Chapter 3

Nova pulled up to Amara’s quaint little house a little before six o’clock. He’d expected to wait for a while since he was early, so he was surprised to find her waiting for him on the front porch.

She wore a long-sleeved, black dress that swept all the way to the floor. One thin line of brass buttons ran the length of the dress down the center, and her thick, dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Though he was sure she had heard him pull up, it was clear that she was too lost in thought to notice. If she had been a wolf, he would have said she was gazing up at the moon. Who knows? Maybe she was anyway, even though that particular celestial body was obscured by clouds.

Getting out of his truck, he slowly and quietly padded his way up the porch steps to where she was leaning against the railing staring out at the sky. Nova wrapped his arms around Amara’s waist and pulled her close, inhaling the sharp scent of her soap and the light floral scent of her skin. Even without his heightened senses, her very essence would have been intoxicating.

“Hey, there, beautiful,” he said by way of greeting, pressing a kiss to her temple. Smiling, she tilted her head back and leaned against his chest. Her answering murmur came out more like a purr. Tipping her chin up with the tip of his finger, he covered her mouth with his. It was just a soft brush of lips at first, just a simple hello. But when he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth, the touch became passionate and hungry. Soon, his broad hands were gripping her waist, pulling her tight against him. He could feel himself get hard just from being so close to her.

Never, in his entire life, had one woman had such an effect on him. And he was never letting this one get away.

“Are you sure we have to leave now?” Amara wanted to know. Her breath was a soft caress against his cheek. Her teeth lightly grazed his ear lobe, sending shivers down her spine. Reaching up and back, she wrapped an arm around his neck, effectively locking them together in their embrace.

More than anything, Nova wished he could whisk her inside and take her right there against the door. Or on the table. Or maybe even just there where they stood on the porch. But if they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, they needed to climb over the obstacles the Pack had placed before them, the first of which began in less than an hour.

“I’m sorry, love,” he told her, nuzzling her neck. “We’re on a schedule tonight. But I’ll make it up to you later.” Nova gently nipped her shoulder. “I promise.”

It was like all the heat just went out of her. With a heavy sigh, Amara went slack against him, her eyes once more clouded with tension and worry.

“What is it?” he asked. Amara shook her head, but he could tell something was wrong. “Amara. Tell me. Please.”

“Are you sure Kal’s locked up?” she asked. Her voice was small and tight, which was unusual. All of her normal confidence was gone. “There’s no way he can get out?”

“None. He’s under lock and key. There are guards posted inside and out of that building during all hours of the day. Kal Vann is not getting out of there alive. You have my word.”

“You’re going to kill him?”

A single line creased Nova’s forehead between his brows. Were they going to kill him? Probably not. Nemoy was hoping to use Vann as a bargaining chip to gain peace between the two clans. It was slow going, to be sure. Apparently, Callahan Vann wasn’t as interested in his son’s safety as his son would have had them believe. It was a shame, too. Both Clans could use some peace. The humans were getting antsy. Amara had told him last week they were trying to get the hunting parties set up again. She was holding them back as long as she could, but it was still happening. And it was all Kal’s fault. So yes, Nova would like nothing more than to rip out his nemesis’s throat, but what he said was, “He will need to face the Tribunal. It’s a panel of Alpha’s from four different Clans throughout the region. They will try him and sentence him how they see fit.”

For a moment, she was quiet, staring up at the sky with a hardened expression. She ran her fingers over the lump of scars at her collar bone. “I hope they give him the fate he deserves. I hope they sentence him to death.”

Her proclamation of damnation chilled Nova to the bone. Had she always had this much hatred towards Kal? Or had it built up over the years, culminating into what it had now become after Kal had held Sadie hostage and threatened to rip out her throat right in front of them just a month ago?

Nova squeezed her tightly. “I’m sure justice will be served.” Running his hands down her arms, he linked his fingers with hers. “Come on, gorgeous. They’re waiting for us.”

The drive to the compound where Nova lived only took about twenty minutes. Amara was silent and distant the entire time which was incredibly unnerving to him. She was never this preoccupied around him. In fact, usually he couldn’t get her to shut up. Was Kal’s fate the only thing worrying her, or was there something else? “Amara?” Taking her hand, he pressed her fingers to his lips, kissing them lightly. “What’s bothering you? And don’t just shake your head at me. I know you. I know when something’s up. So, what is it? Did something happen at the station?”

He watched her face for any sign of change, and what he saw incited such a fierce surge of protection toward her that he almost scared himself. Fear clouded Amara’s features and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was more than just Kal Vann that was bothering her.

“He called me last night,” she said. Her voice trembled, and it was barely louder than a whisper. “He called my house.”

Nova frowned. “Who called?”

“Whoever has been leaving me flowers. He called me in the middle of the night, but he didn’t say anything.” Her fingers shook in his. “I could hear him breathing on the other end of the line.” She turned to look with him, her eyes wide. “Nova, he knows my home number. I’m unlisted. How much does this guy know about me?”

A fury almost worse than he had ever felt washed over him as he looked at her. He rubbed her fingers with his, trying to console her, but inside, his emotions were boiling. This man, whoever he was, was terrorizing her. He was using those scare tactics to break her confidence and damn it, it was working. “I’ll increase the patrol around your house,” he told her. “I’ll make sure there is someone stationed outside, keeping watch around the clock. You will never be alone.”

“Nova,” she let her hand caress his arm. “I don’t want that, either. I don’t want a babysitter. I just want to live my life. I don’t want any of these wolf battles. I don’t want the politics. I just want a simple, normal life. You finally have Kal in custody. After ten years of looking over my shoulder, wondering if that wretched wolf was going to come back and finish the job he started that night, I finally have some peace. I can finally sleep at night without wondering if he’s going to be waiting for me when I go outside. I can walk home without feeling as if I’m being followed. At least, I should have been able to.

“Now there’s this guy that’s actually stalking me. And what scares me even more is that I don’t think he’s a wolf. This isn’t a dispute over territory. It isn’t a vendetta. Whoever this is, he’s human. I can feel it. And I’m starting to wonder if he’s dangerous.”

Helpless, Nova scrubbed a hand over his face. “What do you want me to do, Amara? How can I help you if you won’t let me?” He had never felt so incapable in his life. How did you stop a human stalker from making your home feel unsafe? There was no way in hell she would let him move her to the compound full time again. It was one thing to become integrated with the Pack on a regular basis, but it was another to be separated from humans entirely. She’d had a hard enough time the first time he had isolated her for her own safety. He wasn’t about to do it again, even if every fiber of his being was screaming for him to do so. “What do you want me to do?” he asked again.

Turning to him, she shook her head, one lone tear sliding down her cheek. “That’s the problem, Nova. I don’t know.”