Number five was livid, but he was ready to do whatever it took. First on his list was finding a suitable bedroom, preferably a baby's own, and making it perfect. After that, he would call the entire pack and expose the situation, working alongside number four. Initially, they had discussed the matter with the girls, and all of them were on board. Number five knew that Wulfe would also join them once the truth came out. They would have enough support if, for some reason, Charles refused to see reason.
The pack's new rule, established by Charles and approved by most, stated that if over 50 percent of the members felt the pack leader needed to be replaced, it would happen. However, this would only occur if there was clear misconduct that jeopardized pack members, even if only one member was affected.
They had a case. The alpha pair carried two votes, and there were 25 other adults, plus two extra votes, resulting in a total of 27 votes. Dividing by two yielded 13 or 14, depending on the calculation. The rule also stipulated that anyone in jeopardy or needing the change was exempt from voting, and their votes would not count. In this case, that was Mimi.
Therefore, the 27 votes were reduced by Mimi's two votes, leaving them with 25. That meant 12.5 votes were needed to succeed. The girls would contribute 8 votes, and he and number four would add two more, totaling ten. With Wulfe's support, they would already have 11 votes. Damon did not hold significant sway over the boys, meaning they could secure two more votes. Furthermore, all the Salvatores, possibly numbers nine or ten, their votes, perhaps even number three, would likely be in their favor.
They had evidence, Mimi would be present, and the girls were fully committed. Number four was diligently reading books and gathering medical evidence to prove Mimi's actions were correct, not wrong. Damon's manipulation would be exposed, and if necessary, number five was prepared to step up as pack leader, all for the sake of the baby.
He walked to the wing where Baby lived, the place he would call home again once this was over. This time, nothing could drive him away. He would show Charles, Adam, and the boys how the Salvatores did things. Although he was somewhat uncertain—he had helped Baby in the past as part of the Salvatore hive, clearing her mind with them—this time, she was in her deepest state, and he would be the one pulling her out.
He knew Wulfe might be busy at the start, and as the initial contact, he needed to instill a sense of safety in Baby. Mimi, his wife, whom he cherished more than life itself, and he, along with Number Four, had finally found a suitable bedroom and prepared it. He could feel his rage beginning to boil over as he heard Mariella talking trash about Mimi in the hive. He wanted to explode, but it wasn't time yet. Soon, oh so soon.
If his instincts were correct, Mariella would be occupied for the next few weeks, learning her lesson, which wouldn't involve lust or sex. Life would be perfect once he and the others had resolved this crisis. He had an idea about how to alert himself and others if Baby tried to knot her mind, but it all depended on Wulfe's reaction, who could be so unpredictable at times. But soon, they would see.
As he glanced one last time into the soft, pastel-colored room, decorated with pink, light blue, and pastel yellow, he couldn't help but smile. He remembered that one house Baby had bought and decorated with pastel colors, going overboard with the theme. It made him smile, and he longed to experience that again, to see her whimsical once more, not so jaded, tired, and hardened. He wanted her to enjoy life, be free, and above all else, to love.
In the large living room on the lower floor, where the newborns slept peacefully, hushed murmurs filled the air. Damon sat in a chair, not the one Mimi had selected, with Mariella in his lap. Mimi herself sat in her chair, withdrawn, her expression neutral.
Wulfe sat across the room, positioned between Adam and Charles, silently judging Mimi. She kept her mind closed, but Number Five had somehow intruded, and had shown Number Four how to do the same. Neither allowed her to feel them in her mind, and both knew this wouldn't be a quick or easy fix.
Number Five rose as the girls sat down near Mimi, offering their support.
This prompted Mariella to say to Damon, "She's truly brainwashed them, look at the mark, she's taken over their will, created her own little inner hive."
Damon, Number One, snarled, examining the bite marks on the girls' necks, which were, in reality, perfectly normal for members of a shifter pack.
Number Five, his tone filled with hatred and rage, addressed Mariella and Number One, "Now, you two, shut the fuck up. You will get your lesson, I am sure of that, and oh boy, will I enjoy it. Now, let's begin. This is simple: I'll ask one question, and only the person addressed is to answer. To ensure authenticity, Number Four and I have closed hive contacts, so Number One, you will not manipulate any minds in this pack."
Wulfe straightened slightly, a growing sense of dread and failure washing over him.
Number Five looked at him and asked, "Wulfe, answer me this: Isn't it perfectly normal for an alpha female to gather all the females to herself, and mark their necks as a promise of protection and guidance?"
Wulfe nodded and replied, "It is, actually. It's not brainwashing, oh my god..."
Number Five fell silent for a moment. Mariella felt her anger rising, disliking the situation. Part of her knew exactly what she had done, and that it was all because of her, and she simply craved more. But the part of her that wanted more kept wanting more.
Number Five fixed Charles with a cold, unforgiving stare. "Has Mimi ever hurt her pack? Has she ever manipulated someone within the pack for her own gain? Can you say the same about Damon, about how he manipulates and why?"
Charles swallowed, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth.
One simple question had forced him to think, and he finally answered, "No, Mimi always puts others before herself. What Damon does, he does for Mariella above all else."
"Oh my freaking god..." Charles's realization hardened his expression.
Wulfe rose, his tone low and venomous. He walked slowly toward Number One and Mariella.
"After all I have done for you, for this pack, this is how you repay me? By manipulating me? By poisoning me against the one I love? Do you have any shame, or are you truly this damn stupid? Do you have no fucking brain in your head, you damn hairy set of balls dunked in Mariella's sloppy cuntpus?" Wulfe, clearly influenced by Mimi's vocabulary, was inventing new expressions.
Number One, in an arrogant bastard mood, countered, "But Wulfe, she was manipulating you, forcing you to take Mariella."
Wulfe snarled, "I had planned it for a long time. It was not her idea; she was merely hinting. I am much stronger than her hints, but I could guess what she was aiming for, and as usual, you ruined it. I took Mariella as my insurance, for control. Meaning I would have hold over her in case you would be once more spineless piece of shit who is not worthy of being in the same room with my unicorn."
He then walked to Mimi and knelt before her. "My love, I can sense you are a freaking hot mess, and it will take some doing to pull you out, but you have us. I will show those three what I think of them."
He looked at Charles, sending him a message. A dark smile curved Charles's mouth as he nodded.
Number two, seated next to number one, also perceived Mimi as a manipulator. His similarity to number one made him highly susceptible to the other's influence. However, this situation was about to change, and someone was likely to learn a harsh lesson. Wulfe rose, and Mimi remained silent, her neutral expression conveying her inner turmoil, a sign that she truly needed help.
But for now, it was Wulfe's turn to teach. He moved slowly towards the trio. Mariella was all over Damon, and number two was also stroking her. Wulfe smiled, a predatory expression. He seemed to have spotted injured prey.
"Oh my god, you three are close," he began, "you love when they're all over you and you're their world, right? Let's give you a lesson. Mariella, don't worry, your triplets will be cared for. You'll be busy as hell. Boys, it's time for you to see Mariella in a whole new way."
Magic sparked violet in Wulfe's fingertips as he lifted his hands, like an evil senator from Star Wars. He wrapped both Salvatore brothers in his magic, shrinking and transforming them. Soon, two tiny, pretty damn ticks, the vampires' animal form, resembling small humanoid bats, crawled onto the sofa.
Wulfe addressed Mariella, "Hmm, it takes four to six weeks for them to grow. But here's the kicker: they don't want your blood, they want Mimi's. But they can't have it; it's a protector thing. They are fated to be her protectors, so her blood would be best, but not now. So you'll have your hands full. Two angry ticks needing blood but refusing to latch onto you, at least for now, and it takes a lot to grow a tick. My spell has a few twists. No energy shots, no magic, no white power, just blood. Congratulations, Mariella, this is your job for now. Let's see if those bozos learn their lesson this time, but hey, I'm willing to reeducate them."
Silence fell over the group, broken only by Number Four. "Mimi, baby, you were right, and we were wrong. My apologies. We need to reintroduce solids for the kids, and she has a book for it. Wulfe, you are the protector of babies and children. We will help you care for Mimi, and you will get your own radar to monitor the little ones, allowing you to see what needs to be adjusted. Our long-held knowledge of protecting the young is yours."
Wulfe nodded, still fuming. He turned a cold gaze on Mariella. She attempted to grab the ticks, small, bat-like, furry creatures, and get them to sink their fangs into her neck, but they hissed and clicked, clearly displeased.
Number Nine looked at Mariella, his voice icy. "It seems you need to be celibate to have any sense. No fucking, not from me, and from what I can sense throughout the hive, no one wants to please you right now. You should realize that manipulation and turning to worship never ends well. But as they say, one mistake is a mistake, two is a habit, so you're either just a creature of habit or simply lacking sense." He didn't wait for a response.
Number Five walked beside Mimi. "Now, I'm going to take this little lady. We're going to lie down and rest. You, however, need to hash this out: who does what, where the babies live, and where you want to live. Sorry, girls, but I need to take care of Mom right now."
He looked at Mariella's girls and smirked. Ashley smiled back, relieved that Mimi, their mom, was being cared for. She was also angry with Mariella and those two ticks, who were behaving funnily. Number Five pulled Mimi up, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and led her away, leaving the rest of the pack to plan how to move on and decide who does what.
Number Four said to Wulfe, "Number Five had an idea. You said earlier, back in Australia, that it takes a lot of power to combine a spell of distress to the protector core. We have that power; it is love. Mimi is a creature of love, and the girls and babies are too. Could we harness it, or extract it via a hive, from Mimi?"
Wulfe's eyes sparked. "Now you're talking some sense. I need to test it. I have a lot of her love, so thank you. You have to deal with the babies; I'll be busy in the potion lab for some time, and then we'll test it. We use her love for everyone."
Charles looked at Mariella, who had gotten the ticks in some kind of energy cradle, but they were still milling around. "You are once again my charge. Oh my god, when I get to upgrade my radar for your true distress! No more faking distress, and it's all thanks to Mimi. Pretty nice, right?"
Mariella was silent. Sure, Charles had caught her, but there was this nasty side to him. A side that didn't fornicate, but just hurt, nastily, not pleasurably or seductively, but sadistically.