You Will Bow Down Read online

  “Anything you want me to do?” Elliot asked.

  “Dispatch wolves to our border here. I need to know if Akio will attack.”

  “I’m on it,” Elliot said, and without another word, he walked away.

  I knew I could trust him with anything. Not only was he my right-hand man, but he was my best friend. Our history was filled with respect for each other, love, and loyalty. That was why, even after he killed Chandler, I wasn’t angry with him. I understood he had done it solely for the protection of me and my pack. Anyway, I needed to contact Théoden to see where his mind was at.

  I waited until the last wolf had given me his oath, then I gave them my nod of approval. “We have just become one pack this morning. We are strong and have the power of two Alphas. You’ll meet my mate soon, but for now, we have to be alert for any possible attacks from rival packs. Are we of a single mind?” I asked my pack. There were howls and shouts all proving they were now on board. Whatever animosity the new members might have had toward me would have to be forgotten, or at least locked away. I did give them the option to leave if they didn’t want to follow my lead. Therefore, I didn’t want to hear any bitching and moaning from any of them. And they for damn sure better not ever betray me. That would be their death, I didn’t care how old they were. I knew many were older than I was, as Selena was over twelve hundred years old and had been Alpha for a long time.

  Fact of the matter was, I couldn’t have gained this territory without Théoden’s help. But then he certainly would have lost everything if not for mine. We were even as far as I was concerned. Time for that phone call. He picked up on the third ring, which didn’t shock me. I knew he could be up during the day. Other vampires must have hated him and his sons’ guts.

  “Deacon,” he said by way of a greeting. “I take it you’re getting acquainted with your new pack members?”

  “I am. Just finished the loyalty ceremony. I’m now over twelve hundred wolves… Quite formidable,” I bragged.

  “Indeed. Moving on, have you heard from Laurent or Akio?” he asked.

  Brisk as always. I wondered, how much of that was bitter apples? “The last time I spoke with Akio, he was quite pissed with me. He didn’t appreciate me luring Selena to my territory in order to kill her. He also didn’t appreciate that I had sided with vampires, much like Josef had. Of course, I had to correct him on the foundation of our alliance. You don’t own me like you own Josef. Nonetheless, he’ll probably hold off the attack in order to regroup. The plan was for Selena and me to attack you from the east. Now, it’s just him and Laurent, but I wouldn’t relax. Both Alphas are older than Josef and with their combined packs, you’re looking at over three-thousand wolves. And with your vampires out of commission, the attack can still happen.”

  “Which is something that concerns me. Now that you have the territory you wanted, with my assistance, can I count on you to be on the front lines if they do plan to attack?” Théoden asked.

  I chuckled. “You know, I distinctly remember you telling me something along the lines that you wouldn’t help me take over another Alpha’s territory.”

  “I’m not asking you to help me campaign, only to uphold your end of the alliance that states you’ll come to my aid if I’m under attack,” he corrected.

  “I’m a man of my word. Already, I have my wolves preparing to guard the borders of my territory. If they come here instead of Josef’s land, I’d expect the same support I’m going to give you.”

  “Then let me propose this, if no attack comes during the day, then when my vampires rise, I would suggest we take the fight to them. Kill Akio, Laurent, and their mates, and you take Akio’s land for yourself and I will claim Laurent’s for mine,” Théoden offered.

  Well, that was one pretty fucking offer. One I couldn’t refuse, to be honest. A chance to increase my territory even further and Akio’s land was extremely appealing. Not to mention, I’d have more territory than Josef still, making me the top Alpha. Oh yes, that was a pretty offer indeed.

  “Well?” Théoden asked, waiting for my response.

  “How can I turn down such a beautiful proposition? But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask about your stipulations. After the last incident, I need to know what I’m getting into if I agree to this. As you know, Akio is even older than Selena was. If I challenge him, I might lose.”

  “You don’t plan to take him out like you did Selena?”

  “I will use every advantage I have. But… well, let me put it this way. He may not see me as the threat if you’re there. He may attack you first, and if you kill him… does that mean you’ll take over his territory?” Since he had been so sneaky the last time, I needed all the cards on the table.

  Théoden snorted. “Regardless of who kills Akio or Laurent, Akio’s territory is yours as I’ve stated. Simply because you were fighting by my side. That will be the spoils of war for you.”

  I liked the sound of that. “Then you have a deal. Tonight, we’ll eliminate our enemies together.”

  “Good. I’ll keep in touch and call you later to go over a strategy,” Théoden said.

  “I’ll keep my phone nearby.” With that, we ended our call and I contacted Elijah to let him know the good news.

  “Clever of him to avoid answering your question,” Elijah said.

  “Oh, you mean when I asked him if he’d send reinforcements if I’m attacked during the day?”

  “Yes. Will he?”

  “I wouldn’t count on it, which is why I have no problem doing whatever is in my power to protect what’s mine.”

  “I’ll be right there with you, babe.”

  “I know.”

  “Is the ceremony over?” he asked, then followed up with another question. “Do I have to do it too?”

  “No, because we are mated, our link to the pack and any new members goes through me to you. You are their Alpha as well. As for the ceremony, yes, it is over. We now have one of the largest packs in the wolf territories… even larger than Laurent’s.” I smiled at that since the asshole had insulted me earlier about the size of my pack.

  “I have the pack guarding our borders here. I wish I was there with you… possibly giving you a victory blowjob.”

  I laughed because he knew exactly how to work my buttons. So much so, I realized I hadn’t fucked anyone other than Elijah in a month. And even though we had agreed we’d give each other the freedom to fuck other people, Elijah hadn’t fucked anyone else either. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the mating link between us making us even more loyal to each other. My cock was hard with the imagery of my mate’s beautiful lips wrapped around my meat. With him so far away, I thought it was best we not get into any sexual discussion.

  “Don’t fucking tease me. You’re making me horny, and with you there and me here, there’s no way for me to satisfy myself,” I told him.

  “Oh what, you mean to tell me there’s not a wolf around that can suck you off?” he asked.

  “There are plenty, and if you keep teasing me, I’ll have no choice but to fuck one. Is that what you want?”

  “I want your cock inside me, filling me with piss and cum… but alas… I have to do without.”

  “Son of a bitch,” I mumbled. Yeah, my randy pup was working me over.

  “What was that, baby? You were mumbling, I couldn’t hear you clearly. Did you call me a ‘son of a bitch’?” Elijah teased.

  “I did, and you are one for being a fucking cock tease. When I get back home, I’m going to tie you up, spank your ass until you bleed, and then I’m going to fuck you until you scream.”

  “Mmm, you’re torturing me already,” Elijah purred.

  “You know what? I’m not going to go any further with this shit. I called for a reason.” It was becoming too much and my hard cock was pressing against my zipper, trying to get free. I didn’t want to fuck anyone but Elijah when my dick was this ready for action. Something my wives had expressed extreme disapproval of. I had to work something out with them, b
ut not right now.

  Elijah laughed. “And that reason is?”

  “A proposition given to me from Théoden.”

  “Oh shit, what does he want now?” Elijah asked, all humor, flirtation, and goodwill gone from his tone.

  “It’s what he’s willing to offer.” I told him what Théoden had told me. He was silent as he took in all the information.

  “And you trust him?” Elijah asked after a few seconds.

  “He has come through on all his other deals.”

  “What about that tricky shit he tried to pull with Selena?”

  “He still stood by his word. He didn’t help me take her out and now her territory is all ours.”

  Elijah sighed. “We don’t really have a choice, do we?”

  “Well, I could tell Théoden that I won’t help him. But that means he’ll have the most territory. Also, Laurent and Akio do pose threats to us. It can be just as easy with him helping us eliminate those threats,” I said, giving a different view to the situation.

  Again, Elijah was silent, so I knew he was mulling it all over. He was just as good at seeing opportunities as I was. The whole Chandler thing was his idea and the shit worked. Well, except for Chandler’s death, but that was inconsequential at this point.

  “I’ll stand by whatever decision you make, you know that,” Elijah said.

  “I know, baby.”

  “Just be careful. Théoden is powerful enough as it is. And now with Josef being mated to whatever the fuck Dante is, we need to be careful that they don’t start looking at us for elimination.”

  “Oh, don’t think I haven’t thought about that. That’s why I wanted to grow my pack.”

  “Yeah, we need to make sure we have sentinels at our borders at all times,” Elijah wisely suggested.

  “I’ll make sure Elliot is on top of that. So, are you ready to go to war?”

  He grumbled. “Not really. I was hoping this little excursion would be enough to back them off. But now you and Théoden are talking about bringing the fight to them. You better not die. I mean that.”

  “Well, once I get through this conference call with Théoden and Josef and we have a plan, I’ll have a better idea of how I want to work it.” My plan, of course, was to use the dragon venom I had left and take Akio out when he was preoccupied with the strongest threat, be it Théoden or Josef. With me dealing the killing blow, I wouldn’t let Théoden or Josef try to renege.

  “Just fucking be careful, Deacon.”

  “Don’t worry, I will. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “You better. Look, I’m tired as hell. I’m going to take a nap and you should do the same thing, especially if you’re talking about going to war tonight. The vampires had their sleep, you and our wolves need rest too.”

  He wasn’t lying. I was exhausted. I would take great pleasure sleeping in Selena’s bed. “I will. We’ll talk later.”

  “Okay.” With that one word, he ended the call. My only regret was that I wouldn’t be sleeping in Selena’s bed with my mate at my side. This was the first time since I had claimed Elijah that we were apart for so long. I didn’t like it and was just as eager to be done with this Akio and Laurent nonsense as he was. Soon, baby, soon.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Théoden

  I landed beside Josef’s car. The Alpha was laying in the backseat, asleep. I supposed he needed the rest, having been up for hours even while my own son took a nap. Josef was busy running tests on the newest wolves and noting any changes in the wolves who were already in the pack. Of course, he wasn’t the only one feeling fatigue. I, too, needed rest. Vampires normally slept during the day and I’d been awake longer than I cared for. Another reason why I wanted Akio and Laurent dead. I didn’t like my routine interrupted and I didn’t appreciate having to be on alert from a possible attack from those two. Speaking of an attack, it was time I woke Josef up to go over our strategy. I tapped on his window and he woke up. His lovely blue eyes peered at me from under his forearm, which he’d been using to shield his eyes from the sun. He sat up, yawned, and wiped his eyes. I stepped back so he could climb out, which he did with ease. Wolves were very agile, just one of their attributes I enjoyed.

  “Have you heard from Akio or Laurent?” I asked him.

  “That would imply that I called them. I didn’t.”

  “Well, call them now.”

  Josef pulled his cell out and dialed a number. It rang several times, then went to Akio’s voicemail. He didn’t leave a message. Next, he called Laurent’s number and it also went to voicemail. He hung up and shrugged. “If they were planning a sneak attack, I’m not surprised they aren’t answering my call. Especially if they believe me to be in bed with Deacon. Has he spoken to them?”

  I nodded. “Akio knows that he betrayed them when he killed Selena.”

  “So, if they are regrouping, Deacon will now be added as another target. We still need to be on the defensive until nightfall,” Josef said.

  “And we will be. However, when night does come, I want to take the fight to them. Kill all the Alphas and their mates. Take over Laurent’s territory for my own, to which you will oversee. Deacon can have Akio’s.”

  Josef rolled his eyes. “You’re honestly giving Deacon the chance to have three territories?”

  “Some of your wolves will be moving to New Haven, those created by Dante. Remember, all of this will be my territory. And as far as I’m concerned, I will always outrank Deacon. If he ever steps out of line, I’ll take what I allowed him to have.”

  Josef shook his head as he scratched at his temple.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked.

  He looked up at me. “No, no problem. As was discussed, I belong to you. You want me to fight for Laurent and Akio’s territory for you to gain more land at the expense of my wolves. Why would I have a problem with that?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, because I saw where Josef was going with his passive aggressiveness and I didn’t like it. My first thought was to backhand him for his smart mouth. But that would have been counter-productive to my goals. I needed his wolves to continue to respect him. Josef was the one being keeping them in line. I wasn’t sure if Dante would be enough. I needed both Dante and Josef in order to maintain my overall control of the pack.

  “You have something to say, Alpha?”

  “Laurent’s territory. If, and that’s a big if, we defeat him… I want to claim it. It will still be yours because of our arrangement, but I’d like it to be free of vampires,” Josef said.

  I snorted. “Why should I allow that?”

  “Wolves are proud beings. Sure, my pack is happy to have Dante. We love being complete. However, we don’t love being at your beck and call. It’s simply something we have all accepted. To have land not occupied by your kind would make us feel like something is ours once again,” Josef explained.

  “You gave that up when you attacked me and lost. Your pack should be happy I let you live,” I reminded him.

  “You’re going to stop threatening me, Théoden. I’m not afraid to die, and if you think you can control my pack without me, I offer you the chance to do so,” the bold Alpha said, then held his arms out at his sides, challenging me. He stood to my nipples, but his posture was of a man much taller and older looking. I made no mistake of Josef’s true power, regardless of his childlike appearance.

  Sure, I could beat his ass. He could also get lucky and bite me, which would be quite unfortunate. I reached out, grabbing him by his chin. I could feel the eyes of his pack watching us, listening to every word spoken. This situation was delicate and needed to be handled with care. Josef didn’t try to push my hand away, but his blue eyes stared hard at me in an Alpha’s warning.

  “I don’t want to kill you, Josef. But you did lose in your battle against me. Your land is mine, and it’s through my good graces that I allow you and your pack to live on it. Don’t ever think you have any bargaining chips to use in any attempt to gain opportunity from me. If you ever try
to pull this stunt again, I will take you up on your challenge. Now that Dante is an Alpha and can make his own wolves… wolves, might I remind you, which far surpass those you can and have created… I don’t need you as much as you think I do.” With that, I released his chin.

  “So, I take it you won’t give the land to us?” he asked as if he hadn’t heard a word I’d said.

  “No, I will not. Wolves and vampires will live on that land as well. The good news for you is that you can have more Beta Capos. Now, let us think up a strategy for tonight’s attack.”

  “I suppose we should contact Deacon, since he’s a part of this,” Josef said with a frown. At that moment, his cell started ringing and he looked down at it, eyebrows arching as he recognized the name on his caller ID. “This is interesting.” He answered. “Hello, Darla. I’ve been trying to reac—what? Slow down!”

  I could hear the female voice on the other side. I could hear the pain and anger in her tone as she told Josef of her husband’s death. Apparently, Laurent had been challenged by another Alpha and he’d lost. She was leaving the territory with what was left of her pack after she lost a tournament of sorts in an attempt to keep her territory. Well, this was something I hadn’t taken into account and would postpone any plans I had to attack Laurent and Akio. There was a new player in the game, and I needed to know more about him before I attacked this unknown Alpha, who apparently had dragons in his group and was half dragon himself.

  Yes, yes, this was alarming, and I wasn’t happy at all to hear her warning, but was happy she had called.

  “Why are you telling me this, Darla?” Josef asked.

  “Because he took everything away from me,” she said, obviously scorned. “If you can kill the son of a bitch, then warning you is worth it. Combined, I think our packs can win. We need to take him down,” she said. “I’ve already warned Akio. I think this Kendrick asshole will target him next.”

  I made sure to listen to every word she and Josef uttered, and tried to figure out how best to handle this new threat. Darla wanted to come to Josef’s territory and combine their forces. Before I allowed that to happen, I needed to know if it was necessary. The enemy of my enemy might only be in my way. We could kill Darla, claiming any wolves willing to pledge alliance to me and Josef. Kill all who refused. I didn’t know Darla and wasn’t so sure I needed another wolf Alpha making demands on me.