The Alpha's Rival

Chapter 4

Trembling, struggling to reign in his wolf, Tate watched his tiny mate survey the crowd, worry lines creasing her forehead. Following her gaze, he looked out into the crowd, praying he wouldn’t see Hawthorne anywhere more for Hawthorne’s sake than his own. If he saw the slimy bastard, he was sure he’d kill him, but he’d have to do it after he escorted Kelly to the tent. She’d try to follow him, he was sure of it, but he’d have Colleen or Angelica come sit with her until he got back.

Fighting the wave of disappointment that washed over him when he didn’t see Hawthorne anywhere, Tate turned his attention back to his mate. As if she felt him watching her, she turned to face him, a fake smile plastered to her face. His heart sinking, hoping that she didn’t feel like their day had been ruined, he pulled her to him and placed another tender kiss on her lips.

“Are you hungry?” he murmured as she pulled away.

“Starving,” she replied, clinging to his arm, shaking just as much as he was.

“Let’s go get you some food,” he said softly as he started to lead her down the aisle and through the chaos to the nearest tent.

Stepping through the closest opening, Tate blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light after being out in the bright sun. Surveying the scene in front of him, he felt a small smile creep across his face.

Fairy lights were strung from the rafters and flickering candles dotted the many tables cluttering the area. Spotting their table, the only one with a green tablecloth, at the back of the tent, he gently pried Kelly’s still shaking hand off his arm and placed his hand on the small of her back instead. With his free hand, he pointed towards their table and pushed her gently in that direction.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked, glancing up at him in alarm.

“I need to go talk to Greg really quick,” he half lied, even though he knew he should stay with her to help calm her down. She didn’t have nearly as much control over her wolf as he did his. Not to mention that her wolf was much more violent and dangerous than his. One swipe of her paws and she’d poison whoever she hit, one of the many advantages she had as a moon locked wolf. One of the only advantages that they knew of, too. They hadn’t had the courage to test out more of her abilities quite yet.

It was true, though. He did need to talk to Greg to see if, while they were gone, he could submit a complaint to the council about Hawthorne’s behavior. Crashing their wedding and trying to stop it was anything but acceptable, and with their newfound peace thanks to the treaties that had been written up not more than a few months ago, their new relationships with their allies were still shaky at best. Something as simple as not inviting someone important to a wedding could upset the peace they were struggling to maintain. This incident, which was infinitely more severe than a misplaced invitation, could blow the whole thing out of the water.

On the other hand, Tate didn’t want to file a complaint at all. It was too risky. Instead, what he really wanted to do was get the guards to help him sweep the perimeter of the packhouse to see if Hawthorne was still nearby. If he was, he’d have the guards arrest him and take him to his office, where he would meet with him sometime after dinner. That way, he could deal with this little incident in private.

“You can talk to him during dinner,” Kelly pointed out, glancing over his shoulder and nodding slightly. “Besides, I need you right now.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Greg leading Angelica inside the tent and over to the table, a murderous expression on his face. Turning back to look at Kelly, he nodded.

“Of course, you’re right,” he admitted, resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair in irritation. Taking her hand, he quickly led her through the maze of tables to their own table. Pulling out her chair for her, he dropped a quick kiss on her cheek as she sat down.

“Can you believe him? The nerve!” Angelica exclaimed, dropping into the chair next to Kelly as Kelly readjusted her dress before Tate pushed her in. “I thought he wasn’t coming?”

“He wasn’t,” Greg grumbled, pulling out his chair next to Tate’s. “I even called his beta, Rowan, to confirm. He said they had some important meetings they needed to get to today so they wouldn’t see either of them, but that they wished the happy couple the best.”

“So what changed?” Angelica asked, glancing between Greg and Tate as if she thought they had the answer.

“I called him Thursday,” Kelly sighed miserably as Tate tightened the grip on the back of her chair so much that his knuckles turned white. “The conversation only lasted a couple of minutes.”

“What did you talk about?” Greg asked sharply, raising his eyebrows at Tate, who shrugged his shoulders briefly before turning his attention to Kelly.

“Nothing much,” she admitted, staring down at her hands that were starting to shake even harder now. “I hadn’t heard from him since we left Silvermoon, so I thought I’d check in to see how he was doing. He said he was fine and then we hung up.”

“So you didn’t talk about the wedding at all?” Greg pressed, leaning forward anxiously.

“No,” Kelly shook her head. “I wanted to. I just never got the chance. So yesterday, because it was still bugging me, I decided I would call when we got back in a couple of weeks. I guess I don’t have to now.”

“No, I don’t think you will,” Tate said darkly, sitting down heavily in his own chair. Reaching out, he took one of Kelly’s hands, needing the contact as much as Kelly did.

“Do you think he’s still in the area?” Angelica asked anxiously, peering around the tent as more of the guests filed in and sat down.

“I was going to have the guards check if that’s okay,” Greg said quickly, glancing at Tate before looking over at Kelly in concern. “I know you’d rather go look yourself, but… Well, you’re sort of needed here.”

“That’s fine,” Tate nodded, squeezing Kelly’s hand a little tighter. “I don’t think I trust myself to go look right now.”

“I’ll be right back then,” Greg said, excusing himself as he pushed himself out of his chair.

Tate watched him disappear into the crowd before turning his attention back to Kelly. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide as they continued to search the crowd. On occasion, she would spot a friend or family member and offer a little smile and wave before resuming her search. He knew she was looking for someone, anyone, to offer her an explanation for what had just happened.

“Relax,” he murmured, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.

“I should say the same to you,” she murmured back. “My hand’s starting to go numb.”

“Sorry,” he grunted, loosening his grip. “I just…”

“I get it,” she said quickly, interrupting him. “You don’t need to explain. You’re not the only one who wants to go hunt him down and demand an explanation. Though I don’t think I’d kill him like you would. Maim, yes. But kill, probably not.”

“You want to hunt him down?” Tate asked in surprise, a laugh bubbling to his lips. Leaning back in his chair, he slapped his leg with his free hand in amusement as relief flooded his body. She wasn’t hurt like he had suspected. No, she was as angry as he was.

“It’s a good thing we leave in a few hours,” she muttered fiercely. “If we weren’t, I’d suggest going on a hunting party tonight.”

“Mmm, keep talking like that and I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere tonight,” Tate chuckled, his wolf growling in agreement.

“Oh?” Kelly smirked, arching an eyebrow at him. “And why’s that?”

“You know why,” he growled hungrily. “Watching you get all feisty like that turns me on. I’m half tempted to drag you upstairs now so I can pin you against the wall.”

“I like the sound of that,” Kelly purred, trailing a hand down his thigh.

“I’m right here, you know,” Angelica announced, a disgruntled look on her face. “Can we maybe keep it PG until you two are alone, or even semi-alone?”

“Sorry,” Kelly gasped, her eyes widening as she turned a bright red.

“We’ll do our best,” Tate laughed, grabbing Kelly’s chair and dragging it closer so that she was right next to him. His smile widened as Kelly wiggled herself even closer so that she was pressed right up against him. Glancing over her head as he wrapped his arm around her, he winked at Angelica. “I gotta say, though, you and Greg didn’t exactly keep it PG either.”

Eyes widening, Angelica turned just as red as Kelly. Pursing her lips, she shook her head quickly and turned her attention to the bowl of salad in front of her.

“Be nice,” Kelly giggled, poking him in the side.

“Yes, ma’am,” he smirked at her, pleased to see that she wasn’t shaking anymore. She was back in control, as was he. Now all they had to do was make it through the next couple of hours.

Shifting from one foot to the other, her aching feet killing her, Kelly glanced longingly at the benches lining the dance floor. Biting back a disgruntled sigh, she turned her attention back to her grandmother.

“You look absolutely beautiful tonight, sweetheart,” she gushed, wiping away a happy tear before it had a chance to streak down her cheek.

“Thank you,” Kelly murmured, struggling to keep her attention on anything when her new husband was so near. All she wanted to do was disappear with him already, but they still needed to cut the cake and change out of their clothes. She had no intentions of staying in her gown for the duration of their three-hour drive to the hotel next to the airport in Pheonix.

“So, should we be expecting a little brother or sister for Griffin soon?” her grandmother asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, um…” Kelly started, not sure how to answer that question. They had talked about having another pup just a couple months ago, but they had both agreed that they weren’t quite ready for another one. “We…”

“May I have this dance?” Tate grinned impishly, cutting her off as he pulled her away from her grandmother.

“Tate!” Kelly gasped, shooting an apologetic grimace over her shoulder at her grandmother even though she wasn’t at all sorry that he had interrupted, saving her from what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation. “Last I checked, you’re supposed to wait for an answer before you try to sweep me off my feet.”

“Is that right?” he murmured, placing a hand low on her waist and dragging her even closer so that her body was flush with his.

“Uh-huh,” she scowled at him playfully, trying to ignore the way her body was heating up.

“I was lonely,” he complained with a smirk.

“You were lonely?” she laughed in disbelief. “We just danced a few minutes ago.”

“So sue me,” Tate said innocently, even though the way he was looking at her was anything but innocent. “It’s our wedding day and you look absolutely stunning. I can hardly keep my hands to myself.”

“You could if you tried,” Kelly pointed out as they swept further out onto the dance floor.

“But I don’t want to, Mrs. Robinson,” he laughed, his eyes lighting up with joy as he spun her. “Goddess, that sounds fantastic. Mrs. Robinson. I could say that a thousand times and it would never get old.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Kelly chuckled, watching him happily as he wrapped his arms around her again.

“None,” he whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’m completely sober. But, Goddess, I’m so f*****g happy right now.”

“Mmmm, me too,” she sighed, leaning her head against his chest. “But I’d be even happier if we could leave right now.”

“And why’s that?” Tate murmured into her hair, his voice going husky.

“I can’t wait to be alone with you,” she said, a hint of suggestion in her voice. “We haven’t had a night completely alone since before the move back.”

“Has it really been that long?” Tate asked, leaning back slightly to look at her, a frown tugging at his lips.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded sadly.

“Tell you what,” Tate grinned mischievously. “We’ll spend another hour, maybe an hour and a half, and then we’ll make a break for it.”

“I have to wait that long?” Kelly complained, scowling.

“We still have to cut the cake,” Tate’s grin grew wider. “And I need to talk to Greg one last time before we go. Just some last-minute instructions.”

“Fine,” she huffed.

Just as she leaned her head against Tate’s chest again, an apologetic cough sounded behind them.

“I’d hate to interrupt, but I haven’t gotten a chance to dance with the lovely bride yet.”

Turning around, Kelly found herself face to face with Rowan, Mitch’s beta.

“I didn’t think you were going to make it,” she said in surprise as a low growl rumbled in Tate’s chest.

“I wasn’t going to, no,” Rowan nodded. “But then Mitch up and disappeared after breakfast and I couldn’t do the meetings on my own. Not my place. So I decided that I still had some time to head down and catch the last half of the wedding. I can go, though, if you’d like.”

“No, no, you’re fine,” Kelly said quickly, shooting Tate a quick look that told him to be nice.

“Do you know what Hawthorne did?” Tate snarled, ignoring Kelly.

“No…” Rowan said slowly, backing up a step.

“He crashed the ceremony, screaming ‘I object’,” Tate continued, taking a step forward.

“He did what?” Rowan breathed, his eyes going wide. “f**k. I’m so sorry. If I had known he’d try to do something that crazy, I would have made sure he never left the packhouse this morning.”

“So you had nothing to do with this?” Tate growled.

“No,” Rowan lied, holding his hands up in front of him. “Do you know where he is? Maybe I should go and get him and take him home.”

“He ran off,” Kelly said quickly, wedging herself between Tate and Rowan. Pressing her hands against Tate’s chest, she managed to get him to back up a couple steps.

“I’m so sorry,” Rowan repeated, turning away. “I’ll go look for him.”

“I thought you wanted to dance?” Kelly protested, grabbing his arm. “Please don’t go. It’s not your fault.”

“I need to go talk to Greg anyway,” Tate muttered. “Take care of her for me, will you? I’ll be right back.”

Stepping out of the tent, Tate squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes. The sun was just starting to set, turning the sky a brilliant shade of orange. Glancing around him, he sighed before setting off.

Striding past the packhouse, he continued on his way for a few feet until he came level with a couple of guards. Both had their eyes trained on a shed not more than 200 feet away from where they were standing.

“Any sign?” Tate grunted, studying the shed.

“We tracked him this way and his scent stops there,” one of the guards said, pointing in the direction of the shed. “We checked it out already, but there’s no sign of him. Can’t figure out if he doubled back or if there was someone waiting for him in a vehicle nearby.”

“Hmm,” Tate huffed, shooting a quick glance back at the tent. He could just make out his new wife dancing with Hawthorne’s beta. Fighting the urge to run back and rip Rowan away from his wife, he stuffed his shaking hands in his pockets. “Mind if I go take a quick look?”

“You’re the boss,” the other guard gestured to the shed.

Stalking forward, Tate neared the shed. Sniffing, he could just make out Hawthorne’s scent. Wrinkling his nose, he circled the weather-beaten building before trying the door. It didn’t budge. Bending over, he inspected the handle and then the hinges. Completely rusted over. There was no way Hawthorne was in the building. But what about on the roof? No, he would have seen him.

Circling the building again, Tate puzzled over where Hawthorne could have gone. Stopping on the other side of the building, he squatted down and studied the ground. There weren’t any tire marks, so the escape vehicle idea was out. Staring at the scuff marks, he shook his head and stood back up. He was still here, just where was the question? There had to be a way into the building without using the front door. Backing up a few paces, he spotted a dark spot on the roof. Bingo.

“Hawthorne,” Tate growled as he walked up to the shed again. “I know you’re inside. If you know what’s good for you, I suggest you stay there until I take my wife on our honeymoon. If I see you before then, I'll break your neck.”

Turning on his heel, he made his way back to the tent, nodding at the guards as he passed.