Fighting for her Mate

12

He paused and noticed everyone had taken a seat. “We’ll talk about this later.” He kissed her like he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings anymore. When he suggested they secretly get married, she was all over that in a heartbeat.

She knew her mother was upset with their decision, but she kept her feelings to herself. Her mom had spoken several times about what a grand event it would be when the alpha princess wed. She even had her wedding gown preserved so Ellie could wear it. When she was little, they went through magazines to cut out pictures of things they liked and stored them in a shoebox. She wondered if her mom still had it.

When the room quieted, Ellie pushed away from Caleb’s chest. “To be continued later.”

She turned to her dad. “You’re in charge, unless you want me or Aric to talk.” To her surprise, he didn’t reply right away. He looked between Caleb and her.

“Being alpha for the Wolfe pack, I will make the final decisions concerning our pack.” He paused again. “You, my little princess, are now a Rahound and should join with your mate to care for your people.”

Ellie froze with his words. After their impromptu wedding, nothing felt different for her. She slept at the home she grew up in. Still had dinner most nights at home. Still did the same chores she’d been doing since ten years old. They didn’t even wear the rings they exchanged, trying to keep the bond a secret.

But now, the reality of their decision hit her in the face. She was glad she and Caleb married, she wouldn’t have it any other way, but knowing now her life consisted of different responsibilities and a different role, she no longer felt like Daddy’s little girl. She was Daddy’s little kick-ass alpha mate. She should get a cape with that on it.

Her father clapped his hands and sat forward in his recliner, bringing her out of her thoughts. “All right. We have several things we need to talk about as a family. A lot of things are coming to a head or lingering closely behind.” Jake raised his hand. “Yeah, Jake. What is it?”

Jake cleared his throat and adjusted Nicole on his lap. “Dad, we haven’t talked about this and I’m starting to trip because of it.” He paused.

Dad pulled his chin in, confusion clearly on his face. “Well, son, whatever it is, I’m sure we can move it out of your way. No need to injure yourself over a trip hazard.” Giggles and suppressed smiles broke out. Dad looked at Mom. “What did I say?”

She didn’t hide her big smile and loving eyes from him. “Dear, in this case, ‘trip’ means to freak out.”

His brow rose. “I don’t get the correlation: trip, freak out. How do you get one from the other?”

She patted his knee and winked at him. “You don’t, dear. It’s part of the younger generation. It’s okay, though, darling. You’re not expected to know every term out there.”

He sat back, relief on his face. “That explains that.” He turned to Jake. “Okay, Jake. What are you tripping over?”

Jake grinned, clearly ready to mess with their dad, but before he did, their mom answered.

“It’s trip out, dear.”

With an angry huff, Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “How do you know this and I don’t? I thought I kept up with the young ones’ jargon.”

“The boys aren’t teens anymore, dear.” Her mom patted his thick bicep. “Don’t worry. I’ll always be here to translate for you.”

“Dad, forget about it. What’s bothering me is that we haven’t heard anything from the Las Vegas pack. We killed their alpha, for crying out loud. They can’t just let that go, can they? What about the law on whomever kills an alpha takes their place?”

Aric sat forward and looked at his father. “Dad, if I may?” His father nodded. “I talked extensively with Jaxon about this yesterday. I haven’t had time to talk with you all yet.”

“Who’s Jaxon?” Karla asked.

“Jaxon Gold. He’s the alpha for the Golden Falls pack in Vegas. He and his pack were at Nicole’s parents’ house to help us when Harris attacked. He loaned us some guys to fight the rogues coming here. Great guy. Anyway, he said Grady Harris had just taken the alpha spot. His father’s death certificate listed the cause of death as unknown.”

Ellie remembered that fight quite well. Poor Nicole had to fight for her life.

Jake snorted. “I bet it should say cause of death: son.”

Aric nodded. “That’s how Jaxon felt, too. Harris’s pack has a lot of money, not him personally, though. Jaxon thinks Harris offed his dad because they found out he’d been dipping into the community fund for his own purchases. How? I don’t know. It’s all hearsay. But Jaxon did say after Harris took control, the petitions to join the Golden Falls pack tripled in a matter of days.”

“Everybody suddenly wanted out,” Nate thought out loud.

“Yeah, Jaxon said the reason on most apps was irreconcilable difference or of that nature. I guarantee something was going on, and Harris was the start of it. Jaxon said stay as far away as possible from them. Several of his cronies are still around.”

The sound of two car doors closing snagged their attention. Nicole was closest to the window overlooking the front of the house. Moving the curtain a touch, she frowned. “I don’t recognize the two guys. They look pretty big. And from the expression on their faces, they’re not happy campers.”

Shit, what now? Ellie’s stomach churned. She had a bad feeling about this.

The men were out of their seats and at the front door in the matter of seconds. Tristan opened the door before the strangers climbed the porch stairs.

“I’m Alpha Tristan Wolfe. What can I do for you, boys?” His sons and Caleb gathered behind him, arms crossed over their chests.

The two men didn’t flinch at the aggressive stance. One of the men placed a foot on the bottom step and stopped. “We’re from the Las Vegas pack here to talk to you about the death of our most recent alpha.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, fuck.”