to last as long as possible. I feel the tingling start in my stomach and balls, just as she moans long and deep and goes over the edge. Her pussy walls clenching around my dick takes me over, and I practically freeze as the orgasm shoots through me. Fuuuuuuuk. She clings to me as hers moves through her. Her nails scratch at my back, and the bite of them feels amazing.