Page 28 of Married into the Mob
I froze, a hand on a packet of frozen mango which he’d told him not to buy because it was too expensive.
“I hate leaving you, but there will be someone on the street and outside the door.”
“Look.” He brandished his mating hand under my nose. “You said this would help protect me. And we’ve shared blood according to some ancient mafia tradition. Go, shoo.”
The phone rang as I was about to say I’d be back later. Flint. I couldn’t ignore it. I begged the universe that Draven had beenfound and the remnants of the Silverback pack contained. But it’d been less than two hours since we left the panic room. My brothers and our other pack members were excellent trackers and fighters, but I doubted they’d found our quarry so fast.
“We have a problem.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“Stop with those ridiculous sayings, Hunter. And no, we haven’t found Draven. He’s gone to ground.”
“That was what we did, Bro,” I quipped. We’d been deep in the ground, literally, “So unless he’s got his own panic room?—”
“Hunter. Stop.” That wasn’t Flint’s big-brother voice. He was speaking as my Alpha.
“Yes, Alpha.”
He got straight to the point, saying Draven had contacted the shifter council and lodged a complaint, explaining I had stolen his mate.
“He’s lying. Odell is mine, not his.”
But a hand wrenched the phone out of my grasp.
“Let me say this again. I belong to no one.” Odell gave me back the phone.
“One word.” That was Flint.
“Don’t say it,” I begged. I said it for him. “Feisty.” Just like Tony and Matt. But knowing my brothers and me, the universe had chosen our mates who were not doormats, but strong personalities who would fight for their freedom and principles and stand up to our alpha tendencies.
“I’ll speak to them. Can you arrange a meeting?”
“Hunter, Draven has recounted what happened at City Hall, and the council members ruled against you.”
That couldn’t happen. The men on the council were above reproach, they would hear both sides, especially as Draven’s pack had been driven out of shifter circles.
“That makes no sense.” The older men on the council were known for being measured and unbiased.
“Interesting fact. Turns out the changes we pushed for in the council, saying there should be term limits, backfired on us. More than half of the new appointees have an apparent grudge against La Luna Noir.”
Well, fuck.
“Hunter, what’s going on? Are my aunt and uncle okay?”
“They’re safe.” I put a finger to my lips, indicating Odell should shush, though he wasn’t the being shushed type, I’d learned.
“Here’s the bottom line. Stealing someone’s mate is a crime.”
“You don’t need to recite our law, Flint,” I snapped, not a sensible reaction when he was my older brother and my Alpha.
“Because of La Luna Noir’s standing in the community, the council has agreed not to mete out the…” Flint’s voice cracked, and talons of fear raked over my skin. “…the ultimate punishment.”
Shit! They’d considered having me put to death. This had to be a dream.
But Flint was still talking. “They’ve gone over my head.” Any punishment the council laid down would be carried out by the pack Alpha. Or that was the way it had always been. “You’ve been banished, and you have to hand over Odell.”
The expression “hand over” suggested he wasn’t mine to begin with. But as my mate had reminded Flint and me moments earlier, he wasn’t a possession. He was my mate.
