Page 9 of Feral

I had no idea why Shelby brought my mind careening back to my new neighbor. The vision of Natalie working that dildo and moaning had been ricocheting around in my head all afternoon. The memory of her scent—so sweet and right.

The need to get back to her house—to see her again and find out every detail I could about that bold little redhead—consumed me.

I waited outside until everyone had arrived and then went in and took my position at the head of the circle. Boyd sat on one side of me, with Clint on the other. Rand and Nash took seats by Clint. Johnny and Levi next to Boyd. I was flanked by my inner circle—the ones I’d trust with my life.

I tried to keep the meetings short—for my own sanity, mostly. I didn’t have any business to address this month, so I opened the floor.

There were a few minor issues brought up and handled. I was a man of few words, and I didn’t tolerate a shit ton of talk at my meetings. Things got solved fast.

“All right. Anything else, or can we eat?” I looked around, eager to get to Janet’s lasagna.

“Yeah, I’ve got something.” Nate Brown stood. He looked around the room, addressing the pack instead of me. “I’ve been wondering when someone was going to mention the latest pack news.”

My upper lip curled. A growl started to tickle behind my nose. When I said I’d find out what the guy was up to, I knew the time would come. It seemed to be now. In front of the entire pack.

“What’s that?” I snarled.

“I’m surprised you didn’t mention it tonight. Namely, how your brother broke pack law by mating a human. And now I hear Colton has mated her sister. Is that true?”

Boyd was on his feet in a flash.

“Sit down,” I said in a low growl to him, throwing out my hand. I didn’t take my glare off fucking Nate Brown’s treacherous face, though. I saw now why he brought his kin. For backup. They probably fueled his previously unvoiced arguments.

“My brothers’ mates were approved by their fucking alpha, end of story.” I infused my voice with alpha command, causing the whole room to draw a breath at once. “The entire pack was invited to Boyd and Audrey’s wedding down at the barn by the big house—it wasn’t news. It’s over and done. No reason to discuss.”

A pup in the back of the room started crying in her mother’s arms at the blast of aggression I’d sent out.

“But Colton mated a human, too.”

I nodded. “He did.” I’d already explained myself enough. Those two words were all he was going to get on the topic.

“Alpha, with all respect,” —bullshit— “you have yet to choose a mate. At your age and with your alpha power, you are treacherously close to moon madness. What happens to this pack when you have to be put down? Your brothers aren’t fit to lead with human mates. And our pack’s alpha lineage will die. That’d be a travesty.”

The pack members either sat quietly waiting to hear my answer or were whispering between themselves. This had been brought up before but not in such an in-your-face manner. Why him? Why now? He didn’t seem the type to be worried I was going to die soon. He had an agenda here, a deeper reason than just sowing discontent.

Boyd growled beside me. Before I could answer, Nate’s kin stood up.

“We’ll take you.” He opened his arms to the pack. “I spoke to my brother, our alpha with the Madison Range pack.” Since he’d told me where he was from at the door, he added that for everyone in the room. Which meant this had all been planned. “He’d be happy to absorb the pack when your alpha goes mad. In fact, he’d insist on it.”

What. The actual fuck?

This was a goddamn coup. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but fuck. Just what I needed right about now. Or ever.

I stood. As soon as I did, Boyd, Clint and every one of my ranch hands surged up around me, all of them growling. Now Clint and Boyd could understand the depth of my problem with Natalie.

“Get out,” I snarled, pointing at the door.

Sal Brown raised his brows in mock surprise, like I was being rude for revoking hospitality. “We came in peace. Your pack’s in trouble, and we want to help. As a friendly neighbor.”

“Get. The. Fuck Out.Now.Before I tear you to shreds.”

The baby in the back wailed so loudly, her mother took her out of the lodge house through the kitchen. One by one, other men in my pack stood, folding their arms across their chests. They might wonder about my delay in mating, but they were behind me.

The outsiders stood and made their way to the door.

“You too, Nathan.” I tipped my head for him to follow. “Get the fuck out.”

Nathan hesitated. He’d gone a little pale. The guy’s balls most likely had already shriveled at the sound of my alpha command, and now he was probably worried he was out of my pack for good.