Wolfsong (57 page)

“Yeah, Ox,” he said, sounding fond. “I know.”

Joe kept a blank expression.

A laptop was open on the desk. I thought it was Robbie’s. I didn’t have one. I dealt too much with the computer at the garage to ever want one at home. Joe sat in the desk chair, and I pulled a second chair next to him.

Robbie pulled out his phone and typed a message. It was a moment before his phone pinged and he sent a response. He shoved the phone back in his pocket before turning the laptop toward himself. He clicked on Skype and said, “She’ll call you in a minute.” He put the laptop back in front of us and left the office, closing the door behind him.

Joe waited a beat before saying, “It’s going to be a long time before he sees me as anything but an enemy.”

I rolled my eyes. “He doesn’t think you’re an enemy.”

“He thinks I’m
something
.”

“You
are
something.”

Joe smiled. “Probably thinking of two different things, Ox.”

I took his hand in mine, still marveling that I could do this. We’d stayed in the old house, Joe in my bed every night. It was cramped and small, but it gave us the excuse to sleep on top of each other. I didn’t need distance from him now. I probably wouldn’t for a long while.

“He’ll get there,” I said. “I told you what he said about Kelly. Maybe we could—”

The computer chimed. A little flashing screen popped up.

“Ready?” Joe asked.

I kissed him once, brief and sweet.

I said, “Yeah, Joe.”

He squeezed my hand and then connected the call.

I didn’t know what I expected her to look like. If I were being honest, I hadn’t given much thought to this Alpha at all. She didn’t know me. She didn’t know my pack, not really. She might have been the big Alpha, but what she did meant nothing to me in the long run. She hadn’t come after me and mine, but she hadn’t done anything to protect them either.

But she was young, younger than I thought she’d be. Maybe in her late thirties, early forties. She looked calm, relaxed even, her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, the white collared shirt she wore opened a few buttons at the throat. She didn’t scream Alpha, but I’d only met a few in my life that I could compare her to.

She didn’t smile when she saw us on the screen, but instead flicked her gaze between the two of us. I realized this was the first time she’d seen us, though she’d probably heard about us plenty. We probably were not what she expected, either.

For some reason, I didn’t think that speaking first was going to be right for Joe and me. Joe must have thought the same thing, because we both waited.

“You won’t remember me, Alpha Bennett,” she said, voice even. “You were probably only five or six the first time we met. But I remember you. Your father was…. Well. He was a good man. My condolences.”

“Thank you,” Joe said, rather stiffly. “That’s kind of you to say.”

She nodded at him, then looked back at me. I refused to be intimidated by her. I don’t know how much I succeeded in that. “Alpha Matheson,” she said. “Curious thing.”

I didn’t know if I should be offended or not. “How so?”

“I’ve never met someone quite like you before,” she said. “For all intents and purposes, you appear to be one of a kind.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said honestly. “And you don’t have to call me Alpha. It’s just Ox.”

“Really.” She sounded amused. “Just Ox.”

“It’s a sign of respect,” Joe said to me.

“I know,” I said. “But nobody else calls me that. I don’t need her to either.”

“Curious,” she said again. “We could dispense with the pleasantries, I suppose. I was never one to stand on ceremony.”

“What did you want, Michelle?” Joe asked.

She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That list is a mile long.”

“Why don’t we just start with the things you want from us,” Joe said. “Seems like it’d be easier that way.”

“I don’t recall saying I wanted anything from you.”

“You didn’t have to,” Joe said. “It was implied.”

“Fair,” she said. The smile dropped off her face. “Where have you been the last three years?”

Joe tensed next to me. “You know where we were.”

“Not the specifics.”

“Specifically, we were everywhere. We didn’t stay in one place. Funny how that worked.”

Her fingers tapped on the desk as she leaned back in her chair. “But you never caught up with him. Richard, I mean.”

“No,” Joe said stonily.

“And Robert Livingstone? Osmond? Anything from them?”

“No.”

“Why is that?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Joe said. “Why don’t you ask the teams you sent out? They didn’t seem to have any better luck.”

“Yes.” She frowned. “That. That… was disappointing, to say the least. Why do you think that was?”

“Because he’s smart,” Joe said. “And ruthless. Something your people could never be.”

“And you could?” she asked, and I squeezed Joe’s hand out of sight, because
careful
,
careful
.

He knew what I was trying to say. I couldn’t feel him yet, not like I used to, but I didn’t think it would be long. The packs were going to come together. They had to. I didn’t really see any other way it could be.

“I did what I had to do,” Joe said.

“And your pack,” she said.

“They did as well. We were all in agreement.”

She glanced at me. “Were you?”

“Yes.”

“Where is Richard Collins?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you came back.”

“It was time.”

“It had nothing to do with the King clan, then?”

Joe said nothing.

Michelle sighed. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“We didn’t ask for your help,” Joe said.

“You’ll need it. If he comes again.”

Joe snorted. “He’s already come twice. He’s already taken from me. Where were you then?”

She didn’t even flinch. She was very good. “Things are different now.”

“They are,” Joe agreed. “But that doesn’t change anything between us. You and I both know that my desire to lead ended when my father was taken from me. I don’t care about that. Not anymore. You can have it. Do with it what you will.”

“You don’t trust me,” she said.

“No,” Joe said coolly. “I don’t. I don’t trust any of you. You did nothing to help my father. And, in fact, you sent someone who betrayed us. So forgive me if appeasing your guilt isn’t one of my first priorities.”

“I’m not asking you to appease
anything
,” she said, that hardened exterior cracking just a little. “This doesn’t affect just you, Joe. Richard Collins is an enemy to
all
of us. We’re supposed to work together. To stop him. To
end
this.”

Claws pricked my fingers as Joe’s grip tightened. “You should have thought of that when you had the chance to end this after he took me when I was a kid. You
had
him and you—”

“I wasn’t even
part
of this then—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Joe interrupted. “You are the Alpha of the wolves now. Everything that has come before you now rests on
you
.”

“I could send someone there,” she said. “Multiple someones, if I was inclined.”

“Actually, you couldn’t,” I said.

She glared at me. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m the Alpha of this territory,” I said. “And you are not welcome here.”

She laughed. “Mr. Matheson, I assure you, I don’t
need
your permission. If anything, you answer to me now.”

“I don’t answer to anyone except for my pack,” I said. “And I
assure
you, if you think otherwise, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.”

She looked back and forth between us, her mask slipping just a bit further. “Can’t you see that I’m just trying to help you? You don’t have to be alone in this.”

“We’re not alone,” Joe said. “We have each other. Our packs.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You can’t both be Alphas and lead the same pack. It doesn’t work that way.”

“You don’t know
how
we work,” I said.

“And you’ll listen to him?” she asked Joe, ignoring me. “The
human
? After everything they’ve done. After everything they
could
do?”

“Speciesist,” Joe said. “Unfortunate. I never thought you of all people would think that way. Osmond did. And so did Richard.”

Her eyes flared red. “I am nothing like them.”

“Maybe not,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. Not now. Not with what could happen.”

“Which is all the more reason to let us
help
you—”

“Three years,” I said. “And this is the first time I’ve heard from you. Why is that?”

She hesitated.

“You knew Joe was gone. You knew some of us remained. And yet you
never
contacted us. Not me. Not Mark. Not even Elizabeth. Why is that?”

“There was no need,” she said stiffly. “You were grieving. Robbie was there telling me what I needed to know.”

“And yet,” Joe said, picking up on the thread, “I’ve been back two weeks and here you are.”

“I figured it was time—”

“No,” Joe said. “You didn’t.”

“Because you didn’t want us,” I said. “You want Joe.”

“He is the Bennett Alpha,” Michelle snapped. “He’s
supposed
to be—”

“My father told me that in order to be a good Alpha, I always need to put the good of the pack first,” Joe said. “Above anything else. Because an Alpha cannot lead if he doesn’t have a pack who will follow him.”

“What good will it be when your pack is gone?” she asked. “Because that’s the risk you run. Joe, I am asking—no, I am
begging
you. Let us help you.”

Joe looked over at me. I made sure my gaze didn’t waver, that he could see every single part of me that I’d built up for him. We still had a long way to go. Those hurts and burns that had scarred my skin over the last three years would take a long time to heal. But I’d given my heart away years ago to a blue-eyed boy who loved and trusted me enough to keep his family safe.

He made a little choking sound, like he hurt deep back in his throat. There was a burst of warmth in my head and chest, and it was
there
, however small, however young, this thread, the tiniest thread and it said
pack
and
love
and
mate mate mate.

Michelle was right. Joe was the Bennett Alpha.

But she didn’t expect me. She didn’t know about me. Whether or not she believed what I was or not, she still thought me weak.

Yes, Joe was the Alpha.

But so was I.

And I would do anything for him. For our pack.

I turned back to Michelle. “You aren’t welcome here. Not now. Not until this is over. Not until we can be sure we can trust you. I’m human. But I am an
Alpha
, and I will do anything for our pack.”

“Even die?” she asked quietly.

Joe froze.

I didn’t. “Even that,” I said, “if it means keeping them safe.”

She nodded. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. Truly. I am sending teams to Oregon. You can’t fight me on that. If they find him first, well. We will do what we can. But if he makes it through, if he comes for all of you, I… I hope you know what you’re asking of me.”

“We do,” I said.

“I hope we’ll talk again soon,” she said. “We have much to discuss. Alpha Bennett, Alpha Matheson.”

The screen went dark.

“That didn’t go like I thought it would,” I muttered.

He didn’t say anything, so I looked over at him. His face had paled slightly.

“What?”

“You were serious.”

“About?”

“Dying for them. For us.”

“No one’s dying, Joe. I was making a point.”

“But you would,” he insisted.

I didn’t know where this was going. So I said, “Yeah, Joe. Yes. For you. For all of you.”

He reached up and gripped the back of my neck, pulling me forward. He pressed his forehead against mine. “You can’t,” he said. “You can’t die.”

“Joe—”

“
Ox
,” he growled.

I sighed. “I can’t promise you anything.”

“Then you stay by my side,” he said. “No matter what happens. You don’t leave my side.”

“You knew this. You know what I would do for them. For you.”

His grip tightened, and he shook me a little. “I don’t
care
,” he said, sounding desperate. “You don’t get to do that. You stay by me.”

“You think he’s coming.”

“I
know
he is.” His eyes burned. I saw a flash of fangs.

“With others. Omegas. Osmond. Robert.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. He’ll come either way. Alone. With an army. He’ll
come
.”

“For you. Because you’re the Bennett Alpha.”

“Yes.”

“This is our territory.”

“Yes.”

“It belonged to your father.”

“Yes.”

“He can’t take this.” I bared my teeth. “Not from you. Not from us. Not from our fucking
pack
.”

“
Yes
,” the wolf said, all snarls and fire.

I kissed him then. Because it was the right thing to do. Because it was the only thing I
wanted
to do.

He kissed me back, urgent and harsh. A single fang pricked my lip, and I tasted the sharp tang of blood,
my
blood, between us.

“Alpha,” he whispered against me.

And I thought
yes
and
yes
and
yes
.

this empty shell/heartbeat

A WEEK
after the call with Michelle Hughes, I stood watching Elizabeth sashay through the kitchen. It was a Sunday. And I’d told her we should have dinner with everyone. Because it was tradition.

Her eyes got very bright at that. She patted my hand, and we both ignored the roughness in her voice when she said, “That’d be nice, Ox. That’d be really nice.”

The humans in my (
our our our
) pack were outside setting the table. Or rather, Jessie was, and Tanner, Rico, and Chris were drinking beer and sitting in frayed lawn chairs they’d pulled out of nowhere.