The Heir (5 page)

On the coffee table there were empty soda
cans, bags of chips and remotes. Remotes to the television, sound
system and every video game console in the market. Directly in
front of the coffee table sat a fifty inch flat screen television
on a stand that also housed the game consoles.

One look around the living room and it was
blatantly obvious to anyone who visited, that the home owner was
one happy bachelor.

And that's the way Nick liked it. He didn’t
want anyone-Kate- getting any ideas that he was ready for a
mate.

He sat on the leather chair, leaving no room
for unwanted company. The girls took a seat on the sofa, not before
wiping the cushions, and Matt went to lean against the wall behind
Nick.

Sarah glared at Matt before turning to look
at Nick. "We're not going to attack you. Why don't you send
the...mutt, outside? “

Matt stiffened at the insult and straightened
up. Anger rolling out of him in spades, he turned and took a step
towards the entrance hall. If he stayed he didn’t know if he would
be able to stop himself from grabbing Sarah, bending her over his
knees and giving her sweet ass the spanking of her life.

At the thought of touching her ass, memories
came rushing back of a time when Sarah didn’t treat him like the
scum of the earth. He didn’t know what went wrong but he wished he
did so he could fix it.

Closing his eyes he could still vividly
remember the last time they’d been together and happy. Then
suddenly she stopped coming to visit for months and when she
finally began to visit again, she was no longer the same.

She’d changed and Matt couldn’t understand
why.

He'd just taken another step when Nick's
words stopped him.

"I am Alpha here. This is my house. I decide
who stays and who goes. Matt is not only my best friend but my
second and as such he deserves the respect of anyone who visits,
not only this house but my territory. If you don't like it, get the
fuck out-and I don't mean just out of my house"

His declaration shocked them all.

Matt froze mid step, Nick’s words deflating
his anger. Kate and Sarah both gasped and looked straight at Nick
earning them a threatening growl. Immediately they looked down and
concentrated on the floor.

With one hand he indicated Matt to return to
his place while he pushed himself up and off the chair with the
other. In three long strides he stood in front of Sarah and Kate,
and ordered his sister to apologize.

Sarah, looking at the floor, did so meekly.
"My apologies Enforcer"

"I'm not just your brother anymore Sarah. The
day I walked away from our fathers pack, I created my own. That day
I promised to protect the people that chose to follow me with my
life. They all suffered enough in the Pacific Pack and I will do
everything in my power to keep my people from suffering now. Even
if it means turning you out"

Nick knew he was being harsh, but he spoke
the truth. Every member in his pack could have stayed behind, yet
they'd chosen to follow him; a nineteen year old with no
destination in mind.

Looking at the flourishing pack now, no one
could believe it was the same pack from three years ago. Yet they
were and each member had in one way or another proved their loyalty
to him. Through thick and thin they had stuck with him and he could
do no less in return, his honor wouldn't allow him to.

"I'm sorry Nick"

"I don’t know what made you change, you
didn’t act like this before, but your pure blood makes you no
better than anyone else, definitely not better than any of my
people." Nick released a sigh full of pent up frustration and ran a
hand through his hair. "Your nineteen now; the same age I was when
I left home. I think it’s time you started acting like the grown up
you’re supposed to be. If not...then don't come by anymore."

Nick turned away from his sister and scrubbed
his face. He looked tired and older than his twenty-two. For the
first time Matt understood just how much Nick had been forced to
grow up. In that second Matt realized just how much responsibility
Nick had been carrying around on his shoulders since that faithful
day three years ago.

Yes they were the same age. Yes some could
say that they'd carried the same load all along but Matt didn't
agree. If Matt fucked up he could always count on Nick being there
to fix everything, unfortunately the same couldn't be said for
Nick.

In their world a weak leader, was no
leader.

If he couldn't take care of his own problems,
how could you expect him to take care of you and yours? No, even
though they were best friends-brothers even; in some instance Nick
couldn't count on anyone but himself, no matter how much Matt or
Nick wished it otherwise.

Sensing his stare, Nick looked at Matt
straight in the eye.

What Matt did next shocked Nick so much he
took an involuntary step back.

Matt went down on one knee and leaned his
head back and to the side. He did so willingly, not because the
Alpha or protocol demanded it but because he wanted to. In their
world, that was the biggest sign of respect; and in Matt's case a
show of voluntary submission. Nick never expected it from him.
Truthfully Matt never expected it from himself.

Once Nick had recovered from his shock, he
went up to Matt and extended his hand down to him helping him back
to his feet and they shared a look, friend to friend, that spoke
volumes.

With that settled Matt went back to leaning
against the wall, 'Enforcer' mask back in place and Nick turned
back to face his sister and Kate. Seeing the scowl on his face, the
amusement quickly left the two females faces.

"Why are you guys here?" He raised a hand to
stop whatever they were about to say and continued. "Please save me
from smelling the sour scent of your lies. Let’s not insult
ourselves by treating each other like humans"

That brought the girls up short. Nick could
smell their consternation and apprehension but from Kate he could
also scent the lust directed towards him. The stench had his
stomach churning, and it took everything in him to ignore the foul
odor like everyone else.

It was in moments like this that he was glad
he'd taught himself how to conceal his most powerful emotions.
Otherwise the rancid scent coming from Kate would be overshadowed
by the bitterness of his disgust.

"Well?"

Under his watch full gaze, Sarah fidgeted in
her seat but before she could say a word, Kate spoke up. "The
Alpha, my father -and I-think you should spend more time with your
future mate. So here I am"

Nick nodded "you know what? I think you’re
Alpha, your father- and you -are right." Kate beamed at his easy
acceptance but his next words washed the smile away. "Thank you for
pointing out the error of my ways but I promise you that as soon as
you leave I will do everything in my power to rectify my
mistake."

"What?"

"As soon as you leave I will go look for my
chosen mate so we can spend that quality time you are talking
about." He spoke slowly as is speaking to a simpleton.

"But you and I-"

"Are nothing, we never were and never will
be"

"But the Alpha-your father"

"I am Alpha here and my father has no say in
my life. All that stopped the day he tried to pair me up with
you"

On the last word he looked her up and down
and shuddered with disgust. Suddenly the room was bombarded with
the acrid smell of burning peppers coming from her. Some would say
he was being too hard, but those who knew their history would say
he wasn't being hard enough.

"Go home; your pure blood doesn't interest
me."

With those parting words he turned around and
headed to his backyard; leaving Matt to deal with the aftermath. If
he knew Kate-and he did she'd be giving him hell all the way to the
door, hopefully the warning he'd given his little sister kept her
from joining her best friend and insulting Matt.

As much as he loved her, he hadn't lied. If
she couldn't learn to respect his people then she would be banned
from his territory. Suddenly he caught her scent and he snapped
around to find her rushing towards him.

"What do you need Sarah?"

For a second she looked like she wanted to
say something but then she looked over her shoulder, as if she
feared something, and she shook her head. "Nothing, I just wanted
to let you know that I really am sorry for being a pain."

“Are you sure you’re ok? Whatever it is, you
know you can come to me right?”

Sarah looked over her shoulder and Nick
followed her gaze to where Kate stood waiting for her.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Sarah told him.

Nick opened his arms and she stepped into
them.

"As long as you behave, you will always be
welcomed.” He murmured against her hair. “And if you need me I’m
only a call away."

"Thanks Nick" She stood on her tip toes and
gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Love you"

"Love you too"

"Bye"

"Not going to kiss me good bye too?" Matt
asked from behind her, unable to keep himself from wishing for the
right answer.

Sarah walked away without looking at him.
That was the wrong answer.

Watching her walk away, all that ran through
his mind were the memories of her previous visit. One day, he would
get all the right answers from her and when he did, he wasn't
letting her go like last time.

"When I claim my mate everything will be
perfect.” Nick told him, pulling him back from his thoughts.

"What if she rejects you?"

"I won’t allow it, willing or not she is
mine." With that Nick turned and headed to the back of his house
once again. "She is the means to the end and there's no way I will
take no for an answer."

“You are going to go caveman on her?" Matt
asked sarcastically, following close behind.

Nick shrugged and replied, "If I have
to."

His backyard was bordered by a large forest
and that's where they headed. They crossed the backyard in silence,
each man lost in their own thoughts. Once they were surrounded by
trees they made their way towards their favorite spot.

Nick pushed all of the morning’s occurrences
to the back of his mind. When they reached their destination, he
undressed and methodically folded his clothes before setting them
down next to the nearest tree.

Matt also began to undress but Nick stopped
him and urged him to go to bed then raised his hand to stop Matt's
protests "I'll be fine on my own and you need the rest."

"Take Axel with you"

"One hour." He compromised knowing Matt
wouldn't give up. "Give me one hour and then send him"

Matt conceded reluctantly and turned to walk
back to the house. Nick watched him walk away and shook his head
when he saw Matt pull out his always present to call Axel .

For some reason-unknown to him- Matt often
chose to forget that Nick could take care of himself. But he knew
that Matt only worried about his safety and any insult he felt
about having a babysitter had to be ignored.

When Matt went inside, Nick turned around and
made his way deeper into the woods.

As he walked he deepened his breaths and
concentrated on the world around him. When he noticed nothing amiss
he turned his concentration inward-on his body.

In his mind, he pictured his wolf and kept
his eyes closed as he began to shift. He felt his bones crack and
shift. Tufts of fur sprouted all over his body. His nose grew long
into a snout. His teeth elongated, his feet and hands became
paws.

The transformation took only seconds.

When Nick next opened his eyes, it was to
look at the world around him from a completely different point of
view. His eyesight, hearing and sense of smell-everything really,
were ten times better and Nick loved it. To prove his point he let
out a howl of pleasure and took off.

Freedom

It ran through him in rush after rush of
pleasure. The deeper he got into the woods, the more he relaxed. It
felt wonderful-to be able lock away his troubles for the time
being.

Slowly, he let the strings he kept tightly
wrapped around his wolf and his control hang loose. With every
step, his wolf took over a little more. Forcing his human half to
take the back seat-not entirely, that could be dangerous but enough
for him to be able to relax.

A task easily accomplished because as a wolf
he found it so much easier to enjoy the world around him.

In his current body it was difficult to
concentrate and worry about human trivialities. He only worried
about catching his prey, marking his territory, and running until
he could run no more and reaching the stream where he could quench
his thirst and rest.

With no destination in mind he picked up the
pace until he was running as fast as he could. His legs carried him
through the woods at a blinding speed. The trees he passed were
nothing more than blurred shapes.

He knew this forest like the back of his hand
and he headed for his favorite spot.

That's where Axel, also in wolf form, found
him fifty-nine minutes later. Nick was resting, head on his paws,
on top of his favorite boulder by the stream. Only the thump oh his
tail acknowledged his bodyguards presence and Axel took that as
permission to join him and went to sit beside his Alpha.

They lay there, under the warmth of the sun,
enjoying the tranquility of the forest until boredom set in. When
it was time to play he got up and made a dash for the woods. As
time passed they were joined by others of his pack. They'd been
lured into the woods by his joy filled howls.

For hours they ran and Nick’s joy soared.
Even though he loved running on his own, the wolf wasn't a solitary
animal and running with his Pack made him just as happy. They ran
as one and when hunger set in, hunted as one; and once they'd
filled their stomachs and quenched their thirst they headed back to
the house.