Her Brother, Her Mate

“You and you alone are the reason for everyone’s suffering! I asked you if you were sure about the rejection! You said you were committed to Rose and your son! It wasn’t until after she died you went back on your word and tried to reclaim Mary. If you had kept your d**k in your pants, none of this s**t would have happened! If you had kept to your word, I would have been a family with my daughter! If you had told Mary you knew you weren’t Carli’s father, your son could have had his mate! This whole f*****g mess is on you. Now, my daughter, YOUR MATE’S DAUGHTER, is storming out of here, rightfully so, with a family of f*****g vampires trying to kill her. If anything happens to my daughter, to your mate’s daughter, to your son’s mate, that’s on you too. I don’t care if you are my alpha, I will make it my life’s mission to see you pay for the hardships you have put us all through. I will make you pay for her life with your own.”

“SHE DIDN’T ACCEPT THE REJECTION!” my dad screamed back in Tommy’s face. “I tried to do the right thing, but I didn’t know until you started dating her that she didn’t accept the rejection. She didn’t know she had to. She was completely ignorant as a wolf and didn’t know how to accept the rejection. When I felt you two together,” my dad turned around, his fist in his mouth as he paced back and forth, “I wanted to die, Thomas. Not just feeling her with you, but because I knew she felt me with Rose. I tried to do the right thing! She still wanted me, just like I still wanted her. The bond never went away. 4 years! She felt me for 4 years! When I got her back, I vowed to do everything in my power to make it up to her. If I have to command her defiant daughter to move back home where she belongs, so be it.”

“You will do no such thing,” I sneered, walking into the office. “She is with her family. She is trying to be happy, and learn what real love is. I’m not letting you hurt her any more because you f****d up in the past,” I glared at him, pushing as much of my authority into my words as I could. I feel bad for mom. I know how the betrayal feels, but he should have told her how to accept the rejection. He probably just did it and walked off before my real mom was made aware of the situation.

“Son, this is for the best,” he sighs in exasperation, “She needs to learn how to be a luna. She’s not going to learn that from a woman with such an unstable upbringing.”

Thomas punches my dad, and dad stumbles backward, clutching his face. I quickly stepped between them before my dad could retaliate. He deserved it. Elena is a wonderful woman and a great mother to Carli. Even my grandma prefers her to Mary. You sure as hell don’t say s**t like that in front of someone’s mate. The decision I came to while talking to Carli and driving here has just solidified, watching the disrespect this man showed to my mate’s father.

“I challenge you for the position as alpha,” I stated boldly. Thomas and my dad were both startled at my words.

“What are you doing?” dad asks in disbelief.

“It’s never been more clear to me that you’re not fit to run this pack. I’m not going to sit back and watch you destroy my mate’s life anymore. I’ll contact grandpa, and you can pick the date, but I challenge you for your title.”

My dad grimaces as the challenge washes over him. “You can’t. Why, when you will get it eventually anyway?”

“Because this pack deserves better. You are unfit. Everyone can see it. Young warriors here don’t even respect the alpha title. I just had to straighten 2 out today for their lack of respect. When was the last time you even went to warrior training? You haven’t been there once since I got back.”

“That’s not my job.”

Thomas scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief, “You mean, you think it’s below you. You’d have to interact with people you think are beneath you.”

Dad growls at Thomas, but can’t deny his words.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“I’m done here. Let me know what date you choose, and I’ll make sure grandpa is here,” I muttered, before turning to leave. Thomas followed behind me.

“You sure you want to go against your father?” he asks me, walking out of the packhouse with me.

“It’s time. I’m not letting him hurt her anymore.”

Tommy chuckles softly, patting me on the back. “Glad to hear it. Where you going now?”

“To get my mate.”

Tommy gave me a ride back to the gym. That way I could ride back with Carli.

When we got there, we couldn’t find her anywhere in the gym. I start to panic, cursing myself for thinking she might actually stay put, when I hear a commotion coming from the warrior center.

When we walk in, Carli is in the biggest training gym, taking on 2 other warriors at the same time. She looks gloriously fierce, sweat dripping from her brows and chin, muscles taunted and her exposed abs glistening with perspiration. She has a bruise on her ribs, but her opponents, Brad and Steven, are a lot worse off. Brad’s l*p is busted, b***d running down the front of him from his mouth, he’s got an eye swollen shut, and he’s favoring his left foot. Steven clearly has a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder and cuts all over his body.

“What’s going on here,” I asked Daryl, who was standing at the back of the crowd watching.

“They were talking s**t so she shut them up,” he shrugs.

Tommy laughs, “What did they say?”

“Just bull s**t stuff. She snapped when they asked her when she was going to start acting like a girl.”

A growl escapes me. These fuckers. I know they were probably joking with her, just talking normal s**t like warriors do with one another, but they picked a bad day to do it.

Everyone winces and “Ooooows” together when Carli knocks Steven out cold, then turns her full attention to Brad.

“I tap! I tap!” he shouts. Carli stops, but flinches at him one last time, causing him to jump back.

“Watch your f*****g mouth next time,” she sneers, then turns, pushing her way through the crowd, heading for the locker rooms.

Tommy pats me on the back, “I was going to check on her, but I’ll let you have the honor,” he laughs softly.

I grinned back at him, “No problem.”

“You know, I think you’re the only one who can calm that storm in her. After you left, that’s when she started making choices that were worrying me and Elena. We had our hands tied, and didn’t know how to really help her. I thought it was a blessing, her being sent to live in my brother’s pack. When you came back, claiming her and trying to get her to stay, I was so f*****g worried she would be pushed too far. I think the moon goddess knew what she needed, though. You’re a good man, Parker. You will make a great Alpha and be a good mate for my daughter.”

His words humbled me. “Thank you, Gamma. I hope you’re right.”

“I am,” he smiles at me, then laughs, “Now go calm down my daughter so you can get her back home. We have s**t to plan.”

“On it,” I tell him, then start jogging to the women’s locker room.

Carli POV

I’m feeling a lot better after that intense workout and kicking some a*s. I took the picture hanging in the hallway of Alpha Jared, broke the frame getting it out, taped it to the punching bag, and beat the s**t out of it until it was in tatters. The whole time I was fighting Brad and Steven for their off-handed comments, I imagined it was Alpha Jared and got a little carried away. I don’t feel bad. They needed an a*s whooping. I’m tired of all the machismo bull s**t. I’m a girl and just beat the s**t out of both of them at the same time.

The shower in the locker room washes away the tension left in my body, and I’m much more in control of my emotions when I finish. I quickly dress, and am surprised to find Parker waiting for me outside of the locker room door, leaning casually against the wall.

“Feeling better?” he asks, pushing off against the wall.

I shrug, “Where did you go?”

“To talk to my dad.”

I growled, feeling slightly agitated just thinking about the prick.

“How did that go?”

Parker sighs, tossing his arm around my shoulder, “Great. I challenged him for his title.”

“You what!?” I jumped and turned to him in surprise. He laughs softly.

“I challenged him for the alpha title.”

“But you’re getting it anyway,” I asked in confusion.

“Carli, I’m not letting him continue to treat you the way he is. He’s not a good alpha either. I’m not going to do nothing when he tries to force you to do things you don’t want to do. He puts himself above the pack and its members. That’s not how you run a pack.”

I bit my l*p nervously. “You sure you want to do this, though? It could ruin your relationship with them forever.”

“The way they are treating you; how they’ve always treated you is what ruined our relationship. I told mom last night to back off and she didn’t listen. She got dad involved instead. I’m sure. This needs to happen.”

He’s going this far for me. Going against his parents for me. The emotions churning through me make my heart swell and heat build behind my eyes. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine.

Parker m***s softly against my lips, and a single tear drop slides down my cheek. When he pulls away breathlessly, he rests his forehead against mine and smiles.

“I love you, Parker,” I whispered. Parker leans back, gaping in surprise before a slow grin spreads on his face.

“I love you too, Carli. More than anything.”