Page 5 of Tossed into the Mob (The Wolves of La Luna Noir #4)

FIVE

TREYTON

“I’m scared.”

Perfectly understandable considering I was tossing my mate into a shifter mafia family dinner. He was terrified of the criminal element but wasn’t aware most of the people in the room would have a wolf inside them.

“I’m here.” I reached out, wanting to place a palm on his thigh or squeeze his hand, but I almost stroked his cheek, and just in time, I jerked my arm back and patted his arm which was what a colleague might do.

I hope you know what you’re doing.

I don’t. I didn’t.

“Thank you.” He stared at my hand, and I checked my nails, making sure I didn’t have dirt under them.

I had to be at the dinner or Grandpa would send people to look for me, no matter what excuse I gave.

When he couldn’t find me, he’d contact Flint and his brothers.

Brock would have a heart attack if Ranger confronted him, or he might earn himself another bullet because my cousin was a shoot-first-ask-questions-later guy.

The family might accuse me of what? Disrespecting our traditions by bringing a stranger into a private Durand space. I could shoulder their disapproval because I had to put my mate first.

“Flint and Grandpa Arnie,” Brock said under his breath more than once as his right knee jiggled. “Can I just call everyone sir?”

I was about to say that wasn’t necessary but decided it might ease his fears if I agreed. “Sure.”

I slowed the car and turned on the indicator when we reached Rudy’s home.

It was his turn to host dinner this week, but my cousins’ dad was a terrible cook, so Grandpa was cooking.

Rudy’s three kids had all kidnapped their human mates before they bonded, and in my head, I imagined the shocked silence, mutters, and maybe jeers if I admitted I’d been kidnapped.

But it wasn’t really. A half kidnap? A soft one? A barely-there version?

“Let’s leave out the bit about you abducting me.”

Brock’s harsh breathing must have hurt, and if he didn’t calm down, he’d hyperventilate. I grabbed a paper bag from the back seat and told him to blow into it. I was old school and I had those bags in my first-aid kit, but I’d anticipated his anxiety and pulled one out before we left the trailer.

“This is nice.”

“Mmmm.” The house wasn’t as huge as his sons’ homes, but the land it stood on was, and Rudy enjoyed a wild rugged landscape rather than the manicured lawns and rectangular hedges that were Flint’s style.

Even if Brock wasn’t with me, everyone would scent him on me. But we’d decided he’d stay in the car until I’d informed my family I had someone I wanted them to meet. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it would have to do.

I cut the engine, and Brock gripped the armrest as if it was a life preserver in the middle of a stormy sea.

“How’s your arm?”

“Better. Not as painful as my belly.” He leaned forward and pressed a hand on his stomach.

Now I was second-guessing having him stay here, but if I had him wait on the porch, the family would see, hear, or scent him. Maybe all three. And there were bodyguards stationed outside the house.

“Nothing bad will happen to you, and you might find out the identity of your alpha father this evening.”

“That’s assuming I don’t die of fright first.”

I longed to hold him close so his heart beat in tandem with mine and to kiss away his fear and tell him how I’d exchange my life for his. But all I said was that I would support him no matter what.

I produced a smile, a wan one, as I was sick to my stomach, wondering who Brock’s shifter father was.

I raced up the porch stairs without looking back and strode into the light, laughter, and loudness of my family. Kids were building forts and arguing over toys while one was reading, and Rudy was wearing a frothy shirt in his trademark purple. Everyone yelled my name until I held up my hand.

Rip the bandaid off.

“I met my mate.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Did you say what I think you said?”

Grandpa tore out of the kitchen and hugged me. He sniffed, and his eyes grew wide.

Gradually the noise faded and all eyes were on me, even the kids.

“Yeah, and he’s human.”

“It must be in the family’s DNA to mate with humans,” Flint observed.

“Madd will be next.” Ranger guffawed, and I was glad my brother wasn’t here.

“But there’s something else.”

Now the silence felt ominous. Hunter leaned forward, and Grandpa wiped his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder.

“He says he’s one of us and part of the pack.”

The room erupted. My three cousins leaped to their feet, Rudy flapped his arms, and Grandpa stood still, not even blinking.

Tony, Flint’s mate, asked Matt and Odell, Ranger and Hunter’s respective mates, to take the children into the garden.

“You’ve been conned and blinded by the mating bond,” Ranger roared. “It’s that caring part of you that’s necessary for your job but is a weakness for La Luna Noir.”

My wolf fumed at Ranger’s putdown, but in a fight, my cousin’s beast was vicious and he would bloody mine if we took our fur.

Flint put a hand on his brother’s chest and told him to calm down. “Explain, Treyton, before I find this guy and rip his head off.”

As Alpha, my cousin protected the family and the pack and he was a ferocious fighter, but the only time I’d heard him react like that was when he’d been deceived.

Grandpa bustled between me and our Alpha, telling Flint to hear me out.

“Wait.” I hoped Brock didn’t hear me yelling. “I should have said he’d been told he was one of us.”

Ranger looked at Hunter before swiveling to face Flint.

“And he’s here.” As I headed to the door, I explained he was terrified and he’d been shot two days ago.

Brock was trembling when I reached the car. But he got out by himself and held his head high. I was so proud of him. If it’d been me, I’d have been blubbering and might have peed my pants.

I steered him into the house, figuring it was best to make one introduction to the whole family. I wasn’t sure what their reaction would be, but I wasn’t prepared for the five adult Durand shifters to be standing, their mouths hanging open and their eyes not as big as saucers but dinner-plate big.

A bout of nervousness gripped me. Was it Brock or me with Brock? Had his face been plastered over the TV? He hadn’t lied, I was sure of it. So why was my family aghast?

My biggest fear was realized. He was one of not only the pack but the family. One of my cousins was his alpha father and that explained their shocked expressions, though it didn’t explain Tony’s surprised look.

A piece chipped off my heart, and I swallowed my tears.

“This is Brock.”

No one said anything. I’d told them who he was to me, but he didn’t know that or that I had a beast inside me.

Grandpa broke the silence. “Welcome, Brock. I’m Arnie, Treyton’s grandfather.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

I was supposed to be the one taking charge, but I was dumbfounded at my family’s response. Rudy introduced himself and ushered Brock onto the sofa beside Tony who sat frozen, clenching one of his kids’ toys.

I raced over to Brock until Flint got my attention. “Can I talk to you?” He jerked his head down the hall and strode off. His brothers followed, while I was torn at obeying my Alpha but wanting to reassure my mate.

“Go. Arnie and I will look after Brock.” Rudy shooed me off.

I mouthed to my mate, “I’ll be back in a minute.” But Rudy was already chatting to him about how we met.

I entered the study, and the brothers were in a huddle. Hunter shut the door.

“Look, I know this is unusual, but he’s scared and he says his alpha dad is part of La Luna Noir.”

“What do you know about the guy?” Ranger asked.

“He could be a plant.” Hunter was pacing the room.

Words tumbled out of me as I told them as much as I knew about Brock’s history, leaving out the kidnapping part.

“He’s telling the truth as he understands it.”

“I suspect he is.” Flint raked a hand through his hair, the one with the snake tattoo. I shivered because snakes scared me and he had one etched onto his skin. But I understood the tattoo to be a warning to people trying to oppose him.

In the dim lamplight, my cousin looked older than his late thirties. He’d been doing this job since his father was gunned down, and it was a burden.

“Are you done? Dinner’s ready.” Rudy was outside the door, though he didn’t charge in or knock.

Flint sighed. “We’ll continue this later. Be nice to him.” That last command was directed at his brothers.

“Wait.” I placed my back against the door which wasn’t a wise move when I was preventing my Alpha and his brothers from leaving. “I have one question. Is there any way one of you is his father?”

Three glowering faces stared at me, each with a wolf at the forefront of their gaze. There might be a bleeding in my future, but I needed an answer.

“No!” Flint snapped.

I stepped aside, and the cousins pushed past me. I wasn’t hungry, but I had to be with my mate because I couldn’t throw him to the wolves.

That's a tired old joke. My beast sighed.

But I was breathing easier at being told he wasn’t their son. It didn’t explain their faces when they met him, though.

I raced behind them as Rudy was laying an extra place at the table.

They’d left a chair empty for me beside Brock. Everyone complimented Grandpa on the food, but I’d lost my appetite. My mate attempted to cut his meat with his left hand, and the slice of lamb skidded onto the table.

Shit. His arm. I was doing a crap job of looking after him.

“Let me.”

We shared a glance. His gaze said “Thank you,” while mine was an apology.

Brock needed reassurance, and I placed a hand on his, hoping he didn’t shake me off, but he returned my gesture with a small smile.

The usual conversation at family dinners was raucous, but tonight’s was stilted, with Rudy and Grandpa carrying the load.

Matt and Odell appeared clueless, while Ranger and Hunter shoveled food into their mouths as if they were eating their last meal.

Flint, like me, didn’t eat and pushed food around his plate.

“Who wants ice cream?” Grandpa pushed his chair back.

“Me,” the kids said in unison, and Rudy suggested they eat in the den while watching TV. That wasn’t a good sign, because he only used the TV diversion when he wanted his grandchildren out of the way.

I stared at the chocolate mousse and patted it with my spoon, making it jiggle. Brock was sending me pointed looks, his brows raised, his face a mask of confusion. I didn’t have an answer, but I was certain we were about to get one.

“Enough of these messages you’re sending one another.” Everyone looked at me. “I know you’re kicking one another under the table and communicating with weird looks.” I dropped my spoon. I’d never spoken to my Alpha like that, or Grandpa or any of my assembled family.

Flint jammed his spoon into the mousse, and Tony put a hand on his mate’s elbow.

“Brock, I’m sorry if we haven’t been more welcoming, but when you walked in, we knew you were one of us despite not being—”

“Mafia.” I cut Flint off in case he said a shifter.

“Thank you, Treyton.”

I was worried for Alpha’s teeth because he was clenching them so hard. Hunter ground his teeth too, or was that Ranger?

“Brock, you’re not familiar with our ways, but you remind us of someone.”

“My father?” Brock's voice was squeaky high with excitement. He’d lost the dad who brought him up, but maybe he could meet the father who hadn’t been in his life.

“Correct.”

“I look like my father.”

“When he was younger, yes.”

I didn’t like where this was going, worried they were going to say he was their brother or mine. Yikes!

“Your alpha father was born into La Luna Noir,” Flint continued.

“Okay. There’s a crazed gunman after me, and I need your organization’s protection.”

Flint studied his mousse before looking up. “But there’s something I have to tell you.”

Gods no, he was going to deliver bad news.

Hunter blurted out, “He was a—”

Ranger elbowed his younger brother while Flint went into Alpha mode. “Hunter, enough.”

The room stilled. No one could mistake the authority in my cousin’s voice.

Flint said was. Not is. I moved my leg so it brushed against Brock’s and reached for his hand.

“Your father is no longer with us.”