Right now she had bigger worries, and they were waiting downstairs. Not one to put off the hard tasks any longer than necessary, she let herself out of her apartment and went down the stairs and into the club. As she’d thought, all of them were waiting for her.
Michael was pacing back and forth, his lips compressed into a thin line. Benjamin was leaning against the bar with his arms crossed over his chest. He appeared more thoughtful than angry, but with her youngest son it was sometimes hard to tell what he was really thinking.
Hank was sitting on a barstool, using a whetstone on his hunting knife. Great, that was all she needed. Hank was a good fighter, especially due to his time in the military, but she had no doubt that he was nowhere near a match for Isaiah.
Kevin, the calmest male of the bunch, busied himself behind the bar putting on a pot of coffee. She gave a mental prayer of thanks. She was going to need more than one cup to get through this confrontation.
Teague sat next to Neema at a table, his knee moving up and down with nervous energy. His childhood of growing up in the back alleys of the Bronx had given him serious street-fighting skills. Neema appeared to be more concerned than angry and it was she who caught sight of Meredith standing in the doorway.
Everyone else sensed the change in the room and turned toward her. Meredith felt pinned by six sets of eyes that varied from deep concern to outright hostility. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
Michael shot toward her, but Benjamin caught his brother’s arm, holding him back. “Listen to what she has to say first,” he cautioned.
Meredith cocked one brow and went on the offensive. “What should I say? I’m a healthy female who took a male to her bed for the night. You can’t tell me you haven’t had your share of women.”
“That’s different,” Michael retorted.
“And why is that?” She strolled forward and stopped at the edge of the group.
“Because,” Michael sputtered. “You’re my mother.”
“I’ve had lovers before.”
“But you’ve never had them here.” He dragged his hand through his hair, making the short black strands stand on end.
“You’ve never taken a lover as dangerous as this male. You’ve stuck to humans, never one of our kind.” Benjamin, in his usual thoughtful way, went to the heart of the matter. “This could come back to bite us all.”
Guilt assailed her. This had been her concern with Isaiah, yet she’d disregarded it for a night of pleasure. “I’m aware of that. But I don’t think it will. Isaiah is no threat to us.”
“Not now,” Teague countered. “But what if he finds out what some of us are?” The word half-breed was left unsaid as he drew his mate into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Meredith knew that Neema was Teague’s anchor in this world, the only thing keeping him from turning into a rabid wolf. He’d been close to wild when he’d found Neema and she’d changed his life. But it was still touch and go on some days, especially when he felt Neema might be threatened.
“I trust Meredith,” Neema said. “After all, none of us would have a permanent home or would have been safe all these years without her. And even before that, when we were still moving around, she kept us all safe, taught us how to control our wolves and keep the hunters and rogues at bay.”
“Thank you, Neema.” She could barely speak past the lump in her throat. The years had been hard since she’d taken her sons and run from her pack. Adding half-breed children into the mix as she’d discovered them along the way had only made the job more difficult. But there was no way in hell she could have left any of them behind. They were hers. Just as her sons were.
“Mom.” Michael stood before her, tall and proud and strong, a male of worth. Someday he would make a female a wonderful mate. If he could find one, that is. There were fewer females than males and their numbers were dwindling with each passing decade.
She’d lose him then, most likely. He’d probably join his mate’s pack. She tried not to think too hard about that day. She wanted both her sons happy, but she prayed they’d both want to stay with their small pack.
The others wouldn’t leave. There was little acceptance for half-breeds in most werewolf packs. It was rare and there was no way to find out how a pack felt without putting yourself in danger. That was why they kept to themselves and maintained a low profile. Something she’d put in jeopardy.
“Damn it,” Michael swore. “The pack has to come first. Isn’t that what you’ve always taught us?”
“Yes, it is.” That was the first rule they’d all learned. And it was the most important. Their safety hinged on everyone obeying it.
“Yet you chose to ignore it,” her son challenged.
“Michael,” Benjamin cautioned, pushing away from the bar, his body tense.
Hank stilled his movements and sheathed his knife, his muscles coiling for action.
“No.” Michael brushed off the hand Benjamin laid on his arm and faced her. “I’m not sure you’re fit to lead this pack any longer. Not if all it takes is for some wolf to tumble you into bed to make you forget the rest of us.”
Pain lanced through her, but she gave no outward sign that his words hurt her. She heard Neema gasp and several of the others emitted low growls of challenge.
Straightening to her full height, she faced her eldest son. She’d known this would happen eventually. If not over this, then over something else.
He was at the age where his hormones were charged, pushing him to exert his independence, his dominance. It was only natural for a male werewolf. She’d been expecting it for the last five years, but was still shocked by how devastated she felt. This was her son. She’d carried him in her body, had raised him single-handedly after escaping from her pack.
It was Hank who stepped forward, placing himself between Michael and her. “I think you need to take a step back and cool off,” he cautioned.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” he sneered.
“Enough.” Her voice cracked like a whip in the room. She stepped around Hank and faced Michael. “It is your right to challenge. We’ll go to the park tonight after the bar is closed.” There were quite a few large parks in the heart of the city, and they sometimes shifted and ran through them, one or two at a time while the others kept a watch.
Michael’s eyes widened as recognition hit. “I’m not going to fight you.” He sounded horrified by the very thought.
“Yes, you are.” She turned in a slow circle, addressing them all. “Michael has challenged my leadership of the pack and the challenge will be met.”
“This is crazy.” Benjamin came forward, holding out both his hands in supplication.
She shook her head, knowing she couldn’t give in. There was too much at stake. Deep down at their core, their wolf nature demanded that the strongest, the fittest lead. The rest wouldn’t follow a weak leader. Either she’d win or her son would defeat her. No matter the outcome, the leadership of the pack would be secure. That was all that mattered.
If she didn’t accept the challenge, there would be unrest in the pack and more challenges to come. This way, there would be stability, at least for another year or so.
She feared this was only the beginning. Michael was too much of an alpha, too much like his father, and her for that matter, not to want to lead the pack. She’d known it was inevitable. She’d only hoped for a few more years to give him time to mature into the man she knew he could be. Right now he tended to be a bit hotheaded and impulsive. And that was a dangerous combination.
“Tonight,” she repeated. She walked behind the bar and helped herself to a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot. Behind her, all of them lingered, still in shock over what had just happened.