Gev held his lover close to him. “Who was it?”
“‘Were they’,” said Byron. “Two wolves, one gray, one rust-colored.”
“I know of three rust-colored wolves in my family,” he said. “You should be able to tell them by scent.”
“I don’t know, Gev.” Byron straightened. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”
And then his worst nightmare happened. His mother walked in with Francesca. Francesca gasped and averted her eyes, while his mother looked right at him. Her expression didn’t change as she went to take a seat at the table.
Gev slowly guarded Byron’s body and went to the door. “Go get dressed. I’ll bring them here.”
Byron noticed no terms of endearment, no love in his eyes. He was royally pissed off. Byron went and did what he was told.
He returned. Gev wanted to know the details, so Byron gave him a blow-by-blow, as best as he could remember. Gev listened, his fury growing. Then Tiernon came in and Gev snapped his head up at him. “Find Rafe, Mark, and Frankie the second,” he ordered.
“Frankie’s gone off to the UK – ”
“Get them here, now!”
Byron flinched. Gev was beyond furious. “I took care of them – ”
“No. Now I need to take care of them.”
Gev paced the floor while his mother sat, eating a bagel. Francesca couldn’t look at Byron without blushing. “Sit, my son, and eat something.”
“I’m too angry to eat,” Gev said. “They tried to hurt my lover. Mio Amore, and they think they’ll get away with it?”
Tiernon soon entered with two men in tow. Both seemed to be workers; one looked like he was in construction, with jeans and a t-shirt; the other in a white shirt and black pants, dressed like a waiter.
“Smell them, Byron.”
To hear that was strange, but he knew why. He scented one of them. He smelled like wood, but cut wood, and metal. The other smelled like cologne. He turned back to Gev. “No, I don’t think either one of these men did it.”
“Frankie is in the UK, huh?” Gev crossed his arms. “Call him. Right now.”
Tiernon started to call him, while Gev spoke something in Italian to the two men. They looked at Byron, then at each other. One spoke, then the other. “Mark says he was serving breakfast about two hours ago and Rafe said he was on his way to a job,” translated Gev.
“I can take you to the place where it happened.”
“We can get a scent there,” said Tiernon.
“Let’s go,” said Gev, already changing form. Byron stayed as human, and ran out to the trail. Tiernon came with them, in wolf form.
They came to the spot, and both wolves sniffed around. Gev lifted his head. “Frankie.”
“And Joshua,” said Tiernon. “They’re both supposed to be in London.”
Gev went to the area where Byron’s blood had spilled after Frankie had taken a hunk out of his leg. “I’ve ordered them to come to me,” said Gev. “Byron, go to the villa. I’ll be there shortly. Tiernon, take him back.”
Byron turned and hugged the old wolf, who bounded out into the woods. He looked at Tiernon, who shook his head. “He needs to kill something,” he said. “Don’t get in his way when he’s like this.”
Byron only nodded, and went back to the villa. Gev didn’t return until a couple of hours later, worrying Byron sick. He had blood on his face, and went to wash up before kissing Byron in the bedroom. “I needed –”
“I know, love,” Byron said, holding onto him. Gev kissed him, and started to strip him.
Just over two hours later, there was a discrete knock on the door. “Sir,” said Ernesto through the door, “Frank and Joshua are here.”
Byron put a hand on Gev’s bare chest, an imploring look on his face. Gev shook his head, removing it, then got up from the bed and started pulling on clothes. Byron realized that right then and there was not the right time to go against the alpha – his alpha.
After they dressed, Byron silently followed Gev downstairs. He held his head high, supporting his man, his alpha, in whatever decisions he was going to make. He knew Gev wouldn’t be adverse to killing a man where he stood, and this frightened him. But he had had some time to think, and the sex, Byron hoped, had taken some of the edge off his fury.
Standing along with the two men in the foyer was Vic. Byron’s eyes bored into the man, though he wasn’t looking at either Byron or Gev, he was staring at the floor.
“Tell me where you were this morning.”
“It’s my fault, Alpha,” said Vic.
Gev focused his anger on Vic. “Explain.”
“I had paid these two men to attack your mate.”
“These two wolves are of my clan,” Gev said, glaring at them. “They are oathbreakers, and so are you.”
“I paid them before we had our…agreement,” Vic continued, sounding panicked. “I couldn’t get a hold of them to tell them to stop.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it!” blurted Byron. “Even wolves carry cellphones.”
Vic looked down again, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
Gev said angrily, “Oathbreakers, all of you.” Then he snapped something in Italian and turned his back on them. Vic pleaded for something in Italian, Gev didn’t respond, going to Byron and pulling him aside, heading to the library. Vic continued to plead, even when they went into the library and Gev shut the door.
Byron looked to Gev. “What –”
“I cast them out of the pack, and out of the clan,” Gev said quietly. “They’re marked as oathbreakers, cursed.” He looked up at Byron. “It was either that, or kill them.”
“Won’t they try to kill you?”
Gev laughed. “They can try.” He gathered Byron in his arms. “I have called a moot for tonight. I will present you to everyone all at once, and tell them all of our plans.”
“We have a plan?” Byron asked, smiling.
Gev kissed the claddaugh ring on Byron’s hand. “I have a plan for you. I hope you’ll join me in it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Byron said quietly, settling in his lover’s arms.