The time to say something passed when Sue came through the door carrying a large garden salad. She stumbled to a halt. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Sage shook his head. “No need to be. Let me take that from you.” He plucked the bowl from his aunt’s hands and, without a word, carried it toward the picnic table.
Rina suddenly felt like crying. This was the first time Sage had closed himself off from her, and she felt it right to the core of her being. Inside, her wolf whimpered and whined. Her heart hurt. If she didn’t know better, she’d think it was breaking.
The cynical part of her pointed out that she’d been right. Sage couldn’t really care about her if he could turn from her so quickly. Another part of her lamented the loss of something special, something she might never find again.
“Would you take this?” she asked Sue. She thrust the bowl into the woman’s hands without waiting for an answer. She needed a few minutes to collect herself. The last thing she needed was her brother seeing her cry. He’d lose his mind and drag her away from here in a heartbeat.
Wasn’t that what she wanted?
Rina was no longer sure what she wanted. All she knew was that she hurt. And like anyone, especially someone who was part animal, she wanted to go off and lick her wounds in private.
She hurried back into the house and was grateful when Sue didn’t follow her. Rina kept going and let herself out the front door. She wanted to shift and run so badly, but the alpha had decreed earlier that no one could shift until they were sure the threat she’d brought with her was contained.
She wasn’t a member of this pack, but she was enjoying their hospitality. That didn’t mean she couldn’t run. She glanced longingly over her shoulder. She could hear the voices and laughter, smell the delicious food, but all she could see was the blank expression on Sage’s face when he’d walked away from her.
Rina jumped off the step and started running.
Mikhail frowned when he saw Rina go back inside by herself. He was about to go find his sister when a female voice stopped him.
“She’s safe here with us. And so are you.”
He didn’t need to turn to see who it was. His entire body felt as though it was electrified and his wolf was howling inside him. Elise LaForge.
He slowly lowered his head, this time prepared for the impact she had on him. He was wrong. There was no way to be prepared for how she made him feel. He wanted to rip off his shirt and pound his chest. He wanted to growl and howl. But mostly, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her away from the crowd where he could fuck her at his leisure.
Yeah, like that would go over well with the alpha and his brother. This woman was off-limits, and he wanted her as he’d never wanted another.
She was a tall woman, but he still had half a foot on her. Where he was big and strong, she was lean and slender, almost fragile in appearance. Her brown hair was coiled up in a bun at the back of her head. He wanted to pull out the pins anchoring it just to see how long it was. Then he wanted to fist his hands in the silky tresses.
Her son had her eyes—golden brown. But where the alpha’s gaze was shrewd and ruthless, hers was compassionate and kind.
She gave him a small smile, one filled with discomfort, and started to walk away. He reached out and touched her arm, stopping her. She jerked away, her breathing increasing. She didn’t look at him, but down at her feet. It was the stance of a wolf, or woman, who was expecting to be chastised or abused. He knew her sons hadn’t hurt her. They treated her gently, and now he knew why.
It had to have been her mate. But since he wasn’t around, Mikhail had to assume he was dead. It made Mikhail feel more than a little savage to think of anyone hurting this lovely woman, but he tempered his tone when he spoke. “Thank you. I appreciate all you’ve done for my sister.”
She looked up, her smile hesitant. “She’s a lovely girl. And Sage is taken with her.”
“Rina is special.” He’d never mated, and Rina was more daughter to him than sister. His parents hadn’t been interested in raising another child when she’d been born. He’d raised her almost single-handedly.
“I imagine she is if she’s caught Sage’s attention.” One of the women called to her. It was Gwen, the female alpha. “I have to go,” Elise told him.
“We’ll talk more later,” he promised her.
The gentle smile she gave him made him want to promise her the world, but he couldn’t offer her anything. He was a man without a pack or a home. Yes, he had money. He’d made plenty, invested well, and lived simply his entire life. Hell, he’d still been living at home, but that had been because of Rina, not because he hadn’t wanted his own place. It was one of the reasons he’d hired out as a guide so often. He’d hated living under his parents’ roof but known they’d never allow Rina to leave.
He pulled his gaze away from Elise’s retreating figure. She was wearing a long, shapeless sundress, but he could easily imagine the curves hiding beneath it. He shifted his stance and ignored his hard-on.
He looked to the house instead. Where was Rina?
Sage swallowed back his hurt. Rina thought he was attracted to her simply because she was the first unattached female werewolf he’d met. Her words, not his. He carefully set the salad bowl on the table when all he really wanted to do was smash it to bits. He’d forced himself to walk away before he’d said or done something he’d regret.
Sue came up alongside him and deposited another bowl on the table. He sniffed and frowned. It was the same bowl Rina had been carrying. “Where’s Rina?” He looked toward the porch but there was no sign of her.
“She wanted a few minutes to collect herself.” Sue touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything to her. It’s just that you’re like a son to me.”
His love for this woman was unshakable. “I know.” She’d treated both him and Reece like she did Billy. They were all her boys.
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it.”
“Ouch.” Sue sighed. “She’d hurting, Sage. She’s been through more than most people will ever have to face in their lifetime. She’s been betrayed by the people who should have loved her the most. I don’t think she truly believes what she said, but she’s afraid to trust what you feel for her is real. After all, if her own family and pack could turn her away, why would you love her?”
He didn’t say anything because he knew Sue was right. He was an idiot expecting her to believe him simply because it was what he wanted. He started toward the house, but Sue caught his arm and stopped him. “Give her a few minutes. I don’t think she wants you or her brother to see how much she’s hurting.”
Maybe Sue was right, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her crying alone. If he left her alone too long, she might convince herself she was right, that he didn’t really care about her.
And idiot that he was, rather than confront her about what she’d said, he’d simply walked away. She probably believed he didn’t care at all. He’d done exactly what he shouldn’t have.
It was time to make up for his mistake.
“As long as you’re going in, bring out the tray with the sour cream, butter, and salad dressing, will you?” his aunt called.
“Will do.” He ignored his uncle’s attempt to get his attention. He could also feel Mikhail watching him. Yeah, her brother would not be happy if he found out Sage had hurt his sister’s feelings. He might even be able to convince her to leave.
After all his talk about never letting her down, he’d done just that. And all because he’d gotten his feelings hurt. He bounded up onto the porch and stepped into the kitchen. It was quiet but for the hum of the refrigerator. All the windows were open and the sounds from outside drifted in through the screens.
“Rina?” She wasn’t in the kitchen or living room. Perhaps she’d gone to the bathroom. He hated the thought that she
might be crying. Even worse, that he’d been the cause of those tears.
He checked the first bathroom but found it empty. His heart skipped a beat and began to thunder in his chest. “Rina?” He hurried into the other bathroom, but she wasn’t there.
Had she gone out the front door and around to the back? He raced out the door and panned over the yard, finding everyone except Rina.
He let out a shrill whistle. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked his way. “Rina’s gone.”
Just then Armand’s phone beeped. He yanked it out of his pocket and frowned. “The driveway alarm just went off.”
Fear exploded inside him, and he jumped off the porch and started running. He didn’t know who was coming down the driveway, but they didn’t get random visitors. Maybe it was Rina leaving. A sense of dread pressed down on him.
He had to find Rina. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.
Chapter Eighteen
Rina finally had to stop running or risk falling flat on her face. It wasn’t easy to see where she was going with tears in her eyes. She’d told herself she wasn’t going to cry. Good in theory, but there’d been no way to stop the hurt and the tears flowed unchecked.
She hurt. Oh, she knew she’d hurt Sage as well. She hadn’t meant to. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to Sue’s question. She’d been afraid to trust him. It had been as automatic as breathing to try to push him away before he tired of her and sent her away.
Just like her parents. Just like her pack.
She leaned against the trunk of an oak tree and caught her breath. She scrubbed her hands over her cheeks, wiping away the tears. Useless. They never did any good. They only served to make her eyes red and her nose stuffy.
The overhead canopy was thick here, blocking out a lot of the sunlight. She shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms. She was chilled in spite of the hot day.
She shouldn’t have run off like that. Someone would have missed her by now. Most likely Mikhail. Had Sage missed her?
“Stop it,” she muttered under her breath. A squirrel darted up the tree next to her, stopping halfway up to chatter at her. The small animal sounded like it was scolding her. And rightfully so. She was indulging in the worst sort of self-pity.
The last thing she wanted was for someone to come looking for her. They’d want to know why she disappeared, and she wasn’t ready to tell anyone about that.
The forest was quiet, a sanctuary after her emotional storm. She soaked in the peace and quiet and just let herself be. There hadn’t been many such times over the past year. Too many days had been fraught with danger and uncertainty.
Sage had given her this, and she’d hurt him.
Oh, she hadn’t meant to. It had been an automatic reaction to deny his feelings for her and hers for him. She’d gotten so used to keeping her guard up, protecting herself, that she felt vulnerable any other way.
That was no way to live.
She pushed away from the tree and turned in a slow circle, trying to get her bearings. She wasn’t familiar with the pack land, but it wasn’t hard to see where she’d come from. She hadn’t exactly been trying to hide her trail. A cracked branch and several newly fallen leaves marked the direction back to the houses.
“Suck it up.” She knew she’d have to apologize to Sage. She owed him that much. This time she didn’t run. It didn’t take her long to realize she’d actually been running in a circle. Her wolf had instinctively been keeping her close to the others, even though she hadn’t shifted into her animal form.
She was walking parallel to the dirt road that led to the pack parking area. It wouldn’t take her long to get back to the houses. She only hoped her eyes weren’t red and her skin wasn’t blotchy. A quick detour to the bathroom before she joined the others was in order.
Rina stopped when she heard a truck. Surely they weren’t sending someone out to look for her? Maybe it was Mikhail.
Without thinking, Rina stepped out onto the road and shaded her eyes. The truck wasn’t coming from the parking lot but the road. It couldn’t be a pack member unless she’d been gone longer than she’d thought and they’d already sent someone out to drive up and down the roads looking for her.
The vehicle pulled to a stop, the door opened and a man stepped out. Her heart stopped cold.
“Well, hell. This is an unexpected surprise.” The man who’d seen her shift, the man who’d run her out of her job, pulled a rifle from his truck and aimed it at her. “I guess I was meant to find you. Now come on over here.”
Johnny couldn’t believe his luck. He’d come looking for information and had found what he’d been looking for. This was surely a sign he was supposed to bring Rina home with him.
He’d decided to just drive on up to Sage Gallagher’s place and ask him outright where he’d left Rina. Johnny had figured he could spin a tale to get the man to talk. He was good at it. But it appeared that Rina had never left the man.
“You shacking up with that Gallagher guy?”
“What?”
He came around the open door of the truck and waved the barrel of the rifle at her. “I know who you left the park with. The park ranger was a font of information. Didn’t take me long to track the man to Salvation, and even less time to get information on where he lived. You didn’t think I’d just let you walk away, did you?”
“What do you want with me? I’ve never done anything to you.”
He frowned and took another step in her direction. This wasn’t his fault. It was hers. “You sashayed past me in the diner almost every day.”
Her mouth dropped open and she paled. “I don’t even know who you are.”
Now that hurt his feelings. He’d been lusting after the pretty new waitress, building all kinds of fantasies around her, and she hadn’t noticed him.
“Name is Johnny Bellamy, and you’ll remember it from now on.” No way would she forget him when he was done with her.
“Why me?”
He could tell she was honestly perplexed. She was one of them rare women who didn’t seem to understand just how pretty she was. Still, she’d walked around the diner every day, hips swinging, and lips smiling at every man in the place, him included.
“I followed you home,” he said. She took a step back, but he shook his head. “Don’t make me shoot you. I don’t want to, but I will.”
She licked her lips, and his dick jumped to life. He couldn’t wait to have her in his bed. That could be a problem when she shifted. He’d have to think more on that. Maybe she could only shift at night under the full moon. That’s what all the legends said.
“I watched you pull off your clothes, reach your hands up to the sky, and change into a wolf.”
She shook her head. “You’re mistaken. I don’t know what you thought you saw, but I’m just a woman. I’m scared and I want to be with my family.”
He frowned. “You don’t have family. I asked Millie, the other waitress. She’s sweet on my brother Charlie, so she didn’t mind talking. She said you didn’t put no next of kin on your job application.”
She shook her head. “I have a brother. He’s come for me.”
Now that wasn’t right. Not after all the trouble he’d gone to. He’d spent several nights away from home and hadn’t slept much in all that time. His brothers were pissed with him because he wasn’t home to help them.
“He’ll just have to go on missing you.” He was done talking. “Get in the truck.”
She shook her head. “No.”
He hadn’t expected that. “What do you mean no? I’m holding a rifle. Get in the damn truck.”
She squared her shoulders and shook her head again. “No. I’m not going with you. You can either go back where you came from or you can shoot me in the back. Either way, I’m done with you.” She turned on her heel and started to walk away.
Johnny lost al
l control as a red haze of anger covered any semblance of commonsense he might have possessed. He raised the rifle and fired.
Sage was almost to the parking lot when he heard the gunshot. “Rina,” he roared her name and kept running. He came around the bend and stopped breathing when he saw her lying on the road with a bloodstain spreading over her back.
A man in his thirties with short blond hair and a short beard turned his rifle on Sage. There was an echo from a gunshot and then he was falling. He felt no pain. It took him a second to realize he hadn’t been shot. His Uncle Elias had shoved him out of the way in time.
Sage scrambled to his feet and surged toward Rina. He reached her the same time her brother did. Both of them went to their knees beside her. Sage was dimly aware of the other members of the pack subduing the shooter. It was better he didn’t touch him, because right now he’d kill the man.
He gently touched her head. “Rina, baby.” He felt for the pulse in her neck. “She’s alive.”
Gator knelt beside him. “Let me have a look.” He caught the material of her top between his hands and yanked, splitting it. The bullet was in her upper left shoulder. Gator swore. “I need something to staunch the blood flow.”
Sage yanked off his tank top and handed it to Gator. The other man pressed it against her back. “We need to get her inside.” He hated seeing her lying facedown in the dirt.
Gator looked at him, then Mikhail, and finally at Jacque, who nodded. “Take her inside.”
Sage pushed his arms underneath her and gently lifted so she was lying facedown over his arms. He wanted to see her face but didn’t want to hurt her anymore than she already had been. Gator yanked her brother forward and placed his hand over the compress. “Keep the pressure steady. I’m going to get my medical gear.”
Gator had paramedic training and had been the pack healer for years. Sage knew Rina wouldn’t want to be taken to a hospital. It was too big a risk with her unique physiology.
“I should carry her.” Mikhail’s voice was gruff with worry.
Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) Page 19