Mating Thomas Brac Pack (4 page)

Thomas spotted Cecil, Maverick’s mate, at the entrance to the rec center. He walked over to the guy and smacked him on his shoulder.

“Ow, what was that for?” Cecil complained as he rubbed his shoulder, staring at Thomas like he had lost his mind.

Oliver, Blair, and Drew snickered as they stared at Cecil.
“That’s for not telling me about shifters all these years. You’ve known me since you arrived in Brac Village, and you haven’t said one word.”
“It was on a need-to-know basis,” Cecil replied, still rubbing his shoulder.
“You could have at least told me.”
“No,” Maverick said as he walked into the center, “he couldn’t. Cecil knows the rules.”
Thomas was not about to argue with Maverick. Not only was the man huge as hell, but Maverick had done so much for the community that Thomas always felt indebted to the man every time he saw the guy.
“But welcome to our world, Thomas,” Maverick said as he chucked Thomas on his back, damn near knocking Thomas over. Didn’t the guy realize how damn big his hands were?
“Thanks,” Thomas said as he caught his breath. “But next time, a handshake will suffice.”
Maverick chuckled. “Sorry about that.”
“So,” Thomas said, “you’re not really the mayor, are you?” He wasn’t stupid. If there were a bunch of wolves around, there had to be some kind of hierarchy. It only stood to reason with so many men living at the Den.
The name of Maverick’s home made sense to Thomas now. For years he had heard the men who had frequented the center refer to the colossal home they lived in as the Den, but Thomas never understood why.
Maverick leaned closer, smiling at Thomas. “Very perceptive. I am the alpha of the timber wolves.”
That meant Maverick was top dog.
Got it.
“And?”
Maverick chuckled. “You’re not going to let this go until you know, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Kota is my beta, and Hawk is the commander of the warriors.”
Warriors?
Just what in hell did these men do? Thomas wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. He liked knowing about the wolves. A lot of things he had seen over the years made sense to him now. But he wasn’t sure he was ready to learn any more right now.
He smiled widely when Tyler walked into the center, two Styrofoam containers in his hands. “Barbeque, just like you ordered.”
“I assume this is your mate?” the alpha asked.
Wow.
Thomas was going to have to get used to calling Maverick the alpha instead of the mayor. But in a way, Maverick was the mayor. He founded Brac Village and had been a large contributing factor for the town still staying afloat when so many had become deserted.
Thomas held his hand out, Tyler immediately coming to him. His mate set the containers down and stuck his hand out. “Federal Marshal Tyler Alpine.”
“Federal Marshal?” Thomas’s eyebrows shot up. “You never told me you were a federal marshal.”
Tyler blushed as he shrugged. “You never asked. Besides, I was more interested in what you did and who you were to talk about myself.”
And that was exactly why Thomas was keeping the man. Tyler was big and strong, yet gentle and kind. He was perfect for Thomas in every way imaginable.
“Welcome to Brac Village, Tyler,” Maverick said as he slung his arm over Cecil’s shoulder and walked further into the rec center. “Oh, by the way, I’ll need to replace the lock. My key broke off in the tumbler.”
Thomas wasn’t even going to ask, but it did solve the question of why the lock was broken. He just shook his head at Maverick. Thomas didn’t think he would ever figure the man out, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to even try.
“He’s impressive,” Tyler commented.
Thomas chuckled as he grabbed his mate, snaking his arms around Tyler’s neck. “No, hon, you’re the one who is impressive.”

Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.