by E A Price
Six months ago, he couldn’t even conceive being in a committed relationship, never mind asking a woman to marry him. He had been content to flirt, and charm his way into women’s beds. He’d had girlfriends, but nothing lasting. He wasn’t cruel or heartless; he just wasn’t interested in anything that would span beyond a couple of weeks. He’d had a close call with Helena, and he wasn’t about to repeat it.
But, that was before he met Kim. Even if she weren’t his true mate, he had a hard time believing he could ever walk away from her. He was head-over-heels smitten, and desperate to have his beautiful she-wolf become his.
He would have preferred it that she hadn’t have been mated before, but, thankfully, she had never blood bonded with her previous mate. Blood bonding would have left her with a scar on her shoulder and a permanent tether to the son-of-a-bitch who got her pregnant.
Ed was in two minds about her ex. He wished she had never met him; by all accounts, he was a total asshole. Yet, if Kim hadn’t succumbed to his limited charms, she never would have given birth to Jamie. He loved Jamie and could never, ever for one second imagine a world where she didn’t exist. He just wished that Kim hadn’t suffered at the paws of Jamie’s father to get her.
Ed felt his muscles quivering as his wolf howled in fury. His claws pushed forward, and he sunk them into the armrests of his chair, as he desperately sought to hold onto his control before his beast wrestled it away from him.
Just thinking of the way her ex had treated her sent him wild. No male had ever treated her the way she deserved before him. Of course, although he had never hurt Kim, he was no saint, and not everything had been sunshine and roses for them.
*
4th January
Kim graced Ed with a wicked smile. He sipped at his beer absently as he watched her swinging her hips, easily moving her statuesque form around Bar Luna.
The amused chuckles of Kim’s pack mates hit him.
Acksel, the pack’s Chief Enforcer, punched him in the arm. “Kim’s thrown males out of here for less than staring at her ass.”
Ed gave them a cocky grin. “I have special dispensation.”
Jake Foreman, a Sheriff’s Deputy and fellow wolf, shook his head. “Your funeral.”
Ed chuckled. Nah, by now, Kim was used to him ogling her. He practically drooled whenever he saw her, not to mention how he reacted when he saw her naked. It’s a wonder he didn’t have a heart attack every time her glorious body was unveiled to him.
He’d had a long day at work, and had driven to Bar Luna to relax and just revel in seeing his mate. They wouldn’t have much time, but he figured that after the Bar closed, he could help with her chores and then they could retire to her office to either get naked or just snuggle and talk. He hoped it was the former, that was definitely what his impatient wolf was gunning for, but he would be content with the latter too.
He tensed as he scented other males’ arousal. He looked up and saw a group of rowdy male wolves in the corner. They started hollering and making wolf whistles as Kim went over to their table.
They went quiet as she approached them to deliver their beers. One of them, a bullish looking wolf, said something and leered at her. She replied in a voice too quiet for Ed to hear, and all the males roared with laughter.
Kim left them and came back to the bar, a little less happy than she had been before.
“Everything alright?” asked Ed unhappily, as the peals of laughter continued.
She graced him with a beautiful smile. “Of course, babe, I’m used to it. Male grey wolves are assholes.”
Jake and Acksel let out a series of ‘hey’s and ‘whoa’s in objection. She rolled her eyes and ignored them.
Kim bent down and gave Ed a quick peck on the lips. “Back in a minute.”
Ed grinned as he watched her disappear down the back corridor. His wolf whimpered like a love-sick puppy.
When they first got together, he’d experienced brief bouts of worry that people would think they didn’t belong together. All she-wolves were attractive in their own ways, but Kim’s beauty was… transcendent. She could have any male she wanted. Female grey wolf shifters tended to seek out the strongest and toughest male they could find, so, at first, Ed had trouble believing that this she-wolf could be satisfied by him. Of course, over the months they had known each other, this worry had dissipated. It became clear that he was very capable of satisfying her. Both in and out the bedroom…
A feeling of uneasiness assaulted him as he saw a male wolf called Frank disappear in the same direction as Kim. He gripped his beer bottle as his wolf grew restless. It was probably nothing. Maybe he was just going to the bathroom. But…
A month ago Kim had disclosed her sexual past and Ed had done likewise… mostly. It had been a grueling experience listening to the inferior men who had been allowed to touch his mate. But, she had listened to his list, with only a few sarcastic or catty comments, so he did the same.
Most of Kim’s ex-lovers were pack members and were now, thankfully, mated and had pups. But there were one or two who were still on the loose, and one of them was Frank – a wolf that Kim admitted was an absolute aberration in her sexual past. Or should that be abhor-ration? Having met him once, Ed could well believe it. The crude, surly fucker wasn’t fit to even lick Kim’s boots. And that was the ten-year-old pair that had been re-heeled several times, and was starting to smell kind of fishy, but Kim insisted she keep because they were expensive and comfortable.
It was probably nothing. He must be going to the bathroom. Frank had already been swaying and stank of booze when Ed arrived at the bar, and, since then, he had consumed a truly heroic amount that would last Ed more than a week.
It was probably nothing. The more he thought about it, the less he believed it, and the more rattled his beast became.
Abruptly, he stood up and followed in the direction of Kim and Frank, still clutching his beer bottle tightly. His heart banged in his chest as he heard the sweet tones of his mate intermingled with that of the belligerent voice of Frank.
They were in her office. Frank had followed her to her office. He had trapped her in her office. He was threatening their mate! His wolf howled in fury.
“No, Frank, just leave. I’m not interested,” murmured his mate.
“C’mon, baby, why so cold? Back in August you couldn’t get enough of old Franky,” slurred the odious male wolf.
“Let go of me, asshole,” she hissed.
“You fucking whore!” he spat.
Ed thundered through the door to see the drunken wolf had his hand around Kim’s wrist.
Kim looked at Ed in surprise and then horror, but Ed barely registered her. His eyes had darkened to amber and his claws were out. He wanted to tear apart the fucker who dared to put his hand on his mate!
Ed bellowed; Frank started to turn toward him, and Ed swung the beer bottle, smashing it against the wolf’s head. Fragments of glass shattered across his face and the dregs of beer splattered into the cuts.
Frank gargled and slipped to the floor, letting go of Kim. Ed grabbed Frank’s shirt; he pulled him up and started punching him in the face.
In between hits he snarled the words, “You will not look at my mate again.”
Vaguely, Ed was aware that he shouldn’t have been doing this. That this was not how rational people behaved. But his wolf was roaring in triumph at beating down this supposed rival for Kim. She was his and only his. No one else could have her.
He continued until there were shouts and Jake and Acksel dragged him off Frank. Acksel held him while Jake looked Frank over.
Kim pressed herself against the desk. Her chest heaved, and she looked away from Ed.
“Is he alright?” asked Kim, quietly.
Jake shrugged. “Sure, he’ll have a sore head tomorrow, but most of that will be the drink. It’s not the first time Frank tried to sleaze over another wolf’s mate and got a face-full of bruises for his trouble.”
Frank blinked at them. “Wha’
‘appened?”
“You fell down and hurt your head,” replied Acksel.
“Ah, shit.”
Jake picked him up. “Yeah, c’mon, man, let’s find someone sober to give you a ride home.”
“I can prob’ly drive myself.”
“Is your truck outside?” asked Acksel.
Frank swayed on his feet. “Nah, left it at home. Lemme go pick it up and then I’ll drive myself ‘hic’ home.”
Jake and Acksel hauled Frank out, laughing at the drunken wolf. As far as they were concerned, Frank had made an ass out of himself, trying it on with a she-wolf, and had been put in his place by the she-wolf’s mate. For Rose, it was business as usual.
Kim wasn’t laughing. Nor was Ed.
He waited until they had gone. “I take it Jake won’t be arresting me for that?”
“No, any more than he would have tried to arrest Alec when he attacked you. It’s a pack town; the rules are a little more flexible than in cities where there’re more humans.”
Ed nodded. “Kim, I…”
“You really scared me, Ed.”
No babe, he thought sadly. She was using his name – that wasn’t a good sign.
His wolf whined at him to make it better. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s not your fault.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” he asked, slowly.
Kim looked up, and he felt a stab to his heart to see a tear trickling down her cheek. “No, not mad. You just… you just scared me. I… I didn’t think you were like that.”
Ed bristled. Like what? Did she not think he was capable of protecting her? Did she want him to be weak and allow other males to slobber all over her? “So, you’re disappointed?”
Kim rubbed her forehead. “Not exactly, I’m not explaining myself very well.”
Ed raked his hands through his hair. “No, you’re not.”
“Maybe you should go,” she blurted.
He watched her for a few moments, but she remained impassive as another tear slid down her cheek. It took all his self-control not to march over to her and pull her into his arms. He just got the feeling that he wasn’t overly welcome at that moment.
In spite of his animal’s vociferous objections, he said, “If that’s what you want.”
She breathed in and for a second he hoped she was going to ask him to stay, but instead, she told him she’d call him.
He nodded dumbly and left, trying to come to terms with the sudden shift in mood of his mate. A thousand thoughts and worries flooded him. The loudest of which was that his mate was going to leave him. And how could he ever survive without her?
*
Present Day
Ed looked up as his two brothers came back from the search of the bedrooms. His thoughts had made him edgy and more than anything he wanted something, or rather someone, to be angry at.
While he was angry, everyone else was nervously curious.
“Well?” demanded Marie. “What did you find?”
“Nothing,” admitted Harold Jr., “there was no sign or scent of any wolfsbane in any room.”
“Now what?” asked his father, eyeing his eldest son and Alpha in disapproval. His contemptuous tone of voice indicated that he would have sorted out this whole mess had he still been Alpha.
Harold raised his chin defiantly and stared down his father until the older male looked away. “Now, we will search the other rooms in the house. The wolfsbane was used yesterday; it has to be here somewhere, and I doubt anyone could have taken it outside.”
A peal of thunder duly cracked through the sky to emphasize his point.
Harold rubbed his neck. “We’ll get started now. Jonathan?”
“Yeah, yeah, one second, let me get a drink, looking through Kim’s underwear was thirsty work.”
Kim shook her head and gave him a sour look. Jonathan inclined his head at Ed, who in turn frowned. His brother seemed to be motioning him over to the liquor cabinet. Did he want to make another crack about Kim’s underwear? His wolf was already twitchy; one more comment might just push him over the edge and make him throttle Jonathan on the spot.
Jonathan seemed to be bobbing his head like a darn turkey. Reluctantly, Ed went over to see what the freaking hell he wanted.
“I warn you, I’m in no fucking mood,” muttered Ed.
“Well, it’s about to get worse.”
Jonathan looked around the room and, turning his back on everyone, he passed a small bottle to Ed.
Ed knit his brows together. What was Jonathan up to? His face dropped as he realized just what he had in his hand. “Is this…”
“Yes.”
“Where did you find it? Why haven’t you told anyone? How could you be so dumb as to keep this from everyone?”
Jonathan swirled his brandy before downing it in one and smacking his lips at the rich taste. “I found it in Kim’s room. You’re welcome.”
Jonathan sauntered away to help Harold Jr. with the pointless search. Pointless in that he had already found what they were looking for.
The wolfsbane had been in Kim’s room.
Fuck.
Chapter Fourteen
“I want to play with the others.” Jamie stamped her little foot and pouted.
“And you will, soon. For now, just watch your show, and you’ll see them later.”
Kim, Ed and Jamie were in Ed’s room. Ed had popped in a DVD of Emily Wolf to keep Jamie occupied while they talked.
Kim was surprised when Jonathan came through the bedroom door. She was about to ask why he was there when Ed shook his head. He locked his door and ushered the three of them into the bathroom.
Kim sat down on the toilet and let out a small laugh. “These bathroom rendezvous are starting to become a habit.”
Ed winked at her. “Yeah, gorgeous, don’t ever say I never take you anywhere.”
Ed sat on the edge of the bath, and Jonathan tested the sturdiness of the laundry hamper.
Kim looked between the two brothers. “So, what exactly are we doing here?”
Ed scrubbed a hand over his face. “We need to find out who tried to kill our grandmother.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t we just wait until they’re successful? Who knows? Maybe they’ll turn themselves in when the deed is done.”
Kim gave him a look of concern and Ed was quick to reassure her. “He’s kidding. You’re kidding, right?”
Jonathan rolled his shoulders. “Sure, let’s go with that. So, you actually think we can somehow work out who it is?”
“I don’t see why not,” replied Ed slowly. Although he and his wolf had serious doubts.
Kim’s frame shook as she tried not to laugh. They both looked at her curiously.
She waved her hand. “Sorry, it’s like an episode of Scooby Doo. Jamie used to love it.”
Jonathan smirked. “She’s right; I’m Fred of course,” he cast a mischievous smile at Ed, “and I guess that makes you Shaggy.”
Ed clucked his tongue at his brother’s childishness. “No, I’m Fred because Kim’s Daphne. You can be Scooby.”
Jonathan spread out his hands. “Hey, I got no problem with Kim being Daphne to my Fred.”
Ed opened his mouth to object when Kim shushed him. “Guys, we’re getting off topic.”
Jonathan gave Ed a censorial look. “You’re quite right, Kim. We’ll pick this up later.”
Kim shook her head. “Don’t you take anything seriously?”
He gave her a wry smile. “I’ve found it’s best not to in this family. If you get too touchy or too attached to anything, you end up getting hurt. It’s better to be a joker.”
Kim felt a pang at the hint of sadness in his voice and felt a flush of sympathy for her soon-to-be brother-in-law.
Ed cleared his throat, as his wolf huffed. His mate should not be having a ‘moment’ with his brother. All of her ‘moments’ were reserved for him and him alone. “As I was saying,” he hissed through gritted
teeth, “we need to find out who’s doing this and quickly, before anything else happens.”
He and Jonathan gave each other significant looks.
Kim glared at them. “You two are hiding something from me.”
They both sucked in a breath to deny it, but Kim told them to confess or else.
Ed relented, but only because he thought the or else part might involve an embargo on any future sex they might have. If they ever got off this damn, fricking island.
“Jonathan found the wolfsbane in your room,” he told her in a rush.
Kim’s eyes were wide as saucers and blood drained from her usually rosy pink cheeks. “But, how could…”
Ed took one of her limp hands. “Somebody must have planted it there to frame you.”
A hand flew to her mouth. Ugh, she felt sick, and her wolf started panicking. “Fuck, what if Jamie had found it? What if Jamie had got it on her skin?”
God, the thought of her pup being hurt made her want to run out there and hug her until Jamie begged her to stop. Which was usually after about five seconds.
“She didn’t,” said Ed, gently. “Jamie’s okay.”
Kim nodded, but the nagging worry would not go away so easily.
Jonathan tapped his chin. “So, let’s see, who dislikes our grandmother? Who wants to get their paws on money? Who might have a grudge against Kim? Who was in the kitchen when Judy was making the cup of tea? And who is a psycho bitch? Anyone? Because I’m sure coming up blank.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “You think it’s Helena.”
“Wellll...”
“But didn’t you search her room looking for the missing engagement ring? Wouldn’t you have found the wolfsbane when you did that?”
Jonathan thought about that for a second. “Unless she had it with her; she had that huge straw basket purse with her while she was sunbathing. You know, the one with the daisies all over it.”
“I’m surprised you noticed.”
He smiled. “She was wearing a tiny, red bikini; trust me, I was looking.”