Chapter Two

Nikki had enjoyed dinner with her two brothers, mostly because of how much she’d missed them. Maybe it was just what she did to convince herself that she was okay on her own, but the loneliness of not being part of their stories actually hurt.

Justin had delighted her with the antics of both his second-grade class and the pre-teen wolves he taught. Brandon had remained quiet throughout most of the meal, which wasn’t out of the ordinary, but she’d picked up his tension anyhow. Something big was going on and they’d been keeping her in the dark about it. The little she’d gotten out of Justin wasn’t enough.

She bided her time until Brandon headed for the station and Justin was sitting in the passenger seat of her Jeep. Justin wouldn’t be able to get out of her questioning that way.

“What’s going on?” she asked, turning south off the main street to where their small home was. “What haven’t I been told?”

Justin sighed gazing out of the window. “The ceremony in a few days is getting people worked up. Brandon needs you here.”

“Why?” She darted a look at him, but he still faced away. “It’s not like we didn’t know it’s going to happen.” Brandon had called and said Cameron was stepping down. He had explained about the new Alpha coming and how their community would grow.

“Yeah, but knowing and it actually happening are two different things.”

“So Brandon wanted me home to show support for the change or something?” Normally Justin was a lot easier to get answers from. “Have you met the new Alpha?”

“Once. He seemed like a good enough guy,” Justin admitted. “But he’s not from here.”

“Well, Cameron has already picked the Alpha and it’s been agreed upon by the council,” she reminded him. “What is there to do?”

“The new Alpha could be challenged right after the ceremony.”

Her hands jerked and the vehicle swerved. She righted the steering wheel. “Shit—a challenge?”

She’d never seen a challenge but knew enough about them to know that a battle for the position for Alpha would be major. Some of her friends had told her stories about the Pack being taken over. The Alpha who lost never lived. Although the Council tried to keep the chance of death minimal, there were old-fashioned Alphas who still demanded it.

This was much worse than Nikki had expected. Good thing I’ve come home. If Brandon was going to protect the new Alpha… A sudden thought entered her brain. “Who would be stupid enough to challenge the Alpha?” she asked.

When Justin simply turned and met her stare, she knew.

“Oh, God! He can’t!”

Justin just shrugged. “I don’t think he even wants to. But he’s getting a lot of pressure right now. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but a day doesn’t go by that someone is not calling or coming by to ask him about it.”

And suddenly she understood. She wasn’t home just to welcome the new Alpha. She might be saying goodbye to her own brother. A challenge to the death. Or even if the new Alpha decided to spare Brandon’s life, he’d have to leave the Pack. She and Justin would have to leave the only home they’d ever had.

Tears pricked her eyes as she peered out of the windshield. The sights that surrounded her were so familiar, but they didn’t soothe her like they normally did. Now, they made her feel sick. They’d lived there since her grandfather had joined the small community and had brought his young mate with him. Her grandmother’s family had been part of the territory for several decades. The wide-open space that expanded for miles and miles was home. But home also meant family. Her family, Brandon and Justin, all she had left.

“We can’t let him,” she almost yelled in the small, quiet confines of the vehicle.

“We don’t have a choice. If he decides to do it, we have to support him,” Justin murmured. “We have to have his back.”

What the hell? Did Justin really believe that any good could come out of the challenge? She pressed her lips together and glared over at him. The pain on his face brought her up short. If he knows what would happen to Brandon, how can he back him?

“Justin?”

He held up a hand, stopping her. “Talk to Brandon. He knows how I feel already and he needs to know your thoughts, too. But no matter what he decides, we will stand behind him.”

Nikki didn’t respond, unsure what could be said in the situation. She turned down the gravel road that led to their cabin. It was only a half mile to the house and the entire journey, her mind ran though several possibilities. All of them ended with her losing so much. She pulled up to the front of the house and heard the barking. The sound brought a smile to her lips. Faced with so much new information, it was good to know some things didn’t change.

She opened the driver’s door without waiting on Justin. She braced her feet shoulder-width apart as the barking came closer. A black streak raced from around her house seconds before a full-blooded sixty-pound black Lab leaped on top of her.

“Hey, Bear.” She rubbed the dog from his large front paws on her shoulders down his back. She received several wet kisses as welcome. God, she’d missed her boy.

Justin’s deep laugh came from in front of the house. “Guess he missed you.”

She glanced over and her heart swelled. It was obvious the dog wasn’t the only one. She wanted Justin to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay. Instead, she let him turn away. This was just as hard on him as her. Except Justin had had to deal with this information much longer. He hadn’t had anyone to talk to, with her several miles away. Her job kept her out of the country just as much as it required traveling in the United States. She’d not been there for either man when this had first started. Well, she was home now and Nikki would fix this if she could.

“Justin?” she called before he could make it up the steps.

He turned and raised an eyebrow in question.

“What’s the new Alpha’s name?”

“Dylan Cross.”

She didn’t hear him walk into the house—couldn’t hear anything over the pounding in her ears. She pushed the dog off her and plopped down on the bottom step.

“Cross?” she whispered to the night. Bear lay at her feet and licked her hand. The man she’d met earlier had the last name Cross. Had to be a relation of the new Alpha. She’d picked up on the tension between the two of them outside the café.

Obviously her brother hadn’t liked the man. The hostility had been easy enough to read. Because he was related to the new Alpha, or something more? In the normal course of things, she wouldn’t have thought anything about getting involved with someone her brother didn’t approve of. In fact, that had been how she had picked her high-school boyfriends. But this was something else entirely. Not only was her body almost vibrating at the thought of him, her wolf—who as a rule stayed mostly silent—was scratching and clawing at her to go find him. She could almost taste the strength that had come from the stranger. He might not have been Alpha material, but he had been dominant. And if he was related to the Alpha, that didn’t speak well for any challenger.

Brandon had always been quick, strong and smart. However, it scared her to death that it might not be enough this time. He’d never said he’d wanted to lead. In point of fact, the opposite had been true. Brandon had commented several times how he couldn’t get paid enough to be Alpha, having no privacy and constant requests to see to. Nikki buried her hands in Bear’s thick fur. “What in the world are we going to do?” she asked.

Of course, the dog didn’t answer.

The wind picked up, forcing her to return to her Jeep and grab her bag. It smelled like a storm was brewing and she didn’t want to get caught out in the rain. Bear stayed with her and she was glad of the company.

She walked in through the front door and the feeling of being home hit her at once. Her eyes blurred from the memories that flooded her. The living room still had the old furniture that had once belonged to her grandparents. The fabric remained worn but clean. The years of spills and rough childhood antics hadn’t left too big a mark. The light was off in the dining room and farther back to the kitchen, but she knew no changes had been made there, either. The kitchen would be clean and tidy even if the space needed a new paint job. The table and chairs, old cabinet and expensive wood furnishing in the dining room had been her grandmother’s pride and joy. Nikki secretly hoped one day to have those pieces in her house.

The stairs still creaked as she made her way up. She smiled, jumping over the seventh step—the loudest—that had given her away more than once when she’d tried to sneak out as a teen. It was as though that spot had had a direct link to her oldest brother’s room.

She passed Brandon’s and Justin’s rooms on the way to her own. Justin’s light shined under his door, but she wanted a little time alone to think things through before she spoke with him again. There had to be something she could do to help Brandon, even if it resulted in her making her brother mad. She would not, could not, accept Brandon challenging for the Alpha position.

Her room hadn’t changed a bit in her absence and that was both comforting and sad. Would it really hurt her to visit more than once every couple of years? While she had been traveling and working, her brothers had been trying to figure out the future of the Pack. She did feel terrible that she hadn’t wanted to come back. Brandon and Justin had obviously needed her. Bear followed her into the small space and climbed on the bed to plop down.

Hoping a hot shower would clear the exhaustion from travel and help her think more clearly, she dumped her bag onto the bed and grabbed her shower case from it. Nikki had the master bedroom with the bath inside, while Brandon and Justin shared the other bath in the hall. She had told one of them to take her room so they could have the private bath, but Brandon had ignored her and Justin had said as soon as she was mated, he would. She’d answered that in that case it would still be hers for a while.

After turning on the hot water to heat it up, she began to strip. Stepping inside the shower, she sighed and let the steam and heat relax her. The tile in the stall was cracked and stained, but she smiled as she ran her fingertips over the hardness. She’d begged Brandon to decorate her bathroom in pink until at last she’d talked him into it, at about ten years old. He had even found the pink tile for a discount. He’d been that wonderful to her.

It wasn’t the décor she’d have picked as an adult, but it had been hers as a child and a teen.

Starting to wash her hair, she thought about the man she had met earlier. RJ was the kind of man she would notice from down the street—his dark good looks, height and build and tattooed arms. She hummed, thinking how damn attractive he’d been. Just the kind of guy she usually found herself attracted to. He’d probably not enjoy showering in the pink space. No, he was more leather and oil. A real man’s man.

Yeah, she was sure RJ Cross didn’t run around in pink and flowers. She couldn’t care less what he preferred. The sexy as sin biker called to the most primal part of her. Nikki craved the dominance male wolves had in them, but in the people she surrounded herself with, she didn’t often find what she longed for.

She filled her palms with body wash and ran them down her neck to her chest. Her breasts felt heavy and she wished there was someone in the shower with her. Of course that made her think about RJ again. His large hands would be able to cup her to perfection and his wide, smooth lips would feel fantastic on her skin.

She moved her hands down her body until she skimmed against her mound. She slipped a finger lower, rubbing her clit hard.

Spreading her legs, she leaned on the wall of the shower. The stall would be too small for two people, but she could still imagine RJ on his knees in front of her, licking her folds.

Her imagination and her fingers brought her to the fevered edge she craved. “Oh God,” she murmured, sliding two fingers deep inside her pussy. Pumping in and out, she trembled. Almost right…there…

A flash of RJ holding her against the wall, his deep voice telling her to come, had her finally falling over the edge.

Spent and warm, she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her body. She had a lot to think about. Maybe they could come to an understanding, especially if there was interest on both sides. If not, she’d make sure the entire Cross family knew that Brandon had his own support system.

Nikki dressed in a pair of her favorite cotton pants and a tank top prior to unpacking other clothes into her dresser. Nothing seemed to have been moved and the stuff she’d left behind was still inside, but she managed to push it to the back to fit her new additions.

Once everything had been put away, she petted Bear’s head then strolled to her window. She pushed aside the white lace curtain to gaze out. Her community was laid out in front of her. The lights from houses that she probably knew every detail of shined in the distance. These people were the only family that she’d ever known. Even if they thought what they were asking Brandon to do was right, Nikki couldn’t forgive them for putting her brother in this position.

From a young age, Brandon had taken on the responsibility to make things right around him. If he were being pressured to challenge the Alpha, Nikki couldn’t imagine the struggle that he’d been going through.

Maybe she would catch a little nap waiting for Brandon came home. It was time she acted like an adult and showed her brother how much he meant to her. Nikki wasn’t going to let him make a decision that might ruin his entire life.

If Brandon could look her in the eye and tell her that he wanted to be Alpha, she would stand behind him. She’d do whatever she needed to keep him safe.

She knew, though, deep in her heart, that Brandon didn’t want the job.

It was going to be harder if Brandon admitted he didn’t want it.

Either way she’d know for sure what Brandon needed from her.

* * * *

Dylan was already gone by the time RJ made it down the stairs the next morning, but Ben sat dressed in his suit and drinking a cup of coffee.

“’Bout time,” his younger brother complained. “I’ve got to get to work.”

RJ frowned as he reached for a clean coffee cup. “So what’s stopping you?”

It wasn’t as though he usually got up with his brothers. He liked to work late and had never been an early riser. He enjoyed having his own business so he could set what hours he wanted to work.

“Because I needed to talk to you.” Ben stood and rinsed out his coffee mug. RJ moved to the kitchen table his brother had just left and took a seat, waving his hand so Ben would get on with it.

“One of the women I work with said that the Stratton sister would be coming to town,” Ben informed him.

RJ froze. He wasn’t sure how word of his interaction with the woman would have gotten out already. There had been a lot of people inside the café, but most of them had been from the old Pack.

“From what I understand, she keeps Pack status but hasn’t been home in over a year.” Ben stared at him.

Striking the most casual pose he could, RJ leaned heavily in his chair. “And?”

“You don’t think it’s funny that the ceremony and maybe challenge are only days away and she’s suddenly back here?”

Now that he thought about it, yes, it was a little strange, but he didn’t want to admit it to his brother. He needed to do his own research. “What? You think she’s part of the challenge?”

Ben shook his head. “No, of course not, but it doesn’t mean they’re not up to something.”

Ben could be right, but really, what could the young woman do? Besides, she’d flirted with him the previous night. Plus she hadn’t even blinked at his name being Cross. He would almost guarantee she hadn’t a clue about his family. Almost guarantee. He was pretty good at reading people, but he had been distracted by her.

“I’ll see what I can find out,” he promised. He’d already planned on it, but now he’d do it for his brothers as well. There were favors that RJ could call in if need be. His time in the military had earned him points with several different species, including the Prince of felines.

Ben’s shoulders relaxed and guilt turned RJ’s stomach. He should tell Ben about having met Nikki Stratton. But instead, he watched his brother pick up his briefcase and waved goodbye. He didn’t know why he hesitated. Fuck, yes, I do. RJ didn’t want Nikki Stratton to be involved in anything against Dylan. And if she is? Well, he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

“Where to start?” he asked the empty room. He would treat it like any other investigation as an Enforcer. He picked up his coffee cup, topped it off and made his way to his room and his laptop. He would run some basic searches on Nikki Stratton.

It couldn’t be that hard to figure out what the Stratton family and old Pack were up to. Dylan needed to let Cameron know what was going on, whether he wanted to or not. Dylan had told him that he didn’t want to worry the Alpha, but Cameron could help in this situation.

He sat down and typed in his password opening the program he’d used when his job had been to do background searches on shifters who had wanted to join the Pack.

When RJ had left, Ben had taken on the task, but RJ still had access to the system.

He typed Nikki Stratton into the database and over one hundred results popped up. Okay, he could narrow it down. When he added in Lawton, New Mexico, he hit what he was looking for. Nicole Stratton, Lawton Pack, older brothers Brandon and Justin Stratton. Both parents deceased.

RJ sipped as he continued to read.

Fifteen minutes later RJ was impressed with the number of articles written by Nicole B. Stratton. There were so many that he had to print them out to finish reading later. She had traveled to several countries, writing about what she saw and raising awareness of the many cultures that were ignored around the world. It was obvious the woman was good at what she did and that she enjoyed it.

It also raised the question—why would she put that on hold to come home? Why now? And would she be leaving soon?

The last question was purely personal.

The alarm on his watch beeped and he glanced at the time. It was already late morning and he needed to get into town to open his shop, even if the people who came only wanted to check out the new Alpha’s brother. He might not be giving out tattoos, but he’d get good intel. The Pack members who had moved to Lawton with them stopped by to share what they were hearing, while the original residents wanted to see him up close and personal.

He stuffed the articles into his top desk drawer after logging off his computer. Until he decided what to do about Nikki, he didn’t want either of his brothers to know what he was doing. Yes, he’d told Ben, but he also needed time to sort through how much to tell Dylan. Ben never could keep a secret, so RJ would have to let him remain in the dark as well.

He showered quickly before dressing in a faded pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. His custom boots and jacket followed. After locking up behind himself, he peered out into the dreary weather. The thunderstorms from the previous night had quieted down to a steady light fall of rain. He could still ride his bike, but he didn’t like feeling damp denim against his body for the rest of the day.

Instead of heading to where he’d parked his bike under the carport, RJ followed the deck around to the large garage that hid behind the house. He rarely drove a car, but when he did it was going to be the type that he wanted. Southeast New Mexico might not be the place for a classic, but RJ didn’t care. He’d wanted to own a sixty-seven Impala his entire life. Now, with money in the bank from his years of service, he could take his time restoring the beauty.

His baby wasn’t perfect yet, but she would be. Since no one was setting up appointments for tattoos, maybe RJ would try to divide his time better and schedule working on his ride.

It would be fun to pull her out today, though.

The bay doors squeaked as RJ opened them. The storage garage was old but clean and tidy. Of course, since Dylan also stored a vehicle back here, it had to be. His older brother wouldn’t stand for a dirty area, even to work on cars.

RJ shook his head. He had no idea how Dylan could be so fussy but love to get dirty at as well.

As he pulled the cover from his car, he admired the sleek lines and ran his hand over the body. When he’d seen this particular model had been on a television show and he’d been drooling over it ever since. The only one he’d been able to find had been a beaten-down black model in the rear of someone’s yard. RJ had purchased it and sent the car on to Dylan to house until RJ returned.

The hours he and the members of his unit had spent tearing out old fabric, rebuilding the engine and adding personal touches stayed with him. When he looked at his car, he could remember the good times they’d had fixing her up. The beer had been cold, the laughter plentiful and his best friends by his side. That was before Casey had found his mate and the missions had started to weigh on them all.

Back in a simpler time that RJ needed to hold on to.

Plus, the Impala was a chick magnet. He wondered what Nikki had planned that morning. If she hadn’t known who he was the previous night, surely she did by now. It might make it more difficult to get closer to her, but he’d always been a determined man. RJ wouldn’t trade on his attraction to her to get information on her brother, but a woman with the integrity to write the articles he’d read couldn’t be behind a hostile takeover. He counted on it.

There might even be a chance that he’d win her over to his side, keeping a challenge from occurring. Because he had right on his side.

Cameron had chosen his brother to lead the Pack. It angered him that the old Alpha’s wishes were not being respected, in addition to the fact that he wouldn’t stand for any threat against his family.

The rumble of the Impala was loud in the quietness of the garage. He reversed out, speed slow, and headed toward town. Brandon Stratton had already pulled him over once. It had been a tense battle of strength between the two men. RJ knew the sheriff had been testing his control, pushing RJ’s buttons to see what he would do. RJ had managed to hang on to his wolf and not give the sheriff what he wanted. After taking the speeding ticket, he thought he’d seen a flash of respect in Brandon’s eyes, but he couldn’t be sure.

He took the side streets until he reached the alley in which he parked. The drive had been way too short, but after work, he’d take her toward the flatlands where he could really open the old girl up and not worry about getting a ticket.

RJ entered his shop through the back door and flipped on the lights. The place remained neat and clean from the prior night. Everything was in place. Of course, the top-grade security system he’d had installed would have warned him if anything had been wrong, but being cautious was ingrained in RJ. His footsteps echoed as he crossed the front entry to the windows and doors. He opened the blinds, letting the bright sunlight in to gleam off the stainless steel countertops. He reached for the Open sign when he spotted several older residents standing across the street, looking in his direction.

“Let’s see what this is about,” he murmured. RJ did turn the sign around before unlocking the front door and stepping outside. For an instant, he regretted not wearing his sunglasses. The day hadn’t called for the dark shades, but he enjoyed the ability to intimidate people. The few old men who were hanging out across the street hadn’t been welcoming to RJ or his family at all.

In front of his glass window RJ leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He stared at the group and, just as he suspected, they began to look everywhere but at him.

He’d seen the tall, gray-haired man, Todd Stewart, talking with Brandon Stratton several times in the past two weeks. RJ’s instincts were telling him that Todd was the main voice trying to get the challenge against Dylan started. Todd wouldn’t be able to win versus RJ’s brother, so he needed someone who might.

As dominant and strong as Brandon Stratton was, RJ didn’t believe that he’d take out Dylan in a fair fight. Which meant that something more sinister was in the works. It didn’t take more than five minutes of RJ’s presence on the sidewalk to have the small group strolling away.

Half a block down, Todd turned toward RJ.

RJ dipped his head. He’d promised not to start trouble, but he also wouldn’t allow anyone to intimidate him. Todd sneered then retreated.

“RJ!”

He spun around, not having heard anyone coming up behind him. The pretty young woman on the sidewalk grinned at him.

“Are you causing trouble?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” he replied on autopilot. Trisha and RJ had grown up together and had been good friends through high school. During his absence, she’d mated a quiet but friendly shifter she’d met during college. RJ hadn’t been surprised when Dylan had told him she’d offered to move Packs with him. Trisha’s mate, Eli, was from around these parts. If RJ remembered correctly, Eli’s old Pack lived about an hour or so away.

Forgetting all about the old men, RJ smiled down at the petite woman. “You look good,” he said. “How’re things going?”

“Great!” She bounced a little as she spoke. “Eli is meeting me at the coffee café, but I wanted to stroll around the shops first. I can’t believe Dylan and Ben managed to get everything going so fast. I thought it would take much longer to get set up.”

So had he. “Ben said that over the years, several stores and services here had gone out of business. Economic downturn and all that.” He waved his hand. RJ didn’t understand half of what Ben had tried to explain to him. As a real estate manager, Ben kept his finger in a lot of pies and always knew what went on with companies. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh.” Trisha beamed. “I got hired on to teach history at the high school. With the addition of our Pack, the town needs more help at the schools. They had most of the young pups in a building and grouped them together per grades. Now there’s enough for us to have full classes. The teachers at the schools are really excited.”

“That’s great!” RJ really needed to hear about some good things happening.

“One of the teachers from here is even organizing meetings with the school district for upgrading the facilities. He seems to have a lot of support already, so I hope it’ll go through. I offered to help him,” Trisha said.

“Wow.” RJ wanted to hug his old friend. While he’d been so busy worrying about the upcoming Alpha switch, someone in the community had stepped up for the children. “Who’s this guy? Maybe I could offer some help once he gets approval for the improvements.”

“His name is Justin Stratton,” Trisha said.

“Stratton?” Can I not get away from that damn family?

“You probably know his brother.” Trisha sounded excited. “He’s the sheriff.”

Oh, RJ knew the sheriff all right. He couldn’t tell Trisha that, though. “Yeah. I’ll see if I can get hold of Justin and find out what he might need.”

“Awesome!” Trisha grabbed his arm. “This has been such a good move for us.”

“I’m glad,” RJ responded.

“Well, I’d better finish my window shopping. I don’t want to be late for coffee with my mate.”

RJ gave her a little wave as she skipped off. At least she was happy. He didn’t know how she could appear so oblivious to the tensions in the town. He watched as she stopped to talk to someone else. The women, an original resident, seemed friendly, though. They exchanged a few words before Trisha took off again. Maybe the Pack would fare better than his own family. That boded well if a challenge didn’t take place.

RJ spun to return into his shop. He had a long day of staring at his sketch book. If he didn’t get any real customers soon, he’d go crazy. Money wasn’t an issue, but RJ was used to being busy. He needed to keep his hands and mind occupied.

One thing he knew—he shouldn’t be thinking about the Stratton siblings.

His first priority was to his brother. Being an Alpha should be the perfect opportunity for Dylan and it was RJ’s job to protect him. He’d been gone and left his brothers on their own for too long.

Not that RJ didn’t love what he’d done. The training had been superior and the friends he’d made were an addition to his family. But going back to civilian life wasn’t an easy transition.

“I just need to draw,” he mumbled to himself. RJ could always use another tattoo. Once he completed the art work, he’d call Mike or Casey to come ink him.