By Choice Or

Chapter Seven

Their journey was uneventful and made in quick time, and the house that they were driven to looked big, and the estate surrounding it was a massive sprawling affair.

The cars drew to a halt in the centre of the main driveway and formed a semicircle around the large double front doors.

"All right then everyone out!" A big burly looking man stood in the doorway, and car doors opened immediately.

Michael strode forward and greeted the other man warmly. "Father... it's been a while!" he said clasping the other man's hand and shaking it vigorously.

James walked across to Iris and held her to him, and Aunt Trudy moved to join them.

Mathew stood watching Trudy with a look of open mockery on his face, and she spared herself a moment to glare across at him, before deliberately turning her back on him.

"So, would you be so good as to introduce your... companions?" Michael's father was saying to Michael.

"Yes, of course, father..." he looked across to James, and caught his eye, and then gave a little nod.

James gave a sigh, as he gently pushed Iris away from him. "Come along you two," he said in a low voice.

"Father, this is my landlady, Ms Rowena Beaumont," he indicated the older woman. "And her niece Iris, and Iris's mate and husband -- James Atherton," he glanced quickly at his father and half smiled. "And this is my father -- Jonathon Richards."

"Welcome to my home," Michael's father greeted them formally.

"Are we? Are we welcome -- are we here as your prisoners or as your guests?" Trudy cut in belligerently.

Jonathon glanced quickly at Mathew before fixing his molten gaze on Trudy.

"Of course, you are all welcome, as my guests... providing you behave as my honourable guests."

"Hmmm..." Trudy muttered in open disbelief.

He led them inside and across to a large stairway.

"The hour is growing late; Michael please can you show our guests to their rooms... I think they should stay with you in the west wing."

"Very well, father."

He watched his son leading the small group away, and then turned to Mathew. "It's good to have you back so soon, my brother, now come along -- there is much to discuss and not too much time -- I believe."

They walked through to a small drawing room and Jonathon directed his brother to take a seat on one of the comfortable chairs near the fire.

"Whiskey?" he offered from the corner cabinet.

Mathew nodded. "It's been a god-awful day -- I could use a shot or two," he sighed.

"Oh?" Jonathon carried the two tumblers across and sat across from his brother. "Tell me."

It was not an invitation but an instruction, and so Mathew complied in succinct tones with detail but no drama.

"And so, the girl has bonded into Frawning's Pack?"

"Yes, that was the unfortunate conclusion," Mathew sighed regretfully.

"You did not agree with her decision? The pack has some power if I remember right, and Bill's offspring are strong, and capable."

"And only just this side of being feral," Mathew cut in. "The home -- if that is what you would call it, was not even fit for use as a dog kennel."

"That is not the first time I have heard of our kind descending into more animalist behaviour," Jonathon murmured sombrely, "and it is almost always down to lack of females in the pack." He paused to sip his drink and then looked across at his brother.

"Yes, but what comes first, I wonder?" asked Mathew thoughtfully. "The lack of -- or loss of females... or the animalistic behaviour?"

Jonathon stared into his glass for a moment. "We have yet to discover what became of any females that there might have been, in the few packs that we have come across, and so I cannot answer that one." He looked across at Mathew who looked bone tired.

"And the council? Have they launched an investigation? Do they have any opinions -- what is their view on what is happening to our people?" Mathew asked although he already knew the answer to that -- judging by his tone.

Jonathon snorted. "The council -- ha!" They do as they always do... bury their heads and hope for the best... rely on our superior strength and genes... and so what if a few weaker females can't handle a few strong males?"

"You disagree with their thinking?" Mathew sat up and his eyes lit up with a cautious hope.

Jonathon held his hand up. "Not so fast my brother, the council is old and set in its ways, but they hold great power still, great influence... if only in the male half of our culture."

"They have always held low values on the females!" Mathew sighed in frustration.

"Yes," they would not step in to aid or assist -- other than to approve or disapprove of a bonding -- as long as they can stay safely on the side lines."

"So, no help from the council then -- for any females in trouble."

"No" Jonathon agreed sadly. He looked at his brother again. "And this girl?"

"She was a slight female, looked like a gust of wind would knock her out, I was more than a little surprised to find that she is one of our kind -- she seemed so human... and Frawning's pack have been without any females for a generation -- or more."

"You think they will mistreat her?" Jonathon sat forwards a little. "You think that I should intercede and ensure she is safe and treated well?"

Mathew sighed again. "I fear that everything happened so fast... I worry her bonding was a means to an end and not a true merging of two souls, I fear that the lad in question will not have the strength to protect her, from others in the pack."

Jonathon looked at his brother sharply. "That was a lot of worries and fears for a girl that you barely met?"

Mathew looked his brother in the eye. "I fear your son -- my nephew met her already, I worry that he knew her better and for longer."

"Well, nothing like that could happen between him and her anyway! "Jonathon snapped forcibly, as he instantly understood the message in his brother's eyes. "As one from the old blood and in line to succeed me as pack leader, and take my place on the council when the time is right, he must mate with another of the old blood, and they are getting scarcer with each generation's bondings." He sighed and shook his head.

"But I suppose those should be worries and fears for another hour. What of the mission I sent you on, what of the illness, I assume that you have brought them all here for a reason and I surmise that it must be something to do with your task and this illness, and so my brother I ask you -- what do these people have to do with that?"

Mathew's gaze fell away from his brother's and Jonathon noted with surprise how he clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.

"I wish I knew!" he finally snapped out in exasperation. "That they knew something was obvious, but none of them would talk, except that woman, Rowena -- and she was about as forthcoming as a brick wall, and almost as tough to dismantle!"

Jonathon surprised his younger brother with a sudden chuckle. "I am beginning to see a trend with this family... I wonder who their pack is -- this Rowena... her name seems familiar... I wonder...?"

He was pulled from the thought by his phone ringing.

"Why don't you go and freshen up, Mathew, I know that you are tired but please indulge me for a little while longer, recharge you batteries with whatever you need and then you can join me for a light supper, and we can talk some more."

He strode away even as he answered the phone. "Richards here!"

Michael played the dutiful host and showed his 'guests' to a set of rooms at the end of a long narrow landing.

"Take any of the three rooms on this side; they should all be ready for use. My rooms are about half way down, and there is a small living area there where we can gather and talk if you should wish to."

Trudy gave a disdainful sniff. "I hardly think we have anything to talk to you about!" she opened the first door she came to and luckily it was a bedroom. "As a prison I suppose this will suffice, and so I will wish you all a rather pleasant good night."

She would have swept into the room and slammed the door right in his face, but his hand stopped it dead in its tracks before she could put so much as a foot over the threshold.

"This is not a prison," he told her softly. "but I will warn you now that the windows are bullet proof, the bars outside are more about security than prisoner detention, and the major security of this property consists of armed men on all floors at all times, and they also spread out through the entire grounds." He smiled coldly. "My father allows for no possibility of anyone entering or leaving without his say so and knowledge. And so, unless you have learned to shift to something on the size of the insect level, then I suggest you and your family stays put!"

Trudy shrugged her shoulders grumpily. "For now," she snarled through gritted teeth.

She looked pointedly at the door. "It has been a long draining day to say the least and I think that we could all benefit with some rest."

As she stepped inside, he tugged the door and it swung back almost catching her but thankfully she skipped out of the way and it closed with a thud.

Michael turned to James and raised a brow.

"We'll take the room next door, shall we?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, and I have your word that you won't try anything foolish?"

James gave a half smile that never reached his eyes. "Plots on tired minds never end well, and so for tonight we will all agree not to try anything... but it won't be forever."

"Good enough," Michael nodded as he accepted James' word. "I will have refreshments sent to your room shortly... and a range of clothing for you all -- I am sure something will be suitable."

He strode away without waiting for a response, and once in his own room he picked up the phone and issued a few instructions. He pulled his clothes away and strode into his bathroom and straight into the shower, where he simply let the water wash over him.

He dried and then dressed in black jeans and a black shirt, and then walked into the small living area that he had mentioned earlier.

Michael sat down in front of the fire, and for the first time allowed the day's events to register.

He had kept a rigid control of himself since Laurie's bonding with that callow young man, never allowing anyone to see just how devastated he was.

His mate, his one true mate now belonged to another and he could never have the future with her that he had dreamt of.

He didn't even realise that he was crying until the first tear drops splashed down onto his hand.

He had not allowed the pain to be felt, the pain of loss and hopelessness -- of the knowledge that his future was to be empty and devoid of anything even remotely resembling happiness.

He sat forwards and buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders shook as he mourned for Laurie.

He did not hear the door open, and only realised that she was there when her hand touched his leg lightly.

For one heart stopping moment, he thought it was his beloved come back to him, but then he realised that it was only her sister.

Iris smelled fresh as though she had washed and changed, and as she looked into his tear-filled eyes sadly, her lips trembled.

"How could she do that?" he whispered brokenly. "How could she bond with one of -- them?"

Iris hesitated briefly and then simply shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she sighed. "I guess... I think that she just needed to protect herself -- after your abandonment of her, she had to do something to feel secure again."

"I did not, never intended to abandon her, my plan was always to keep her close to me and safe until we could initiate the bonding."

Iris looked surprised. "But... I thought that you were already bonded, I thought that the link you shared was because you had completed the bonding with Laurie -- after the elevator... it was only you who could finish it and I thought that you had, that was why the two of you could communicate even when you were not together... and that was why she could not really bond with one of them because she was already pledged to you?"

"We never got around to even talking about it properly, I tried to pledge to her, to make my intent clear, but everything happened so fast, and then I had obligations to tend to, and so I never pushed it because I thought that we had time to resolve everything, once other things were sorted."

He sighed and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "And now we must both pay for my reticence, she who is now bonded with a man who will be so careless of her thoughts, and feelings, and I because I know that she will never be free to bond with me."

Iris frowned and she looked openly confused.

"Laurie did not, could not truly bond with him," she said slowly. "She could not bond with any of them... because she did -- had already bonded with you -- months ago that first time the two of you truly met -- in that elevator."

Jonathon walked slowly back to the drawing room, his face deep and thoughtful as he mulled over the discussion he'd just had. It seemed that his personal phone number was suddenly listed for anyone who had a grievance.

He gave a weary sigh and shook his head, why had life suddenly become so complicated?

As he passed the main stairway his son came bounding down -- full of fire and barely repressed aggression.

"Father!" He stepped in front of him and his eyes were blazing, as the pretty little redhead chased after him and tried to calm him. "We need to talk!"

Jonathon guessed his son's agitation was to do with the redhead's sister, and saw the problems brewing in all directions.

He drew himself up to his full six feet and seven inches height, and ignored the aches in his joints.

"You wish to talk to me, Michael? You know that my door is always open to my son. However, if it is anything that might affect others then it becomes an official matter, and my audience hours are nine till five any week day providing you book an appointment!"

Michael blinked at him in shock and the glaze left his eyes.

"You want your only son to book an appointment just to talk to his father!" He demanded in disbelief.

Jonathon gave another tired sigh. "I think that the hour is late, and we are all tired. Whatever you need to say, surely it can wait until morning and then we will all have fresh minds?"

"No father, I am afraid that it can't."

"If it is that important, then say your piece and have done with it." Jonathon snapped at his son.

"I made a huge mistake in leaving her, I have to go to her -- I have to..."

"No!" he poured all the power he thought he could afford into that one word.

Michael was stunned from the force of that single word for a moment, but only a moment.

"I am not asking for your permission," he stated resentfully.

"Then why come and bother me with it at all? Why disturb my household with this immature nonsense?" He had not spoken to Michael in this way since he had been a child and he knew that it would needle him. "As I said before -- the hour is late and discussions should be held in daylight. You should go to bed my son and get some rest. The morning will bring fresh perspective -- I am sure."

Michael sucked in a breath, and clenched his fists a couple of times -- very much like his uncle in that moment, as he tried to control his temper.

But the day's events were all raging inside him, and he knew -- just knew that if something did not change in his favour, then he would explode.

His father's deliberate aggression was just pouring more oil onto the flames of his rage though, and Michael could not understand why he would do that to him. The two of them had always had a respectful relationship... well almost always.

Once again Jonathon pulled himself up and he poured all the arrogance that he could into his face and his stance, and his eyes turned to a cold deadly steel.

"I think you mistake my comments, Michael; it was not a suggestion that we wait until morning -- it was an instruction!

He added a little more force and aggression to his next words, and knew that he would pay dearly for it later.

"I forbid you and any others to leave this estate until I give my personal permission -- I forbid it!"

The cost of the energy was worth it as he saw the argument die in his son. The wild resignation that flared into Michael's eyes told his father that he would not argue the point any further, but he was still fuming inside.

"Fine!" Michael snapped as he stormed across the hallway and through the open door, and then stepped out into the night.

So much for resting!

Jonathon sighed and looked across at Iris. "Has my son at least provided rooms and comforts for you all?" he asked solicitously.

"Yes, thank you -- he was very thoughtful."

"Good, good, then can I suggest you go and make use of it all."

Iris's mouth dropped open a little and the colour rushed to her cheeks. Jonathon thought she looked stunning and began to appreciate what it might be about these sisters that seemed to get all the males so hot and bothered -- including his son.

She clamped her mouth shut as his look turned to mockery and then she spun on her heel and glided back up the stairs -- her head held high and her shoulders stiff with outrage and offence -- to be sent to her room like a child!

He watched her go with open regret and then shook his head. Such a shame, if the other sister was half as much as the redhead, then she could be worthy of Michael, but just not enough of the old blood in them... although he did detect something in her. Perhaps essences of the old blood?

He walked away muttering to himself, he was going to share some supper with his brother -- and together they would make some plans.

The next few days would be long and eventful days -- or so he hoped.

Michael strode through the damp grass pulling at his clothing as he did so.

He could feel the boiling of his blood, and the aching in his bones was overshadowed by the sense of stretch and break, which instead of being agonising -- it soothed his inner turmoil as he lost the emotions of the man and embraced the energy of the wolf.

He sat on his hunches and studied the security guards moving around the grounds.

They were dressed in muted colours so as to merge with the night, but as his sight improved, he could clearly see them all.

He moved through them like a ghost in the night, and if any of them noticed him then they would have recognised their boss's son and knew better than to interfere with him. A shifter wolf out on half-moon night always meant trouble.

Once out of the immediate ground, and well away from the men. He sat for a moment more and imagined what his mate might look like in her alter ego. He let out one long piercing howl, up at the half moon, calling out to her, seeking her out and hoping for a response.

Silence was his only reply. He sent out a second bay, pouring his loneliness and despair into that call, and then when nothing came back, he braced his back legs and with one powerful thrust he shot across the grassy hills and down into the woods, seeking out the boundaries of this massive estate, seeking the escape he knew he could never have.

**

It was incredibly late -- or rather terribly early in the morning, when her father turned the car off the road, and then drove slowly down a short tree lined lane, that led to a pair of tall iron gates -- that were locked up for the night.

A man came walking up to the gates as they sat with the car humming in front of them.

"Can I help you sir?" he asked politely as Greg wound down his window.

"Yes, my name is Greg Beaumont and I am expected."

"Yes, Mr Beaumont, I will open the gates and then if you could drive up to the main house and get out of your car, you will be met there and taken inside."

There were already several cars parked in the large well-lit driveway and several men lurking about as though in waiting for them.