Chapter Twenty-Four

Reagan

 

“Luke,” I said in a small whisper. “Oh, Luke. I’m so sorry.”

He stood up and began to pace. “Lind never could pass up a good payout.”

“What?” I asked, scrambling up and following him.

“She did it for the money. She knew exactly how to play me, how to stack the deck. It almost worked,” Luke said through gritted teeth. “It would have, too, if not for Tristan. If I hadn’t managed to get a hold of my boys, tell them what had happened, where I was going—I wouldn’t be here right now.” He scrubbed at his face. “I was insensible at that point, raging and ruined.”

“You went back to Seattle,” I said. “You went after her.”

My mind flashed back to the reports about the wolf shifters in the city. The bulletin to be on the lookout for an Alpha. One of those had probably been for Luke.

“I went back,” he said darkly. “After I’d had to build a funeral pyre for my father and scatter his ashes in the sea, I wanted to spill some blood of my own. They’d ransacked the place, but I managed to get a few of his things, some books…” Luke made a pained sound. “Even though I didn’t see the point, I was planning on following him to the grave, taking down as many of the SB as I could. I still can’t…” He turned away. “Pop thought I was coming, and the SB shows up instead.”

That evil bitch! I raged in my head as I came around to the side of him, and he looked at me.

“Do you know why I told her?” he asked, gripping his head now. “Trust. I wanted her to know I trusted her. Even after everything…”

I moved forward without thinking. My arms slid around his torso, fingers gripping his shirt, and I pressed my face into his back.

“That’s because you’re a good friend,” I whispered. “Luke, this isn’t…” The words tangled up, and tears burned along my eyelids. “She manipulated you like you said."

It’s not your fault.

Luke broke free, and I stepped back, uncertain. Suddenly, his arms went around my waist, his cheek against mine, and my arms around his neck.

“I don’t deserve this,” Luke murmured. “There’s no forgiving what I did.” I went to speak, but he continued. “But when I’m with you, I don’t know—I think there can be.”

I pulled on his hair. “Because you’re a smart man, and you know I’m right.”

 

He let out a soft chuckle. “Thank you.”

Luke had enfolded me so tightly into him, I could feel every breath and every heartbeat. While I didn’t want to invite the specter of Lind back into the room, I sensed Luke needed closure. Now I understood why Tristan and Rett had been so alarmed at my idiotic nosiness.

“I’m glad you made it,” I whispered. “And I bet your dad is, too.”

A shudder went through him. “The SB wanted an Alpha wolf shifter in his prime.” Luke’s voice was flat. “That’s why they killed my dad. And she knew I’d come after her. The SB set up a trap.” My heart began to race even though he was in my arms. “Tristan knew, though. She wasn’t expecting him and Rett to come out of nowhere. They saved me with seconds to spare.” His breath grew uneven. “I was down on the ground, cuffed, and the van doors were open.”

“Oh my God,” I said and clung more tightly. “Please don’t go to that meeting.”

“Those sons of bitches and Lind won’t get the jump on me again,” Luke growled.

“Luke, please,” I begged, and tears spilled over.

“How come every time we hug, you get all teary-eyed?” Luke’s hand moved over my hair, and I buried my face in his shirt, embarrassed. “Am I just that good?”

“Shut up,” I said in a muffled voice.

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to,” he said slowly. “But if Xander makes that call…”

“Yeah, of course, sorry,” I said and pulled away, drying my eyes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be interfering with Command business.”

Luke’s big hands caught my shoulders, and he grinned down at me. There was still sorrow in his face, but he seemed a little lighter. “I did say you can ask me for anything.”

How about another amazing hug? I wanted to say. Instead, I nodded and smiled.

“Why do I feel like you’re holding back on something?” Luke asked.

“I’m not,” I said, a little too quickly.

“Remember our deal about the truth, Grace. That includes fibs.”

Luke’s voice was dipping more deeply into wicked tones, as though eager to move on from the soul-baring of the last hour or so. There was an undercurrent of relief in his voice, too.

He was afraid to tell me. Maybe trust me, too. A wave of remorse about lying to him hit me hard. From here on out, I have to make sure I watch out for him.

“Fine,” I said in a voice with a slight shakiness to it. “I wanted another hug.” Luke’s hands slipped off my shoulders in surprise. “Ugh.” I spun around. “Men. We aired a lot of baggage, and—”

Luke caught my upper arms from behind and moved in close. “No justification needed.” His hands slid up, and he twisted me back to him in a breath, securing his strong forearms across my upper back. “Ask for anything, any time, for any reason, or none at all.”

I draped my arms around his lower waist and settled against him. “I might take advantage.”

A warm and rolling laugh broke free of Luke, unlike any laugh I’d heard before. It vibrated through his chest and echoed through the room. He pinned me more tightly, and his breath brushed against my ear.

“Go right ahead, sweetheart,” he whispered.

I bit my lip and nestled my head on his hard chest, my heart pounding. The words that tumbled out of my mouth were both a desperate subject change and the absolute truth. “I never thought I’d feel this safe again.”

“That means a lot,” Luke said. His hand brushed down the back of my head, and his fingers tangled in my hair, tipping my face up. “Reagan.”

The huskiness of my name in his voice lit a spark in my veins. He’d seen right through me.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his. They were a vivid sky blue, and my blood went molten.

Our breath mingled for one perfect, breathless moment…

And then someone knocked.

Luke’s eyes left mine, and I pulled away, almost feeling as though the room were reeling. I collapsed onto the couch, and he went to the door, opening it.

"Hi, Luke!" Bix said cheerfully, and I let out a small laugh. When I glanced back, Bix had muscled in, and Luke was giving me a look over his shoulder. “We came to see Reagan.”

Sure enough, Drue and Gabriel bounced in after him, followed by Linh and Shelby.

“Come on in,” Luke said in a wry voice.

The kids clambered around, sitting on the couch and digging into the snacks, while Linh and Shelby perched together on the loveseat. I shook my head, amused and exasperated.

“We were about to have dinner,” Luke said, coming around and standing next to me. You guys wanna join?” There were affirmations around the room. “You three wanna help?” The kids scrambled up after him, while Luke glanced down at me and raised an eyebrow. Bending down, he murmured, “You planned this.”

“I absolutely did not,” I said, my heart beating a little faster and my fingers twirling an end of my hair.

“You did,” Luke said, straightening, and there was a glint in his eyes. “We’ll have to finish that conversation later.”

I gulped and smiled, watching him leave. When I turned back, Linh and Shelby were both staring at me, then they looked at each other.

“Was I right?” Shelby asked.

“I never said you weren’t,” Linh said. “I believe I said, ‘She’s your cousin, you would know.’”

"Know what?" I interrupted. Shelby wagged a finger between me and the kitchen. "Oh, no. No. I don't know what you think is going on, but there's nothing going on."

“Mm-hm,” Shelby said. “Then what did we interrupt? Luke looked like he’d swallowed a damn lemon tree when he got to the door.”

“Shh,” I said, waving my hands at them. Like I needed to give Luke fuel from my family.

They left it alone after that, but they exchanged several amused looks over dinner and dropped several not-so-subtle hints during and after dinner.

I couldn’t even meet Luke’s eyes at the end of it, he looked so smug.

 

Over the next few days, Winfyre burst into bloom. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. Luke and I both laughed more, teased everyone, and cracked jokes. For Luke’s part, his joy was infectious, and the rest of the Northbane Alphas made faces, but we ignored them.

Now that I was feeling better, Rogda wanted me outside, so Luke and I spent at least an hour every night sitting out back and watching the woods come alive. We’d wait for the stars to come out, sparkles in a sky filled with wisps of clouds the same shy shade of pink as the cherry blossom trees. In those mellow evenings, listening to the gulls, the frogs, and the wind, the tempo of Winfyre stole into my very soul. There was no rush or soul-crushing grind. There was this.

Sometimes we were silent, and other times, we talked until it got dark out. With our secrets out in the open, we both divulged more about our pasts and discussed Winfyre’s future. Luke had started bouncing ideas off of me, and, while I downplayed it, inside I was over the moon about it.

Neither of us had forgotten about the Stasis Bureau meeting, however. It loomed on the horizon like a blot, always dogging the corner of my eye.

A week and a day after the vryke attack, Rogda declared me recovered. That night, Luke came home with a drawn face and tight shoulders. Xander didn’t want him to attend the SB meeting, but he did want him in the area, doing recon.

The thought of Luke being so close to Lind caused acid to twist and bubble through my gut. More than once, I wanted to ask him if he could handle seeing Lind again, but I refrained. But I was unreasonably pissed at Xander for putting his friend through this.

I don’t think either of us slept that night.

I’d slept in my own bed last night, and it hadn’t seemed right. I missed having Luke in the corner on the couch. More than once, I’d toyed with the idea of going upstairs and crawling in with him. My exhausted brain was convinced it was altruistic, but my body knew better.

My body was craving him.

Every cell hummed any time Luke was in the room, a hum that increased, the closer he came. If I even thought about his arms around me, pulling me tightly to his hard, warm body, my entire musculature lit up. Nerves sparked, veins and arteries ran molten gold, and bones sizzled.

In spite of sleeping badly, for once I was up before Luke. Immediately, I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. As I waited for the coffee to finish percolating, I pressed my hands into the counter, closed my eyes, and took a steadying breath. He’s going to be fine.

Two strong arms slipped around my waist and pulled me in to the chest I’d been daydreaming of. As though I’d summoned Luke to me.

“Hey,” he said in my ear, his voice low and rough.

“Morning, you,” I said, and my fingers slipped off the counter. Luke rested his forehead on my shoulder, and I tried to keep my breathing even. “Did you sleep?”

“Mmph,” he responded.

“Me too,” I said, and Luke’s grip tightened. “It’s going to be okay. You have to eat.” A growl met these words. “Remember, I’ll be here when you get home.”

Please come home.

I'd already run through a million worst-case scenarios in my head. Lind tricked them, kidnapping Kal and the other shifters. Luke would try to rescue them, and it would turn out the SB was after him all along. Or the SB took them all out, then came after Winfyre.

My heart began to race as new fears muttered in the back of my head.

“Wait, wait.” Luke lifted his head. “Did I hear that right? I can have you for dinner?”

Our eyes met, my face flamed, and I elbowed him. "Shut up."

“Oh, was it breakfast?” he asked.

“Luke, come on.”

He chuckled and moved away, getting a plate. It wasn’t until he was finishing up that I realized he’d neatly distracted me from those worries.

Trailing him to the door, the dogs and I probably looked exactly the same. We left them inside and stepped out. The morning was cold, and I instantly started shivering.

“You should have a jacket on,” Luke said, looking out at the bay. It was a silver sheet of glass, the sky overhead a pale wash of dawn light, and a few stars low in the west. The wind tugged and tumbled his hair into his eyes. “Try not to obsess about me all day, beautiful.”

My breath caught at that word, but I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Swiftlore.”

“That’s what I have you around for,” he said and winked.

“Please be safe,” I said and hugged myself more tightly. If I embraced him, I’d never let go. “And please come back.”

His eyes softened, and he moved closer, catching a piece of loose hair and tucking it behind my ear. I wanted to say something that would make him laugh, but I had nothing.

“I’ll see you later, Rea,” he said and stepped back.

With that, he turned and shifted, a massive gray wolf loping down the road.

I suddenly remembered the first time I’d seen Luke as a wolf, his powerful body charging down the path, and the immediate recognition I’d had.

Later, he’d asked me gruffly if I’d known it was him, and I’d smiled.

“Of course,” I’d said. “Who else would it be?”

Now, I wondered if he’d been trying to see if I was afraid of him as a wolf.

I lifted my chin. Not in a million years, Swiftlore.

But Lind, Sarrow, and the Stasis Bureau? They had something to worry about.