CHAPTER TWELVE
Zander stretched across the table and took his shot. There was a loud, satisfying smack as the white ball connected with another. Straightening, he watched the second ball smoothly roll across the table and then tumble into a corner pocket. Zander’s mouth curved.
Derren tossed him an aggravated look, gripping his cue stick. “I hate playing pool with people better than me.”
Sitting on a high stool, watching the game, Ally snorted. “You’re such a sore loser.”
“I haven’t lost yet.”
They’d claimed the pool table in the far corner, which gave them the best view of the large space. It also allowed Zander to track Gwen’s movements as she worked. Watching her walk around in shorts and a tank top was distracting, to say the least. Still, he was kicking Derren’s ass at pool. But then she bent over to pick up a coaster from the floor, and Zander understandably missed his next shot—it was the black ball, to make matters worse. Derren was immature enough to smirk about it.
Zander propped his cue against the wall as he downed a gulp of his beer. Hearing Bracken curse, he looked to see that the wolf was finally abandoning the pinball machine. Good, because all its bleeping and blooping was getting on Zander’s damn nerves.
“What time is Gwen meeting Kenny tomorrow?” Ally asked.
“Midday,” replied Zander, voice unintentionally hard. He didn’t want Gwen anywhere near that son of a bitch, but he knew the meeting needed to go ahead. They’d arranged it a week ago during the call she’d received from Kenny, which had been the day after she’d gotten her warning from Geena. “I don’t like it.”
“You were the one who said Geena’s suggestion was a good one, remember.”
“Doesn’t mean I like that Gwen and Kenny will be in the same room together.”
Overhearing that, Bracken sighed as he reached them and said, “Yeah, I don’t like it either.”
“Hey, who is that guy that keeps staring at Gwen?” asked Ally. “Is he one of the Moores?”
Zander didn’t need to look to know whom she was talking about, because he’d already noticed. Placing his bottle on the tall, high table where the other drinks rested, Zander said, “No. That would be Aidan, Gwen’s old therapist.”
Ally sneered, no doubt remembering all he’d told his pack mates about the human. “Asshole,” she muttered.
“Yeah, he’s definitely that,” agreed Bracken.
“Clearly my warning to stay away from Gwen didn’t penetrate,” clipped Zander.
Careful not to knock the rack of pool cues, Bracken leaned against the wall. “Well, to be fair, he’s in a public place, and he’s on a date.”
“Sitting in Gwen’s section of the bar,” Zander pointed out. “He thinks that being in a public place means he’s safe.”
“Damn,” cursed Derren. “Your shot, Z.”
As he got a good look at the table, Zander understood Derren’s frustration. The wolf had managed to pot all balls but the black, and the white ball was lined up perfectly to hit it. Zander effortlessly sank the black and then leaned the cue against the table just as Gwen approached to take their empty glasses and bottles. That lush mouth kicked up into a smile as her eyes met his.
“Come here,” he growled. She did, and he pulled her close, splaying his hand possessively on her lower back. He kissed her, growling in satisfaction as her body fairly melted into his, fitting against him a little too perfectly. His wolf took in her scent, letting it drown out the distasteful smells of dry chalk and green felt.
Gwen smoothed her hand over the solid bulk of his shoulder. “Why are you so tense?”
“I don’t like that Aidan’s here.”
She shrugged, nonchalant. “He always comes here when he’s on dates.”
“Does he always sit in your section?”
“Yes. But if I ask him to move or for one of the other waitresses to switch with me, he’ll think he bothers me. He’ll get a kick out of it.” Gwen nipped his lip, smiling at his low growl. “Now let me go. I’ve gotta work.”
Zander put his mouth to her ear. “If we were alone right now, I’d have you flat on that pool table with my dick in you.” He snaked his hand under her tank top just to feel all that soft skin. “On second thought, it wouldn’t be so bad if Aidan was here. Then he could see me taking you. He’d get that you’re mine.”
She arched an imperious brow. “Yours?”
“Mine.” He stroked the mark on her neck with his thumb. “Another shifter would see this and understand exactly what it meant—that you’re off-limits, that you’re not to be touched, that there’s someone who’ll raise fresh hell if you’re harmed. But a human . . . they know what the mark is, but they don’t get the true extent of how serious it is. That makes me antsy.”
“Zander, I think the humans here know that you consider me taken, since you’re rubbing yourself all over me like a cat.”
“Again with the ‘comparing me to a cat’ thing,” he complained.
“You know what I mean.” Gwen straightened, pushing against his chest. “Now I really have to work. Be good.” Collecting the empty bottles and glasses, she said a quick “Hi” to the other wolves, took orders for more drinks, and then disappeared.
Ally twisted on her stool. “Now there’s a guy staring at you.”
Zander followed her gaze. A tall, burly male was studying him closely through narrowed eyes. “That’s Gwen’s future brother-in-law, Chase. He owns this place. From what I understand, he’s protective of her.”
“And part of you is offended by that,” Ally sensed. “You feel that protecting her is your job. There’s no point denying it, Zander. I can sense what you’re feeling.” She crossed one leg over the other. “I like Gwen. She’s good for you.”
Yeah, she was, but Zander wasn’t the heart-to-heart type, so he said nothing.
“She doesn’t have any emotional expectations of you. She doesn’t pressure you to open up. You needed that at first. It was the only way you were ever going to know that, really, you don’t want distance.”
What he really didn’t want was to have this conversation. It felt like he was being profiled. Made him feel exposed to know someone could read him so well. Gwen was good at reading him, but he didn’t mind that so much—it didn’t feel like an imposition, though it probably should have. So Zander concentrated on the game that Bracken and Derren were playing, hoping Ally would take the hint.
“Marlon’s told me a lot about her,” continued Ally, unfortunately. “Enough for me to realize that, like you, she doesn’t give much of herself to people. You both seem to back away from anyone who pushes. But you didn’t like that she backed off and gave you space, did you? You wanted her to push. You wanted to know her, and you wanted her to want to know you. Over time, she stopped backing off and dropped her guard a little. But the irony is that if she hadn’t given you space in the beginning, if she hadn’t fought to keep a distance from you, you might never have seen that you don’t want it because your defenses would have stayed up.”
Zander sighed. “Are we done with the amateur psychology?” He tried to sound bored, but they both knew she’d interpreted the situation too well for his liking.
“No. Now, as I said, neither of you give much of yourself to people. You both seem that way for different reasons, though. With you, it’s because you find it instinctively uncomfortable to connect with people, probably because the connections you had with your family, particularly with your twin—a person who should have been closest to you—were weak and, in Rory’s case, warped. I wouldn’t want to let people close either.” Ally propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “You confuse Gwen.”
That made him frown. And intrigued him, which was no doubt Ally’s intent. “Confuse her?”
“The level of attention you pay her. The possessiveness. The way you try to preempt what’s best for her. It baffles her. That’s how I realized that the reason she doesn’t give much of herself to people is that she doesn’t think they want it—and she definitely doesn’t trust that they’ll want to keep or protect her.”
That made sense, he thought. Gwen’s mother and stepfather were too wrapped up in their own drama to care about her. Her biological father hadn’t even acknowledged her.
“I think a big factor was that some of the boys who pursued her over the years were really just trying to get to her foster sister.”
He scowled. “Why?”
Ally pointed at him. “That right there is why you’re so confusing to her. She knows it’s not about looks for you. She doesn’t get what it is about. It’s not that she has a low sense of self-worth. She doesn’t. She’s confident, bold. She’s at ease with who she is; she just didn’t expect anyone else to be.”
“You said she doesn’t give much of herself to people, but she let Yvonne, Marlon, and Julie get close.”
“Ah, but have you noticed that she sort of mothers them?”
Thinking on that, Zander realized she was right. Gwen put them first, protected them, and was a rock to each of them. In a way, she’d fostered that family—not the other way around. “She’s strong for them. The dominant force of the family, really.”
Ally nodded. “You don’t need her strength, you don’t need a rock, and that makes you unfamiliar territory for Gwen. She’s not used to being around people who are as equally strong as she is. She doesn’t quite know how to deal with someone who’ll want her to rely on them. Everyone wants to know there’s someone they can rely on, even if they never intend to do it. She’s never had a rock. The idea of having one will be as alluring as it is scary.”
Because to rely on someone, you had to trust them, Zander thought, and trust was hard for Gwen. “Okay, Dr. Ally, I got a question for you.”
“Dr. Ally,” she echoed with a smile. “I like that.”
“She invested some trust in me. She’s let me in a little. She’s let me know her. But she still holds back. Why?”
“This confuses you?” Ally rolled her eyes. “We’re shifters, Zander. What are shifters most known for doing?”
He shrugged. “Mating.”
“Yes. We’re most known for having true mates and metaphysical bonds.”
“I already explained to Gwen that having a true mate doesn’t mean I’m spoken for unless I’ve bonded with them.”
“Which is likely the only reason she let you in her bed. But this is what she’ll be thinking: that once the Brandt situation is over, you’ll go back to your pack and she’ll never see you again—that this is a . . . holiday romance for you. If this is more, you need to make that clear to her.” Ally tilted her head. “Would your wolf fight you on it?”
“No. He adores her. It took a little while for him to warm up. At first, he backed away from her—practically hid from her. Little by little, he closed the distance he kept from her, though still not all the way. Gwen thinks he’s weird with women because he’s not interested in any female but his true mate. I don’t know. In any case, she won him over.”
Ally gaped at him. “Good God, Zander, you’re lucky you’re hot.”
“What?”
She plonked down her glass and leaned across the table. “Maybe it’s because you’re too close to the situation, I don’t know, but you’re missing some things here. Right, let’s imagine that there’s this wolf. He’s strong. Fierce. Hard. Wounded, though. He was shot a couple of times. He recovered, but he has scars. Now, he’s not afraid of guns as a result—no, he’s too brave for that. But he is wary of them, so if he sees one around, he’s going to be on his guard in case the damn thing goes off. Now, your wolf wasn’t shot, but he is wounded. What wounded him, Zander?”
He frowned. “The people who were important to him.”
“Right. So let’s say your wolf comes across someone else who’s important to him—maybe the person that’s the most important of all. How the hell do you think he’ll react?”
“He’d be wary.” Zander swore as realization slapped him right over the head. His mouth went slack, and his whole body stilled in shock. Hell, even his heart seemed to stop—then it was pounding in his chest like a drumbeat.
His wolf did a sheepish, metaphorical shrug. The beast had known Gwen Miller was their mate from minute one; he’d simply been too wary of having a mate to accept it—even now, the wolf was still slightly wary.
Zander gave a slow, incredulous shake of the head and almost laughed. Not with euphoria, but at his own stupidity. He should have known. He snapped his gaping mouth shut and drew in a breath through his nose. “Why didn’t I see it?”
Ally’s smile was sympathy itself. “Maybe because your wolf isn’t the only one who’s wounded. Maybe you’re wary of finding your mate too. Who isn’t? A mate will want everything from you. But not to take and keep those pieces of you, Zander. To protect them, to love them. She’s the one person who’ll make everything worth it for you.”
He stood there, reeling as several emotions overwhelmed him. Astonishment. Disbelief. Satisfaction. Pride that the female heading toward them belonged to him. He carefully masked his expression as she neared, keeping his smile hidden. Still, she saw something on his face that made her frown. He bit down on a smile of pride—his mate was incredibly observant.
Gwen set their drinks on the table as she asked, “You okay?”
“Fine.” His world had been rocked, of course, but in a good way. Zander drew her close, drinking in every little detail of her face, quietly savoring the knowledge of what she was to him. “I’ll be even better when your shift is over and I can get you home.”
“Not long to go.”
As Gwen walked away, he said to Ally, “I have no idea how to tell her that I believe she’s my mate. She’s not a shifter; she wasn’t raised knowing that she’d one day be mated. She won’t be prepared for it or for how much the mating bond will demand of her.”
Ally gave him an understanding smile. “Yeah, it will come as kind of a shock. This isn’t going to be easy. I don’t envy you having to explain it to her.”
“And if she were to ask me to confirm that she was, without question, my true mate, I wouldn’t be able to prove it until we felt the pull of the mating bond. I don’t know if my belief that she’s my mate would be enough for her. Not when she still holds back from me.”
“She only holds back because she doesn’t realize this is serious for you.”
Zander ground his teeth. “I marked her. I told her that she’s mine.”
Ally snorted. “Everyone knows shifters are territorial over pretty much everything, even over what we consider temporarily ours. Unless you’ve told Gwen in no uncertain terms that you want something long term with her, she’s unlikely to be aware of it.”
Well, no, he hadn’t been clear about it. He was regretting that now. “There’s so much shit going on around her. The question is . . . if I tell her she’s my mate, will it make her happy, or will it make her feel like yet more stuff is being piled on her?”
“I don’t know.” Expression thoughtful, Ally worried her bottom lip. “Look, I know this will be hard on you, but maybe . . .”
“What?”
“Maybe it would be best to keep the true-mate thing to yourself for now. Tell her this is serious for you. Make her believe it. Let her see that she’s important to you. If she’s secure in what you feel for her, she’s more likely to accept that you’re mates than if you simply blurt it out at a time when she’s still unsure what’s going on between you.”
Zander scrubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing Ally was right but not liking it because . . . “Not telling her, resisting the urge to claim her, will be extremely difficult for me and my wolf.”
“Yes, but with all this crap going on, she needs something good in her life right now. At the moment, that’s you. Keep being that good thing that’s distracting her from the bad. Keep being the person she can relax with. When she’s ready to hear it, you’ll know.
“You’ve already lured her to you, Zander. Now you just need to keep her with you. Use everything you have in your arsenal, including your pack mates. We’ll be behind you on this. If she’s yours, she’s also ours.” She patted his arm. “Congrats. Your days as a bachelor are long gone.”
“Why are they long gone?” asked Bracken as he and Derren joined them.
Zander told them his belief that Gwen was his mate. All the while, he kept his eyes locked on the source of his current emotional mayhem, letting the knowledge that she was his mate sink in and fill him up.
“Makes sense.” Bracken took a swig of his beer. “Just because you can’t feel the pull of the bond doesn’t mean it isn’t there, Z.”
Derren nodded. “It just means something’s blocking it, and that could be any number of things. Do you think she’ll react well to being part of a pack?”
Ally drummed her fingers on the table. “According to Marlon, when Gwen was a kid, she used to wish that she was part of the pack that occupied the land near the trailer park where she lived.”
“Marlon really does like to chat,” mused Zander.
Ally shrugged. “He wants her happy. He thinks you could make her happy. Anyway, my point is that I think it would help if we all sort of embrace her and make her feel like she’s one of us, which she is—though she doesn’t know it yet. If she can associate our pack with safety and security, she’s less likely to freak out when she realizes she will be part of it.”
“I’m not so sure Nick will be happy to embrace her,” said Zander. Before he’d left pack territory after their brief visit, Nick had pulled him aside to talk about Gwen.
“I have it on good authority that Gwen’s not a threat to the pack—if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have let her in the same house as my mate and daughter. Derren won’t tell me why she can be trusted, only that it wasn’t his secret to tell. I don’t like that, but I respect it. Still, I’m hoping that you’ll tell me at some point, because it has to have been something big for her to have won over four of my wolves, especially Derren—he’s almost as jaded as you are.”
“It’s not my secret to tell either,” said Zander. “It’s hers. I won’t break a promise. I gave her my word, and that means something to me.”
Nick lifted a brow. “And the fact that I’m your Alpha doesn’t?”
“Why don’t you just say what you really want to say instead of asking probing questions.”
“All right. You’ve marked her. Earlier, you glared at us all like you’d gut us open if we did a single thing to upset her. This isn’t some casual thing for you, especially if her feelings come before our concerns. So, I have to ask myself if this means you now have divided loyalties. She already has you keeping secrets from me for her, so you can’t say my concerns aren’t valid.”
“If Shaya asked you to keep something quiet from the pack, would you?”
“Yes . . . but Shay’s my mate, Zander. Gwen Miller is just someone you marked. Unless there’s something else you’re not telling me?”
Zander gave a quick, sharp shake of the head. “She’s not just someone I marked. She matters to me. Do I have divided loyalties? Depends on what it is you’ll ask me to do.”
“And if I asked you to stay home, to send Eli to Oregon in your place, would you?”
“No. I promised her that I’d see this whole thing through with her to the end.”
“Something you shouldn’t have done, since you initially agreed over the phone that if I asked you to come home, you would.”
“Bracken agreed,” Zander corrected. “I didn’t.”
Nick thought about it for a moment and then shot him a glare. “You’re a sneaky fucker, Zander.” Then he sighed. “Go. Keep me updated. It was good to see you.”
Zander snapped out of the memory and said, “The one thing Nick didn’t want was this shit making its way to the pack. If Gwen’s one of us, her shit becomes our shit.”
“It’s not ideal that your mate has trouble dogging her heels,” said Derren. “But that doesn’t mean Nick won’t want her to be one of us. Harley had trouble with extremists, but he didn’t ask her to leave—he knew Jesse wanted her as his mate, and that was enough for Nick. Hey, don’t worry so much about that. Concentrate on Gwen.”
Like Zander could do anything else. As the hours went on, he kept watch on her. Now that he knew she was his mate, it was as if he was looking at her through a different lens. A lens that wasn’t clouded by uncertainties, mistrust, or a need to guard himself. He saw her so clearly.
She was no longer someone who simply mattered to him, no longer someone he simply felt possessive and protective of. She was more. She was everything. And that knowledge seemed to take down every defense he had. It wasn’t that his walls were gone. No, but she was inside them now. Safe and close to him. Closer than anyone else had ever been.
It was hard to stand there and do nothing, to act as though his life hadn’t just been upended. His muscles fairly quivered with the effort to remain where he was instead of following the primal urge to cross to Gwen and claim her. Soon. He’d claim her soon. It had to be at a time when it was right for both of them.
Later, shortly before her shift ended, Zander turned to Derren. “Watch over Gwen for me while I use the bathroom.”
It was as he was washing his hands in the restrooms that Chase entered, the smells of greasy food and cigarette smoke clinging to his clothing. Zander turned to face him, meeting his gaze head-on. The bold stare pissed Zander off, but he didn’t want to hurt the man who would soon be his brother-in-law.
Chase crossed his arms over his chest. “I could start this by casually introducing myself, asking your name, and then subtly quizzing you while also doing my best to look all intimidating. But I don’t play games. I know who you are. I’m pretty sure you know who I am. I’m also pretty sure you know what brought me over here.”
Zander liked his directness. “Gwen.”
“Gwen,” confirmed Chase. “If you know who she is to me, to my fiancée, you know exactly why I’d be concerned about her.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
Chase snorted. “I doubt you even could. Gwen’s an emotional badass. It’s more likely that she’ll hurt you.”
Zander couldn’t even argue that.
“No, what worries me is that you marked her. I may not understand all the ways of shifters, but I do know that branding someone is no small thing. Does she know that?”
“You’re insulting Gwen’s intelligence by asking that question.”
Chase made a sound of impatience. “Gwen isn’t a person who lets people mark her as theirs in any sense of the word. She runs a mile from possessiveness. Did you play it down and tell her it was a hickey?”
“Why don’t you ask Gwen these questions? Probably because she’d tell you to mind your own business. Tell me why I shouldn’t say the same thing.”
His jaw hardened. “She’s practically my sister-in-law. I look out for her.”
“Yeah? If you’re so protective of Gwen, why haven’t you thrown Aidan out?”
“Because you’re here, and I knew you were involved with her. I figured it would be a good thing for him to see her with someone. Then maybe he’ll let her go. At some point, I will punch him in the dick. For now, I’ll teach him the same lesson you’re teaching him.”
That Gwen was taken. “If you don’t have an issue with Gwen being with me, why does the mark bother you so much?”
“Because the Gwen I know would never say she belonged to anyone but herself.”
“Then I guess you don’t know her as well as you thought. You made assumptions based on how she acted with her past partners. I’m not them.” Zander strode past him, heading right for the door. As he was leaving, he heard Chase’s voice behind him.
“I hope that’s true, because those were all assholes. She doesn’t need another asshole.”
Speaking of assholes . . . the moment Zander stepped out of the restrooms, he saw Aidan making a beeline for Gwen near the bar. Son of a bitch.
“Do you not like breathing? Is that what this is?” asked Gwen. Why else would Aiden try talking to her when four shifters would happily take him down for even sharing her air? Gwen didn’t fail to notice Zander signaling for the others to hang back, gesturing that he’d deal with it. “Really, Aidan, you should go.”
“I saw the bite,” Aidan clipped.
Yeah, it had gotten a lot of people’s attention. The other waitresses fairly swooned at the sight of it. Chase had glowered like she’d petitioned to cancel Christmas. And now Aidan was staring at it, face scrunched up in revulsion. But she sensed that the revulsion wasn’t born of any antipathy toward shifters. No, the glitter of bitterness in his eyes told her he just didn’t like what the mark represented—essentially, that she was no longer single.
“Are you mated to him now?”
“Aidan, do you honestly think it’s a good idea to confront me like this while Zander can see? I’d say use your brain, but, well, that’s a little like telling Colt to find his balls—utterly pointless.”
“Unless he’s taken you as his mate, you’re nothing to him but a body he doesn’t want to share. Like a kid with a new toy. Is that what you want? To be his toy?”
She smiled wickedly. “Oh yeah.” It was certainly fun.
Aidan’s lips thinned. “This isn’t a joke, Gwen. You think I’m wrong? That he’ll stay with you? Are you really that naive?”
She snorted softly. “Apparently not as naive as your parents since they didn’t use a condom. Aidan, seriously, just back the fuck off and go back to your date—this isn’t fair to her.” But he didn’t, and it was too late anyway because two arms curled around her from behind and held her gently but possessively.
Zander nuzzled her. “How’s my baby doing?”
“Fine,” she assured him, knowing he was pissed despite how carefully he handled her.
Releasing her, Zander then edged around her—placing himself in front of her like a barrier, forcing Aidan to back up. “Didn’t I warn you to stay away from Gwen?”
Aidan spluttered. “You can’t stop me from talking to someone.”
“Really? Let’s take a walk.”
“Yeah, a walk sounds good.”
Gwen almost jumped at Bracken’s voice. She hadn’t even realized he was behind her until he spoke. He followed Zander, who fisted Aidan’s collar and dragged him out the door.
She stood there, torn over whether to follow and be sure they didn’t kill Aidan. Not that his life meant anything to her, but being an asshole wasn’t a reason to die. Still, if she did anything to defend Aidan, he’d see it as a green light to keep badgering her. Maybe she should just let him learn his lesson the hard way.
Decision made, she headed into the kitchen. Damn, it was hot, despite that they’d stopped serving food, since it was near closing time. As per usual, she helped the staff clean up and carried the garbage bags outside into the side alley. She tossed the first bag in the dumpster, then the next, and was just about to toss the third, when she heard the slight scuff of a shoe.
Whirling, she dropped the garbage bag . . . and then sagged in relief as she saw it was Zander. She frowned, opening her mouth to ask why he’d gone down the alley instead of just reentering the building through the front door. But then he smiled, and Gwen tensed. Zander didn’t smile. Not like that. His mouth curved and quirked, but never spread into a huge toothy smile. He also didn’t wax his eyebrows or slick back his hair. And then she noticed his clothing was now different. Which could mean only one thing.
She was about to say, “You must be Rory.” But the guy that Zander had described would love to know that Zander talked about him. So, instead, she frowned. “For a minute there, I thought you were someone I know. I’m guessing you’re related to Zander Devlin.”
His smile faltered. “I’m his brother Rory.”
“Damn, I can’t believe he never mentioned he had an identical twin. Does he know you’re here?”
“No, I was hoping to surprise him.”
Yeah, she was just betting he was. She wondered if he’d been hanging outside the front of the building but scampered down the alley when Zander hauled Aidan outside. If so, it was most likely pure chance that he’d managed to confront her here.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you.” Her pulse jumped as Rory began to advance on her. Keeping her eyes on him, she leaned down to grab the bag, discreetly slipping her other hand into the pocket of her shorts to feel for her switchblade.
“You’re not my brother’s usual type. Far from it. But I can see why he’s trying a new flavor.”
Flavor? What was she, ice cream? She smiled, as if flattered. “Aw, thank you. You should go on inside and talk to him. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”
“No, I don’t think he would.” Rory tilted his head. “And I think you know that.” In a flash, he was right in front of her, both hands gripping her hips—and one of those hands had clearly unsheathed its claws, because the razor-sharp blades dug into her side threateningly. “Walk with me.”
She snickered. “God, you’re dumb.”
“Excuse me?” He froze. Well, of course he did. What sane man would move when someone was pressing the tip of a switchblade against their ball sack?
“I suggest you sheathe those claws, Scooby.”
Nostrils flaring, he bared his teeth. “And I suggest you drop that fucking knife.” He dug his claws tight enough to break her skin.
Hissing at the sting, she pricked his ball sack with her blade. He inhaled sharply, clamping his lips tight. “You should really let me go, Rory. I get nervous when I’m threatened, and nerves make my hands twitch. I don’t think you want me feeling nervous right now.”
He lowered his arms with a harsh curse. “Drop the knife.”
“Hands up first. Call me weird, but I don’t trust that you won’t—”
His eyes snapped toward the door and widened a little, and she got the feeling he heard something that she didn’t. He leaped backward so fast it took her breath away. He backhanded her, sending her crashing into the dumpster. Her head hit the metal so hard she was surprised she didn’t hear something crack. He fled like hell’s army was on his heels.
“Bastard.” She struggled to her feet, dazed and pissed off.
The door swung open, and Zander came rushing out with the other wolves behind him.
She pointed down the alley in time to see Rory disappear. “That way! The motherfucker went that way!”
If she hadn’t swayed, making his stomach bottom out, Zander would have joined the others in pursuing his twisted brother. Instead, he grabbed his mate by her elbows, steadying her. “Gwen, baby, where did he hurt you?” His voice shook with barely contained fury and a need to hurt. But she came first.
“I’m okay. Really. Banged my head, though.” She prodded the back of her skull and winced. “Gonna have a goose egg for sure.”
He growled, gently probing the area she’d touched. “I can smell your blood.” There was only a hint of it in the air, but it was enough to send yet more rage coursing through him. His wolf paced within him, growling and snarling.
“Oh yeah, he pricked my side with his claws.” She peeled up her shirt and saw small, shallow puncture marks—blood had seeped to the surface, but it wasn’t pouring down her side or anything. “Your eyes just flashed wolf.”
“My beast is pissed right now,” Zander told her. “He wants to hunt and kill the fucker responsible.”
“It was Rory,” she said quietly, hating that the knowledge might hurt him.
Zander tore a strip off the bottom of his shirt and pressed it against the punctures even though the wounds weren’t bad. “I know,” he rumbled. He took a long breath, seeking a calm he knew he wouldn’t find for at least a few hours. Gwen didn’t need his rage right then. “Ally had what she calls a flash-vision. Most of the time, her visions are at least a couple of minutes long. But occasionally she just sees a single flash of the future—like a photograph. She saw him putting you in a car.”
“We didn’t get to that part.” Ally sure was handy to have around.
Zander clasped her nape, vowing, “I’ll kill him. When they bring him to me, I’ll kill him.” Slowly. Mercilessly.
Gwen saw the Mercury wolves returning. “Not sure you’re gonna get the chance.” Because Rory wasn’t with them.
As Zander turned to them, Derren said, “The asshole sped off in his car before we could get to him. No point trying to chase him—he has too much of a head start, so he’d easily lose us.”
“Trying to snatch me was a half-assed plan,” said Gwen as Ally came to her and laid a healing hand over the punctures on her side.
“It was a test,” Bracken corrected. He looked at Zander. “It was a test to see if you’d be upset if something happened to her. You remember the threat he made.”
Derren frowned. “What threat?”
“Yeah, what threat?” asked Gwen.
Bracken explained, “When Zander refused to give Rory any of his inheritance, Rory said, ‘If you don’t give me what’s mine, I’ll take from you what’s yours.’”
And Gwen was definitely his, thought Zander. He doubted that Rory had any clue that Gwen was his mate, but he was clearly aware that she was someone to him. “Do you think he followed us to Oregon? He could have been lingering around our territory, saw us leave, and then followed.”
“It’s possible,” said Bracken. “Or maybe he’s here to see the attorney—Rory wanted to contest the will, right? I doubt he could. He’s probably just hoping that if he bothers you with legal shit, you’ll give in just to get him off your back. But he could have come to see the attorney, spotted us somewhere around town, seen you with Gwen, and then waited for a chance to test you.”
Zander wasn’t sure. Right then, while the scent of Gwen’s blood tainted the air, he couldn’t think straight. He only knew one thing . . . “Rory won’t get to you again,” he promised her. “I’ll find him.”
Shaking her head, Gwen fisted his shirt. “If you go hunting him, it will divide your resources.”
“You think I should let this go?” he asked, voice soft and filled with disbelief.
“Yeah, I do. Bracken said it was a test. If you don’t go after him, he’ll think this didn’t affect you that much. It isn’t all that different from me pretending to cower over the Brandt thing—which is something I’ll have to do tomorrow when I meet with Kenny. If I can do that, you can do this.”
The problem was . . . Zander wasn’t sure if he really could. “Maybe I should take you to my pack’s territory. You could stay there.” Where she’d be safe and he wouldn’t have to smell her fucking blood every five minutes.
“And that isn’t all that different from me going to a safe house.” Gwen lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving here.”
Zander planted his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. You matter to me, Gwen. You don’t see that, I know, but it’s true. I have to know you’re safe and protected.”
“Yeah? Then pretend you don’t give a shit what Rory did. That’s what will protect me from him.”
Derren sighed. “I hate that she’s right, but she is. He’ll get what’s coming to him, Zander. He won’t get away with this. Not in the long run. We just have to be choosy about when we strike. Besides, one thing we can be sure he’ll do is come back—he’s intent on fucking with you. But now we know to keep an eye out for him. He won’t touch her again.”
Sensing that Zander wasn’t even close to calming, Gwen leaned into him and slid her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek on his chest, she said, “I really want to go home. Can we make that happen?”
Fighting to keep his touch gentle, Zander brushed her bangs away from her face. “Yeah. We can make that happen.”