Tasting The Enemy

Azaire POV

“Have you considered taking a chosen mate, Azaire?”

My brothers snickered behind their toast. I ran my tongue in front of my teeth.

“Mother, shouldn’t you be asking Richmond that? He’s the one who needs a Luna.”

Richmond coughed before shooting me daggers.

“He’s always around women, I’m not worried about him.”

Lucas smirked. “Mom, he has Megan he’ll be fine.”

My Mother grimaced. “He can do better. I know some wonderful ladies who I invited to the one-hundred-day ball.”

“If he won’t take them I’ll have them,” Lucas said.

I smacked the back of his head.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Wait until you’re using aftershave, Luke.”

“At least say hi to one of them! I need grandchildren, you’re nearly thirty, Azaire I can’t wait forever.”

Now wouldn’t be a good time to tell her I wasn’t going to the ball. I needed to protect the pack with the other betas while my brother wore a penguin suit and conversed with all the high-rank members of the pack and other invited Alphas and Lunas.

Yeah, I got it better being the pack beta.

I bent and kissed her cheek. “Just one”

The one-hundred-day ball was to celebrate how long Richmond has been Alpha. Over a hundred days since he took over from Uncle Damien, our Father’s only brother.

“Azaire,” Richmond called. “A moment.”

He pushed out of his chair and walked into the living room. This better not be about finding a mate to appease our Mom. Richmond wasn’t keen on settling down now because he wasn’t ready to give up the hunt as he put it.

My younger brother sat and ran a hand down his face. Being Alpha wasn’t easy but Richie was made for this.

“What do we do about the wolf drug allegation?” He asked.

“Time to lay traps and then bust some heads.”

He frowned. “You know it’s not that easy.”

“Damn wish it was. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches us so we have to find its source. I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from Black Claw,” I spat.

The reason I left was because I couldn’t stand that pack and justice hadn’t been served. I pushed the memories away and focused on the issue at hand. We couldn’t search Black Claw without serious circumstances.

“I’m with Azaire, Black Claw are scum but I have to admit, Elaine filled out nicely,” Little brother Lucas strolled into the living room and threw himself on the couch.

“Elaine?” Richie asked.

“Yeah, Alpha Laiken’s daughter.”

She was the petite thing that threw herself in front of Blazer. I hadn’t remembered her name until Lucas said it but her face was like a phantom haunting me when the lights went out. I told myself Megan had been gone too long and the Black Claw girl didn’t mean anything.

Richie smirked, “I almost forgot the old Alpha had a daughter. Interesting.”

“Fuck off will you,” I grumbled.

“What?” Lucas grinned. “Black Claw came into our territory and fucked our women. Oliver’s still reeling about Blazer fucking Francine. You know this isn’t over.”

“We’ve got bigger things to worry about Lucas.”

The thought of my brother’s hands on Elaine made me recoil.

Rich hurled a pillow at our younger brother. “This was a private meeting. Get your ass out of here.”

Lucas got up, raised his hands and walked out. Richie smiled before turning to me with a grim expression.

“Look out for him?”

“I’m not adding babysitter to my list of things to do.”

Richie chuckled. He knew I’d keep my eye on the little brat. Ever since Aiden passed I’ve had a crippling fear of losing one of my brothers. It’s a fear I’ll never escape I have the Black Claw pack to thank for that.

***

“What are we looking for Azaire?” Oliver asked.

My cousin-who happened to be Richie’s left-hand beta wolf- and I sat in a white four-by-four car parked across the street from Jelly, a local restaurant and bar in neutral territory. The owner Dale had zero tolerance for wolf rivalry. He was a rogue and took advantage of not being held by pack loyalty.

“The wolf bane isn’t being transported within the packs.”

“Makes no sense. Wolf bane is deadly to all of us.”

I shook my head. “It might be but it’s a key ingredient in wolf enhancers.”

Oliver slammed his fist on the window frame. “You’re right. You think Black Claw’s looking for a fight?”

I nodded. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have pulled that little stunt. They’re brewing trouble and they want us to make the first move.”

Two girls jumped out of a red sports car. One was smaller than the other. The petite one had long brown hair cascading down her back in big waves. Her hair covered her shirt and her blue jean shorts exposed her tanned thighs and long legs.

My wolf lifted his head and whimpered.

Down boy.

The two girls oblivious to us spying, laughed and chatted as they entered the restaurant. Elaine, I thought. I knew she was too young to enter the bar and Dale was strict about stuff like that which put me at ease.

Fuck. Why did I care? I turned the ignition on.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“Clearly nothing’s happening here,” I mumbled.

“Didn’t you see Laiken’s daughter walk into the restaurant?”

“So?” I frowned.

“Come on, she’s cute but don’t think a pretty face isn’t capable of something deadly.”

I killed the engine and turned to my cousin.

“You think Laiken’s capable of using his daughter to do his dirty work?”

A daughter was the Alpha’s pride, his treasure after his Luna. Elaine should be heavily protected and treated like an egg in her home. I could imagine she was a spoiled brat but after she threw herself on her brother to spare him a blow had me thinking otherwise. I scanned the parking lot and it didn’t appear she carried bodyguards.

“Stranger things have happened,” Oliver shrugged.

I started the car again. He didn’t say anything to convince me. Just as I drove across the parking lot I spotted Nik Ryker and Neel Ortiz and their betas walk into Dale’s bar. If those two packs form an alliance, then the Blood Moon pack was as good as screwed.