Despite her express wish, Maude couldn't get a coach ticket. It was already fully booked and no matter how much she offered, the driver refused to take on an extra passenger. Frustrated, she watched the departing coach, mountain of bags next to her.

"Looks like you are out of luck."

At the words she spun around. Chris smiled darkly as she took a step back, paling dramatically again.

"You have two options," the alpha went on, voice low, laced with threat. "You get a room at the hotel for a night and take the early morning coach. Or you follow me to the jail."

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me, Maude."

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut again. With a huff and head held high, she stalked toward the hotel.

It was the moment she was seen by Josiah, who smiled brightly at her. Maude smiled cheerfully back, but it never reached her eyes.

Chris would have to talk to his men about his mate's so-called mother. The sooner the better. While he couldn't stop any of them from assisting a lady in need, he didn't want them to get too close. Josiah in particular had been very enamored by her the last time, and there had been some good-natured ribbing, calling him Ezra's next step-father.

Well, if he ever got enough money for Maude to give him the time of day. While she played along, she had never let him any closer than any of the other men in town.

Chris sauntered into the hotel a while after Maude, nodding at the receptionist.

"She got a room?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, we had a few left." The man shrugged. "Not sure it's what her usual standard is. She stayed at the Rosewood last time she came in."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

Andrew Garber, the man who owned and ran the hotel, and who more often than not was right here at the front desk, smiled.

"I know her ladyship. She raised quite a riot the last time she breezed in here, demanding a suite. Told her we have none and never had any. Recommended Rose's. She has all the frilly stuff ladies like."

Chris chuckled briefly. Rose Wood, proprietor of a small but well-kept bed and breakfast called, appropriately, Rosewood Inn, was a woman of undetermined age who was quite a force to be reckoned with. She charged an arm and a leg from city visitors, but she was known to rent out rooms for locals in need, like after the storm, at barely minimum cost. She had grown up in the Territory, had married, divorced, then married again. Her second husband had made off to the city a while ago, never to be heard of again, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"After the last time, I think Lady Emmet would prefer your standard rooms to Rose's luxury suites."

Because Rose had nearly thrown Maude out on her fashionable behind due to the woman's constant demands.

"She gonna be trouble?" Garber asked, sorting through some mail.

"Nope."

"Good. She only paid for the night. Said she has a coach ticket."

Chris nodded. He gave the man a brief salute, then headed back out onto the streets. He ran into Josiah, who was carrying Maude's bags toward the hotel. Chris gave him a curt nod and Josiah smiled back.

Yeah, he had to talk to his men.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Chris had planted himself on the porch of the saloon, watching the streets, eyes straying to the hotel building more often than not. Maude hadn't been seen since getting her room, and Josiah had left shortly after Chris had, heading to his chapel. He finally turned and walked into the saloon, past where Ezra was playing a few rounds with some of the folks who wanted to have some fun. Ezra's eyes followed him, noticing the still stiff posture, the way Chris was radiating 'do not look, touch or speak to' at the moment.

Everyone was heeding the warning.

Except for Ezra. He nodded at his fellow players as he ended the game. He followed his team leader up the stairs. It was no great surprise that they ended up in his room.

It was no surprise either that the moment the door had closed, Chris was in his personal space, claiming a kiss that was far from wild and primal. It was actually the complete opposite. Soft, exploratory, and yes, loving.

Ezra wrapped his arms around the narrow waist and held him close, exploring Chris' mouth as much as the man was exploring his.

When they parted, Larabee dropped his head on one narrow shoulder, exhaling sharply. The tense alpha posture dropped, leaving only the man in its wake. The man who was holding on to Ezra as if the other man was about to run.

The crossbreed brushed tender fingers along the short hair at Chris' neck, drawing a shiver from the blond. The noise from outside was muted, barely perceptible through the closed, insulated windows and the sturdy walls. Aside from maybe an explosion, nothing would get through.

"It had to happen one day," Ezra murmured, breaking the near-silence. "Not that I was looking forward to it. Or wanted it. I had wished for her to stay in her beloved civilization, run her cons, marry hapless men and liberate their money from them. Teach them not to trust all the glitz and glamour underneath the painted youth."

Chris breathed a little laugh.

"But she had to come here. She had to make another attempt."

"It will be her last," was the growled promise and Ezra felt the tension creep back into the lean frame.

"You made that very clear," he said, amusement leaking into his voice. "I think I never saw Maude as flustered and actually truly scared as today."

"Good."

"You are a savage, Mr. Larabee."

Chris raised his head, the eyes all human, the expression, too. There was an annoyed expression in them. Ezra smiled playfully at him, taking the bite out of the words.

"In a very noble, endearing way," he added. "An alpha way."

"She won't be a problem," the alpha in question stated darkly.

"She might," Ezra said slowly, humor leaving him again. "It's a long train ride back to wherever Lord Emmet resides, Denver, I believe. She has time to think, to plot, to make my life here… problematic."

The growl was almost animalistic. "We'll make sure it won't be."

It was a vow. A promise. Ezra met the dark gaze, read the truth in there. But he also knew that if the woman set her mind to it, she could spark up a whole lot of trouble. She knew powerful people, who again knew more powerful people. And if a Section Judge of Orrin Travis' caliber heard that one of his regulators was a crossbreed… Ezra didn't really want to imagine his fate.

Chris' lips distracted him and he let the sensual kiss chase away the dark clouds. But not completely. The fear was still there, as it had always been. His pack knew, but no one else. And he didn't want to endanger their lives, their existence in this special place.

::Ezra. Don't:: His voice was soft; it sounded almost like a plea.

::Are you a mind reader now?:: he asked playfully.

::Don't have to be. I know you. This won't be a problem. Ever::

::I won't run:: he murmured. ::I won't disappear on you::

::I know::

Chris' hands now joined into the distractions, running over the tightly fitting vest, along his sides, up his back.

::You're mine, Ezra. She won't ever have you. She can't claim you:: he repeated what he had told both Ezra and later Maude. ::Not even Travis. Least of all him. I don't answer to him in pack matters and never will::

Chris started to undo the buttons. He finally pushed the vest off the slender shoulders and attacked the shirt underneath.

::Nothing she can or will do will change anything between us, between you and the pack, Ez:: he continued, clever fingers playing over Ezra's warm skin. ::We all have your back::

Ezra surged forward and kissed the other man hard, Chris replying equally strong and unrelenting, nipping, kissing, biting.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

If anyone missed the two men, no one came looking. Ezra wouldn't have left the bed for anything in the world. Especially since Chris was determined to see how far he could push him, how often he could make him come. Ezra wasn't passive either and Chris featured a few interesting bruises and bite marks himself.

Both men only resurfaced the next morning, Ezra feeling still a little sore and even a little bit overstimulated from their last exercise before leaving his room.

By Chris' smirk the other man knew it only too well.

::Bastard:: he murmured, adjusting his cuffs.

The smirk grew into a filthy grin. ::You said so this morning already, Ez. And a few times last night. Among other things about me. Quite flattering ones:: The last was almost a purr.

Ezra shot him a narrow-eyed glare, but he couldn't stop the smile twitching at his lips. Their night had been intense in so many ways, not all of it sexual. Maude had unlocked something inside Chris, something primal and possessive, something that wouldn't let Ezra believe for a minute that this woman could ever take him away. And it had severed the connection Ezra had still had to her. It had freed him.

Chris had never left such deep marks on him, not even after their first, and decidedly very hot and wild night together. He had never looked at Ezra like he had last night. He had never demanded so much from the crossbreed while simultaneously giving everything he was to Ezra.

And Ezra knew they were just at the beginning of this new path together.

"Is it mating season already?" Buck laughed when they walked into the sheriff's station.

If looks could kill, Chris was closest to achieving that outstanding feat. Buck only laughed harder, shaking his head.

"Damn. Well, good for you, old dog. And Ez. I'd say it was good for you, too."

He winked at Ezra, who rolled his eyes.

"Missed nothing either. But you could have brought me breakfast."

Chris glared, a growl leaving his lips, but there was nothing threatening about it. It was more annoyance than anything else.

Buck kept grinning as he turned back to his work. Larabee checked the schedule of incoming coaches and deliveries for today, took note of anything that wasn't routine, then left. Ezra raised an eyebrow at Buck. Buck only mirrored it with a wide smile, but there was a serious note to it as well.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? As you just noted, it was a rather pleasant night."

Buck chuckled, but the seriousness wasn't chased away. "I know you and the old dog had a lot of fun, Ez. I got eyes. Those eyes also saw Maude and she wasn't here for family time."

Ezra's masks were firmly in place.

"She didn't leave the hotel for a second, even had dinner brought to her. She and Chris had a run in and it wasn't like the last time. That was downright pleasant back then. Something happened."

He still refused to react to the gentle probing. Buck expelled a breath and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright. Hope it's not going to end in a blood bath." There was the old glint again, the teasing note. Ezra appreciated it.

"Only verbally," the crossbreed assured him. "Maude will be leaving today."

"She actually already did, Ezra. This morning. Lit out early, first coach. Saw her when I checked out the arrivals and departures, had a chat with Toby, who was driving today."

Ezra blinked, slightly thrown. His mother had already left? She hadn't drawn it out, tried again to convince him?

The pool of dread from yesterday was back again. His mother never gave up easily or early in a game. She always had a back up plan, she always schemed to still get everything her way.

He would know.

He had lived with that woman almost all his life.

"I see," he murmured.

Buck watched him like a hawk, but he didn't ask again.

Ezra left the sheriff station, feeling in a daze.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Chris walked by the hotel and Andrew Garber confirmed that Maude Emmet had checked out. Quite early, complaining that breakfast consisted of coffee and a sandwich. Garber had simply told her that breakfast hours hadn't started yet.

The coach had left before sunrise.

With Maude on it.

Chris had confirmed that with the coach office.

He would make sure she wouldn't be back.

There was a shift near him, soft, barely perceptible. His senses had picked up on the approaching man, recognizing his second-in-command immediately.

"Heard Ez's mom came in last night. Buck said she lit out of here like all the demons of hell were chasing her. Or one vicious hellhound."

Chris glanced at the tracker who almost noiselessly joined him as he walked through the streets, checking on his town.

"Couldn't get a ticket for an immediate return either. Had to spend the night and never made an appearance at the restaurant, the saloon or any other establishment," Vin went on. "Something we need to know?"

As Chris' second it was a valid question. As anyone from the pack it would be a valid question, too. They depended on each other, on trusting the pack. That meant information flow when it came to problems or soon to be problems.

"I want everyone here for lunch," Larabee only said.

"Trouble?"

"Not yet."

Vin nodded slowly. The blue eyes scanned the streets. "Ezra okay?"

Chris gave him a humorless grimace of a smile.

Vin just nodded again.

It had been answer enough.

tbc...