The Alpha Wants Everything Book 2 The Devil's Baker

“You’re Adonis’s dad!” Kenzi blurted. She looked down at what she was wearing then back up at him. Concern, mixing with anxiety. The last thing she wanted to do was meet his dad wearing a t-shirt and pantless, what kind of impression was that. But not only is that what she was wearing, she also met him covered in mud and crying. Good job stupid, way to screw up like usual!

“It’s ok dear. This is not the weirdest introduction I’ve ever had” Cameron assured her. Kenzi bit the inside of her cheek.

“I once had someone yell at me, before they realized who I was,” Cameron went on to tell her.

“Really?” Kenzi asked. At leas I didint do that!

“Oh yes. They launched into a full tirade about the size of the territory and how easily it was for them to get lost and the packhouse being a maze. Then when she was to meet Adonis she hid in the closet. Humans are a funny species” Kenzi giggled, and a wave of peace washed over the room.

“Do you like to cook?” Cameron asked her. Kenzi’s face lit up, her smile spread more as she nodded her head.

“Good, then you can help me in the kitchen. We have a lot of hungry mouths to feed.” Cameron walked out of the living room with Kenzi following him.

“I had always wished for a daughter to help me in the kitchen. My sons were never interested and I’m lucky if they know how to grill a steak. When Steve and Kennedy found their mates, I hoped they could help. But Clara and Brenda both terrify me in the kitchen.” Kenzi giggled again.

“I’m the baker for Sweet Talk bakery back home in Blackwoods and I love to cook, and bake and garden. I has a great big garden at home with all the fruit trees. Well not all the fruit trees, jus the ones that can grow in Canada. I jus got a pear tree. I tried a banana tree once, in my house. It jus grew really tall and I didint get no bananas” Kenzi exclaimed excitedly.

“A pear tree?” Cameron asked. He wasn’t even going to question how she got her hands on a banana tree.

“Yup! Ness year is going to be the season of the pears” Kenzi declared, growing more excited.

“What are you going to make with all the pears you’ll get next year?” Cameron asked as he handed her a knife and watched her skills carefully.

“Um….I don’t know. So many recipes, like drunken pear pork chops. Pear tarts and fritters. Apple, pear, peach bars. Lots of recipes. And I don’t know which one I want to try first” Kenzi said as she diced onions and celery.

“I see. Drunken pear pork chops sound quite enticing. Luckily we are having pork chops for dinner and I do believe I have pears in the fridge.” ….eeeee…. Cameron’s eyes widened and his smile spread across his face at the excited little squeal she produced. She was definitely an excitable little one. When she knows who she really is to his son, she’s going to skyrocket. His only hope was Adonis wouldn’t tell her while people are sleeping.

“What do you think our pears would like to drink?” He asked as he moved to the cupboard to fetch the booze while Kenzi grabbed the pears.

“Bourbon!” Kenzi stated matter of factly,

“Bourbon it is,” Cameron laughed.

Kennedy had made Adonis chase him all over the woods, he was now making his way back to the house when he spotted Jackson and Tyler sitting on the porch.

“The fuck you do this time?” Jackson asked as Kennedy made it to the deck.

“Nothing! Why would you think I did something?” Kennedy asked, out of breath.

“Cause you runnin scared!” Tyler answered, laughing.

“Scared! I’m not scared, I’m preserving myself from the big ogre chasing me.” Kennedy scoffed, then paled when he saw Adonis.

“Big ogre huh?” He spoke.

“A bottle of whisky” Kennedy offered,

“What?” Jackson said looking at Kennedy,

“A bottle of whisky if you make him stop” Kennedy offered again

“Don’t know bout that. He a big ogre an I not sure we get involve in yur mess” Tyler fired back rubbing his chin.

“A bottle each,” Kennedy countered. Jackson looked at Tyler, a grin spreading across his face. Adonis broke out laughing when he saw them scramble from the deck.

“Your loyalty is astonishing boys” Adonis said as Jackson and Tyler stood on either side of him.

“We bored ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….” Tyler replied,

“The fuck else we gonna do?” Jackson added.

“Either this or go bug Eli,” Tyler said.

“Don’t come bug Elijah!” Elijah spoke from the deck.

“Two on one does not strike me as fair. What do you think, Elijah?” Adonis asked,

“The odds are stacked against them, but I think three on one might even the playing field a little” Elijah said jumping the deck.

“What did he promise you?” Adonis asked, “A bottle of scotch from a private reserve. I was not aware my men could be so easily bought.” ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. Jackson and Tyler broke out laughing.

“Let’s dance ya big ogre ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….” Tyler said as they all squared off.

“I think they need to be drunker,″ Cameron declared after they each sampled the sauce. Kenzi giggled again but nodded in agreement.

“How did you learn to cook?” Cameron asked as he poured more bourbon into the blender while Kenzi added spices. Judging by her skill with the knife and her comfort in the kitchen she has been at it for awhile.

“I lived at an orphanage when I was ten and I did all the cooking there. It closed down when I was sixteen. I don’t know why, I don’t member the day it closed. But then my friend Maggie’s husband teached me what he knowed. I lived with them for a year when Teagan kicked me out and they finded me at the cabins. And I watch a lot of cooking shows and the recipes jus come to me.” Kenzi told him, then turned the machine on again and covered her ears. Cameron shut it off and they sampled again, both nodding in agreement that the pears were definitely drunk enough.

“Ok we’ll marinate them for a bit then how should they be cooked?” Cameron asked her.

“Open flame?” Kenzi suggested,

“I think so as well,” Cameron agreed. They prepped the pork chops then drowned them in the marinade they made.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Kane asked as they watched from the living room window. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. They could hear the growls and snarls from outside carrying through the house and when he looked out the window it was just in time to see Tyler hit one of the flower beds. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“What the fuck?” Damon asked as he watched Elijah deliver a roundhouse kick to Adonis’s face. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“That! Yeah, don’t get involved in that,” Steve said as he came up beside them. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“Don’t get involved in that? They’re beating the shit out of each other” Johnny exclaimed. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“No, they’re just playing. I’m sure this has something to do with Kennedy.” Steve said as he watched Adonis tackle Jackson into the mud. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“That’s playing?” Damon asked, “Tyler just got thrown across the yard”

“Yeah, they’re a little rough,” Steve replied. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“You don’t join them?” Kane asked. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“Not anymore, they aren’t known for holding back. And if Adonis actually hurt one of us again, he’d never forgive himself” Steve said,

“Again?” Johnny asked. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“He was….fifteen, didn’t realize how strong he was at that point, and he and Kennedy were fighting and Adonis almost took his arm off. He didn’t mean to and he was completely devastated by the whole thing. Dad said it wasn’t his fault, it was just an accident. Kennedy didn’t blame him, no one blamed him. Didn’t stop him from blaming himself though. He didn’t want to fight after that. But an Alpha came to visit him, he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and pushed him too far, wanting to see how strong he really was. That was a mistake, Adonis accidentally broke his neck. Council gave him fifty lashes for that one as punishment.” Steve explained. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“Holy fuck!” Damon let out a breath of air.

“We were all there. Dad was so proud of Adonis, he took his punishment like a man. I’ve seen wolves, the biggest of the big, go down after ten lashes. Adonis, a fifteen year old boy, stood there for all fifty and when they unchained him he walked away like nothing happened. There wasn’t even a mark on him, just a lot of blood. After that, Jackson and Tyler were the only ones that would go up against him and it takes both of them to do it.” Steve said, “Demons need fun”

“So they just come back here and beat the crap out of each other?” Kane asked. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“Adonis, Jackson and Tyler grew up here. When they brought Elijah here, he too looked at this place as a getaway and came out of his shell and wasn’t so damned serious all the time. This is a place for them to go and act like boys. Rank, species doesn’t matter here. Here they are Adonis, Jackson, Tyler and Elijah. Here it’s safe for them to be the men or in this case watching them now boys they are, not The Devil and demons they are perceived to be. It’s one of the many reasons we don’t use that term.” Steve continued. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

They continued to watch for a bit longer, it started off as three on one, but ended up being a free for all. What they were witnessing may have looked aggressive, the smiles and the laughter they saw as The Devil and his demons continued to throw each other around couldn’t be denied. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr…. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“He looks free” Johnny commented as he watched Jackson take Adonis into the mud. ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

“Adonis underwent changes and had to grow up at four, he wasn’t given a choice. Four years old and thinking that the honourable thing to do would be to cross the border into a rival’s territory and sacrifice himself so his father could gain the respect he lost.” Kane looked at Steve who could only nod. “Dad tried to give him a normal childhood. Well as normal as he could. But at ten years old he became an Alpha, and created a pack. Ten years old with no wolf he took down two full grown Alpha males. People were curious, and would come from all over to meet him, praise him. Comment on how strong he was and was going to be, only to turn around and reject him all over again six years later, because he scared them. He is my brother, my family and White Stone might no longer be his home, home, it will always be his home, his safe place. We all have one of those.” Steve said concluding his brief history lesson on Adonis. Kane thought about that, he had one, Edward and Martina’s. Rank didn’t matter when he walked through the door, he wasn’t Alpha King Kane, he was just Kane. Even The Devil needs a place where he is not The Devil! We’re not that different from him, Ky. His road was just more rocky than ours! Rocky? His road is full of boulders and potholes! ….grrRrRrrrRrRrrr….

With the house filling up with one mouth watering aroma after the next. Cameron decided to push the conversation to their initial encounter. He wanted to know why on earth this little darling would ever call herself a burden.

“Tell me my dear, why don’t you have any more clothes to change into?” He asked,

“Adonis said I was only pose to pack one change of clothes. I tried to pack more but he wreck-ed them.” She replied as she gave the pans on the stove a quick stir.

“He wrecked them?” Cameron asked, why the hell would his son do that?

“Yes! He said I need more clothes than what I has, but I don’t….well I didint till he wrecked two of my shirts. I has enough shirts, one for every day of the week and an asstra one for when I did laundry, that’s all I ever needed. Teagan said that I was stupid to has or want more than I need, and if I didint need it then I shouldint be selfish. But Adonis says I need more.” Cameron didn’t like the sound of this Teagan.

“We were pose to do something fun today, like shopping” Kenzi paused there and made a face at the idea “But Kennedy Kenzinapped me to help prepare a surprise for Adonis.” Kenzi continued explaining.

“Well I guess shopping can be fun” Cameron said, he was beginning to form an idea in his head as to why his son did what he did. This Teagan seems to have poisoned her mind, and from the way she speaks it’s ingrained, Adonis has his work cut out for him.

“Not for me. I’m too small for womens clothes but too big for girls clothes so they don’t has clothes that fit me. Then evry-one gets mad and frus-frus-tated and I jus end up being a burden.” Kenzi replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice as she expelled a slight sigh. “I don’t mean to be a burden. I wish I was jus like evry-one else, then I wouldint be.” Cameron watched as Kenzi wiped her eyes on the back of her hands. His heart broke more, but he has played this scene once before. Adonis was like her, he didn’t want to be different either. He wanted to be just like the rest of them.

“Do you know what the best thing about this world is, Kenzi?” Cameron asked as he turned the pork chops over in their liquor infused pear bath.

“Fries?” She answered with a question and a little sniffle.

“No, though fries are good too.” He took her by the hands and led her from the stove to sit on a stool at the breakfast bar. “But the best thing about this world are all the different people that make it up. It’s like a rainbow. What makes a rainbow so special, so unique is all the colours, and the fact that no two rainbows are exactly alike.” Cameron told her.

“I like rainbows.” She said,

“Me too! But would a rainbow still be special if it was just one colour? Would you still like them if they were all the same?” Cameron asked her.

“No!” Kenzi replied, shaking her head

“No, though it would be beautiful, but once you’ve seen it, would you still be awed by it if you saw again?” Kenzi shook her head. “That’s like people. All the different people, the different cultures, the different backgrounds make up this world’s rainbow. It would be kind of boring if everyone looked and acted the same. If all the women were the same, if all the men were the same.” Kenzi thought about that, and nodded her head that would be kind of boring.

“You are not a burden, you are not difficult, just different. You are special Kenzi. Like Adonis you make up a very rare, very unique part of this world’s rainbow.” Cameron continued.

“Teagan….”

“Teagan doesn’t sound like a very nice person.” Cameron said,

“She’s not!” Kenzi whispered,

“I don’t think she is someone you should associate yourself with, she doesn’t appear to have your best interests in mind.” Cameron replied,

“She was my sister. I thou-ght she cared about me, but that was jus a lie. She didint. Adonis made her go away. He said she won’t come back, but….I-I still hear her.” Kenzi confessed, wiping at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“She’s been in your life for a long time, and you will hear her. There will always be moments of doubt Kenzi. It’s in those moments you need to turn to your loved ones, your friends, your family, the ones that truly care about you and the doubt will fade. Everyone needs reassurance every once in a while and that’s ok.” Cameron told her, as he brushed the tears from her eyes. Kenzi nodded again. He hugged her tight and she melted into his embrace. She really did embrace their world. In his entire life he has never seen a human take to this world like her. Alpha Malone was right about her, she is truly a special little girl and needs to be protected.

“I think it’s time you three get cleaned up, dinners in an hour” Kennedy called laughing from the deck. Adonis, Jackson and Tyler all looked at each other. Maybe they got a little too carried away with what they were doing. Mud caked their faces, their hair and their clothes. Then they looked towards Elijah and his pristine suit laughing at them.

“Anyone else wanna chuck him in the mud?” Jackson grumbled. Both Adonis and Tyler raised their hands.

“Where are you going?” Adonis asked Tyler

“The back, Brenda ain’t gonna let us in the house.” Tyler replied, he knew from experience. He tried to go in the house the other day after Jackson knocked him into the mud and Brenda threatened to hit him with a broom.

“What her gonna do?” Jackson scoffed,

“Hit you wit a broom” Tyler replied,

“Please tell me she hit you with a broom,” Kennedy begged.

“No, I went to the back an got hose off. Maybe you should try not bein a asshole an you wouldn’t get hit wit a broom so much” Tyler suggested then broke out laughing at the expression Kennedy carried.

“Whose a funny mini monster?” Kennedy grumbled, causing the others to laugh.