Chapter Four
Mac headed straight to his parents’ house where, given the number of cars out front and in the driveway, everyone else had headed as well.
Everett and his uncle Bern caught up with him outside. “Just wait a second,” Bern warned. “You can’t go in there half-cocked or you’ve lost before you even start. Darrell is in there no doubt laying out the story however it suits Ronnie and his buddies best. How you handle that is important. You need to be thinking more and feeling less just now.”
With a growl of annoyance, Mac paused to calm down before he ended up challenging his father.
Before he was ready.
It wasn’t a game but if he didn’t play it like one, he’d be signing the future of the pack over to the hands of a fool who’d make mistakes that would take years to correct.
Chaos at the top meant chaos through the ranks and it was the height of irresponsibility to charge at it like a bull. He was a werewolf and he needed to act like it.
So, he remembered what was true, not necessarily what was fair. And then he got himself under control and stood taller.
Bern had been watching close, but once Mac gave a nod of thanks, they all headed to the door his mother had just opened.
Her energy spilled out enough that he felt it from feet away. She was upset and spoiling for a fight. Not necessarily an unusual state for his mom. She was, and had always been, what his father affectionately called spirited. It was just part of his mom.
But since he’d been home, he’d wondered daily just exactly what was going on with her to send her off into such a lather. This was more than worked up. Or high-strung or whatever.
He worried about her and wished she’d open up to him a little. She was his mother, spirited or not, and he loved her. Something was wrong and he wanted to help.
She’d avoided talking about it though, the times he’d tried. So he’d keep at it until she let him in or he figured it out. He didn’t get his stubborn streak from his father.
She hugged him once he got to her. “Your brother already told us what happened. The Dooleys started the fight,” his mother said before her gaze flicked to her brother-in-law. “Bern, didn’t expect you tonight.”
“I’m unexpected that way, Scarlett.” His uncle grinned, but showed more teeth than he normally did. They’d never been the best of friends. His mother was guilty of a lot of things, but she was always totally on her husband’s side and saw Bern as a threat.
Inside, in the dining room, Darrell was telling their father some fanciful tale about a truckload of Dooleys beating the hell out of poor little Ronnie down at the market.
His father was outraged, predictably. When he noted Mac standing there, he waved a hand. “Did you hear that bullshit? Carl’s just going to let Jace Dooley’s wolves do whatever they want now? Must be nice to be related to the cops and have the laws enforced whenever Carl decides to.”
Starting a feud with Carl Benton was a terrible idea and he needed to quash that before it got any worse. “Carl does his job and he does it well, so let’s not jump down his throat. I was just at the market. That’s not what happened.” Mac remained standing, speaking directly to his father while ignoring his brother.
“Ronnie already told me the story,” Darrell said.
“Well, if he told you that story you just gave Dad, he’s lying. Like I said, I was there. I broke the fight up. It was one-on-one. Two wolves barely old enough to shave. Ronnie was only around to stir shit once the danger of getting a beat down passed. No truckload of wolves. Just Pembrys embarrassing us yet again by acting like assholes in public.”
“Why is it so hard for you to side with your own?” Darrell muscled to his feet to get in Mac’s face. But Mac held his ground easily, mainly ignoring his brother as he continued to speak to his father.
“Ronnie’s making things worse. Every time there’s some kind of problem around here, he’s part of it. Darrell is helping by repeating all these tall tales when not a one is true. It’s stirring everyone up. This isn’t junior high.”
“He’s asking you a question, son. One I ask myself too,” his father said.
That hurt. A lot.
He shoved it away. Mac narrowed his gaze at his dad and let his wolf show. “You’re seriously asking me why I won’t lie to you? Why, after seeing something with my own eyes and knowing this lie Darrell is telling is not just untrue, but potentially harmful, I won’t what? What is it you’d like me to do? If you’re telling me lying is actually the best thing for this pack because the truth is too painful, it’s my turn to call bullshit. Real leadership is hard. A lot harder than just being told whatever makes me feel warm and fuzziest while the whole world goes to hell all around me. That what Darrell brings to the table?”
“You watch your mouth,” Darrell snarled and this time, Mac did pay attention. He cuffed his brother so hard he fell back over the couch and hit the wall behind.
“Shut up and let the adults talk, boy,” Everett told him.
“Macrae! What are you doing?” his mother demanded.
Without turning his attention away from his brother, he answered, “What y’all should have done years ago. You’re letting your son swing his pecker all over town, stirring up trouble and for what? You bored, Darrell? I’ve got some real work for you if you need a job.”
“Everyone needs to settle down,” Dwayne said as he watched Darrell make his way to his feet. As Mac figured, their father didn’t move to help. He pitied his brother, who’d take this new future with Mac at the head of the pack far harder than their father cared to admit.
They’d made his brother into the petulant monster he was. Just like they’d made Mac the wolf to finally deal with the mess they had created in town. Both brothers had been formed and placed into a role. At least Mac wasn’t a shit-headed loser and tool like Darrell was.
“What do you suggest we do then?” his father asked, not even addressing the lies Darrell had been telling them about Ronnie and the fight at the market.
“First thing is, we deal with Ronnie. Because if he’s flapping his gums all over town with this bullshit lie, he’s going to end up starting a riot. I warned him off at the grocery store so he’s violating that order by lying about what happened just to make trouble.” Mac turned to his uncle. “Can you get him over here?”
“Why you askin’ him?” Darrell demanded. “You’re just trying to railroad Ronnie.”
Because it wasn’t his business, nor was he anyone Mac sought advice from, he ignored his brother.
Mac’s uncle spoke to Darrell, uncle to nephew. “He’d have to be important for us to want to railroad him, boy. He was told in public to rein his behavior in and he didn’t. Ronnie doubled down, setting himself to even more destruction and lies. If we don’t make an example out of him, everyone else is going to think it’s okay to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Or worse, that there’s a set of rules for Darrell’s friends and one for the remaining pack. And one more fight could very well spark an open war with Dooley or the witches.”
One they weren’t in a position to win. One that had the potential to ruin the community for good. They needed to stop that from happening. Even if his father was too blinded by his affection for Darrell to actually do anything about it one way or the other.
Werewolves weren’t human. They didn’t run their lives in the same way. Violence was part and parcel of their existence and their governance. But the wolves in the pack respected a well-played hunt. They needed to see Mac’s takeover as necessary and deserved. More than a fist, but a beating heart. A brain. All used in service of the many.
The army had made him harder. Faster. He’d been without a pack of wolves so he’d become close with the guys in his company. They’d been his pack in a very real way. Mac had learned to be smarter. To never stop training and learning.
Once he’d been battle hardened, he’d gone to London to work on his brain some more. He’d come back what they’d sent him away to become. But no one was going to pull his strings.
The wolves in the Pembry pack would support the strongest wolf. Either way. But if any of them had doubts, or felt he didn’t do things the right way, the most clever way, things wouldn’t stabilize for very long.
That was tradition. That was what kept them together even during the toughest times. He’d take over and he’d do it in a way that left absolutely no doubt he was in charge. He’d deliver the firm hand and the generous spirit the wolves needed to replace the chaos they had now.
“I’ll go get him.” Everett nodded once and headed out, saying he’d be back shortly. Huston—who’d been pretending to casually lean against the doorway—stepped into his place at Mac’s side.
“Seems you’ve got yourself a plan, Mac. Care to share that with your Patron?” his father asked, leading the way to the kitchen just beyond.
“Let’s cut the crap. You knew what was going to happen when you called me back here from London. This pack is in a mess and you need me to clean it up. And that’s fine. I’m committed to doing that. But most of this tension is avoidable.” He remained silent for long moments after, just to let the words his father needed to hear sink in.
“Ronnie has no control and he’s been allowed to act a fool because he’s buddies with your kid. That’s lazy and we can’t tolerate it another day.”
“He’s not your concern. He’s my friend and our cousin and he’s protected,” Darrell said as he stomped into the room.
“We don’t work that way. We’re all protected until we step out of line. Ronnie has. He’s not the only one, but he’s certainly at the top. With some others.” Mac gave his brother a look.
“If you think you can get away with hitting me, you’re wrong.”
Mac turned on Darrell, getting right into his face, nose to nose. Definitely violating his personal space. “That so? What do you have to say about it? You want some more? Come on then because God knows you need to be knocked down a few more times.”
“You two stop it this instant,” their mother snapped, trying to get between them.
But that wasn’t what werewolf parents did. They were supposed to let their children learn to defend themselves and also to learn they’d get their asses kicked if they stepped out of line.
So, Mac gave no quarter, not moving and leaving it to Darrell to step away. “Stop protecting him. That’s the problem here,” Mac told her.
“Everyone calm down,” their father said. “You two should be working together instead of against each other. And never letting a Dooley get between you. We’re better than them. Act like it.”
Without moving, still staring his brother down, Mac said, “I’m totally calm. What I’m not, is tolerating any of this bullshit. Not from Ronnie and certainly not from Darrell.” His brother dropped his gaze, which hadn’t ever gotten higher than Mac’s chin anyway.
“You can’t let those Dooleys think they’re as good as us. They need to remember their place. Even if they managed to sucker Katie Faith over to their side,” his mother said, touching Mac’s arm, trying to draw him away from Darrell.
The powerful witch and new Patron of the Dooley wolves was nothing even resembling a sucker, but Mac let that part pass because his mother was clearly going through something.
But.
“I’m not playing along with this foolishness. We gonna act like we’re the Rockefellers or something? Huh? Momma, this is crazy. We don’t have to be at odds with them all the time. We’re all family and friends. We’ve all been family and friends for generations. There’re plenty of mixed households here in Diablo Lake. That’s a strength, not a weakness. We’re not the enemy and neither are they.”
His parents had lived here in isolation for so long they had no real idea of what it was like out there to be different. How much discipline it took to keep control even when things got sketchy.
That was thinking so outdated it was dangerous to continue to allow it without challenge.
“I said, enough!” His father’s thundered command rang through the air, still strong enough to snatch the next reply from Mac’s lips. “I don’t like it that Ronnie thinks he can make up stories like this. It’s dangerous. Mac, I’ll let you decide his sentence but I’ll ask you to remember he’s family and not an alpha.”
“We just got finished saying that we’re all family, Dad.” Mac would back off for the time being. Mac wanted to choose the time and place. Wanted to have a little more backup in place. More wolves openly his. And he wanted his father to declare him Prime before he had to do it on his own.
Everett called out that he’d arrived back with Ronnie in tow.
“I’ll handle it,” Darrell said as he attempted to push past Mac, who stopped him cold.
“You’ve done enough. I’ve got this. So I don’t have to do this to you, how about you knock it off too?” he said quietly. “I don’t want to be at war with you any more than I want a war with Dooleys.”
Darrell would have said more, but their mother pulled him back, allowing Mac to leave and handle the discipline of the wayward wolf.