Juan (The Juarez Pack Book 1) Read online

  “We’ll have a nice evening with delivered food and I’ll find a movie on TV for us to watch.”

  It took thirty minutes for the movie he’d found to start and by then the food had come. They settled on the couch, watching the movie, eating, and sitting close. When she was done eating, he settled her on the couch with her feet in his lap. Ariel had told him a pregnant female with swollen ankles would love a male that massaged them for her forever. Amee moaned as he rubbed them and thanked him. Halfway through the movie his mate was asleep and he was ready to join her.

  He cleaned up the mess, turned off the TV, carried her to the bedroom and put her on the bed. After he undressed for bed, he undressed her too. Once she was naked, he pulled the covers over her and got in bed next to her. Setting the alarm for early in the morning, he cuddled up to his mate and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 11

  War is Hell

  Carlos was unhappy with the way things were going and he was worried about his son and his son’s little family. Los Lobos had opened a can of worms the wolf world, hell the supernatural world as a whole, wasn’t ready to deal with but it could destroy them. The problem was no one was willing to come together to deal with it and if they didn’t they would be defeated one at a time. Right now the responsibility fell squarely on Carlos’ shoulders and he wasn’t sure his pack could carry the weight.

  He threw back another shot of whiskey and the burn distracted him from the frustration of waiting. Cage was on his way but it was just another thing to worry about and he wondered why they’d sent him. The wolf was a warden and a good one from what Carlos had heard but he wasn’t a diplomat or at least he’d never been before this trip. Was it the influence of the white wolf? After all he was married to one and Ariel was said to make seemingly odd choices that worked out well in the end. Someday he would like to meet her, the white wolf. It was something most wolves could agree on, it would be a true honor to speak to her even if only briefly.

  If he could keep his pack and his family alive, maybe he would meet her someday. He could ask his daughter about her since they were related. Everyone who knew her said Ariel was down to earth and likeable. Carlos couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have that kind of power and responsibility to carry every day. What he had now was killing him or it could. There was a noise at the door and his assistant Peter told him he had a visitor. Cage had finally arrived and now he might get some answers. Whether or not they’d be something he wanted to hear remained to be seen.

  “Cage,” he said as he stood and offered his hand. Traditionally wolves didn’t shake hands but so many were doing business in the human world that was changing. It was expected when humans did business and to ignore it could mean offending someone to the point that the deal went south.

  They shook hands before Carlos motioned for Cage to sit across from him. “Things have been busy since we last met and not in a good way.”

  “I met with Cardigan and convincing him of the danger was no easy task. He’s angry that his son isn’t mated to a white wolf especially since he’s heard how badly Juan treated Amee but they’re mated.”

  “That should be a personal matter and shouldn’t affect his stand on Los Lobos.”

  “In a perfect world, you’d be right. This isn’t a perfect world. I pointed out that his pack would be next so he wondered what would happen if he prepared for the good fight but held off until your pack bit the dust before he engaged.”

  “It’s no less than I expected.”

  “My observations were if he waited that long, they’d overrun him in a matter of days. While he’s preparing, they are too and they have greater resources to pull from. I also pointed out that they aren’t just your enemies, they are the enemies of our whole wolf society. They plan to take over the packs and put their own leaders in charge.”

  “That might be the start of their crazy take over the world plan.”

  “If we don’t pull together now they could well bring their plan to fruition.”

  As happy as Carlos was to hear Cage taking things seriously, his prediction hit him hard in the gut. The warden was right, they could defeat one pack at a time and eventually rule them all since packs didn’t play well together as a general rule. Exceptions were those who were allied through marriage or treaty. He’d heard Ariel was tying many packs together for the white wolves. Most white wolves mated pivotal alphas, was that nature or by design? Sure, he’d heard they were all soul mates, but was that really true? It was in Juan and Amee’s case and Juan was a pivotal alpha, not because he led the pack yet, but he had influence on his father’s heart.

  Carlos would admit that it wasn’t a good thing that the packs were so isolated from each other or that the different supernatural kinds were leery of each other. The humans far outnumbered them and that was reason enough for all kinds to come together. The packs should never have gotten to this point of separation from each other and he blamed the old council that had encouraged the suspicion and distrust. It might yet be the downfall of their kind.

  “I know you’re right, but I’m doing all I can right here on the front lines. My pack is holding back the horde of evil that threatens our way of life with little help. What does Cardigan plan to do?”

  “He says he’ll help.”

  “But he has demands?”

  “It appears you understand him. Yes, he has demands and the main one is out of our hands. He says his son is heartbroken by the white wolf he hoped to mate. I know her and if there’s a problem I’ll guarantee it’s not her. My opinion is he blew it off like Juan did and no one cared much until Juan got his mate back. Now Cardigan’s son has egg on his face.”

  “You have a colorful way of expressing yourself, McDougal. You also have a unique perspective being mated to a white wolf and having met with all parties concerned.”

  “I also had a lot of conflict in my mating which was totally my fault. It was years before we finally got together. White wolves have forgiving natures after they make you suffer for a while. She’s so much more than I deserve but I thank the goddess for her every day.”

  “Your mating sounds interesting, I hadn’t heard anything about it.”

  “No one outside of the family knew much of what passed between us. She was a kid when I met her. Foolishly I rejected her even though I knew she was my fate. Her age was an issue, but it was also because she was human. Before Ariel, and this was before that, most wolves were against mating with humans. When I met her again, everyone knew about white wolves and they all knew about us. There was a lot of resentment and bitterness to overcome, but it’s hard to fight against your soul mate. We patched things up and the rest is history. We even have a pup and I’ll show you pictures later.”

  “I feel for those white wolves, it seems all their matings and just their lives in general come with lots of trouble.”

  “That’s no lie. Ariel’s mating set the standard and I’ve not known one easy mating in the bunch.”

  “It also still leaves us in the position of having to help the Cardigan pup with his mating.”

  “Harmony will be tougher to deal with than Amee was but at least it’s not Temperance.”

  “If this she-wolf is harder to catch than Amee, we may not find her. My daughter’s ability to hide was impressive and had she not been victimized, I’m not sure we would have found her.”

  “If we get Harm to come visit Cardigan, he may wish he’d ask for something else.”

  “I wish I could be there to see it.”

  “The way Cardigan feels about you I think you’ll have to hear about the highlights instead.

  “So what did he offer in exchange for another shot at the white wolf for his son?”

  “He’ll hold off on any attacks against your pack or any other packs and send some soldiers wherever they are needed against Los lobos.”

  “Looks like he wants the boy mated badly,” Carlos observed with a chuckle. There hadn’t been much to laugh about in a while and he wasn’t lau
ghing long.

  His phone alarm sounded and he looked at the message. Attack underway all defenders respond.

  “Cage, how do you feel about kicking some Los Lobos ass?”

  “I’m down with that.” Carlos took a quick measure of Cage and decided he’d rather have the large male on his side than against him. “Follow me and we’ll hit them hard.”

  Carlos led the way down the hall and out a secret exit that put them in sight of the attacking wolves. Perimeter traps and security devices were taking a toll on the enemy but the numbers they were pushing through the line would allow some to make it through. They were attacking in human form for the most part which made them a bigger target. Nothing this group did made any sense. Cage stood next to him as they waited for the first rogue to make it through. Jumping into the fray the second one slipped past, the young warden impressed the pack alpha when he took his adversary down in seconds. Slapping restraints on him, Cage moved to the next target while Carlos engaged his opponent.

  Working together, they didn’t need any help and neither side carried arms. The rules of engagement among wolves that the rogues followed when it suited them, was not to be armed if the enemy wasn’t. Carlos worried what the lack of weapons meant. Were they testing their ability to fight hand to hand? There was no more time to think when the enemy morphed into wolves. Cage’s big black wolf was impressive and looked a lot like Carlos’ own wolf. Both looked big and mean with alpha power rolling off them in waves. Few of the attacking wolves were alphas with most being brown or grey.

  The attack lasted about an hour like most of the previous ones had and now that his people knew what to expect and he had a strategy in place, they weren’t losing any more wolves. There were injuries, but they were minor and the best trained warriors were sent out while the less experienced ones worked behind the scenes. So far that plan had been successful and he breathed easier once he knew they had no casualties. They did, however have ten prisoners but they weren’t really set up to keep that many.

  “We’ve got several prisoners, I wonder if Cardigan would like them? I hear he finds work for his prisoners and sometimes even converts them.”

  “I wonder how he does that since it’s hard to change pack loyalty. Most of these guys may just need to get the drugs out of their system. Maybe I’ll give Cardigan a holler and see if he’ll take a few. Would that be helpful?”

  “Getting rid of any of them would be helpful. He’s set up for large numbers of prisoners, we’re just set up for a handful.”

  Cage whipped his phone out and pushed a button. Carlos could hear the ringing which stopped on the third ring. “Cardigan,” the voice growled.

  “Cage here.”

  “What do you want, Warden?”

  “There’s just been an attack on the Juarez pack.”

  “What the hell do you want me to do about it?”

  “I was about to tell you. There’s some prisoners and we wondered if you might want a half dozen. You could probably put them to good use, I’ve heard you have a talent in that area.”

  “Want me to come get them?” The voice was much nicer now.

  Cage looked at Carlos who nodded. “Sure, you know the way, right?”

  “I certainly do. We’ll be there in an hour.”

  “We’ll be watching for you.”

  The line went dead. “Where the hell do you think he’s at? It’s about a three hour drive between packs.”

  “It’s around lunch time. Maybe he was eating at one of the nice restaurants near here. Either way, I’ll be glad to let him have them although I bet none of them will be pleased to be in his care.”

  “Is there something about Cardigan I should know?”

  “Nothing you shouldn’t already be aware of that’s for sure.”

  “This isn’t my assigned area. I know almost nothing about him or his pack except that he feuds with all the surrounding packs that aren’t under his thumb.”

  “Many of the packs in this area were into things the humans considered illegal back in my father’s time. My father was an exception, he always felt there was enough money to be made legally without risking confrontations with the human police or the human criminals. Most of the packs have restricted their illegal activities and rarely do anything that would cause them trouble. The exception to that is Cardigan. He sells drugs, only pot and speed I believe, and he has death matches which is what those wolves will be used for I would guess.”

  “You mean he’ll make them fight to the death?”

  “Yes, he’ll clean them up and give them a chance to get in good shape. One will die and the other will be freed.”

  “Won’t the one that is freed just go back to Los Lobos?”

  Carlos chuckled. “Put yourself in their shoes. You disappear off the battlefield and you’re gone for weeks then you magically reappear looking pretty damn good except for a recent beating. They know if they return they’ll be killed, maybe tortured first for information they won’t have. If we freed them right now, those with a brain would run like hell and anyone stupid enough to return would be killed. They won’t kill them quickly either. This way, they have a chance to win their freedom or die. Cardigan will recognize this as the gift it is and maybe he’ll be more receptive to reaching an agreement before you contact Harm, is it?”

  “You’re much craftier than I first thought. Yes, it’s Harm but she won’t be easy to convince. I don’t even want to ask her, to be honest. I’ve heard she’s a little pissed at the boy.”

  “You might want to remember the Cardigan boy’s name is Nathan. His father dotes on him and would be offended by anything other than using his name to discuss him. He’s actually a junior although his father is called Boss instead of his name. I can only assume because he is in charge and he uses large numbers of humans in his businesses. Wolves say alpha but humans often say boss.”

  “I’ve been in the human world a great deal myself.”

  “Is that the reason your speech is like it is?”

  “Probably. I like some of the terms the humans use and my mate was human. She uses more of that kind of speech than I do.”

  “Maybe someday you can come for a visit and bring your family. I would like to meet them and I would be your host.”

  By offering to be the host, Carlos was saying he would give them lodging, food, and make arrangements for wherever they might want to go. It was a generous offer and one that he hoped Cage would consider once the danger was gone. Carlos remembered earlier that Cage had mentioned his mate had wanted to come along but he had told her no because of the fighting. It was wise to leave her behind where she would be safe. Being this friendly with someone he’d only met a few times might seem odd to humans, but wolves had a lot of sensory information they used to decide if someone was worth knowing or not. No wolf would like the comparison but they were a lot like dogs, they usually liked you on the spot or not at all.

  “I might just take you up on that once everything is settled here. Perhaps you will come visit when Juan and Amee come the next time and my mate and I will take you to our favorite restaurant.” His offer showed that Cage was no fool. If he had any political ambitions at all or wanted to move up in his current field, having a good relationship with important people, those that were pack alphas or higher, was important. Carlos was sure if Cage hadn’t liked him he wouldn’t have offered, but it showed he was trying to develop some diplomacy. He’d bet Cardigan hadn’t gotten that offer.

  “I would like that,” Carlos acknowledged with a smile. Exchanging small talk almost made things seem normal. “Let’s go pick out six prisoners for Cardigan.”

  “Lead on,” Cage declared.

  Carlos led the way to the back of the pack house where a small two cell jail was. Both cells had bunk beds but twelve wolves would be packed if placed in there. The pack alpha was glad half of the prisoners would soon be gone. Five wolves were in each cell and he had the guards move one to the other cell making it six and four. That was no sooner don
e then the guard told him guests had arrived. Per his orders they were brought directly to the jail.

  Cardigan entered and his blue eyes took in everything in one sweeping look. If he and Carlos ever fought, it would be hard to say who the winner would be. They were equal in size, reach, and their alpha power was a close match. It was why Cardigan had never sent one of his sons to fight him. There was a good chance that boy would die or lose and be dishonored according to Cardigan’s way of thinking. The alpha was a throwback to times Carlos thought best forgotten.

  It remained to be seen if an agreement with Cardigan would work out anyway but Carlos intended to give it his best shot. Cardigan looked over the prisoners as if they were livestock. He knew what the other wolf was looking for, the best possible fighter so it would be an event that would draw wolves from all over.

  “Can I select the six?” Boss asked.

  “You don’t like these?” Carlos questioned.

  “I just want to trade out one.”

  “Which one?”

  “I’d like to remove that blond and take the redhead.”

  Carlos nodded and the four males Boss had with him quickly cuffed and lined up the six males. His beta, Carlos had met the wolf before when he’d had dealings with Cardigan, explained to the prisoners what they could expect. Carlos saw Cage listening intently as if he was surprised they would speak so freely around him. These fights to the death for sport were illegal for werewolves too. They led the prisoners away and the ones left behind would probably wonder if they’d dodged a bullet or missed out on an opportunity.

  “I can’t deny I’ll be glad to go home and I can hardly believe that they just discussed their illegal activities in front of a warden. Why do they feel safe doing that?”

  “What are you going to do? We need him right now and you don’t have the manpower to mess with him anyway. Between Los Lobos and Chief, the wardens are screwed.”