Page 11 of Dual Nature

Colt just gave me a look, letting me know my pettiness was showing, as he held the phone up to his ear. “Zander, it’s Colt. We need the jet—it’s an emergency. Yeah, as soon as we can fly out. Oh, New York, upstate I think.” He looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded. “Great, we’ll see you in an hour.”

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Colt glanced at me over his shoulder and headed out. “That’s why we’re friends with him. Didn’t even ask a single question as to why, just where and when. We should feel lucky he’s taking the next few months off after his last tour.”

“Fine, but you have to promise to knock me out if he starts talking about how amazing he is the whole time. I don’t give a fuck if he’s a platinum-record recording artist; he’s a prick.”

Colt just smirked at me as we headed out of the office to go pack. The house we lived in was supposed to be for the alphas and their families, but since neither of us were mated, we had decided to share it with our three betas, our seconds in command. There were still plenty of extra rooms for whenever the time came to support a mate or pups once we became more established.

I was surprised when the United Senate had given their approval for our pack since neither of us had led a pack before. Although Colt’s father was the alpha of his childhood pack, Colt personally had no experience. They checked in from time to time, but it wasn’t like they ever did anything to help. The Senate was more of the cautionary tale that you told kids to make sure they behaved. Coming from more than twenty years of being a human, I’d had a lot to learn about how much the Senate worked on this side of things. Most importantly, I’d quickly learned to keep a low profile and not to gain their notice, good or bad, because it never worked out in your favor.

Entering the two-story house with its wraparound porch, I found Mason on the couch eating a bowl of cereal. Mason and his identical twin Noah were large brick walls of pure muscle. When they weren’t working for us, they moonlighted as bouncers at the clubs in Knoxville on the weekends. The only way I had learned to tell the difference between the two was scent, because in the looks department, they were carbon copies. They kept their hair buzzed close to the scalp, same with their facial hair, and had matching light green eyes that stood out against their dark onyx skin.

“What are you two doing at home in the middle of the day?” Mason asked, his deep voice filling the room.

“Colt and I are flying out to New York with Zander,” I answered, heading down the hall.

The sound of heavy footsteps following me up the stairs let me know Mason was right on my heels and wanted me to know it. Like all shifters, we could walk silently, but as a common courtesy, we often made sure our presence was known. It was unwise to trespass into an alpha’s personal domain without permission, no matter how close you were with them.

“Do you need any help?” Mason inquired, leaning against my door jamb. “The twin and I don’t have any jobs tonight.”

Turning, I looked at him, and he stood up straight. “What I need you to do is be here and watch over the pack. I’ll let Elias know we’ll be gone. Tell Noah to clean out the spare room up here and make sure it’s ready and stocked with basics for a woman to stay there.”

Mason frowned at me. “Alright…”

I could tell how badly he wanted to question me, but doing so would be a direct challenge. Walking up to him, I placed a hand on his large shoulder. “Trust in your alphas; we will explain everything once it’s safe to do so. Right now, we have to keep things quiet, or someone’s life could be in danger.”

Nodding, he turned to head back downstairs.

“Mason, if you ask Colt and I find out about it, there will be consequences.” As born wolves, the twins were the only werewolves who had the option of fighting for a higher ranking in the pack. Those bitten were relegated to their status for life, for better or worse, no matter who or what they were in their previous lives. I didn’t often fear that the twins would make a move on Colt and me, but there were times they would test the waters and push the limits of their station. Now was not the time for it, however, so I needed to know that what I’d asked would be done.

Glancing over his shoulder, I could see in his eyes that he believed me and wouldn’t press the issue. I listened a moment longer until I heard him return to the couch and start munching away on his cereal once again.

I swore when I checked my watch, realizing I only had fifteen minutes to grab whatever I thought might be needed to usher an omega into our pack. I pulled a soft blanket from the end of my bed since it smelled like me, then walked to the hall closet where we kept spare sweatpants and t-shirts that were new and unscented. I wracked my brain, trying to remember what Colt had told me about his brother and what an omega needed from a more dominant wolf. Giving up, I knocked on Colt’s door before I swung it open and leaned against the doorframe.

“I’m at a loss here. I have a blanket and sweats…” I paused when I saw him grabbing every soft pillow and blanket out of his room. “Umm, do I need to grab more blankets?”

Colt growled, the sound full of frustration, and tossed the pile onto the floor. “Every omega is different, but in a way, they’re all the same. They want comfort and security, but how they get that is personal preference. My brother always liked to nest in piles of pillows that had our family’s scents on them. But in this case, she doesn’t know us or what would work for her.”

“So, should I grab things from the betas as well? Since she’ll be living here, it could help to get her more acquainted with their scents,” I offered, unused to seeing Colt so frazzled.

“Yes, let’s do that, then she can pick whatever comforts her the most. Even though she hasn’t shifted yet, her instincts will be riding her hard to seek out what she needs,” Colt said, wrapping up everything he’d gathered with a large blanket and tossing a hoodie on top.

Leaving him to his project, I headed downstairs. “Mason, I need something from you and Noah.”

“Care to narrow that down a bit?” Mason asked, standing from the couch.

“A shirt or sweatpants, even a blanket or pillow would work for what we need,” I clarified as I headed into the kitchen.

Opening the pantry, I grabbed jerky, a package of cookies, and a few other snacks that were higher in protein. She said she’d healed, and depending on how much damage she’d taken, she would need food to replenish herself. Grabbing my phone, I called Elias.

“Alpha,” he answered.

“Colt and I are flying to New York. Stick close to the pack lands. If something should happen, Mason and Noah are here as well,” I explained, knowing Elias would follow orders without question. “Oh, and I’ll need to grab something out of your room.”

“You are alpha. Take what you need,” Elias stated before hanging up.

Others would have seen that as disrespectful, but he knew I always led with what was important. Also, in his mind, he had given me permission to do what I thought was best for the pack. Eight years ago, during our search for Cory, we had come across Elias and adopted him, for lack of a better word. He was a lone wolf looking for a pack, and we decided to take him in, which in turn made him the most loyal beta I had ever witnessed. I knew that he would give us anything we needed, big or small. Heading to his room, I looked around the stark space and decided on one of his pillows.

Okay, that should do it.