"Easy, Luci. Don't make Matt kick your ass before we get a chance to say a proper hello." Nick was right beside him, playfully shoving Lucian aside. He walked up to Elisha and reached for his hand, bending over it to kiss the back and peering up at him with a flirtatious wink. "Howdy, honey. I'm Nick, and allow me to be the first to greet the only person who could have got this alpha of yours to come home."
Tucker and Devon made a point to also shove Lucian to the side so they could meet Elisha next. Reluctantly, I let go of his hand when Tucker held his arms out and asked for a hug. When Elisha hesitated, I leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Tucker is my best friend. He's safe. All of these guys are. They might joke around, but you can trust them."
Every one of them looked completely smitten when Elisha blushed. "I'm sorry. I'm hardwired to avoid alphas. I hope I didn't offend you." With that, he stepped into Tucker's outstretched arms.
I rested a hand on Elisha's back the whole time, so he knew I was there. "This is my buddy Tucker. He's probably my best friend in the whole world. Just don't let the other guys hear."
Lucian growled. "We're next to you, asshole. We have feelings too, you know."
"I've heard rumors along those lines." Grinning, I pulled Lucian into a hug. "It's damn good to see you, Luci. Thanks for riding out this way. I wasn't exaggerating when I said I need backup."
As I spoke, I checked on Elisha, talking quietly with Tucker and Devon. The bond told me he was calm and relaxed. For a second, I'd felt like a prick for dropping him in the deep end. When both of my worlds collided, it was easy to forget they were all meeting for the first time.
The hair on the back of my neck raised when Nick stiffened, as if going on alert. Glancing over my shoulder to see what had him alarmed, I immediately relaxed. Jared and the gammas were waiting on the porch. Nick was reacting to their palpable tension. I huffed and motioned for Jared to come over. As he quickly joined us, I focused my comments on Nick.
"Guys, I want you to meet the pack beta. If you’d like the historical dirt on me, Jared here is your best source. His father was the beta before him, so we grew up together. And yes, this bougey palace is my childhood home. Go ahead, let me have it."
Lucian whistled through his teeth and held the flaps of his WCW leather cut wide open to put his shirtless chest on full display. Most notably, the absence of the X-shaped scar over his heart. His big cheesy grin was a cover, silently daring Jared or any of the watching gammas not to notice he was a bastard.
"Check you out, Matt. Nobody's gonna want to hear my sad backstory when they’re too busy feeling sorry for a poor little rich boy like you." To take any sting out of his teasing, Lucian winked. "Seriously, though, nice digs. I bet walking away from a place like this was hard."
Nick leaned against Lucian, crossing his arms over his chest as he jerked his head back toward the gates. "What's up with your family living it up while the town fell to shit? I think I understand why you left.”
Tucker cleared his throat. "Go easy on him, guys. Let's remember Matt arrived here two days ago. He was nice enough to give me the gate code, so obviously he's not gotten all above himself yet. How about we give him a chance to explain?"
Huffing a half-laugh, I held my palms up. "There is no excuse for this, Tucker. Nick was correct—the town is a shitty excuse of a living situation for my pack. Apparently, my uncle didn't give a shit. The least of the reasons I wish I'd killed him myself."
Devon, always the peacekeeper, smiled knowingly. "And I can imagine you've been kicking yourself for not checking on your pack a few years ago, am I right?"
Brushing a hand over my head, I let my breath out in a rush. "Among other things, Nicky. I had no idea my uncle challenged and killed my father after I left. He ran the pack into the ground, and don't get me started on how he treated Elisha. He deserved what he got. Which leads to why I called you guys here. Let me introduce you to my gammas real quick so we can go inside and start strategizing."
Nick clucked his tongue, shaking his head. "And here I was hoping you called us in for construction help. As soon as I laid eyes on your town, I figured rebuilding was at the top of your agenda."
"Oh, it definitely is, don't get it twisted. But first, I need to handle a few things. Starting with winning a challenge against Elisha's father."
Eyebrows raised all around. Lucian whistled again and glanced at Elisha. "You don't seem too upset. I take it your old man needs killing?"
I lifted my arm and slipped it around his shoulders when Elisha huddled against my side, blushing as he shrugged. "While I try not to advocate violence or wish death on people, my father did murder my bonded mate and leave me to die. If Matt hadn’t shown up when he did and shown mercy by claiming me himself, the pack would be burying me right now." He spoke so candidly, his words became that much more heartbreaking.
Giving a firm nod, Lucian squared his shoulders. "Yep. Dude needs killing."
Turning, I led them toward the porch while I answered. "Yes, and I have to be the one to do it. You know pack law as well as the rest of us. In order to get my pack back and remove any claim he has on it, I have to challenge him. Avenging Elisha is just a bonus."
Elisha frowned at the thought of anyone dying on his behalf. I stopped to brush a kiss against his temple. "I said it was a bonus, little wolf. Not the reason I'm doing it. Remember I'll be saving the pack and your brothers in the process, if it'll help you sleep better."
Mentioning his little brothers was dirty pool, but Elisha immediately relaxed. After taking a moment to introduce my buddies to the gammas, we all headed back to the war room. The downstairs was as full as I'd seen it with nosy pack members trying to get a better look at the visiting alphas. After so many years away, I'd forgotten what an interesting occurrence this would be to them. A friendship like I shared with the West Coast Wolves was unheard of in our culture.
We chatted for about twenty minutes, breaking the ice and explaining what we needed to so everyone was on the same page. Then Jared took a few minutes to go through some Council laws and teach me the official phrases I would need to make the challenge. By the time I was ready to contact the territory chief, the members of the two opposite groups were making small talk amongst themselves.
While their rapport was a good sign, the gammas were still unnerved. At least everyone seemed to be fine in the same room as I placed a call to the territory chief. Luckily, Jared had his cell number so I didn't have to go through his office. Putting it on speaker, I set the phone down in front of me so everyone could hear the conversation and leave no doubt what he had or had not said.
As the phone rang on the other end for the first time, the sound echoed around the room, making all of us cringe. I grimaced apologetically and left the volume where it was. Loud and obnoxious now, but necessary when the conversation began. After several rings, I was about to hang up when a deep, congenial-sounding voice rang out over the speaker.
"Hello there. This is TC Woodlawn. What can I do you for?"
"Good morning, TC Woodlawn. My name is Matt Longclaw. I'm calling on behalf of my home pack, Lucerne Valley."
TC Woodlawn sucked in an audible breath. "You're Bob's boy, I remember you. Forget the TC Woodlawn bullshit—call me Ash. If memory serves, I was stepping into my position around the time you left home. Caused quite a stir, let me tell you. And then your uncle showing up and taking the pack like he did was… well, it was something. Listen, son. I'm not sure what you think I can do for you, but I don't know if you want to challenge Monty Whitetail.”