Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(36)
Nick grunted. “Well, the guy who calls himself their Alpha is a bear who goes by Archer. He was next in line to be Alpha, so he walked into the position after their prior Alpha recently died. Before that, Archer was a very hands-on Beta who liked to do the dirty work. Especially beatings. I guess you could say he was the Alpha’s muscle for a long time, and people genuinely fear Archer. He didn’t need to go snatching females from other clans to make a point. Maybe he thought that to change the tradition would be to show weakness, or maybe he just likes the idea of causing suffering to others—who the fuck knows? What I do know is that this isn’t over. He’s not a person who would walk away just because a pallas cat is acting stubborn.”
“I agree. Which means we need to find them and deliver a little warning.”
“Warning? I want some fucking justice after those sows knocked you down.”
Honestly, Bracken found it hard to share Nick’s rage over the incident when he knew for a fact that he’d still be in the dark about Madisyn being his mate if it hadn’t happened. “He’ll likely insist they acted without his consent, apologize for their behavior, and assure us that they’ve been punished—something we can’t disprove, which means we also can’t insist he hand them over to us or hold him responsible. They probably didn’t have his consent to strike at Madisyn through me. It’s too much of a stupid move.”
Nick inclined his head. “But they will have had his consent to do what it took to get answers from Madisyn.”
“Which is why I need to have a chat with Archer. Do they have chapters? Because if they have any here in California, it’s logical that they’re staying with one of them.”
“That was my thought. Donovan said they have two in California. One in San Francisco, one in Napa County. Both are too far away from here to be a convenient base for the clan.”
Bracken grimaced. “Fuck.”
“We don’t need to go looking for them. They’ll surface sooner or later. When that happens, we’ll deal with them.”
Stacking the dishwasher later that day just as her shift was ending, Madisyn heard the kitchen doors swing open. Looking up, she expected to see one of the other volunteers enter, carrying trays of empty plates they’d collected from the shelter cafeteria. Instead, it was Makenna.
“I just had a call from Taryn,” said the she-wolf. “She wanted to know if I knew you were Bracken’s true mate. Apparently, he made an announcement to his pack earlier. Shaya called her, all excited about it.”
Madisyn straightened. “Yeah, he did. Most of them sent me text messages, congratulating me on finding my mate and expressing their hopes that I’ll join the pack soon.”
“Aw, that’s nice.” Makenna crossed to her, smiling. “I was just about to ask if you saw him last night, but it’s obvious that you did. Smells like he rubbed himself all over you to make a point to any shifter male who came too close. As if the bite on your neck isn’t enough of a warning. It’s kind of cute.”
He had rubbed himself all over her. He’d done it when Madisyn got out of the shower, not liking that the water had washed away some of his scent from her skin.
“So what happened? Did you guys have a good talk? Clear the air?”
“Yes, we did.” As she continued to load the dishwasher, Madisyn gave a short but sweet account of her conversation with him. Done with her shift, she then began a slow walk out of the kitchen and through the cafeteria as she told the she-wolf all about her mind-meltingly hot night with Bracken. With each little detail, Makenna’s smile widened.
“I always figured he’d know his way around the female body.” Makenna fanned her face. “You can just tell by the self-assured way he carries himself. How’s your cat feeling about all this?”
“Weird. Like she’s presiding over the situation, watching and waiting. Bracken said he wants some time with her.”
Makenna chuckled. “He’s thinking if he just gives her some cuddles, she’ll melt right into him. Have you told him what you are yet?”
“I didn’t need to. Somehow, he got hold of the Enigma CCTV footage and saw my brawl with the sows. All of the Mercury Pack must know what I am by now.”
A line formed between Makenna’s brows. “Taryn didn’t mention that part. She was too excited about the idea that Bracken would now have a real chance at healing. Everyone’s been super worried about him.”
Yeah, Madisyn had figured everyone would rely on her to heal him. That terrified her. She didn’t think of herself as a person who others would find comforting. She was more likely to test his sanity than anchor him. It was a hell of a weight to carry, but it came with the mating bond.
“You know, if he saw your cat maul a bear and he still wants some time with her, that’s really kind of sweet. It’s also ballsy. So what happens next?”
Madisyn blew out a breath. “We just keep getting to know each other, I guess.”
“I’m glad you’re not holding him at bay. I worried that you would out of habit.”
“I need to know if this could work. I won’t know unless I put the effort in and try.”
“Exactly. I think you—” Makenna cut off at the sound of someone calling her name down the hall. “I better go see what I’m wanted for now. I’ll call you later. Drive home safe.”