“Well, boys,” said Blanc, edging towards the door. “It’s been real, but I must dash. I’m very busy and important, you know?”
“Wait just a moment, Mother. I have something to say to you.” That was Colin.
Colin, who appeared to have decided to stand up for himself.
Judd felt a rush of pride and wanted to whoop.
Blanc whirled on her youngest child. “Listen, ankle biter. I wouldn’t have looked you up if the SBI hadn’t insisted. I’m sure you’re a sweet summer child and all, but I really don’t have reason to keep dead weight in my life. I’m sure you understand.”
“No,” said Colin, “that’s not—”
Blanc didn’t let him continue. “Sorry, sweetie. You were a painful obligation and an obvious disappointment before I left. It doesn’t seem to me like you’ve made much of yourself since then.”
“STOP.” Alec’s VOICE snapped over Blanc. Breaking over all of them.
Twice in one day.
Judd shivered under it.
Alec’s normally calm, sweet face was red with anger. Their Alpha was listening to Blanc’s words and not watching Colin’s face. But Judd only saw his Gingersnap. Colin was hurt by what his mother said, but Colin had something powerful to impart, knowledge. Colin knew something that would undermine her.
Alec was strong, but Blanc was a fellow Alpha. She shook his VOICE off easily.
And now she needed to prove something to Alec. “I mean, sure you’re smart, little Colin, but smart doesn’t matter much in wolves or celebrity. And frankly, you aren’t much more than smart, now are you, honeychild?”
“Mother. Enough.” That was Kevin.
Blanc let out a long-suffering sigh. She looked around at the rest of the pack. “I mean, really? What good is he to you? Bless his little heart.”
Alec got even redder. Kevin looked like he wanted to hit something. Probably his mother. Tank and Isaac looked like wolves. Because they were still in wolf form. Isaac cocked his head at Alec in query. Omega power wasn’t as effective when they weren’t in the same form, but Alec could order him to shift back and do his thing.
“It’s okay, Isaac. I’m fine, Alpha. Please just let me do this.” Colin returned his focus to his mother. “I am smart. Which is why I’ve been looking into your social media accounts.”
“How intrusive. Stalker much?” Blanc pursed her lips.
“It’s all public access. You know that, right?”
“Well, of course, sugah, that’s the point.” Blanc suddenly looked interested. “What did you do, puppy?”
“It’s not what I’ve done, now is it? I found something very interesting with your Instalamb, now didn’t I?”
Blanc’s eyes widened, then narrowed.
“Alpha,” said Colin looking at Alec, “do you think you could stop her, if you had to?”
Alec looked wicked pleased with himself, and with them, and with Colin. “Oh, I can stop her all right. What is she to me?”
Blanc bristled. “I’m an Alpha too, you little shit.”
“Now, now, Mother,” said Kevin. “Language.”
Alec took off his glasses and set them carefully on the counter. “Yes, but you’re an Alpha without a pack.”
“Who needs a pack?” Blanc dismissed them all, sneering.
“You do,” said Alec, and then he moved.
Alec was the fastest werewolf Judd had ever met – human or animal form. He was like a blur, like he shifted air. A second later he was standing behind Blanc, one hand covering her mouth, no possibility of VOICE, not that it would work on Alec. His other hand was around her throat. Squeezing.
Judd shuddered. Enforcers were deadly. He’d killed a time or two in the past. Okay, maybe more than a time or two. But mostly they fought out of instinct – quick, hard, fierce. Punching things was Judd’s personal favorite. Tearing out a throat when he was in wolf form was pretty good too.
But what Alec was doing, coming in fast and mean and focused. That was calculated. Holding another Alpha close enough for their smells to mingle. That was gross. Alec’s hands around her neck were just tight enough to remind her that even shifters needed to breathe.
“Be still,” Alec hissed in her ear. He was about her height. “Listen to Colin. My Colin, not yours. You lost him. Mine now.”
Then their Alpha nodded to Colin to continue.
Colin was beaming at him. “So I noticed Mother Dearest was using a weird hashtag.”
Blank faces all around.
“You guys are such Luddites.” Colin shook his head at them. “It’s kind of like a keyword for tagging a photograph. Also works as a search term within the Instalamb ecosystem.”