The Werewolf Meets His Match (Nocturne Falls Book 2)

by Kristen Painter

  Sam started to say something, but Hank interrupted. “Let’s get back to why you said you were too late. What do you know?”

  Sam sighed. “The night the truce was announced, word of the marriage leaked. It wasn’t supposed to get out, but you know how packs talk.”

  “Not really. Go on.”

  Irritation edged Sam’s voice. “I overheard two of our pack members talking in the meeting hall parking lot. The Jenkins brothers. They’re distant relatives. They’ve always felt like they deserved more respect in the pack. A higher ranking. A bigger share of the stipend.”

  “That only the men get.”

  Sam made a face but continued. “They weren’t happy about the truce. They said as much in the meeting, but they disagree with ninety percent of the things my father does or the way he does them. Based on their conversation in the parking lot, they were steamed.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think they’d do anything about it. They’re big talkers. But when my father called another meeting to confirm the marriage rumor, they didn’t show. They never miss a meeting. Or their chance to be heard.”

  “So you thought what?”

  Sam sighed. “That they’d come here. To make trouble. To disrupt the truce.”

  “They stand to gain from that?”

  “Maybe. If the truce falls through, my father will bear the shame of that since he initiated it. One of the brothers could challenge him. They’re younger and stronger.”

  “Pack leadership has changed over lesser issues than failed agreements.” Though, not in the Georgia pack. A Merrow had been alpha for the last century. But, then, Merrows didn’t rule the way Kincaids did, in that all or nothing style. Merrows allowed some compromise. And treated all pack members equally.

  “I may not agree with everything my sister’s done in her life, but she’s still my sister, and I don’t want to see her hurt. I’d like to stay and help you keep an eye out for the Jenkins boys.”

  It was saying something that a Kincaid was asking permission to be in Nocturne Falls, but these were extenuating circumstances. Hank could keep an eye on Sam that way, too, because even if he was Ivy’s brother, he was still a Kincaid and Hank didn’t trust him. “I don’t plan on keeping an eye out for them.”

  Sam’s brow wrinkled. “You don’t?”

  “I plan on hunting them down. Starting tonight.” Hank slid a notebook toward Sam. “Full names and descriptions.”

  “I can do better than that.” Sam reached into his jacket and pulled out a sheet of folded paper. “Here are their pack registrations.”

  Hank unfolded it and looked at the photos on the registrations, memorizing the faces of the men who’d most probably hurt Ivy. It was unlikely they’d registered at any hotel under their real names, but it was a start.

  Sam jotted a number on a piece of scrap paper, then stood. “I’ll visit Ivy in the morning, but after that I’ll come straight here. Call me if you find them before that.”

  “Will do.” Hank pushed to his feet. “I’ll let my deputies know you’re allowed into her room. You can see her, but you can’t be alone with her.”

  Sam grunted. “I don’t like it, but I get it. You don’t trust me.”

  “No, I don’t. You could be pushing blame on the Jenkinses to hide your own guilt.”

  “I would never hurt Ivy.”

  “You were raised by a man who didn’t have a problem with it. Why should I think you’re any different?”

  Sam frowned. “Point taken. I’d do the same thing if the situation was reversed. So while I still don’t like it, I understand. Trust is earned.”

  Hank walked the man to the door. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Ivy woke up feeling like a slice of crap between two pieces of crap bread. Sun streamed through the hospital window, digging into her brain and making her cringe. She turned away from it to face the door and was greeted with a familiar silhouette.

  “Sam?” He wasn’t the last person she expected to see, but it was still a shock. Albeit a pleasant one. One of Hank’s deputies moved from the hall to stand inside the door.

  “Hey there.” Sam came over to the bed. The deputy stayed put. “How are you doing?”

  “Achy, but not bad, considering. How did you get here so fast?”

  “I was already here. Got your text when I was on the road. I had no idea what had happened to you until I called and Hank answered your phone.”

  “You met him, huh?”

  Sam nodded. “Seems like a good guy. Although he might not be all there.”

  She frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  Sam’s eyes were full of mischief. “He’s marrying you, isn’t he?”

  “Says the man who can’t find a wife.” She turned onto her side, trying to find a comfortable position. Her whole body ached, and her muscles were as sore as if she’d been beaten.

  “I’ll settle down when I’m good and ready.” He brushed a piece of hair off her forehead, a rare gesture since they’d grown more distant. “You look like crap, by the way.”

  “And somehow, your visit isn’t helping.” She swatted at his hand. Her relationship with Sam was definitely the usual sibling love/hate. If only she could get him away from the influence of their father. “Why did you come to Nocturne Falls if not because of what happened to me?”

  “Because of the Jenkins brothers. Overheard some of their conversation at the meeting where Dad announced the truce, and they didn’t like it at all. Gave me a bad feeling. I figured I’d better get down here, make sure they weren’t up to something stupid. Looks like I was too late.”

  She smiled. At least he still cared. “Thanks. It was sweet of you to look out for me that way.”

  He nodded, but his expression was serious. “Look, about you and Hank, it’s great that you like each other and all, considering you’re getting married, but you shouldn’t have told him about Charlie.”

  She froze, her pain replaced by fear. “What did you say to him?”

  Sam shrugged. “Nothing, really. I did tell him you weren’t supposed to say anything. Why did you?”

  “All I told him was that I have a son. I had to. He overheard me on the phone.”

  “So he doesn’t know about—”

  “No. And I plan to keep it that way until after the wedding. I’m in a no-win situation. There’s no way anyone will marry me if they know about Charlie’s condition. But I’m also not going to risk Charlie’s life over this.” She knew exactly what her father would do to Charlie if the truce fell through. He’d told her in very plain terms.

  The memory sent a shiver through her.

  Sam was quiet a moment. “Hank might hate you for it.”

  She stared past Sam, the truth of his words another knife in her chest. “I know. But what choice do I have? I’d rather have a husband who hates me than lose Charlie. That would kill me. Hatred I can live with. I’ve had plenty of practice.”

  “He’ll divorce you.”

  “And nullify the truce? I don’t think so. Neither of us has a choice. Because Clemens has made it that way.” She glared at Sam. “How you can stand by and let our father treat your nephew this way—”

  Sam straightened. “Don’t put this on me. You’re the one who insisted on going to college.”

  “That’s Dad talking, not you.” Clemens had never wanted her to go to college, never wanted her to do anything but what he told her to do.

  Sam held up his hands. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted a life beyond the family businesses. Look where it got you. Now you’re living with the consequences.”

  “My son is not a consequence. He’s a good kid and an innocent child.”

  “He’s a mutt.”

  Her heart constricted. “Get out.”

  He sighed. “I didn’t mean—”

  “Get out or I’ll call the nurse and have you removed.” She struggled to sit up in bed.

  The deputy took a step forward but Ivy shook her head.

  With a look of frus
tration and regret, Sam left. The deputy walked out behind him, leaving Ivy alone. She collapsed and began to weep, too hurt in body and soul not to. Hearing that word out of her father’s mouth was bad enough, but from Sam, the brother who’d been her ally growing up? She covered her face with her hands and gave in to the pain she’d been pushing down for too long.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Hank’s gravelly voice was like a balm. His warm arms embraced her, and she relaxed into his touch. She took a breath and forced the tears away. “I just…hurt all over.”

  Not a lie. But not the truth that would take this wonderful man away from her either. That would come soon enough.

  He kissed the top of her head and released her, but took hold of her hands. “It takes twenty-four hours to get all the wolfsbane out of your system so you’ve got a few more hours. Until then, you’re not going to feel so hot.”

  She nodded. “I already feel better now that you’re here.”

  He smiled. “Good. But if you want to postpone the wedding—”

  “Tomorrow’s the full moon.” Panic seized her. “We’re supposed to get married tomorrow night. I know it’s just a civil ceremony, but I haven’t done a thing to get ready.”

  “Sweetheart, there’s still the rest of today and most of tomorrow. But there’s really nothing for you to do. The Justice of the Peace is a friend. I set things up for five tomorrow, but he’s willing to perform the ceremony whenever we need him. I know the full moon is traditional, but the bride isn’t usually recovering from a near fatal poisoning. We can absolutely postpone to give you a chance to get back on your feet.”

  She relaxed a little. There was some time left. Enough maybe that she could at least plan a nice wedding meal for them. “No postponing. It has to be the night of the full moon. Postponing would mean waiting another month.” There was no way Charlie would survive staying with his grandparents that long or she could keep from telling Hank the truth. If only her mother could be counted on to stand up to Clemens, but Ivy wasn’t holding her breath for her mother to grow a backbone anytime soon. “I’ll be fine by this afternoon. Really, I’m already so much better.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.” Even so, a JOP ceremony meant they weren’t going to have a cake or flowers or anything. But then, she’d never really expected any of those things. Cake. She grabbed his arm. “I hope you turned off the oven. I had a cake in there.”

  “Deputy Cruz did.”

  She nodded and slumped back into the bed. At least she wouldn’t be responsible for burning the house down, too.

  Hank let go of her hand and hooked his thumbs into his belt. “I passed your brother in the hall.”

  She smoothed the sheet out. “It was nice of him to come.” Too bad he’d brought so much of their father’s attitude with him.

  “He told you why he came?

  “Mm-hmm. The Jenkins brothers.”

  “He’s going to help me track them down. I have a lead on them at a motel on the outskirts of town. Cruz is staking the place out right now. Sam and Titus are going with me. Should be a simple operation. Deputy Blythe will keep watch at your door.”

  “What will you do with them after you arrest them?”

  Hank shifted, his expression resolute. “This is a pack matter. They’ll be dealt with at a tribunal. Which also means I need to change out of my uniform before I head over there. I can’t appear to be representing the local law.”

  She stared at him. “Speaking of appearances, I just realized something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The night we went out for a run, when we stopped at the waterfall, there were two black wolves on the other side. They were staring at us, but they were gone before I could tell you.”

  “The Jenkins brothers?”

  She shook her head, her mouth twisting in frustration. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen them in wolf form. Men and women don’t run together in our pack. And women aren’t allowed at the meetings, so I barely know what they look like in human form.”

  “That’s some serious misogynistic thinking going on.”

  “Have you ever met my father?”

  Hank frowned. “No.”

  And hopefully, he never would. “You’d understand if you had.”

  “How did he end up with such backwoods nonsense?”

  “We’re a backwoods pack. But his father taught him everything he knew.”

  Confusion clouded Hank’s handsome face. “I thought you inherited your motorcycle from your grandfather. Seems like an odd thing to leave a granddaughter if you think of women as second-class citizens.”

  “It came from my maternal grandfather, not Clem’s dad. Harlan Kincaid was as big of a bastard as his son is.” She pushed up a little more on the bed. Already, the achiness was half of what it had been. Which only made her antsy to do something besides convalesce.

  “You need anything?”

  “Yeah, to get out of here. I have a wedding to prepare for and lying in this bed isn’t helping.”

  “Maybe I can get you released, take you home.”

  “I’d rather you get those Jenkins boys locked up. I can get myself home. Plus, then your deputy can go back to real police work.”

  “No.” He narrowed his eyes. “Until they’ve been dealt with, I don’t want you alone.”

  “Hank, I’ll be fine—”

  Knocking interrupted her.

  They both turned to see Birdie standing in the door

  “Trouble in paradise?” Birdie trotted around to the other side of Ivy’s bed. “How are you, dear?”

  Ivy smiled at her. “Your timing couldn’t be better. I feel fine, I want to go home and Hank won’t let me.”

  Birdie frowned at Hank. “You’re not a doctor. You can’t dictate these things just because you’re the sheriff.”

  “I don’t want her alone until I know she’ll be safe.”

  Birdie set her enormous turquoise purse on the bed and crossed her hands over top of it. “She won’t be alone. I’ll be with her.”

  “I fail to see how that’s going to keep her safe.”

  Birdie leaned toward him. “I’m still a werewolf, sonny. I can hold my own.”

  Hank snorted. Birdie looked like she might swat him.

  Ivy held up a hand. “Hank, if anything happens, anything, I’ll call you immediately. Promise.”

  Hank’s radio went off before he could answer. “Sheriff, we have a visual and can confirm the two men at the hotel match the photos Ivy’s brother provided.”

  He squeezed the radio and responded. “On my way.” He pointed at Birdie. “You can take her home, but I expect your best behavior. Actually, better than that.”

  He looked at Ivy. “And you take it easy. Keep the house locked and let no one in until I get back.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ll see you soon with good news.”

  She kissed him back. “Be careful.”

  “You, too.” And with a nod, he was gone.

  Ivy took a breath, then turned to Birdie. “Thank you. I owe you.”

  Birdie waved a hand at her. “We’re about to be family. Speaking of, do you think I could get a peek at your wedding dress when we get back to Hank’s?”

  “Oh. Uh…I don’t have a wedding dress. It was such short notice and…” She shrugged. She wasn’t about to drop all that money on a dress she was only going to wear once for a marriage that had little chance of being anything but contemptuous once the truth came out. “I just brought a dress I already had.”

  Abject horror masked Birdie’s face. “Oh, that will not do. Who’s making the cake?”

  Ivy shrugged. “We could get cupcakes from the Shop & Save, I guess—”

  Birdie clutched at imaginary pearls and gasped like she’d just taken a hit to the solar plexus. “What about the flowers? The music? The reception afterwards? A photographer?”

  Ivy took a breath, wondering how she was going to explain that there was no point in spending all k
inds of time, effort and money on a marriage that was only going to dissolve into the thinnest of unions. “I just thought we could keep things simple. No muss, no fuss.”

  “Oh, my word, you can’t be serious.”

  “I’m totally serious.”

  “This marriage represents the union of two very important packs. Not to mention, it’s my nephew’s first and only wedding. Simple will not do.”

  “You know I’m lying in a hospital bed, right?”

  “You told Hank you felt fine. Is that the truth?”

  “Yes.” Ivy wouldn’t say she was a hundred percent, but she was at least eighty. Maybe eighty-five.

  Birdie’s hands starting flopping through the air like she was trying to organize dust motes. “Then get up, girl, get up! We have work to do. Lots of work to do.”

  With its tucked-away location, the Pinehurst Inn had once been the county’s favorite “No tell motel,” but time had worn the place down, and now its guests fell into three categories: cheapskates, the unfortunate, and delinquents.

  Whether or not Dalton and Wade Jenkins were cheapskates remained to be seen, but they were definitely delinquents, and they were about to be very, very unfortunate.

  Hank raised his hand and chopped it forward to indicate to Titus and Cruz that it was time to move into position.

  Titus put two fingers to his forehead in a salute that said he understood, and he and Cruz moved out.

  Keeping his voice down, Hank looked at Sam. “Let’s go.”

  Sam nodded.

  They crept past Titus’s pickup truck and around the side of the building, making their way through weeds littered with trash and an old mattress. Once upon a time there had been a pool back here, but it had been filled in a long time ago. Hank glanced at his watch. Three minutes to get into position at the back door of the Jenkinses’ room. The doors that had once led to the pool area still remained, and were probably a big part of the Pinehurst Inn’s reputation as a good place to make a fast getaway.

  If the Jenkinses tried it, they were going to run right into him and Sam.

  Hank wasn’t keen on executing this kind of operation in the middle of the day, but Ivy’s safety was paramount.