Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (28 page)

Once they were safely in Shade’s territory, he gave a harsh yip. The rest of his pack melted into the forest. The three carrying the doe joined them, and they too were lost among the greenery. Shade looked back at the Twin River party and gave a jaunty wave before loping off.

“Did that really just happen?” Orion asked.

“That doe was Lia’s by rights!” Lark rounded on the Alphas. “I can’t believe you let Shade take it. Her first kill!”

“We didn’t have a choice.” Ronan snapped. “You should have kept her from going so far south.”

“I’d like to see you try to keep up with her.”

“I’d like to see you try to keep her safe.”

Lark quailed under the Alpha’s hot anger.

“Don’t be mad at Lark,” Lia said. “Please don’t. It was my fault.”

“No.” Ronan shook his head. “It was mine. I shouldn’t have let you go.”

Kane bared his fangs.

“No, you shouldn’t have either.” Ronan rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking very tired. “We need to get back to the den.”

Flint cleared his throat. “Are you sure you don’t want to—”

“
Now
.”

No one wanted to argue. Shifting, they set off the way they had come.

By the time they arrived at the den, Lia’s paws felt numb. She dragged herself to one of the benches. Her muscles twitched endlessly as she laid her head down. It felt like someone was sticking her with millions of sharp needles. She didn’t even have the doe to show for it.

“How’d the hunt go?” Fox asked. “Lia?”

“I’ll tell you over here,” Lark said, pulling him away.

Lia stared at the wood grain of the table until her vision burned black. Shade had ruined everything. Again.

“You look tired.” Ronan slid onto the bench beside her, putting a hand on her arm.

Lia flinched and pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” Ronan asked. “Are you hurt?”

“Just sore all over. Like I got pummeled.” She rubbed her arm ruefully. “I might have run too far today.”

“If you ran all the way to our southern border, I’d say you did,” Ronan said drily.

Lia looked at her chapped palms. “Are you mad at me?”

Ronan made a move to put an arm around her, then drew back. “I want to give you a hug,” he said solemnly, “but I’m afraid of making you feel even more pummeled.”

She tried to smile. “You can owe me.”

“That sounds fair.” He settled in next to her, his knee barely grazing hers. “Let me tell you about my first hunt. I don’t think anything could have kept me from bringing that buck down once I’d started after it, not hail, sleet, or fire.” His eyes lost focus, like he was gazing into that long-ago day. “It was a 30-point buck. Kane had made his first kill the day before, but he had only caught a 26-pointer. I had to outdo him somehow, and I vowed to bring the largest buck of the season back to the den.

“I can’t be mad at you for going as far south as you did. At least you didn’t make your kill in someone else’s territory.”

Lia gasped. “Did you bring down your buck in the Shadow pack’s lands?”

“Worse. I went north, and my Uncle Flash caught me. He gave me quite the lecture on manners.” Ronan rubbed his right ear. “Pinched me here so hard I can still feel it when it’s about to rain. He let me go at the border, then clapped me on the back and congratulated me on a fine first kill. Even offered to help me carry it back to the den.” He shook his head. “Family.”

“I’m still sorry I lost control,” Lia said. “I hoped I’d never have to see Shade again. Waltzing up to his territory probably wasn’t the best way to achieve that goal.”

“It’s an admirable goal,” Ronan said gently, “one that we all share. But give yourself some credit. At least you weren’t a shifter for twelve whole years when you pulled that stunt. Hunting gets the best of most of us, the first few times. Sometimes, when the wolf commands you, you can’t help but obey.”

Somewhere, deep within her, her wolf grinned smugly.

“Can I get you anything to eat?” Ronan asked. “I’m always starving after a hunt.”

The thought of lifting food to her mouth made her arms ache. “No thanks. I’m really just tired.”

“You look like you could nap right here.” Ronan stood. “Let’s take you somewhere a little more private.” Scooping her up, he took her up the stairs to his room. Lia was enveloped in his strong arms, pressed to his hard chest that radiated heat. She didn’t know why they had to go anywhere. Everything she needed to be happy was right here.

“There we go.” He set her down on his furs, sliding to sit behind her so he could cradle her. Lia gave a happy sigh, letting her muscles loosen. If someone brought her food and water, she could stay here for a week without complaint.

He put his hands on her shoulders, his calloused touch gentle yet firm. Slowly, he began drawing his fingers together, pressure building and falling. She collapsed into him, giving in to the most wonderful massage.

“My mother did this for me after our pack’s first long run,” Ronan said. For a moment, his hands stopped. “I suppose I should tell you about her.”

“Kane told me, the other day,” Lia said. She hoped Ronan wouldn’t be upset that Kane had confided in her.

“Oh.” His voice was laced with relief. “I won’t tell it again, then. It’s not a very cheerful story.”

“I was abandoned too,” Lia said softly. “I don’t remember my mother.”

Briskly, Ronan resumed the massage. “We’ll do better with our pups.”

Pups? Wasn’t it a bit early to be thinking about that? Maybe he meant sometime in the future. She closed her eyes as his thumbs made whorls over her shoulder blades. Actually, it wouldn’t be bad at all, having pups with Ronan. He would make an amazing father.

Still, that was years away.

His hands moved down her spine, making her shiver with bliss. He tended to her arms, her hands. He ran his thumbs over the muscles of her palms until the soreness receded. They felt less puffy, too. Lia wondered if he had some latent magic in him. If not, his hands were as good as magic. As he caressed her, she stopped thinking about Shade, soreness, and land disputes. There was only her and Ronan.

Laying her down on her stomach, Ronan worked over her thighs, then her calves. Lia moaned into the furs. She had never been this relaxed in her life. She felt like a contented puddle. Ronan moved down to her feet, his thumbs making circles over her heels and the tender balls of her feet.

Once he finished, he kissed every part of her he had touched, as if promising that the muscles under her skin would feel better soon. Lia tried to smile, but she was half asleep. She would have to come up with a good way to thank him later, when she didn’t feel like she was slipping into a dream.

“Everything’s all right,” Ronan whispered. “You’re safe here. I won’t leave you. Get some sleep.”

She had almost drifted away when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

“There you are,” Kane said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Not now,” Ronan whispered.

“Yes, now.” Kane didn’t bother to whisper. “We need to talk about Shade.”

Her heart lost the slow, steady rhythm Ronan had sent it into. Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t want to think about Shade. He made her sick.

“Can we talk somewhere else?” Ronan whispered. “Lia needs to rest.”

“Shouldn’t she be talking with us? This is her pack too.”

“She’s exhausted. I don’t want her overexerting herself.”

“I’m fine.” Lia sat up. The warm happiness inside her had been replaced by worry anyway. “I want to hear.”

Ronan flashed his brother a baleful glare.

Kane ignored it. “He’s going to make a move on our land. He just admitted it. We have to act fast.”

“No, we have to act smart.” Ronan pondered. “I wish we had more information.”

“What do you mean?” Lia asked.

“We haven’t been past where the rivers meet in years.” Ronan stood, and she could almost see tension fall over him like a cloak. “Kane and I have never been inside the Shadow pack’s den. We know approximately where it is, but we don’t know its defenses, how many entrances and exits it has. We aren’t even sure how many wolves make up the pack. Shade’s very secretive.”

Kane snorted. “He’s probably just embarrassed because he can’t keep a woman.”

“Yes, he can’t keep them alive,” Ronan said darkly. “Which is why we need to keep Lia away from him.”

Lia swallowed hard. The more she heard about Shade, the less she liked him. Why couldn’t they share their southern boundary with sane wolves?

“He knows everything about us,” Kane said bitterly.

“How?” Lia asked.

“Shade came to our den to sign the treaty,” Ronan said. “It’s customary to exchange hospitality in these instances. Hosting neighboring packs is vital to maintaining good relations. It’s a deathly insult not to reciprocate, but Shade… wasn’t interested.”

“I warned you,” Kane said. “He ignored the customs, I told you he would ignore the treaty as well.”

“You were right,” Ronan admitted. “But the fact remains, he knows everything about us. We need to get information on him.”

Kane leaned against the doorway. “How do you propose we do that without starting a war?”

“Simple. We invite them over for a feast.”

Kane groaned. “If he didn’t host us in return for the treaty, what makes you think he will this time?”

Reluctantly, Ronan looked at Lia.

“You want to use her as bait?”

“He’ll take it. You know he will.”

“I thought you said we needed to keep her safe!”

“And we will,” Ronan said. “It’s not like I’d let her go alone. But Shade will want another chance to be around her, to impress her. He’ll want to show off. Trust me.”

Kane crossed his arms. “Absolutely not. That’s a terrible idea. We shouldn’t even let him inside our borders. Who knows what harm he could do?”

“That’s the best I have. Do you want to be able to fight him if we need to, or do you want to lead our pack to a slaughter?”

Kane shook his head. “I won’t agree to anything that would put Lia in even the slightest danger. I know you love your strategy, but this is madness.”

“I think Lia should be the one to decide,” Ronan said softly.

Kane’s withering stare could have broken a lesser man, but Ronan simply waited. Lia folded her hands, which had started to throb again. It was true that she would like to go a few lifetimes without seeing Shade again, and there was no doubt he was dangerous. But Ronan thought this was for the good of the pack. Kane didn’t want anything to happen to her, but what could happen with two Alphas around? Lia wouldn’t let Shade frighten her.

She turned to Ronan. “I’ll do it.”

Kane swore, striking the doorframe so hard she thought she heard it crack. He stormed off without another word.

“He’ll come around,” Ronan said. “He knows it’s a good idea. That’s why it bothers him so much.”

She stared at the space Kane had vacated, her stomach churning. “What do we do now?”

“Tell Ivy that we need to prepare a feast. Let Huck know he should round up some hunters and gather game. They’ll know what to do.”

“And what are you going to do?” she asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

Ronan’s eyes were cool, but there was steel in his gaze. “I’m going to talk to Shade.”

Chapter Four

Ronan headed south alone. He would have liked to bring a guard, but Shade would see that as a sign of weakness. He couldn’t afford to appear weak.

He hoped he had hidden from Lia how terrified he had been, how furious he was at Shade. He didn’t want to scare her. But until they’d driven Shade back, he’d have to hide his feelings a while longer. Shade couldn’t know how easily he got under Ronan’s skin.

Ronan tried to keep calm as he neared the place where the rivers met. He tried not to think about how Shade had attempted to claim his mate, had almost stolen her away. If Lark and the others hadn’t been there… He gritted his teeth. He would have saved Lia, no matter the cost. He would have torn Shade’s throat, crushed the life out of him.

Shaking his head, Ronan ran faster. He couldn’t think like that. He had to keep things civil for Lia. If war broke out, there was some pain he might not be able to spare her from. Knowing Kane’s penchant for heroics, his desire to protect everyone but himself, he could put himself in grave danger. A loss like that could scar Lia forever, and Ronan… Ronan could barely stand to think about it.

So he’d have to make sure things remained civil, for all their sakes. He had to talk Shade around, get him to see reason. Or at least get him to realize that war would solve nothing.

And if that failed, he would just have to think of something else.

As he approached the edge of his territory, Ronan shifted. Two men stood on opposite sides of the river. So Shade had posted a border guard. Ronan smiled grimly. He probably wasn’t expecting a diplomatic visit.

One of the men spotted him. “Who goes there?” he shouted.

“It’s just one of them,” the other said. “Ronan, looks like. He won’t do us any harm.”

He hoped the man was referring to Ronan’s tendency to wage words, not war, and not that he thought Ronan posed no threat. Reaching the bounds of his territory, Ronan recognized them.

“Crossbones.” He nodded to one, trying not to look at his missing eye. “Viper. I have a message for your Alpha. I humbly request permission to enter your territory.”

“A humble Alpha.” Viper ran a hand through his slick-backed hair. “A likely story.”

“Shade doesn’t want any of your kind in his lands,” Crossbones said. Ronan hated that he had to crane his neck to look up at the man. “Give us the message. We’ll take it to him.”

Shade wasn’t even going to let Ronan set foot in his territory? Ridiculous.

“I’d like to deliver it personally,” Ronan said.

“And I’d like twelve mates,” Crossbones said. “Did Shade invite you to his den?”

“Well, no… but he didn’t know I was coming.”

“If he didn’t invite you, then you aren’t allowed in. Give me the message.”

“Can you not bring him here?” Ronan tried to keep the edge of annoyance out of his voice. As a neighboring Alpha, Shade should want to hear Ronan’s messages directly from him. Lesser wolves couldn’t always be trusted to be accurate. From dealing with Shade’s pack in the past, he knew they had no concept of nuance.