As they cleared a thick grouping of trees and came to a large clearing at the edge of his property, he could see an older man standing in the snow, wearing only a pair of jeans and an unbuttoned flannel shirt as if he’d just pulled it on to meet with Bel. Behind him were at least a dozen very large wolves. Some were pacing, but others stood frighteningly still, cold eyes watching them as they approached.
Bel nearly smirked to see the figure was standing one foot away from the property line. Nearly as close as he could get without crossing over. Wyatt’s description of the truce rang clear in his head. Wolves stayed out of vampire territory and vampire affairs.
He stopped walking when a few yards of open ground still separated them. No reason to get too close, but he didn’t want to appear afraid either. The older man’s eyes darted over to River and Wyatt for only a second, but it was enough to pull a curl into his upper lip before he looked at Bel again. His expression didn’t warm.
“Vampire,” the man growled as a greeting.
Bel formed a cool smile onto his lips, trying to aim for the same aloof expression he’d seen on Rafe’s face so many times in the past when dealing with someone he didn’t care for. “Beltran Varik, at your service,” he introduced with a small nod of his head.
“Albert.”
“My neighbor, I presume.”
The wolf grunted. Bel had to assume this was the alpha wolf of the pack. The man’s hair might be snowy white, but there was a thick muscle to him. If Bel didn’t know better, he’d believe the man was more likely to shift into a bear than a wolf. A white beard lined his jaw, but that was where the comparisons between him and Santa Claus stopped.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Bel prodded when the tense silence fell back over the clearing.
“You’ve got something that doesn’t belong to you. I wanted to make sure you’re well-acquainted with the truce that has held the peace between our kind for centuries.” The man’s voice was like listening to gravel being crushed under someone’s boot. Nothing like the warm, gentle rumble of Wyatt’s voice.
Bel bristled at the man’s words. Wyatt and River were very much his. Clenching his teeth for a second to regain control of his flaring temper, Bel forced his smile a little wider. “You mean the truce where wolves have agreed to stay out of vampire territory and vampire affairs? Yes, I have been apprised of it.”
“The truce also says vampires will keep out of shifter affairs.” Glaring, Albert pointed at Wyatt just behind Bel’s right shoulder. “They’re our problem.”
Bel shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat to hide the fact that he had balled them into tight fists. “I believe there’s been a misunderstanding,” Bel said, holding on to his light tone. “It was my understanding that Wyatt and River were kicked out of their pack. They’re exiles.” He turned a bit toward Wyatt and smiled. “Is that correct? You are both exiles?”
“Yes,” Wyatt bit out, his voice more animal growl.
“So that means you can’t possibly belong to this pack, correct?” Bel continued.
“Correct.”
“They’re wolves!” Albert bellowed as if he couldn’t stand the idea of anyone listening to what Wyatt might have to say. Some of the wolves behind Albert started to growl, their hackles rising.
Bel gave a loud sigh and shifted from one foot to the other. It was something he’d seen Rafe do on numerous occasions as a way of dismissing another person’s anger.
Okay, so he knew that using Rafe as a guide for any kind of negotiations or talks was a giant mistake, but Rafe was the only reference he had when it came to dealing with a hostile person. His brother had always been quite good at pissing people off and getting out of the situation.
Of course, getting out of it usually involved blood and carnage, which Bel was trying to avoid.
“They are wolves that have been tossed aside,” Bel said evenly as soon as the noise died down. “Your kind doesn’t want them. I do. Unless…”
“What?” Albert snapped.
“Are you going to welcome them into your pack? Offer them equal status to everyone else? Accept who they are and their relationship? Recognize it as equal to those of different sexes?”
“Fuck, no!” The growling and snarling started again, leaving Bel to roll his eyes at the stars overhead.
“Then I don’t see why we’re having this conversation,” Bel snapped, tossing his hands up in the air. “Wyatt and River were exiled from their pack, removing them permanently from werewolf affairs. As such, I’m not interfering with shifter affairs by taking them in and offering them a place in my household. In my pack.”
“They’re still wolves. That makes them our problem to deal with, vampire. Not yours.”
Bel took one step forward but caught himself before he could charge right up into Albert’s flushed face. “They are not a problem. They are a gift. And as of right now, seeing as they are on my property, they are my gift. You and your pack will not be doing anything with them.”
A few of the wolves around Albert started to stalk forward, their heads down and teeth bared as they growled. He could feel a bubbling mixture of emotions coming off River and Wyatt at his back, but Bel couldn’t allow himself to worry about it. So long as they remained behind him, he was sure they were safe. The moment they stepped too close to the property line, Albert and his wolves would undoubtedly strike.
Luckily, Albert didn’t seem to know who the Variks were in the vampire world. The Ministry would likely thank him if he managed to take out Bel along with Wyatt and River.
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told the last fanged fuck they hid behind—get them out of our territory in a week, or they’re not the only ones who are going to turn up dead.”
Bel forced out a laugh he didn’t feel and casually strolled forward a couple of steps. Wyatt and River started to follow, but he held up his hands, indicating they should wait. “What kind of a leader would sacrifice his entire pack for two wolves who aren’t any of his business? Who aren’t even in his territory?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Albert blustered. But anything else he was going to say was cut short when Ozzie cawed overhead and flew from one tree branch to another. His new perch was already weighed down by more than a dozen other large birds. A mix of owls, hawks, and other large raptors stared at the wolves in with their cold, unwavering eyes.
From the moment Bel had taken a step into the woods, he’d sent out a little trickle of magic, calling hundreds of birds to this patch of woods. They’d quietly landed on the trees around the wolves, and they’d gone unnoticed while everyone focused on their approach.
Bel narrowed his eyes on Albert, and the older man flinched. As if realizing what he’d done, he took a step forward and Bel smiled, allowing his fangs to slip below his upper lip. “You don’t know who you’re up against, Albert. So, I’ll give you this one warning. Stay away from my property. Stay away from my wolves. Or the consequences will be severe and far-reaching.”
With one last nod of his head, Bel turned and started to walk toward the house. When he joined Wyatt and River, he gently laid a hand on each of their chests and gave a little push, forcing them to break their own stares and move with him.