Fighting for her Mate

13

Nicole watched Barbara set a tray of drinks and crackers on the coffee table in front of the two visitors on the sofa. “There we go. Please, help yourselves.”

“Thank you, ma’am. The flight here was delayed a couple hours and we came straight here, hoping to finish in time to catch the last plane out this evening.”

“Oh,” Barbara breathed a sigh of relief. “Then this meeting should be easy since we aren’t doing anything radical.”

“It should be easy, ma’am. All we need is for Nicole to leave with us.” The room erupted into chaos. Chairs flipped back as bodies sprang from them. Yells got louder as each family member told the visitors where they could go. A loud crack of a bone leading into a shift drew everyone’s eyes to Jake.

Nicole took Jake’s face in her hands and brought him down to her level. “Jake, honey. Look at me.” His normal eye color had given way to the wolf’s. “Listen to me. Calm down. We’re civilized and we will talk like civilized people. No need for a fight. Let’s see what they have to say.” She took his hand and guided him to their chair. The room quieted and the other couples followed suit.

Under any other circumstance, Nicole might have been concerned, but seeing how the entire family had jumped to their feet in her defense helped her keep her s**t together. She looked at the two visitors. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your names and positions within the pack.”

The men looked a bit pale compared to a minute ago. But what did they expect? The taller of the two turned to her. “I’m Paul Montgomery, pack enforcer, and this is Turner White, also an enforcer. Are you Nicole Acosta?” His eyes slid down her curvy frame. A deep growl started low in Jake’s throat. “You must be Jake Wolfe, her mate.”

“Good guess, asshole. Why are you looking at my woman?”

Nic elbowed him in the gut and whispered, “Stop taunting him. Apologize for calling him an ass--”

“No, I’m not apologizing. Did you see the way he looked—” His face scrunched.

“Jake, calm down—”

Paul lifted a hand in placation. “I apologize for the rude stare a moment ago. I wasn’t prepared for someone of your small stature to be the one who took down our alpha.”

Nicole elbowed Jake again and gave him a “see, I told you there was a reason” look. She swiveled to Paul. “Yes, it is a bit shocking. But size doesn’t always reflect inner strength and determination when it comes to survival instinct.”

Paul nodded. “You’re very correct. Which brings me to the reason we’re here.” He set his glass of water on the coffee table. “As you know, universal pack law says whoever kills an alpha male is to take the alpha position of the defeated pack. Since you’re a female, that has presented a conundrum for us.”

Nic raised her brows. “Let me guess, you can’t stand the idea of a woman ruling over you men.”

Paul and Turner glanced at each other before Paul answered. “Well, uh, yes. But the pack has come to a groundbreaking decision. Being in Las Vegas, we’re very much up with the times of the human world. And it’s been decided that having a female alpha as leader is acceptable, if mated to a male alpha.”

Indignant heat flared in her face. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward in Jake’s lap. “Are you actually telling me, to my face, that a female can be your leader only if mated to a male who could also lead? Will said male really be the leader while the female carries only the title?”

She jumped to her feet. “Listen here, you—”

Jake grabbed her around the waist, whispering, “Be calm, remember?”

She fought his grip. “Being calm is for you, not me. I can rant any time I choose.”

“That’s right! You go, girl.” Emma cheered Nic on before Mason could get a hand over her mouth.

Jake had to lift Nic off the floor to haul her back to the chair, but she kept up her fight. “You can bet your scrawny ass, I won’t be just a figurehead. I’ll be the real thing. Your pack has never been as f*****g happy as I’ll make them.”

Paul looked pale again. “We intend for you to be a real leader. Really. Also, there is a male in the pack who wants a challenge to the death for the position.”

The room burst into chaos again. A few of the brothers looked ready to throw the Las Vegas enforcers out the door. The women had gathered around Nicole and Jake, each giving their thoughts on feminism and staying alive.

A loud whistle cut through the air, silencing everyone. Jake raised his voice. “Everyone settle down. As my kick-ass alpha mate just stated this is a civilized discussion. Please, everyone take a seat.” Angry faces and low grumbles dispersed to their previous corners.

Jake plopped Nic onto his lap and met her eyes. No words were spoken between them, but they didn’t need that archaic form of communication. They were mates with a bond and were destined to be together. The perfect match for each other. Jake gave a tentative nod and Nicole gave back a smile.

Both turned to the enforcers. “Nic and I have come to the conclusion that we will interview the Las Vegas pack to see if we’re a good fit.” As expected, they received confused looks.

Nic sat straighter. “What that means is, there are conditions that must be met before we go. First, if we decide to take the position, Jake will invoke the law for the right of a mate to fight on behalf of the other. That is a must, if we get that far.

“Second, we request the pack give us a few days to meet everyone and talk with them about issues and concerns they have with this whole new alpha thing. They need to understand we’re not there to immediately takeover, but to talk to make decisions.”

She looked over her shoulder at Jake. “Am I forgetting anything?” He whispered into her ear. Nic rolled her eyes. “We’ll discuss that later.”