Pride Before the Fall (9 page)

"Because they are out of a growing affection. One that will be love, if you just let me." Kasey slowly stoked her body into a fire that burned hot and long. Instead of just screwing her, he made love. Every caress was endearing and gentle. Each crest reached was lingering, shared with him. And when the fire burned down, embers were left still glowing and warming Vivian in ways only a true mate could.

Kasey fixed her breakfast in bed and they spent the morning wrapped in each other's arms talking and making love. Vivian listened as Kasey divulged things about his life. The information he trusted her with touched her heart. Here was a man who knew without a doubt she wouldn't betray him. That kind of faith shifted something deep within.

Her small family trusted her because she was the most dominant. It was in her DNA to protect them, lead them, and keep them close. Yes, they loved her. She had no doubt. But her Pride was her family. They had been with her since childhood. Kasey, on the other hand, trusted her of his own choosing. For the first time someone wanted her simply because of who she was on the inside. When he asked her questions, it wasn't to get intel. It was simply to learn the desires of her heart.

Vivian knew if she ever wanted the happiness of a mate, she was going to have to trust her cat. She was going to have to give Kasey all she had. And she did. No subject was left untouched nor was any part of their bodies. That evening they shifted and took a run down to a cold stream where they romped and played in animal form. Upon returning to the cabin, they continued their play in the bedroom. Having fun sex was a new experience for Vivian. It was something she could see herself getting used to.

That night she called Melissa to check in and to thank her for interfering.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kasey and Vivian stood hand in hand in front of her Pride two days later. She'd dropped the bomb and they waited for the explosion, but none came. Amilynn, Melissa, Ty, and Conall were glad she finally made it to the party. The relief was overwhelming.

"Obviously." Melissa grinned. "You thought you were going to be able to just pack up and leave your mate?" She shook her head in mock disappointment. "Have we taught you nothing?"

"Shut up." Vivian smirked as she pulled Melissa up off the couch and into a hug. Vivian had been away from her family for a week and had missed them terribly. "I love you," she said to her sister who purred as they embraced.

Conall stood in front of Kasey and held out a hand. "D'you have any idea what a pain in the ass she can be?"

Kasey laughed and nodded. "Oh, I'm getting the idea. Vivian told me you're a good soldier and have lots of experience my police force might benefit from. You should talk to Sampson. We can always use someone of your caliber."

Conall nodded, caught unawares at the compliment, and moved away. After Vivian had finally released her sister, Melissa came to him. Kasey could see her gathering courage, but for what? The little devil had already snuck into his bedroom. What could be more dangerous for her than that?

Melissa reached up and put her arms around his neck.
Oh
. Kasey remembered well that Tyrone said no one touched Melissa. He looked over her shoulder to see her mate watching intently. Kasey didn't return the hug until Tyrone gave him a slight nod of approval. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gave proper affection to the woman who was to be his sister-in-law.

"You don't know how much a real home would mean to us," she whispered in his ear, emotions thick in her voice.

"You're mine now, all of you, same as Vivian. A home is the least of the things you will have, Melissa." He pulled her back and looked her in the eyes, though she couldn't hold his stare. "Vivian would like to be an aunt one day. The Pack lands are full of children. They're safe. You and Ty can start a family."

Melissa's lip began to quiver and she quickly retreated to Ty's side, his arms around her protectively. Kasey could sense she didn't like to show her emotions either. It must be a family trait. Her mate, on the other hand, had no problems saying what was on his mind.

"You hurt anyone in my family and I will kill you." Every person in the room paused. It was considered treachery to threaten the alpha so openly. Kasey narrowed his eyes, nodded. Then Ty held out his hand and Kasey shook it. Ty might not be a match for him dominance wise, but Kasey knew damn well if this man could sneak Melissa into his bedroom in the middle of the night, killing him wouldn't take much effort.

"If I hurt your family, I'll let you."

"Ty, please." Vivian put an arm around Ty's shoulders and kissed his cheek. Vivian walked over to Kasey and took his hands. "He knows what I'm capable of."
 

The way she said it made Kasey's blood heat up. Yes, he knew everything his kitten was capable of—in the bedroom especially. He kissed her hard, right in front of her Pride. It was a claim and he was making sure they got the message.

* * * * *
 

"Oh barf. Haven't you two been doing that enough over the last few days?" Amilynn rolled her eyes. She stood back, arms crossed over her chest, watching. Vivian hadn't talked to her since their fight. There was only one way to apologize.

Vivian shifted into her tiger and knelt down in front of her and put her head down. Submission.
"I'm sorry Ami. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you and I never should have struck you. Please forgive me."
Vivian rolled over on her back exposing the vulnerable neck.

Amilynn shifted into her leopard. The sleek tawny cat hissed and snarled at Vivian. Ami clamped her jaws around Vivian's neck and pinched just enough to let her know she was mad. But Ami had never been one to hold a grudge.

Next time go for the gut, will ya? I can't have this pretty face bruised,
Amilynn joked telepathically.

It won't happen again. You were right. I was being stubborn.

And stupid, and a bitch, and—

I get it Ami!
Vivian hissed, then laughed in her cat form. Ami let her up and the two felines rubbed necks affectionately.

Kasey pulled Vivian against him and was happy when she wrapped her arms around his waist. His kitten was more comfortable with his touch, but she still kept some distance. "Thoughts, Amilynn?"

"I want a bathroom. My very own big-ass bathroom that I don't have to share with anyone else." Everyone stared at her, not knowing what to say. Of all the things that could have come out of Amilynn's mouth, she requested a freaking bathroom. "Uh, please?" she sassed like they were the strange ones.

Vivian was the first to start laughing and everyone followed.

"Deal." The male chuckled. Amilynn smiled and shook Kasey's outstretched hand.

* * * * *

A couple days later, Kasey once again found himself sitting with his council discussing his personal life. It was becoming part of their regular agenda, and he didn't like it. These six people had been his advisors for many decades and apparently had gotten used to having a say in his decisions. Until now.

"Listen, all of you." Kasey leaned on the table with his elbows and made sure he had all their attention. Sampson: his beta, security advisor and liaison to other wolf packs. Alias: his business advisor. Ian: patriarch of the bear Clan and technically their alpha. Clayton: Ian's beta and Sampson's partner. Nina: Ian's liaison to other bear Clans. Helena: his aunt and advisor of internal wolf Pack affairs.
 

"I greatly appreciate the guidance and knowledge that you have bestowed upon me for the many years we have been together. You are each important in keeping our people safe and continually prospering. While I value your opinions, this is one subject in which none of you has the right or power to encroach on my ruling. The only exception being Sampson and that is because he is my brother-in-law and he lives in the alpha house with me. The rest of you don't get a damn vote. Not in this. We are talking about my mate and her family living in
my
home with
my
family. It's not up to any of you."

Alias, who had been most vocal about his displeasure, spoke up. "Kasey, the alpha house was built to welcome those members of the Pack who need to connect with the alpha. If all the rooms are full of cats, how can those under your guardianship stay with you?"

By this point, Kasey was perturbed so his reaction was curt and sharp. "The alpha house was built by a man who wanted to have the biggest and best of everything out of greed. Richard was a selfish and ostentatious alpha who chose to show off his money. And we all know where that landed him, now don't we? Before my father died, he acknowledged many of the errors he'd made as alpha. One of which was not being there for our family. He told me a few weeks before his death that the alpha house should be filled with pups and family and love. It should be, and is, and will stay a place where my Pack can come and spend time with my family and me. That now includes my mate."

Helena touched his arm. "No one here disputes that your mate needs to be with you, Kasey. But why her whole family? Her younger sister and her mate, perhaps, as you have Bianca and Sampson. But what about the other two—the unmated ones? It's not wise to have an unmated female in the house with Sampson's three sons. There is no need for the whole Pride to—"

"Enough of this." Kasey's voice rose with passion. It shocked the council. "The five of them have been bound in a way that few people can understand. The bond of their family was not created by DNA but by blood and sacrifice and horrors that left deep scars. They have been living together, sometimes in very tight spaces, for over five years. Now that might not be long to a shifter with our longevity, but it's been long enough to nurture a dependency on one another so deep their animals require it. I would not ever presume to break up a family and I cannot believe you would ask it of me. The alpha house is as large as four or five homes in one. There are more rooms than we can fill even with the Pride moving in. My people will still be able to come and go as needed. The children can still steal Bianca's cookies. And the teenagers will still be able to swim or play ball or video games or whatever. They will just have more people to do it with. This discussion is over. My rule is final."

On that note, Sampson drummed his hands on the table. "I, for one, have no issue with them all moving in." He proceeded to tell the council exactly what Kasey had just said, only in different words. He finished by saying, "None of us should expect to boss around the alpha anyway. Most alphas don't have councils like ours and, God knows, Kasey doesn't
have
to run anything by us. We should all be grateful that our leader cares enough to hear out our opinions."

"I never had a council," Ian said from his place at the end of the table. "Don't know of any other Pack that does. But then again, there's not another Pack like ours. I trust you, Kasey boy. You won't steer us astray. Do what the hell you want. It's none of my business and I'm ready for some of Bianca's cookies now that you've mentioned them."

Sampson slapped Kasey on the back as everyone else filed out the room. "I think we should plan a big gathering—games, music, food, introductions."

"Get Bianca on it." It was a nice idea, but Kasey didn't miss the hostility coming from Nina and Alias. This big party could be a disaster.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Three days later, Kasey sat on the edge of his bed, his stomach in knots. Today his mate and her Pride would meet his Pack. There was a full array of activities planned to welcome Vivian's family. Bianca, Helena and a begrudging Nina had planned the whole thing. The women assured him that every detail was taken care of and that Vivian had been contacted about the activities for approval. Traditions varied by Pride and they did not want to do anything to insult their guests. Vivian had also asked her own questions about how the wolves and bears did things so that her family didn't accidentally fumble.

Even though he had been convinced that today would be a great day, this morning he sat paralyzed, unable to think about anything but all the things that could go wrong. Merging the wolves and bears decades ago had been one word short of civil war. Half of his Pack welcomed the bears. The other half of his Pack swore bloodshed on the 'freeloaders'. Kasey had broken up more fights and arguments than a wrestling match referee. After a few years of unease, things seemed to settle. The first wedding, when a wolf female had mated with a bear male, had solidified the bonds of the Pack and Clan. Their children became the symbol of a new era. As time moved on and the Packs fully merged, their children had flourished. Kasey had opened a nursery to attend to the babes. No human nanny could deal with toddlers who would suddenly shift without warning. By the time the Pack children were old enough to go into a regular school, they had control of the animals within. The Pack children blended in seamlessly with the human children. Here, on his Pack lands, away from human eyes, the children were free to roam in whatever form they chose.

"Uncle Kasey?" called a voice. Sampson's son stood at the door of his room with his hands behind his back. "The front gate paged that the vehicle carrying the Pride has arrived. They should be here within the next few minutes."

"Thank you, Tom." Kasey took a deep breath and began to wander through the expansive house. He had spent the last couple of days doing everything he could to the ten thousand square foot cabin to make sure that Vivian and her family would be welcomed.

Besides himself, the only permanent inhabitants of the home were his sister, Bianca, Sampson and their boys: teenage twins Nathaniel and Thomas and eldest son Ezekiel. The other rooms in the house were open to guests. At times, members of the Pack needed to be close to him for days at a time. Their animals drew on the strength and camaraderie of the Pack. Kasey never turned out a Pack mate seeking support. He hoped and prayed that Vivian understood.

Hope had stirred in him when he first entertained the idea of Vivian and her Pride moving into his house. Taking in every inch of space, he realized that this home had been made for them to live here. Even though it was over two decades old, it was as if it had been built for the Pride to fit seamlessly.