An Alpha's Pride [tribal bonds 2] (16 page)

Carlton rolled his eyes as yet another vampire walked by him, giving him the evil eye. It had been going on all evening, and he was getting damn tired of it. It made him feel like he had a communicable disease. If Daniel didn’t do something about it pretty soon, Carlton was going to strangle the next vampire that looked at him wrong.

And just where was his sexy mate anyway? Carlton considered using their bond to locate Daniel, but hunting his mate down seemed like more fun. He started searching the crowd gathered in the large ballroom of the Grand Hotel. Daniel had to be here somewhere because if he left Carlton here all on his own, he really wasn’t going to enjoy the next spanking Carlton gave him.

This great gathering between their people wasn’t his idea, although Carlton had agreed with it. They needed to get his wolf pack together with Daniel’s vampire tribe. After Daniel and Carlton had sat down with Roman and Luca to hammer out some rules for them all to follow, they had decided a party was in order to get everyone together. Even Luca’s tribe was here tonight.

But that still didn’t mean that Carlton had to like it. He understood the need for their people to mingle and get to know one another. They were trying the impossible—combining a pack and a tribe. Just because Carlton didn’t believe it was going to happen didn’t mean that he wouldn’t support it.

He’d do anything to keep Daniel at his side, even ignore the heated stares aimed in his direction. And even if he had to grit his teeth to do it. But, it certainly helped remind him of why he was doing this when his mate was actually
at
his side.
So, where was the gorgeous man?
“Alpha Gregory.”
Carlton stopped and turned to see a young man standing behind

him. He sniffed carefully, not trying to offend the man but simply wanting to know where he had seen him before. He recognized the scent almost immediately as one of Daniel’s tribe members that he had met over the last couple of weeks.

“You’re Garret, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir.” Garret nodded as he calmly folded his hands together in front of him. Carlton noticed that Garret was one of the few vampires not looking at him strangely. In fact, there was a hint of respect in the man’s chocolate-brown eyes.
Carlton gave the man a slight nod in return. “What can I do for you, Garret?”
“Electus Everson asked me to find you. He’s in his office.”
So, that was where Daniel was. Carlton instantly started toward the large double doors that led out of the ballroom and headed for the elevator that would take him upstairs to the penthouse. Garret trailed right behind him.
Carlton watched the vampire out of the corner of his eyes as the man pushed the elevator button and the doors slid closed. The soft music that instantly filled the elevator made him roll his eyes. Why did people always play that stupid shit? Why couldn’t they play something interesting, like jazz or country music—something that didn’t make him want to rip out his eardrums.
“Alpha, may I ask you a question?”
“You can ask,” Carlton replied.
“Do you really believe you can combine a wolf pack and a vampire tribe?”
Carlton considered the question carefully before answering. He didn’t want to lie to the guy, but he also didn’t want to tell Garret how worried he was that this would never work.
“I believe it is always possible, but do I think it will easy? No. I think there is a lot of history between our two people, and we will have to get past that before we can begin to create a world where we live together in peace. However, that doesn’t mean I am not going to try. I have a very large stake in successfully combining our two people, and I will give up my pack before I give up Daniel.”
“You…” Garret’s eyebrows furrowed together. “You care for him that much?”
That was an easy question for Carlton to answer, and he did so without hesitation. “I love Daniel more than the air I breathe. I’d give it all up in a second if he asked me to.”
“But he’s a vampire and you’re a wolf shifter.”
“And I believe we are the perfect example of how this thing can work. If Daniel and I can put aside our differences”—Carlton chuckled—“and our pride, to make our relationship work, then our people can to.”
“I’m not sure I agree with you, Alpha.”
“About our people or about giving up so much for your mate?”
Garret’s frown deepened. He seemed truly confused. “Both?”
Carlton grinned as he reached over and patted Garret on the shoulder. “That will change when you meet your anamchara, Garret. There is nothing else on Earth like knowing that there is someone out there just for you, someone that cares about your every thought and feeling, your health and well-being. Once you feel that bond, nothing else matters.”
“If you say so, Alpha.”
Carlton laughed as the elevator doors slid open. “I do.”
He quickly made his way down the hallway to Daniel’s office. Well, he guessed he should now consider it his office as well. They had agreed to live at the hotel for now and use the mansion as their personal getaway. Carlton had officially moved in last week.
Carlton knocked on the door out of respect for his mate’s status then pushed it open. He had been expecting just Daniel. He was surprised to find Kerry inside the office as well, looking nervous as hell as he sat across the desk from Daniel.
Daniel grinned as soon as he saw Carlton and as he gestured for him to come closer. Carlton walked over and leaned down to place a small kiss on his mate’s lips then stood up straight and looked across the desk to his pack member, nodding at the man. “Kerry.”
“I’m glad Garret was able to find you, anamchara. I wanted to discuss something with you in private.”
Carlton glanced at the other two men in the room. “This isn’t exactly private, mate.”
“No, but what I wanted to talk to you about involves the two of them, so I think it’s important that they are here.”
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
Carlton asked, switching to their private mental link.
“You and I both lost our seconds-in-command with all of this nasty business with Sadiki and the hunters,”
Daniel answered back through the same bond.
“We both need new ones.”
“Yeah, and?”
“When Ben shot you, Kerry was the only wolf shifter that not only kept his head but did as I ordered without question. I wanted to suggest him for your beta. I think that, while he is young, he has the potential to be a very effective beta. He doesn’t panic in stressful situations, and he listens to authority.”
“And Garret?”
“Garret is a transplant from Luca’s tribe. He’s only been here a few weeks, not long enough to have fallen under Sadiki’s spell. Since Sadiki was my second-in-command for many years, I can’t know who was working with him and who was not. I think a fresh face is a better choice.”
“Agreed,”
Carlton said, impressed with how his mate’s mind worked. Daniel knew they both needed new people to work with them, under them, and possibly lead their prospective people if they could not.
Daniel tilted his head back and grinned up at Carlton.
“Do you want to tell them, or should I?”
“Why don’t you, Electus Everson,” Carlton said out loud. “This was your idea.”
“Kerry,” Daniel said as he looked back at the man. “Carlton and I have discussed it, and we’ve decided that you will be the perfect fit to replace Ben as beta of the wolf pack.”
Kerry’s eyebrows shot up. “You want me to be beta?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes.”
Kerry’s eyes snapped up to Carlton. “Do you agree with this?”
“I do, Kerry. Daniel told me how you behaved after Ben shot me. We both believe that you have a lot to learn but you have the potential to be just the beta we need to bring our people into a new world where we can live in peace with each other.”
Kerry’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish for several moments, and then he seemed to gain control of himself, nodding his head. “Thank you, Alpha, Electus. I won’t let you down.”
“We know you won’t,” Carlton said.
“Garret,” Daniel said as he turned his attention to the tall vampire. “You’re new to my tribe, and that is one of the reasons you are here now. Luca recommended you. He said he trusted you explicitly. For those two reasons, we have chosen you to be our second-in-command of the tribe.”
Garret stared for a moment before sliding up to Carlton. “You agreed with this even knowing what I told you in the elevator?”
“Questioning the unknown is not necessarily a bad trait, Garret,” Carlton said. “We’re trying to do something here that has never been done before. We’re in uncharted waters. I’d worry about you if you didn’t have doubts.”
“But won’t that undermine what you’re trying to do?”
“No, not at all.” Daniel shook his head. “I believe that you will be able to make us see the bigger picture. Carlton and I are somewhat narrow-minded when it comes to combining our people. We want it too much. Your doubts, when voiced, might make us see better ways of achieving our goal.” Daniel pointed his finger at Garret. “But, that means you have to voice your doubts.”
“It also means that we may not agree with what you say, but we will listen to you when you express your concerns,” Carlton added. “We expect that out of both of you.”
Daniel stood to his feet and leaned back against Carlton. “It also means that you two better deal with any issues you might have between you now. You’re going to be working with each other a lot in the future, and you both hold the same rank.”
Carlton chuckled deeply as he wrapped his arms around his mate. “So, buck up, boys, and work out your differences before they became problems. I can tell you from experience, pride has no business in this new world of ours.”

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com.