Betrayed: Book Two - The Road to Redemption Page 18

  The taste of him, the heat of him… At some point, he’d started to lean against her, and she was now pressed between him and the tree. Sam was lost in the moment, wrapping her arms around him, caressing his back. She rubbed her body against his, urging him on as shivers of delight swept over her.

  Her wolf hummed with approval and when Damien dragged his mouth along her jaw, she arched her neck to give him better access. His teeth raked her flesh and she gave a whimper of need.

  “Damien… Please, I—”

  He jerked away at the sound of her voice, panting; the all too familiar look of guilt dawning on his face.

  “Sam, I…can’t…”

  Need drove her onward. She grabbed his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Yes, you can! There’s no reason…”

  “I’m mated.”

  “She’s dead and has been for three years. You said so yourself.”

  “No! I mean, yes. I mean….” He pulled away and dragged his hand through his hair. “I made a vow to her, Sam. I can’t forget her.”

  “But that doesn’t mean you can’t still live. You aren’t dead, Damien.”

  “You don’t understand. Her last words to me were…” He paused and almost choked as he tried to speak. “She said ‘never forget, love’. It was her dying wish, Sam.” He shook his head. “I can’t turn my back on that.”

  “And you won’t forget her. She’ll live on here, in your heart.” Stepping closer, she pressed her hand to his chest. “And here, in your memories.” She brushed her hand over his temple, her fingers lingering over the feel of his silky hair. “But you need to live in the present. You deserve to be happy.”

  His mouth twisted, a haunted look passing over his face. “I don’t deserve anything.”

  “I think you do.”

  “No.” He reached out and brushed his thumb over her lips. “Nice of you to say so, but, no.”

  “Everyone has skeletons in their closet.” She pulled back from his touch.

  “Well, I’ve got a whole graveyard.”

  “Yeah, right.” Sam planted her hands on her hips. Soft and tender obviously wasn’t going to work. “You’re wallowing, Damien. Scared of me. Scared to take a chance at being happy.”

  “Nice try. I’ve heard all the ‘scared’ crap before.” He looked away, his jaw tense.

  “Maybe it’s crap, maybe it isn’t. Maybe your mate really was so selfish that her last wish was for you to spend your life alone with only a ghost to keep you company. Or maybe you’re thinking is just so fucked up that it isn’t worth my time trying to make you see reason!” Sam pushed him out of the way and stormed across the yard.

  Damn the man, why did she keep coming back to him time and time again? He’d kicked her in the teeth more than once, throwing her advances back in her face. You’d think she’d have gotten the message. It wasn’t as if she was a slow learner.

  Stomping up the steps of the house, she slammed the back door behind her.

  “Hey, Sam!” Jonah called out from the kitchen. “Do you have those apples for me?”

  She didn’t pause, merely calling over her shoulder. “They’re in the backyard. Get Damien to bring them in. Unless he’d too afraid to commit to them, too!”

  Chapter 18

  Sam stared at the spreadsheet that outlined the month���s expenses and income. The numbers blurred in front of her eyes, her mind otherwise occupied with Damien. Two days in a row now, he’d rebuffed her. The scent of his arousal had been obvious both at the pool hall and under the apple tree, so the question was why is he so reluctant to admit that he’s attracted to her. It was damned confusing and neither she nor her wolf could come to a definitive conclusion as to whether or not the man wanted them. He responded only to pull away. She knew he found her attractive, had felt the physical response of his body, so what was the problem? Yes, he’d mentioned his mate, her dying words, but that had happened three years ago. No one was that devoted. Were they?

  Or maybe he was. Maybe he really was still madly in love with his dead mate. In a way, it was admirable, something every female probably dreamed of; having a man so besotted with you that nothing could cause him to stray, not even death. Such a male was one in a million and it made Damien all the more appealing. That was, if she could get him to transfer that loyalty to her.

  A twinge of guilt pricked her. Did she have the right to go after him? She hesitated on that point and then shook her head. If his mate had really loved him, she wouldn’t want him to be alone and unhappy for the rest of his life. Real love wasn’t that selfish. Reassured, Sam considered the problem from another point of view.

  Perhaps it was her approach. Perhaps he liked to do the chasing, wanted her to be timid and shy. She made a face. There was no way she could pull that off for very long. If that was what he wanted they had no future together.

  Her wolf twitched its ears angrily. We are not giving up.

  “I didn’t say we were.”

  You were thinking it. The creature pointed out. But that’s not the answer. I can sense both him and his wolf. They are confused but interested, so we must continue the pursuit.

  “It’s not like we’re chasing him through the wilderness, you know.”

  Of course not. We’ll chase him through the back alleys. Her wolf looked smug as it settled down, for the moment content to dream of pursuing Damien through the city before cornering him in a dead-end alley. The ensuing fight would be exhilarating and, of course, could only end one way.

  Sam had serious doubts about the plan even if the mental image appealed. Giving her head a shake, she once again tried to concentrate on more pressing matters, such as the pack’s finances. She was just settling in to the task when a knock on the door interrupted her train of thought. Biting back a sigh of frustration, she gave permission to enter.

  “How are the books looking this month?” Jonah wandered in and sat down opposite her.

  It wasn’t a secret from any of the members that they were in financial straits. Everyone pooled their resources from their ‘human’ jobs and she felt it only fair to let them know the state of things.

  “We’re in the black…barely. The bookcase I sold allowed me to pay our bills.”

  “Have you mentioned the sale to your grandfather yet?”

  “You’d have heard him yelling if I had.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. “He hasn’t been out of his room in ages and with how I’ve rearranged the furniture, I don’t think he’d notice even if he did come out…or at least, not right away. And with any luck, I’d have time to take cover!”

  “Would he really be that upset?” Jonah mimicked her pose; there was no strict formality between her and her pack mates, unlike the protocols some of the older Alphas imposed.

  “My grandmother loved those antiques, so yeah, he’d have a fit.” She grimaced, imagining the fallout, but sentimentality didn’t pay the bills. For the most part, she played things straight with her grandfather, but there were a few topics that were best avoided. Their financial status was one of them.

  Samuel Harper had had a…unique…book keeping system, and she’d been hard pressed to figure out where their money had gone when she’d finally taken over that part of the job. It was puzzling given that he was so meticulous in most other areas. And when she’d asked him, he’d merely grumbled that research into infertility had taken a lot of it. She’d finally decided he simply wasn’t a numbers man. After all, it didn’t really matter; the facts remained the same. They’d owed a ton of money in back taxes and their utilities were on the verge of being shut off. She’d done what was needed to keep a roof over their heads and was now trying to build some financial security for the future.

  She looked at the man sitting across from her. Jonah was in his mid-thirties, both he and his mate, Laurie, were lifelong members of the pack. What would happen to them and the others if there was no money to support them in their old age? And even now, it cut her to the core to have to deny them.
They’d yet to produce any pups; another couple falling victim to the genetic flaw most seemed to carry. While they’d talked of adopting, parentless Lycan pups were rare and there wasn’t money to pay for more fertility testing.

  Feeling guilty, she gave him an extra warm smile. “What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to let you know that I switched patrols with Hiram. He and Damien are working on rewiring the kitchen and, since I’m a hazard when it comes to repairs, I said I’d do an extra shift.”

  “It’s fine with me. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.” Sam shuffled a few files, found the duty roster and made a notation of the change. “Was there something else?”

  Jonah hesitated before speaking. “I made no secret regarding my reservations about taking on a rogue, but Damien seems like a decent guy. I’ve seen him talking with Hiram, asking him his opinion on how to fix a few things around the house. Makes Hiram feel good, you know?”

  “I know.” Sam nodded. She’d seen the same thing. For a rogue, Damien had a soft spot for the older members and went out of his way to talk to them.

  Her wolf gave her a nudge. See? This is why we need to continue our efforts. Damien is what we need and what the pack needs as well.

  “Anyway, I wanted you to know that I’ve changed my mind about him.” Jonah stood up. “I have to get to work now.”

  “Evening shift this month, isn’t it?” She flicked a glance at the chart she kept with everyone’s schedule. Given that most of the members had jobs, she had to make sure their pack duties didn’t conflict with their employment.

  “Yep. I have to shower before I head over to the restaurant.” He pushed out of the chair and left with a casual wave. Jonah worked as a chef at a local restaurant. Too bad he shared his culinary expertise with his pack mates only once every two weeks. She was on kitchen duty tonight and knew the wieners and beans she’d planned were pathetic.

  Her computer chimed indicating she’d received a message and Sam shifted her chair bringing it closer to the screen in order to check her email. It was from Lycan Link. Probably nothing important, but reading a dry newsletter was much more appealing than tackling the budget or working on dinner. Clicking on the message, she started to lean back only to freeze in place as she realized it was from OPATA, a division of Lycan Link. The word ‘urgent’ followed by her grandfather’s name had her pulse beginning to race. This wasn’t some general news release.

  Leaning forward, she began to read.

  “The Office of Pack Administration and Territory Allotment wishes to inform you that Kane Sinclair, current Alpha of Smythston, Oregon, has officially filed a request to take over the Chicago pack.”

  Her chest tightened and a cold feeling washed over her before settling in the pit of her stomach. She’d been expecting this, dreading it, hoping against hope, but to actually see it on the screen before her…

  Swallowing the sick feeling that rose in her throat, she tried to read more but her vision blurred with fear…and anger. Fear had no place in her life so she grabbed onto the anger, dragging it to the foreground and whipping it into a fury.

  “Hell and damnation!” She shoved her chair back and began to pace the small room. “Kane Sinclair, if you were here, I’d grab you by the neck and…” She clamped her mouth shut, allowing her imagination to run wild with the unspeakable things she’d like to do to the bastard.

  Running her hands through her hair, she kicked the chair before exhaling. Calm down. This isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning of the fight. She had a few tricks up her sleeve and the Harpers weren’t going down without one hell of a fight. What she needed to do was to see what he was building his case on.

  Returning to her desk, she read the remainder of the message.

  Sinclair claimed there were too few members to carry out the required duties for a territory of this size. Patrols, safety, resource management, economic development… Was the man crazy? Chicago was a city, not some backwoods territory that needed economic development!

  There was a tap on the door and she glanced up to see Damien there, a look of concern on his face.

  “Can I come in?” He’d heard her cursing—louder than usual, that is—and both he and his wolf had felt the need to seek her out. He’d been reluctant to give in to the instinctive pull. It smacked too much of having an emotional connection to her and that wasn’t possible; his heart and soul already belonged to someone else. Hadn’t he reminded her, and himself, of that yesterday? Yet at the same time, the antsy feeling had demanded action, and now, almost against his will, he found himself outside her office door.

  She waved him in distractedly, no hint that she was still upset with him. That was one good thing about Sam Harper; she blew up but then it was over. No holding a grudge.

  “Something wrong?” It couldn’t be young Chris; the kid wasn’t even home from school yet.

  “Hmm? Yeah.” Her eyes were still focused on the computer screen.

  “Anything I can do?” He perched on the edge of her desk, forcing his hand to remain loosely at his side despite the fact that he wanted to give her a comforting touch.

  “No. Yes. I don’t know.” She dragged her hands through her hair, finally looking at him. “That ass, Sinclair, has issued an official takeover request.”

  “Really?” Damien stood up and went to look out the window, guilt making him feel caged in. He shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Kane had finally made his move. “On what grounds?”

  “Too few members to handle the responsibilities.”

  He made a non-committal sound. It was a legitimate point, one he’d confirmed for Kane.

  “It’s complete crap, of course. My pack and I take excellent care of the area. We never slack off on patrols, we keep an eye on any shifters in the area and—”

  Damien interrupted. He knew how hard she worked and didn’t need her to point it out to him. “So, what are you going to do?” Turning to face her, he kept his expression bland as she sifted through the papers on her desk before pulling out a page. It was a copy of the month’s duty roster.

  “Prove he has no grounds for his claim.” She tapped some keys on her computer and files appeared on the screen. “I have it all here and just have to update this past week; a list of duties, the pack members who carried them out, dates… Crap.”

  “What’s wrong?” He stepped closer and peered over her shoulder.

  “You aren’t listed as an official pack member. That’s the sort of thing Sinclair will pounce on.”

  He silently agreed. Kane was an expert at finding minute inconsistencies in reports. It was how the man had managed to get the Black Devils out of trouble on several occasions when youthful antics had put them at odds with the Academy’s version of campus police.

  “At least it’s an easy fix. I can edit this report, add your name to the membership…” She paused and glanced his way. “When I hired you, you were Dante Esparza, but now….?”

  “Damien Masterson will do.” There’d been no point in making up a new identity for such a short period of time. Kane would take over the pack in a matter of weeks and he’d be on his way.

  She typed in his name then scrunched her face. “Masterson? That suddenly sounds familiar. Like I’ve seen it come across my desk before.”

  He shrugged. No doubt his name had passed over her screen in one of Lycan Link’s newsletters. There wouldn’t have been a lot of information, though. Rogue Enforcers tended to be kept hush-hush so the general Lycan population didn’t panic. Details would only have been given out on a need to know basis. And if Dante had been telling the truth, he’d been pardoned, so the record would have been purged. “Just a name I pulled out of a hat.”

  “Hmm…” Thankfully, she seemed more concerned about her report than double checking his story. She continued to enter data into her computer and then leaned back, a satisfied smile on her face. “There. We’re now up one member. It’ll even give the impression that the pack is growing.”

  “Why isn’
t it? Growing that is?”

  “I told you. Infertility.” Sam didn’t even look his way, tapping a pen on her chin as she studied her duty roster.

  “I know, but what about recruiting new members? It seems to me that would be an easy fix to the number problem. And new members would add to your gene pool which would dilute the genetic flaw.”

  Sam stilled the pen tapping before beginning again. Something about that small pause had him narrowing his eyes and trying to read her body language. She was hesitating, seeming to choose her words carefully. “Grandfather is very selective in who he wants joining the pack.”

  “Selective? How so?”

  She shrugged. “You’ve met my grandfather. Not many measure up to his standards. He’s very demanding and set in his ways. It doesn’t make attracting new members easy.” Grimacing, she stood up. “I have to tell him about the message from OPATA. Wish me luck.”

  Kane climbed the stairs to his bedroom suite, humming under his breath. He’d finally made his move against Chicago. It could have happened sooner, but he’d wanted to make sure he had a sound case. Now that he’d played his cards, all he had to do was wait and see what response Sam Harper—Senior or Junior—came up with. It wouldn’t be much. They didn’t have a leg to stand on and he had plenty of ammunition to back his initial offensive, thanks to his own research and the additional information Damien had given him.

  Speaking of which, he hadn’t heard from Damien in a few days though his silence wasn’t a huge concern. The Chicago job was a safe assignment compared to some of the others the man had taken on over the years. Maybe he was actually relaxing a bit or, more likely, bickering with Sam Harper’s granddaughter. He chuckled picturing the two together. It would be good for Damien to have someone challenge him.

  “Elise!” He called out his mate’s name as he entered the bedroom, eager to share his news with her.

  She was crouched on the floor, Jacob seated on their bed in front of her. “Kane? Showing up in time for dinner? I thought you’d be holed up in your office for at least another three or four hours.” Her smile was tight and there was an edge to her voice.