Follows Hiding in Plain Sight
Part Five of the Dark Moon series.
Ezra turned into the parking space outside of Marchard's men’s shop and furtively slipped inside, ignoring the odd looks he got from the few passersby at the woolen scarf wound around his throat in 90 degree heat. He was still fuming over his encounter with the young researchers, not to mention still smarting from the dart to the ass. Somehow, some way, he would have his revenge on Mr. Wilmington.7777777
Across town at Potter's mercantile, Larabee, Wilmington and Tanner trolled the aisles of the grocery section of the old store. They had steered clear of Medicine Bow in favor of tiny Four Corners. They quickly loaded the Ram with sacks of feed from the farmer's supply section of the family owned mercantile and Vin had done so well, they had decided to see how he did with a bit of grocery shopping. So, they had popped little JD into a cart and were doing a bit of browsing.
JD burbled happily at Buck as the tall man absently pushed the cart down the aisle. The toddler was teething and he industriously gummed a plastic ring. Wilmington paused to grab a batch of Pampers from the shelf. If it was one thing he had discovered, it was that a man could never have too many diapers at hand. He wondered if they came in bales, like hay. Sure would come in handy. To be safe, he threw in a second batch as well as a tub of baby wipes.
In the next aisle, Chris scanned the shelves of cereal for something both healthy and edible, one eye on his mate. Vin kept close to his heels, blue eyes wide as he tried to see everything at once. He wore a pair of soft, old jeans and one of Chris' black tee shirts. Larabee had sweet-talked him into a wearing a soft pair of moccasins that Chris had unearthed from his closet. The shoes felt strange as he scuffed along in Larabee's shadow, but Chris had gently explained that he must wear them inside of stores.
The multitude of colors and scents were almost overwhelming to the young man. It was an exciting day for the shy lupine. All the strange people he saw unnerved him and made him uneasy, but Larabee's solid, calm presence kept him well grounded. Still, he nervously kept close to his mate. So close, in fact that he walked right into Chris' back, when the blond stopped suddenly.
Larabee chuckled and slid an arm around Vin's shoulders, smiling down into the sheepish eyes. The shy, crooked grin blossomed, and unable to resist, he glanced around, then dropped a quick kiss on Vin's cheek.
"Well, what do you think of Mrs. Potter's store?"
He tried to coax a verbal reply, but Vin shook his head mutely. He was too excited to talk, there was too much to see, too many bright colors and enticing aromas competing for his attention. Larabee decided to try another tactic.
"Why don't you pick out a new box of cereal?" he indicated the rows of colorful cereal boxes.
Smiling with pride, Vin happily looked over the selection. Chris watched fondly as Vin carefully examined the boxes, taking the small task seriously. Finally, the young man murmured with pleasure and brought his choice over to Chris. Larabee gave a resigned sigh.
Booberry. Now the milk would be purple instead of brown.
Buck wheeled his cart around the corner, a bottle of Chardonnay in hand.
"Hey Chris, ya think Ez would like a bottle of fancy wine for a thank-you gift?" He held out the bottle.
Larabee gave a small snort.
"Buck, a bottle of Old Fart hardly counts as a fancy wine."
Wilmington chuckled.
"It's about as fancy as I get, old pard."
He gave Chris a wide grin and an exaggerated arch of his mobile brows at the sight of the box of Booberry the blond held.
"Thought we was eating healthy?"
Larabee growled softly.
"Vin picked it out," he answered stiffly, face ruddy. He put the box into the cart.
"You sure you got enough diapers there, Buck?"
Buck chuckled knowingly, recognizing the attempt at a diversion.
"Vin has good taste. Don't ya, pard?" He beamed at the slight young man, who gave him a shy grin back.
They continued up the aisle, the two older men bickering amiably, while Vin trailed silently behind, head swiveling as he tried to see everything at once.
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In the Clarion office across the street, Mary Travis stared longingly at the black Ram parked near the loading dock of Potter’s Mercantile. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands as she fought remembered tears of humiliation. Somehow she had to get back in her alpha’s good graces, and find a way to dispose of his current mate without his knowledge.
Chris was meant to be hers! She had known it from the first moment she laid eyes on the lean blond. She had moved here after the deaths of her mate and young son. The small town of Four Corners, usually bypassed in favor of the larger Medicine Bow, was known as something of a refuge for Lupinii who for various reasons, did not fit in with other packs. When she had learned that Larabee’s wife and child had been murdered by unknown hunters while in lupine form, it seemed the two of them were fated to be together.
To her infinite surprise, Larabee had ignored her every effort to win his affections. She had waited patiently for him to recover from his family’s deaths and notice her. That he should choose to mate with a scruffy, unknown, feral male instead of her was the ultimate insult to her pride. Mary’s Lupinii bloodlines stretched back to European nobility. She had never considered the dark, graceful Maria any real threat, but she had no idea how to compete against this wild Lupine. If only she had thought to issue challenge before she had leapt for his throat!
Mary was unaccustomed to fighting for a mate. Previously, she had been the one fought over by various males. Her former mate had won her in such a challenge, and in the excitement and heat of the moment, she had allowed him to claim her. Only later would she realize lust was not love. When he had been killed in a car accident along with her son, she hadn’t grieved for him long.
As she stared across the street, she realized she was being stared at in turn. Turning her head, she met Maria’s knowing smirk through the plate glass window. The Hispanic lupa flashed contemptuous white teeth and strolled off down the sidewalk, hips swaying. Reminded abruptly of her new status, Mary snarled under her breath before wheeling to stalk back into her office.
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Inside the mercantile, Buck and Chris loaded their cart with a large package of steak, several loaves of freshly baked bread, ears of new corn, and a small bag of new potatoes. Buck had the idea of cooking out for supper and inviting Ez as thanks for helping mislead the biologists. Snapping his fingers, the tall man added milk and several jars of baby food. As an afterthought, he tossed in a box of teething biscuits.
He beamed down at the contented baby in the cart, grinning as the toddler gave him a toothless smile and generously offered him the saliva covered teething ring.
“Can’t forget you can we, son? No thanks, buddy, you hang onto that, I got plans for sinking my teeth in a steak later.”
The tall Lupine’s attention was abruptly snagged by a familiar, delicate female scent and the glimpse of a well-known red head at the end of the aisle.
“Lydia! Hey, darlin’!”
He parked the cart and swaggered over to dazzle her with a dose of animal magnetism. Little JD craned his neck and watched curiously, once again gnawing at his teething ring.
In the next aisle over, Chris realized he had lost his silent shadow. Following his nose, the tall alpha found his mate in front of the niche holding various books and magazines. The younger man grinned happily up at him and eagerly showed him what he had found.
The blond examined the two magazines with interest. One sported a cover picture touting the newest model of Ram truck. The black truck in the photo looked a lot like Larabee’s. The second was a copy of Western Horseman with the cover photo of a pretty cowgirl on a flashy palomino. The blond quirked a brow at that particular picture and grinned knowingly at his young mate.
“Buck’s right pard, you do have good taste. How about we take these home and read them tonight?”
Vin beamed happily up at the taller man and nuzzled in close for an embrace, tilting his head to lick delicately at Larabee’s jaw. The blond’s eyes swept briefly around to ensure they were unobserved, but he made no move to avoid Vin’s loving caress. The majority of tiny Four Corner’s citizenry were Lupinii and a few of the long established human families were even familiar with the pack. Some, like the Potter family, had had a peaceful pact with the local pack for generations. Larabee’s grand sire had been the first sheriff of Four Corners in the late 1800’s.
Chris himself had held the position for a few years, before his wife and son had been killed and he retreated to the solitude of his isolated ranch. Buck had been his deputy too, before he purchased the local saloon that now doubled as a steakhouse. Inez now more than capably managed the Saloon leaving Buck free to roam most of the time, which suited the footloose beta just fine.
Larabee closed his eyes in pleasure as a warm tongue and sharp teeth deftly explored his earlobe. The erotic sensation triggered an unexpected surge of pure arousal. Damn, Buck was right again. It was like being a honeymooner! Here he was a grown man, getting all worked up in the middle of the grocery store.
He smiled down into loving blue eyes. Hell, how was he supposed to resist that face? Tanner felt and responded to the surge of desire through their bond, and he pressed close with a soft sound of inquiry, lush mouth only inches from Larabee’s.
Chris bent his head to taste, but they were both interrupted by an amazingly loud, ear-splitting bellow from the abandoned shopping cart as it dawned on little JD that he was alone.
“DA! DA!”
Vin and he snickered at the sight of a scarlet-faced Wilmington rushing over to reassure his noisy offspring that all was well. Young JD had an excellent set of lungs and no compunction whatsoever about using them to cut into Buck’s schmoozing time with the ladies. Carrying Vin’s magazines, Chris slid a possessive arm around his mate and guided him back down the aisle to the others. He would introduce Vin to Lydia, and then it was about time to head home, anyway.
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At the gas station on the corner across from the mercantile, a shiny white SUV pulled up to the pumps, and disgorged several young Hispanic men. While one man filled the tank, the others casually looked over what they could see of Main Street. Their leader and would-be alpha raised his head and scented the air, the light summer breeze tugging at his sleek black ponytail.
So this was Four Corners. Paulo Alvarez sneered in disdain. Bah! Truly a one-horse town. Still, it might serve his purpose. It was close to Medicine Bow and was surrounded by beautiful, isolated country, perfect for pack purposes. The young Mexican Lupine was roving, searching for territory. He was backed up by a small group of restless young men who, like himself, had been forced out of their own packs when they reached the age to cause trouble and refused to yield to the will of their respective alphas.
He had heard a rumor that the alpha of the small Medicine Bow pack was indifferent to his status, still grieving for the loss of his mate and offspring. He intended to take full advantage of the situation if he could. If the Medicine Bow alpha was weak, he would challenge him and claim his pack and territory. Hands on narrow hips, he lazily surveyed his potential domain. The word was, that Chris Larabee was a drunk and a lone wolf, and thus easy prey. The big beta might prove difficult, but he would set his men on him if he tried to interfere.
He gestured to his vaqueros, and they left the vehicle parked on the street as they roamed downtown towards the Saloon. Paulo strutted in front, his boys trailing obediently behind him, unconsciously fanning out to protect his back. A few blocks from the Saloon, Paulo paused and sniffed the air, a white barracuda smile appearing on his tanned face as he caught wind of a delicate female fragrance.
Across the street, Maria raised her head and inhaled as well, catching the strong, musky scent of strange males. Alertly, she scanned the area for the trespassers, dark eyes narrowing as she sought out the potential threat. Her Alpha and Beta would want to know who the strangers were and what they were doing in town.
She slipped unseen into the small flower shop she owned, and watched as Paulo and his men walked towards the Saloon. Quickly, she dug her cell phone out of her bag to give Inez a warning. Inez not only managed the Saloon, but she lived alone above it. The next number she hit was Buck’s.
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Ezra was just exiting Marchard’s store when a gust of wind brought his head abruptly up, keen eyes watchful, his nostrils flared as he looked for the source of the foreign scents. He hesitated only briefly before heading up the street towards the strangers; he would stop at the clinic along the way and pick up Nathan and hopefully, Josiah. Ezra hated confrontation and avoided it at all costs, but if he was going to be facing down strangers today, he wanted two of his largest pack members at hand. If nothing else, they made a formidable wall of muscle to discreetly stand behind.
He was in luck, finding both Nate and Josiah in the quiet clinic. Rain was in the back taking care of an elderly patient. Quickly, he explained the situation and they all stepped out and headed up the street towards the Saloon.
At the checkout stand, Larabee discovered that their shared shopping cart now also mysteriously held an assortment of cherry Popsicles, orange pushups and fudge bars. He shot a skunk eyed look towards Buck, who was cheerfully pretending not to see, as Mrs. Potter cooed over and admired JD. Vin peered shyly around Larabee’s shoulder at the plump, matronly storekeeper, but was too bashful to speak when introduced. He watched carefully as she rang up his magazines, and bagged them separately for him after Chris paid. He accepted the bag eagerly and carried them happily out to the truck.
Outside of the mercantile, Vin suddenly lifted his head with a raspy snarl, while helping load the groceries in the back of the truck. Startled, Larabee looked over at his mate. The younger man was standing alertly beside the Ram, head lifted as he sniffed the breeze; his dark blue eyes were narrow slits, white teeth flashing. One hand had lifted and unconsciously rubbed his side, right above his waistline.
Larabee’s own eyes narrowed at the tell. He knew from his own leisurely explorations of his mate’s lithe body that he sported a nasty scar there. Nathan had privately confided that he thought it was from an old knife wound. A long white slash that curved over Vin’s hip, it had caught Nate’s eye immediately, but when he had gently inquired about it, Tanner had dropped his head and refused to answer.
If the person who had taken a knife to his mate was in town, he was a dead man. No self-respecting Lupinii male fought a challenge with any weapon other then his own fangs or fists. If he were human, well, his luck had just run out. No one hurt his mate and walked away. Quickly he moved to stand beside his lover, the wind picked up and he caught the strange Lupinii scents himself.
Behind him, he heard Buck’s cell chirp and him answer it, even as he was moving to back them up, dark blue eyes scanning for the danger to his pack. Vin turned toward him with a wordless, anxious lupine whine, so upset that he forgot the rules for public behavior. Larabee laid a reassuring hand on his tense shoulder.
“We know, darlin’. We’re on our way now.”
Buck replaced the phone on his belt and wordlessly handed little JD to Lydia, who had just walked out of the store to stand quietly behind them. She had seen their sudden alert, tense body language through the front window.
She crooned gently to the drowsy baby and absently kissed his soft cheek, even as she, too, scented the breeze. She shifted the child to her hip and waited, watching the three men stalk silently and purposely down the street towards the Saloon, Larabee flanked by his mate and Beta. If not for the toddler she would have joined them. Lupinii did not involve their offspring in potential combat situations. She would safeguard the child until his father returned.
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Paulo and his men had almost reached the door of the saloon when a handsome, dark-haired man stepped out and lazily blocked their way. Raphael de Martinez was in town visiting with his favorite cousin Inez. Arms folded casually, he leaned against the doorjamb, seemingly unconcerned that he was outnumbered as he flashed a white smile to match Paulo’s.
“Buenos Dias, senors. How can I be of assistance to you?” he asked cordially.
Surprised, but unconcerned, Paulo gave him an oily smile. He gestured airily to indicate his men.
“Buenos Dias. My compadres and I were in town and thought we would stop for a drink at this fine establishment before we finished our business here.”
Rafe gave him an equally false white smile.
“Perhaps I can help you with your business?”
He made no move to invite them inside, or to step aside.
Paulo frowned, surprised at the man’s easy confidence. This one had the attitude of an established Beta, yet he knew from careful questioning of sources that Larabee’s Beta wasn’t Hispanic, and that the Medicine Bow pack was a small one with few young, fighting age males. He had heard that there were in fact, several young, beautiful unmated females available for the taking if one was bold enough. This Lupine however, looked vaguely familiar to him. He decided to cut to the chase.
“My business is with Larabee.” His white, sharp-toothed grin widened.
Rafe bared his own teeth in a real smile for the first time.
“How fortunate for you, Senor, he is standing right behind you.”
Shocked at being taken so unaware, Paulo and his friends whirled to face three feral smiles. Larabee and his Beta and another pack member had ghosted silently up at their backs from downwind. As he faced the tall, wiry, black clad Alpha for the first time, he was startled to see absolutely no sign of weakness in the man.
The lean blond facing them was bright eyed and clearly strong and fit, as well as being considerably younger than Paulo had been given to expect. Instead of a feeble, aging drunk with one foot in the grave, he found himself confronting a healthy, supremely confident male in his prime who was looking him directly in the eye with a confident evil shark grin that put his own sneer to shame and unconsciously raised his hackles.
The men standing at his shoulders were formidable as well. The tall, handsome Beta standing easily at his Alpha’s right stood at least six foot three inches tall, with alert, watchful dark blue eyes above a amiable smile. The lithe, younger man at his left, whose scent was vaguely familiar, was watching them through slitted eyes. He was utterly still and focused, yet gave the impression that he could pounce at any second.
Paulo’s eyes widened as his sensitive nose informed him this virile young male was mated to the tall Alpha. Mated males offered a unique trial in combat, because even if the challenger successfully defeated one, the other could immediately challenge the winner afterward. It was one thing to fight a feeble, aging male, quite another to take on two healthy individuals in their prime.
Even as Alvarez took their measure, three other males ambled up from the opposite direction. Two of them were truly arresting in height as well as the impression of quiet strength they radiated, while the smaller auburn haired man gazed at them with intelligent, uncannily keen, fox green eyes.
Not only were Paulo and his four amigos outnumbered, they were summarily outclassed as well. These were all experienced males in their prime, with the possible exception of the big gray haired male who was grinning at them so toothily, but his sheer size and strength made his age irrelevant. It was also blatantly obvious from their confident body language and the ease in they way they integrated and worked together that they were a well-established pack.
It was time for Paulo to regroup and reconsider his previous plan. He had been badly misinformed, and while he might be supremely arrogant, he was no fool.
His companions shifted uneasily behind him, nervous at being outnumbered and literally surrounded by Larabee’s formidable pack. Paulo had bragged about how easy it would be to move into this area, with such a small defending pack. The seven strong Lupinii facing them made that brag ineffective at best. Plus, Larabee himself gave the impression he was ready to take them all on single-handed, without batting an eye.
Paulo gritted his teeth and forced himself to literally back down from the tall blond. Although he was still smiling, his body language shifted slightly, becoming more submissive and his eyes dropped briefly from the Alpha’s direct gaze. Larabee’s pack relaxed their guarded stance slightly in response, but did not back down.
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Across the street Mary Travis watched the standoff unseen. The young stranger had postured but immediately backed down from issuing a real challenge to Larabee. The blond Alpha stood confidently, big hands on lean hips, sharp hazel eyes and feral smile never faltering. His sheer power of presence was almost palpable. Her lips drew back from her teeth involuntarily at the sight of his ‘mate’ standing so confidently at his shoulder.
As she watched, the intruders slowly backed off and retreated up the street to their vehicle. The Medicine Bow pack males followed and watched alertly to ensure they left town. Larabee had turned and was speaking amiably with Raphael, one hand resting lightly on Vin’s hip. The affectionate, possessive gesture made her grit her teeth with envy. In the three years she had known Larabee, he had never once touched her.
Tanner was an unknown element. Her brow furrowed in thought, as she chewed her lip. She dealt in news everyday. How difficult would it be to unearth information on the interloper? A Lupinii male rarely spent so many years alone in the wild without good reason. Had the young man broken pack law somewhere else, conceivably resulting in the exile?
Perhaps there was a way to prove he was unfit for Larabee’s pack. It was certainly something worth investigating. Intrigued and excited by the possibility, she turned back to her desk. She knew exactly where to start. After turning on her computer, she reached for the phone. Few Lupinii outside of Medicine Bow knew that she had been shunned from the pack; there were information sources she could yet take advantage of. Traditional packs forbade the use of computers to store information, but Mary never followed tradition unless it suited her.
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Across the street, Chris had thanked Raphael and took pleasure in inviting him to share the yearly Solstice Hunt with the Medicine Bow pack. Raphael, Buck and he had been friends for years, running wild together as pups. The darkly handsome lupine was footloose and something of a loner. He often worked as a courier between packs and roamed from the California coast all the way to New Orleans, carrying news and information.
One of the first laws of the Lupinii was simply; never write anything down. Leave no evidence behind. Lupinii history and news was passed along via word of mouth. Oral tradition was a sacred duty for lupine shamans and healers.
Larabee had no doubt that the news of his having taken a new mate would spread across the territory like lightning, once Rafe moved on. Word of mouth was still the safest method for spreading news among the western packs. Unlike some of the more cosmopolitan eastern packs, they placed little trust in modern communication tools, too chary of discovery.
Chris had kept a sharp eye on Vin during the confrontation with Alvarez, but while the younger man had obviously been wary, he had given no indication that he recognized any of the strangers. Perhaps the sudden intrusion of the interlopers had set off a bad memory. Larabee would have to gently question him later.
Larabee courteously invited Raphael into the saloon for a drink, which he graciously accepted. One reassuring hand lightly on Vin’s shoulder as he steered him inside the bar, he swept one last keen gaze down the street to insure all was as it should be. It had been a long time since anyone had seriously come sniffing around to check out the Medicine Bow pack’s boundaries, and the brief confrontation with Alvarez left him keyed up.
Buck had ambled back up the street to insure that the interlopers had indeed left the town, and to fetch his pup from Lydia. The others were prowling the area, still a bit wired as well. It would be a while before they all settled down, so they unconsciously, restlessly paced their territory. Later after, dark they would shift and roam to patrol the outer boundaries of their hunting areas, outside of town, to insure there was no further trespassing.
They would all be on a high state of alert until they were certain the strangers were gone for good. Lupinii packs were highly territorial, any infringement taken seriously. Even friendly meetings between members of different packs were closely monitored. Only a few couriers like Raphael, or a Shaman like Josiah, were free to travel unquestioned from pack to pack. Strangers were regarded with justifiable suspicion, those claiming to be loners might actually be scouts for roving packs searching for territory.
In this modern age, pack interaction was by necessity, more covert, modern communication methods could mean the death of them if the majority of the human population became aware of their existence. Lupinii challenges and pack intermarriages were usually formal, highly ritualized events. They were already a dwindling species.
Men had nearly hunted them to extinction in the past centuries, mistaking them for wolves. A unique plague in the 13th century had mysteriously targeted Lupinii females, causing the birth rate to drop dramatically. As a result, fewer and fewer fertile females were born each year. The same disease had mutated and caused rabies-like symptoms in certain males, resulting in werewolf legends worldwide.
Fortunately, it was rare now, although it did still occur. Lupinii males who suffered from the disease were often mistaken for human serial killers. Their own pack members usually quickly executed them, before the killing rage overcame their control and the disease spread.
Still, territory was limited everywhere. The booming human population crowded them into cities and other urban environments. Many packs, like the one Ezra had grown up in, were completely urban, some even to the point where the members buried their lupine nature beneath a human veneer, no longer even hunting in their lupine forms.
Every large city had its hidden lupine community. New York and Los Angeles held the largest urban packs, with New Orleans third. Pack territory conflicts were a very real problem and had led to generations of bloodshed, with established families battling to hold or expand their territory.
Larabee’s grandsire had been a tough, vicious, cold-blooded alpha who had literally carved out his territory in blood. His pack then, as the Medicine Bow pack was now, was a rare mixture of bloodlines. It included Native American, as well as members of Hispanic, African and European descent, and pack membership had been based on personal merit instead of genealogy. Old Caleb Larabee had placed no stock in lengthy genealogies or claims of pure and ancient bloodlines.
He had himself taken not one, but two mates in his time. The first, a fiery Irish immigrant, the second, a Cheyenne lupa. He had sired three strong sons and one fertile daughter. His eldest son had been Chris’ sire. The others had scattered across the country in search of mates and new territory. Larabee’s uncles had headed north into Minnesota and Canada, while his aunt had married into a venerable Germanic pack and now resided in Europe.
Inside the deserted saloon, Larabee gave Inez a reassuring nod before taking a seat at a corner table. Vin hovered nervously at his side, alert blue eyes taking in every detail of their surroundings and even eyeing Inez suspiciously. He had reason to be wary of strange females. Inez put him immediately at ease, deferring to him and speaking gently as she brought over a tray holding Larabee’s personal bottle, shot glasses and assorted snacks.
Chris poured Raphael and himself a shot of fine bourbon and they saluted each other before tossing them back. Smiling at Vin’s curious sniff, Larabee poured a second shot and pushed it gently over to his mate.
“Slow. Taste it slow, cowboy.”
Vin shot him a reckless glance, then tossed the shot back in imitation of the others. He gasped and eyed the bottle with new respect, smacking his lips thoughtfully at the fiery liquor’s burn. Larabee chuckled at his mate’s grit. He looked over at Raphael who was eyeing Tanner with genial curiosity. Inez had told him about Larabee’s feral mate.
Larabee poured his friend another shot, and leaned lazily back in his chair. Beside him, Vin nibbled curiously at a pretzel.
“So, young Alvarez is roving. I guess Hector finally ran him out of the Sonora pack.”
Raphael nodded thoughtfully. “Si, he was getting reckless the last time I was through their territory. It was only a matter of time before Emilio passed the pack leadership on to his eldest son, and Hector was not as tolerant of Paulo’s antics. Paulo is not very bright, he did not even recognize me and I have heard there was even some trouble involving humans.”
Larabee frowned. That was bad news. He nodded at Rafe to continue.
“The word is that Paulo is known for his taste for human females. The last time he hurt a girl badly after he finished with her. Maybe he is developing a taste for blood. His appetites are one reason Inez left the Sonora pack.”
Martinez’ voice was calm but grim as he recited the facts. A bloodthirsty Lupine who developed a taste for humans was a danger to all. Eventually, he would have to be dealt with. Since he was no longer a part of the Sonora pack, that responsibility fell to the leader of whichever pack he chose to try and seize. Raphael would spread the word to be on guard against him.
Larabee tapped his glass thoughtfully on the tabletop. To the best of his knowledge all the neighboring packs had strong alphas and he couldn’t see the young, preening Alvarez defeating any of them. Unstable Lupinii, however, did not always follow pack law. He knew of several alphas in past memory that had been unlawfully assassinated in order for an interloper to gain a toehold into their packs.
His own grandfather had had to fight off a roving band of Lupinii who had masqueraded as Comancheros and had attacked en masse. Fortunately the attackers had not counted on the sheer toughness and determination of old Caleb’s diverse, ragtag pack. Outsiders even to other packs, they had formed into an impressive whole under Caleb’s leadership. Caleb had allowed one badly crippled rover to survive as a living example of exactly what would happen to any other Lupinii foolish enough to attack the Medicine Bow pack.
Vin stirred uneasily beside him, picking up on his unease through their shared bond and he absently laid a comforting hand on the younger man’s thigh and gave him a reassuring pat.
Buck chose that moment to push noisily through the doors, baby on his hip. He and both Josiah and Nathan wore broad, white grins as they sheparded a sputtering, scarlet-faced Ezra through the doors, propelling him over to Larabee’s table despite his strident protests.
“Hey, ol’ Dawg, Ez here ran into a mite of trouble with those biologists this morning.”
Wilmington winked broadly at his alpha, moustache quivering with suppressed amusement. One big hand on Ezra’s shoulder, he pushed the smaller man forward. Behind him, Nate and Josiah looked ready to burst with laughter. Ezra himself, glared at his alpha in indignation.
Larabee tilted his blond head curiously. Ezra was something of an unknown element to him, having joined the pack during the black time shortly after his family’s demise. Josiah had been the one who had vouched for the young southerner. About all they knew of him was that he had spent his formative years in an urban pack and that his mother was a notorious thief who had no qualms about targeting humans or Lupinii.
He eyed the black scarf wound around the younger man’s throat.
“Are you alright, Ezra?” he asked quietly.
Surprised at the unexpected concern, Ezra blinked warily back at his alpha. He was used to being treated with a certain regal indifference by the blond. When Chris indicated the scarf on his neck, he flushed again with humiliation.
“Ah am quite well, Mr. Larabee. However, our young students were a tad overenthusiastic in their research methodology.”
He removed the scarf with a small flourish to reveal the hideous neon yellow collar riveted around his throat, then turned to glare daggers at a snickering Buck Wilmington. Behind him, Josiah and Nathan burst into laughter as well. Raphael wore a wide grin and Inez hid a smile behind one hand. Even Larabee grinned.
To everyone’s surprise, Vin made a soft sound of distress and stood to comfort Ezra, patting his shoulder clumsily and trying to tug the collar off. He had seen collared dogs before and it distressed him to see one on his pack mate. He didn’t understand why everyone was laughing at such a bad thing.
“Why, thank you, Mr. Tanner. I have been quite unable to remove this abomination without aid.” Flustered, Ezra gingerly patted Vin back and glared at the still snickering Wilmington over his shoulder.
Larabee stood to soothe his upset mate and issued a few brisk orders.
“Buck, go grab your tool box. You and Josiah help get that damned thing off of him. Nate, check him out, they had to have darted him. Have a seat and a cold drink, Ezra.”
He nodded at Inez and she quickly brought over a frosty mug of imported beer.
Ezra sat obediently, still flustered but oddly pleased at all the attention from his pack mates. Being appreciated was not something he was used to. He continued to pat Vin’s arm reassuringly, the shy, inarticulate young man’s concern touched him more deeply then he cared to admit.
Tanner had turned pleading eyes on his mate. Larabee ran a gentle hand through Vin’s unruly hair, slid a reassuring arm around his shoulders and smiled down into the worried face.
“It’s alright, cowboy. We’re gonna have that thing off him in no time.”
Reassured, Vin settled back. Chris had said everything would be well, so it would be. Still, he watched Ezra closely for any signs of distress. Larabee continued to soothe him, stroking his hair and bending his head so Vin could nuzzle close if he chose.
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A short while later, the collar was removed and an evilly chortling Buck had carried it out the back door. Ezra gave a sigh of relief. The thing had been both annoying and hot as blue blazes. The pack sat amiably in the cool bar, Raphael passed on what current news he had and gave Josiah a letter from a friend on the west coast. Maria had joined them after a demure glance at Raphael. Unlike Mary Travis, she had accepted Larabee’s new mate, and so, cast thoughtful dark eyes elsewhere.
Buck returned a half hour later, minus the collar, looking very pleased with himself. Larabee stood to take his leave, but before they were out the door, Standish swore softly as he glared out the window.
“Damnation!”
There, parked across the street, was a battered jeep holding two very puzzled young biologists. The young woman was glaring at a small hand held device and thumping it violently. The watching Lupinii snickered softly at her obvious frustration. As they watched, the young man turned the jeep around and they headed slowly out of town, eyes on the tracking device. Larabee grinned and turned a thoughtful eye on his beta.
“Okay, Buck, what did you do?”
Wilmington turned a look of angelic innocence on his alpha. But was unable to maintain it for long. He chuckled aloud and replied simply,
“Flossie.”
The Medicine Bow pack burst into immediate laughter, with the exception of a puzzled Vin and Rafe.
“Who is this Flossie?” Rafe asked curiously.
Josiah wiped his streaming eyes and thumped the shorter man on the shoulder as he explained.
“Flossie is Jamie Potter’s old redbone coon hound. She’s crazy about Buck, it's all that animal magnetism of his. He put the collar on her and set her on a jackrabbit trail. She’s a relentless hunter, but totally inept. She’ll run in circles all day and half the night before she gives up. Then when she gets home, Jamie will toss the collar in the river. Those biologists are gonna have quite a wild goose chase.”
The group broke up with amused chuckles. Ezra and Josiah had invited Rafe for a meal at the Saloon, which Inez bustled off to prepare. Maria stayed for a few moments to flirt delicately with the handsome courier. Nate wandered back down to the clinic to explain to his exasperated mate where he had disappeared to for the past few hours.
Outside the bar, Buck had thoughtfully brought the Ram down from the mercantile and parked it a few doors down. Chris unlocked it and watched in amusement as Buck buckled a napping JD into his car seat, then crammed his own long legs into the back of the quad cab so Vin could ride up front with Chris. It was a good thing they had put the steak and ice cream in the ice packed cooler.
The blond watched fondly as Vin climbed happily into the big truck and carefully buckled himself in with his seatbelt, as Chris had showed him. Vin loved to ride in the big truck. Larabee fastened his own belt then used the control panel on his side to roll Vin’s window down and lock his door. As he pulled out onto the street, he caught a glimpse of Mary Travis staring out of the window of the Clarion towards them.
Deliberately, he averted his eyes, ignoring her. She was now a nonentity to him. He had more important things to do. As they pulled out onto the highway and sped up, he and Buck chuckled softly as Vin immediately leaned his head out the window, sniffing happily, long hair whipping in the wind.
Tonight he would enjoy seeing the pleasure on his mate’s face as he tasted ice cream for the first time in years, and he looked forward to curling up later in their big bed to read Vin’s magazines to him, and indulge in a little ‘language lesson’ of his own as he mapped his mate’s lean body with his tongue. In a week they would celebrate their first Solstice Hunt together. Life was good.
Continues in The Solstice Hunt
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