The wolves on the ground moved about nervously and then one spoke up. “Alpha. It was Rolf who spoke to us. Told us you weren’t fit to be an alpha because you haven’t sexually claimed your mate. A wolf shifter who doesn’t have sex is considered weak, you know that, Alpha. A weak alpha is unfit to lead or keep our pack safe. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“There’s a lot of things wrong with your story, Clancy,” Leyden said, eyeing the man with distrust. “Firstly, Rolf had never met my mate so had no way of knowing if I’d had sex with him or not. Second, do either one of us look. Weak. To. You?”
“No Alpha.” Clancy at least had the grace to look embarrassed. Looking around the pack, Leyden could see Lonnie had gone a bright red and was consciously avoiding his gaze. He guessed the little twink had a lot to do with the gossip in the pack. Lonnie certainly had alpha mate aspirations, something Leyden hadn’t even been aware of until Connor had come along.
Leyden raised his voice so the whole pack could hear him. “What I do in the bedroom or with my mate is my business and is of no concern of anyone else here. I thought I treated you all well. I take time to listen to your concerns. I help out where I can. I keep this pack safe and profitable. I thought I had your trust, your respect. I was stupid enough to think I had your support.”
Gripping Connor a little closer, the man standing like a rock beside him, Leyden went on. “What is going to happen to you all if I decide that I don’t want to live with this farce of a pack anymore and walk away? That would leave you with no alpha, no alpha mate, no second, and a bunch of enforcers who are that cowardly they would only try and attack me en masse instead of facing me in an individual challenge for leadership. What is going to happen to you and the way you live your lives?”
Leyden saw the fear and shock on the faces of his pack members and tried not to let it affect him. He cared for every man, woman, and child in his pack, and he hated the thought of hurting any one of them. But he could not, would not allow them to dictate how his mating went, or how he and Connor lived their lives. The actions of Rolf shouldn’t have been surprising, but the way his enforcers had turned on him had cut Leyden to the core, and he was deeply hurt.
“Alpha, all wolves are sexual by nature. Your sexual prowess was something that typified your rule. You are known for your strength both in and out of the bedroom. Surely you can see how worried we would be as a pack, if that changed,” one of the older pack members said.
Feeling Connor stiffen beside him, Leyden shook his head. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said, Walter? My mate is unique. He clearly isn’t weak because he bested all of our enforcers. He has been living as the pack second for the Davis pack for freaking years. Connor has proven his worth to me in every way and would be a strong addition to this pack as alpha mate. Whether we have sex or not has nothing to do with it.”
Leyden looked around at his gathered pack mates, ignoring the enforcers for now. “I shouldn’t have to explain myself, because I thought I was trusted in my position. However, just this once, I will make an exception. My mate and I have not been sexually active yet, because my mate wants to wait until we know each other better. I agree with his decision. Mating is for life and is a serious decision to make. If the pack has a problem with that, or my mate, then I’ll walk away and you lot can fend for yourselves. What has happened here today has sickened me.”
“You would give up your pack for your mate?” Walter seemed surprised, and Leyden didn’t know why he would be. Every wolf worth his salt knew how important a mate was. Leyden didn’t want to have to fight every day for the right to keep his unusual mate by his side. To keep Connor, he would gladly walk away.
“Contrary to popular belief, there is more to being mates than having sex, Walter. Connor is compatible with me in every way. He is also protective and possessive, and today he proved that he is a damn sight more supportive than any of you.”
Walter nodded his head, as did many others in the pack. Hopefully he had got his point across, but it was hard to tell.Suddenly Leyden felt really tired as the events of the day, damn, the whole week caught up on him, and he felt his knees turn to jelly. Connor tucked in tighter against him and held him upright.
“I am going to take my mate home, shower, eat, and enjoy my evening. You all have twenty-four hours to make a decision as to what you want me to do. Know this, if you can’t support my mate and me then I will walk away and you can find someone new to lead you. After the events of this week, I really don’t care.”
Leyden looked at his ex-enforcers. Their defection had hurt him most of all. “I may not be alpha tomorrow, but I am today. All of you are banished, effective immediately. If you set foot in my territory again you will be killed. All of your records will note the reasons for the banishment and the fact that you ganged up on me instead of challenging me directly. That’s a fucking cowardly thing to do. I doubt that will help you in your efforts to find a new pack, but that’s your problem. I won’t be surrounded by people I can’t trust.”
Not bothering to see how his words had been taken, Leyden let Connor lead him back to the pack house. He seriously needed to lie down.
Chapter Nine
Connor didn’t usually do emotions. He had learned a long time ago not to let the pettiness of other pack members about his lack of sexuality bother him, preferring to show his worth through his fighting strength and inner power. When he was with Davis or a few of the other pack enforcers he could let his guard down, laugh, and relax with the best of them. He wasn’t anti-social in any way, but he never got worked up about things.
But seeing Leyden swamped by his enforcers stirred a rage in Connor he’d never experienced before. He would have cheerfully ripped out the throats of all eight men, and then started on the pack members. He was infuriated that none of Leyden’s pack had supported the man.
He’d also been worried, and Connor by nature, wasn’t a worrier. When Leyden had slipped his arm around Connor’s waist, Connor expected to feel itchy and uncomfortable. But he didn’t, so he went with it, slipping his own arm around the man in return. He could feel that Leyden was still unsteady on his feet, and Connor would do anything to ensure his mate didn’t fall on his face in front of the pack.
But hearing Leyden’s enforcers and pack members confirm what Lonnie had told him, had Connor worrying big time. He didn’t want Leyden to lose his pack simply because Connor needed more time to feel comfortable with his mate. The man was a walking sex god, and Connor could appreciate that from an aesthetic viewpoint. But he wasn’t sure that he actually felt the desire that Leyden had been talking about on their one and only date.
As he showered in one of Leyden’s guest bedrooms, Connor tried to understand what else he was feeling. He hadn’t minded being physically close to Leyden, which was a first for him. In fact, if he examined the feeling more carefully, he would admit to likingit. Leyden was big, tall and strong, and yeah…the man was his mate, so Connor was pleased he wasn’t physically repulsed with the idea of touching the man.
Connor had also taken their week apart and thought about all of the things he did know about his mate. He wondered if there was more he could explain about how he felt, but honestly Connor was getting a bit sick of the fact that all anyone seemed to think about was the sexual side of things. Could his support, protectiveness, and possessiveness, which Connor admitted to having in spades, be enough?
Still mulling over the idea, Connor strode through the house, looking for the kitchen. The last time he had been in Leyden’s home, the place had been full of people. Now it was eerily quiet and Connor wondered why that was. As he walked into the kitchen he stopped short. Leyden was standing by the kitchen counter, which was full of Tupperware containers.
Leyden looked up and grinned. “It seems some of the pack women were worried we might get hungry,” he said. “Come and grab yourself some food and we’ll take it into the living room.”
“All of this is for you?” Connor asked as he came forward, lifting lids and sniffing the contents.
“For us, apparently,” Leyden said. “My pack members might not be fighters, but they can cook up a storm when they want to.”
Connor shrugged and got down to the serious business of filling a plate. As he lived alone he didn’t have people cooking for him very often, and the thought of eating something he hadn’t had to prepare himself had him salivating. Once Connor had filled his plate, Leyden led him through to a large living area. It was homey and comfortable, and seemed to have all of the necessary equipment, including a huge television on the wall. Connor hovered, not sure where to sit, but when Leyden patted the spotbeside him on the couch, he got over his nerves and sat down. Fighting made a wolf really hungry.
The two men sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the peace and quiet. When Connor had finished eating, Leyden took his plate and put it on a small table to the side of the couch, and then took Connor’s hand in his, leaning back on the couch.
Connor’s first instinct was to pull his hand away, but he realized that was more habit than anything else. Leyden’s hand felt good against his. Hot, smooth skin with callouses that Connor knew could only come from hard work. Connor leaned back on the couch as well, his shoulders rubbing against Leyden’s, and savored how good he felt being back with his mate again.
“I should thank you for helping me out today,” Leyden said quietly as though unwilling to break the peace. “But I know you will always have my back. Did you know I was in trouble, or was it divine coincidence that you turned up when you did?”
