Rebel Wolf

by Lowe, Anna

  Everyone moved to their places around the table. A sense of anticipation filled the air that had little to do with the drinks and hors d’oeuvres that had been set out.

  “Yes,” Connor, Chase’s oldest brother, agreed. “Time to get started.”

  Sophie looked around. It was all so obvious now — the family ties, the subtle shifter hierarchy. Connor and Cynthia were co-alphas of their pack. The others all filled their own special roles while supporting their leaders, with everyone pulling together for the common good. In some ways, it resembled the clan Sophie’s stepfather had strived to create, with one major difference — this was a community based on love and trust, and that came shining through.

  Her locket warmed, and again, she felt Cynthia’s gaze. But Keiki drew her attention as she balanced daintily on the railing, brushing under pink bougainvillea that grew as high as the roof.

  “So, do we get to toast these guys?” Dell asked.

  “Not yet,” Cynthia said.

  “Aw, come on, Cynth,” he protested.

  “Cynthia,” she sighed.

  But Dell went on as if he hadn’t heard. “We’ve only been waiting for these guys to get together for about…” He checked the clock on the wall. “Say, a few years.”

  “Six months,” Tim corrected, rolling his bulging bear shoulders.

  Sophie wasn’t too good at reading Chase’s mind yet, but at that moment, his thoughts came through loud and clear.

  Six months, one week, two days, and nine hours, he sighed.

  Her heart thumped a little harder at that reminder of how long they’d pined for each other.

  Anjali poked Dell. “Would you give them a break? Some things take time.”

  Dell gave an exaggerated sigh. “Some things take forever. Like this guy.” He thumped Chase on the shoulder. “And dinner. When are we going to eat? Quinn and I spent ages making all this great food, and here we are, sitting around. Right, sweetie?” He tickled the baby in his lap.

  Sophie warmed. That was one thing she loved about Chase’s extended family — the humor. The banter. The give-and-take. The love that came shining through every word, glance, and gesture.

  Baby Quinn squirmed, pointing to Joey and the dogs. “Do. Do.”

  “Doggies,” Dell said in baby talk as he stood. “Call me when you get to the food, guys. Quinn and I are going to have some fun.”

  And off he went, charging down to the lawn like an overgrown kid. Anjali watched them go with a twinkle in her eye, and Sophie couldn’t help wishing that might be her someday — watching her own mate play lovingly with their own kids.

  She glanced at Chase and immediately blushed. Everything in its time, right?

  “A toast is definitely in order.” Cynthia smiled. “But we have a few things to go over first.”

  “Right,” Connor agreed. “Just to make sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to this case. Like David, for starters.”

  Sophie frowned and looked at her hands. David’s body had turned up after an extensive search of the coast, and police had called the death an accident. Sophie didn’t know what Connor and the others had done with the bodies of the shifters, and she didn’t care. She wanted to look into the future, not into the past.

  “Sorry to bring it up,” Connor added quickly. “But we’ve found evidence that may connect David to an…er…”

  “Associate of ours,” Cynthia filled in when he searched for words.

  Connor nodded. “And we need to follow up on that.”

  Sophie bobbed her head. She owed these shifters her life. Anything they needed to know, she’d tell them. So she went through it all from the beginning — why she’d left home and how David had followed her, first from Maine to Vermont, and eventually, to Maui.

  “When he showed up here, I thought he was after me,” she said. “But then he started asking about my aunt’s money…”

  When she trailed off there, Hailey spoke up in a hushed voice. “Camille Carmichael. Her landscape photography is just stunning. I would have loved to have met her.”

  A lump rose in Sophie’s throat. Her aunt would have liked Hailey too.

  Anjali looked grim. “I can’t believe anyone would want to murder a girl they grew up with for money.”

  Sophie made a face. She couldn’t believe it either.

  “Look, I hate to ask,” Connor went on. “But how much was it?”

  Chase put up a hand as if his brother had crossed an imaginary line, but Cynthia spoke first.

  “Just bear with us for a moment, please. We know David wanted to use that money to expand the militia’s activities. What we’re trying to understand is whether there was even more on the line than that.”

  Sophie fiddled with the tablecloth. She could scarcely imagine something worse than what David had been plotting. Was there really another element to his attempts on her life?

  “Two-point-five million dollars,” she whispered, looking at Chase.

  Yes, she’d finally done it. A few days earlier, she’d met with her aunt’s lawyer and learned all the details of the money entrusted to her. Two-point-five million dollars was more than she would have ever known what to do with, but neither Connor nor Cynthia looked impressed.

  “That’s it?” Connor demanded.

  Sophie blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

  Chase growled under his breath. “Yeah. I beg your pardon?”

  Connor stuck his hands up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. But—”

  Tim cut him off. “I’d say that’s plenty of money. Enough to save an entire wolf pack.”

  Sophie beamed. Her aunt’s last wish had been for Sophie to find a good cause to put her money toward, and thanks to Chase and Tim, Sophie had done just that.

  Hailey patted Tim’s broad back, beaming with pride. “I’m so glad that worked out.”

  Sophie couldn’t agree more. She’d been dismayed to hear about the danger to Chase’s home pack. But Tim’s bear shifter friends had reported back with good — and bad — news. The bad news was that the wolf pack’s natural territory covered a huge plot of private property which was up for sale. Worse, David’s militia buddies had been in the area, looking for a secluded property on which to establish a new base — and they’d been poaching on the side for kicks. That sickened Sophie, but the good news was, the land was for sale, and her aunt’s money was just enough to seal the deal.

  “Have the lawyers finished all the paperwork?” Jenna asked eagerly.

  Sophie shook her head. “It will take some time, but everything looks good.”

  Chase covered her hand with both of his, letting her know how much that meant to him. Tim shot Sophie a grateful look too. The land was being put into a trust, and Tim’s bear shifter friends had happily agreed to watch over that property in addition to their own.

  “A win-win for everyone.” Hailey’s voice filled with pride.

  “No one can harm them now,” Sophie whispered, kissing Chase’s hand.

  “No one,” he echoed, looking at her with eyes that glowed with gratitude.

  Sophie closed her eyes. She’d never wanted any money for herself, and she was sure her aunt would have loved the idea. Her aunt had also left her the bungalow, and that meant more to Sophie than all the money in the world. It would be a great place for her and Chase to use on weekends or if they ever wanted to stay over close to town. Her primary home, though, would be Chase’s place.

  Forever, her inner wolf hummed happily.

  The sea breeze wafted over the porch, stirring the tablecloth, but no one made a move toward the food. Dell came back up the stairs with Quinn, and even he didn’t utter a word.

  Connor spoke up solemnly. “We’re still trying to figure out one thing. The shifters that turned up to help David…”

  Sophie’s mood ebbed again. David’s obsession with shifters had been his downfall, just like her stepfather and her stepuncle before him.

  Tim looked grim. “Something tells me you have a theory about them t
oo.”

  Connor glanced at Cynthia, who nodded for him to go on.

  “I have more than a theory. Chase said they mentioned Moira, and our sources have just come through with new information.”

  Everyone leaned forward, but Sophie shrank back. Chase had told her about Moira — a bitter, conniving dragon shifter and mortal enemy of the shifters of Koakea and Koa Point.

  Hailey and Anjali exchanged worried glances. Chase, Tim, and Dell looked downright murderous. Cynthia sat very still, her face a mask.

  “Moira is mixed up in this? Why? How?” Dell asked.

  Tim’s brow furrowed deeply. “What is Moira after now?”

  “What is Moira always after?” Connor said bitterly. “Us. Trouble. That about sums it up.”

  “But what does that have to do with David?” Chase asked.

  “Yeah,” Tim demanded. “Two million dollars is petty cash to Moira. Why would she care about him?”

  Connor scratched his chin. “I wondered the same thing. It makes sense for David to have caught Moira’s attention with his interest in shifters, but what would be in it for her?”

  “There’s always something in it for her,” Cynthia muttered.

  Sophie tried not to stare. Just how far back did Cynthia and Moira go?

  “From what we can gather, Moira and David struck a deal,” Connor explained. “Moira promised David she’d help him turn shifter—”

  Sophie couldn’t help butting in there. “I thought you said that didn’t work for men.”

  Cynthia made a face. “It rarely does, but that wouldn’t stop Moira from making another false promise.”

  Sophie closed her eyes. It had been bad enough to deal with David, but Moira sounded like a whole different level of dangerous.

  “I don’t get it,” Anjali chipped in. “Moira is rich. She’s surrounded herself with top shifter bodyguards, and she’s expanding her business empire. What could she possibly need David for?”

  Connor uttered one syllable, and everyone went deadly silent.

  “Us.”

  Sophie looked around the people gathered there on the porch. Each was a powerful shifter in his or her own right, yet each looked troubled.

  “What do you mean, us?” Tim asked Connor.

  “David was Moira’s means to getting at Sophie, and Sophie was her means of getting at us.”

  Sophie’s jaw dropped, and the blood drained out of her cheeks. She’d sooner die than bring trouble to Chase’s family. What had she done?

  “But… But…” she stammered, feeling sick.

  “It’s not your fault,” Cynthia assured her. “This is classic Moira.”

  “Over a year ago, Moira came here in person in an attempt to kill Silas.” Connor jerked his thumb north, to the neighboring estate where Silas lived.

  Sophie’s mind raced. Silas was the owner of both properties, and a dragon shifter. Chase had explained as much when he’d gone over the local who’s who of shifters.

  “Silas and his mate Cassandra were able to repel the attack,” Connor said. “But Moira has been keeping tabs on us ever since. Looking for a way to attack — or at least to disrupt — our lives.”

  Tim rubbed his chin. “So she would have known about Chase and Sophie.”

  Sophie’s cheeks turned crimson. Had the whole world followed her blossoming romance?

  Connor shot her an apologetic look. “Hey, we were rooting for you guys. But Moira would have seen it as an opportunity. You know, going after the weak link.”

  Chase growled. “Weak link?”

  “We have no weak link,” Tim grunted.

  “Especially not Sophie,” Jenna snorted.

  Connor stuck his hands up. “That’s what Moira would think, not me. She probably figured an attack on Sophie would draw Chase’s attention away. Theoretically, that would weaken our defenses—”

  Chase growled. “Would not.”

  Connor made a face. “I said theoretically, all right? And, hey. I’ll admit to being a little distracted when my mate was in danger.”

  Dell rolled his eyes. “A little distracted?”

  Connor shot him one of those alpha warning looks Sophie was beginning to recognize. “Anyway, that’s about the gist of it. David was just another pawn in one of Moira’s games. She had no intention of helping him turn shifter.”

  Sophie’s stomach turned. She’d left home wishing never to see David again, but she’d never wished him dead.

  Dell sat back, shaking his head. “That’s so fucked up, it fits Moira perfectly.” Anjali shot him a sharp look, and he covered baby Quinn’s ears. “Sorry, honey. But it’s true.”

  “It is true,” Anjali sighed.

  Everyone went quiet for a time, mulling over the news. Sophie took several deep breaths, taking solace from Chase’s steady presence. He credited destiny with bringing them together, and she believed it. But, boy. Destiny certainly had a way of messing with people’s lives.

  Chase shook his head, reading her thoughts. David’s death isn’t your fault, he whispered into her mind. Besides, I have a feeling that wasn’t all destiny. Sometimes, people make bad choices, and destiny lets them get what they deserve.

  Sophie touched her locket. There’d been so many times she’d felt it guiding her. Was that destiny, or was it something else? Her eyes strayed to the row of palms swaying down by the shore and then across the glittering sea.

  “It’s true,” Cynthia said in summary, and Sophie expected her to move on to something else. But Cynthia’s expression remained serious, and her eyes landed right on Sophie’s locket. “But I wonder whether Moira had her sights on yet another prize.”

  Five seconds ticked by, and then another five. Sophie was struck by the urge to hide her locket, but she forced herself to cup it in her hand instead.

  “This?” she asked in a shaky voice.

  Cynthia nodded. “That.”

  “But it’s just a locket,” Sophie protested.

  Cynthia arched one thin eyebrow. “Is it?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sophie looked around, stunned. Chase looked ready to growl at Cynthia, but his face showed deep concern.

  “What do you mean?” Sophie asked, turning the heart-shaped locket over a few times to show how ordinary it was. As a sentimental keepsake, the locket was invaluable, but it wasn’t special in any other sense.

  Other than the sea breeze stirring the bougainvillea that grew along the porch, nothing moved, and no one said a word. It was Cynthia who finally jutted her chin toward the locket and spoke.

  “I suspect Moira may have wanted David to procure it for her. May I ask what’s inside?”

  Sophie undid the clasp to show how harmless its contents were. “It’s nothing, really. Just this.”

  She laughed as she said it, then froze. Why was everyone staring?

  “Whoa,” Connor muttered, taken aback.

  “Wow.” Hailey’s eyebrows flew up.

  “Ho-ly shit,” Dell said, drawing out the syllables.

  Sophie turned to Chase, but his jaw was hanging open too.

  What was so special about a single pearl? Sophie frowned and hurried to explain.

  “It’s not valuable or anything.” She gestured at the white ball cushioned in a tiny scrap of silk. “At least, not in terms of money.”

  Her words fell on deaf ears, because everyone continued to gawk.

  “Where did you get that?” Cynthia’s voice was tight.

  Sophie closed and opened the locket a few times in a losing battle to convince everyone it was nothing special. Or was it?

  She studied it closely. There was no inscription, just the pearl, but her aunt had always had a special affinity for the locket. It might as well have been a holy relic, the way she had talked about it.

  Trust this. Trust yourself. It will help you find love.

  A little shiver went down Sophie’s spine, but she shook it off. Her aunt had believed in a lot of kooky things. That didn’t mean they were all true, right?
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  “My aunt gave it to me,” she said, summing up so much in a few words. Her aunt had been dying at the time, but she’d seemed at peace. That was how deep her trust in love and the beauty of the universe ran.

  “And where did your aunt get it?” Cynthia asked with barely hidden urgency.

  “From her partner — the man she fell in love with and moved to Maui for, years ago. Lionel Mahelona.”

  “The artist?” Hailey exclaimed.

  Sophie nodded. “Lionel was a painter, and my aunt was a photographer. She’d only planned to visit Maui for a short time to shoot landscapes, but then she met Lionel, and she never left.”

  “Sounds like quite the love story,” Hailey murmured.

  Sophie nodded. “It was. They never spent a day apart. When Lionel died two years ago, my aunt said part of her died too.” Then she inhaled, backing up. “Neither had really had much success before they met, but when they got together, both their careers took off.” She smiled faintly. “But money and attention weren’t important to them. All my aunt really ever valued was love. She said she and Lionel were soul mates.”

  “Destiny,” Hailey whispered, looking deep into Tim’s eyes.

  Sophie turned the locket over. She’d been so preoccupied, she hadn’t given the locket or pearl much thought.

  “Do you think it’s significant somehow?” she asked Cynthia.

  Cynthia’s lips pinched, and Sophie had the distinct impression she’d made a huge understatement

  “Yes,” Cynthia whispered. “I believe it is.”

  Sophie wasn’t sure what to expect next, but when Cynthia turned to the other women, she was really confused.

  “Show her,” Cynthia bid the others. “Please.”

  Sophie looked around. Show her what?

  Jenna looked at Connor then reached into her pocket. Sophie’s jaw hung open when Jenna pulled out a beautiful black pearl with a golden tint. Hailey followed by taking out a pink pearl of her own. Then Anjali pulled a necklace from under her shirt, displaying a brown pearl.

  Sophie stared at each of those three pearls, then at the one in her hand. The others were all exotic colors, while hers was a pure, eggshell white. It usually looked dull, with a matte finish. But now, her pearl came alive with light, almost glowing from the inside.