“You can walk in the sun?”
It took everything in Wick not to drop down to his knees and thank the Mother right then and there that their link was still alive. “There’s a lot I can do. Maybe you’ll let me show you.” Wick sighed inside. For the first time, Wick didn’t feel Justice’s nervous feelings.
“May I address one of your packs, Justice?”
Justice stepped forward, his brother at his right only a step behind. Aleksei Volkov was a hulking alpha in his own right and could clearly defend his AZ if needed. Wick was sure his own team was counting down the seconds until the sun set and they could escape the refuge of the SUV and stand at Wick’s back like they were supposed to. His mate nodded once, still eyeing him carefully. Wick didn’t want to turn away from the look of longing and desire he could see in Justice’s miraculous eyes.
But he finally pried his coal-colored eyes away. He looked at each shifter’s unique face, committing them all to memory. They would all be an extension of him soon. In a tone as silky as satin, with a smile that was nothing short of mesmerizing, Wick addressed them all with a simple but regal, “Greetings.”
Good gracious that accent was too damn much. Even through their link, Wick’s voice was like the finest wine. His British accent made him sound noble. He was. Justice hadn’t heard anything like it. He hung on every sure word Wick spoke… or at least he tried to listen.
Justice almost snapped at his siblings but he had to keep his face and posture expressionless. All three of them were in his head while his mate addressed the Humboldt pack hierarchy with a mixture of charm and authority.
Mac: “I can’t believe he came here. And he can walk in the daylight, y’all see that? That’s pretty bad ass, Justice.”
Justice: “Shut up. I’m listening.”
Farica: “He’s so handsome, Just. Wow. Does he smell like really, really good to you?”
Alek: “At least hear him out this time, Justice.”
Mac: “I don’t smell anything, do y’all?”
Alek: “Nope, not a thing. They can shield their scents like alphas can.”
Mac: “Cool. Hmm. I wonder how sharp his fangs are.”
Justice: “Will you guys shut up and pay attention.”
Farica: “I wouldn’t mind if that one in the second row got out so I could get a better look. Yum.”
Alek: “Don’t disgust us, please.”
Justice: “Thank you. Now shush.”
Mac: “Justice, I hear older men are in, bro. Imagine all the cool shit he could tell you about.” Mac snickered. “Like what Jesus was like.”
All of them roared with laughter in his head, he even felt Taleb’s chuckle in the distance. These idiots. Justice pushed a little unwelcome power at his siblings: “I said, quiet.”
No one else spoke in Justice’s head after that.
“I’ve brought a gift of truce, not only to my Beloved Mate, but to this pack as well.” Wick heard his captain get out of the truck and come stand at the hood of the large vehicle; his posture completely open and unguarded. “I’ve sent a large part of my Escort home. The few you see here are disciplined, well-respected vampires, known throughout our species. They are the most influential. The elite. They’ve been hand chosen by myself and my captain to stay and help rectify the disorder amongst the local packs and covens.”
Wick turned and walked to the back of the SUV and beyond, to a small enclosed trailer with slated vents along the side. His dark black slacks curved around his tight ass perfectly. Justice’s chest rumbled at the sight of his mate from behind. Macauley chuckled and Justice realized the sound had escaped him. Which meant his mate heard it, too.
Justice tilted his head and scented at what his mate had brought. He couldn’t smell anything coming from the trailers. What was—?
“I shielded their scent so no one would know we had them on the way here. I simply wanted to make sure I returned them safely.” Wick opened the trailer and walked back to the front of the Tahoe.
Justice watched in awe as eight wolves leaped out and came around the side of the vehicle. They were the wolves that’d been arrested that Justice’s team was trying so hard to get released. His mate brought them to him. As a gift.
The wolves walked cautiously around the vampires of Wick’s Escort, their lips pulled back and a snarl of spittle escaping when the vampires did absolutely nothing in retaliation – like the young wolves were itching for a fight. Justice took everything in, including the bitter scents of fury and aggression. The wolves’ posturing, and their obvious misplaced hostility against the vampires, was a harsh slap of reality in Justice’s face. His own damn shifters were the cause of all this. The display the vampires were putting on clearly showed they had much more control over their behavior than his shifters. It was time for Justice to act. Everyone was waiting for him. The shifters were not from the Humboldt Pack, so Alpha Mikel would not intervene. It was all on Justice, but after the mental anguish he’d suffered the last couple days, he didn’t think he had the energy to pull on his wolf and use his authority. He was wrong. When the larger wolf in front passed Wick and let out a sharp, vicious bark at him. Issuing a clear challenge… Justice realized he’d been grossly mistaken.