Hunters of the Gods_Protecting Their Heir Read online

  She quickly turned and bumped into the railing. “Don’t do that,” she said and then swallowed hard and hurried inside. He stared at her with such an expression that it made her feel more unnerved.

  “So how is it that you came across Alyssa at the park?” Cable’t asked him.

  “Alyssa,” he whispered, holding her gaze.

  “Oh boy, this is going to get complicated,” her grandmother said, and Cable’t chuckled.

  “Actually, it makes sense,” Cable’t said in return, very straight-faced.

  “Please explain to me what is going on? Brock is—”

  “Shhh,” Alyssa said and gave his arm a shove as she turned to look at Brock. Cable’t snickered but didn’t smile, and her grandmother looked like Alyssa did something disrespectful to the Alpha. Suddenly a whole lot of rules and regulations she knew about came to her mind full force. In fact, she felt like her mind was clearer, and things were being processed.

  “Brock, why don’t you go upstairs and play while we talk,” her grandmother said to him.

  “Adult talk, huh? Fine, you know I’m going to figure it all out anyway,” he said, rolling his eyes and heading upstairs. She noticed Puello watching him go.

  “He looks so much like Galvan,” he said aloud. Tears stung her eyes.

  “You were right, to pick up on the scents, but no one else has been able to,” Grandmother said to him.

  “Why is that? And why wasn’t the family made aware of his existence? Was it because you didn’t want him raised as a wolf or something, or maybe Galvan didn’t—”

  “All wrong, Alpha. Just close your mouth and listen,” Cable’t said to him firmly, and Alyssa thought this man, this wolf was a jerk. He probably thought that his brother just knocked her up with child then took off. Idiot. Wolves were so narcissistic. She stared at him, and then he turned toward the doorway.

  “My mate and her other mates are here,” Cable’t said to him. When the door opened, Alexandra was there along with her men.

  “What in the world is going on?” Puello asked and stood up.

  “Long time no see, cousin,” Preston said and pulled him into an embrace. Alexandra stood next to Alyssa and hugged her as the men talked about being away and finally returning home just a few days ago.

  Then Puello turned to look at her and Alexandra as Preston, Heracio, and Saunder introduced her as their mate.

  “Sisters?” he asked, eyeing them both over.

  He inhaled as he shook Alexandra’s hand and then did a double take. “Fae, and oh boy, a whole lot more. This is complicated, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “You have no idea, Puello, but that is why we are all here, so we can explain things,” Alexandra said, and then they all sat down.

  * * * *

  Puello listened and tried to take in everything his cousins explained, from the problems they recently faced and that the packs were all facing, the danger their mate had been in and was still in because of her abilities and powers, and also about Alyssa and how she was nearly killed and Brock nearly killed before he was born.

  With every detail as their grandmother explained with Alexandra, Puello looked at Alyssa, and knew that she was his mate, too, and perhaps that of his brothers, as well.

  “Did you figure out who it was that was after her and the baby?” he asked.

  “They were rogues, just hunters sent out to kill her and the baby, by the way they attacked her right from the vehicle,” Cable’t said to him.

  “The gods are in control, Puello. It was important that we not only keep Alexandra’s and Alyssa’s identities hidden and Brock hidden, but also remain in this area. I knew that your families, both Keuric and Saint packs, were nearby. I never expected Alexandra’s mates to turn out to be who they are, but it makes sense. Your families are connected, and they are two of the top packs in the United States. Alexandra and her men recently won one battle. I fear the fight is not over but has just begun,” the grandmother said to him.

  “My brothers and I will do whatever is necessary to protect what is ours, and what belongs to us and our families, both the Saint and Keuric packs. The evil that is out there is relentless. We’ve been gone for years. Is that where Galvan was years ago before he left? Was he saying good-bye to you?” he asked Alyssa.

  “He didn’t tell me where he was going or who he was with. He just knew that I was pregnant with Brock, and promised to get back to me,” she said, tears filling her eyes.

  He looked her over.

  “We don’t know if he is dead or alive, but as my mate, too, you will be protected with all I have and all my brothers have.” Her eyes widened.

  “Mate?” Preston asked. Puello stared at his cousins.

  “She is my mate. It’s how I found her, by her scent. My wolf knew immediately.” He looked back at her and stared at her, letting her body know she was his.

  She shook her head.

  “No. My mate is Galvan.”

  “Alyssa, you know how these things work,” Alexandra said to her.

  Puello watched her shake her head and then stand up.

  “I don’t know anything. All I want is for Galvan to return to me and to see his son, to hold Brock and know we are one.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Puello defiantly.

  “That is not how it works,” he said to her.

  “Time. We all need time to process this and decide what our next move is. I don’t believe that making everyone aware of Alyssa and Brock is the smartest move right now. Especially if what you say is true and Galvan is alive,” Preston stated.

  “I suppose you are right, but knowing that Brock is the only heir to our pack, that Galvan is the father and Alyssa is his mate and my mate, then my family does need to know, and full protection must be put in place, especially since I caught her scent so quickly,” Puello said.

  “I believe the gods had a hand in that, Puello. There was a spell on me, too, but Cable’t, Preston, Heracio, and Saunder all seemed to have the ability to bypass it,” Alexandra said and winked.

  “If you know that, then obviously we were meant to meet today. I can’t in good conscience leave her unattended,” he stated and looked at Alyssa and then at Preston.

  “As Alphas, you three understand this. My aunt and uncle will need to be aware of the heir.”

  “He is not some sort of object for you to just take from me. He isn’t going anywhere, and nor am I. He’s my son, and I will protect him to the death if need be. How dare you come in here and even—”

  He stood up, and she stepped back. “That isn’t how it works. Perhaps you don’t get it, being that you’re human,” Puello said to her.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Alyssa countered, and the fire in her eyes made them appear as if they changed in color from green to blue. Could she be something other than human?

  “Okay, I think we all need to calm down here,” her grandmother said, but Heracio and Saunder snickered.

  “Oh, this is good. I think the gods have matched you up with the perfect mate for you, Puello. Alyssa seems to be just as stubborn, bull-headed, and confrontational as you always were. Even as a cub,” Saunder said, and then Preston cleared his throat.

  “This is a serious matter. She is my mate. She could be the mate of my brothers, besides Galvan’s. I am not leaving her unattended. That is final,” he said then slammed his hand down on the table.

  * * * *

  Alexandra watched Alyssa storm out of the room and up the stairs. Preston took his cousin Puello outside. She looked at Heracio, Saunder, her grandmother, then Cable’t.

  “She won’t go with him, nor do I think that is what the gods want at this moment. If they are mates, then more than likely his brothers are her mates, too, if they are as close as you explained,” Alexandra said to them.

  “I believe they are. That will work itself out in time. However, your sister must trust her Alpha, Puello, as her mate, as her leader, and show him the respect he deserves in his position. She needs to un
derstand the intensity of all of this. How Brock is so important as well as her. No other woman was able to bear any male wolves. She had Brock, and your families’ enemies will see that as precious and something they will hunt to destroy. Those same people could have Galvan now, and who knows what they have been doing to him,” Saunder explained.

  “I agree. Their cousins have returned home now, after years serving the gods and searching for Galvin and hunting down the ones responsible for trying to abduct their mother years ago,” Cable’t said to them.

  “Abduct their mother? Why?” Alexandra asked.

  “To destroy her Alphas. Make them weak, and give in to the power of their enemies. It was done to other packs. Some of those women were taken and used to bear children and mix the bloodlines in hopes of more Alphas to fight,” Cable’t said to them.

  “That is despicable,” Alexandra said and stood up.

  Saunder took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Your sister should be under the protection of her mate and the family her son is part of. They are next in line to run the Keuric pack as we are for our pack. She is their last hope,” Saunder said to her.

  She stared at him.

  “So you are asking me to talk to her? To suggest she accept Puello’s request she get his full protection, and his family’s?” she asked.

  “Brock must learn who he is.”

  “He knows who he is, Heracio,” Alexandra replied.

  “What do you mean? He knows he’s of the wolf?” Heracio asked.

  She looked up toward the stairs. “Yes, and he is strong and capable and will one day be a superior leader. Let me go speak with Alyssa and see what we can come up with as a compromise.” She walked away from her mates and headed upstairs.

  * * * *

  “This is insanity, Preston. The woman is irrational and must succumb to my commands as her Alpha.”

  Preston exhaled.

  “Puello, a little bit of advice. She is not like any other woman or person you have ever met. She is your mate. She is special not only for that reason, and for bearing the only heir to your family, but more. Believe me, there is way more to come from this. We explained about meeting our mate. About the danger she is in. Not all my family knows that Cable’t is her mate, too.”

  “By the gods, how the fuck did that happen, and how are you guys handling it? I for one would be out of sorts.”

  “Believe me, we were pissed off and adamant about never accepting it, but then we realized it was meant to be. That we feel complete with her together. He saved her life, and that wasn’t what bound them fully. It turned out that she was his mate, and he didn’t tell a soul. He watched over her from afar, even tried to stop her from accepting us, but then realized it was fate. Things will work out with you and Alyssa. You need to remember the fear she has. How she lost Brock’s father, the one man she has loved and hopes will return to her.”

  “I understand that, and hearing about what happened makes me angry and instantly protective of them both. I can’t walk away and just casually have knowledge of her. You know what this means, finding your mate. It’s consuming. I even feel the need to call Ross and Stark, as well. They need to know and to meet her. To see if she is their mate, too.”

  “She will be their mate. Alexandra senses it, and realistically Alyssa knows but is trying to deny it. She’s hurting, and has been for years because of Galvan and how things ended. That night, all three women and Brock could have died.”

  Puello stared at Preston. “What do you suggest I do then? I’m not leaving her.”

  Preston exhaled. “Then talk to her. Start over, and try to zone into that small amount of patience you realize you need when dealing with Alyssa.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’re obviously whipped already.”

  Preston chuckled. “Whipped?” he asked as they headed back toward the house.

  “Hell yeah. You share your woman and your bed with a vampire.”

  “Not just any vampire. Cable’t. You know you respect him, and understand his power and his reputation. Obviously, some serious shit will come our way, and we’ll need all of us together to battle and destroy whatever it is.”

  “I get the same feeling. We’re in this together, like our families have been from the start. Now I understand the push to come home and where it stemmed from. Alyssa and Brock need us.”

  * * * *

  Alyssa stood by the window and looked out toward the wooded area. Brock was in the shower getting cleaned up after flag football. She thought about today, and about the man, well, wolf downstairs. Could he seriously be her mate? Like she was destined to belong to him and two other men, brothers she never even met before? She felt sick to her stomach but also like something inside of her clicked. Then, of course, there was her stubbornness and her need to be strong, independent, and not trust anyone but her sister and grandmother. Well, and Cab, Saunder, Heracio, and Preston now, too. They were doing fine protecting her.

  Where was Galvan? Was he alive? She gave him her virginity, her heart and soul, and she truly believed that one day he would return to her. Now this happened. This Alpha wanted to take her and Brock away. What if he separated them, and it was some sort of trick? How could she fight off wolves? Hell, a man his size?

  She heard the footsteps and the floor creaked. She thought it was her son, but when she turned there stood Puello. He took up the entire doorway then some, standing sideways in it and then ducking to enter. Her heart raced at the sight, her breasts swelled, and she got so upset at her reaction. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned toward the window and huffed.

  She could hear him breathing, moving closer to her, and her entire body warmed.

  “We started off on the wrong foot. I apologize,” he said, sounding hesitant. Did it mean he was lying to her to gain her trust, or simply was he an Alpha used to getting his way and not ever apologizing for anything? She didn’t know, and that bothered her.

  “No need to. It’s a complicated situation,” she said, and then he pressed really close. She closed her eyes.

  “I know you feel it. I can sense the attraction. I can hear your heart racing, and also sense your resistance.”

  She swallowed hard, opened her eyes, and glanced up over her shoulder. It was intense how protected she felt. Like nothing could do her harm with a man his size. It felt familiar, and that thought truly upset her as Galvan popped into her head. She turned, bumping into him, and he gripped her hips. She pressed back, and her hip hit the windowsill. “Don’t run from me or be scared. I understand that you have knowledge of how this works. How when wolves find their mates, they mate for life.”

  “I have that with Galvan,” she said to him. He inhaled and then swallowed. She watched him, and it seemed like this was really hard for him, too.

  “I understand that, and you will have the same with me and my brothers if they turn out to be your mates, too.”

  She shook her head slowly. He slid his palm from her right hip to her neck and shoulder. As his thumb caressed her jaw, she felt an overwhelming need like she hadn’t felt in years. It was exactly what she felt when Galvan held her this way and this close. But how could she accept this? It wasn’t right. She felt like she was cheating, and even with all the men who asked her out, flirted, or tried to press close to her, she resisted and declined.

  “The gods have granted our pack a new hope with you and Brock. You may not truly understand the depth of this, and the importance, but this is not a process, or a move of control over you. It’s much, much more,” he said, holding her gaze and stroking her jaw. Her core tightened, her pussy spasmed, and her nipples hardened to an achiness she resisted to rub and relieve.

  “I feel it, too. Wolves can go through their entire lives and never find their mate. My brothers and I have been away for years, fighting, protecting our packs and our land from afar, and searching for Galvan. He was always part of us. Of me, my brother Ross, and my other brother Stark, and we knew one day we would lead together. H
e started acting strangely a few months before we left in search of the men who tried to abduct our mother and use her to destroy our packs. I knew something was different about him, and he refused to tell us where he went or whom he was with, and then my mother was attacked. We noticed the men following us, monitoring each of us, and he panicked, then freaked out. He disappeared, and when he came back, it was right in time to leave for our mission. I know now where he was. With you, and he left to protect you.”

  “But he didn’t. He disappeared knowing the danger and not sharing anything with me about his family, about the importance of Brock. We almost died. So did Alexandra and my grandmother.”

  “They didn’t though. It must be true that the gods have a plan. Just as you must follow your gut and your instincts, I must follow mine,” he said to her, then looked at her lips and slowly pressed his to them as he held her jaw and head in place with one hand.

  When their lips touched, she was shocked by the comfort, then the need and the immediate power of attraction. He pressed closer, slid his other arm around her waist, and held her close as he truly ravished her mouth, her taste, and her body went weak from it. When his hand slid to her ass and hoisted her up onto the windowsill, she gasped and gripped his shoulders. He released her lips and hugged her to him.

  “I feel so much,” he said, and she did, too.

  “But Galvan. I can’t stop thinking about Galvan and how much I love him and waited for him. I never expected anything more than him, than Galvan returning and meeting Brock.” He cupped her cheeks between his large hands and stared down into her eyes.

  “He will meet his son, and together we’ll be one family, protecting and expanding our pack, and fighting against the evil trying to destroy us. You must comply with the rules of the wolf,” he said to her.

  She heard the bathroom door open and quickly wiggled free, but he wouldn’t totally release her. “Your son knows I am family. He knows the rules of the wolf culture and ways because of you, your grandmother, and your sister. He will know and understand that I am your mate just as his father is.”