She took a drink and continued. “The other two packs, both lost men in the latest attempt on your life. My mate declined to pay the money he had agreed to when they supported David’s mating to you, since it never happened. As a result, both packs feel betrayed. They fear Doug, but that won’t last forever. I talked to their Lunas, both said the Packs are furious the bodies weren’t returned, and they blame you.”
I snorted. “I guess the Alphas weren’t real forthcoming with what we told them, then.” The two looked surprised.
Remi squeezed my leg and spoke up. “After the attack, we suspected your four Packs but didn’t know who the wolves were. My husband called your mate and asked if he sent them. He denied it, so we said in an hour we would skin them and throw their carcasses on the trash pile if no one claimed them.”
Kayla put her hand over her mouth in shock. “And he…”
“He didn’t say shit,” I said. “I could tell the other Alphas were not aware of the offer by their reaction to the video of us doing that to them.”
Carol broke out sobbing. “Stephen… Dad said he had been buried out there.”
“No, I’ve got his pelt out in my truck along with the others. The ashes from the bodies, though, we didn’t recover those. They were destroyed along with the trash.” Both of them were in shock now. “Your mate hasn’t been honest with you, either. How many other Pack members were lost in the attack?”
“Two. Our next Beta and a warrior. Oh Luna, what do I say to their parents?”
“We’ll come back to that,” I said. “What did your mate want to propose to me?”
“He wants you to come to our territory to have the baby, where we can protect you,” she said. I had to say, they man had some balls. “We’ll make sure you get top medical care, you’ll have everything you need, and once the baby is born we will be happy to raise it as our own.”
“That’s your offer? Protect me until you get your precious male heir, then what?” They didn’t say anything, they couldn’t. “That baby is my only protection right now. I’ll prove paternity, but there is no way in HELL I’m stepping foot onto your territory, or granting you custody. I don’t trust you, your Alpha or your friends.”
Kayla nodded. “I thought you would say that. I tried to tell him that you had family, money and protection already, but he insisted. I just want my grandbaby to be safe, and to be a part of his life. I was hoping that you might grant me that.”
I sat back in the seat, I knew what I wanted to say but Doug’s words echoed in my head, I had to hide my true goal. “I can’t answer that right now. I’m still trying to get my head around being pregnant.”
The food arrived, and we ate it in silence. I could see Kayla and Carol linking each other, but their facial expressions didn’t change. As we finished dessert, I broached the final subject. “The pelts… I’m willing to give them to you, but I want something in return.”
Kayla’s eyes brightened. “What? Please, I want my son’s remains back.”
“You answer a question for me. It’s a yes or no question.” I paused and looked at Remi, who nodded, before I looked back in Kayla’s eyes. “When Stephen found Kim, was she force mated like you tried to do with me?”
I could see the answer in her eyes well before it made it to her mouth. “Yes.” She looked down at her lap. “Stephen called home, he said he met an Alpha’s daughter at school he was interested in, but she didn’t want anything to do with him. My mate told him that didn’t matter. He went to his office and finished the call, but two days later he brought her home.”
“Thank you for your answer, that should be enough.” I paid the bill. “Come on, we can put the pelts in your car now. I trust you will get them back to the families?”
She nodded as we got up and put our jackets on. We walked out together, and I told them to pull their car behind Jimmy’s so we could move them without being too suspicious. They were focused on the transfer, and when Stephen’s pelt was handed to them, they both started to cry. They placed it reverently in the back seat.
Their grief was so strong, they didn’t pick up on the scent or see the two large men until they were standing in front of them.
“Did you hear everything, Alpha Coleman?” I smirked as Luna Kayla looked at the father of her son’s mate, a man still reeling from her suicide, and his oldest son.
“I heard everything I needed to hear, Ella. Thank you for getting me the answer, even if it was the answer I feared.” He was staring at Kayla.
It was then I noticed that his son Al was frozen in place and staring. I looked to my right and saw Carol staring back into his eyes. Al finally broke out of the trance, moving forward and pulling her to his broad chest while his nose was buried in her hair. “MATE,” he said.
“MINE,” she replied.
“LIKE HELL,” Alpha Coleman said as he tried to pull him away.
“You’re shitting me,” Remi said. I pulled her away, whatever was happening next I wanted no part of.
**********
Remi and I walked so Jimmy’s car was between us and them. The parking lot was deserted other than the yelling and fighting going on behind us. Both parents were trying to pull their children apart, and they weren’t having it. The fighting only stopped when there was a scream of pain; Al’s face had shifted slightly, and his teeth were clamped around the base of Carol’s neck on the left side. The scream soon became a moan as he licked the blood from her, his arms holding her tight to him. It was done, she was marked and there was no going back without one of them dying.
Luna Kayla had to lean against her car as she felt he daughter’s bond shift to her mate and his Pack. Her face was easy to read; in part she was happy for her daughter, but she was also petrified of what her mate would do.
Alpha Dennis Coleman released his son and stepped back; he was obviously mad, but his son was now mated. He shook it off and walked over to me. “Can we speak in private for a moment?”
“Of course.” I opened my truck and gestured for him to get in. I looked over at him as he put his head back, his fingers pinching his nose between his eyes as he tried to think. “This changes a few things, doesn’t it?”
“It certainly does,” he replied. “I need to know where you stand on all this. I heard what Carol did, and I heard her apology. Are you still determined to have your revenge on her?”
It was my turn to lean back and close my eyes. Truthfully, I felt bad for Carol. She was raised by parents who didn’t believe in true mates, and I’m sure she expected to be mated off to a man of their choice. She would find the happiness of a true mate that I would never have, but she would also live with the knowledge that she took that same thing away from me. “No, I’ll forgive her.” He looked relieved. “Just like her Pack, she was doing what she was told and what they thought was right. Now, what about Alpha Tanner?”
“He’s mine. I’ll challenge him when we get to his Pack and kill him for what he did to my daughter, and to you.”
My goal had been to take everything away before killing them, and this would work. I wasn’t strong enough to take the Alpha or Luna in a challenge. At least this way, their sins would be made known to their Pack before they died. “Do me a favor, though; have someone tape the challenge and send it to me. I’d love to be there, but it’s too dangerous.” I looked over at the newly mated couple, still locked in a tight embrace. “What will happen with those two?”
“I’ll talk to her, she has to know that nothing can save her parents. Al is a good kid, he will help her unlearn some of the things she was brought up believing.”
“What about the Tanner pack? I’ve killed all the sons, and with their Alphas gone, will you let a Beta take it? Or have your son take over?”
He thought about it for a moment. “I’ll talk to them first, it is her Pack so if he wants to be Alpha he can do it. He’s strong, I’m sure he can defend the position against any Beta there. He’s my eldest son, but I guess his younger brother can become heir instead.” He watched as Kayla went up and embraced the two. “If he doesn’t take it, I’ll talk to the other Alphas and we will select someone to take it. Their Pack isn’t beyond repair if it gets good leadership again. I’ll make sure they have that.”
“Thank you. I’m glad I could get you your answer.”
“You’re quite the young woman, Ella. Your parents would be proud of you.” He squeezed my shoulder, I smiled in response. “Come on, we have to talk to them.”