Due North by Kelsey Gamble
Paxton
The skin of my cheek burns as I lean against the wall to wait. I was going for the element of surprise blurting out that I’m prowling for the elder Jarreau sibling. Instead, I got the surprise.
Tess Jarreau might not come up to my shoulders, but she packs one hell of a slap.
Footsteps storm toward me. Two sets of them. The Luna decided she’s not interested in dealing with me solo after all. Now, I’m standing in a near-empty office in their pack house. I would say I’m still coming out ahead.
Unfortunately, there’s still no sign of her.
Tasha. My wolf says her name with reverence. It’s been that way since I saw her picture on a stranger’s wall.
I’m not sure how they’ve managed to hide her from me this long—or why. I made sure no one knew I was coming for her so that she wouldn’t become anyone’s target. But it’s been weeks now without a sighting of her. They must be hiding her for a reason, and if so, I need to know who the fuck could be coming for her.
I’ll kill them. I’ll tear them limb from limb and burn their pieces to ash. Anyone who thinks to touch a hair on her head will answer to me first. It’s not the job of this Alpha or the one she answers to with her own pack.
I’m the one who will protect my mate.
I just have to find her first.
Finally, Dominic and Tess step into the office together. Both of them eye me wearily, and I can only imagine I’m returning the favor.
“Where is she?”
Dominic scowls. “I don’t answer to you, Glass.”
“Who sent you here?” Tess rests a hand on her mate’s arm, soothing him so he’ll allow her to speak for them.
“No one sent me.” I’ve told her this three times already as I trailed her to the pack house. I’m not sure why she doesn’t believe me seeing as I haven’t lied to her yet.
Dominic lets out the low, warning growl of a self-entitled Alpha. The wolves around here might cow to him, but I’ll do no such thing.
“My sister does not belong to you.” Tess says it with so much certainty that it threatens to bring my wolf to the surface. I’m not like these shifters. Not so fucking refined.
Dominic must sense the growing unease better than his mate. He jerks her away, nudging her back toward the doorway behind him. She bristles over it but doesn’t protest. She trusts him. I’m not used to seeing quite such an intense bond between Alpha and Luna—not one where he gives her protection and respect in equal parts.
I make note of it.
“You’ve come into our territory, hunting our family. Excuse us for having questions about your intentions. Especially in light of… recent announcements.” Dominic works his jaw from side to side.
Tess pales.
I can venture a guess about the direction of their thoughts based on what I heard from his Beta today. “My being here has nothing to do with the Luna Sovereign.”
“More than you think,” Tess mumbles, the words barely audible.
“What does that mean?” I shoot back.
The three of us descend into tense silence. For some reason, they’re being tight-lipped, and I don’t like it. There’s clearly an imminent threat to Tasha. Otherwise, they could have presented her to me immediately. Then I could be having this discussion with her instead of them.
Better yet, no discussion would be necessary. The second she feels our mate bond, she’ll be indisputably mine.
“I’ve been as respectful of your pack as I’m willing to be,” I grind out. “But I’ve practiced my patience for too long. Where is Tasha, and why are you hiding her?”
Dominic bares his teeth at me, and I can tell the two of us are at risk of coming to blows any minute now. I don’t like the game he’s playing. And he doesn’t seem to like me.
“Enough!” Tess snaps as the hairs along my arms start to rise.
We both jerk our heads to look at her as she glares between the two of us. I hope that Tasha will prove to be as fearless as her sister. I find it surprisingly endearing.
I haven’t met many Lunas that would stand beside their mate and withstand this kind of tension. Most packs keep their Luna close to the vest. Rewarding maternal instinct while expecting them to shut out the baser ones. The ones that make a wolf a fighter.
No one has ripped the fighting spirit away from Tess. I hope they haven’t taken it from my mate either.
“I don’t like speaking in riddles and questions. Our family has had enough mystery for one lifetime.” Tess lets out a long, lingering sigh. “We’re not the ones hiding my sister. I have to assume it’s the Sovereign Pack keeping her out of sight, considering they’ve announced today that she’s to be the new Luna Sovereign.”
I blink once and then stare, watching emotion flit over her face.
“No.”
Dominic growls. “There’s nothing to say no to. The decision has already been made.”
“Impossible.” It is impossible, isn’t it? I haven’t always kept up to date with shifter history, but as far as I remember, a Luna Sovereign has never taken a mate.
I can hear the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
“It’s true, the announcement is probably being spread to the smaller packs as we speak. By tomorrow, whatever rogues you know will have heard the news as well.” All of the respect for me from before has faded from Tess’ eyes. “If you were hoping to interfere, I’m afraid you’re too late. My sister’s been with the Sovereign Pack for weeks, apparently.”
“She’s not here?” I can’t fucking believe this.
“No,” Dominic confirms resolutely.
I let out a string of swears and turn to slam my fists against the wall. The drywall rattles under my hands, but I don’t give a damn. There’s no use acting like a gentleman now. I had hoped to slip out of here with my mate, but she’s not even here. I’ve spent weeks looking in the wrong place.
My breathing is ragged as I lean into the wall, my fists propping me up against it. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think of my next move.
This puts a wrench in all of my plans.
My mate can’t be the Luna Sovereign. The very thought is laughable. The Luna Sovereign is proper and elegant, and I’m a brute by anyone’s standards. Tasha Jarreau might look sweet in photos, but I assumed there was fire in her belly.
Like Tess. Surely, she has that in common with her sister.
But a woman with fire in her belly wouldn’t agree to be the Luna Sovereign. Even Tess showed disdain for the position. The Luna Sovereign might command a great deal of respect, but the role also comes with a great deal of isolation. A life away from family or pack.
Fine by me… if it didn’t come with a whole slew of traditions I don’t believe in.
I slam my fists once more and then whirl, elbowing easily past Dominic and Tess. She’s the first to follow me into the hall, but he isn’t far behind. They especially won’t want me wandering their pack grounds now. I’ve gotten more answers from them than they’ve gotten from me.
“You can’t go after her.” Tess’ voice rises in pitch with her alarm. “The Sovereign Pack won’t let you anywhere near her. They’ll protect her from you and anyone else.”
I’m already tired of her mistaken assumptions. I stop abruptly, forcing her to run into me. Dominic jerks her away the second her shoulder bumps mine.
“The Luna Sovereign Pack can’t have her.” They both open their mouths to protest. “No. I’ll protect my mate at any cost, even if it means protecting her from those leeches. They can find a new damn Luna Sovereign. It won’t be her.”
Tess shakes her head. “What? No. Tasha isn’t your mate.”
She is. My wolf growls. I echo the sentiment.
“Paxton, my sister can’t be your mate. Her mate…” Her words fade into silence.
“Tasha’s mate was killed by rogues,” Dominic finishes for her, wrapping his arm tighter around her waist in comfort.
I gape at the two of them. Something is very wrong here. “Are you protecting the Sovereign Pack?” I narrow my eyes.
Of course. Tess must be one hell of an actress to pretend she doesn’t want her sister with them. Of course these people take pride in the kind of traditional bullshit that would take a woman away from her family to serve the higher good.
Dominic tilts his head as if he’s seeing me for the first time. I guess my fighting wasn’t quite as impressive to him as it was to his mate.
“The only person I’m interested in protecting is Tess’ sister. We didn’t know the Sovereign Pack took her until today’s announcement. A couple months ago, we went to help investigate things after the Sovereign Pack discovered the former Luna Sovereign had passed on. We were partway to the house when someone spoke to Tasha over mind link, and she split from us. We haven’t seen her since.”
That would have been the last time I saw her. I know exactly the date he’s speaking of because I tracked her with them. When they stopped at a gas station on the road to the Luna Sovereign’s house, I knew I couldn’t keep following without drawing too much attention. She was safely in the backseat; I saw her with my own eyes. I assumed she would come home with them, otherwise I never would have felt comfortable returning here to stake things out.
A curse rips from my throat. I was right there, I should have taken her then. The Alpha and Luna be damned.
I’ve made too many mistakes.
“Tasha can’t be your mate,” Tess tries to tell me again. The words send a rush of unfamiliar panic flooding my system. Any chance of being calm and collected to deal with this situation is long gone. The urge to shift and let my wolf seek out our mate is too strong. If I don’t get off Anchorage Lake Pack land soon, my wolf is going to come out raging.
I can’t take all of them. No matter how geared up my wolf is.
They’re all wrong. She’s ours, and they’re trying to keep her from us.
“She’s mine.” The words come out with a snarl I can no longer hold back. I’m not like these shifters. The line between my human form and my wolf isn’t as clear. And the angrier I get, the more that line blurs.
Tess opens her mouth as if to argue the point with me, but Dominic meets her gaze and gives a sharp shake of his head. A look passes between them that I can’t read.
They’re mind linking. I only barely recognize it. Without a pack affiliation, there’s rarely a reason to use mind link.
“Our own mate bond was complicated. I’m willing to hear you out, but you should know Tasha’s mate gave his life protecting his pack—and my Tess. So tread carefully.”
Tread carefully? I’m ready to rip his head off at the mere suggestion that she might have been bonded to someone else.
I’m tired of these people. Either they’re lying, or something in the universe is unbalanced. A second mate bond is… unheard of. The kind of thing only spoken about in dark rooms or dim alleys.
“I’m going to get her.” I start for the door again. I need to get out of here and see my mate for myself. They’re making me second guess what I know as fact. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her.
She belongs to us. My wolf is as sure as I am.
“Paxton.”
The fact that she’s my mate’s sister is the sole reason I hesitate with one foot already out the door. I glance back and watch dispassionately as she worries her lip between her teeth.
“All my sister ever wanted was a big family. She’s maternal and kind. Soft in all the right places.” Her eyes scan over me as she describes the elder Jarreau. I watch as she takes in all the hard angles of my muscle and the dark ink covering my skin. She pauses wordlessly, her eyes on my scowling face.
That’s it. That’s all she says. An incomplete thought that serves as a warning.
She doesn’t need to say any more because I hear what she’s saying loud and clear. Tasha Jarreau might not come as easily to me as I had hoped.
* * *
It doesn’t matter how good of a fighter you are, you’re always at a disadvantage with your back to someone. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t allow it. Not for more than a moment and especially not for a shifter with a razor in their hand.
“Stop moving,” Quinn chastises. “If I nick you, those guys will never let you hear the end of it.”
She holds the straight razor out over my shoulder to gesture to the group of men on the other side of the room. They keep steady gazes on us. Quinn banished them—her guards—to the corner when the possessive growling got to be too much. I’m sure there’s a story there, but it’s not what I’m here for.
“Excuse me for being wary,” I mutter.
I can sense her smirk even without seeing it. The curvy beauty with bold pink hair and rare pink eyes already knows why I’m here. It’s the same reason anyone comes to visit Cupid’s Pack.
“I’m sorry for teasing. You’re safe here, Paxton Glass. I know how rogues are, always having to look over their shoulders.” Her voice softens. There’s a surprising lack of judgement coming from her. Most pack animals hate the idea of rogues. They think if they belong to something higher, then so should the rest of us.
Quinn is too soft for a Luna. If I hadn’t seen the loyalty of her guards for myself, I would wonder how her pack survives.
“Go ahead and tell me why you’re here.” She starts to calmly work with the razor, shaving my hair down close to the scalp the way I prefer it.
“I’ve been tracking my mate. I’ve figured out where she is now, but her sister has thrown me for a loop. Apparently, my mate has already had a mate bond.”
“Hmm.”
“Is that possible? That she’s lost one mate and could have another?”
“It’s love, Paxton. Anything is possible.” Her answer makes me roll my eyes. Luckily, she’s doing my hair in her home and not a salon, so there’s no mirror in front of me to give me away.
“She’s meant to be the new Luna Sovereign. My mate.”
Quinn’s hands still. “Tasha Jarreau? A Jarreau is your mate?” She moves around the chair and bends to look at me face-to-face.
Yes.
“Yes.”
“Sailor?” She calls out to the lean man with dark eyes and a Grecian nose. He moves instantly, prowling toward us warily. “Did you know this? That Paxton’s here about a Jarreau woman?”
Sailor narrows his eyes at me. “No.”
“Jarreau. That name mean something to you?” I’m surprised. From what I’ve gathered, the Jarreaus existed only on the outskirts of their original pack. And the brother is the only one who’s remained with the North Summit Pack.
“I like the old prophecies, but they’re mostly forgotten now,” Quinn says slowly. “From what Sailor’s told me, I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t know about those. Most shifters don’t.”
I’m surprised Sailor knew anything to tell her. When he was rogue, I would have considered us allies but not friends. I figured he knew as little about me as I knew about him.
I’ve heard of the old prophecies before, but reading them is mostly considered a dead art. The Luna Sovereign is expected to know of them, but most families don’t pass down those old tales anymore. Even if they did, I didn’t have a family for them to be passed down from.
I don’t understand what I’m missing. I thought getting to my mate would be as easy as finding and claiming her.
“In the old prophecies, the Jarreaus are a symbol of war. One between old and new and between wolves and humans. I was admittedly a little curious about them myself after studying those prophecies, but at the time they were all living their lives quietly. I guess we all know that’s not quite the case now. Tess Jarreau’s reputation precedes her.”
Quinn looks at me with more interest than when I first walked in. When I called up Sailor, he mentioned that most shifters come to Cupid’s Pack hoping to force a mate bond with an unmated wolf.
I assured him I wasn’t coming for that, but maybe no one believed me until now.
“Sailor tells me you’re quick and ruled by logic. I’m sure you’ll hold your own in war, Paxton, but love will give you trouble.” She’s so matter-of-fact that it takes me a moment to realize she’s stuck a warning label on my mate bond.
“That’s not—“
“I know that’s not what you came to hear.” She sounds almost sorry about it. Quinn nudges Sailor away, sending him off to rejoin the other men as she returns to her place behind my chair to finish my haircut. “If you need someone to tell you to take your mate at any cost, I’m not the wolf for you. A mark should be something precious between two wolves, but it can also be poison.”
I’m not interested in her riddled warnings. “I only came because I need to know if it’s really possible my mate could have been bonded twice.”
“Of course it’s possible. Don’t tell me you’re a purist.”
“Absolutely fucking not.” The purists among shifters would have us live the way our ancestors did. Back then, being rogue was a death sentence. Shifters didn’t trust anyone outside their own pack.
“Your hair is done.” I can hear Quinn set the razor down seconds before she spins my chair so that I’m facing her guards. “You see my men?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been marked by each of them. It takes a very closed mind to think love can only look one way. Our ancestors may have believed that a wolf could only have one true mate, but I do not.”
As the Cupid’s Pack Luna, she’s as much an authority on what’s allowed between mates as the Luna Sovereign would be.
The idea of sharing Tasha with another shifter makes my wolf snarl. Good for Quinn and the rest of them if that’s their version of the mate bond. But the only version I care about is one where Tasha belongs to me. Rightfully so.
According to Tess and Dominic, her first bonded mate is gone. There’s no competition. So the only thing left for me to do now is go to her. Even if she’s reluctant to take a new mate, I’ll explain to her what Quinn has said. With a Cupid’s Pack stamp of approval, no one will argue my claim to her.
I just… have to somehow get through the most guarded pack in existence to get to her. Already, my wolf is forming a plan. I don’t care how tight security is, Tasha Jarreau does not belong to the Sovereign Pack.
Nothing is going to keep me from her. She won’t be the next Luna Sovereign. She’s going to be ours.