“Punching people is managing my anger.”

Strangely not liking the playful banter going on between his mate and the Mediator, Trey tangled a hand in her hair – a shifter gesture of ownership. “Are you going to do the wise thing and drop this?” he asked Darryl.

“The wise thing would be for you to sign an agreement now that says our packs are now one and I rule as Alpha.”

Taryn couldn’t stop the snort from popping out. “And who in La La Land told you that would ever happen? Probably the same person who told you that you’re a good liar.”

He spluttered. “Excuse me?”

“Oh come on, you talk so much shit I can smell it on your breath.”

“I take it this means no agreement can be reached,” said Dean quickly, obviously wanting to stop the conversation from becoming any more argumentative than it already was. “Darryl, do you wish to pursue this further or are you willing to withdraw your application?”

“I’m not backing down.”

Trey leaned forward in his seat. “Then I accept your challenge.”

Dean sighed. “You know the drill. Twelve weeks. Twelve weeks must pass before either of you can act on that challenge. Hopefully you can both come to an amicable agreement within that time.”

“How many times does that actually happen?” she asked Dean, curious.

“More often than you might think. About forty-five percent of the time disputes are nothing but impulsive challenges that neither side particular cares to follow through with once their tempers have eased. Without that twelve week cooling off period there would be many pointless battles and many pointless deaths. So maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to placate the humans by forming a council.”

Darryl snarled. “Unless within that time my nephew agrees to unite the pack, my challenge will be followed through. Those wolves are mine. And I’ll very much enjoy taking those caves of yours. Maybe I’ll even take your mate as mine.”

Trey’s menacing growl had everyone jerking. Feeling him tense as if to spring, she squeezed his hand hard enough to cause pain – a sharp pain that would cut through the anger fogging his thoughts. She curled her upper lip at Darryl. “Call me shallow, but I do prefer good looking guys. And you…well it seems like the best part of you dried up on your mom’s thigh.” She probably shouldn’t have found it so amusing that he didn’t seem to be breathing, but, well, it was a bitch thing.

Dean quickly said, “Meeting over. Trey, I’m going to ask you and your wolves to leave first.”

“What do you mean first?” griped Darryl.

“In the interest of preventing confrontations from occurring, the protocol is to keep ten minutes between the time that each party leaves.”

Eager to be away from Darryl before his wolf surfaced, Trey stood upright, pulling Taryn to her feet. “Let’s go, baby.” Surprising him, she leaned against his arm, offering him support that he hadn’t known he needed. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Darryl,” he growled, his eyes flashing wolf. The temptation to tear off his limbs and rip out his throat for trying to lay claim to what was his was riding Trey hard. Satisfied by Darryl’s nervous expression, he nodded and stalked back to the Toyota.

Once back on pack territory, Trey closed himself in his office, needing that privacy to fight off the memories haunting him and the grey cloud that seemed to be hanging over him. Yeah he was a brooder. It wasn’t the memory of his dad severely wounded that haunted him. Nor was it the memory of how many suddenly turned against him just like that. It was a memory of something far worse, something that he shouldn’t be able to shove to the back of his mind to only haunt him from time to time. But he wasn’t a person who ‘felt’ the way everybody else did. He knew instincts, he knew urges, he knew logic, but ‘feelings’…not so much.

It wasn’t that he was cold, just that he’d closed himself off a long time ago as what he now knew was a defence mechanism. It was most likely a bad thing and strongly linked to his underdeveloped conscience, but it was also one of the things that had made it possible for him to take on the responsibilities of Alpha at fourteen and get his pack through that difficult time of the banishment.

As usual, Dante never left him to brood in peace for long. A knock on the office door half an hour later was followed immediately by Dante’s entrance. He was the only wolf who didn’t wait for permission to enter, and he was the only one who could get away with it. “Are you done?”

“Is Greta back yet?”

“Got back about ten minutes ago. She’s in the kitchen packing away boxes of some weird herbal tea. Um, I think you might want to know that on my way here I saw Taryn going to refill her coffee mug.”

Trey groaned. “Shit. Tell me they’re not alone.”

“Who do you think will start cursing first?”

Sighing, Trey strolled out of his office en-route to the kitchen to rescue his mate from his rather antisocial, borderline psychotic grandmother.

“I don’t like you.”

Taryn almost laughed at the growling old woman sitting at the table. The second Taryn had entered the kitchen Greta had begun hovering around as Taryn refilled her mug and then perched herself on the counter, dipping mini cookies in her coffee. Going by how nosy Greta appeared to be, Taryn had been expecting her to ply her with dozens of personal questions. Instead, she had sat in total silence as she watched Taryn’s every move, scowling the entire time.

Rather than irritated, Taryn found herself amused. Greta reminded her of her bitter grandmother. She also reminded her of Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho. “Now that’s not a very nice welcome for your grandson’s mate.”

“You might have gotten one if you’d been his true mate,” she snapped, flicking her short fuzzy greying hair away from her face. “But you’re not.”

“No, I’m not.”

“And I don’t like or trust you one little bit.”

Taryn gave a slight shrug. “I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t give a shit.”

A dramatic gasp of outrage escaped from Greta. “How dare you speak to me like that! You will watch your language in my presence.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“This mating-for-a-deal wouldn’t have happened in my day. I told him he didn’t need a mate to build alliances – Darryl won’t go through with his challenge. But did Trey listen to me? Noooo. And now look what we’ve ended up with. A tiny little fart with a tarty tongue. All his life I warned him about power hungry females, but has he listened to me? Noooo. He’s not only gone and brought one home, but he’s mated with her. Well you just remember that you won’t be here for long. And don’t expect me to treat you as Alpha female. You’re nothing as far as I’m concerned. Just some cling-on slut who wants a position she never would have had if she hadn’t made a deal with my grandson.”

Taryn cocked her head at the old woman. “So…the dead do contact us.”

Greta growled and pointed at her. “I’ve seen your sort before.”

“Really?”

“Common. Disrespectful. A hussy -”

“How did you know I was a hussy?” It was a strain not to laugh as the woman became more and more irritated by Taryn’s lack of reaction to her taunts. Greta had nothing on her own grandmother.

“- and as if that’s not bad enough, you’re blonde. That’s all we need, isn’t it. A bimbo.”

“Hmm. I really hope I don’t sound condescending – that means talking down to someone – but, you know, you really shouldn’t believe everything you think.”

Another growl. “My grandson doesn’t need a hussy.”

“Well he must want one.”

“He’ll want you out of here as soon as he sees what you’re really like. He’ll sling you out. Yeah, and he won’t be gentle about it.”

“Oh I do love a rough touch,” said Taryn dreamily.

“Think you’re funny, do you? Think you’re smart?”

“You want to know what I think? Okay. I think you’ve been behaving as mistress of the place because your Trey’s grandmother. You look at me and you see a threat to your lovely little world and you don’t like it. Well I’ll tell you something, Greta. If you think I’ll be scared away by a sour crone who’s so old she dreams in black and white then you’re in for a massive disappointment. I made a deal with Trey, and I’ll be here until I’ve lived up to my half of it. In the meantime, feel free to keep up the insults and the intimidation techniques – all I ask is that if at any point it seems like I care please tell me because I really don’t want you getting the wrong impression.”

Greta, her face purple, slapped her hand down hard on the table. “That’s it. Out. I want you out. Now.” When Taryn just stared at her Greta growled out, “I. Want. You. Out.”

Taryn held up her index finger. “Just give me a second. Attempting to give a f**k…Attempting harder to give a f**k…Sorry, there was an error. Fuck not given.”

Both women looked up as Trey and Dante walked in and skidded to a halt. Taryn found her mouth curving at their nervous looks. Obviously they had guessed Greta would be like this. Taryn’s wolf settled a little as she picked up her mate’s scent. “Aww, Trey, you didn’t tell me your grandmother was such a kind, delightful soul.”

Trey was surprised by Taryn’s smile. Clearly she was holding up just fine against Greta.

“You really want this trollop as a mate?”

“Watch it, Greta,” Trey cautioned in a low voice.

“I don’t have to be polite to her. She’s nothing but a hussy!”

“You sure like to repeat yourself, don’t you, woman,” said Taryn with an air of boredom.

“I want her gone!”

He folded his arms across his chest, trying hard to prevent a grin from surfacing. If Greta was looking so flustered and annoyed then she was obviously losing at the confrontation she had undoubtedly begun for no other reason than she didn’t like females around him. “That won’t be happening.”

“I refuse to accept her as part of my pack!”

“Why is that exactly?”

“You should hear the way she’s been talking to me. Disrespectful is an understatement! Worse, she’s a hussy! She won’t be faithful to you. She’ll be all over your enforcers, spreading herself around them like butter on toast.”

“It really is disconcerting just how well you’ve read me, Greta,” said Taryn.

With a growl that had all eyes widening, Greta stood. “I said I want her gone!” She focused on Taryn then. “I want you gone!”

Taryn gave her a mock frown. “Now really, Greta, anger is such an ugly thing.”

“It’s Ms Tyler to you, hussy.”

“Sure thing, Greta.”

Turning to Trey, she ranted, “Have you heard the way she talks to me? She has no respect! She’s rude! She’s -”

“Staying exactly where she is,” finished Trey firmly, hearing his wolf growl his agreement. Trey wasn’t a grandson talking to his grandmother now. He was the Alpha talking to a pack member.

“But she’s not your true mate and she’s not good enough for you!”

“I’m aware that she’s not my true mate, it has nothing to do with why she’s here.”

“She’s not good enough for you!”

He had a moment when he considered pulling his hair out. “You don’t even know her so how could you know anything about her or whether or not she’s good enough for me?”

“Is it true that she’s latent? You picked a latent for an Alpha female?”

Trey was ready to snap at Greta for making such a comment when alpha waves suddenly reached out and hit them all with the force of a sledgehammer. The vibes clotted the air, smothering him while at the same time invigorating him. He turned to Taryn to see her glaring at Greta, and realized she was letting his grandmother see exactly how powerful an alpha her wolf was. Obviously she’d had enough of being insulted. He couldn’t blame her. Unfortunately for him – and probably for Dante too – her dominant display went straight to his cock, hardening it painfully.

“Taryn?” he said softly. She looked at him, smiling, and suddenly the waves eased. “You okay?”

Nodding, Taryn slid from the counter and did a very feline stretch. “I think I should leave the room though. I can feel those hussy urges coming on me already. Probably best if I go before I leap on you or Dante.”

Trey looked at his gaping grandmother who had obviously not expected such a demonstration of power from little Taryn. “I don’t want to have to go through this again,” he said in a grave tone, knowing how tenacious Greta could be. “She’s my mate. Accept it. And if you want her to treat you with respect then remember it works both ways.”

Taryn sighed. “No, she’s right. My behavior has been truly unacceptable. Accept my apologies, Ms Tyler. I know I really should have more respect for the dead.” With a grin and a wink, she then strutted out of the kitchen. Her grin widened as she heard an outraged gasp burst out of the old woman.

“Hey you did good,” praised Dante, chuckling. “Didn’t cry or anything.”

“Something tells me I’ll have to put up with that every – Hey!” She gaped at Trey as he snatched the mug from her hand and gave it to Dante. “What the hell are you doing?”