Page 36 of The Betas: Rene
Chapter Thirteen
The Cabin of Armand’s Small Jet
They boarded the jet with the help of pull away steps. René told him that this model carried sixty passengers but was configured to hold only twenty-five, so there was plenty of room to stretch out during the four-and-a-half-hour flight. Frankie walked onto the plane, his eyes widening. Every seat was configured for first class, and there was a small bar area with four tables down by the entrance and another by the galley in the rear.
They sat in the seating near the galley with two drink tables and four swivel chairs. After checking on The Alpha and Alpha Mate, the steward walked down the aisle and into the galley, coming out with a tray of huge deli sandwiches. He set them down in front of Frankie. He was grateful because as usual since he met René, he needed to eat. Frankie offered a sandwich to everyone else and was refused. Relieved that he had no takers, he began to eat. Martin and Edward sat down with them after takeoff. Frankie noticed a gentleman he didn’t know speaking with The Alpha.
“Who’s that with The Alpha?” He motioned toward The Alpha and The Alpha Mate.
Martin raised his head. “That’s Dr. Artis. The doctor is from the Sandoval Pack. That is The Alpha and our home pack. Artis serves as the Council doctor. He cares for the Council, their households, and their household’s families. You, Annie, and Alphonse will now be patients on Dr. Artis’s list. He’s recognized as one of the best doctors in New York.”
Frankie blew out a whistle between bites. “That’s some accolade. New York is known for both great doctors and great hospitals.”
“Dr. Artis is considered to have a concierge practice. He has a small number of patients but is on call to them twenty-four seven. Dr. Artis is loup garou but treats both loup garou and humans. He and another loup garou doctor, Dr. Ballard, saved Julio’s life after he was stabbed and his gut was ripped open under his navel from one side of his lower abdomen to the other. They managed to stitch him up and close without giving him a colostomy bag, but it was a close call. Sean used his Voice to help Julio get over the infection and to heal his injuries quickly so he and Alpha Daurensbourg could mate. If we lost Julio, we would have lost Alpha Daurensbourg, one of the downsides of being loup garou.” René flagged the steward and asked for a plate of loaded nachos for Frankie.
Frankie had followed the conversation with interest. “A gut wound is one of the least survivable wounds you can receive with a knife. A knife in the heart will kill you outright, but a gut wound kills you slowly. What’s worse, is that you begin to think you’ll recover and then the infection sets in, you get sepsis, and it’s all over. It’s a miracle Alpha Mate Daurensbourg survived, a testament to both doctors’ skill and The Alpha Mate’s voice.”
Frankie noticed that Edward possessed a taciturn nature. He had been in his soon-to-be brother-in-law’s company twice now, and he doubted Edward had spoken any more than a few words. Frankie thought lawyers were supposed to be garrulous. It would be hard work getting to know Edward. He seemed like a perfect match for Martin who obviously had learned to be quiet standing at The Alpha’s shoulder. René spoke more often. He suited the Alpha Mate, who, from what Frankie could see, never shut up.
“How did you meet Martin?” Frankie wanted to know if the quiet Edward had fallen as fast as Frankie had for his wolf.
Martin grinned at Edward. Edward gave him a soft smile in return. “I graduated from Columbia Law and was downtown sitting in Washington Square Park feeling glum, after another unsuccessful job interview. It seemed to me at the time that you needed connections with the movers and the shakers in the city to work at one of the prestigious law firms. I was at the top of my class and still couldn’t find work. Then again, I was also gay which, I suspect, wouldn’t do me any favors in court. I was wondering if I should go home to Indiana. As I sat on a bench in front of, what I learned later was The Alpha’s house, Martin came outside to check on me, see if I was a threat. Of course, he recognized me instantly as his Mate.”
“Since he was seeking work,” Martin said, “I begged The Alpha to offer him a job. The Alpha was glad to do it. We were all becoming positively maudlin over being unable to find our Mates that cycle. The Alpha gave Edward a couple of contracts to read. He planned on offering Edward busy work if he wasn’t qualified to do anything else, and as The Alpha always says,I’ll do anything to facilitate a mating.”
“I knew Martin was attracted to me and I was hot for him.” Edward squeezed his Mate’s hand. “I wasn’t a virgin. I did the clubs in college and law school, but by that time I was all clubbed out. I was searching for a relationship. Martin definitely appeared to be relationship material.” He got up and asked around, “Cognac?”
The three men at the tables nodded. Edward came back with the cognac and set the snifters down in the drink holder indentations in the two tables. He sat and took a sip of his. Frankie had to ask, “What happened next?”
Edward picked up the story. “I examined the contracts and found two clauses that could potentially harm Garou Industries, increasing their liability for nonperformance of subcontractors and vendors. It was lost in the standard language of a normal contract in what seemed like boilerplate terms and conditions.”
“Our lawyers had made the mistake of not reading the section thinking it was theusuallanguage. That’s how they described it—the usual language.” Martin shook his head.
“In law school, I was taught to readeverything,and this was an opportunity to work for a firm cloaked in a mystery surrounded by legend. Everyone wanted to work for Garou Industries, and no one ever got as far as an interview. There I was, sitting on a park bench licking my wounds, and I was handed the chance of a lifetime by the most interesting and attractive man I had ever met. You can damn well bet I read the entire contract.” Edward grabbed Martin’s hand and kissed his wrist.
“When he found the offending clause, he brought it over to me. I was surprised, as we had hired one of the best law firms in the country. I ran to The Alpha and told him about it. Fortunately, he called in time, and Alpha Thierry didn’t sign. The Alpha immediately hired Edward but demanded I tell him about us right away. I was scared to death that I’d lose him.” Martin shuddered. “But, the Alpha wanted to hire him and couldn’t unless he knew, so…”
Edward smiled, his eyes glimmering with a faraway light. “I had already decided that I wanted Martin and was about to go after him, no holds barred. He fell into my hand like a ripe peach. We made out for a little, then he said he had something to show me. He took me over to his house from The Alpha’s and started to undress. I was so with the program. I started pulling off my clothes.”
“I stopped him from undressing. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, but at least I knew he liked me. I sat him down on the sofa and…”
“…Made him promise not to move.” Frankie grinned. “They must teach that in loup garou college because that’s exactly what René told me. I was totally prepared, I had read Alpha Mate Thierry’s book.”
“When I met Martin,” Edward continued, “Jason Jones was writing books, but he didn’t know what he wrote about was real. I hadn’t read many paranormal romances, but I did read his. I wanted it to be true. I’d had too many bad men in my life and longed for a good man I could love, who loved me back, wouldn’t cheat, and would treat me right. When he changed, I went down on my knees in front of him and cried.”
“Edward became so upset that I panicked and changed back. I went to him without dressing and almost disgraced The Alpha and became a lone wolf.” Martin stood and approached the back of Edward’s seat and kissed his neck. Grabbing Edward’s glass, he asked, “Another, Mamour?” Edward nodded. Martin touched his cheek, “Je t’aime.”
“Je t’aime beaucoup.” Edward kissed his husband’s fingers, then turned his chair toward Frankie and continued, “Martin dressed me and took me back to The Alpha. I was still in shock. The Alpha explained what Mates were to each other and made the arrangement to go to New Mexico the next evening. It was a Monday. We were mated by Wednesday night and married on Saturday. Meg catered the wedding. I’ve been The Alpha and the Council’s personal legal counsel ever since. Occasionally, I do consultant work for Garou Industries, but the Council keeps me busy with their private affairs.” Edward chuckled.
“You take care of all of them?” Frankie recalled the stories René had been telling him and counted eight Alphas.
“The only Council member I didn’t represent was La Farge, and I thought it strange at the time, but now it makes perfect sense. He had been preparing to move against The Alpha for years, and his legal affairs would have given him away. If he had been smart, he would have given me busy work, so I didn’t get suspicious, but he didn’t, so I did. I told Martin, and he told The Alpha.”
Martin put down the drinks. “When La Farge finally moved, we immediately knew who it was behind The Alpha Mate’s kidnapping. Unfortunately, The Alpha Mate had talked The Alpha into letting him leave the ranch without adequate security. The first time he went out with only René and me in the car, they got him.” Martin’s jaw tightened and his fist clenched. He acted as if it had happened yesterday. It was plain to Frankie that both brothers saw this as a glaring blot on their mutual reputation.
“Of course, we offered to resign, but The Alpha wouldn’t have it. He felt some responsibility because he let The Alpha Mate go out without enough security to begin with,afterwe warned him about La Farge.” He ran the back of his fingers over Edward’s cheek and sat down.
“Enough of this topic, Martin,” René protested. “It’s been two years, what’s done is done. Everything worked out fine. The Alpha has his Mate. Gods, every Alpha on the Council has found their Mate, and now I have mine. Maybe that’s a portent for the other Betas. Has anyone told Roland and André?” He had deftly changed the subject.
