Fated Legacy Complete Collection

Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

R enata couldn’t believe she’d just divulged one of her biggest secrets to someone she’d only met that afternoon.

“Holy shit!” said Piper. “Really? God my Aunt Amy would love to meet you. She’s into all that stuff. She’s also the pack’s storyteller. She knows all the legends and is pretty good at separating fact from fiction. I know we didn’t talk about the Darkness much, but there may come a time we could use a true magick wielder.”

“If I can help, I will. Like I said though, what I know about the Darkness comes from a theory Bran had. You might want to talk with him.”

Renata was grateful for Piper’s presence throughout the rest of the gala. Piper steered her away from pack leaders and deftly kept her moving through the crowd. Finally, the gala was coming to a close and they wanted to present the check to her. As Mariah had told her he would, Oliver Halsey had matched the donations made that night and the total amount was staggering.

“I don’t have adequate words to properly thank all of you for your kindness. The artists who donated their works, the museum, and Lloyds, who sponsored this event. And thank you to Oliver Halsey for matching the donations and to all of you who generously opened your hearts and your wallets for the school and the village. I can’t begin to tell you how much good will be done with your generosity. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

After the photos were taken and while Oliver seemed preoccupied with something on his mobile, Piper and Roz Halsey, the indomitable Mistress of the Hamptons, spirited Renata away from the crowd, out a side exit, and into a car Roz had arranged to take her back to the hostel.

“You’ve done a pretty good job of staying away from the alphas, but I think they may be on to you. Piper, get her out of London tonight.”

“Do you think you can distract your mate long enough?” asked Renata.

Roz smiled at her. “Sweetie, since the first time he drove the alpha knot deep inside me, I’ve been able to distract my mate.”

“You don’t hate it?” Renata asked. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

“Mariah shared with me a bit of your past. I don’t know what happened to your mother and my heart breaks for her but being mated to Oliver is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m pretty clear with him when I’m looking to get knotted and tied. Thankfully, he’s more than willing to accommodate me. If it’s the alpha knot that has you spooked, don’t let it. It is the most erotic experience in the world and the tie is the most intimate. Keep a sharp eye out though, there may be packs closer to the Hebrides that want to assimilate you. If so, get out and get word to one of the girls. We’ll protect you.”

Impulsively, Renata threw her arms around Roz and hugged her tight. “Thank you.”

She and Piper got into the car and sped away into the night. Within an hour, Renata was on a train headed for Inverness and from there she would make her way home to the Hebrides. The train ride alone would take more than thirteen hours and then it would be another six hours, at least, to her farm. She settled back in the comfortable seat in the almost empty car as the train began its journey north.

T his was the closest he’d been to her trail in over four years. Bran ran upstairs and packed his duffel.

“Bran! Bran!” his mother called as she came charging after him. She spied the duffel on his bed. “Where are you going? You just got here.”

“Yes, I know, but I can’t stay. I know where Renata is.”

“Bran, if she wanted to be with you, she would have contacted you by now.”

“Mum, I get it. I understand why you believe that. But if father had bought into the same line of thinking, I wouldn’t be here.” He paused for a moment, lost in thought. “Something spooked her. I should have recognized that and done more to reassure her. I fucked up. But at the end of the day, she is my fated mate.”

“I take it your Renata is the schoolteacher up in the Hebrides?” asked his father as he joined them.

“Yes. I know she’s in London.”

“You don’t know that,” said his father. “The picture is from last night, but she could be anywhere by now. And my experience with she-wolves who are being difficult...”

“I was never difficult,” his mother cut in. Bran grinned. This was an old argument between them.

“I know, sweetheart,” said James. “I was the—what’s the new term the she-wolves are using? Ah, yes, alphahole. I was the alphahole who didn’t understand your need for revenge and just kept getting in the way. And then there was the whole ousting of my father from the pack ordeal.”

“Your point?” said Bran.

“My point is, she has to know that photograph is out there. I very much doubt she’s still in London. My guess is she’s already headed home.”

Bran looked at him. “You might be right. Even if she left last night, I could beat her home if I took the plane.”

“Most likely. But you should know, I just got word that the pack at Inverness is making a claim for her. She’s got no affiliation and they’re the closest.”

“Why would they want her?” asked Bran.

“She’s a lone she-wolf and now she has a sizeable amount of money. The Inverness Pack doesn’t have a lot of either,” said his mother.

Bran’s frustration grew with each valid point his parents offered. “The money isn’t hers. It’s for her school and community.”

“I agree,” said his father. “But the Inverness Pack does not. They’ve made a claim for her with the Council.”

Bran growled. “They can have her over my cold, dead body.”

“Let’s see if we can avoid that. I’ll put in a counterclaim with the council. Didn’t you say she lived in Edinburgh for a while?”

Bran nodded.

“Your father knows Gordon McDonald fairly well,” said his mother. “He’s a good man and a strong leader.”

James laughed. “He’s also an incurable romantic. I’ll get him to back us, but if you’re certain she’s your fated mate, you’re going to need to get her claimed—the sooner the better.”

“James, you can’t encourage him to force a pair bonding.”

“Can’t I?” James asked. “What are her alternatives? Is she going to run? That’s a whole lot harder than it used to be. And if a bounty gets put on her head, she’ll never know a moment’s peace. You’ve heard Skylar Grainger talk about what that was like before she met her first mate. He’s your son, do you really think he’d claim she was his fated mate if he wasn’t sure?”

He didn’t know why, but Bran held his breath as he waited for his mother to speak. He felt as though the next words out of her mouth could be life changing.

She turned and gave her son a scrutinizing look. “You’re sure?” she asked.

“As sure as you and father are about being fated mates. Mum, I swear to you we were happy in Israel. Something happened during our last week together and obviously I wasn’t paying enough attention. I was too happy being stupid in love.”

“Did you ever tell her that?” asked his mother.

“No, and I swear it will be one of the first things I tell her.”

“Make it the very first,” his father said. “She may not want to hear it, but I can tell you it will go a long way to fixing whatever is wrong between you. Hold the line with her but let her get used to the idea. Let me know when you’ve claimed her. In the meantime, I’ll get Gordon on board. As for you,” he said, turning to Shea, “you are grounded. I want you to give Tony all your electronic communication devices.”

“You can’t do that to me,” snarled Shea. His mother shared her sister’s fiery disposition.

“Yes, I can. I’d rather preempt any plan you come up with on your own.”

“Alphahole is right,” she snarked at him.

His father turned her toward the door and swatted her backside with more affection than punishment. He called for Tony to see the Madonna to their rooms and ensure she couldn’t communicate with anyone.

“Father,” Bran started.

James Norris held up his hand. “No need. Your mother will thank me for it later. She knows I’m right, but she wants to stand with the rest of them. I’m the alphahole that won’t let her.”

Bran laughed. “God, I wish I’d had half the understanding of Renata that you have of mum.”

“Hey kiddo, you’re looking at thirty years on. Your mother and I had our fights. Trust me, there were plenty of raised voices and smashed pottery. But at the end of the day, she always knew I loved her and that there was nothing and no one I valued more. Find your mate. Fix whatever went wrong and get her claimed. I’ll let you know if there’s trouble coming.”

Branson pulled his father to him and gave him a fierce hug. “Thanks.”

“Go get your mate. On second thought, you’re going to have enough to deal with. Why don’t I send a couple of our men with you? They can do some fishing and hopefully have a nice vacation, but if you need them, they’ll be close by.”

“I can handle myself.”

“I’m sure you can. But I can soothe your mother if I let her know we have people in place should the Inverness Pack try to move in. Take Dario and Gianni with you. They should still be in the dining hall.”

“Got it.” Bran reached for his duffel and headed through the door. He jogged down the stairs to find Dario and Gianni, Tony’s sons, waiting for him.

“Pops said you found her and there could be trouble with the Inverness Pack. We’re going with you,” said Dario.

Gianni nodded. “I did some checking and I think I know where her farm is. I figured we can drop you close by and then fly in as if we’re just a couple of tourists.”

“Sounds like a plan. How long will it…” Bran stopped mid-sentence when both men held up their own duffel bags. “Alrighty then. Let’s get this show on the road.”

They made their way up to the private landing strip where they were greeted by Donald. “I got the amphibious plane ready. It’s not as fast as the jet, but you’ll have more options for landing. Do you know where you’re headed?”

“Loch Langavat,” said Gianni.

“That’s pretty country. The loch is big enough to land on too. Good salmon and trout fishing there.”

“So, it wouldn’t be out of the norm for us to go camping?” asked Dario.

“Not at all. Borve is the closest village and it’s just a few miles away. Check in with the mayor, but if Bran’s mate is not in the village, you might have a harder time finding her.”

“She has a farm,” supplied Gianni. “We have a general location.”

Bran was impressed by how quickly they had located her once they knew where to look.

Donald nodded. “Then you might want to camp out in her barn. It’ll offer you shelter. You can tend to her livestock if she has any, and you’ll be close by in case there’s a fight. Good luck to you. We’ll all be looking forward to meeting your lady, Bran.”

“Thanks, Donald. I’ll just be happy to have her back in my arms. Gianni, you seem to know where we’re going, you’re the pilot.”

They boarded the plane, stowing their gear in the back. Donald had been thorough when supplying the plane—there was camping and fishing equipment as well as food and other gear for them all.

The flight went more quickly than they’d thought due to the strong tailwind, and they made it to the islands with a few hours of daylight left.

“I think we’re ahead of her. Most likely she went by train, and it’ll take her at least nineteen or twenty hours to get here, which puts her in sometime after seven tonight. You’ve got plenty of time,” said Dario.

“How do you want to play this?” asked Gianni.

“She may want to check on her stock when she gets there. Why don’t you stay hidden till then? Once she’s in the house, you can make yourselves comfortable. I really appreciate your support.”

“Are you kidding?” said Dario. “Now that the next alpha is off the market, maybe the rest of us will get a look from the she-wolves in our pack.”

Bran laughed and turned to look at him. “You mean you’re finally going to start paying court to Willow?”

“He’s so daft,” said Gianni. “Poor girl’s been waiting for him ever since she returned from veterinary school.”

“Bran was the better catch,” said Dario. “I wanted to her have what was best for her.”

“And what would a large animal vet do in Oxford? Especially if she was in love with one of my best friends?”

“Why pick on me? Gianni isn’t any better.”

“Shut up, Dario,” said Gianni.

“What, you think there aren’t bets out about when you’re going to pull your head out of your ass where my sister is concerned?”

The shocked look on Gianni’s face was so funny that both Dario and Bran burst out laughing.

A few hours later, Gianni circled Renata’s farm. The closer they’d come to their destination, the more determined Bran had become that he would claim what was his. Whatever had gone wrong that last week of their time in Israel, he would put it right. Renata Valor’s last days as an unmated she-wolf were almost over.

He needed to get himself under control. He needed to push aside the anger and hurt and focus on figuring out what the problem had been and fixing it. He also needed to get his cock under control. He was way past the call the doctor if your erection lasts more than four hours phase and his cock was throbbing in a way that only Renata had been able to provoke or satisfy.

Loch Langavat

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

They landed on the loch, which was on the other side of a chain of tall rolling hills. Bran looked at them and smiled a sad smile. That must have been the place Renata had howled her grief when she’d lost her mother. The farm was a lonely, desolate place and yet it had the same kind of stark beauty they’d encountered in Israel. There was a lot more water and green vegetation here, but it had the same kind of primitive, untouched quality.

He walked into the humble farmhouse. Its simple elegance had Renata’s touch written all over it. He would like to have built a fire, put fresh flowers all around, and made dinner. But all that would have to come later. For now, he would sit and wait. He realized how little she had actually revealed about herself. Had she not cared for him at all? He shook his head. He didn’t believe that. There were only two possibilities. Either he’d said something that made her question his commitment to her, or she was afraid something she hadn’t told him would drive him away.

Bran really hoped it was the latter. He wanted to turn her ass a bright shade of red before he fucked her long and hard. He would have her marked and knotted before this time tomorrow. He wanted to bind her to him in every way he could. He stood in the bedroom, looking at Northern Lights that were now visible in the night sky.

The sound of an approaching vehicle broke his reverie. With no lights on or fire lit, Renata would have no way of knowing he waited for her. Her footsteps crunched on the rock path leading to the front door. The door swung open as he watched from the large wingback chair by the fireplace. He had debated about where to wait. He’d thought about standing behind the front door so he could slam it shut and trap her inside. He’d made a thorough inspection of the cottage, there was only one visible exit, although he had found the trap door that led down to a cellar and the escape tunnel that went all the way to the loch.

Renata entered and he could detect her scent. He couldn’t help but inhale deeply. It had been too long since he’d been with his fated mate. She put her travel bag on the floor, closed it, and turned to face him.

“Hello Bran. I think I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t been waiting for me.”