Chapter 8
“What do you mean, she doesn’t know?” Kane ran his hands through his hair, not pleased with what he’d just learned.
It was exactly one week after the Council had presented him with the idea of taking a mate. His own secret obsession with the girl and his wolf’s prodding had made him agree to a meeting while not committing to anything. Now he stood in Alpha Robinson’s office and, after an hour of negotiations, he’d just discovered this girl, Elise, had no idea of what was in the works.
“There’s no point in getting her hopes up if we decide the alliance isn’t favourable, is there?” One of the Elders explained.
He scowled, not liking the air of subterfuge.
“Elise is young. Her head’s in the clouds.” Her father waved his hand negligently. “Being an Alpha’s mate is every young girl’s dream.”
Kane eyed the man. He seemed old to have a daughter so young, his hair liberally sprinkled with grey, lines around his eyes and mouth. There was a hard air about the man, as if he’d closed himself off to all feeling. Did he have the slightest idea as to what his daughter really wanted?
“I’d still like to meet her.” Kane pressed his point.
“You’ve seen her picture. She’s pretty and usually quite biddable. She’ll bear you fine pups.” The Alpha rose from his seat and moved to a set of French doors, pulling the curtains aside.
Once again Kane felt himself frowning, feeling this was more like negotiations to buy a brood mare.
“If you insist on seeing her, look here. She’s in the backyard right now warming up before her daily run.”
He walked to the door to look out, scanning the area until he caught sight of someone near the edge of the woods. His inner wolf perked its ears. It was definitely the girl from the theatre!
She was average height with long slim legs and gentle curves. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail and he caught glimpses of her smile and bright green eyes as she turned to talk to someone. Drawn by some inner need, he cracked open the door and inhaled, sorting through the scents until he caught hers. Yes! Exactly as he remembered. It seemed to curl around him, filling him with desire. His wolf growled in approval…until a male appeared and stood beside the girl.
“Who is that with her?” He spoke over his shoulder not taking his eyes off her, resisting the urge to stalk over to where they stood and shove the man away.
“Bryan Cooper, one of her friends. Don’t worry, he’s of no consequence. I’ve given him a stern warning not to touch her. I can guarantee she’s a virgin.”
“We’d want proof, of course.” One of the Elders spoke behind him but Kane didn’t turn. His eyes were fixed on Elise, watching her move, hearing the sound of her laughter floating on the breeze. He paid little attention to the rest of the meeting, both he and his wolf focused on the female. It wouldn’t be a hardship to be mated to her. As an Alpha’s daughter, she’d understand his time would be occupied with pack business. Perhaps this would work. He’d insist she be told though, an unwilling mate didn’t appeal to him at all.
“Kane, I just heard the news!”
He looked up, his coffee cup half raised to his mouth, as Marla entered the kitchen of the pack house. “What news is that?”
“That you might be mated with some little girl from another pack in order to form an alliance. The entire pack is abuzz about it.”
He nodded. “I’m seriously considering it for the good of the pack. Our land borders theirs. It will ensure stability and peaceful relations plus we’ll be able to work together to keep out human developers and companies like Northern Oil.” His own attraction to Elise was an added bonus he didn’t feel needed to be mentioned.
“Kane, you’re an amazing Alpha and this is very noble of you, but no one would want you to sacrifice your personal happiness.”
He smiled appreciating her concern.
Marla had taken to spending more time here now that Ryne was gone…or supposedly gone. He’d followed the scent trail she’d told him about and it did seem his brother had been in the area. Ryne’s scent had also turned up in other areas as well, near leg traps, along pathways. His lips tightened as he wondered what the hell his brother was up to. Sabotaging the pack made no sense. Marla’s explanation was that Ryne was unhinged. Perhaps she knew what she was talking about. She’d been the closest to him for the past few months. He remembered Ryne’s smug grin when he’d shared the news of the relationship…
“Northern Oil sent us another request.” Zack handed copies of the letter to both him and Ryne. They were having their weekly meeting, going over patrol schedules and discussing various issues that members had presented to them.
“We’re not allowing them access to our land, are we?” Kane scanned the contents of the letter before giving Zack a questioning look.
“Hell no.” Zack shook his head.
“Marla’s been looking into the matter. She says it’s a very reputable company,” Ryne murmured as he read.
“Marla?” Zack arched a brow. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her.”
Ryne tossed the letter on the desk and grinned. “Yep.”
“We might as well rent out your room,” Kane teased his brother. “You never use it.”
“Marla keeps me busy.” Ryne leaned back in his chair. “I might make our relationship permanent.”
“What?” He didn’t even try to hide his surprise. He’d dated Marla himself a few times and knew the woman could be a handful. Truth be told, he felt responsible for her and often viewed himself in the role of big brother. When she’d moved on to Ryne, it had been strange to be relieved of the duty even though he’d tried to keep their relationship on a ‘just friends’ level. Marla had always been demanding of his time and attention, making their relationship out to be more than it was. It was her insecurity, of course, and he’d let it slide, ignoring the rumours they’d been deeply involved.
“Jealous, Bro?” Ryne gave him an assessing look.
“No.” He replied flatly. “We had this conversation when you started dating her, remember?”
“Yeah, I said it was for your own good. She had you wrapped around her little finger.”
“And I told you she’s a friend and I feel a sense of responsibility towards her but that’s it. You’re welcome to her.”
Zack interrupted. “Enough of the posturing. Ryne are you serious about this?”
“Marla and I are a good fit. She supports my photography, helps me arrange showings.” He smirked and gave a wink. “Plus, there are other benefits, if you know what I mean.”
Zack leaned forward, hands clasped on top of the desk. “Think this through, Ryne. Marla’s a member of our pack but—”
“I know she can be difficult, but I can handle her. Besides, I like a challenge.” Ryne rose to his feet. “And speaking of Marla, I promised to pick her up at work. Her shift at Bastian’s is almost over.”
“Kane?”
He blinked and realized Marla was speaking.
“Sorry, Marla, I was just thinking.”
“I’m sure you were. You have a lot on your plate right now. And that’s another reason you shouldn’t rush into this arranged mating. The negotiations with Northern Oil—”
“The lawyers are dealing with that. Our position is ‘no’ regardless of what they offer.”
“Oh.” An odd expression flickered over her face before her features smoothed. “Well, then there’s Ryne. I…I have some bad news.”
“Bad news?”
“Well, maybe. I’m not sure.” She paused, frowning. “I don’t want to upset you...”
He barely kept from rolling his eyes, not in the mood for prevarication. “Marla, just tell me.”
She took a deep breath and then began. “I was cleaning my apartment, going through the entryway closet and gathering up things Ryne had left behind. Shoved at the very back, I found bolt cutters and a shirt with some kind of goldish stain. I think it’s brake fluid.”
“Ryne often worked on his car. I don’t—” He stopped, suddenly realizing the implications. “No. Ryne wouldn’t do that.”
Marla shrugged. “I’m not saying he’s responsible for Zack’s accident, but it does seem quite a coincidence.”
“Yes. Yes, it is.” His hand tightened on the cup cradled in his hand until it cracked, coffee spilling out over his fingers and onto the floor. “Damn!”
“Kane! Are you okay? Did you cut yourself?” Marla hurried after him as he made his way to the sink.
He set the cracked remains of the cup in the sink and checked his palm. A faint line of red showed where a shard had punctured the skin. He turned on the tap and ran water over the injury. “I’m fine. Don’t fuss.”
Marla bit her lip. “I’m sorry I upset you. You suspect Ryne of something, don’t you?”
He turned off the tap, dried his hand and inspected the cut again. It was negligible. “I’ve no idea what the hell is going on with Ryne. And Zack’s accident is still inexplicable.”
“See? That proves my point. You have to deal with Ryne and all the problems we’ve been having. You don’t have time for a mate. Especially one as young and inexperienced as this one is supposed to be.” Marla placed her hand on his arm. “If anything, you need a woman who can stand by your side, someone strong who understands how the world works.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He grabbed some paper towels intent on cleaning up the spilled coffee.
She smiled and then glanced away, a sad expression flickering over her face.
He paused, sensing there was something else she wanted to discuss. “Is something wrong, Marla?”
“Well, I hate to bother you.”
“I’m your Alpha. If you have a problem, I’m here to help.” He held back a sigh. Being Alpha required a lot of patience.
“Thank you, Kane. You’re so good to me.” She looked up at him and he was surprised to see a sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Marla?”
“It’s just… Well, even though Ryne was acting strange, we’d been together for quite a while. We were close and I miss him.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I don’t have a lot of friends within the pack, or even in the human world for that matter. When I was with Ryne, I finally felt I belonged, like I had a home, someone who cared…”
Her voice trailed off and, without thinking, he reached out and hugged her. He knew what it was like to feel you didn’t belong. “I miss Ryne, too.”
She pressed her head to his chest and he patted her shoulders as she cried.
Helen entered the kitchen, looked at him comforting Marla and made a face. Like many in the pack, Helen had little patience with Marla.
“Kane, don’t you have a meeting to go to?” Helen pulled out a frying pan and set it down on the stove with a bang.
Marla pulled away and wiped her damp cheeks. “I’m sorry, Kane. I’m keeping you from your work.” She smoothed her hands over his chest. “And look at your shirt, its all wrinkled now.”
“If it needs pressing, I can do it, Marla.” Helen turned and folded her arms giving Marla a pointed stare.
“Of course you can, Helen. You’re so good at all those menial little jobs.” Marla smiled at the other woman and slowly withdrew her hands, her nails accidentally scraping lightly over his nipples.
He cleared his throat and stepped back. “Any time you need to talk, Marla—”
“She can come and see me.” Helen interrupted.
“That’s so sweet of you to offer.” Marla turned and walked towards the door. “But Kane and I have a personal connection.” She smiled at him again and then left.
“What was that about?” Helen went to the fridge and began to take items out, setting them on the counter.
“She was missing Ryne.”
“Bull.” She slammed the fridge door shut. “Marla is trying to get her claws into you. She sees herself as the next Alpha female.”
He began to clean up the spill he’d made. “Don’t be ridiculous. She was Ryne’s girlfriend.”
Helen snorted.
He watched the paper towel as it absorbed the coffee then cleared his throat. “I was wondering what you thought about the idea of me being mated to the girl from the Rock Valley pack. Everyone else has been giving me their opinion. You’re one of the few who hasn’t chimed in.”
“And I’m not going to. It’s your choice.”
“That’s not much help.”
She shrugged. “I can give you some things to think about, but I’ll not say yes or no to the matter.”
“So what should I be thinking about?” He put the wet paper towels in the garbage.
“I won’t ask if you love her, but do you like her? Are you attracted to her? Can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with her? Is there anyone else who interests you? What are the positives for the pack? What are the negatives?”
“Those are all the questions I’ve already been asking myself.”
“And...?”
“I can already see that, as Alpha, I’ll have very little time for myself. There’s no one else I’m interested in and I don’t have time to go looking for a mate. The union will be good for both packs, providing a strong alliance. Northern Oil has approached the Rock Valley pack as well as ours. We need to preserve our territory at all costs.”
“It sounds to me like you’ve already made up your mind.”
He nodded. “I’m thinking I’m going to do it.”
Helen raised her brows but didn’t say anything.
That evening, after delivering the news of his decision to the Council, he sat in his office and called an old friend.
“Hey Damien, how are you?”
“Kane?” Damien sounded surprised to hear from him. “I thought you’d be too busy doing Alpha stuff to bother with a lowly Enforcer like me.”
He smiled at the good-natured teasing. “Yeah, well I have to step out of my tower and mingle with the commoners occasionally. Keeps me humble.”
Damien snorted. “So how do you like being Alpha?”
“It’s good. Demanding, but I’d expected that.” He’d been the sole Beta for some time before Zack had added Ryne to help spread out the work. Eventually, he’d need to consider a co-Beta but was holding off in the hopes Ryne might come around, though that seemed less likely with each passing day.
“And Ryne?”
He felt himself stiffen. Damn, but Damien always did have the knack for cutting to the core of things. “I’ve no idea.”
“Sorry.” There was a pause. “That challenge caused quite a stir. Rumours are flying all over the place here.”
“Really? Damn.”
“Hey, it was brother against brother. That shit doesn’t happen often. And the fact that it was two thirds of the Black Devils…well, we did gain some notoriety at the Academy.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” He rubbed his neck not happy that pack business was being bandied about Lycan Link.
“And when you let Ryne go…” Damien gave a low whistle. “I managed to see a copy of the report you sent in and your reasoning. Your interpretation of the Book of the Law, how you brought the various clauses together, it caught the attention of some of the big wigs. They’re going to keep their eye on you.”
“Wait a minute.” One part of Damien’s statement caught his attention. “How did you manage to see a copy of the report? They aren’t for public record.”
Damien laughed. “How do you think? There was this cute blonde working in the archives office and…” His voice trailed off suggestively.
“Never mind. I should have known.” He shook his head. Damien liked the women a little too much. “You’ll never settle for one female, will you?”
“Actually…”
Something in Damien’s voice had him sitting up to listen. “What?”
“I’ve met this girl.”
“And?”
“She’s different. Her name is Beth and she has the most beautiful dove grey eyes.”
“Nice.”
“She’s quiet. Not my usual type but there’s something about her. I feel connected to her, protective. It kills me to be away from her.”
“Sounds serious.” Kane frowned as he listened, thinking Damien’s description of his feelings for Beth were similar to his own towards Elise, even though they’d yet to meet.
“Yeah.” Silence, then Damien sighed. “So, what about you?”
“Me? Well, that’s why I’m calling. I’m being mated next week.”
“What? No fucking way! Who is she?”
Kane chuckled. Damien’s response was refreshing. As old friends, there was no deferring to rank, no motive behind his words. Just a pure, honest reply. “It’s a political alliance. Her name is Elise Robinson and she’s the Alpha’s youngest daughter of the neighbouring pack.”
“A political alliance? I didn’t think packs did that shit anymore.”
“She comes from a very traditional pack. Her father is old school. We’ve not actually met yet. I’m sort of pissed off about that.” He frowned thinking how he’d instructed his Council of Elders to work on the other Alpha about arranging a meeting, even a short one, ahead of time.
“If you’ve not met, how will you know if you can get along together?”
“She’s supposedly very quiet and biddable. We’ll make it work.”
“Better you than me.”
He felt the need to justify himself. “It’s for the good of the pack. We’re battling increasing pressure from humans wanting to expand into our land.”
Damien made a non-committal noise. “You always had a stronger sense of duty than the rest of us.”
Duty. Well, that was what being an Alpha was about, wasn’t it? He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m calling to invite you to the ceremony.” He shared the date and time.
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do. It all depends on whether my unit gets called out on a rescue mission though.”
“Great. I’d really appreciate it if you could be there since Ryne...” His voice trailed off.
“Understood. I still can’t believe Ryne did that.”
Part of him wanted to share the problems the pack had been having and the evidence Marla had presented that implicated Ryne in Zack’s crash. But did he really want to smear Ryne’s reputation with his friend before gaining conclusive proof? A part of him still hoped there was an explanation for what was going on, an explanation that didn’t point to his brother.
He hoped he wasn’t being too big of a fool.