The tingling awareness of her presence faded as Janine moved from the doorway of the game room. He’d known she watched him. Felt her eyes on him the moment she appeared and missed her gaze when she left.

It took him gripping the wheels of his chair not to chase after her. Having her out of his line of sight didn’t sit well, and not just because of all the people roaming around. Earlier, when they’d first arrived, he’d also hated sending her off into the kitchen with her mother. Then again, it was probably a good thing Red didn’t stay because the first thing Derrick tried to do was get her out of his life.

“I want a new shrink.”

On his way to a bar, fetching a drink of something with a fiery kick, Orson paused. “Is there a problem with my daughter?”

“No.”

“Then why the request?” The council member uncorked a decanter and poured some amber liquid into glasses. He handed one to Derrick before taking a seat on the couch. “Do you want her removed because she’s a woman?”

Her being a woman definitely constituted a large part of the problem. Because she’s my woman. “I just don’t think it’s working out with her. I want someone else.” No, he didn’t. She was the only one for him, hence the reason why he had to get her far, far away. He didn’t plan on telling Orson that tidbit.

Glass raised to his lips, Orson closed his eyes and inhaled. “I love the smell of a fine brandy. As a shifter, it’s funny how much our sense of smell tells us. It lets us know if something is edible. If someone is a shifter. If”—he opened his eyes and fixed Derrick with a cold gaze—“someone is lying.”

“I’m not lying about wanting her gone.”

“No. I can see you want her out of your life, and rather desperately too. Care to explain why? Or should I guess?”

A grimace pulled Derrick’s lips. “She’s not safe around me.”

“Not safe? Are you saying you’d harm her?”

“Never.”

“Then you’d better explain yourself.”

There were times a man could lie, to himself, to others, but here and now, with so much on the line, Derrick couldn’t. He let out a sigh. “She’s my mate, which is obviously not a good thing.”

“Why not?”

Derrick couldn’t help but shoot an incredulous look at the man before him. “Why not? You really have to ask?” He slammed a fist down on his dead meat snakes. “This is why.”

“Are you saying my daughter is too shallow to accept you as you are?”

“No, of course not.”

“Are you suicidal?”

“No, so if you’re implying I would kill myself like her father did, then you can shove it. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Then you think you might lose control of your beast and hurt her.”

“I would never harm her. Never!” Anger burned within, but it was his wolf that took the most savage exception. “Janine is bright and beautiful and caring. She deserves better than being saddled with a cripple who can’t be a true mate to her. Who can never give her children. Or dance with her at a wedding.”

“Shouldn’t Janine be the one to make that choice?”

More was said after that, but those were the words that stuck with Derrick. The problem he struggled with most revolved around his fear if he did let her make that choice. From the moment he’d met her, he’d fought the urge to claim her. The more he got to know her, the harder it got. He kept telling himself the reason he pushed her away was for her own good but…

I’m scared. Scared that she would reject him.

If he had two legs, and a cock that didn’t dangle uselessly, he would have kicked that fear to the curb, tossed Red over a shoulder, and taken her to bed until she belonged to him body, soul, and heart. But he couldn’t claim her. Couldn’t woo her the way he wanted to.

And he couldn’t seem to get her out of his life. Orson refused to remove her as his doctor, citing, “I think she’s your only chance at getting better.”

Or she’d be the reason he threw himself into madness.

Knowing he couldn’t seem to stem his feelings toward her led to him avoiding her as the party commenced—the only option left to him since Orson concluded Derrick wasn’t a menace in need of a bullet to the brain. Or, as Orson said, “You’re not Old Yeller, so stop fucking asking. You lost the use of your legs and cock, but you still have a brain, so use it.”

Yeah, Derrick did have a brain, and it advised steering clear of Janine, a great plan until he noted her whipping past the door of the billiards room, looking mad, and yet it was the man following her with determination that sent him wheeling out to follow.

The home truly appeared as opulent inside as out, but with a casual comfort he could appreciate. Straight lines, relatively uncluttered rooms and halls. He took in those details as he wheeled down the hall, following the faintest hint of her scent.

At the edge of the patio doors leading outside, he paused. The doors gaped open, letting the cooler evening air waft into the house, along with the smell of flowers in bloom. It wasn’t the only thing he scented.

A deep inhalation and a sifting of flavors let him know Janine had passed through here, along with someone else. He hesitated to follow. It was none of his business what Janine did in the garden. That didn’t stop him from listening to the voices raised in argument.

“I told you to leave,” Janine said, her words terse.

“But I just got here. I thought you’d be happy to see me.” The male reply held an undertone of whining.

I hate whiners. We should tear off his head.

“We broke up, Brian.”

Broke up as in they’d once dated? Now he totally wanted to rip someone to shreds.

The male scoffed. “Nonsense. We were on a break.”

It hadn’t worked for Ross, and it certainly didn’t work for this Brian dude.

“Stop imagining something that isn’t there. We are over. As in I don’t want to see you. As in leave my parents’ house. Now.”

“Or else what?” the guy called Brian asked with evident mockery. “You’re a human. It’s not as if you can toss me out.”

“No, but I can,” Derrick growled, not content to eavesdrop in the shadows. He wheeled through the doors and made his presence known. “You heard Janine. Time for you to leave.”

The blond-haired fellow spun away from Janine and arched a brow at Derrick. “Do you fucking mind? This is a private conversation. So why not take your buggy and go bother someone else?”

Red rage. Red rage. He could feel his temper rising, and with it came the wolf. He tightened his grip on the wheels of his chair.

“It’s okay, Derrick.” The soft green of Red’s gaze met his. It somewhat dampened the anger. “I can handle this.” She turned her gaze from Derrick to Brian. “Don’t make this ugly. I want you to leave. We are not a couple anymore, Brian. We never will be. It’s time for you to accept that and stop with the calls and texts.”

“I just wanted to talk.”

“Demanding to know where I am and then getting mad is not wanting to talk. It’s you being a control freak, the same reason why we broke up.”

Listening, Derrick clued in on one key fact. “Has this douche nozzle been harassing you?”

That got Brian’s attention. “What did you call me?” He bristled, widening his chest and adopting an aggressive posture.

On the other hand, Derrick relaxed and smiled. “I called you a douche nozzle who needs to get his ass out of here now.”

“Or else what?” An ugly sneer pulled at Janine’s ex-boyfriend’s lips. “What are you going to do, cripple?”

The red rage returned at the insult. “Get a little closer and I’ll fucking show you,” Derrick snarled. He might not be able to stand, but let him get a hold of the bastard and he’d let him talk to his fist.

“You want me, come get me.” With that taunt, Brian retreated a few paces and beckoned him with his fingers.

Back in the day, Derrick would have dove on the guy and beat the shit out of him. As it was, he gripped his wheels, ready to roll into action, only to have a woman, half his fucking size, step in to protect him, emasculating him even further. “What is wrong with you threatening a war vet? You’re sick, and I’ve had enough, Brian. You’re not welcome here. So leave before I call Orson.”

“You wouldn’t dare, not during his anniversary party for your mother.”

“Wouldn’t I?” She crossed her arms and tilted her head. “What do you think he’d say if he knew you were bothering me? Or should I say, what do you think he’d do?”

Apparently, Brian had a pretty damned good idea of what would happen. Anger flashed in the other man’s eyes. “I’ll leave since you’re obviously on your period or something, given how crabby you are. But we’re not done, Janine. Not by a long shot.”

“Yes, you are done. You are not to contact her again or even look in her direction. She’s off-limits.” Derrick shouldn’t have growled the words, especially given their possessive nature. The other man, a feline shifter, even if one on the lower end of the food chain, couldn’t help but catch the nuance.

“Oh ho, the plot thickens. Don’t tell me this cripple is your new boyfriend.” Brian laughed, the derision clear. “I see I have nothing to worry about. It’s not as if this gimp can replace me in bed.”

The reminder of his impotence stung, but what shocked Derrick most was Janine sliding back to stand at his side so she could cup a hand around the nape of his neck. “There’s more than one way to give a woman pleasure. When it comes to satisfaction, Derrick is more of a man than you’ll ever be.”

The retort only served to bring ruddy color to Brian’s face. “Why you fucking sl—” Brian might have said more if Orson hadn’t bellowed from the doorway.

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you. Get your ass out of here, Brian, before I forget who your father is!”

Apparently, Brian’s belligerent courage worked only for men in wheelchairs. Against real predators, he fled, but not without tossing a dark look back at Janine and mouthing, “This isn’t over.”

Perhaps it was the threat to Janine that did it. Or the fact that the douche nozzle had once laid hands on her. Whatever the reason, all Derrick knew was, when he finally fell asleep on the sofa in the den, his bed for the night, not a cuff in sight, the nightmare came with a new participant.

And when Red began to scream in his dream, he snapped.