Chapter Twelve
Aimee was glad they arrived early because not ten minutes after they got seated, the room had swollen with people until it was near to bursting. It looked like half the town turned out.
Miz Rose had a seat on the City Council and looked over to them with a nod from her place at the big table on a dais at the front of the room.
“Is it weird I’m excited? Like we’re on a caper,” Katie Faith said quietly.
“Yes, it’s weird. But you’re weird. I’m sorry to have to inform you of this. I know it might come as a shock.”
Katie Faith socked her in the thigh so hard she knew she’d have a knot there later.
“You’re going to give me the church giggles and then Jace is going to frown at me.”
“How can you tell the difference? He frowns all the time.” Aimee looked over at her friend’s husband as he came in, his grandmother on his arm. “Anyway, if you’re giggling and trying not to, you’ll be too busy to get up to any real trouble.”
“You have a low opinion of me,” Katie Faith sniffed around a snicker.
“Hush. I’ve got to look leader...uh...leaderish. Or whatever. You know, in charge and stuff.”
“Leadertastic?”
“Leadermaster.”
“Leadermistress?”
“No. That’s dumb.”
Katie Faith’s suppressed laughter had given in to shaking as she tried to hold it back. Of course this silliness made Aimee less nervous and a lot more amused.
Nadine, sitting on the other side of her daughter, handed Katie Faith a hard candy of some sort along with a look that told her to get herself together.
“Eat your butterscotch and hush,” Aimee murmured and grunted as her friend’s elbow dug into her ribs.
Mac walked through the double doors and she had to pause to appreciate all the man brought to the table. His gaze had that implacable thing the wolves tended to give off when they were on duty. Tough. On full alert and ready for anything that might come.
He wore a suit. But he wore it like a warrior. Damn.
His gaze flicked over the people in the room until he found her. A smile marked his fantastic—and talented—mouth.
She waved. If any other females saw that connection, good. Mac was a virile male in his prime and he looked so gorgeous it made her warm all over.
He leaned over to speak to Huston, who also turned to face her with a grin. Huston was another one of the Pembrys she’d always liked.
She waved at him too, though less cheekily.
Mac and Huston began to weave their way through the crowd as Dwayne came in with Darrell at his side. The energy changed then as Mac’s attention hardened. He changed course, moving to his father instead.
“I feel bad that I’m not going to tell him before we do this. I don’t want him to feel ambushed,” she said to her mom.
“This is his world, sugar bear. He’s going to understand and know you need to do what you’re supposed to. If he’s right for you, he’ll not only understand it, but he’ll respect it. If he doesn’t? Well, then he’s a fool just like his daddy. Better to know that up front before you invest one day more of yourself in him.”
“You’re good at this stuff.” She rested her head on her mom’s shoulder for a moment.
“You’re not hard to love. You make good choices.” She glared at Aimee. “Don’t even try to take ownership of that matter we discussed in the car.”
Busted.
Dwayne sat and rapped a gavel. “Before we get started tonight I’m going to warn everyone here to be civil or you’ll be ejected. I will not allow any more disruptions.”
But he’d been the one to start the last fight!
At first, the room went dead silent as pretty much everyone thought that very thing. Then Aimee stood, strode to the microphone and spoke.
“I’d like to be placed on the agenda.”
“We’re busy.” He had the audacity to sneer her way. The witches began to whisper, their energy sharp and angry.
“According to town bylaws, any citizen can approach the council at the beginning of the session and request to be added to the agenda.” Aimee wasn’t going to let him rile her up and lose focus.
“That may well be. But as we couldn’t get our business done two days ago, we have a very full schedule.”
“I’m looking at the official agenda.” Aimee held up the piece of paper Miz Rose had given her earlier. “You even have citizen commentary as an item. It’s already there.”
He tried to argue with her. She watched him look for ways to maneuver around her.
“As we don’t need the mayor’s approval to add an item to the city council agenda, I’ve added you.” Miz Rose had her own gavel but the way she rapped it sent out a peal of sound along with magic that seemed to put a period on that subject.
Before an argument could break out over it, Aimee turned and went back to her seat.
And as she sat and listened to a report about potholes and another about repairs needing to be made to the bridge leading back out to the main road from town, she was convinced she was doing what was necessary.
When Miz Rose called her name, she stood and headed to the microphone again. Mac watched her and she smiled his way, hoping like hell that he wasn’t going to be angry or upset over what she was about to do.
“State your name, Family and whether you’re a resident of Diablo Lake,” the council secretary told her.
“I’m Aimee Benton, a witch, born of witches and a lifelong resident of Diablo Lake. Under article four of the Diablo Lake charter and section three of the council rules, I call for a mayoral election to be held within thirty days.”
* * *
Mac had been watching the curve of her backside, thinking about the state of her underthings when she up and challenged his father for the mayor’s office.
He’d been sitting in a knot of wolves and it said a lot about the state of pack unity and the health of the town in general that there was only a very small outcry—his mother, brother and a few of his dad’s cronies and confidantes. The rest of Pembry either smiled or remained silent.
“Did she warn you about this?” Huston asked in an undertone.
“Nope.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah.” Mac wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He didn’t feel used. But he wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it the night before.
One thing he knew for sure was that his father had asked for exactly this. How he reacted would seal his fate.
Darrell stood, growling and before Mac blinked, Jace was up at Aimee’s side. Which agitated Mac’s wolf because he was the one who should be defending her.
She turned to Jace, speaking quietly. Mac had to force himself to remain seated as the exchange happened and then decided fuck that. His wolf wasn’t much for staying still at that moment. So he quickly moved to Darrell, shoving him back into his chair.
“You, shut it and get yourself under control. Now,” he ordered his brother.
“I don’t take orders from you.” Darrell’s dumb mouth made the words and Mac wanted to punch him so much he allowed himself to fist his hands a few times.
Mac got his face close enough to Darrell that his brother actually flinched. “You will or I swear by all that is holy I will beat your ass right here in front of every living soul in this town. You know I can. You might even know I want to. So go ahead on.”
Darrell broke eye contact. Once that was resolved, Mac returned to his seat to watch this battle of wills between his father and Aimee.
“Miss Benton, you have no authority to do any such thing,” Dwayne said in such a condescending manner Mac knew immediately how that would go over.
And his sexy little witch didn’t disappoint when she simply stared at his father and said, “I’m sure you wish it was so. Me? I’m just disappointed the mayor doesn’t know the rules of the town he’s taken an oath to run. Read the relevant sections I noted. I’ll wait.”
“You complain about how things are going and then you add fuel to the fire. That’s not very responsible of you, young lady.”
She smiled brightly for a moment, totally surprising and then confusing his father. As she’d intended.
Her voice was calm and soothing while still commanding attention as she continued, “Two nights ago after you were in yet another manner of altercation in a public space, you challenged me to do a better job. So here I am. I’m announcing my candidacy for mayor. I’m of age. I belong to a Family and I’m a resident. The declaration needs to be made at a city council meeting or in paper. My printer is broken so this’ll do nicely.” It was prim and stern and nurturing all at once. Like getting a lecture and a hug at the same time.
Applause broke out and then his father, red faced and flustered, repeatedly rapped his gavel on the table and shouted for order.
Everyone quieted down, but the energy remained joyous and in support of the woman at the microphone.
If she’d been angry or very emotional, his father would have mocked or discounted her. But she came at him head-on, like a warrior would. The wolves understood that and from the solemn respect coming from the cats, they did too.
And she did it not in a brutal, aggressive way, but a sure, confident assumption of power. There was no way his dad was going to talk himself out of this.
She was fucking magnificent.
Mac had never in all his life been more attracted to someone. She was every bit an alpha. She just fooled people on account of being so weird and adorable they underestimated her.
And when she came she smelled like pomegranates and snowfall. That sense memory sliced into his head and he had to close his eyes a moment to get himself under control.
Until his brother spoke again. “We can’t let that bitch get away with this,” Darrell snarled and not for the first time Mac wondered what the hell his brother’s problem really was. He had a wife who loved him. A couple of kids who were healthy. A job he was proficient at.
But he’d always had a sense of entitlement and it had led him to a myriad of bad choices and personality defects. Mac loved his brother, but laws he wanted to smack the shit out of him at least twenty times a day.
Mac grabbed the back of his brother’s neck and held him in place while he bent to speak into his ear. “You will shut your mouth and get it together. You’re the reason we’re in this mess so do me a favor and let the big people do their work and you get your butt back to the kids’ table.”
Darrell tried to struggle, but Mac’s hold was too strong and soon enough he stilled.
“I’m going to kick your ass for this,” he whispered to Mac.
“You’re a fool if you imagine that could ever happen. We’re at a public meeting and you are going to stop acting like a moron so I don’t have to beat you in front of everyone. Mom’s already on the edge. Don’t make it worse.”
Sharon, Darrell’s wife, took his hand and squeezed. She didn’t say anything, but his brother did blow out a breath and ease back enough so Mac let him go.
“You’re out of your depth, missy,” he heard his father say to Aimee as he tuned back in.
“Whatever you say. I do hope we can keep this race civil and remember this is all for Diablo Lake, not ego or entitlement.” Her tone was so prim Mac was absolutely certain he was going to hell for how turned-on it made him.
His dad burst out, “I say this is a fantasy. You can’t upend this town for some sort of frilly hobby.”
All the women in the room turned their attention on their mayor—and not in a friendly way. Mac managed not to cringe but only out of self-preservation.
Aimee’s bright smile didn’t fool Mac one bit. Her eyes told a different story. “Don’t make this so easy, Mr. Pembry. Save it for the debate.”
With that, Aimee turned on her heel and nodded at her people, who up and followed her out. The Dooleys took their direction from their new Patrons and left as well.
Miz Rose stood and turned Dwayne’s way. “I know your mother, Dwayne Pembry, and she’d be so ashamed of you right now. As ashamed as I am.”
She gave a look of utter disdain and stalked out, head held high, pocketbook on her arm like the good Southern woman she’d been raised to be.
Once she’d gone and all that was left were Pembrys, his father raised his arms and slammed his fists down onto the table so hard one of the legs broke and things flew to the ground.
Mac watched, disgusted by the display.
No one had perfect control. He sure didn’t. But you didn’t throw a tantrum in public. Ever. His father was the Patron, it was his job—his role—to keep his wolves calm.
His mother screaming, his brother acting like an idiot and his father breaking things didn’t make for calm. It only riled up an already tenuous situation.
Someone had to be in charge or things could easily slide into something far more dangerous.
Mac stood and addressed his wolves, letting his beast show in his gaze and through his voice. “All y’all go home now. Nothing left to see or do here. Everyone keep themselves under control. The last thing we need is anyone making this worse. You hear?”
Darrell started to argue, but Huston shoved at him and told him to shut up.
“We just gonna take this?” someone shouted. One of Darrell’s buddies.
“Take what? She’s running for office, not slitting our throats while we’re sleeping. This reaction you’re having? It’s not normal. You get me? We look weak when we get upset over something so simple and everyday.”
“What do you know about it? You ran off,” Darrell snarled.
“I know I served my country and then went and got myself more education to help run this pack. I know I came back here to a fucking mess where full-grown wolves actually cower at the idea of a little wisp of a witch running for mayor. If she wins, so what? We’re still Pembrys. And we still need to handle all the problems facing this pack. Including this stunning lack of discipline.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re fucking her.”
Darrell had made more than one mistake. First, saying such a thing was a problem for him. Then of course, he’d said it while within arm’s reach of a faster, stronger wolf.
Mac looked down at his brother, tossing him a handkerchief. “Clean up your face. Next time you speak like that about her I’m going to make it so you can’t use your mouth to speak, or eat, or breathe again. You got me?”
His mother tried to push him back but he stared down at her. “Back off.”
“What did you just say to me?” Her eyes, damn, there was something going on inside his mother and he had no idea how to fix it. Or if he could.
“I said, back off. He needs to be disciplined. I’m handling that and I don’t want any interference.” If she wasn’t going to do it, if his father wasn’t, Mac would and no one was going to get in his way.
He used all the power in his tone. Pitching it like an alpha would. Like a Prime.
His mother stepped back, all her angry energy seemed to drain away. And then she lowered her gaze.
In front of a whole room of Pembry wolves.
A wave of power rolled through him as their allegiance began to settle with him. Noted the look on his father’s face—satisfaction, pride and grief.
It was the point where he became Prime in a way no one could deny any longer.
Werewolf packs were incredibly hierarchical and class-based. At the very top was the Patron. The boss in charge of everyone. Sometimes it was a couple like it was currently with Jace and Katie Faith as Patrons of the Dooley wolves and as his parents were for the Pembrys.
The wolf who’d take over from the Patron at some point was the Prime. Jace had been named Prime of Dooley when he’d been a young man and had been trained by his grandfather to take over.
But for Pembry, there’d been no Prime announced. Even though it had been patently obvious for a long time that Darrell didn’t have the power to hold the pack. He’d never be Prime and he’d never be Patron.
And right then, as Mac looked at his father, they both knew Mac could take over at that exact moment without much effort.
His dad had acted, or refused to act in such a way that while Dwayne could have declared Mac Prime, he hadn’t. Being named Prime by the current Patron would have signaled to the rest of the wolves in the Pembry pack that a peaceful transition of power was coming. It would have calmed them significantly.
Instead, he and his mother had hidden their heads in the sand so they didn’t have to disappoint Darrell.
Sadly, because his parents hadn’t done their jobs, Mac would. And in the end it would hurt Darrell even more. And in that moment Mac hated them for doing this to him.
Nothing to be done about it, especially right then. So, Mac turned his attention back to Darrell. “The mayoral campaign will not get personal. Between you and me though? I’m very personal now. You will go out of your way to be mighty careful how you speak about Aimee. I won’t tolerate any of your bullshit.”
“I see you over there lining up behind my son, Bern. You couldn’t take over so now you want to latch yourself onto my boy to ride him into the Patron’s seat? That how it goes?” Dwayne said, trying to get the focus off Darrell.
Before his uncle could speak, Mac got between them, addressing his dad. “No. You put us all here. So I’m telling you we’re not doing this because someone has to be in charge. Anything that’s not useful, swallow it.”
“Are you sleeping with that girl?” his father asked, sidestepping the fact that his son had just ordered him to keep quiet in front of the whole pack. “Just how divided is your loyalty?”
Mac didn’t flinch, but only because he had such good self-control.
“Seriously? Can you really ask me that?” Mac had been leaning against the edge of a table, but to underline his point, he stood to his full height, letting his power emanate from him. More power began to flow to him as the wolves of their pack turned his way and metaphorically and physically submitted with a lowering of shields they held between man and wolf and bowed their heads.
It hung in the air between him and his dad, the weight of power and allegiance in the room shifting to Mac.
There was a razor-thin edge at that moment as father and son continued to look at one another. He didn’t want to have to challenge his father. Especially not before the election. All the chaos and upheaval they had at the moment was bad enough.
Now that he’d assumed his position as Prime—taken it as his wolves had freely given their loyalty and power to him—he had a little more room to maneuver and get things into place.
It was inescapable that he’d have to challenge his father and he wanted it to be on his terms. Mac wanted to choose the time. Mac wanted to occupy the Prime spot at least a few days, learn to use all that power he now had access to.
He needed to stalk his prey a while longer so when he took his father on, there’d be absolutely no chance he’d lose and give his wolves over to more of the same from his father until everything frayed to dust.
Mac showed his dad all those things as he gazed over at him. “Get your priorities straight. You’ve got a race to run. That is if you’re sure you actually want to be mayor. Focus on how you’re going to get yourself reelected in a town where a lot of folks don’t think you’re doing a good job. As for my personal relationship with Aimee, that’s not going to be open to argument or personal commentary. I’m Prime of this pack and unless anyone has some evidence of actual wrongdoing on my part, I won’t tolerate idle attacks on my loyalty.”
His father held up a hand. “You’re right. You’re right. She’s got some spunk, that Benton gal. Comes from an old family. But I’m going to win. Because I’m a Pembry and this seat is ours. Not no witch’s. You get them in here and suddenly our needs are the ones getting ignored. Just you remember where and who you come from. Them witches are all up in Dooley business now that Katie Faith is with Jace.”
“This isn’t at all what I meant when I said run this town like we know you can.” Mac turned to the wolves at his back. “Everyone, go home. We’re going to be just fine. No matter who the mayor is. We all live here in Diablo Lake. Together. And we have for generations. There’s no need to get worked up over this.”
Wolves filed out, some—many—of them stopping to touch Mac on their way past. He kept calm. Tapping into what they needed. Reassurance. Not an incitement to riot.
He also made sure his father noted it. Saw that Mac was already acting as Prime so he could go along with what Mac had just announced—act like it was his idea—or back off and shut up.