Page 12 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

Orion beeped his horn and waved, a broad grin on his face. Elise flipped him off without looking back.

Bowen would have ripped her throat out.

I didn’t understand why Rafe hadn’t, honestly. Even my old alpha dealt out harsh discipline when necessary, and he came nowhere near Bowen’s love for violence. If her outburst had been a first, sure, but the reactions from the others seemed suspiciously routine.

But Dusk Valley was not like my old pack, and even less like the Black Sands pack. They allowed humans, for one. Orion’s mate seemed pleasant enough, if a bit standoffish. With Elise stomping around and Kai extending his stay, I suspected Orion told her to keep her head down and stay out of the way.

Dusk Valley didn’t have the numbers for spreading out the aggression. Another difference. They weren’t the ten-plus members advertised on Rafe’s profile—numbers that wouldn’t stand up against the full might of Bowen’s pack, but could easily make any splinter group with orders to steal me back reconsider the fight. That—and a mate mark—were all the protection I needed.

Kai was another matter.

My brother drummed his fingers on the tabletop, his gaze wandering around the diner. I followed his line of sight to a community post board near our table, littered with faded flyers and notices. He squinted at the only fresh notice, missing just two of its ‘tear here’ snippets of information.

“Looks like someone bought that creepy old house on the hill,” he said, vaguely gesturing. “Turning it into some kind of artist’s retreat.”

I frowned. “An artist’s retreat? Here?”

Kai shrugged. “Says they want to ‘preserve the gloomy gothic Victorian vibes.’ Pretentious bullshit if you ask me.”

I rolled my eyes. Trust Kai to zero in on anything art-related. He’d always had a talent for drawing and painting, even if our old pack didn’t exactly encourage creative pursuits. He could lose himself for hours, hunched over a sketchpad, his hand flying across the page. It was the only time I didn’t need to worry about him getting into trouble.

“Maybe you should apply,” I teased. “Might be a good place to lay low for a while.”

Kai snorted, but I caught the flicker of interest in his eyes before he turned his attention out the window and resumed his restless drumming.

The door chimed, and a fraction of a second later, Kai’s fingers stopped.

His body went rigid. Then the scent hit my nose, and my blood ran cold.

No. It couldn’t be. Not now. Not here.

But there he was, sliding into the booth next to me like he owned the place. Like he owned me.

Bowen’s wide shoulders crowded the cracked vinyl booth. I wanted to shrink away, but the sheer dominance of his inner wolf kept me pinned in place. Our thighs touched, our knees bumped, and my wolf snarled to run as far from the Black Sand alpha as possible.

“Well, well, well,” Bowen drawled, his pale gray eyes glinting too brightly for the human world. He rarely left shifter territory; why would he bother to play by human rules? “If it isn’t the runaway bitch and her traitor brother.”

My fingers clenched around the cheap plastic water cup as a wave of anger washed over me. I opened my mouth to protest the crude assessment, but Kai kicked me under the table. A subtle warning to keep my mouth shut.

Just like old times.

“You didn’t really think you could escape me, did you?” Bowen chuckled, a cold, mirthless sound. “Thought you could just run off and play house with some other pack, like I wouldn’t find out?”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “We’re not playing house. I’m to be mated to the alpha here.”

Bowen barked out a laugh. “Oh, sweetheart. You think that matters to me? You think some pissant little alpha can keep you safe from what’s coming?”

Kai slid back into his seat, his face pale. Bowen’s eyes flicked to him, a predatory gleam in their depths. “Here’s how this is going to go. For every day you don’t make good on your brother’s payment, I kill off another member of your old pack. And when I run out of them, I start on your new one.”

He leaned in closer, his breath hot on my cheek. “One by one, until only your brother is left. And then I’ll make you two fight to the death. Winner gets the honor of being my new chew toy.”

My stomach twisted into knots, bile rising in my throat as dread snaked through my veins. Bowen’s cruelty knew no bounds. He’d fought and warred his way to control the largest pack in northern California, killing sons and mating daughters to seal his rule. Rumor had it, he’d once picked apart a pack one patrol at a time for months because the alpha refused to share his mate, then added her to his harem anyway once the alpha gurgled his last breath.

I didn’t want to believe he was serious with his twisted ultimatum. But one look at his face told me he was deadly so.

The bell above the door jangled, and what was left of the air fled the diner. I didn’t need to look up to know who had walked in. Rafe’s presence filled the room, commanding attention without a word.

My wolf’s snarls quieted to a manageable buzz. A hush fell over the other patrons.

---