The KinKaid Wolf Pack Trilogy (12 page)

Chapter Nine

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T
he sun dipped below the horizon, leaving streaks of red and gold visible along the tops of the trees as Mason and Evin pulled up to the locked gates of the compound. Evin tapped the brakes, then reached over and ran his palm down Mason's arm before giving his hand a squeeze, waking him.

"We're here," Evin said at the same time a large dark-haired man, wearing a scowl and an all black uniform, stepped from the security house.

Mason straightened in his seat. "Well, I guess Mr. Sunshine here is our welcoming party."

"Yeah, we're about to see if Rosa arriving first and informing my father I was coming was a smart move."

The guard strode toward the car, his palm riding on the grip of the pistol at his hip. Like that was really going to save his ass if Evin had wanted him dead. Evin lowered the window as he neared.

"Tell the alpha I require an audience with him," Evin said, giving the other man a stare that spoke of his previous alpha prime status.

"He's been expecting you." He stopped at the window, his baritone voice filling the cabin as his gaze assessed them. "Out of the car," he commanded and took one step back. "You can leave your vehicle here."

"What?" Evin was about to blurt a few choice words as to what Sunshine could do with his orders, when a rush of movement caught his attention, stifling his protest. From every angle, a team of commandos who looked as if they'd stepped right off the set of another Rambo sequel surrounded the BMW. "Fuck. Me."

"Love to, but I think we're about to be a little busy," Mason mumbled.

"Ha. Funny." Evin shot Mason a look that said
bite me
. He'd assumed getting to speak with his father would be a difficult task, unpleasant to say the least. But damn, he hadn't expected the old man would call out the National Guard to haul his ass in. Evin grinned. A part of him was a bit flattered. The alpha had treated him as less of a man the last time they'd spoken. Now suddenly he felt it was necessary for a group of armed men to escort him inside. Interesting...

"Like I said," the original lone guard stated. "Out of the car." The slide of steel followed by a loud
clank
filled the air as the team chambered rounds into their rifles, punctuating his words.

In his peripheral vision, Evin noted Mason's hand lifting in surrender as he did the same. Both went for the door handle to exit the car.

"Slowly," Sunshine demanded.

"It's all good," Evin stated with his arms out to his side. "I just need to see my father, not kill anyone."

"Well, thank you sharing that.” Sarcasm dripped like venom from the guard's words. “I feel so much better now. t's a relief to know I won't have to waste any of the silver in my rifle on your ass." At that moment, a black van appeared and pulled up alongside their car. The gates released a
click
and jumped into action, rolling open with a steady hum.

"Into the van." The leader gave a sweeping motion with his arm in the direction of said vehicle.

Evin and Mason did as instructed. At this point, what choice did they have if Evin wanted to speak to his father? Mason's life depended on that very event. Both men headed toward the van's door, but before Evin could step inside, a broad hand landed between his shoulder blades and shoved him against the cool aluminum exterior.

"What the fuck?" Evin whipped his head around, noting Mason had been forced to assume a similar position beside him.

"Shut up," a deep voice grunted and gave another shove against Evin's back. Several hard pats landed up and down both Mason's and Evin's torsos and legs. "They're clean," their inspector declared to the rest of the team and stepped away. "Now. Inside."

Evin looked to Mason, who gave him a nod that said he was okay. They both climbed on board.

The drive toward his childhood home, across land that was part of his blood, his heritage, should have been one filled with joy. Instead, it was one smothered in dread. Many families occupied the several thousand acres claimed by their ancestors going back multiple generations. And the KinKaids had led the pack for the past five. Until tomorrow night's full moon. Evin breathed deep. Mason, as if sensing his unease, leaned into his shoulder. Damn, he shouldn't be the one attempting to offer comfort right now.

After a ten-minute drive, Evin spotted the familiar glow of the landscape lighting that highlighted the stone exterior of his family's two-story mansion ahead. Evin nudged Mason.

"This is it," Evin said.

Mason's chest rose and fell on a deep inhale. Evin itched to take him in his arms one more time and tell him everything would be fine. But a show of affection right now toward another man was probably not the wisest choice. Evin assessed the armed men who watched their every move; then his gaze drifted to the one beside him who held a piece of his heart. He needed Mason healthy if he was to have a chance of surviving tomorrow night.

The van's tires hit the curb of the driveway and lurched, forcing the passengers to brace themselves, then came to a halt next to the Lexus parked before the open garage door.

"It's do or die time—literally," Mason mumbled.

Evin hit him with a glare. "Not funny."

"Not laughing."

One of the guards swung the door wide, then exited. "Out," he ordered, turning back around in their direction.

They filed out from the vehicle, and with the gunmen on their heels, Mason and Evin headed inside.

Through the garage and into the home via the side door, the guards marched them straight to Evin's father's receiving room. The large room hadn't changed since he'd last seen it over a year ago.

"Wait here," one of the armed men commanded. "The alpha will see you once he's free."

Evin glanced over his shoulder, then spun, narrowing his gaze. "And when will that be, exactly?"

The other man shrugged. "You'll have to wait and see." A smirk curled his lips; then he turned and left, with the two other guards falling in step behind him.

"So they stick guns in our backs nearly all the way here, and now that we're actually in your father's home, they're just going to leave?" Mason cocked a brow at Evin. "That's fucked up."

Evin grabbed one of the straight-back chairs in front of the alpha's desk and whipped it around before straddling the seat.

"We're not alone." Out of the corner of his eye, Evin couldn't miss Mason's nervous assessment of every corner of the room. "My father always has a couple of personal guards who stay on the premises. What we experienced on the way in was a power display on behalf of the alpha. He wanted to make sure I knew he was still fully in charge"—Evin laced his fingers, staring at the lines crisscrossing his palm—"and that if I came here needing something, I would damn well have to go through him to get it."

"Well said, Evin." His father's gravelly voice washed over him, tightening his gut.

Evin eased off his chair and pivoted on his heels. Barron KinKaid's six-foot-four frame filled the entryway. Reflex moved Evin and placed his body slightly in front of Mason's.

"You got my message, then," Barron went on to say, striding into the room. Evin followed his every movement as he passed, watching for the least sign of trouble—a twitch of muscle or a flex of his hand as he went for a weapon. "No need to stand in protection over your...friend, boy." The alpha's steps halted alongside his desk, his long dark hair bound at his nape and falling to his hips. His head swiveled over his shoulder in their direction, Barron's blue gaze pinning Evin's. "I have no plans to kill him." One shoulder lifted in a shrug. "Yet." The last biting word dropped with a flash of large canines.

The warmth of Mason's hand pressed into Evin's lower back, sending a shiver up his spine and another layer of resolve through his soul.
I can do this.

For Mason, he would do this.

"Sit down, boys," Barron said, his calm demeanor setting Evin's nerves on alert. The alpha lowered onto the large black executive chair behind his desk. The leather squeaked in complaint as his weight settled onto the cushioned surface.

Evin looked to Mason, and then they both took a seat in the two chairs facing his father.

"So, tell me, Evin. What have you done?" The alpha leaned forward, his thick arms sliding over the wooden top as he laced his fingers. His glare darted between them.

"Rosa did come to you, I assume, or we wouldn't have got this far onto your land."

"She did"—Barron lifted a brow—"but only to beg me to allow you on the property tonight. She wouldn't elaborate as to the purpose of your request for a meeting." He leaned back against his chair. "She caught me on a good day, and I agreed," the alpha added, then sized up Mason with a look that could only be called scathing. He gaze flicked to Evin. "So make use of my momentary good will, boy. Speak."

"I request that my friend, Mason"—Evin's gaze touched his lover's profile, then returned to his father—"be allowed treatment from our healers."

Both his father's brows shot up. "And why would he need help from us?" A corner of his mouth curled.

Evin swallowed hard. It was bad enough to admit what he'd done to Mason, but having to reveal his slip to his father was nearly choking him. But there was no other alternative. Evin braced himself and uttered the words.

"He's infected."

"And let me guess..." His father's tone dipped into a snarl. "Not only have you fucked up, breaking law number one of our code and forcing our DNA into a human, but your timing may very well take more than his humanity. You've given him a death sentence."

Mason's clutched hands dropped between his knees, his head rolled forward, and he stared at his feet.

"Stop it," Evin snapped. "I know what I've done, and Mason already understands the implications. You don't have to shove it in his face."

"I didn't create this problem," Barron growled. "And watch your tone if you don't want to find both your asses hauled back to the gate."

Fisting both hands, Evin dragged a deep breath in through his nostrils.

Patience.

Control.

Barron KinKaid was their only hope.

"I know I fucked up, and I can only hope that one day Mason will forgive me." Evin glimpsed Mason's distressed profile, and his chest ached. He swung his gaze to the alpha's and shoved his pride aside. "That is, if you'll help him. Will you help him, Father? Will you allow the healers to get him through his primary shift during tomorrow night's full moon?" Evin's heart slammed against his chest as he bowed his head in submission.

There.

It was done.

He'd laid it all on the table and humbled himself before his father. The next move was his.

The incessant ticktock of the room's mantel clock while he waited for the alpha's response felt like an ice pick chipping away at his brain.
Shit!
Why wouldn't he say something? His father was fucking with him. Payback time, Evin guessed. Barron KinKaid had the upper hand at this moment, and it appeared he planned to make him squirm.

Suddenly, chair wheels squeaked, rolling under the burden of over two hundred pounds of wolf shifter, signaling his father was on the move. Boot heels thumped against the wood floor as he rounded the desk.

"My, you have created quite a predicament for you and your...friend, Evin," the alpha said, his voice taking on that calm and controlled tone that made Evin want to jump out of his skin. What the hell was he up to? "And what do you have to say for yourself?" Mason's sudden sharp inhale had Evin's head jerking up and swinging around.

Before Evin could stifle its release, a low growl erupted from his throat. Barron had his hand wrapped around Mason's chin, forcing their gazes to meet.

"Take your hands off him." Evin forced the words through clenched teeth. Fuck, he didn't even recognize the sound of his own voice.

Barron's head cranked in Evin's direction, his hand still firmly in place. "Really?” His father lifted one thick brow. “Is that a command? May I remind you that I hold more than just his face at this very second in the palm of my hand?" The alpha straightened, and he pinned Evin with a hard glare. "Back. Down."

Evin mentally wrenched tight on the chain around the throat of his beast, slowly reining it back in control. He wanted to claw the man's eyes out. Rip a hole into his damn throat for touching what was his. Air burned as it coursed down the dry path to his lungs. Evin didn't give a shit that the other man was his father. His muscles twitched, and his skin itched to tear his hand away from Mason's face. Evin closed his eyes, willing himself to let it go, and lowered his head once more. Shit, he had to. What the hell was wrong with him?

"So answer me," the alpha demanded. "What do you think I should do here?"

"I would prefer to live, sir." Evin clenched his fists once more at the sound of Mason's voice. The tone was strong, confident, but even though they'd been together only a few days, Evin could detect the small note of underlying fear the other man tried to hide. Others who didn't know him as well would probably have missed it. But Evin hadn't, and it made his stomach twist in desperation. God, he wanted to grab Mason so bad, it physically hurt to deny the urge. If only he could whisk him away from all this and tell him it had been a bad dream.

"And if I let you live, what then? Are you prepared to walk away from everything, from everyone that you know?"

Evin glanced up. The alpha had released Mason and stepped back, his hip leaning against his desk as he faced the other man. Mason turned his gaze to Evin.

"That's been all I could think about, actually," he said, his words barely above a whisper. "I don't really have that much to walk away from—not emotionally, that is." Mason turned back to Evin's father. "My family will be furious if I don't return. But for me, it will feel like a release. So even though what happened to me wasn't my choice, and I was pretty pissed off at first, I can't say that the end result—finding a new life away from the Thorne legacy—won't be a blessing in disguise."

"Thorne?" Barron straightened. "Are you saying your family owns Thorne Global?"