“Family emergency.”
“Is Erzsebet okay?” Daniel asked. Besides Pack family, Erzsebet was Hunter’s only family.
“I can’t explain right now.”
Hunter trotted to the mostly empty parking lot and jumped onto his bike. He understood that he didn’t have a lot of time to get to the bottom of what was going on with Erzsebet, but when he read Ash’s note he knew his time was up. Erzsebet lived twenty minutes away and he prayed that he would make it to her before she made the biggest mistake of her life.
He sped through the empty countryside and almost missed the dirt road that led to her house. He pulled up to the bottom of her front porch, not bothering to park on the designated dirt lot where her truck sat.
He leaped, landing on her top step and banged on her front door. “Erzsebet! Open up!” He banged again. Hearing movement behind the door, he shouted, “It’s me, let me in.”
The familiar click sounded on the lock. She opened the door wearing a pink fluffy robe. She didn’t seem like an embezzler, but he was finding that maybe he didn’t know his little sister at all.
She rubbed her eyes as if he’d woken her up. “What’s going on?”
He pushed past her and into the house. “I know what you’re doing and this ends now.”
She frowned at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He had to give it to her, she had the innocent look down pat, but he wasn’t buying it. Not anymore. He took her stairs, two at a time and stalked down the hallway to her office.
“Where are you going?” she asked, running after him, close at his heels.
“To stop you.” He walked into her office and went straight to her computer desk. Her bank account was up, and right there, on the screen was exactly what Ash had warned him of. Fifty million dollars.
All the air seemed to leave his lungs in a rush. His knees weakened and he dropped to her chair. “What the hell are you doing?” he whispered. He wasn’t prepared to see her deception staring right back at him.
She frowned. “Nothing.”
He turned her computer screen so that she could see it, too. He tapped her balance, drawing her eyes to it. “What’s this, Ezie? What have you done, little sister?”
She blinked rapidly and stared at the monitor. “I don’t understand. Why is all that money in my bank account and where did it come from?”
“Cut the shit. You know exactly where it came from. It came from the Dark Wolf Enterprises accounts.”
She inhaled a sharp breath. Her face turned red. “No, it didn’t! What are you accusing me of?”
He slammed his palm against the desk. Everything on it vibrated from the impact. Erzsebet jumped away from him.
“Yes, you did, and you’ve been stealing from the company for months. It all makes sense now. Besides me, Andras, Kristof and Lajos, you were the only one who knew that Kristof had hired Trudy’s accounting firm to audit the accounts. You hired the Russian Wolf-Shifters to stop her.”
Erzsebet shook her head so hard that he thought she would get whiplash. Wild disbelief was in her eyes. “That’s not true. I would never do anything like that.”
He pointed at her, his anger boiling over. “You tried to kill our blood to keep your secret.”
She took a step away from him. “How can you say that about me? I’m your sister. You know I love Kristof and Lajos. I’d never do anything to hurt them.” Her voice rose, almost hysterically. “And, Andras, he took us in when Mom and Dad died. We owe him everything. Hunter, what are you accusing me of?”
He hated to even say the words, but there was no mistaking the evidence right in front of his eyes. “I’m accusing you of embezzling from Dark Wolf Enterprises.”
She let out a small cry.
“You’ve been distant. You haven’t been yourself and now I know why.” He put his head in his hands and looked at the floor. He’d failed to live up to the oath he’d given his father. He’d asked him to do one thing—protect little Ezie. “It’s my fault. I should’ve taken better care of you.”
“I’ve been distant because I’m dating a Vampire!” She covered her mouth with a hand as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just said.
He lifted his head slowly and stared at her. The words were something that he’d never thought to hear from her. “Y-you what?”
She pulled her hand away and lifted her chin. “I’ve been seeing someone. He’s a Vampire. I know how you feel about them. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“How I feel? Ezie, you were there, too. You saw them drain Mom and Dad dry. You were there when they almost did the same to us. You should feel the exact same way that I feel about them!”
Her hands shook. “B-But, he’s different. He isn’t like the others. He loves me.” She pulled back her shoulders. “And I…I love him, too.”
Who is this person standing in front of me? “Do you have any idea what they can do? They can get inside your head, make you believe things.” Dammit. As he said the words, it hit him. He knew exactly what was going on and why even now she had no clue about the money in her account. The Vampire had enthralled her and made her take the money. It would be easy to lie to Andras if she didn’t know what she was doing. Hunter stood and kicked the chair from under him. “Where is the blood-sucker?”
“M-my room. Why?’
Hunter pushed past her and trotted to Erzsebet’s bedroom. The sheets and covers were messed and the bed was empty. Wind whistled through the open window. The night’s breeze made the curtains blow and hit the wall.
“Look what you’ve done. He probably heard all of your yelling and ran. I told him how you feel about Vampires and you scared him.”
A Vampire, scared? Doubtful. “Don’t you get it?” he tried to reason with her. “He used you to get at Dark Wolf Enterprises.”
“That’s not true. He loves me. We knew that neither of our families would approve so we kept it secret.”
It wasn’t any use. She didn’t want to believe it. “When did you meet him?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe last November? I think it was around Thanksgiving.” She lowered herself to her bed and frowned. “I really can’t remember.”
“I’d wager that you met him right before the embezzlement started.”
She looked up at him, her eyes watery and red. “That’s not true,” she whispered. “Why can’t you believe that we’re actually in love?”
“Then if he isn’t using you to get to the accounts, then it’s all you, Erzsebet. You’re the one stealing from the company.”
She shook her head again—tears streamed down her cheeks. “I told you that I’m not.”
“Then how did that money get into your account?” He hated to be so harsh with her, but right now, she was blinded by what she believed was love.
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. “I don’t know. It must be a mistake at the bank. I’ll call in the morning.”
“You have all this money and you don’t know how it got into your account? Tell me, do you remember pulling up your bank information?”
Her eyebrows furrowed together. “No,” she cried out.
“Open your eyes, Ezie, and trust me.”
“But he doesn’t know my account information. I-I don’t know what’s going on. I’m so confused.” She was clearly grasping at straws. “W-we love each other.”
“I, for one, would like to know what the hell is going on, too,” a deep voice said from the bedroom doorway.
Andras.
Chapter Fourteen
Hunter whipped around to find Andras, Kristof, all five Vampires and Asha crowding around Erzsebet’s door and spilling out into the hallway.
He stared at Ash. She refused to lift her eyes from the floor. Why did she have to tell the others what she’d found? All he’d needed was a few more minutes to get through to Erzsebet then maybe the both of them could’ve gone to Andras, explained what had happened and begged for leniency. Now, thanks to Ash, his time
was officially up and Andras would find out what Erzsebet had done when Erzsebet hadn’t been fully aware of it.
It wouldn’t really matter that she hadn’t been acting of her own free will—what would matter to their Alpha is that she had endangered the Pack and, because of her stubbornness, she was still endangering them.
Andras would ban, forcing her to walk as a lone wolf. No respectable Pack would take her in after this. She would have to live out her life alone or join others who were Packless. Her life was ruined.
“Again, I’ll ask you to tell me what’s going on.” This time, Hunter felt the Alpha command in Andras’ voice.
Ash cleared her throat but kept her head down and eyes on the floor. “Erzsebet—”
No. “Erzsebet was trying to protect me,” Hunter interrupted. “I was the one stealing from the company.”
Erzsebet’s features pulled into a frown. “I don’t understa—”
“How I could do something like this?” Hunter stepped closer to Erzsebet and put a hand on her shoulder. “I needed the money. Erzsebet had nothing to do with this. With any of this.”
“Why would you steal from the business and try to convince me that it had been me?” Erzsebet mentally asked him.
“Because you would never admit to what you had done.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
“And for that reason alone, little sister, I have to do this.”
He refused to look at Erzsebet or Ash. He didn’t want to see the confused hurt that he knew would be reflected in Erzsebet’s eyes and he didn’t want Ash to see the betrayal in his.
Ash really hadn’t owed him anything. After all, her loyalties weren’t with him. They were with the Vamps. She would do anything to stay in their favor. She’d already told him that much. So, if it meant giving his sister up, she would.
He stared deep into Andras’ eyes, hoping that his Alpha wouldn’t take it as a challenge but as an indication he was speaking the truth. Lying to an Alpha was hard, so Hunter repeated the words, “I did it,” to himself and to his wolf. If he said it, maybe he would start to believe it, or at least convince Andras.
He couldn’t let Andras find out the truth—he never could. Erzsebet had to stay safe. She had to stay with the Pack. His wolf didn’t object. He also knew that Erzsebet wouldn’t live long on her own.
Andras squinted at him. “Go home, Hunter, and don’t leave until I come for you. I’ll deal with your claim and with you later.”
Erzsebet inhaled a sharp breath. Her shoulder tensed under his grip. “Andras?” She put a hand over Hunter’s and he and his wolf welcomed the comforting touch at a time where they were both battling their instincts to tell the truth to their Alpha.
Hunter’s wolf faltered in their stance to protect Erzsebet and her wolf and whined. His wolf knew exactly what those words meant. Andras would come by later to ban him. Hunter straightened his back and nodded once. He gave Erzsebet a squeeze then released her.
Hunter walked past Andras and his wolf whined again, calling out to his Alpha. Hunter kept going, fighting against the urge to drop to his knees and tell his Alpha the truth. As he walked past Ash his wolf howled louder and it took restraint to keep moving and not to gather her into his arms. While he felt betrayed, his wolf’s only concern was that they would never see her again. He left the room without making eye contact with anyone.
Ash kept her head down but watched Hunter leave from her peripheral vision. She wanted so badly to reach out to him, to tell him that she hadn’t told his secret, but even attempting to move in his direction would get her killed on the spot.
She wanted to tell him that Clarissa had found the transactions and linked them back to Erzsebet’s account and had cracked the virus that had been used to transfer money from one account to another. When she had been sure that no more money would be able to leave Dark Wolf Enterprises accounts, Clarissa hadn’t wasted any time telling Andras.
Andras had gathered Kristof and they had all made their way to Erzsebet’s house. Even if she could’ve stolen a few moments away from Clarissa to warn Hunter that they were coming, she had been too scared. Clarissa couldn’t find out that she’d known about Erzsebet and had kept the secret for Hunter.
No one spoke as Hunter left. The only sound heard was sniffling coming from Erzsebet. Ash clenched her fists at her sides. Why was she crying? If Erzsebet loved Hunter as much as he loved her, then she would’ve spoken up and told Andras the truth, instead of letting him take the fall for her. Family wasn’t supposed to let others get hurt, no matter the cost. And for Hunter, the cost would be a lifetime of living on his own.
Andras sniffed at the air. “The Vampire hasn’t been gone long,” he stated. “Erzsebet?”
“Y-yes, my…um…lover.”
Erzsebet is involved with a Vampire?
Now Ash understood what had happened and why Hunter had taken the blame for her. Erzsebet had been enthralled and didn’t know what she’d done.
Andras let out a low growl. “Were you able to figure out who this Vampire is?” he asked Clarissa.
“No, but if he’s here, we can catch him.”
“Who is this person, Erzsebet?” Andras asked.
“Alexandar. He’s from Hungary, too. That’s how we bonded.”
“Alexandar?” Kristof paled. He turned to Andras. “That’s the name of the Vampire who attacked Trudy.”
“It can’t be,” Erzsebet added quickly. “He’s a good person. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Andras ignored her and turned to Kristof. “And if he’s from Hungary, then I can guess why he has it out for us.”
Kristof closed his eyes and let his head fall back. “He’s one of the Vampires from the rogue clan that killed Uncle and Auntie. He’s one of the two that got away.”
“Erzsebet,” Andras said, dropping his voice low. “What have you done?”
She glanced from Andras to Kristof with wide eyes. “He…he can’t be the same Vampire.” Then she let out a crazy-sounding chuckle. “Don’t you think that I would know one of the Vampires who killed my parents?”
“Erzsebet…” Kristof said.
She shook her head. “You have it all wrong. Alexandar is not bad. I knew how you would feel about him so we decided to keep it a secret until…until after we married.”
“Married?” Kristof spit out. “You can’t be serious.”
“Sickening,” Clarissa said under her breath.
Erzsebet glared at Kristof defiantly. “That’s why we wanted to wait. We knew you’d have this reaction.”
“Have you mated with him?” Kristof asked.
“No, she hasn’t,” Andras said, answering for her. “Otherwise, I would’ve felt it.”
“Good,” Kristof said. “Then we can kill him.”
“With your permission, we will find this Alexandar.” Clarissa snapped her fingers. “Ricko, Rocko, go find our visitor and take him back to our rental so I can question him.”
The Vampire twins left on a breeze, jumping out of the open window.
“I’d like to question the Vampire myself. I want to find out where the second Vampire is,” Andras said.
Clarissa smiled her fake smile, the one that had initially made Ash fall at her feet. “I’ll make sure the twins are aware that you wish to interrogate the Vampire as well.”
“Thank you for your help,” Andras said.
“No! You have everything all wrong. Alexandar loves me,” Erzsebet said through cries.
“Unfortunately, Erzsebet, I can’t trust your judgment right now.”
“While Ricko and Rocko find Alexandar, I’ll need to take Erzsebet’s computer, since that is the IP address used to make the transactions. We’ll work on it tonight and will have the job completed tomorrow. If there are any funds to recover they will be returned to your account.”
Clarissa looked at Andras. “So, does Hunter have his hand in this, too?”
Andras glanced at Erzsebet, who still cried. “Hunter will do anythin
g to protect his sister. Even if that means covering up for her and taking the blame.”
“Hunter would never steal from the family,” Erzsebet said, her voice shaking. “This family means everything to him—to us both. It’s all we have since our parents died.”
Andras glared at Erzsebet. If he would’ve looked at Ash the way he was watching Erzsebet, Ash thought she would’ve confessed everything to him. “Then tell me why he admitted to a crime that you perpetrated?”
Erzsebet shrank away from him. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t understand anything that’s going on. Can I please talk to Hunter?”
“No. As a matter of fact, I don’t want you talking to anyone. Not even your lover.”
“Andras, please,” Erzsebet cried. “Let me convince Alexandar to speak with you and Hunter so that you both can get to know him like I do. I’m sure he’s not the one who’s doing this. It has to be a different Alexandar.”
“No.”
Erzsebet let out a small cry.
“Is there anything else that you need from me?” Clarissa asked.
“Not right now,” Andras said.
Clarissa turned to leave. Francisco broke off from the group and went into another room to gather Erzsebet’s computer. Ash followed Clarissa as they made their way back to the limousine.
Once they’d settled inside and Erzsebet’s computer was in the trunk, the car pulled away slowly. Clarissa leveled her dark eyes on Ash.
“Tell me everything that you know. And if you attempt a lie I will take off your head and let Francisco and Angelica drink the blood that spills.”
Francisco sucked in a breath through his teeth and Angelica slid closer to Ash.
* * * *
Bright and early the next morning, Erzsebet sat in the bank manager’s office. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what was in black and white and right in front of her eyes. “This can’t be right.”
Erzsebet clutched the papers that the bank manager had given her tightly in her hands. They showed her account transactions for the past year.
“I assure you this is correct, Ms. Arany,” the bank manager said. “Is there a particular transaction you are disputing?”
Hunter Claimed (Dark Wolf Enterprises Book 3) Page 11