Liam was shocked to see Rafe on Zapata Pack lands. After all, the Alpha had sent him as his representative. But in light of recent events, he could hardly blame the man.
Always an Alpha first, Rafe had left Macconwood Manor the moment one of his Wolf Guard had mentioned trouble. If his eyes were not deceiving him, the Alpha was not alone.
In the back of the room, trying to look small and failing, were Dib and Kurt Lowell, and their mates, Aleeza and Claire. Like the twins, Aleeza was a lawyer. She pursed her lips and made notes as Alpha Garra continued to ooze bullshit from his lips.
The man was a complete tool. Claire remained unfazed by the overabundance of testosterone in the room. As a Sigma Wolf, nothing really riled the female other than threats to her mate.
Liam was touched by this show of support, and his hands tightened on Mabel Ann. His pupcake leaned into his side, and he growled softly, loving the feel of her slight weight against him.
“In light of the recent attacks on one of our guests, the majority vote has decided to hasten these proceedings. Will our trio of magic practitioners please bring in the ballot box?”
The room went still as a white Witch, a Romani, and a Druid Priestess entered the room with a silver box floating between them. The Witch stepped forward, his white hair flowing behind his back as he whispered magical words and sprinkled something across the box. A huge gust of wind blasted through the room, but only the Alpha fem of the Zapata Pack released a small yelp.
Liam ignored the female, his Wolf not at all happy to have her in the same small space as him and his mate. Next, the Romani caster spoke in a language unknown to Liam. It was guttural, but no less powerful than the Witch’s, as the very earth beneath them seemed to quake.
Lastly, the Druid Priestess walked to the center of the room. She spoke in an ancient Gaelic dialect Liam did not recognize, but the energy flowing from her was green and clear. His Wolf felt close to the surface because of it. As if sensing his animal’s nearness, Mabel Ann placed a hand on his chest, rubbing him in small circles and calming his beast.
“Thank you,” Alpha Garra mumbled.
“What is happening?” Mabel Ann whispered.
“The magic is working now to count the votes,” Liam replied. “When it’s done, an envelope will rise from the top with the name of the chosen.”
Everyone was on pins and needles. Liam’s stomach felt as though it was trying to come out through his mouth, but his sweet mate seemed to know how he felt. Using nothing more than her presence, she was calming him without speaking out loud or doing anything anyone would notice.
A flare of power filled the room, so bright Liam closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened his eyes, there it was. A single sliver of silver parchment. Alpha Garra stepped forward, but the magic had not receded, and the Alpha’s hand was greeted with a blast of lightning from the box.
“I do not believe you are to touch the parchment,” young Leo Kelly said, a grin on his face.
Liam was really starting to like that kid.
“Who should open it then?” the Alpha fem asked, aghast at her mate’s faux pas.
Liam wanted to snarl, but he held himself still, waiting as Rafe moved forward.
“May I?” he said, seeming to address the ballot box itself.
The Wolves in the room whispered, and Liam picked up on a few phrases. Some causing him to growl and glare. He would broker no disrespect when it came to two things. His mate and his Alpha.
After a beat, the ballot box flowed, and the letter seemed to wiggle at which point Rafe reached out for it. When nothing happened, the big Alpha turned with the envelope and offering a short bow to the trio of magical practitioners, Rafe handed them the envelope.
“Please open the seal and read the results so we may all hear,” he said in a voice both respectful and powerful.
Liam’s stomach tightened even as Mabel Ann pressed tightly against him. Whatever happened now would affect all of Wolf kind. This was huge, momentous, and downright exciting. Together, the trio turned, and the Druid Priestess spoke first.
“The world of Wolf Shifters has been out of balance for many centuries.”
“The end of the Curse of St. Natalis brought a change none of you were ready for,” said the Witch.
“The High Alpha has been called and chosen to lead you all to a bright future where Wolves can thrive alongside the other races of supernaturals for centuries to come,” finished the Romani caster.
“Who is it?” Crystal asked, bouncing on her heels.
Her mate shushed her, but the greed he saw in their eyes made Liam cautious. No one had been able to break the kidnapper they held prisoner, and so whoever was behind the nefarious plot to kidnap Mabel Ann to get Liam to change the vote had not been identified yet.
Just as the Witch was about to open his mouth, Crystal huffed out a breath and grabbed the envelope from his hand. The magical trio looked at each other, a grin on the Druid’s face as the little she-Wolf read something she clearly did not like.
“What? How? I did so much to make sure you would win, you big oaf! Who the hell is this, anyway?” she raged, slapping at her mate, who looked both shocked and ashamed.
“It was you?” Mabel Ann asked, stepping forward.
“Of course it was me, you damn heifer!”
Liam growled at the name calling, but Mabel Ann raised a hand to quiet him.
“What do I have to do with you and Sonny, Crystal?”
“Are you kidding? Everyone knew he was the next Alpha, but he was dating you! A chubby nerd! I mean, really?”
Grrrrr.
Crystal was panicked and angry, completely unhinged as she started telling her sorry little tale. It was not at all unique or original, but it was still sad. Not one Wolf in the room looked at the former Alpha fem without pity and some disgust.
“You are always in my way, and this was the last time Mabel Ann. I’d been trying to get you mated, but you and your damn ice queen reputation. Even tried to order your father to order you to find a mate. But he couldn’t be cowed.”
“That explains all that mate scenting bullshit,” Mabel Ann growled.
“Of course it does! Are you stupid? Convincing Sonny I was his fated mate was supposed to be it. It wasn’t even hard, I just had to let him have me,” she taunted, smirking at Mabel Ann.
“Everyone knows you are a prude. But it wasn’t enough.”
“Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?” Mabel Ann asked, and Liam tensed.
“Because Sonny never got over you. Can you believe that? He had me, and he still thought about you,” the insipid woman continued, completely unaware of her own very close demise.
“I quickly realized he had no real power. The Zapata Pack is broke, and you know what, I hate this place!” she screamed, stomping her feet like a petulant child.
“I went back to my Witch friend, and he showed me everything I needed to know to rig this thing—”
The room was thick with tension. Her lies and manipulations were all laid out for the world to see. Sonny blinked as if coming out of a haze, and anger surged inside Liam. This griping she-Wolf had been manipulating men, tormenting women like Mabel Ann, and hurting her Pack with Dark magic and all for what?
For Power. Always the same damn thing.
His chest rumbled, and Mabel Ann moved back to him, her face turned down in a frown. He hated seeing her upset, but at least now she understood.
The rest of the Wolves circled the female, and she finally realized what she was doing. Admitting her guilt to a group of predators. Including one very pissed off, recently mated male.
“Uh, um—”
“Crystal Feliz Garra, you will answer for your crimes,” Freddy Williams said and stepped forward, the Zapata Pack Beta’s eyes flashed angrily when he looked at the female.
They softened when they landed on his daughter, and Liam saw the hurt and apology there in his eyes. Mabel Ann, because she was bigger in heart, mind, and spirit than anyone else he knew, nodded at her father, forgiveness in the gesture.
“But you can’t punish me! I’m the Alpha fem,” she gasped.
“You’ve been sliding up to every male who entered this house from the start of this election. Touching them, spreading your Dark magic to manipulate events. You had men attack me on day one. Worse, you put my mate in danger,” Liam snarled at the female when she turned in his direction.
“Well, no, um. I mean Sonny was in on it too! He wanted to be High Alpha!”
“You’re not my fated mate?” Alpha Santiago Garra asked, staring at the woman he’d been cowing to for almost a decade now.
His eyes glowed with his Wolf, and they flicked over Mabel Ann with regret and hurt. This stupid bastard had allowed his dick to lead him around, and he would get what he had coming to him.
“Sonny, Crystal, you are both hereby under arrest under my authority as Pack Beta, and will be placed in holding until such time as the Shifter Council can be notified,” Mabel Ann’s father said, and four Enforcers from their Pack rushed forward to take the former Alpha.
“But I can’t be arrested!” Crystal wailed.
“You shut the hell up. And you, give me that. Now, I think we need to find out who the High Alpha is, then we can decide what to do with these two,” Charley Maccon said, raising her voice above everyone else.
Sometimes, the tiny Italian Alpha fem was scary as fuck. She shoved a few Werewolves aside and pushed her way to the front without the slightest hint of fear.
“I wanna be her when I grow up,” Mabel Ann whispered, eyes wide as she watched Charley move.
“Me too,” Liam replied in an equally hushed tone.
Liam was just glad Charley Maccon had chosen to mate his Alpha for real. And he was more than happy to have her on their side. He tensed once more as her hands held the envelope, knowing this next occurrence could change the lives of a lot of people he knew and loved.
Reopening the still glowing missive, Charley closed her eyes, undoubtedly feeling the magic imbued in the parchment. She looked down with big brown eyes and read the results of the election.
No one in the room breathed. This was a huge moment for Werewolves and would dictate the future of their kind. A High Alpha had not been introduced in centuries. There were all sorts of lore about the last known High Alpha having been killed in battle against a few rogue Demons.
Werewolf history was choppy at best, but he knew there were some who’d spent their lives dedicated to recording and passing on the pieces of their history. Charley’s eyes flashed as they looked across the room, landing on her mate. In response, Rafe stilled, shoulders straightening. Their own secret language passing through them, and Liam watched in awe of the true Alpha couple.
He looked as serious as Liam had ever saw him as he walked to his mate’s side, though his emotions were unreadable. He looked down at the paper in his mate’s hand, then, after a moment, he finally exhaled.
Liam might be mistaken, but he doubted it. His Alpha was relieved at whatever the paper said. The other Wolves tensed. Liam’s supernaturally enhanced hearing picked up on more than one of them who’d whispered that the High Alpha must be Rafe Maccon.
For some reason, Liam’s whole being seemed frozen. If Rafe was the chosen one, then he would be leaving the Macconwood Pack. What would happen then?
Time seemed to stretch as Rafe and Charley joined hands in front of the room. The big man’s lip twitched, but only slightly. Then he turned, scanning the room for something or someone. Rafe paused when his icy blue gaze found a certain young, she-Wolf sitting silently with the red-haired giant who was her constant companion.
“Grazi?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking up as if she was only now noticing everyone else in the room.
“The Werewolf Packs of the world have spoken, Grazi Kelly. You are our High Alpha.”
Cheers and howls rose up around them, none seeming disgruntled as the announcement was made. Grazi Kelly blinked slowly, her gaze meeting that of her companion before she stood up and joined the Maccon Alpha and his mate in front of the room.
Relief flooded through Liam. He was more than happy to learn he would not be losing an Alpha and trusted friend. Rafe was more than that. he was like a father to him.
“Wow!” Mabel Ann said, her joy contagious.
He hugged his mate, and they tossed back their heads howling with the others in celebration. Grazi Kelly was a legend in her own time, and he had no doubt she would do more amazing things for the Wolf Packs of the world.
After a few minutes, Grazi, her family, and her Pack retreated to discuss things among themselves. Changes were a coming, and for more than just the Greyback Pack.
Liam snarled as Sonny and Crystal, their Alpha hosts, tried to sneak away when their Enforcers let go of them to clap and rejoice in the election news. Luckily, Niko Bagrat and some of his Wolves blocked their exit. The Dead Sea Alpha nodded as he kicked Sonny right in his ass, sending him back towards Liam.
The male was weak and pathetic, undeserving of his role as Alpha. Liam caught the man around the throat while Mabel Ann lunged for his skinny mate. She held Crystal in a similar grip while Rafe, her father Freddy, Niko, and three other Alphas stared them down.
“I think it is time we hear from Santiago Garra. Now, start talking,” Rafe growled, and the couple damn near pissed themselves under the power of the Macconwood Alpha.
“I, I was tricked. I don’t know how. I just wanted to make my mate happy, but she’s right. I still had feelings for Mabel Ann,” he said, his eyes flicking to her.
Liam snarled, and Mabel Ann handed Crystal over to another Enforcer before joining him.
“Feelings for me?”
“Yes, Mabel Ann, I never should have mated Crystal. Everyone says your cold, but that’s cause you love me. See? Maybe there is a chance for us—”
“Are you serious? No Sonny, I do not have any feelings for you. At all,” she said sternly.
It was all Liam could do not to crush the motherfucker’s neck beneath his hands. He would have done just that if Mabel Ann hadn’t placed her own hand on his arm.
“You don’t know what feelings are. I have a true and fated mate, and I pity you for never meeting yours.”
Liam tossed the asshole to the floor and watched while he was shackled by the Enforcers who’d neglected to do so earlier.
“You alright, Mabel Ann?” her father asked, his eyes wide and searching.
“Yes, Daddy. I’m better than alright. Liam really is my mate,” she announced.
“Congratulations, son,” Freddy said turning his stare on Liam.
“You better treat her right.”
“Daddy!”
“Of course, sir,” Liam replied easily.
He had every intention of treating her like the perfect, cherished creature she was just as soon as this shit show was over. They did not have to wait long for the pair to start fumbling over explanations. The worst, of which, was Crystal’s sniveling recount of her misdeeds from day one.
“I was born to a trailer park trash botch of a mother who was nothing but a cum bucket for the Wolves of her Pack. I didn’t want that for myself. I deserved better.”
“I agree, you did, but you tricked a Wolf into thinking you were his mate. How?” Mabel Ann asked, and Liam cast her a curious glance.
He knew she did not love Sonny, but still, his Wolf was curious as to why she cared. Then it hit him. His woman was ever curious, and so damn smart, of course she wanted to know why. It was simply her nature, and he loved her all the more for it.
“It was easy. I knew a Witch who dabbled in Dark Magic, and I learned about blood binding and compulsion charms.”
“That’s why the touching,” Liam murmured.
With his sister-in-law being the Morrigan, he knew a bit about it himself. In fact, he was rather embarrassed it had taken him this long to figure out.
“Continue,” Rafe said, and the female was a sniveling mess by the time she’d finished.
Too bad she would find no sympathy here. Liam snarled and dropped Sonny who was little more than a complicit moron. He’d never been really mated, and that explained why the bastard was always looking at Mabel Ann and trying to touch her.
Motherfucker.
After some more questions, they were both hauled away in chains and the Alphas sat down to talk. Grazi Kelly returned, and an informal council began to take shape. Mabel Ann had almost burst with joy at being asked to sit with them.
Liam’s mate was no Alpha, but she was smart and well read. She knew a lot of Wolf lore, and it came in handy when they were looking for points of reference.
“I want to help your people, my people. I do not want to control any of you. Werewolves need guidance and I plan to offer it, but I won’t shove it down anyone’s throat,” Grazi said at last, relieving some of the Alphas of their misgivings with her statement and vow.
It was many hours before they retired. And that night, as Liam loved on his mate, he was dazzled by the sheer wonder of it all.
“What is it?” Mabel Ann asked.
She kissed his chin one last time and collapsed beside him. He held onto her warm body, loving the feel of her in his arms.
“I was just thinking how lucky we are,” he said, and hoped she would see the truth in his eyes.
“Mmm, I agree. Now we just have to find a rent a truck big enough to lug my books back to New Jersey,” she replied, sighing.
His heart soared, and Liam couldn’t stop grinning.
“You’re gonna come back with me? To Jersey?”
“Uh, buddy, we are mated. Besides, how the hell was I gonna get rid of a giant blond Wolf like you, anyway? You don’t fit in my closet,” she replied, tongue in cheek.
“Pupcake, you’re never gonna get rid of me. Not ever.”
Liam rolled on top of her nuzzling her neck and tickling her sides until Mabel Ann collapsed in a fit of giggles. She was incredible, his sweet, sexy, smart, and sassy little mate.
“Mine,” he growled, and this time, he showed her slowly what she meant to him.
Inch by decadent inch.