Rogue Wolf (21 page)

Salvatore frowned. Clearly, he did mind, but he said, “As you wish,
bella
, I will be outside.” He fixed Julian with a look. “Far enough to give privacy, not so far as to not respond with extreme prejudice if you touch a hair on her head.”

Droll amusement tipped the corners of Julian’s mouth and he spread his hands. “I heard you the first three times.”

After pressing a kiss to her forehead, Salvatore left. Neither she nor Julian said a word as they listened to his footsteps fading away. Once he was out of earshot, the Prime Enforcer rounded on her.

“What the hell were you thinking?” This was the Julian she knew so well, the one who didn’t offer gentle wisdom or cuddly, teddy bear hugs. “Seriously, Margo, if you wanted to get laid that bad, all you had to do was call.”

“I didn’t expect to meet a mate, but I won’t apologize for it either.”

“This is a cluster
fuck
. You violate the laws and you get to skip off to Italy, no punishment, no retribution—and we’re dealing with a potential pack on the rise which goes against all the pack agreements in place.”

“You think I don’t know that? I was fully prepared for you to execute me the minute you found out. Like I said, I make no apologies for what happened.” His anger fueled her in a way his hug hadn’t. One moment he was across the room and the next he had her by the throat and against the wall. Margo kept her arms down, not only did she have the strength of a weak kitten at the moment—Julian was in the right.

Narrowing the space between them he locked gazes with her. His blue eyes burned with a damn near unearthly glow. He was one of the rare wolves without golden eyes, his eye color remained the same when he shifted. Like his close-cropped platinum silver hair, his wolf was pure silver. He was a powerful, magnificent creature and he had her by the throat. One wrong move and she would be dead before Salvatore even knew danger existed.

“You have a foreign Alpha who wants to claim you,” Julian said slowly. “The Willow Bend Alpha already extended his protection to you whether you allow the claim of the Italian Alpha or not.” Shock rippled through her. “Since we’re in his territory, as long as you remain, I can’t lay a finger on you anyway. Mason’s ties to Hudson River and Delta Crescent almost assure he’ll have three of the five packs on my ass if I enforce the law. All of that said, I’d still snap your neck for this crap except I know you couldn’t help it and you’ve refused the mating call this far because of the law.”

Shock upon surprise upon shock and Margo gaped.

Julian flexed his fingers around her neck. “The law is not immutable. They were created to avoid situations such as we’re in from being commonplace. The pack structure must survive because it provides shelter for all our kind. The rise of a sixth pack, it’s a dangerous notion, but it is not the first time it’s happened.”

When he released her and paced away, Margo’s heart began to slam against her ribs. For several seconds, she’d thought he meant to go through with it and to hell with the consequences. “How come no one knows of a potential sixth pack happening before?”

Pausing on the far side of the room, Julian spared her a dry look. “Because we ended them all before they could truly organize. It’s what the ultimate goal of the Enforcer is—to protect the packs. To prevent the packs from going to war because once they do…”

“…we can’t interfere.” They could protect the weak and the noncombatants, but the war between one pack or all of them? No the Enforcers stepped aside and had to watch the slaughter. If any Enforcer took a side, the others would eliminate him. It was how the balance was maintained.

“Normally we catch it sooner. Those most likely to rogue—it’s clear who they are. Your Mason was one of them. It was why you kept such close tabs on him.”

One of the reasons, but she nodded. “He did take a pack.”

“A legitimate challenge. Frankly, one I wish someone had done sooner. Toman Carlyle was a jackass of epic proportions. Yet he maintained a steadiness in Willow Bend one Mason seems to be preserving and fewer of his dominants are being turned out for us to watch over.” She had no idea Julian felt this way about Toman.

“So Rayne Barrows was pretty high up in Delta Crescent, wasn’t he?”

He shrugged. “He was third, but he wouldn’t follow Serafina. Far as I know, there was never bad blood between them. He simply waited till the challenges were over, made a clean break, and headed out of town. Not once in all the years we checked on him did he demonstrate those signs.”

Margo understood. Mason, despite his commitment to never get involved, often rose to leadership roles at his construction sites. He took the hardest jobs, earned the most respect, and had plenty who would vouch for him. In addition, he made friends—alliances with Brett Dalton in Hudson River when that Alpha granted him time to stay within his territory and later when he became Serafina Andre’s lover. The two were never likely to mate, but she and her father permitted Mason access to Delta Crescent a Lone Wolf shouldn’t have had. He’d skated the line on the law, never quite breaking it. Until Alexis.

Some dominants were like that, others found people to care for or rescue, they couldn’t help themselves. More than one Rogue gathered together followers—human or wolf.

“You don’t think its Barrows.” If not him then…
oh fuck.

“Barrows went to Italy more than six months ago. He began a relationship with a wolf on foreign soil and, from all accounts, they mated. If he remained there and joined that pack, the problem solves itself. At the time, he had not broken any laws or created any issues. Yet he did not stay there, they returned to the United States. The number of wolves missing increases exponentially around the same time as they arrive—we know one of Mason’s humans was also in Italy.”

Italy.

Salvatore came across from Italy to find his sister. The sister who left with Barrows.

“Salvatore’s not involved in this.”

“You’re certain? His wolves were right across the border. We only know when he told us he arrived at Chicago, are you positive he flew in from Italy? Are you positive he hasn’t been here the whole time?”

She was pretty sure he came in from Canada, after arriving there from Italy. But it didn’t matter. Salvatore wasn’t involved with the missing wolves.

“Absolutely. I’d stake my life on this. Salvatore is a good Alpha, but his people are in Italy. He’s been on the phone, he’s checked in—his driving need here has been to find his sister.”

“And you, apparently.” The dry response deserved a middle finger, so she shot him the bird. Julian’s amusement was fleeting, however, because he folded his arms. “Then the only common denominator is Luciana Esposito Barrows.”

The sister of an Alpha. A woman Salvatore believed fragile and the victim of the circumstance, yet even he questioned her marriage, the fleeing of her family and the sudden trip overseas. Even the weakest wolf had the strength to run.

“I know it’s not Salvatore,” she said, repeating her conviction. Honor and determination flowed in his veins, and he hadn’t lied to her—not once.

“What makes you so certain?”

“If he’d wanted to force the issue of mating me, he could have. He’s stronger than I am, more dominant and there was a part of me ready to grapple with it if he had claimed me.” Admitting those words aloud left her raw and exposed. “He respected my indecision and my need to make things right without breaking my oath on every level.”

“Then our only option is the sister. We need to identify if she is the problem…”

Dread curdled in her stomach. “You already told him he could have his sister.”

“If she is the victim, yes. If she is making a play to stage a coup or form a sixth pack, she is inciting war. If we do not eliminate her and the threat completely, the other packs will be at war.” Julian gave her a cool look. “So decide right now, Margo. Can you do this? Can you protect our packs even if it means executing your mate’s sister?”

Fuck. Me.

Chapter Twelve

He gave Margo and Julian their privacy, but he kept the cabin within sight. The Willow Bend wolves were well organized, he’d give Mason credit. It had taken a single phone call, then the Alpha gave him directions to a highway. The Hunter and healer met him on the road. Gillian had crawled into the back of the vehicle with Margo while the Hunter directed him to the sprawling cabin resort. Tucked into the hills, the resort offered a series of private cabins, none within visual or auditory range of the others.

A depot of sorts, from what Salvatore could tell, and where the Hunter and his mate were currently staying. The Hunter hadn’t taken his gaze off Salvatore until Mason arrived. The next twenty-four hours passed in tense waiting as Margo shifted, time and again. Damn soft bullet shredded muscle and shattered bone. It took Gillian hours of repeated treatments and a pair of very sharp forceps to dig out the metallic pieces, which moved and tore more muscle and bone each time Margo changed.

Only the arrival of his wolves accompanied by the Enforcer Margo sent to them and Mason’s assurance that he’d deal with the Enforcers kept Salvatore grounded. The other Alpha proved trustworthy and his concern for Margo’s wellbeing genuine.

Odd considering the animosity between them. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he paced to the edge of the wood and stared into the trees. While he didn’t pretend to understand the Lone Wolves, he did appreciate the dedication to providing them with a support structure that, while not pack, looked after them the same.

Mason approached from upwind, giving Salvatore notice. Giovanni and the other three Centurions he’d brought with him were ranged in a loose square around the cabin. In turn, Mason’s Hunters were ranged out around them. Whomever the human was that attacked Margo would not be given a second chance.

“I’m surprised you left her with Julian,” Mason said by way of greeting. He nudged aside a low hanging limb and circled the tree. “I didn’t expect that.”

“She is more than capable of defending herself against one wolf.” Though that wolf would be dead if even the hint of attack reached Salvatore. His mate was a proud woman, and a powerful wolf in her own right. No matter how much he wanted to stand in front of her before all threats, he’d lose her swiftly if he attempted it. She was not meant to follow him or hide behind him—but stand at his side. He’d walked alone long enough to appreciate the difference.

“Fair enough.” Mason folded his arms and leaned against the tree. “I wanted to talk to you, anyway.”

Unsurprising. Why else would an Alpha seek out another Alpha? His wolf remained wary even as Salvatore kept his posture relaxed. Like him, Mason Clayborne would make a formidable enemy, but the Alpha was still young and new to his power. He possessed optimism and vigor, daring to test the boundaries of most social conventions. Every generation had those opportunities, more power to Mason if he took advantage of them while others would indulge him.

Still, it was better to remind him when on equal footing, all exchanges required balance. “I have questions for you as well, so I appreciate your seeking me out.” Thus putting Mason in the role of needing something. The other man snorted, but he also grinned.

“Walked right into that one.”

“Indeed.” A good sense of humor would serve the man in the long term. “Though I do have questions for you, if you would be willing to answer them.”

“Fair enough. Go first, since you
are
the guest.” The counter move was well-played, though it lacked finesse.

“Perhaps, but you came to me, so it is I who should allow you to go first.”

Mason laughed, then waved his hand. “We could be here dancing this dance all day and, I don’t know about you, but my tolerance for bullshit is only so high. Let’s just call this round a draw and move on, shall we?”

Interesting—a concession without conceding. His wolf tensed. Giving in wasn’t in their nature. Ever. Still a draw was not a loss nor acknowledging dominance. What it did say was they had better discussions to have than determining who was the more formidable. “As your guest, I will honor your request. We shall call it a draw.”

The barb landed and Mason’s eyes narrowed. Good. Young and optimistic should never regress to naiveté. He
had
proposed the concession.

“You know what, fuck it, a draw is a draw.” The energy simmering in the air around him relaxed and Salvatore spared a glance toward the cabin. No racket rose to give him an inclination to what went on between Margo and Julian beyond their conversation. His wolf wanted to check on her, but the man meant his earlier words. He did trust her to take care of herself.

And he was right there.

“I need to know your intentions where Margo is concerned.” The statement surprised him.

“Why do you care? My understanding is the two of you are hardly friends.”

“We’re not.” Mason didn’t hesitate on that point. “I owe her for my mate and my child. I also don’t want to see her used or hurt.”

“Be very careful where you go with that question.” From her father or brothers, Salvatore would tolerate such insolence. They had the right to look after her, though apparently they’d forsaken the right years before. Mason, on the other hand, wasn’t her Alpha.

Quiet knowledge reflected within the depths of Mason’s narrowed eyes. “Are you using her to achieve your goals with the Enforcers? Manipulating her emotions so she’ll choose your side should your sister’s actions prove criminal?”

“Do you really want to die today?” Though neither moved, he sensed the other’s power growing even as his own did. Wolves crouched in preparation for battle.

“Not on my agenda, no. I have dinner plans later.” Nothing friendly lived in his smile. “So answer the question, swear it and I’ll believe you. Whether you like who’s asking or not, I will stand against the Enforcers to protect her, and I’ll stand against you.”

Damned Americans.
“She is mine,” Salvatore said, unflinching at the offer of battle. The other Alpha might be younger and confident, but Salvatore had won more battles than this pup had lived in years. “Come between me and what is mine and I will end you.”