by Dana Archer
Sean nodded and lowered his voice to a mere breath of sound. “What are you going to do about what Ben saw tonight?”
Nic met his gaze. He wanted to tell Sean about the situation with Nic’s father and Nic’s plan to convince his wolf to fight for Riley. He couldn’t. Although he considered Sean a friend, Nic didn’t really know him anymore. Most shifters would consider mating a human to be a sign of weakness, not love. With the fate of his pack mates’ souls and their connections to the pack on the line, Nic couldn’t risk upsetting the balance his father was desperately trying to keep.
“I’m going to do what I should’ve done in the first place. Nothing.” The lie rolled off Nic’s tongue with ease.
“You only have a few more days to worry about it. Jenna told me what the plans are and about her new position.”
As interim pack doctor.
Nic hoisted Ben’s body over his shoulder and started walking toward their burial grounds. There’d be no human investigation. Ben’s death might reveal information about shifters. Nic couldn’t take the chance, no matter how much he wanted to learn the truth.
What they needed was a shifter in the police department. If he could convince his fellow band member Rick to rejoin the force and return to pack life, they might finally be able to take advantage of the human’s technology. Nic filed the thought away for the moment. It wouldn’t help with Ben’s death.
Or help protect Riley’s life.
Nic shoved the worry for her deep. He couldn’t allow the anxiety to grip him, not in Sean’s presence. Appearances were everything.
Nic remained silent until far enough in their woods to ensure they wouldn’t be overheard. “She’s already getting one of the pack’s protectors assigned to her when she leaves. I’ll choose another so she has twenty-four-hour protection and send them to watch over her now, just in case. It’s the best I can do, along with staying away from her.” Which wasn’t happening.
His wolf would learn that. It wasn’t the only stubborn one.
Chapter 9
Riley walked through the empty waiting area of the veterinarian hospital later that afternoon. Grateful for the full day of appointments with the neighboring communities’ pets, she didn’t have to dwell on the bleakness of her situation with Nic or Ben’s death. Jenna’s tears when she’d learned of her younger cousin’s murder had broken Riley’s heart.
For several months, Jenna had worried about him. Most packs wouldn’t have cared if they lost a shifter to another pack, but she’d explained that, according to the Tanner wolves, the weaker members should die to strengthen the dominants and improve the bloodlines.
Riley had hated them before. After hearing of the Tanner wolves’ justification for their cruelty, Riley wanted their alpha’s blood as much as many of the Kagan pack members did. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t happen until after Nic took over. Then… No, she didn’t want to think about Nic going after them. He would, though. She knew him too well. He’d fight to put an end to the practice of exploiting and neglecting the weak. Life was precious in his eyes; nobody’s should be sacrificed.
She shoved away the worry over what awaited Nic as alpha and focused on the problem that had hung over her all day. Nic’s dad had ordered her to speak with him in private. With the last animal cared for, she could no longer delay going to him. Nobody ignored the alpha wolf’s command, but the very idea of having to deal with him slowed Riley’s steps. She could only come up with one possible reason behind his interest in her—Nic.
The excuse she’d prepared for her delay was the grueling day she’d had without Jenna helping her. They were understaffed, not anyone’s fault in particular. The hospital had been closed for years before she’d reopened it. Nona and a few of the older shifters had filled the role of pack doctor, caring for the emergency cases that wouldn’t survive the three-hour car ride to the nearest shifter hospital. The elders of the pack couldn’t fill any role in the public eye, however. Too many of the local humans remembered them from their childhoods. The fact that they hadn’t aged wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Hiding until the next generation was born had protected the shifter community for longer than anyone could remember. Many worried it wouldn’t work much longer, especially with modern technology and the encroachment of human housing and businesses.
Riley shared the shifter’s worry and feared what her fellow humans would do once they found out. Sure, the government backed the shifter community. She was proof. Without the help of higher-ups, she never would’ve been able to go to college. They’d created an identity and history for her, allowing her to fill a role in the pack that had been greatly needed—pack doctor.
Since graduating earlier in the year, Riley had worked her butt off to renovate the clinic and train a minimal staff. Not only was she responsible for the Kagan pack, she was obligated to help any shifter in need. Some days it irked her knowing that included the Tanners, but she never let the feeling stop her, especially since the wounded who often showed up on her doorstep were their so-called worthless pack members.
She fought to save each one. So did the four full-time nurses who rotated to staff the center twenty-four-seven. They were the only shifter hospital in the country who could claim round the clock care. In life or death situations, seconds counted.
Riley swept her gaze over the open room. Pride filled her with the accomplishments she’d made. Her decision to stay and fight for Nic allowed her to enjoy it for…the next few days at least. The full moon was approaching quickly. She wasn’t ready, and she wasn’t going to come up with any ideas standing here twiddling her thumbs.
She had phone numbers at home for the three shifter-human couples who lived in the States. Hopefully, talking to them would give her some insight on where to focus her efforts—convincing Nic’s wolf to love her or figuring out how to get Nic the heir he needed. She didn’t know how much help they’d be, but she had to start somewhere.
She should’ve stopped wallowing in self-pity and fought for him four years ago.
Yeah, shoulda, coulda, woulda. She hadn’t. Regret wouldn’t help her, and after seeing the love in Nic’s eyes last night, Riley refused to just give up. It was possible for a wolf to love a human enough to pass on the chance at reproducing. Those three happy couples were proof.
Nic’s wolf cared for her. Deep concern was a form of love. It was a start. She snorted. Who was she kidding? She was in for the fight of her life.
“Win him over. Break his control. Seduce him. Get him hooked on you again.” Hannah’s words repeated in Riley’s head, giving her the strength she needed to fight against the impossible. Nic lusted after her. There was no denying that. He would keep coming to her, despite his claim they were over, and if he didn’t, she’d go to him. Each encounter would amplify his craving for her and wear down his wolf’s resistance. She hoped.
The dinging of the clock dragged her out of her thoughts. Four o’clock. Riley sighed and forced her feet to move. She couldn’t ignore Nic’s dad any longer.
The door to the basement closed behind her with a soft click. The lighted keypad next to it flashed from green to red, signaling the automatic lock had been activated. Except during daytime hours, there was usually only one nurse staffing the clinic.
She’d be the first to admit it wasn’t the greatest setup, but it was the best they could do with their limited staffing. Luckily, they rarely had patients, and when they did, they usually didn’t stay long. A day, two at the most, and they left. Nic’s dad had been here the longest, but his vitals had stabilized over the past few days. She felt confident that he’d recovered, at least from the infection.
His inability to shift on the other hand?
If Nicholas Kagan had been a different man, she’d recommend he be put on suicide watch. Shifters needed to embrace their animal sides. Only stubbornness would keep the older male tied to the living. It would catch up to him eventually, though. Without his wolf, he was only a man.
She entered the additional code t
o access his room and slipped inside.
“Everything good upstairs?” Nicholas’s deep voice cut through the silence.
Riley faced him, gaze lowered, and nodded. “Yes, quiet but busy. Today was supposed to be Jenna’s day to help me out.” There was no reason to say why. Everybody in the pack knew about Ben’s death. Most had probably stopped by Jenna’s house with words of comfort, casseroles, and offers to clean her home and do her laundry while she grieved.
Nicholas sat up in bed, hands loose in his lap and his gaze boring into her. Silence stretched while he stared at her. She peeked at him from under her lashes, a move that allowed her to see his eyes without appearing challenging. It annoyed her to have to do so. It never used to, but having Nic admit his wolf thought her worthless spiked her resentment of shifter culture. For the first time, she understood why Alex wanted out.
She cleared her throat. “Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Nic said you’re leaving in the next couple of days.”
“I’d considered it but decided to stay a little longer. If Derek decides to challenge you this month, I want to make sure I’m here in case you need me after the fight.” The lie was necessary. She wasn’t supposed to know he couldn’t shift.
He narrowed his eyes. Did he suspect she hadn’t told the truth? After living with shifters her entire life, she could usually pull off any lie. Her emotions were running high, though. Likely her mood affected her body language. Then again, if he questioned her on it, she could always use Ben’s death as a reason for her unease.
“My son is accepting the wolf spirit on the next full moon. If there are any challenges, he’ll deal with them.”
That thought didn’t help her tension either. She never wanted Nic to face danger. He would, though. It was the way of life for a shifter. “Then I’ll stay to make sure he doesn’t need me either.”
“And the next month? Will you remain to hold his hand again?”
She tensed. The sharp bite to his words surprised her. Riley tilted her head and studied his stiff posture. There was no way he’d found out about her and Nic. Or was there?
Over the past few months as tensions had grown between their pack and the Tanners, the Kagan protectors had increased the number of rounds of their territory. There was a chance one of them had seen Nic at her place, maybe even while he’d been loving her. She didn’t have curtains on her patio door, and they’d made love in front of it. Doing so had been careless. Nothing could be done about it. What was done was done.
“Nic doesn’t need me to hold his hand.”
“You’re right. He’ll have his mate to comfort him and lick his wounds.” Nicholas leaned forward, his gaze demanding the truth. “What’s the real reason you’re staying, Riley?”
She linked her hands behind her back to hide any sign of her unease. “Do I need one?” She met his gaze, then dropped it, the most she dared. Nicholas would never harm her, but his lectures hurt almost as much as a slap across the face. “Or am I no longer welcome?”
“How far did you and Nic take your attraction four years ago?”
“We aren’t involved. We never—”
“Don’t lie. I remember the looks you’d shared when you thought nobody was watching, and I know for a fact he often stayed over at your house. The woods have eyes, don’t forget.”
Riley gasped. All this time, Nicholas had known about them.
He chuckled, confirming her thought. “Be glad it was one of the older betas who made the discovery and not any of the females who’d thought to earn my son’s favor. You would’ve found yourself in a world of danger.”
Because she wasn’t worthy enough in the pack’s eye to be with the next-in-line alpha, even for sex. Her resentment thickened. She ground her teeth. “So I’ve been told.”
Another low laugh shook his chest. “Yes, it’s best you leave.”
Unable to stop herself, she jerked her gaze to his. “You’re ordering me to leave?”
He nodded. “I have spoken to my nephew in Ohio. He will welcome you into his pack and do as I have done, encourage his males to mate you.”
Riley balled her fists and stepped forward. “No. I’m not leaving. If you send me away, I’ll come back as soon as Nic is alpha. He’ll welcome me into the pack again.”
“So you want to make my son’s life miserable, is that it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you?” He raised a brow. “Are you going to stand there and tell me Nic doesn’t love you?”
Riley froze. The lie got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to utter it. Some part of her worried if she said it, it’d come true. Crazy, she knew. Still, the words wouldn’t form.
Gaze on her shoulder, Nicholas curled his fingers. “Come here.”
Her heartbeat kicked into high gear. She could not refuse him, but the way he looked at her worried her. Actually, it scared her. He knew. Or at least suspected the truth.
She lifted her chin. “Fine. If you want me to leave, I will.” She pivoted and reached for the doorknob.
“Riley.” Her name dropped between them. “Come. Here.”
She turned. “Why? I said I’d leave.”
He threw back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Her breathing quickened. “What are you doing?”
“Discovering the depth of my son’s mis—”
A low buzz cut off his words. Riley whipped her head to stare at the flashing light on the side wall that announced when someone pressed the call button on the side door, the one shifters in need used.
“Go, go.” He waved her out.
Riley opened the door and ran. Blood pounding and pulse racing, she made her way to the side door. The safety procedure she’d put in place kicked in, stopping her from making a foolish mistake. Before yanking the door open, she checked the video feeds for the parking lots. A car sat several feet away, headlights on and driver door opened. Nothing else showed in the surrounding area. She switched the screen to zero in on the spot in front of the door. Chris, one of their elusive pack protectors, held a bloody shifter in his arms.
She unlocked the door and yanked it open. “What happened?”
“I was out for my nightly walk”—Chris caught her gaze, the reminder in his expression clear to go along with the ruse—“and saw him approach, driving haphazardly. He collapsed as soon as he got out of the car.”
The sham was for the injured wolf’s benefit. Although she’d never spoken to Chris, she knew who he was and what he was: one of the protectors assigned to watch over her. John, his lover, was the other. Sean had pointed them out to her.
She nodded. “Good thing. He looks to be in rough shape. Bring him into the prep room.” Riley rushed forward and ushered them into the exam room on the first floor she only used for shifters. “Can you stay and help? I’m by myself.”
He nodded, but the narrowed look he shot her told her how he felt about her being alone. She ignored his chastising expression, pulled out an emergency tray and turned on the brighter overhead lights. “Work on cutting away his clothes, please.”
Chris grabbed the scissors. “I called Nic. He’s sending Sean over to help.”
“Why? We should be fine.”
“This is one of the Tanner pack protectors.”
She swept her gaze over the muscled male. Often born into the role exactly as the alpha wolf, the protectors were strong and revered. They also rarely fought. It was their temperament that made them the silent watchers of the pack, able to lay low for hours at a time while they guarded.
The rope burns around his wrists, neck, and the missing skin over his mouth told her everything she needed to know. He’d been restrained and beaten. Bruises covered his body and blood seeped from hundreds of slashes. Not knives, the slight arcs to the wounds suggested the swipes of clawed hands had caused the deep gorges bisecting his body.
“Oh my.”
Chri
s sighed. “Oh my, indeed.”
She pushed aside the worry over what the man’s torture meant and focused on saving his life. A Tanner wolf or not, she’d do everything in her power to keep him alive.
That was what she was.
Pack doctor.
Chapter 10
The backyard of Nic’s childhood house looked mostly the same as it had the last time he’d lived here. The bench along the edge of the garden sat in the same spot it had four years ago. So did the birdbath and sundial. The only change came from the growth of the landscaping. Everything had gotten bigger, especially his mother’s rose bushes.
The tall, fuller one had been planted right before his birth. The shorter one, right before Hannah’s. His mother had chosen yellow for Hannah. She was their pack’s hope—the one who’d strengthen their ties in the shifter community. As a child, Nic hadn’t understood what that meant. As an adult, he did. Most alpha daughters mated into another pack, thereby building alliances that might be needed in the future.
Back when Nic had lived here, Hannah had often talked about her future. She’d been excited about the idea of taking the Kagan values into another community. Compared to many packs, their beliefs were the most modern.
Depending on what happened with him and Riley, Hannah might not get to fulfill her dream. If she’d already been involved with a dominant set to become alpha of another pack, Nic would feel guilty for even considering dropping the responsibility of the Kagan pack’s future in her lap, but she wasn’t seeing anyone, not even a member of their pack. Hopefully, she had someone in mind, though. If not, he’d…
He didn’t know what he’d do if she couldn’t find a male who complemented her. His future and Riley’s, not to mention their pack’s, depended on Nic’s stubborn wolf agreeing to hand over the spirit wolf once Hannah matured and took a mate. If it didn’t and he ended up losing Riley… A low snarl escaped him. He couldn’t imagine life without her. The animosity for the animal who shared his soul burned a little stronger.