Mates & Allies

Jett kept his hands on the desk, fingers itching to grab the pistols and end this. He hadn’t known he’d had such a propensity for violence; he also hadn’t had a claw to protect and something told him these three—Fenton, Gells, Ward—would continue with the drugs and violence that seemed to keep everyone cowed. A few of the claw had come to him, asked him about how they were going to keep things going. Judging by the bank accounts, they could, and if his plans came to fruition, well there’d be a lot more shifters here too. Blistering Rock sounded like a rough place to be a shifter, and it had been, kept under control with threats and violence. He wanted to make it something else. He wanted to make it a sanctuary.

With a mental warning to his mates, Jett tapped into his alpha power. All of it. He remembered his father’s stories, that it should have been his son, not Judah, who was Zeb’s right-hand person, preparing for a time when the claws could unite. Judah had been what kept the claws apart. Judah had been the source of the dissent. Judah had caused all of this.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and Jett realized he’d called Randy and Kole to his side. Not glancing at the gun and now wishing he’d tucked at least one into his waistband, Jett let his hands fall to his sides and came out from behind the desk. He glared at the three men, sending the full force of his alpha into them.

“Kneel,” Jett growled.

Fenton’s face twisted into a grimace as his muscles twitched in an attempt to obey. Ward dropped to his knees. Gells glanced at Fenton, then crumpled to the ground.

“KNEEL!” Jett demanded, staring at Fenton with the glare of a thousand daggers. “You used to take orders from Judah. Now you’re taking them from me.” He stopped close enough to reach out and wrap his fingers around Fenton’s neck, which he almost did. Beyond the door, he saw Kole and Randy stop, eyes wide as if they never imagined this kind of alpha power from him. Frankly, he hadn’t either, but damn it, he was sick and fucking tired of his family’s games, his family’s manipulation, and it was going to end now.

Fenton shook. Sweat beaded on his brow. His chin tilted up, and that was the opening Jett needed. With Fenton showing no signs of going down, he stepped forward, wrapped his left hand around Fenton’s throat, squeezing hard enough to turn his face red, then reached around and grabbed Fenton’s gun. He pressed it against Fenton’s abdomen.

“I said kneel, asshole. Submit or die. That’s the language you understand, right? Fucking cur.” He snarled the words that had been hurled at him back at Fenton, hating the way they sounded in his mouth. He jabbed the gun deeper into Fenton’s side.

His mates’ worry filtered through the bonds. He blocked them out. He’d contact them when this was done, but a moment’s weakness and he wouldn’t get to tell them he’d handled the situation.

“Nnnooo,” Fenton forced the word out with a growl. His eyes glowed, his cougar trying to exert dominance.

“I am your alpha,” Jett pulled on even more of his power, and he saw Kole and Randy twitch as if they too wanted to come kneel at his feet. Jesus, how far did his alpha stretch. The power seemed like a bottomless pit deep inside him, one bottled up that he had never dared tap. Until now. “Kneel or die.” He knew his eyes glowed yellow as his own cougar snarled inside him, demanding that he end Fenton right there. He tightened his hold on Fenton’s throat, then lifted so that the man stood on his tip toes. He leaned into the alpha strength, struggling not to get drunk on the power because that was how Judah had been, that was how Zeb had been, and they were not—

His father hadn’t had this level of alpha power. His mother was human, so he shouldn’t have this alpha power either. He realized then why he tapped into his alpha so easily, why he had such a hold on Zeb’s claw. The man he’d thought of as his biological father hadn’t been. There was no way he could be, not with Jett having this much power.

“Fenton, kneel,” he said, his voice shaking with the strength it took not to kill him.

Fenton’s eyes bulged. His face turned pale, lips going blue. Strength started to fade from him. Just a moment longer and he’d pass out. “Alpha, please,” he gasped.

Jett eased his grip just enough for Fenton to bare his throat, then collapse in a heap on his knees, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. An acrid smell filled the air. Fenton had pissed himself in the process.

“You have our guns,” Ward said. “We will submit to you.”

“I submit to you, alpha,” Gage said.

Fenton kept his eyes downcast, swallowing hard and not daring to rub at the dark bruises Jett’s hand left around his throat. “I submit,” he gasped, his voice rough.

“Randy. Kole,” Jett said, finally allowing the two men in the room.

They each released a big sigh.

“Do we have somewhere that can hold them until I figure out what to do about this fucking mess?”

Kole nodded. “There are cells in the basement.”

“Show me.” Jett glanced down at the three lieutenants. “Stand. You’re coming with us.”

“Yes, alpha,” they all said in unison.

“I want you to stand one by one. One of us is going to take your guns from you. I need to know if you have any other weapons on you.”

One by one the lieutenant admitted they did not. They stood, and with Jett taking Fenton, Randy took Gage, and Kole grabbed Ward, then marched them downstairs where there were four cement cages behind a thick steel door. They paused long enough to frisk them, removing phones, wallets, and a pair of keys, then put the men in the cages, then locked the steel door.

Once they were back into what looked like an awesome sized rec room with a wet bar, Jett glanced at Kole. “I take it there’s a stash of clothes somewhere. Fenton needs clean pants.”

“I can do that, alpha. Hell of a show you put on. Didn’t know you had it in you.” Kole said.

“Guess I do,” he commented, then turned to Randy. “I have a few things to do then I need both of you to take me on a tour of this place. I need all the keys, all the passcodes, everything.”

“Yes, alpha,” Randy said. Then grinned. “Glad to have you on my side.”

“Likewise,” he said.

With the two cougars given something to do, he returned to the office. A text was waiting on his phone from Deke. What the fuck did you do?

~* * *~

Jett stared at the text on his phone. You alpha’d my pack. He hadn’t meant to do that. Didn’t even know that his cougar alpha would work on the lone wolves. And yet, it had. Jett released a long breath. Deke didn’t seem upset, just confused, and he sensed his mates through their marks not knowing what he was doing and feeling like he was keeping them in the dark. Problem was, he was taking this moment by moment. With Zeb’s lieutenants in the cells, and uncertain how the rest of the claw would take his leadership, he was simply feeling his way through.

Kole and Randy appeared in the den’s doorway.

Thankful for the distraction, Jett made sure he had the video on his phone. “We’ll start here.” He made a quick survey of the room on the camera, explaining that this was the den and he’d like to keep it as the alpha’s office. An adjoining door went to another room that could act as a second alpha office. The first floor consisted of a large foyer and living room with a separate seating area that looked like it might have been used for meetings judging by the fancy office decor, and the kitchen and dining room. There was a suite on the first floor with a full bath that appeared mostly unused and two half-baths. Upstairs, he pointed out the long hallway with the doors, and other than Mal’s room, he opened each one to show it. There were two full baths on the second floor, along with the bathroom in Mal’s room and both Stella and Zeb’s room, neither of which he’d bothered to sleep in, choosing instead the room closest to the top of the stairs, had ensuite bathrooms. He finished the video with “not as fancy as Tavo’s house, but it’ll do.”

He sent the video to Deke and his mates, then followed that with a message that he’d be coming back shortly and asked if they could all meet at Tavo’s. Then, Jett turned to Kole and Randy.

“You guys think you can hold the fort? I’ll be available by text and can return if necessary, but I’ve got to get back to my mates and there are some things we need to discuss.”

Kole nodded. “We’ve got your back, alpha. Your mates are good people. I think Deke would be happy to bring his wolves here.”

Jett grinned. “I hope so because it seems that would take care of a few problems. You both know which houses are empty. If you could make videos of them and get them uploaded, that will let us know what we’re dealing with. When I come back, we’ll have another claw meeting and then start cleaning out this house. In fact, I think there are things that either pack or claw members can use. Why don’t you make me a list of those, too, if you don’t mind.”

“It’d be my pleasure.” Kole paused for a moment. “What you’re doing is pretty remarkable. I don’t know a lot of alphas who would allow another alpha and their pack on the property like this. But I’ve been to the lone wolves, and you all have done a lot of work to it. They still need better, and I feel like we can offer that.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. I do too. Besides, how many cougar shifters are mated to wolf shifters?” He flashed a smile. “If you need anything, text me. I’ll try to be back within a couple of days. Make sure to remember to feed our guests.”

“We will. They can cool their heels. I’m sure they’re waiting to see which one of us will come down the stairs and kill them.”

Jett hid his flinch. “I’d like to avoid that if possible. There’s been enough death in the claws.”

Eduardo had complimented him on the way he’d taken over, saying that he knew that Jett “had it in him” before he returned to his house. He’d talk to the old man about moving but suspected he wouldn’t. The older couple next to him had gone to live with their grandkids, which meant other than Jett, Eduardo was the only one left from his claw.

They were all his claw now. He waited until Kole and Randy left, then sent one, final text, the one he’d been thinking about the most ever since he’d drawn on his alpha energy. The more he thought about it, the more things didn’t add up. The way his father never seemed to protect him, as if he had this innate ability to take care of himself. His mother freaking out when he’d started exhibiting signs of being a shifter. Surely she’d known whom she’d slept with. They all pointed to one thing. Zeb was most likely his father.