Page 9 of Doubly Tied

One was given to every female invited to this event hosted by the Council of Triads for the purpose of bringing together possible mates and Alpha and Omega pairs across the world.

Brody and Mayne were one such pair. He was the Alpha of the two, fiercely dominant, newly risen to his position in his Pack. But it was one he was destined to achieve. Some Alphas were simply born that way. Stronger than the others, he ascended unchallenged. That was not the typical way things went in Wolf Packs where he was from, but he was simply that dominant. Still, he strived to be a fair and just leader.

Mayne, his Omega partner, tempered his roughness with a keen insight and empathic ability that only served to strengthen their leadership. The Wolves back home were restless with his recent rise in the ranks. Though none were openly against him, Brody was aware of their discontent.

Mayne’s job as Omega was to eke out the emotions and overall feelings of the Pack. To help Brody keep the peace and lead them all to a productive future. They were a good pair, but with their third, they would be even better. She would complete them, seal their bond, and bring them balance.

Yes. She will be our third. The fulfillment of everything we could have ever imagined. She will bring our beasts peace, Brody. And love.

He listened as the Bear whispered into his mind through their link. Mayne was sometimes a bit precognizant. A gift from his Tonkawa ancestry. The nomadic plains people of his heritage had a deeply mystic history the normals knew little about. Like so many Native American peoples, they were rounded up, forced to live in poverty on reservations, and left to die out by an uncaring government.

But we still live on.Mayne’s voice entered his mind once more.

“Yes, my friend. That you do,” Brody returned.

The pair could not solve the world’s problems, but they could make life better for the Pack. To do that, they needed their third, and from the looks of it, they’d just found her. The Big River Pack was located a few miles west of the San Antonio River. Small, but flourishing, most of the Pack was employed at Big River Ranch. That was the name of the outfit Brody DeAngelo had inherited from his maternal grandfather, much like his position as Alpha.

“You are a true Alpha, Brody. If she really is our mate, she will adjust to whatever we offer her.”

“Maybe. But things back home are rough right now,” he growled, uncertain for the first time in his life.

The fierce rush of possessiveness he felt the second he gazed upon the beautiful normal warred with his protective instinct. The Big River Pack was unsettled. They’d come here to find their third to help them stomp out any doubt and indecision among the ranks. But he’d never once considered the potential danger he’d be placing the woman they claimed as mate in.

“True Alphas are not made, Brody, they are born. You know what you are. Surely, as I am your Omega,” Mayne responded to his doubts, before he could even voice them.

Their bond had been forged from childhood friendship, deepening over the years to brotherhood. Yes, Brody had been blessed with the Alpha gene since the time of his conception, and Mayne was destined to be his Omega.

An Alpha pair was in charge of the Big River Pack for the first time in history. One hundred and eighty Wolves strong, their Pack was fierce. The families lived on their land, and most worked on the ranch. They’d formed a community among themselves, though they blended with the local population when events called for it. Of course, not everyone was a fan of the Alpha Omega pair.

His mother had mated a visiting Wolf from a New York City Pack, resulting in Brody’s birth. After the death of his biological father, she’d been shunned by the Wolves she’d grown up with. Later, when he was a teenager, his mother had remarried within the Pack.

His stepfather had sought control, but even wet behind the ears, Brody was far more dominant than Sam Greeves.

He ascended to Alpha with Mayne as his Omega, but the older male was still a constant thorn in his side. Sam lived to make his life hell. He suspected the man hurt his mother, but the she-Wolf defended her mate whenever Brody asked her about her marriage. Not only that, but he was stirring up unrest within the ranks.

Once it became clear Brody was part of a Triad, his stepfather had tried to use even that against him. Especially when his Omega was revealed. Mayne Nakoa was not a Wolf. He was not of them. Or so the asshat had claimed.

A Black Bear Shifter without a Clan, and Brody’s best friend since grade school, the male was everything Sam Greeves was not. He was decent, caring, strong willed, and extremely intelligent.

“Yes, I am all those things,” Mayne readily agreed. “But your attention should be on the female. She is beautiful, Brody. I want to take a closer look.” Mayne interrupted Brody’s train of thought, but he could see where the male was headed.

“Yes. Let’s introduce ourselves.”

“Agreed. We will talk to her. Catch her scent. Then we will see if she is ours.”

“And if she isn’t?”

“If she isn’t? Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time.” Brody grinned.

The two males had been sharing women since they were teenagers and had their first inkling of awareness that they were two parts to a Triad. Of course, it wasn’t until Brody rose to his position as Alpha that he truly recognized it. After he announced it to the Pack, there were some grumblings, mostly from Sam, but he had silenced them.

That had been six months ago to date, and though he felt his Wolves unrest, none had dared challenge him. Even so, his beast was growing uncontrollable. The Wolf wanted to hunt down any hint of opposition and destroy it, but his Omega had tempered his bloodlust for the time being.

Brody knew it was only temporary. He needed to find balance, to control the beast within.

To do that he needed his mate.

Their mate.

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