She heard the throaty laugh as Sandy said seductively, “I missed you, Baby. I wanted to give you a welcome home you would never forget.” Then there was silence before she heard Artur groan, and Grace pulled herself away before she heard something else that she did not want to hear. She opened her eyes and closed off her senses as her wolf was howling in pain and anger. She backed away slowly as her face paled, and her violet eyes dimmed so they almost seemed white.
“Grace…” Amy said reaching out to her noticing her pallor, and Grace shook her head as she smiled sadly, “I don’t blame him, you know. It is not as if I am the greatest catch in the world. Um...tell the others that I am glad they are back safe. I need to go.” With that, she swung around and was out the door. For the first time, she was running and as she shifted, she apologized to her dad for this time she could not stand and fight.
If she had waited a little longer before breaking the contact, she would have seen what happened next, but her heart had felt like it was bleeding and she could not handle to hear what happened next in that room. In that moment, she knew that she had never felt the same way about Bryan because when he rejected her, her heart only trembled in her chest. At this moment, her heart felt like it was in a million little pieces and she was not sure if she could put it back together again.
Artur pulled himself from Sandy’s arms fast as he felt a shaft of pain through his heart.
What was that? He asked his wolf who was howling at him for kissing someone other than his mate.
“Oh baby,” Sandy purred, “what is wrong?”
Artur narrowed his eyes at her wondering where she was going with her little stunt because he never spent any time with her and he only spoke to her when it was necessary.
He opened his mouth to answer her, but he did not a chance when the door to his room flung open, and three angry women came running in.
“You asshole,” Amy yelled.
Artur was confused, as he was sure that they were still at Grace’s house waiting for them. That was all he and the other males had thought about as they came into the house; they were going to shower and head over to Grace’s house to see their mates. As soon as they started heading back, Artur could not think about anyone else but Grace.
“What...?” he began confusion evident on his face.
“She actually said that she did not blame you,” Susan said with disdain, and his confusion grew until it finally it dawned on him what they were talking about.
“Grace was here,” he growled so loud that Steve and the others came running, but he did not look at them as his blue-gold eyes narrowed on their mates.
“We came because we wanted some information on you guys,” Susan said warily as she looked at Artur. His eyes narrowed and his body went stiff as if he had received some unpleasant news although Susan saw a flash of something cross his face that she read as fear.
“I forced Grace to come along, but when we got here, we were excited to know you were back,” Amy said noting the look too before she spotted Steve in the doorway, and she did not think twice as she ran toward him. He caught her in his arms holding her tight against his chest as the other women followed suit going to their own mates.
Artur walked over to his dresser and finished getting dressed. He did not listen to what was going on around him, his primary concern was his mate, and he knew that she was hurting now understanding that shaft of pain he felt earlier. He finished dressing grabbing his keys and wallet, and walked out the room. He did not spare a glance for anyone least of all the woman who had created the misunderstanding; neither did he see the confident smile she threw at the others.
She laughed huskily, “He wanted me, but I guess he has to calm his mate down first before he comes back to me. Just because they are mates, does not mean that they have to be fateful does it now?”
She sashayed out of the room unaware of the looks that the individuals gave her as she walked out. Since the day she saw Artur at Rain Cloud Pack house, she had wanted him. A smug smile began to cross her face as she headed for home because what she wanted, she always got. She was expecting to see Artur soon although she knew it would probably not be tonight.
After she left, they looked at each other. Steve shook his head as Amy said clearly, “That chick is really wacked.”
Susan nodded her head in agreement, “You would think hearing her talk that Artur gave her a kiss goodbye and told her to wait for him.”
Steve said with humor, “If he comes back tonight, I will be surprised.” He noticed that the three women just shook their heads as Ashley said, “I wouldn’t be.”
Amy explained, “You did not see her face when Rob told us what happened when you guys got back. Then she closed her eyes, and whatever she did next bleached what little color that she had left on her face. I have never seen Grace run before, but tonight she did.”
Steve sighed as he held Amy closer to him, and his eyes met Ace and Kale’s eyes as they each thought the same thing; Artur would not be coming back tonight even if had to sleep on her front porch. They urged each of their mates to their rooms as it had been a long week, and they missed them. For the rest of the night, the other pack members did not see them although Steve did go down stairs briefly to check on few things before he went back upstairs to spend the night with his mate.
Artur headed straight for Grace’s home, and when he noticed the lights on and her motorcycle still in the driveway, he released the breath that he was holding. He had been scared that she would have taken off before he got there. He stepped out of his car and headed to her front door. It was time they had that talk now, and as she opened the door to his knock, he did not waste any time. He pushed her back into the house and shut the door behind him.
“We need to talk,” he said, and he looked into violet eyes full of pain before they narrowed as he stepped into the house.
The wolf watched as the young woman shifted and took off running. As soon as he noticed her wolf, he took off back to his leader.
“It is her, Alpha,” he told his leader. “She was a full black except for a little white at the ears.”
The leader turned as he said, “So he was not lying when he said that the bastard had a daughter. She is the last of the line, she must not survive.” His eyes gleamed with darkness and evil, “I will not let her survive, and she will die like the rest did.”
“Yes Alpha,” there was a chorus of voices as he laughed, but one man did not laugh as his green eyes flared with resentment followed by look of wonder, and the wind whistled sharply around him as he stepped outside.
Alpha Troy spared your life, and his daughter may even do more than that, it whispered, and the man froze as the wind whipped around him.
Chapter 12
Grace let herself into the house with a heavy sigh and her wolf howled at her, you should have gone up there and staked your claim. Kicking her ass would have done both of us some good.
Grace had to agree that it would have, but she had let her fear get the best of her and she did what she always promised herself that she would never do. She had run from that pack house without looking back for the first time since the deaths of her parents.
Besides, maybe Artur was not really into that kiss, her wolf argue, and Grace gave a snort of disbelief as she went up to her room. She grabbed some clothes and went back down to the bathroom as she told her wolf; you do not believe that anymore than I do.
Her wolf sighed before she said softly, no, but neither was he enticed by her.
What do you mean, Grace asked her confused as she turned on the water and stood underneath the hot water.
I am not sure, her wolf said, it just felt as if he was not there when they were kissing.
Grace frowned as she closed her eyes thinking about what her wolf had told her and although she trusted her wolf completely, that one moment had pierced her deeply.
We need to let him explain, her wolf advised softly.
Grace sighed heavily before telling her; tomorrow
I will go back to the pack house and talk with him.
It will be sooner than that, Grace, her wolf told her with a gruff snarl, and Grace frowned until she heard the knocking on her door.
She was not quite ready for this conversation, but she turned off the water and got out drying herself quickly before slipping on her clothes. She took the towel with her as she hurried down the stairs to answer the door.
She opened it to meet Artur’s eyes as he pushed her lightly back into the house saying, “We need to talk” following her in, and closing the door behind him.
“We have nothing to talk about,” she said angrily contradicting what she just told her wolf, but for some reason she wanted him to understand how much he had hurt her. She added snidely looking him over with flashing violet eyes, “I am surprised that you left so soon after being satisfied.” She watched as Artur’s eyes flared with heat, and then before she could react, he had grabbed her and yanked her into his body.
“Does this feel like I have been satisfied,” he asked harshly his blue-gold eyes almost gold as he gripped her upper arms pulling her to her toes before slamming his mouth against hers. Grace’s gasp was lost as he kissed her with all the pent up passion he had been holding in check since the moment he met her. Grace felt as if her body had caught on fire, his kiss was igniting something she had no control over, and although she thought she should be trying to get away from his kiss, she fell into his kiss. She kissed him back with a passion just as strong as his, her tongue attacking his, and if wasn’t for the fact that he had her arms in a tight grip, she would have fell for her legs had buckled the minute he kissed her.
There wolves were singing at the close contact, but Artur’s wolf was telling him that they needed to talk before they continued. It was time for her to know the truth about Lana and he needed to explain his actions with Sandy earlier in his bedroom if he could explain it. He eased back from the kiss keeping his grip on her arms as he drew in deep breathes. He looked into Grace’s face as her lids lifted to reveal violet eyes turned almost purple from the passion she was feeling.
He leaned his forehead against hers as he said huskily, “We really do need to talk, Grace. I need to tell you about Lana if you are willing to listen.” He prayed that she was willing for he did not know what he would do if she turned him out of her house.
Grace pulled in much needed air as she looked into his face to see the same passion she was feeling reflected in his eyes, and she noticed his clenched jaw as he waited for her answer.
You said that you were going to give him a chance, her wolf reminded her, and she kept looking at him as she thought about what she heard at the pack house. If anything had happened, he would not have been here now with so much passion that she was drowning in it.
“Okay,” she said just as huskily as she pulled gently away, and he hesitated for a moment before he let her go. She indicted the couch, and he laughed with a gleam in his eyes, “Let’s go into the kitchen. It would be safer right now.” Grace blushed, as she understood what he was saying.
She got them both a drink before they settled down at the kitchen table.
“You wanted to know about Lana,” he asked her as he took a sip of his sweet tea. At her nod, he continued, “I met Lana the very first night I shifted. She was older than I was by about two years but her beauty besotted me so I did not think much about the age difference. I thought she was my mate for I felt the sensations and everything, I even told my wolf the same thing as he was unsure,” Artur shook his head here. “I should have realized it then because your wolf recognizes their mate without any doubt, but I was so infatuated that I did not think about it. Anyway, to continue, I did not mark her as mine until I was 18 at her suggestion. You see, although I believed she was my mate and I wanted her, Lana did not quite feel the same way about me. Oh, she loved me in her own way, but she loved men, and she only agreed to my mark as long as I let her have her fun. I did not think about it because I wanted her so much that I agreed even though I knew it would hurt me. It did as every time she mated with someone other than me; I would feel it and tore my heart to shreds. Although I made sure that she never saw it, or if she did, she did not care enough to stop or break my marking of her because she would still come to me. I thought she would at least respect me, and not sleep with anyone from our pack, but I was wrong. I did not want to know whom she mated with besides me that I missed the ones from our very own pack. I did not know that until we came here, and I still wonder how they could still respect me after that.”
Artur stopped for a moment to take a long drink, and Grace watched him. She felt his heartache, and she wished she could take back what Lana did, but she could not. She could give him something else though a peace of mind about his pack.
“I do,” she said softly placing her hand over his that rested on the table. “The pack respects you for your loyalty to them and for your loyalty to her although she did not deserve it. Ace knew that you knew about the other men but you kept it hidden, and I think they liked it better that you pretended not to know so that way they did not have to face you with their own shameful behavior. I talked to them about Lana, and I saw the shame and embarrassment in their faces for they knew what they did was wrong and the fact that you could have destroyed them but did not makes them respect you even more.” Artur looked up at her as she slid from her chair and into his lap. “You made a mistake, we all do, Artur,” she said holding him against her, and he folded his arms around her. “You and your pack protected each other because you let them think that you did not know, and they kept it from you so you would not be hurt. I think you need to talk with your pack about Lana as maybe it would clear the air about you and her.”
He continued to hold her, although there was passion, there was a stronger emotion prevailing, and that feeling was peace something he never felt when he held Lana. Grace placed her head against his shoulder as he held her tightly and she could feel her body relaxing feeling safe and protected for the first time since her parents died.
They stayed like that for a few minutes then Artur eased back.
“Sandy,” he said quietly and she froze in his lap although she did not try to get off. He brushed a strand of hair back from her face, “I was thinking about you the entire time that we were heading back to the pack house that I did not even realize that she followed me to my room. When I came out of the shower, and she was there, the only thing I was thinking was how fast I could get her out so I could see you.”
“You moaned,” she whispered.
He looked at her for a moment as he remembered that, and he wondered briefly how she knew that as he explained, “Yeah, because when she kissed me, I was thinking about our first kiss. My mind, at that moment, went right back to your backyard and the amazing kiss we had there. Once my mind let go of that memory, I realized it wasn’t you I was kissing and I pulled away.” He frowned as he said slowly, “In fact, I felt as if you where in the room with me, and then you disappeared.” He looked at her for a moment and Grace looked back at him before she stood up and leading him to her attic room, she sat him on the bed.
He watched as she moved to her nightstand and pulled out what looked like a diary. She handled it gently as she said, “You are the first person besides me to see this.”
Grace took a chance and handed him the diary. She watched as his big hands ran over the leather binding, and she bit back a moan of desire. Artur looked up at her with a question in his gaze, and she said, “Read that, and if you have any questions, I will be downstairs getting dinner started.”
She walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen scared what his reaction would be to her secrets. She automatically started dinner not really thinking about what she was making as she waited for the man that she knew had the ability to break her heart repeatedly as she already had a taste of it even if it had not been deliberate on his part.
Artur watched as she walked out of the room and he looked back down at the diary in his hands. He scooted
himself back on the bed, and turned to the first page. She trusted him enough to let him read it, so he was going to find out what it was that put fear and doubt in her eyes. He got himself comfortable leaning against the headboard of the kings size bed and began to read.
Chapter 13
Grace tilted her head slightly listening to the silence and she frowned as she did not hear the sound of Artur coming down the stairs, and she wondered what that meant. She sighed soundlessly turning back to the dinner that was almost finished when the phone rang.
She wiped her hands on the towel and reached for the phone unaware that the answering machine had kicked on after the last ring.
“Hello,” she said absently going back over to their dinner and she tucked the phone into the niche of her neck so both her hands would be free, and she was just reaching for the pot to drain the pasta when the voice on the other end spoke.
“Hello, Baby,” the voice muttered, and Grace stilled as she heard the slur in the man’s voice. “Did you miss me?”
Grace could not answer as her whole body froze at the sound of the man’s voice, and although she had known it was not over, a small sliver of hope had pierced her heart.
“Your silence speaks for itself,” the voice murmured, and Grace clenched her fists as he continued. “I saw you running out of the Moon Star’s pack house. I hope you do not bother getting your hopes up about any of the males in their pack as you are only meant for me, and no one else can have you. I know that you have been thinking about me for a long time now, and soon you will have me. I will make you into a great woman before you die.”
“Who are you?” Grace uttered in a low voice, and the voice laughed on the other end before hanging up the phone.
Grace stood there a few more seconds before she threw the phone across the room, and tears began to run down her face as she leaned against the counter.
The Traitor's Daughter Page 10