Marcia mumbled something that sounded vaguely like a yes, then grabbed her friends and scurried into the building ahead of me.
Chapter Eight
Slade
“Wait up,” someone called from behind me. I slowed down but didn’t stop. Merrick had been trying to get me alone since I left him in the parking lot this morning. “I know you heard me, Slade. Stop!”
After a few feet, I stopped walking. This was pointless. He wouldn’t give up. I needed to deal with him and get it over with before he unsettled my wolf and set me off. “What?”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
I didn’t bother denying it. Other than Risa, I avoided all of them when possible. “I’m not in the mood to deal with your shit right now.”
“You don’t even know what I want.”
“Yeah, I do. You wanna bitch about Kensey.” Merrick was always bitching about something. The guy thrived on chaos and upheaval. We were more rivals than friends, and I never let my guard down when he was around.
“She’s the enemy, man.”
“She’s just a girl,” I corrected. Was she my favorite person? Fuck, no. She might have been close at one time. But she’d grown up and now saw me in the same light as the rest of them. Trash. Regardless, she didn’t deserve what her dad had in store for her—and if there was a chance she could set me free…
“This is a respect thing, isn’t it?” Merrick’s expression darkened. The spark of anger in his eyes changed into something greedy. “You bed the bitch, and Gavin sees you in a whole new light.” His lip curled upward, and his eyes gleamed with an odd sort of appreciation. “He sees you as worthy.”
I didn’t give a shit what Gavin thought of me—but Merrick didn’t need to know that. He’d been trying to win the old dog’s favor—without success—for years. I’d given up telling him it was pointless. Nothing anyone could do—short of overthrowing the system or stealing a cool million—would get his attention. “Gotta admit that she’s not hard on the eyes, either.”
Merrick snorted. “Couldn’t tell. There might be a hottie under all that flannel.”
He made a perfectly reasonable point. Kensey wanted to sell this?
That’s exactly what I planned to do.
…
For the second time that day, I found myself on the Deaton porch. We’d managed to fake it through our first full day—barely. This would be the real test. The announcement ceremony was a werewolf tradition dating back to the early 1400s. It signaled the start of an official Courting—the joining of two packs for the purpose of combining physical and mental resources and shoring up numbers. They’d been done away with in the late Sixties, but it was every alpha’s choice to dig up the tradition.
Muffled voices and a small commotion on the other end of the door was followed by a creak as it slowly opened. A pair of huge brown eyes and a dimpled face surrounded by a mass of thick strawberry curls peered back at me.
“I honestly thought this was all some big joke.” Amanda, Kensey’s younger sister, leaned against the doorframe. She pulled the door wider and pushed open the screen, gesturing me inside. “You’re either stupid or really brave.”
I quirked my brow.
She rolled her eyes and closed the door. “Anyone who even attempts to date my sister has to have a set of brass—”
“Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t badger Slade when he got here?” Kensey drifted down the stairs.
At least it sounded like her. The person coming toward us was someone I’d never seen before. She had her wild hair pulled back and swept into an artfully messy knot atop her head. The flannel and denim were gone, replaced by layers of lace and fluff.
I snickered as she reached the bottom. “Pink? Really? Did you—”
Her eyes narrowed.
Right. Boyfriend. Compliments, kisses, smiles—that sort of shit. “I mean, you, uh, look nice.”
Amanda groaned and rolled her eyes once more then bounded out of the room.
“Believe me…” Kensey came up beside me and settled against the wall. She blew at a stray stand of hair that had slipped from the knot and fluttered into her face. “This was not my idea.”
I took another, longer look. She didn’t look bad. The dress was fitted to showcase her slender form, while the obnoxiously bright pink heels gave her just a bit of height. Now we were almost eye to eye. Her hair and makeup, though, those were perfect—but I didn’t dare tell her that. Last thing I needed was for her to get the wrong idea.
“It could have been worse,” I said, holding my hand out to her. “The color sucks, but the dress itself isn’t bad. They could have made you wear one of those prom nightmare monstrosities.”
“We’re ready to begin.” A tall brunette emerged from the other end of the hall. Her gaze fell on me, and her lips twisted in disgust. “You better get changed.”
“Changed?” I said. “Why the hell would you think I was changing?”
“You’re wearing that?” The woman glanced from me to Kensey, whose eyes were wide.
Kensey gnawed on her bottom lip as she took another look at me. I was sure she’d complain. She wanted to. I could see it in her expression. Instead, though, she tugged me forward. Horrified, the woman stepped aside to let us pass.
I’d never been to one of these things before. The packs had stopped doing them way before I’d been born. But when I entered the dining room, the woman’s irritation over my black jeans, scuffed boots, and blue button-down shirt made sense.
Most of the women were dressed more formal than Kensey, and the men were all in tuxedos. Even the room itself, which was empty of the typical dining room staples, was fancier than I was. On three sides of the room, emissaries from each of the families sat in chairs along the walls swathed in pristine white and black—the Deaton colors. From what I’d heard, my family’s colors were supposed to be represented as well, but I guessed red and black didn’t quite go with their décor.
At the front of the room, Sam Deaton cleared his throat. He stood behind a podium and watched the room with a casual yet commanding glare. “If you two would kindly step to the center of the room, we can begin.”
There was an arctic chill in his voice, and I got the feeling if he could shift and rip out my throat right here and now without breaking his own rules, he would have done so in a heartbeat. But he’d protected me and every other wolf in the coalition. We were forbidden to shed the lifeblood of one of our own. A little maiming on the other hand? That happened all the time.
“We are here this evening to witness the announcement of intent to merge. Kensey Rebekah Deaton…and Gavin Slade McAlister have expressed—”
The slam of a door stopped Sam mid-sentence, followed by the eerily familiar thump of heavy footfalls accented by the jingle of boot chains. “Looks like my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, Sammy-Boy.”
All eyes turned to my dad as he sauntered through the doorway like he owned the joint. Behind him were Mick and Teegen, his two top-level enforcers.
He leaned against the wall as Sam struggled to regain his composure. The guy was mostly unflappable, but I’d seen him loose his shit where my dad was concerned.
“Gavin. We were wondering when you’d arrive. Please…” He gestured to the single empty chair at the end of the row. I knew damned well it wasn’t meant for him. Sam didn’t tell him, and I sure as hell hadn’t. It had to be Merrick. “Take a seat so we can proceed.”
Gavin motioned for Teegan and Mick to follow. He sank into the chair while they settled on either side of him, watching the room like hawks.
“Slade and Kensey go forward with the intent of joining their two packs. To unite the Deaton flame with the McAlister allure. As the head of this coalition, I declare that this day begins their Courting—with several contingencies. All official mandates are in effect going forward, and the couple will be watched closely. In one month’s time, we shall reconvene to assess their progress.”
“Assess progress?” Kensey
blurted. “What the hell does that mean?”
A collective gasp rolled through the room. While I’d never seen one of these things play out, my mother had been a history buff. She made sure I knew mine. These ceremonies were stiff. Rigid and scripted. You didn’t speak unless spoken to, and you never, ever challenged the coalition leader’s decree.
“It means we will evaluate the validity of this pairing,” he answered, unphased. “If at any time this relationship is deemed false, or it is discovered that the McAlister wolf has used his pack ability to gain control of you, you forfeit the right to choose your mate.” Kensey opened her mouth, but Sam wasn’t done. He turned to me and, with a wicked gleam in his eyes, added, “And Slade, should this coalition find that you have entered into this with intentions other than a permanent pairing, you will be banished. Those are the terms. I will give you one final chance to step aside.”
The thing I wanted most of all was to be free of my pack. Unfortunately, there was a right—and wrong—way to go about it. Banished wolves were branded. They were marked for all to see, essentially targets. If you were banished, it meant you were fair game. Most wolves didn’t survive the first year.
Deaton was sharp. You didn’t run a corporate empire and police a coalition of werewolves without being smarter than your average bear. He knew this whole thing was a bag of bullshit.
Kensey’s hand trembled in mine. Common sense told me to pull away. To get the fuck out of Dodge before I opened my mouth and did something there was no coming back from. When it was just my freedom at stake, I was sure we could pull this off. Now that banishment was on the table? I wasn’t so confident.
But where would that leave her?
In the possession of Carter Pennington.
I might share some of my dad’s uglier traits, but my mom had been a good wolf. An honorable wolf. She would have never condoned feeding an innocent girl to the sharks. I was a bastard, but I just couldn’t do it.
I took a deep breath and gave Kensey’s hand a quick squeeze. I hoped she was ready. We were about to pull off the dupe of a lifetime.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Nine
Kensey
My father had fumed for a few minutes before announcing dinner would be served out back and storming from the room. I knew he was hoping his threat would scare Slade off. Hell, for the longest moment of my life, I was sure it had.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I set my fork down. Dinner had been amazing—nothing but the best in the Deaton house—and everyone had drifted toward the makeshift dance floor at the back of the yard, leaving Slade and me alone at the table. I wanted to say more, but the representatives from the Berkshire pack were here. They had heightened senses of smell and an ability to hear a whisper from a hundred feet away in human form. One wrong word and my epic fake romance would be over before it got off the ground.
Slade nodded. He glanced across the yard just as the Berkshire alpha turned in our direction. “You know I would do anything for you.”
It was for show. Part of the act. But it made me warm all over. He probably didn’t remember it, God knew it was so long ago, but he’d said that to me once before, when we were kids. Just after my mother had died.
I smiled and nodded to the dance floor. “Do you want to—”
A hand clasped my shoulder and gave a jarring shake. “I want to congratulate the happy couple.”
Slade’s entire body went rigid, and his fingers gripped the edge of the table. I could almost see the clouds roll in, turning his slate gray eyes stormy. “Noted.” He pushed away and held out his hand to me. “Ready?”
Gavin McAlister wedged himself between us. “Now, now, now. Not so fast. I’d like to say hello to my future daughter-in-law. Get a good look at her.”
His gaze was like a suffocating cloud, roaming from tip to toe and back again. The way it caught on my chest made me feel dirty and sick. It also made me want to knee him in the nuts, while at the same time move just a little closer.
“Thank you, sir,” I found myself saying, even though in the back of my mind, the words were coming out far more colorful. “We’re so glad you could make it.”
Slade stiffened.
“Are you, now?” Gavin chuckled. “Considering Slade, here, forgot to tell me about this little shindig, that’s a bit surprising.” He waved it off. “But no matter. I’m here now and so proud that my boy managed to snare a pretty little thing like you.”
I laughed. No. That wasn’t right. I giggled. Giggled? “Thank you.”
“You done?” Slade stood and took my hand. He tugged me around his father—which was depressing. For some reason, I wanted to stay and talk to him. “’Cause we were leaving.” He took a step, then came to an abrupt stop. “And if you ever flip your switch on her again, I’ll fucking destroy you.”
Gavin snickered, and my stomach turned. Bile rose in my throat. Of course, that’s what happened. He gave a sweeping gesture and a little bow. “I look forward to seeing you again soon, Kensey. Perhaps you should come to dinner. Get to know my crew.”
The way he said crew made it sound almost dirty—but not as dirty as realizing he’d hit me with his mojo. Thankfully, I didn’t have time to dwell. Slade steered me away from him and through the crowd. We made it to the center of the dance floor before he got a chance to say anything more.
“Sorry about that.” I couldn’t tell if he was apologizing for his father or for the fact that he’d wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You didn’t want him here tonight.” It wasn’t a question. There was no doubt Slade was furious when Gavin showed up. They’d never gotten along well. But this was something different. I’d heard rumors about the relationship between them and how it’d taken a turn for the worse, but I didn’t know the fact from the fiction, and it felt wrong to ask.
He stiffened. It didn’t last, though. He shook it off and took a deep breath. “No. I didn’t. Can you blame me?”
“Guess not.” He spun me gently as one song seamlessly melded into the next. “What—”
The song ended, and he let go and took an abrupt step back. “Need some air.”
We were outside. In the air. “Okay. Want company?”
He half-shrugged then took a look around. He must have spied someone watching us, because he plastered on a smile and took my hand. “Only if it’s you.”
I let Slade lead me around the house, to the front steps. Once we were away from prying eyes, he dropped my hand like it was a live grenade and settled on the edge of the porch. “I’ll give Sam one thing.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. After taking a long pull, he said, “Guy knows how to throw a party.”
Slade had never been laid back. Even when we were kids, he was guarded. Cautious and on edge at all times. Now, though, it was so much more than that. He was like one of his guitar strings, taut and ready to snap. “Well, you sat through this. Now it’s your turn. What’s the plan?”
He took another pull from the flask. “Plan?”
“What do you want to do?” They’d all treated him horribly, yet he’d been nothing but gracious and held our cover together perfectly. I owed him.
“What are my options?”
“Anything.”
His eyebrows lifted, and the ghost of a smile shadowed his expression. “Anything?”
“Anything,” I repeated. The way his lip lifted, and the twitch of his cheek, made me a little nervous—and just a smidge excited.
“Then you should probably go change, Princess. Wouldn’t want to ruin that dress…”
Chapter Ten
Slade
I’d made some calls while Kensey changed, and we were currently waiting at the edge of the woods in the back of my yard.
“You still haven’t told me what we’re doing.” She kept scanning the area like at any moment something might jump from the trees and swallow her whole.
“We’re waiting.”
“For…?”
/> “Does it matter? You said anything…”
“I did,” she agreed cautiously. She’d changed into a worn pair of jeans and a T-shirt that said Rogues do it from behind. A favorite of her dad’s, I bet. “And I get the feeling that I made a huge mistake.”
“Yo!” a voice called through the darkness. A moment later, a small group came into view, led by Devo. “We doing this?”
He held out his fist, and I bumped it, letting out a hoot. The sound echoed through the trees and lingered before fading into the night. I hadn’t hung out with them in a while. Lately, I’d been staying to myself more. It was partially because it had become harder to keep my temper in check and partially because I didn’t know how to face them some days. Only Risa knew the things Gavin made me do for him. Violent, horrible things that a part of me deep inside liked. If the others found out…
“Hell yeah we are.” I turned to Kensey and pointed to each one of the newcomers. “You know Devo and Rissa. That’s Harper, Stannick, Wade, and Miller.”
“Kensey…” Miller adjusted his baseball hat and quirked his head. I didn’t miss the hint of caution in his voice as he squinted against the dark and leaned a little closer to her. “You’re Deaton’s daughter?”
“It’s cool, man. She’s with me. We’re good.”
Miller didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded. “Right. Well, who’s it then?”
Kensey shifted uncomfortably. “It?”
“It’s a combination of tag and hide and seek,” Risa answered with a wink. She shrugged out of her sweater and let it fall to the ground. “I’ll be it.”
“Oh.” Kensey relaxed a little.
Or she did—until Risa kicked off her shoes and started pulling her shirt over her head. The moon was almost full, and the night was clear. Each and every shade—from pale white to the bright red that flushed Kensey’s cheeks when Risa shrugged out of her jeans and let them fall to the ground below—was perfectly visible, not to mention funny as hell. Even my wolf found it amusing.
Just as Risa was about to remove her bra, Kensey held up a hand. “Whoa! Am I missing something here? Since when was hide and seek played naked?”