Page 36 of Clawless

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Only minutes after Carter had led Vail out, Jasper’s mom burst through the door in a rage. Gwendoline Arras was an alpha female, famed for both her cool beauty and her ruthlessness. She came from a pack in the remote Canadian Mountains and had been mated to the old alpha through an arrangement struck with her parents. She’d never publicly fought with her mate, but everyone knew their relationship was stormy, and at times, even violent. She’d put out a statement supporting Jay after he ascended, and according to clan gossip, had been celebrating her freedom ever since her mate died. With her new status as mother of the Clan Alpha, she’d been quick to call in favors and settle old scores. To say nothing of working her way through every male in the clan who’d ever caught her eye.

Something I was careful to avoid as she burst into the room, a vicious snarl on her beautiful face. “Where’s the little bitch?”

“Hello, Gwendoline.” I held up my phone, which was already loaded with the video from my private feed. I was assuming she didn’t know about the glitch in the guards’ system and wouldn’t ask where I got the footage. I played the short snippet of Vail running from the woods and being tackled by the guards. I stopped it before she sunk her canines into his hand. “She was retrieving your pup, not putting him in danger. Have you seen them yet?”

She gave me a cold look and pushed the phone aside. “She’s to stay away from my family, Reed. If she touches them again, she’ll need more than her Marrow name to protect her.”

She wasn’t making empty threats, so I thumbed the phone and brought up a picture of Vail and Jasper in the dance studio. It was a still, since I didn’t think she’d enjoy the whole scene any more than I did, but it perfectly framed their body language. “You need to talk to your son about that. And remember the other half of her bloodline. She’s a Marshall wolf, too, and we protect our own.”

She sneered at me. “Pearl LaRue is a good wolf. She and I are very close, and if I have my way, she’ll be mated to Jay before the year’s out.” She stepped towards me, aggression rolling off her in a way my wolf didn’t like at all. “We’re so close, in fact, there are no secrets between us. Such as when a certain alphason gave her a vial of Wolf Fire from his father’s stash.” She smiled at the look on my face and leaned forward to kiss my cheek. “Keep your bitch away from my boys, Reed, and it will stay our little secret.”

Twenty-Six – Vail

I’d finally shifted.

Not a lot, like a paw or a tail, but I definitely had more bite than the last time I’d brushed my teeth. Something I’d shared with Marnie the second her brother ushered her into Reed’s room. Which was a whole other level of awkward, since on our previous trip to this floor, her alpha had made her crawl out of Jay’s room like a whipped dog. Which was something I still had to chew him out over. Which, yes, was taking the whole tooth obsession a little far, but at the moment all I could think was – I had canines!

“Fangs are so much cooler than fur,” Marnie said, hugging her knees and grinning at me. We were both in our pajamas, my blood-stained coat having been whisked away to the alphas’ laundry service. “Although pup claws look pretty badass, too.”

I touched my neck, trying to ignore the brush of cool metal as I smoothed down the gauze patches. They were deep scratches, but Marnie had assured me that now I was starting to shift, I’d heal a lot quicker. “Trey’s an asshole. He completely terrified the poor pup.”

“A crazy asshole,” Marnie added. “I mean, this place is in full-on lockdown, and he still comes looking for you. You really think all he wanted was to tell you about his dad?”

I shrugged. “Who the hell knows what goes on in a Barakat head?” I punched Reed’s pillow and flopped back down. Marnie was sitting across the room in one of the club chairs, having almost passed out at the idea of lying on her alpha’s bed. Personally, I liked surrounding myself with Reed’s scent. It wasn’t as tantalizing as Jasper’s sunshine smell, but the little hints of pine reminded me of the pups. And next to canines, they were my new obsession. “I hope the pups aren’t too traumatized. I really want to go check on them, but their mom terrifies me.”

Marnie joined me in a shiver. “Yeah, I think Gwendoline Arras is Pearl’s role model. But then, they’re both alpha females, which is kind of rare. Not to mention being icy blondes who can freeze your blood at twenty paces.”

My stomach clenched a little at the thought of Jasper’s mom and ex-girlfriend having so much in common. It made sense, like Marnie said, but it still hurt. With effort, I pushed them from my mind. “I just hope they still let the omegas look after the pups. I’d hate to be the asshole who brought down Den Night.”

She snorted. “I always thought those omega rituals were a snorefest, but I have to say, you liven things up, Vail.”

I tossed Reed’s pillow at her, which had her launching from the chair like a scalded cat. Instead of throwing it back, she stuck up her middle digit and we both dissolved into giggles. I was about to say something about flashing some claw, when the door opened and Reed walked in. Marnie’s glee dried up at the blank look he gave us, but I was starting to feel a little more comfortable around Reed and figured this was just his thinking face. “Everything okay?”

He didn’t change expression, but I sensed an underlying emotion as he replied, “I spoke to Jay’s mom. She’s asked you to keep your distance from the pups for a while.”

I’d been expecting that, but it didn’t sting any the less to hear it. “You told her my version of what happened?”

“Everything but biting the guard,” he told me. “You should probably keep your shift private until you’ve spoken to Jay.”

I gulped. He meant until I’d explained I wasn’t trying to fake a bond, which was one conversation I really didn’t want to have. He must have read it on my face, because he crossed the room and drew me to my feet, his hands on my shoulders. It was a stance we used in training, but I could see Marnie’s face out of the corner of my eye and knew it looked more intimate than it was. Which was exactly what I was trying to tell the warm feeling blooming in my belly. “Just remember,” he told me, his brown eyes firm, “stuff like this is more often political, than personal.”

I nodded, but my short time in the pack had taught me my peers didn’t have to know me to want me gone. I was either the wrong bloodline, or a dud, or just plain in the way. “What’s happening at Omega House?”

“It’s in lockdown. The guards are looking into that outage of the security system, so no one’s going in or out. With the pups still on site, I guess everyone’s on edge.”

I bit my lip. “Should I head back there?”

Reed tightened his hold on my shoulders. “Alpha Arras – Jay’s mom – is on a bit of a warpath. I think it’s best you keep a low profile.” He glanced at Marnie, who looked like she wanted to sink into the floor. “You want to hang out and watch movies? There’s a media room at the end of the hall. I think it’s hooked up to stream whatever you want to watch.”

I almost laughed at the size of Marnie’s eyes. “That’d be great.” We were already in our pajamas, and if I had to hide out, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day than immersed in some bad boy bikers. “And chance you’ve got a popcorn maker hidden under your bed?”

“Nope.” He opened one of the kitchen cabinets and tossed me a jumbo bag of M&Ms. “That do?”

I stared at it for a moment, remembering another Netflix night and another bag of candy. With an effort, I shook the nostalgia aside. “Perfect.” Grabbing his pillow and a blanket off the bed, I swept Marnie out ahead of me. The media room had theater seating for twelve and a screen you could see from space. I left the remote in Marnie’s capable hands and made a nest in one of the seats with Reed’s bedding. When Marnie showed me how to get the footrest to pop up, I gave a happy sigh. She settled into the seat next to me and shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re about to Netflix the hell out of the alphas’ home theater.”

I waved the M&M bag at her. “And demolish Reed’s candy stash.”

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