A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) (22 page)

If he had to venture a guess, something big had developed overnight or early this morning, and no one had a chance to tell him about it yet. With humans at the table—humans who had no idea about wolves and their business—no one would be able to tell him, either.

Life would go on as normal, as far as the humans were concerned, until the pack could deal with whatever it was.

When everyone had finished eating, and the dishes were done, Beck waited while Nami started to follow Asia next door to start work on the centerpieces and decorations.

Peyton spoke up. “Oh, Nami and Beck, hang back for a few minutes, please. You, too, Joaquin. And Malyah.”

Beck’s hackles rose. He realized Dewi, Ken, and Badger had made no move to leave. Neither had Trent.

Or Jack and Moraine.

“What’s going on?” Beck asked.

Peyton held up a finger, waiting until the kitchen door closed behind Asia, who had brought up the rear of the group heading to her house.

“Living room,” Peyton said, waving everyone after him.

Nami grabbed Beck’s hand and squeezed, but he didn’t answer her silent questions about what was going on, at first.

He didn’t
have
any answers.

“I don’t know,”
he finally told her mentally before they took up positions on one of the three sofas in the large, comfortable room.

He also didn’t miss how Peyton, Gillian, Trent, Badger, Dewi, Jack, and Moraine remained standing. Dewi, in fact, stood there, arms crossed over her chest, with one hand covering her face.

Dewi had few tells. That was one of them, one she’d had since she was a kid.

When she was in a place where she felt completely safe, and with people she felt safe with, and she was completely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, it was like she unconsciously put up that barrier to try to wall herself off from the world.

That was his biggest clue that whatever Peyton was about to say was huge.

Once everyone had settled, Peyton didn’t waste any time.

“I need to make an announcement,” Peyton said, his gaze swinging around and falling on him and Nami. “And I need calm heads to prevail.”

Whatever this was, it had to be what Dewi and the others already knew.

“There’s been a new mating in the pack,” Peyton continued. “A mating bond. I’ve already officially recognized the pairing and welcomed them.”

Peyton didn’t even need to go any farther for all the pieces to fall into place for Beck. Not with the way Dewi stood there, as if shielding herself against the inevitable explosion.

And not with Malyah—a human who, until now, didn’t know about the existence of wolf shifters—sitting right there.

Beck marginally relaxed. While this would get sticky, at least it wasn’t a threat or something “bad.” He
knew
the basics of what had happened, from the way Joaquin stiffened where he sat on the couch across from Beck, to the way Malyah, sitting next to Joaquin, leaned in slightly toward Joaquin.

And he understood why Peyton chose to reveal things this way.

Resignation immediately set in. With Malyah an official part of the pack—and with Joaquin now his brother-in-law—life was about to undergo another seismic shift.

Peyton, however, needed to finish saying what he had to say, so Beck didn’t interrupt.

“I realize this will add an additional element of chaos to the week, but because of the situation it’s best we have this wedding now, instead of having to bring family members back to Idaho at a later date and risk exposing clueless humans to pack activities more than necessary.”

When Nami only reacted with curiosity and not rage, Beck realized she was, in this case, also a clueless human.

“Well, that seems perfectly logical to me,” Nami said. “Who are the lovebirds?”

Dewi’s hand remained over her face, but her fingers parted so she could peer through them at Nami. “
Really
?”

Chapter Nineteen

Nami didn’t understand why Dewi had turned so snarky all of a sudden.

Then again, she had seemed pricklier than normal even for her that time of morning. “As hard as you’ve fought against this wedding in the first place, I’d think you’d be glad for there to be another ceremony to take more of the attention off you.”

Dewi slowly dropped her hand from her face, her jaw agape. “
Seriously
?”

“Deeewwwi,” Beck said, but it almost came out as a gentle warning, like an older brother to a younger sister.

Nami looked at Beck. “Don’t be hard on her. Everyone knows the wedding isn’t for her.”

Nami glared at Peyton and Trent. “Since we’re speaking plainly, I’m just gonna say it. Trent, Peyton, you two have placed an enormous burden on your little sister over this. Now, I went along with it, but seeing everything she has to deal with, the stress on her, I hope after you get the wedding you two have dreamed of that you’ll go a little easier on her in the future.”

Now it wasn’t just Dewi standing there with her mouth gaping.

Everyone wore an identical expression of stunned disbelief.

Everyone except Beck and Malyah and Joaquin.

It was only then Nami finally put it together that her sister probably shouldn’t have heard about matings and packs and stuff.

That must be why Dewi is so upset, because she’ll have to do that Prime stuff again on Malyah to make her forget it.

Then Malyah spoke, her voice quiet and low.

“Sis, it’s
me
,” she quietly said. “Me and Joaquin.”

“Shush, now. This don’t concern you.” Maybe she could salvage this so Dewi wouldn’t have to do that stuff to Malyah after all. “Peyton, you said someone in the
family
wants to get married?”

Dewi slowly shook her head and turned to Peyton, throwing her hands up in surrender as she headed toward the kitchen.

“Dewi, lass,” Badger called from where he stood. “Don’t ye be leavin’, now.”

Dewi mumbled something that sounded like a swear and returned, standing behind Peyton, arms crossed again, but with her gaze fixed on the floor.

Peyton coughed. He shifted from one foot to the other and stared at Beck. “You want to say it? I can tell you understand what I’m trying to explain.”

“Gee,
thanks
,” Beck snarked.

“Sis,” Malyah said, almost sounding hysterical. “It’s
me
!”

“Will you
hush
? Why the
heck
aren’t you next door with Asia and the others anyway? Nobody asked you to stay behind for—”

Beck gently squeezed Nami’s hand. “Honey, it’s Malyah and Joaquin. They’re mated.” He looked at Peyton. “Correct?”

“Correct. As of Saturday night.”

Nami couldn’t process that. She knew she couldn’t be hearing him right. Okay, yes, Peyton had specifically asked Malyah to stay behind, but so what? “Now, y’all have me a little confused, here. Malyah’s not marryin’ anyone, and
she should get her butt next door right now to go help
.” Okay, she’d resort to the “mom voice” that she’d used on all her siblings when they were kids.

Badger pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bloody hell,” he grumbled.

Malyah stared up at Joaquin as he took her hand in his. They almost looked like they were having a silent conversation. Sort of like she and Beck could, and she knew Dewi and Ken could.

Peyton cleared his throat. “Jack, Moraine. Could you please drive Joaquin and Malyah to your house so Joaquin can pack his stuff and bring it back here to the cabin?”

Malyah jumped up and bolted for the front door as if her butt were on fire.

Then Nami realized Joaquin was going, too. Right on her heels.

Jack and Moraine, who seemed like perfectly lovely people, were also quickly moving toward the front door, following Malyah and Joaquin.

What the…

“Waaait for it,” Dewi said.

Nami stood, Beck standing with her. “Hold on a minute. Malyah, where are you goin’?”

Peyton, Dewi, and even Beck stepped between Nami and the four who were departing. “Honey,” Beck said. “We need you to stay calm.”

“Why do
I
need to stay
calm
?” Even she recognized the nearly hysterical edge to her voice. “You ain’t tellin’ me what I think you’re tellin’ me.” She pointed at her sister and moved past Beck despite him trying to stop her. “And
she
ain’t goin’
nowhere
! And
especially
not with
that
man!”

* * * *

Houston, we have ignition.

Dewi hadn’t thought it would take that long for Nami to grok what they were saying. She’d expected they would have already been in the fallout phase by now.

Dewi also suspected that, now that Nami understood, she was about to light the world brighter than any NASA rocket night launch.

Absolutely, Dewi did not want to have to lay hands on Nami to hold her back. She counted on Beck being able to handle his mate and keep her restrained. But she’d do what she had to do to protect everyone, Nami included.

Beck latched onto Nami’s arm as she headed for the door, slowing her down enough so the other four could get outside.

But she wasn’t stopping. Like a force of nature, an iceberg sped up to fast-forward, she was determined to follow the others.

“Girl, you better
git
yourself back here,
right
now, and
talk
to me! Don’t you be
walkin’
away from me when I’m
talkin’
to you!”

Dewi noticed Nami’s southern accent deepened the more stressed she became. Which was pretty amazing to witness in some ways, because Dewi hadn’t thought Nami could ever be rattled. By anything.

During the whole wedding planning process, Nami had kept her cool while Dewi groused and growled and grumbled. The woman was an experienced county bus driver, used to dealing with unruly passengers and rush hour traffic and temperamental Florida weather, not to mention raising three younger siblings.

When Malyah and Joaquin didn’t stop, Nami pretty much dragged Beck out through the front door after them, Beck barely doing more than slowing her down enough to keep her from catching up with the four before they got in Jack’s car and pulled away.

The rest of them stopped just inside the front door, watching, as Nami started screaming, raging against Malyah and Joaquin, for them to get back there and talk to her, even as the dust began to settle in the wake of Jack’s car.

Dewi felt badly for her friend, but knew the only way through it for her was to get through it. Malyah was an adult, and Joaquin hadn’t forced her. They had a legitimate mate bond.

Peyton finally headed out to talk to them, not touching Nami, Beck barely able to keep his arms around her to keep her from running down the road and chasing after her sister. While Dewi couldn’t hear all of Peyton’s words, Dewi guessed he was telling Nami the story of what had happened, as related to him by Joaquin and Malyah.

Maybe it was better coming from Peyton than from the newly mated couple. He was used to being the lightning rod in situations like this, dealing with human kin. Finally, Nami seemed to be listening to him, but Dewi knew Peyton wasn’t using Prime on her. He wouldn’t, not without Beck okaying it first, not unless the pack or Nami were in jeopardy.

And from the way Nami was still fighting, struggling against Beck, Dewi knew Peyton hadn’t. Otherwise, she would have calmed and acted compliant.

After a couple of minutes, Peyton returned to the house, a grim look on his face, while Beck still struggled with Nami out in the front yard. “I’m going to head over to Trent’s and make sure Da’von, Lu’ana ,and Reggie didn’t hear any of that. You got this?”

Dewi wearily nodded. “Yeah, I got it. I don’t
want
it, but I got it.” She
didn’t
want it, but she had it. It was her responsibility, because she loved Nami and considered her family, not just pack.

“Do you want me to have Badger—”

She waved him off. “No, go. The sooner you get over there, the less we have to worry about later.”

“Okay.”

Gillian stepped forward, a sad look on her face. “How long until she accepts it?” she asked. “You guys know her better than I do but I hate seeing her so upset. Shouldn’t we calm her down?”

Dewi didn’t even bother reining in her sigh. “I don’t know. Really, she should learn to deal with it. It all depends on how long it takes her to see reason and stop fighting us on this. She’s a stubborn woman who thinks she knows the best way to run the world. The only way—
her
way. And that goes for her younger siblings’ lives, too.”

“Gee,” Badger said. “Not like we’d be knowin’ anyone
else
like that, would we?” He arched his intact eyebrow at Dewi.

She flipped him off. “I haven’t had nearly enough rest or coffee, and we have a week’s worth of pack bullshit to listen to while people waste our time whining about petty crap. Please, don’t rile me up.” She pointed to Ken. “I don’t want to break him.”

Ken snorted. “I’d prefer things that way, too.”

* * * *

Three vehicles made their way north from I-90.

Riding shotgun in the lead vehicle was one Manuel Segura, his point man, Jose, driving. It’d taken a lot of money spread around to get the information he’d needed, but all signs pointed to this little shit-hole town in Idaho. The registered agent for the shell company that owned the apartment Carlomarles had lived in was located here, a legal firm.

In fact, when they rolled into the town, that was their first stop, the offices of Targhee International, LLC.

But the door was locked, all the lights dark.

“Don’t these fuckers work for a living?” Manuel muttered to Jose in Spanish.

“Wait.” Jose pointed to a piece of paper taped inside the front window. Neatly lettered, as if printed on a computer, it said
Closed Until October 21st
.

Manuel shook his head. “Dammit. We’ll need to see if we can find him by other means. If not, we’ll have to start ripping this town apart, house by house, if necessary. Someone in this place knows that animal, and we’ll find him.”

Nothing would stop him in his quest for vengeance. He’d sworn on his brother’s body, as Raul lay bleeding out in his lap.