Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door open to find Wade, his sister Naomi, and Sapphire and Charlie from the bar standing there. Still wearing the same clothes they’d had on earlier, Sapphire and Charlie looked grim, but Wade and his sister just looked pissed.
“What’s going on?” Max asked, keeping his voice as calm as possible. Whatever it was, it was clear he’d need a level head.
“Your bitch robbed us,” Wade growled.
Max didn’t even realize he’d reacted until his fist connected with Wade’s face. The crunch of the other shifter’s nose breaking against his hand was a jolt to Max’s system. With an enraged snarl Wade flew back through the air and slammed against the outer hallway wall.
He pushed up but before he could make a move toward Max, Charlie smoothly stepped in between them. “I think what Wade means is that while he and Naomi were watching Grant’s house, someone slipped in and tripped the silent alarm on the safe. Now the brooch is missing.”
“Well it wasn’t Lauren.” Though he was still raging inside, Max kept his wolf in check. He could scent and hear Lauren behind him. Sure she’d been with him, but he knew she wouldn’t have done this. She had no reason to since she was getting the jewels in a week. But it was more than that. Her quick offer to help out at the bar had been so selfless and he knew it was because she’d been feeling guilt over breaking in to Grant’s place. She wanted those jewels for her sister and he understood wanting to look out for family.
“I’m sure it wasn’t, but maybe one of her pridemates is behind this?” Naomi asked, her voice even, unlike her hostile brother. She looked angry but was at least acting civil. Her eyes narrowed a fraction as they landed somewhere behind him.
Lauren strode up wearing one of his T-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants. Both were too big on her, but she looked…adorable. And he liked seeing her in his clothes, being covered by his scent. With her, she brought the scent of sex, something the others wouldn’t be able to miss. Whatever anyone had thought about her staying under his roof and then his display of aggression at the bar, now it was confirmed that they were sleeping together. Or they would be soon.
Max reached out to wrap his arm around Lauren’s shoulders, a silent claiming his packmates couldn’t misunderstand. She stepped into his embrace, sliding her arm around his waist, but didn’t look at him. She pinned Naomi with a hard stare. “What’s this crap about my pridemates being behind something?” It didn’t matter that she was nearly a foot shorter than the woman, Lauren looked and sounded intimidating.
Naomi held up her hands and shrugged as Wade growled curses under his breath. Before either could speak, Charlie interjected again, always the voice of reason. “As you know, they were guarding the house tonight.”
“Not very well,” Max growled. After the incident with Lauren’s break-in, everyone was on rotation to guard the alpha’s house. They normally had patrols anyway, but he’d stationed packmates in the house. “And why are you and Sapphire here?”
Charlie shrugged. “We were on our way back from the bar when we saw them heading over here. Thought we’d tag along.”
Max’s gaze narrowed on Wade. “Who’s watching Grant’s house now?”
Wade paled slightly. “Well, no one.”
Max gritted his teeth and forced himself not to lash out at their stupidity. He needed facts before he could react. “First, what was taken from the safe?”
“Just the brooch,” Naomi said, her voice almost smug as she shot Lauren a look.
“Did you at least close the safe before coming over here?”
Wade let out a low growl. “Yes.”
Max scrubbed a hand over his face. That safe was state of the art with multiple sensors and a backup alarm trigger. And it wasn’t visible unless you knew where to look. It wasn’t as if the pack kept everything in there. Hell no. Everyone safeguarded their own valuables however they saw fit whether by keeping them in a bank or in their home, but Grant kept some of their pricier belongings close by. “I need to check out the scene.” So he could pick up whatever scent was left over. Max was damn good at tracking and he just hoped he didn’t scent any of Lauren’s pridemates. “You two are coming with me because I want to hear exactly how you missed someone breaking into the house,” he said pointedly to Wade and Naomi.
“I’ll tell you how. Her pridemates—”
“My pridemates didn’t do anything, you liar.” Lauren growled low in her throat and Max could feel her trying to control her temper.
Max squeezed her shoulder and nodded at Charlie and Sapphire. “I want you two to stand guard out here, but give me a second.” Without waiting for a response, he shut the door so he could have some privacy with Lauren.
The second it closed, she whirled on him. “I didn’t do anything. I’ve been with you the whole time.”
“I know.” He didn’t doubt that for a second. But her pride was a different story. “Is it possible one of your pridemates did this?”
She blinked, her dark eyes stunned and…hurt. The sight of that sliced through him. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
“I have to look at every angle.” And he hated that he did.
“I told you they’ve left the area. I’ve talked to my cousins about this—twice—and they would never betray me. Not when I’m basically in enemy territory.”
“Enemy territory?” he growled, not liking the sound of that. He didn’t care if wolves and jaguars were technically enemies—or that Lauren was technically Max’s prisoner. He wasn’t her enemy.
“You know what I mean!”
Yeah, he knew. Still, it was possible someone had acted rashly. Max didn’t know her pridemates.
As if she read his train of thought, she glared. “They would never take them. Not when it would be leaving me to fend for myself.” Her gaze completely shuttered then. “Go look at the crime scene. Just don’t expect me to be in your bed when you get back. I’ll be in the guest room, as your prisoner.” At that, she turned on her heel and strode down the hall with her head held high.
Max wanted to go after her, to iron all this out, but he didn’t have time. If those two idiots hadn’t left the house unguarded he could, but right now he needed to make sure nothing else of value was taken from their pack and to catch the scent trail before it went cold.
Letting out a savage curse, he followed after her, but only to throw clothes on. True to her word, she headed to the guestroom and shut the door behind her. He heard the lock click before he stalked to his bedroom and quickly dressed. Even though he wanted to stay and talk with her, he didn’t have the luxury of time. Forcing his expression to remain blank, he opened the front door and slammed it shut behind him. Okay, the slam was childish, he just didn’t care. “Let’s go,” he ordered, not waiting to see if they followed.
Right now he should be balls deep inside the sexiest woman he’d ever met. Not dealing with the incompetence of two of his packmates. He was seriously counting down the days until Grant returned from his honeymoon. Sometimes being second-in-command sucked.
Chapter 6
Max stood in the middle of Grant’s office, visually scanning the nearly undisturbed room while he tried to decipher the various scents. Grant’s scent was embedded in the room and his mate, Talia’s scent, was faint. He could still smell Lauren too, but it was faded, not recent. And it was very faint. Other than those and Wade and Naomi’s nothing else was strong enough to stand out.
Pivoting to face brother and sister hovering outside the doorway, he pinned them with a hard stare. “Explain again how you two allowed this to happen.” What good was having patrols or security if they did a half-ass job?
The tall blonds both looked embarrassed, but Wade covered it first with annoyance. “I was downstairs grabbing some food and Naomi was supposed to be upstairs covering me.”
Way to throw your sister under the bus, asshole. Max had already heard their explanation but he turned to look at Naomi because he wanted to hear it again.
She gl
ared at her brother and shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal, which just pissed him off. “I had to use the bathroom then I smelled the barbeque downstairs. I got hungry.”
“I saw the flashing green lights first,” Wade muttered.
Max had made them repeat their story a few times and it didn’t sound rehearsed. Whoever had managed to open the safe set off the interior tripwire, which triggered bright flashing green lights from three overhead sources within the house. They were silent but damn bright.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. You know that jaguar shifter took the brooch. Punish her and make her tell you where it is.” Naomi flipped her long, blond ponytail over one shoulder. There was a bite of censure in the wolf’s words. As if she was reprimanding Max.
Her words were like pouring gasoline on the slow burning coals of his anger. Slowly, he took a step forward, his gaze fixed on her. “You were given an order and failed to follow through. That, I could deal with, if it was an honest mistake. But you’re not even sorry about it. Now you want to order me what to do?” There was a very specific hierarchy in each pack and while the Kincaid pack rarely had problems, these were two betas in front of him. And they weren’t acting like it. It rubbed his wolf the wrong way, making him edgy. Max growled low in his throat and flashed his canines.
Immediately both of them dropped their heads in submission but Wade didn’t cover the way he clenched his fists into tight balls. Yeah, Max had a feeling they were going to come to blows again really soon. Since he had to cover every angle of the missing jewels, he would. And he didn’t care if he pissed these two off in the process.
“You two are going to stay here until Sapphire and Charlie arrive,” Max said as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He hated calling them over here right now, but he knew they were still awake and he needed someone with knowledge of the situation. “While they’re watching you I’m going to tear apart your place. For all I know you took the fucking jewels.” He didn’t know if he believed it, but he didn’t like their story or attitudes and there was no way Lauren was behind this. If she said her pride wasn’t either, then he had to believe her.
Both their heads jerked up at that, shock clear on their faces.
“You can’t be serious,” Wade snapped.
In response, Max tilted his head in the direction of the stairs. “Downstairs, now.”
Glaring at him, they did as he ordered. Once they were gone, he called Charlie then did another sweep of the room and windowsill while waiting for Wade and Naomi’s babysitters to arrive.
* * * * *
Lauren glanced at her cell phone as it rang for the third time. Max again. She silenced the ringing.
Not only had he insinuated that her pridemates might be behind this, but he’d left two of his packmates to watch her. Like what, he thought she’d leave? She’d made a deal with him and after what they’d just shared she expected…hell, maybe she shouldn’t have expected anything. She actually understood that he needed to investigate every angle and if that included her pride, fine. But he’d left two shifters to watch her. Because he didn’t trust her.
That hurt.
Rolling over, she stared at the ceiling, hating the conflicting feelings surging through her. She was more attracted to Max than she’d ever imagined possible. The man was sexy and infuriating and from what she’d experienced very giving in the bedroom. Sure they hadn’t actually had sex yet, but he’d already proved how much he wanted to please her. And she wanted to do the same, to lick and kiss every inch of his delectable body.
But there was more to any relationship than the physical stuff. She’d be leaving soon anyway so why was she thinking in ‘relationship’ terms. Groaning at herself, she grabbed a pillow and held it over her face while she screamed in frustration. The run from the bar to Max’s condo had been too short to relieve her tension. Now she was even more wound up with sexual frustration. It didn’t matter that she’d had an orgasm. That had barely taken off the edge of her hunger.
She’d seen that look in Max’s eyes and she’d been primed for him to thrust inside her, to fill her until they were both boneless from pleasure.
When her phone started ringing again she snatched it up, but frowned when she saw her cousin’s name on the caller ID. About an hour had passed since Max had left but it was still early. She answered immediately. “Hey, Yelena. Everything okay?”
“Um…not exactly.”
Oh, crap. Lauren knew exactly what her cousin was going to say before the words were out of her mouth. There was no other reason for her cousin to be calling. “He knows.” He, meaning her father.
Yelena cleared her throat. “Well, yeah.”
“Is he pissed?”
“I don’t know.”
Lauren blinked. “What?” How could she not know?
“One of the aunts overheard my bigmouthed little brother talking about you and apparently told your mom—who is super angry. But your dad hasn’t said a word to any of us and he knows we’re involved. He hasn’t called us to his home to yell at us, nothing. It’s weird,” she whispered the last part, as if afraid of being overheard.
It wasn’t weird. When their alpha was truly angry he contained his anger until he’d moved past his initial period of rage. He was her father so she knew better than most. He was a good alpha and never wanted to lash out at those he cared about so he waited until his animal was under control. And right now he had to be crazy angry. Lauren was the baby of the family. It didn’t matter that she was twenty-five. Her older sisters were all over a hundred and her parents were over three hundred years old. She’d been a surprise. Her whole family had practically smothered her in their over protective tendencies.
Oh yeah, she knew what was coming. “I’ve gotta go.” She hung up without waiting for a response, not caring if it was rude. Her father was either about to leave for Gulf Shores or had already left. He wouldn’t have told her cousin or anyone else involved. Nope, they would have been able to warn her and he wouldn’t want that.
A rush of adrenaline punched through her as she threw off the covers. Stripping off Max’s clothes, she hurried to the shower. The surge of cold water blasted her, but she welcomed it. Right now she needed to get as much of Max’s scent off her as possible. Not because she was embarrassed by their relationship, but because she didn’t want her father to go insane before she’d managed to explain all the details.
Once she’d changed into her own clothes and pulled her damp hair up into a ponytail she snagged her phone from the dresser. She called Max as she headed for the front door. Pulling it open, she was surprised to find no one there.
And of course Max wasn’t answering her call. It actually just went straight to voicemail so she texted him. Frustrated, she shoved the phone into the front pocket of her jeans and headed for the front door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and waited to be stopped by her babysitters.
Neither Charlie nor Sapphire were there.
Not going to waste time questioning the fates and her good luck, she hurried toward the elevators. Since he had the penthouse there weren’t any other pack members on this floor. She’d met enough of them yesterday that she felt comfortable asking around.
She just hoped word hadn’t spread that she or one of her pridemates had stolen that brooch. Considering the way the pack had given her a chance even after she’d tried to steal from them, she wasn’t sure what her reception would be. But she had to let Max know her father was on his way. Or at least knew about what she’d done. Max had made the assumption her parents knew about her covert retrieval attempt and she hadn’t corrected him. The last thing she wanted was for him to be blindsided. She knew how quickly things could get out of control when tempers were high. Especially between two alpha males. Max might not be alpha of his pack but he was second-in-command for a reason.
Lawrence Hayes was one scary alpha when he wanted to be. And her father would strike first and ask questions later if he thought something had happened to her.
Lauren rode the elevator down to the third floor. She’d borrowed potatoes from a sweet wolf shifter about two hundred years old yesterday and hoped the woman knew something about Max. She felt bad because it was fairly early but hoped the woman wouldn’t mind.
Her ballet-slipper type shoes were silent against the hardwood floors as she made her way down the hallway. Instead of leaving the hallways open like so many condos on the beach, they’d glassed everything in giving them more privacy and eliminating much of the outside sound. She couldn’t be sure but she guessed it was reinforced or hurricane resistant type glass.
As she neared the end of the hallway an unfamiliar, almost chemical scent tickled her nose. It made all the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Feeling as if she was being watched, she started to turn around when something slammed into her shoulder blade.
A sharp, piercing pain quickly followed, spreading out to all her nerve endings. Feeling almost numb, she instinctively reached around to where the pain was the worst. Her fingers brushed something embedded in her skin. Crying out, she pulled on it as she turned and stumbled. Blinking, she realized she held a dart in her hand.
What the hell?
Why would someone shoot her with a dart? Falling to her knees, she struggled to keep her eyes open. A dark, blurred figure was advancing on her. She tried to focus but it was impossible. The dart fell from her limp fingers, but somehow she drew on the strength to undergo the change. If someone wanted to hurt her, it would be a hell of a lot harder with her in her jaguar form.
Losing consciousness, she gave into her animal, letting her jaguar take over, protect her. She was vaguely aware of the sound of clothes shredding and ripping as her bones broke and realigned before complete darkness engulfed her.
Claiming His Mate (A Werewolf Romance) Page 5