Hunted (12 page)

Damn it.

Before I could say anything else, Matt took his place at the front of those gathered. A smile, proud and possessive, touched his lips. He looked like a proud host, pleased his gathering was going so successfully. Then that sense of power I’d felt from the moment my brain started working again after I’d been tasered seemed to roll over everyone present. Matt didn’t need the props so many other alphas seemed to favor--especially those in the bad Hollywood movies. He sat on a well-worn, overstuffed chair. It wasn’t on any sort of raised platform and in no way resembled a throne. But there was no mistaking exactly who and what he was.

How very different the scene was from the last clan meeting I’d been to in California. It wasn’t that there were fewer people here. It was the atmosphere. There had been such uneasiness and worry in that California meeting. Anger and frustration had matched it. Now that I was older and my own emotions no longer in turmoil, I realize just how volatile the situation had been. It wouldn’t have taken much for the clan to have been torn apart as those who supported protecting me and preventing Michael from solidifying his position of alpha either left the clan or openly challenged him and his supporters.

But here the pride felt like they were a family. Sure, all families had the uncle they spoke of in whispers and the cousin who thought she was better than everyone else. But they’d stand by one another against all others. It had been that way when my parents led the pride. Even the clan, where disagreements and conflicts were more common because of the number of people--not to mention different animals once everyone was shifted--were involved, had been like that.

Still, I’d learned long ago appearances can be deceiving. The next few minutes would tell the tale.

“Thank you for coming,” Matt began. He nodded in appreciation as Hannah brought him a mug of coffee. “I apologize for the last-minute notice, but several things have happened that we need to discuss.” He sipped and I wondered how many of those assumed he was gathering his thoughts and how many realized he was studying them, gauging their reactions.

“Several days ago our territory was violated. Trackers hunted a lone shape-changer through downtown during the middle of the day. They didn’t care that their actions could have revealed our existence to the normals. They hunted without informing me of their presence, much less their reason for being here. If that isn’t bad enough, their clan leader has yet to contact me.

“Because of this violation of our territory and of shifter law, I contacted the clan leaders in the surrounding territories. They’ve had similar situations happen and aren’t any happier about it than I am.” He paused again and climbed to his feet. Expression hard, anger reflected in his eyes and all I could think about was how sexy he looked. Damn, what happened to me? I’ve had more sex in the last two days than I’ve had in months and I thought about it even more.

“Know this, I will not allow our people to be endangered by anyone. If you know where these intruders are, I want to know now.”

“You’re sure?”

I turned my attention to the speaker. If I had been surprised by his temerity in questioning Matt, the rest of the pride was appalled. A redhead in her early twenties hissed for the speaker to be quiet. Danny Gillespie, who stood almost directly opposite me, took a step toward the man and stopped only when Matt gave a quick shake of his head. But it was the way Sharon stiffened at my side and Uncle Adam moved even closer to my grandmother where they stood at the back of the gathering with Stefan and Hannah that had me tensing.

Before Matt could respond, the speaker stood. As he did, I shook my head. I’ve known too many like him over the years. Small of stature, he made up for his lack of height by excessive weight training and, all too often, chemical enhancements. My dad would’ve described him as “a brick shithouse and probably as dense.” From the sly look on the man’s face, I had a feeling Dad would’ve been right.

“No disrespect, Matt, but how can you be so sure?”

Well, I knew a great opening line when I heard one.

“He can be sure because he was there to save me from the trackers.”

As I stepped forward, I released the control I’d held in place, letting everyone feel my jaguar. Gasps matched surprised expressions. Several of the women present automatically lowered their heads, their own cats responding to mine. I bit back the satisfied smile that tried to come. Time for that later.

“As Matt said, the trackers chased me through downtown, through the streets and a parking garage. They didn’t care it was daylight and there were people around–much less video cameras--to witness what happened. It wouldn’t have mattered that none of us shifted if they’d managed to get their hands on me. The fact that someone would eventually turn a copy of some video of our chase over to the cops--or worse, post it on the internet--means questions would arise. Questions none of us want asked, much less answered.”

As I spoke, a look of recognition crossed the man’s face. He knew me, or at least knew who I was. But how? I’d never seen him before. He wasn’t the sort I’d have forgotten simply because he made me so uncomfortable. So how did he know me?

As we faced off, Matt stayed where he was. Even though part of me wanted him to stand with me, I knew why he didn’t. He had yet to formally introduce me as a member of the pride, much less as his mate. The black leather jacket I wore hid my tattoos. Besides, he was letting me establish myself to the pride. If I proved to them not only that I had the strength to be an asset to the pride but that I also cared for the pride’s well-being, the rest would be easy.

Of course, Matt wasn’t leaving anything to chance either.  A quick glance at the gathering proved that. Uncle Adam and my grandmother stood between the speaker and the door. Danny Gillespie boxed him in on one side, Sharon and I on the other. Whether he realized it or not, we had the speaker surrounded should he try anything foolish.

“And why would trackers be after you?” The man smirked and ran a hand over his close cropped blonde hair. “And had you reported to presence to our alpha?”

Oh my. He really did want to be smacked down and hard. My jaguar growled as it fought for release. My lips pulled back, baring my teeth. Only a fool would fail to recognize that for what it was--a warning that he was treading on very thin ice. Not that I expected him to realize it. He had already proven himself to be a fool.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Uncle Adam take a step forward. My grandmother touched his arm and shook her head. I didn’t need the enhanced hearing of my jaguar to know she’d told him to let me handle it. I just hoped I didn’t blow it.

“And why should we believe anything you say when you have yet to introduce yourself,” he continued, pressing what he obviously saw as his advantage.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. And it was exactly the right reaction. The tension in the room evaporated. Replacing it was disbelief and disapproval. Good. I could play on that.

“You mean like you’ve introduced yourself?” I grinned, mocking him. Well, he did catch that if the way he turned purple was any indication. “But to answer your question, my name is Meg Finley, granddaughter of Irene Walkinghorse, clan leader of the Oklahoma clan.”

“And my mate,” Matt said firmly as he moved my side. At his nod, I shrugged out of my jacket, revealing the tattoo marking me as a member of the pride. “And you overstepped yourself, Thomas.”

“And you endanger us if she is who she says,” the smaller man countered. Those around him made no attempt to silence him now. Instead, they moved away, making it clear they were distancing themselves from him and his accusations. “We all know how she disrespected her alpha and has been doing her best to destroy our kind.”

This time I growled, giving voice to my jaguar’s anger. How dare he! More importantly, where had he gotten his information--or misinformation? I couldn’t believe Michael had made it public. His ego wouldn’t allow for that. I certainly hadn’t gotten the impression from Matt or my grandmother that he had publicly told our people how I’d run away instead of agreeing to become his mate. So who was this man my mate called Thomas and how did he know about me?

“Down!” I ordered.

Power rolled over me and I reveled in it. Disbelief drained the color from Thomas’s face as he dropped to his knees. His muscles quivered and sweat pricked out on his forehead. I could smell his fear. Good. Let him learn I was no longer the scared girl who had fled her home instead of being coerced into mating with an alpha forced on her. Let the others gathered here realize I was a worthy mate for their alpha.

“Yes, I lived in Northern California. My parents were clan leaders at the time they were killed. As for disrespecting my alpha, you have it very wrong.”

Anger filled me as did the horror of that last night in California. When I’d left Aunt Jane’s and Uncle Lou’s house, I’d meant to keep my word not to return to the home I’d grown up in, the house where my parents had supposedly killed themselves. But I didn’t see the danger in going back just long enough to pack a few things, a few mementos of the life I was about to leave behind. What I hadn’t planned on was finding Michael Jennings waiting there for me. He hadn’t been dissuaded during the clan meeting when others had reminded him I was too young and hurting too much to be
claimed
just then. If anything, he was more determined than ever to make me his.

My stomach churned as I remembered what happened. I’d done my best to forget those few minutes he’d tried to force me to submit. When I didn’t immediately do as he said, he’d tried to force me by rolling his power over me. I can still see how shocked he’d been when I hadn’t instantly obeyed. I’d been so scared and angry the implications of my refusal hadn’t dawned on me.

“That alpha didn’t care I was underage, by our laws and by the laws of the normals. He didn’t care I wasn’t formally a member of the clan because my parents had been wise enough know I might not want to join the clan when I was an adult. They’d known my life might take me elsewhere. He didn’t care that others of the clan warned him of the danger in his plan.

“I was fifteen. I was mourning the deaths of my parents, deaths he’d done his best to make sure weren’t investigated. When he couldn’t force me to accept him as my mate before the clan, he tried to force himself on me that night. If my father hadn’t trained me in hand-to-hand and insisted I train in the martial arts, that bastard would have raped me.  He sure as hell tried and he probably still bears the scars--at least I hope he does.” Bile rose in my throat. Matt’s hand tightened around mine. I didn’t dare look at him for fear of what I’d see. I should have told him what happened when we were alone not here, in the middle of the pride.

 “But I have never worked against our kind. I may have come here and done my best to fly under the radar, but I still protected our people. I did it even though it meant the true circumstances surrounding my parents’ deaths remained unknown. I did it to prevent war from breaking out among the factions within the California clan. I did it by denying myself a life with my own kind for more than ten years.

“Submit!” I barked it out when Thomas tried to stand. With a whimper, he fell to his stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt nod.  Danny Gillespie moved to stand over the man.

“Ask yourself why Michael Jennings has spent all this time hunting me, sending trackers into clan territories without permission. If he truly feared I was acting in a way to harm our kind, he’d have called in help from all the clans. Instead, he sends trackers into their territories without warning and without permission. He allows them to act in ways that could lead to our discovery by the normals.

“But what is of even more concern to me is how you came to have the so-called knowledge. You aren’t one of Matt’s advisors. If you were, I’d have already met you as I have them.” At that, Stefan and Rico Garces moved to stand with Sharon behind Matt and me.

“I--I don’t have to say anything to you,” Thomas stammered.

“You really are a fool.” I shook my head. Then I motioned for Danny to pull Thomas to his knees. It was now or never. “Your alpha has named me as his mate, whether you like it or not. I wear the symbols of pride and clan. You’ve felt--and obeyed--my jaguar.”

Inspiration hit and I turned to Matt. “How long as he been part of the pride?”

Sharon’s quick intake of breath answered my question. He was one of those who had moved into the clan’s territory over the last few years.

“He was accepted into the pride a year, maybe two before I took over as alpha,” Matt answered.

“Where did he come from?”

“St. Louis,” Sharon answered for her brother.

A thought struck and I quickly looked at those gathered. Seeing the spiked purple hair, I nodded in satisfaction. Good. Just the person I needed.

“CJ.”

She stepped forward quickly. Even as she reached for my hand, she sank respectfully to her knees before Matt and me. The knot of tension in my stomach unwound a little as the others noted her actions and accepted what they meant.

“You did the tattooing marking me as part of clan and pride.”

“I did.” She stood and grinned as she faced the others. “Some of my best work, thanks to your drawing.”

“Did you find any evidence I had ever been tattooed before?”

“No.”

“Nor did I,” Stefan said before I could ask. “I treated Finn after she was attacked by the trackers. They had tasered her. The prongs of the taser were tainted with something to not only slow recovery time but also to cause the most pain possible.” There could be no mistaking his anger.

“Did you do the tattoo additions when he –” a nod to Thomas. “--joined the pride?”

“No.” She gnawed her lower lip and it was a pretty sure bet she was trying to recall every detail of when Thomas joined the pride. “If I remember correctly--and I do--he said he had someone else he wanted to do it.”

“Check his markings. Tell me what you find.”

For a moment CJ looked at me in question. Then she gave a quick nod. As she moved to where Thomas knelt, I prayed I was right. If not, then the few inroads I’d just made into gaining my place within the pride would be gone and Matt’s position damaged.