Braxton walked straight and annoyed down the hall. “What do you think is up with that Mike guy?”
Ella made sure not to make a hint at what she was thinking was going on. “You think there's something going on?” She made an attempt to save face.
“Are your uncle's Betas always so intrusive?”
She sighed. “Not all the time-- they just think they're funny.”
“Yeah, I'm laughing.” He walked right past the bedroom.
“Maybe you should rest a bit--”
“No.” Braxton shook his head. “Gale's dead so, I'm going to get information out of whoever they found.”
She grabbed his arm before he descended the stairs. “Mike's right, Braxton.”
Her mate snorted. “Mike is a clown.”
“Hey now.” Ella snapped at him. “I know you're upset about Gale but...”
“But what?” His annoyed tone wasn't easy to deal with. “I'm just as much an Alpha as your uncles.”
Ella raised an eyebrow.
“What?” He snarled. “I'm bred better than both of them put together.”
“Without my uncles you wouldn't have found me.”
He shook his head with a smirk. “Stay here, I'll be back. “
“You're going to leave me here?” She said as he walked down a few steps.
“I'm not leaving you, Daniella.” He halted his heavy steps and turned to her. “Don't guilt trip me because you don't want to upset Colten. You're my mate.”
“So, that makes me what?” She snapped at him. “Your property?”
He growled, and she knew the crease across his brow was only the surface of his emotion. “I'm not having this conversation with you.”
She watched him walk away and it only upset her more, so she followed him right down into the living room where Mike and Azalea sat on opposite couches.
Ella took a glance at her mate as he gave the Beta a sneer. His rigid shoulders and tensed muscles made her think he was ready to explode, likely into a very pissed off wolf.
Mike turned his attention to the young alpha. “Hey, where ya' going, kid?”
“Don't worry about it.” Braxton walked through the living room.
“Braxton?” Azalea tried calling him.
Ella rushed toward the front door and stopped him before he got it open. “You need to calm down. I mean, you sort of look like you could kill someone.”
“Eye for an eye at this point, Daniella.” He reached beside her hip and grabbed the door knob.
“Just wait a few minutes.” Ella put her hands to his solid chest that was puffed up as much as the rest of him.
“No. I'm going to beat the crap out of that guy.” Braxton pulled on the handle, putting her aside.
“That's definitely not happening.” Mike said from behind them.
Braxton glanced over his shoulder. “Go wait for your alpha.”
“Braxton.” Azalea had now joined them. “I really didn't think you would become the problem.”
He turned to his mother. “Do I have to remind everyone I'm Alpha?”
Mike smiled at him. “Pretty sure you're demoted at the moment.”
Braxton rushed forward, grabbing Mike by the collar of his shirt and throwing him against the near wall as he accurately shot a punch to the Beta's jaw.
“Hey!” Colten appeared in a rush from the back of the house. He removed Braxton off Mike just as swiftly as Braxton had thrown the punch. “Enough!”
Colten shoved him against the opposite wall as Grayson joined the action. “You okay, Mike?”
Mike wiped the blood pooling his mouth with a nod. “Kid's being a jerk though.”
Colten shook his head at him. “What's your problem now?”
“That stupid Beta that thinks my pack and my mother are his business.” Braxton's nose wrinkled into a snarl.
Grayson stepped up to Colten's side. “That Beta at the moment has more hierarchy than you do, and might ever, so stop being an ass.”
Colten pushed him against the wall for good measure. “Hearing okay, boy?”
Braxton gave them an reluctant nod, Ella didn't sense he was less angry or calmed down but her uncles had put him back in place enough to stop him from doing anything else stupid. Which made Ella nervous, if she couldn't calm him down what chance did she have at being his Luna.
“We heard the call, so what was found?” Colten turned around to face Mike.
“A male rouge.”
“Great. Who found him?” Grayson asked.
Mike smiled at his alpha. “Your son.”
Grayson looked surprised. “He did?”
Mike grumbled. “He has magic alpha powers.”
Grayson gave him an amused look. “Well, don't tell him that. So, where's this rouge?”
“I told Griffin and Peter to stay with him at the holding cell while I came back to inform everyone.” Mike glanced at Braxton and then to Azalea. “Has been shitty last hour.”
“Why's that?” Colten asked.
“Gale died.” Azalea told him in a soft voice.
Mike gave his mother a sympathetic look that began to confirmed Ella's thoughts on the beta and her would be mother-in-law.
“Sorry we didn't get to him soon enough.” Colten said.
“You better go though and deal with the rouge.” Azalea told the men.
Grayson agreed with her. “Except you.” He pointed at Braxton.
“What?” Braxton snapped. “Your teenage kid can sit in a holding cell with him but I can't come along?”
“Pretty much.” Grayson nodded and walked toward the door with Colten and Mike. “You're too unstable.”
“Screw you.” Braxton snapped aloud and all three men halted.
“Braxton, you really do need to calm down.” Azalea joined the ganging up and Ella wasn't sure how well it'd all end for her mate.
“You need to listen to your mother.” Colten pointed at him as he turned away to the door. “See you in a bit.”
Braxton waited till they had all filed out. “Where's Aaron?”
Ella shook her head. “I haven't seen him at all.”
“They probably have him doing their slave labour.”
Azalea shook her head and walked away, leaving them alone but Ella wasn't sure she could deal with him alone.
Braxton rolled his shoulders. “What's your uncle going to do? Actually attempt to take my pack?”
“I don't think that's going to happen.” Ella breathed, “but I wouldn't piss him off.”
“Honestly, Daniella, I think it's a bit late for that.”
She nodded, deciding to change the subject. “Are you hungry?”
“Nope.” Braxton shot, walking away as he did.
Ella trailed behind him. “I know you're upset, Braxton but you're being super difficult.”
“Maybe that's why my parents never bothered with me and just shipped me off everywhere they could.”
Ella reached and grabbed his arm. “What are you talking about?”
He turned to her with a sigh. “Forget it.”
“I think you need to talk about Gale.”
“I don't want to talk about Gale, Daniella!” He exploded, “I want to be left alone!” He raked a hand through his hair, hesitating but then obviously coming to the conclusion that leaving was the better option. Watching him walk away, she slumped against the wall once she'd lost sight of him. Here she was found and alive and her mate was more concerned about torturing a rogue wolf?
She itched the back of her neck and closed her eyes in relief.
“Gale is the same – was – you know.”
Ella snapped her eyes open and looked to her left where Azalea stood with her normal cold expression. She didn't want to deal with the woman but her mate had ditched her so it left her with minimal company.
“Difficult and stubborn. Welcome to the Hall Alphas.”
Ella sighed. “He seems really upset about Gale.”
“I'm sure he is upset about Gale.” Azalea lifted an eyebrow as she looked Ella up and down. “You should have something to eat.”
The woman seemed to love to try and fatten her up. Ella wasn't in the mood to argue, so she followed Azalea to the kitchen and sat to a bar stood.
The woman opened the fridge and started to pull out leftovers.
“I'm really okay...” Ella tried to protest but all she ended up sounding like was tired and unconvincing.
Azalea ignored her, placing a number of food options in front of her before continuing to speak about her mate. “They're head strong and one minded. You're in for a challenge.”
“Sounds great.” Ella droned as she chomped down on a cold baby-carrot.
Azalea tapped her fingers on the granite. “But maybe you'll have a better chance... mates and all.”
Ella chewed with a shrug. “Not like I have much choice.”
Her soon to be mother-in-law winced at her likely poor manners while eating and talking. “Eat some protein.”
“I'm not really a meat eater.” Ella told her.
Azalea almost laughed. “Aren't you from a cattle ranch?”
“Yeah, and after years of eating beef every holiday – you start to steer more towards the veggie options.”
The woman smiled at her. “At least you are quick like son.”
“What's that mean?” Ella did it again, eating and talking.
“Wit wise.” Azalea pointed to the cold chicken. “Eat this. You need to come back into heat.”
Ella almost choked on the half chewed carrot she had in her mouth. Coughing, Azalea dropped a glad of water promptly in front of her. She snatched the glass and drank the entire thing down.
Azalea then turned and walked away, grabbing her magazine.
Ella picked up another carrot slowly, watching the woman for any more signs of inappropriate commenting.
“Chicken.” Azalea didn't look up from the fashion magazine.
“I don't want to insult you or Crest but – I'm sort of only eighteen.”
“So was I.” His mother showed her no sympathy. “Be thankful for what you are with my son.”
“I'm not saying I'm not thankful..”
Azalea finally looked back up to her. “The longer it takes you to come into another heat, the longer we all have to deal with overly annoyed males and right now, there's too many.”
“I don't see what that has to do with--”
Azalea raised her index finger to the side of her nose and tapped.
“You can smell it!” Ella squeaked, grabbing a lock of her hair and sniffing.
The woman rolled her eyes at her. “How do you not know anything about this?”
“Well,” Ella sniffed her shirt. “It's never really come up.”
“Your uncle just never bothered to inform you what would happen if you mated another alpha blood?”
“No...” Ella deadpanned. “Like I said, never came up. I was more with the defying him, then I was with the talking to him.”
“Yes.” Azalea nodded. “You seem like that type of child.”
Ella grumbled, grabbing another carrot.
“Heats insure heirs. Heirs insure alphas for the pack. Need I say more?”
“So...” Ella wrinkled her nose. “This is always going to happen?”
“They taper, well, they should. It's different among each alpha female.”
“I'm ecstatic...” Ella moved off the chair. “I'm going to check on Braxton.”
“You might as well just leave him to sulk in his room. Your uncle hurt his pride.” Azalea leaned across the counter and tapped near the food. “Chicken.”
Ella grabbed a piece and took a ridiculous bite, appeasing the woman finally. Somewhere near the end of her forcing herself to eat an entire chicken breast, Colten and Grayson showed up. A little less happy than they had already been. “How's it going?” She perked up as they walked into the kitchen, both of them staring at her with narrowed eyes. “Something really wrong? Cause' you have those scary expressions going on..”
“Enough with the funnies, Ella.” Colten snapped.
“Did I do something?”
Colten nodded.
Ella's shoulders dropped in defeat. “Would this all have been avoided if maybe I hadn't done this certain thing?”
Colten nodded again. “Does the name Tanner mean anything to you? Perhaps from a party that I told you not to go to?”
Ella's eyes widened at the memory of Tanner, the boy she'd met and got drunk with at the party right before summer. “What's he got to do with anything?”
“So, you do know him?” Colten asked.
“Well, kind of--” Ella itched her neck as it began to feel hot. “I just drank with him.”
“And told him your plans, your life goals, where you were going to go to university!” By the time her uncle had gotten to the last of his list, his voice had raised ten decibels. “You could be dead right now, Ella!”
“So, that was all a set up?” Ella could hardly speak from the shock of the situation.
Grayson took the floor for the next bit of information. “Apparently, been a lackey of Darcy the whole time.”
Mike crossed his arms as he leaned against a counter top. “I want to say well played but--”
Colten growled at him.
This was a sure way to piss of her uncle more. Her own mistakes and defiance had made her kidnapping easier. She really could have been dead.
“Can I kill him?” Braxton walked up behind Ella.
She glanced over her shoulder to her mate as he filled the little bit of space left between them.
Colten and Grayson shared a quick look.
“I say we let him,” Mike said.
Azalea opened and shut her mouth several times but never did end up saying anything.
Braxton waited patiently behind Ella.
“Killing him won't make things right.” Grayson told him, “But if it will make you feel better, I'm good with it.”
Ella stopped her mate before he walked around her. “You sure you want to do it?”
“Colten's right, you could be dead right now because of this useless bought-off piece of crap, and my dad already is so, I'm killing him.” He went to walk out of the kitchen as Mike spoke up again.
“Make sure you make him cry loud enough that Darcy hears it. That'll really piss him off.”
Braxton gave him a nod as he moved forward and out of the kitchen.
“We gotta go watch this.” Mike said with a bit too much excitement and he paused his rubbing hands as he realized the entire room was staring at him. “Bit too much Beta?”
Grayson held up his fingers to demonstrate how much he'd over done it.
“You enjoy killing things, Mr. Donnelly?” Azalea asked him.
Mike looked to her. “Only the bad guys.”
“I see.” Azalea nodded rather stiffly.
Mike walked forward and snatch her wrist. “Come on live a little, Azalea!” He pulled her out of the kitchen in pursuit of the killing.
Colten gave Grayson a side ways glance. “What is going on with him?”
“I have no idea.”
Ella interrupted them before they started talking too much about Mike and Azalea. “Aren't you guys going to go monitor that situation outside?”
“We probably should, Colt.”
Colten turned with a grumble and they all filed out of the kitchen.