“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Erik commented, sneering at the bunch.
“I could say the same for you,” Logan replied with a snarl. The two stopped in front of each other, distrust blazing in their eyes.
“Who uses that line anymore?” Katey remarked, standing just behind Logan. Neither of them acknowledged her arrival on the scene.
“Logan,” John spoke with an incontestable air of authority. “Remember what we spoke about this morning.”
He did not back down. Katey was about to step in, but Forrest beat her to it. The red headed loup-garou came between them and gently shoved Logan aside. “This isn’t the time or the place.”
“What are you afraid of?” Erik asked. “Why not give these humans a taste of what the real wild is like?”
Katey saw Erik’s eyes turn a menacing gold.
“Erik,” the older loup-garou growled, his voice deeper and huskier than Katey had ever heard from any man before. It was as if thunder had been personified in a single man. She shrank back as his own brand of dominance added to the mix.
Forrest turned to the loup-garou who killed his cousin almost a century ago and glared, but did not raise a hand against him, even when Erik came well within striking range. It would have been so easy for them to take him, but Forrest restrained himself. Though, she could keenly sense the fire in him and the strong desire for revenge that he refused to act upon. She admired his control, but wondered if he would act on the need for vengeance if given the right opportunity.
The older loup-garou grabbed Erik by the shoulder and forced him back into his chair. Erik let out a low snarl, but resigned to the discipline of his elder.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” he said. “It was a long journey from Florida.”
Katey stayed close behind Logan, her eyes fixed on the stranger.
John approached him and offered out his hand. “I am glad you’re here with us.”
The loup-garou looked between John’s face and the hand he had been offered in friendship. There was a moment of vile hesitance, and then he shook the great alpha’s hand. He then greeted Noah in the same fashion and nodded his acknowledgement of Forrest and Logan as John introduced them.
“I’m sure you haven’t met Katey yet,” John said, motioning to the timid girl shielded by her lover.
Now, Katey wished she had stayed out of their business and followed Darren and Dustin to their table.
The loup-garou turned to her with dark, almost black eyes, but he would neither nod nor shake her hand. To be under his gaze set her teeth on edge. “Erik has told me about you,” was all he said.
“Katey, this is Gregory,” John said. “He is another alpha in Crestucky, though you probably have never crossed paths.”
“Rougarou,” Logan mumbled.
She hid her anxiety well at meeting the alpha of the rougarous. It should have been clear that he was an alpha of some kind by the way Erik so willingly submitted to him. But, why was he sitting with John’s group?
“None of that,” Noah advised Logan before he took his seat at the table. Forrest moved to sit close to John, though Katey half expected that he would sit with Logan and the others after finding out Erik and Gregory were sitting with them.
“I suggest you join your pack before the meal is served,” John told Logan.
He gave a curt nod and ushered Katey away. Taking a second look back, Katey saw Erik leer at her from the corner of his eyes. “What are they doing here?” she whispered to Logan as they made their way to the other side of the ballroom.
“Gregory wanted to come. I can only assume he dragged Erik along because he’s his son.”
Bringing up their faces side by side, she could see the resemblances, though they seemed to be far different in temperament. Gregory at least seemed to be able to govern his belligerence, while Erik was completely unruly.
“Why doesn’t Forrest come sit with us?”
“Forrest is John’s great-great-grandson. It’s proper that he sit with him, though I’m sure he would want to be as far away as possible from Erik as well.”
Unlike Erik and Gregory, Katey saw absolutely no relation between Forrest and John. While John’s features were dark and bold, Forrest was fair and lean in build. Even their personalities differed. Forrest, though temperate, was not the confident leader that John was. Her old friend was much more mild and sedated. Yet, they had a number of generations that separated them and perhaps, Forrest inherited his looks and personality from his mother, whom Katey would never meet.
Katey dropped the conversation as they approached their table. Sitting with Dustin and Darren were a couple of guests that Katey didn’t recognize. But, she knew they were human.
The older and younger woman looked to be related, possibly mother and daughter, and casually chatted with the two loups-garous. The women’s ears dripped with diamonds and their bodies clad in stylish dresses that hugged their curves and sparkled in the tinted lights. The cut of the dresses showed off too much soft flesh for Katey’s tastes. But, Dustin seemed particularly interested in the younger lady as he leaned forward over the table as if to hear her better.
Logan pulled out the chair for Katey beside the elder woman.
“Ladies, may I introduce Logan and Katey, a niece and nephew of mine that insisted on seeing Alaska in its most brutal season.”
Katey smiled and nodded her greeting as she sat down, silently wondering why Darren picked those false identities. Now, any show of physical affection might look incestuous. Logan sat himself down and kept to the part by refraining from touching her in any way that would not be taken as platonic.
“It may be the most brutal season, Mr. Dubose, but it is one of the most beautiful,” the elder lady remarked, her eyes sparkling with interest. She looked old enough to be Katey’s grandmother.
“This is true,” he relented. “This is Mrs. Rockshire and her daughter, Jenna. They’ve come all the way from New York to attend the luncheon.”
“Oh, anything for Mr. Rice,” Mrs. Rockshire crooned. “He’s one of our most esteemed members at the country club and I’m crossing my fingers that Jenna will catch his attention one day.”
Katey looked to Jenna who was far more entranced by Dustin’s green eyes than their conversation. She was a pretty woman, but something told Katey that she had no idea who or what Mr. Todd Rice truly was. If she did, Mrs. Rockshire might not have been trying so hard to play match-maker with the billionaire.
Looking around, Mrs. Rockshire was not alone in her wealthy lifestyle. It looked like all of North America’s elite were present at the event and Katey’s band was out of place, though they hardly showed it – besides Logan’s slightly longer hair and atypical facial hair style that gave him a rock star look.
She wondered who out of the room actually cared about the endangered wolves and who was there to show their allegiance to Todd Rice. But, if they were paying members of the association and contributed to the cause, did it really matter?
Logan was distracted, his eyes attentive on the far table where John and the others looked to be engaged in pleasant discussion. Several times, she had to stop herself from grabbing Logan’s hand under the table in order to bring him back from whatever deep thoughts kept him miles away, while Darren and Mrs. Rockshire talked about the different sights and socialite clubs of New York.
It bothered her that she couldn’t hear or understand whatever the alphas were saying across the room. She heard their voices, but through the din of the crowd that waited for the luncheon to begin, she couldn’t make out any full words or phrases.
It occurred to her that perhaps there was a little truth in what Dustin had said on the steps outside the civic center. If she couldn’t understand dog-speak, because she hadn’t changed into another form for the first time, perhaps it would take the change to keep all of her abilities in tact before she completely reverted back to her human senses. But what if that didn’t help at all?
Of course, she refused to me
ntion any of her fears to Logan. If her wolf would have responded to her call, then maybe the answer lied within her the whole time. However, as before, she got nothing but crickets, and it terrified her to be so alone in her body all of the sudden.
Katey began to feel herself spiral into uncertainty. She had risked her life, risked rejection and death for this chance to be part of Logan’s world and in just one day, it looked to be slipping away from her. What would her pack do if she reverted back to her mortal, flawed self? What would John think? What would Logan do?
If it turned out that she would never be full loup-garou, would he abandon her? Sure, he might still love her imperfect human self, but would they even have a future together? Logan would carry on after she died and find another woman to mate with.
Her heart and stomach lurched at the thought of Logan in the arms of another woman and the blackness fell over her so suddenly that Katey wondered if she would ever climb out.
“Are you all right, dear?” Mrs. Rockshire asked in her withered New England accent.
Katey looked up, brows arched as she was back in the ballroom with the living. All but Dustin and Jenna looked to her with concern in their eyes. Without a hint of hesitation, Katey slipped back into her old habit and donned her mask. Somehow, her loup-garou spirit couldn’t hold up the human defenses anymore. It was as if the mask itself fought against her.
She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. “I just need to use the restroom.”
A speaker came up to the podium on the stage and tapped the microphone as Katey stood to make a hasty retreat. If she was going to have a breakdown, she didn’t need to let it out in front of Logan and the others.
Logan grabbed her wrist to keep her in place, but she refused to look him in the eyes. She twisted her wrist and pulled against his thumb, releasing his hold on her far too easily. Her heels tapped loudly against the hardwood floor of the ballroom as the speaker presented Todd Rice.
Katey let it all fade away and hurried past the tables to exit the hall before anyone could see the tears that leaked from the corners of her eyes.
Todd Rice took the stage to thunderous applause from his prestigious guests. He smiled and waved for them to be silent and began his speech, but Logan’s focus was elsewhere. It had only been half a minute since Katey left his side and he could barely contain the drive to bolt out of his seat and run after her.
He had felt her sadness build over the last hour alone as they drove from the lodge to the civic center. Like before, when she was human, he knew that something was not right, but without blatantly asking, there was no way for him to understand why. There were no hints, no warning in anything she had done or said that morning.
What had Darren really said to her while in the game room? Dustin had steered him out of the suite before he could eavesdrop on a single sentence. If he had a moment alone with his alpha, he would have badgered him for details. But, with him so engrossed in his conversation with Mrs. Rockshire on the inner politics of New York socialite networking, Logan didn’t have a chance.
“Thank you for coming,” Todd began. “As you know, The Global Association for the Conservation of Wolves has dedicated the last eight years to educating our communities and funding wildlife preserves across North America and Europe. It’s my pleasure to share some statistics with you on how instrumental your donation dollars have been to these efforts…”
As Todd talked numbers, Logan looked once more to the far table where John, Gregory, and their kin sat. They quietly listened to the speech, but Erik was just as disinterested in the luncheon as he was. Logan tagged along for Darren’s sake, but he would have gladly stayed behind at the lodge to spend time with Katey. Perhaps if they were back in their suite, curled up in front of the fire, she wouldn’t be feeling such overpowering grief. Or, he could have at least pulled her back from the brink one more time.
Logan had been silently stewing on Darren and John’s advice about proposing to Katey. He understood that it was necessary and an inevitable step into their future together. But, after this episode and the way she slipped his grasp, it made him doubt whether her answer would be as unanimous as he might have believed.
His thoughts on mating were interrupted as he watched Erik smoothly slide out of his chair and make his way toward the exit without hardly a sound. Logan was sure he was the only one to notice, but as he rose to follow the rougarou, Darren forced him back down with a heavy hand on his shoulder.
Logan stifled a growl. Darren turned his attention away from Todd and looked to Erik as he exited the ballroom. With a subtle nudge, he got Dustin to tear his eyes away from Jenna and jerked his head in command to follow the rougarou.
Without protest, the beta stood and made his way out without nary a turning of the heads from the humans around them. Logan wanted to be at ease, knowing that Katey would be protected if Erik tried anything, but once more he was giving up the satisfaction of throttling his rival himself.
Katey leaned against the wall around the corner from the ballroom. The civic center wasn’t at all crowded in this part of the building, though she could hear the rumble of feet above her on the second floor and booming laughter from down the hall in other rooms that had been booked that day.
She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, willing the anxiety to leave before it consumed her completely. There were only a few minutes to compose herself before she had to go back and face the questioning eyes of her pack. Katey knew they could probably sense her disquiet, but would she have the strength to lie to them one more time and assure them that she was fine?
Another tear warmed the skin on her cheek as she remembered the immense kindness they had given her over the last few weeks. They had been nothing but supportive and she was causing more trouble than they deserved.
It would have been for the benefit of all if she decided to sit out for the gathering that night. Logan could have more time to decide if he truly wanted to be mated with her and she wouldn’t have to endure the embarrassment of failing to change with the rest. It would have been dangerous and foolish otherwise.
After the luncheon, she’d give her decision to Darren and perhaps she could meet the women that had dedicated their lives to the loup-garou packs. Maybe they would have some guidance for how to cope with having a supernatural husband, since she may not be loup-garou for long. If this fading trend continued, Katey might be completely human by the time they touched down in Florida again.
Part of her completely detested the idea of being human again. She’d had a taste of what it was like to be special, to be unique. As a loup-garou, she could do things no ordinary girl could do and she wanted to be one of a kind, not just to Logan, but to her new pack and the whole loup-garou society.
The memories came back to her, seen through the eyes of a human that hated herself and her entire life. Logan had always been her lighthouse to guide her safely to shore. He was the beacon when everything else was dark and lost. He loved her as a human and if she turned human again, he would still love her. Katey had to hold on to that irrefutable truth or she would lose her mind.
When she opened her eyes and turned to rejoin her pack in the ballroom, Katey felt herself pinned back to the wall, claws digging into her shoulder. Brown eyes locked with hers and Katey would have let out a beastly cry if she thought she could get away with it.
“Where you goin’ in such a hurry?” Erik asked, his hot breath on her face.
“Let me go or I’ll scream,” Katey threatened, baring her teeth as if she were ready to snap and bite at his throat.
Erik tsked. “Come on, now.”
“No,” she hissed. “When are you going to take the hint that I don’t want you.”
His face went hard and glared. “Just because you got in the way the other night doesn’t mean that he won you.”
“You threw in the towel. You forfeited.”
“Yes, but he hasn’t made his claim on you. If he knew any better, he should have taken you that night.
”
His words gave Katey pause. Was the preemptive mating bond some kind of sexual ritual? Or was the rougarou mating of a different breed than the loups-garous?
“Just because he hasn’t, doesn’t mean he won’t,” Katey countered. “And you cheated that night. You put him in that shoulder hold to make him lose control.”
His eyes narrowed. “I broke no rules.”
“Except the rule of good sportsmanship. You knew that if he changed, it would cause a panic and endanger his safety. But if he didn’t, he’d exhaust his strength and then you’d have the upper hand once he was burned out. Don’t try and act like you were being all sly about it. You’re nothing but a fraud and you couldn’t win in a fight against Logan on fair terms, no matter what you were fighting for.”
Erik’s eyes glowed a devilish gold and his grip on her shoulder tightened until his fingers wrinkled her blazer.
His strong grip found the nerve Darren had told her about, the same one that Erik had used against Logan in the match. Katey winced and felt her body flood with fire. Muscles quivered and her bones began to ache under the strain of the pull on her wolf.
He leaned in close. “There’s going to be a day when you regret every word you just said. Logan doesn’t deserve you. A strong female needs a strong male and you know I’m the one who can give you want you need.”
Katey growled in her throat and spat in Erik’s eye. “You have no idea what I need.”
Yet, inadvertently, Erik had given her exactly that. Her wolf awakened within her and roared at their attacker. Her senses exploded, as if the dial had been turned to the max after being set on mute for too long. She could hear Todd’s speech and the rustling of clothing from down the hall. Exotic perfumes and expensive colognes mingled in her nose in an astringent odor.
Her own eyes flashed gold and once more, she felt loup-garou. But at what cost? How long could she hold up under his grip before she’d crumble or fall unconscious as the pain intensified.
A presence came close. Another loup-garou.
“Erik!” the thunderous voice shouted, blaring in her ears.
Becoming the Enigma (The Loup-Garou Series Book 2) Page 26