“I’m not a flipping yo-yo. Will you stop trying to push me into the floor?” She took the tea and smiled at the person who had brought it to her. “Ivan, right? I don’t care for sweet tea. Could you please just get me some ice water?”

  “Yes, ma’am, miss?” She said her name was Brandy Conner. They all turned to the man holding his belly and the back of her neck.

  “Listen to me, not him. I’m telling you that I want water. He’s not my keeper.” That got them moving again, and a plate was set in front of her. Lica sat down in the chair next to her. “I came here to talk to you about my employee. You made her cry, which I’ve found out she does every time something doesn’t go her way. I want to know what you said that has her threatening to cut your nuts off. I can understand a little of that, having only spent the last few minutes around you, but what happened?”

  “Do you have a weak stomach?” She told him she didn’t and asked why. “Ayden worked there about a week a couple of years ago.”

  “Is this history lesson necessary?” He asked her if she was always so rude when she wanted information from someone. “You’re right. My apologies. Go one. So which one is Ayden again?” The man raised his hand as he passed the biggest bowl of mashed potatoes she’d ever seen to her. “Thank you. Go on.”

  After putting a small scoop on her plate, Lica took the bowl next. After putting about three heaping scoops on his own plate, he put another one on hers. Before she could tell him that she had enough, the bowl was on its way to the next person.

  “Ayden worked there a couple of years ago, and he quit when he noticed some…Well, the place isn’t sanitary. The man working the line, he still works there by the way, Ayden. He was picking his nose and eating his buggers while putting lettuce on my sand—”

  “Good Christ.” He nodded at her when she spoke. “I’m assuming Joey is his name. You said something to him about it.”

  “No, I said something to that dumbass—not very smart woman working the cash register. She told me that’s the special sauce that makes your buggers, then she acted like she slipped up and called them burgers so good. I told her that I wanted to see the manager and she told me that it’s your—pardon me, your juices as the female manager that makes the fries so crispy.”

  She didn’t get it at first, but the older woman, Brogan, she said her name was, stood up and sat down twice before she asked Lica if he was joking. He said that he’d never joke about something so sexual with a stranger. Then she got it.

  Brandy backed from the table so quickly that she nearly fell backward. If not for Lica and his brother on either side of her catching her, she would have hurt herself badly. As it was, she was put in the position of having her head between her knees again and thought she’d be better off staying there this time.

  “We’re losing business. Well, I guess I know why now.” She sat up and looked at Lica. “What on earth made her think that she could talk to you like that?” His face turned pink, and she thought it suited him, but she didn’t make a comment. “So you’ve dated her before this.”

  “Good Christ, no. She’s…what is she about fifteen? No. Christ, no.” She laughed, and he growled. “I used to babysit her when she was a baby. I guess…she makes comments like that to all of us when she sees us. I don’t usually engage with her, but I was giving Rodeo another chance after so long and was starving. Not that hungry to eat there, but that’s what happened.”

  “There’s more if you want to know about it. If Joey is still working there, I’m betting that none of the other stuff has been taken care of either.” She told Ayden she didn’t want to know right then. “Good. That’s good. It’s all worse, by the way. What I would do if I were you is close the place down, fire everyone, and blow the restaurant out of the town. No one will ever eat there again if it gets out that someone said those things and upset Lica.” She looked at Lica and asked him why him.

  “Because I don’t usually comment about things I like or dislike.” The older man at the end of the table agreed with Lica. Even going so far as to say that his word was his bond, too. And everyone knew it. “Thank you, Mr. Bates. That means a great deal to me.”

  No more was said about her employees, and she dug into her meal. Suddenly hungry, she tasted the mashed potatoes and moaned. They were the best thing she’d eaten in a very long time. But then Lica stiffened up and dropped his fork in his mashed potatoes and gravy, which splattered all over her face. She turned to look at him, and that’s when she realized that he was staring at her.

  “What?” The older man laughed as did both the women. She didn’t so much as glance in their direction when one of the many Frazier men asked Lica if she was the one. With his nod, she spoke again. “Am I the one what?”

  There wasn’t any chance for her to get an answer when the front door to the house exploded open. Every person at the table stood up, and she was shoved to the back of the men. Making her way to the front again, she asked what was going on. It was then that she saw a young man with a gun in his belt with two other men who looked like they’d been out trick or treating and hadn’t changed.

  “What do we have here? A party for the retiree.” She didn’t know what that meant, so she kept her mouth shut. But Lica asked the man what he wanted. “Didn’t you hear? Bates is retiring? He’s put it out there that he’s not going to be our big bad alpha anymore. Isn’t that what this little get-together is about? The retiring alpha?”

  “Lincoln?” The man at the other end of the table said that is why he was here. “To retire? Or something else?”

  “To see if you’d take over the job.” The man with the gun laughed. “I should have known word would get out faster than I could talk to you.”

  “What you got here, Lica? A bit of pussy?” Her nerves already shot had Brandy punching the man in the face, completely forgetting about the gun. “What the fuck was that for?”

  Brandy punched him again, this time knocking him back a foot. He reached for his gun, and Brandy felt the air around her tighten, like right before lightning struck close to you. Not turning around, she took a step back and felt Lica put his hand on her back.

  “You’ll have respect in this house. Now, I’ve told you once and hit you twice. I don’t want to hear another remark like that out of your mouth while you’re in this house. Do you understand me?” She had no idea where all this bravo was coming from, but she knew that if she backed down now, he’d eat her alive. “I asked you if you understood me.”

  “Listen here, you fucking cunt.” This time, she slapped him. The extra strength that she suddenly had was enough to knock him into the two men behind him and onto the floor. He was shaking his head when she finally turned to look behind her. Then she turned to face the men still on the floor.

  “Lica…I’m assuming that he’s Lincoln?” He nodded at her. “Yes, I remember now. I’m assuming since he offered you to be the alpha that you’re someone that could…are those wolves behind me your brothers?”

  “Yes. They’re there to protect you.” She nodded, then looked at him again. “You’re doing just fine, Brandy. I’m here if you need me, but I’m thinking you have this.”

  “All right.” The man got up, and he lunged at her like a child would do to make you flinch. She didn’t. Sort of afraid if she did something like that, the wolves behind her would think she was…well, she didn’t know what they’d think, actually. “The next time that I have to remind you of your manners or the lack of them, I’m going to…I’m going to remove your hand. If you think I’m kidding, then you’re going to be—Lica, he’s a wolf too, I’m guessing. If you think I’m kidding you, then you’re going to be one paw-less wolf.”

  Before she could figure out what the hell was wrong with her, taunting a man with a gun, she turned her back on him and made her way to the kitchen. She was going in there to be sick, her belly not cooperating with all this going on one bit. Getting herself a glass of water, she was drinking it down when the man and his two idiot friends came into the kitchen with Lica and his brother wolves. The other three, Brogan, Lincoln, and his wife Judy, were the last to join them.

  “I’ve had enough of your bullshit, woman. When I take this pack over, the first thing I’m going to do is make an example out of you.” Lica growled, and she saw his own wolf race over his face and arms. For whatever reason, she was going to blame it on the insanity of herself; she knew that if he did shift, then there would be carnage like never seen before. She told him she wasn’t afraid of him. “You should be. Have you ever been bitten by a wolf? I’m going to tear you apart, piece by little piece. Then, when I’m finished with you, I’m going to let any male around have at you.”

  “If you tear me to little pieces, how will anyone…you know what? Never mind. I don’t care. Would you like to know why? Because you’re not going to do a thing to me.” She picked up the large clever that was on the table and told him to put his hand on the chopping block. When she was finished here, she was going to have her head examined. There was something very wrong with her. “Put your hand right here. I have warned you.”

  He did it all the while laughing. This was the most surreal thing she’d ever done. When he laughed at her, telling her that he was going to enjoy killing her, she picked up the clever and cut his hand off at the wrist. Just brought the blade down with a hard swing like she’d done this a million times.

  It wasn’t real, she told herself. Not a bit of what was happening was real. Until the screams started. Then she knew that there really was something wrong with her. She’d just chopped a man’s hand off for threatening to kill her.

  ~*~

  Lica didn’t move from his stance beside Brandy. He wasn’t touching her, knowing on some level if he did, she’d fall apart. His brothers, all of them men now and dressed, were waiting for the police to show up. Brandy hadn’t said a word in the last twenty minutes, and he was beginning to worry about her.

  “Lica, did you call my parents? They must be worried that I didn’t show up for dinner.” He told Brandy that he’d called and that he had spoken to her father. “He’ll be worried. I don’t usually show up late to have dinner with them.”

  “They’re on their way here. My grannie is going to talk to them when they arrive. Do you need anything?” Brandy said she was all right, and he nodded. “I have some whiskey in the cabinet that we use to make fruit cakes. I don’t care for it but we make some to sell for some extra cash after Thanksgiving.”

  “I think you’re supposed to make it with rum. Or bourbon. Not whiskey. I don’t care for it either, but my dad loves it. You’ll have to let him have some when he’s here. Do you think that I’m going to prison?” He told her, for the eighth time, that she wasn’t going to go to prison. “Thank you for that. But I believe that I killed that man.”

  “You didn’t kill him. I swear to it. He’s out there licking his wounds now that he’s shifted and has healed up. Remember? I took a bit of his blood?” She nodded and said that she had too. “Yes. You did. You need to know when he’s around.”

  “Yes. He’ll come after me now, won’t he?” He said he’d never get past him. “You said that before. I don’t know why I believe you, but I do. Just…I don’t want any of you to get hurt. Did you call my parents?”

  Officer Billings came in the back door. It put him right in the middle of everything that was going on, but he was as calm as he had ever been. It was Lincoln that spoke quietly to him about what had happened. He told the officer that Brandy had warned him three times about him disrespecting her house.

  “One thing that I’ve learned in all my years as an officer was not to disrespect a household when you’ve come uninvited. Having dinner, were you?” Lica hated to admit it, but he was proud of his human mate. He didn’t want her, but he was proud of her. “Ms. Brandy, can you tell me what happened here today?”

  When Brandy started talking, he stepped back out of her way to let her get it off her chest. If she didn’t get to talk, he knew that it would haunt her for the rest of her life at what she’d done. She didn’t kill the punk, David James, but he would never heal from the missing paw until he told her, honestly, how sorry he was. The alpha bitch had wounded him.

  “I did warn him not to talk like that. We were having a nice dinner until he broke the front door and came in with his two friends. I didn’t know if you were told or not, but he had a gun in his belt.” Brandy spoke about what happened like she was giving testimony in a court of law. When she looked at him, he had to ask what was being said as he was mesmerized by her calmness. “Lica, he wants to know if you have anything to say.”

  “Yes. Lincoln Bates asked us to be the alphas of the pack.” She didn’t deny it even though the words had never been spoken between them, but he knew if he didn’t take it now, that Lincoln and his entire family would be dead before the next moon change. As well as most of the pack. That’s not to say that he and his family, including Brandy, wouldn’t be harmed either. There would be so many deaths if someone came like David James were to come around and challenge Lincoln that they would be finding bodies for decades after the massacre.

  “Well, congratulations to the both of you.” He was waiting for Brandy to deny it, but she simply walked away. All he did was give a look to his brother Edmond, and he followed her. She was like a fragile flower right now and he didn’t care for it. “What are your plans for the pack, Lica? I’m assuming that the two of you will be moving into the alpha’s house. It’ll be much nicer than the one here with it just being built and all.”

  “We’ve not talked about it much. I’ve only just found Brandy today, and this is something that we have to discuss.” He told him congratulations on that as well, and Lica thanked him. “We have a lot of things to talk about. She’s human right now, so I’m making sure that she’s getting around well. If you’ll excuse me.”

  He found her in the living room. Grannie was there on the couch, and he saw her shake her head slightly before pointing at Brandy. Since he’d been keeping her calm and talking to her most of the evening, he didn’t know what his grannie was doing. As soon as he was within a foot of Brandy, she slapped him twice on his face.

  “Since I don’t want to lose my hand by pissing you off—” The third time she hit him, he staggered back from it. The punch to his chest hurt him badly enough that he was caught without breath and had to hold onto the wall before approaching her again. “What the hell was that for?”

  “You fucker. You act like this is no big deal that I’ve wounded a person that was…if you have my back like I heard you’re supposed to do, being the almighty Lica mate to me, then why the fuck did you allow me to cut that man’s hand off?” Lica asked her what he was supposed to do. “You should have told me to let him go. You should have done something rather than just stand there while I…I cut his hand off. Like it was nothing.”

  “It was more than nothing. It was everything. What do you think would have happened had you blown him off and not done as you threatened? Do you think that he would have said that’s fine, I’m going to leave now, it’s been fun? No, he wouldn’t have. And as for the threat, it was the best one you could have come up with. Cutting his hand, removing it like you did, with promises of retaliations if he didn’t heed your warning, is now out there for everyone to see that you’re not one to fuck with.” He looked as his grannie left them in the room. “What do you think he would have done to you had you not done as you promised, Brandy? I know he would have killed you. Right where you stood, he would have pulled out his gun and blown your head off. Then he would have had to kill each and every member of my family because they would have come to your defense. Then he would have gone on a shooting spree that—”

  “That’s enough, Lica. I think you’ve made your point.” His anger was making him dizzy, and he growled at his brother, Devlin, when he told him to back off. “You hurt her, and I’m going to die trying to kill you. Back off. Now.”

  He let his beast take him and he ran out of the house by jumping through the window that was over the couch in the living room. Not slowing, he ran as hard as he could through the trees, jumping over anything that dared to get in his way. Without slowing, he hit the waterway that ran through their property and out the other side without a single thought to what he was doing. Running. Not away, but he told himself that he was letting off steam, that was all.

  It was dark when he finally stopped. He didn’t have any idea where he was, but he knew that he was still on their land. He could smell his brothers and himself, knowing that they’d been out here recently enough cutting wood for the winter that their scent was still fresh. Lying down on the soft grass, he was keen enough to keep an eye out for humans and other creatures while he waited for his heart to slow down enough that he could go home. The scent of Brandy startled him.

  “If you shift into a human will—wait, you hate humans. If you shift to your other self, will you be naked?” He told her through their link that since he’d found his mate, he didn’t know. “All right. Then I’d like for you to stay the way you are. I have some things to say to you, and I’d very much like it if you let me say it. First of all, I told Lincoln that we would, and the two of us would take over the pack. He said that at some point, when you agree, too, that, we’ll get some magic. I don’t know what that entails, but that’s what he told me.”

  “We’ll be more. I’m not sure what that means about you, but I want you to know that I don’t hate all humans. Just most of them.” She looked away, but not before he saw the pain he’d caused her. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry for being honest with me. It might hurt me but that’s none of your concern. All right, so you’re not sure of what might happen, but I was told that we’d have to have sex and exchange blood while climaxing for us to be mates. Is that right?” Lica told her that he didn’t know for sure, but his Grannie would know. “She’s not speaking to me right now. I think that I hurt her feelings when I asked her how to get out of being your mate. I guess that it’s a done deal unless one of us dies. I’m not ready to die just yet, so I guess we’re going to be stuck with each other.”