by C. D. Gorri
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up the past. But-”
“But what?,” Cat tried to keep her voice even. It’s not that she was angry, far from it. It was just that last night had left her more than a little confused.
“But seriously, it took you that long to load the dishwasher?”
“Not exactly. Okay, look it would have been rude for me to leave him in there all by himself, so I stayed.”
“And?”
“And I ate an apple.”
“After you ate three bowls of pasta and a huge salad? You had room for an apple? Freaking Werewolves, ughhh,” Charley let out and exaggerated sigh and shook her head as she patted her neck dry with a small white towel.
Irony welled up inside of her, but she just laughed. If only Charley knew! Cat often wished she could be soft and curvy, full of dips and fleshy valleys.
Wishing never seemed to work and no matter how much she ate Cat remained thin and toned. She shook her head and quickened her pace.
“Do you know what I would look like if I ate half as much as you? I’d weigh like a million freakin’ pounds!,” Charley exclaimed with mock outrage.
“Oh please, you look perfect! Besides my brother can’t seem to get enough of you judging from that huge hickey on your neck,” Cat laughed aloud when Charley grabbed at her neck with a sweaty hand, her brown eyes huge in her face. Cat smelled her embarrassment, but laughed it off as Charley blushed furiously.
She managed to keep a lid on the sudden jolt of envy that she felt. Just barely. Would she ever be happy like that?
“What? Wait till I get Rafe! I told him no love bites where people can see! As if the other one isn’t bad enough,” she mumbled as she took her curly brown hair out of it’s pony tail and attempted to cover her neck.
“You mean you have more hickeys bigger than that one? Where?”
“Oh, please, Cat! Like you don’t know!”
Cat just wiggled her eyebrows up and down and continued to jog. If only Charley knew how inexperienced she really was. It was almost humiliating to think she was twenty-five years old and the most she had done with a guy was nothing to write home about.
What could Cat say about it anyway? Her Wolf had decided long ago who her mate was, but he rejected her. She had heard stories growing up about Wolves whose lives ended tragically because of unrequited love. Cat would never consider that.
She was a modern woman and Wolf. She didn’t need a mate. At least that’s what she told herself.
She listened to her sister-in-law’s chatter about her insecurities. Apparently body size was a big deal to normals, but Cat could tell she was truly happy.
She could hear it in Charley’s voice. She saw it in the way the shorter woman held herself, and the way she smiled all the time. That was good. Cat was glad for her. And for Rafe.
Of course the way they got together wasn’t ideal, but there was that old saying about desperate times. It all seemed to work out in the end.
Charley was adjusting very well to life in the Pack. And Rafe, well, he seemed to be owning his position as Alpha. He was a great leader, but ever since he married he became something more.
He had heart. He truly cared about the well being of the Wolves he was responsible for. As he did, for his mate. Cat new instinctively that Rafe would not only kill for her, but he would die for her also.
It was that kind of willingness to sacrifice himself for his true love that left Cat in awe. She had never seen a love like that. But if anyone deserved to be happy, it was her brother. And if the Pack could benefit from it too, then that was just the icing on the cake.
Zev Maccon was not the best role model as a father or as an Alpha. To him they were both about strength and dominance. He governed the Pack and his family with strict rules an an overbearing presence.
Some of his practices were downright archaic. Especially anything involving women and children. Rafe had gotten rid of just about all of them.
There were some Wolves who didn’t like it. They didn’t approve of all of the changes, but Cat thought that was just too bad for them.
The future of the Macconwood Pack depended on Rafe’s ability to bring them into the twenty-first century. Cat was fully onboard.
She smiled as Charley narrowed her eyes and sped up her pace. She chugged from her bottle of chilled spring water, eyeing Cat’s monitor the whole time.
Her sister-in-law had spunk. That was good! Cat was equally proud of her perseverance and impressed with the way she tried to keep up with her. Especially with those tiny legs of hers.
Cat always felt like some kind of giant compared to girls like Charley. She was just under six foot tall. If she was being brutally honest with herself she’d admit she used to think she looked like a boy.
Especially when she was a kid. It took forever for her to develop breasts and even when she did they weren’t exactly the most eye catching thing about her.
Most male Werewolves were taller than she was, so that wasn’t really the issue. It was just that they tended to be attracted to normals.
She guessed it was because of their animalistic nature. A normal was someone to protect, to pamper, to defend. Cat wasn’t exactly the type to be coddled.
In turn she didn’t really have a type. Okay, well maybe she did, but aside from him there was nothing specific that she looked for in a man.
She dated a few guys here and there. Mostly when she was in college. Only two of them were Werewolves, but neither were anything serious. She had offered her heart once, just once, and he had turned her down.
There would be no second time for her. Nope. Besides she was totally focused on her career and on getting her brother to see her as more than just his kid sister.
She wanted to be a Wolf Guard. It was just the sort of thing Rafe was always trying to promote within the Pack. Some said he had a feminist agenda, but in reality his agenda was equality. Yes, Wolf Pack’s had a pecking order, but under Zev’s rules women were beneath even the least dominant of males.
Cat was a dominant Wolf. She knew that her father had been unjust in his assessment of female Wolves. Just like she knew he used brutal tactics to keep her in line.
But if Rafe really wanted to make changes in the Pack, he should begin inside his own home. Cat took out her annoyance on the treadmill and it wasn’t until she heard her name being called that she realized where she was again.
“Cat? Cat? CAT!”
“Huh?”
“Geez, you’re really focused when you work out, aren’t you? Anyway, sooooo, you never came by Rafe’s office last night,” Charley looked at her with probing eyes. Cat knew she’d never leave it alone so she answered honestly.
“Yeah, sorry, it slipped my mind. Okay, let’s go over to the mats and stretch a little. You can use the yoga ball.”
“I love the yoga ball! Yay!,” they both giggled as Charley clumsily sat on the giant inflatable ball and bounced before sliding off in a fit of giggles. Cat gently pinned her to the mat and the two of them mock wrestled until they ended up in a fit of laughter that left them both unable to speak.
Just then Cat’s giant of a brother walked into the gym. His face lost its wide grin when he saw his bride in a heap on the floor, gasping for breath next to his sister. He shoved Cat out of the way and reached for his mate. The Wolf peering out of his eyes was just as enraged as the man.
“What the heck did you do to her?! Carlotta? Oh my God, baby, sit up!”
“Chill dude, she’s laughing,” Cat slapped her brother on the arm and rolled her eyes when he growled. Freaking Alpha males always showing their dominance.
“Yeah, yeah, I know, you the man!,” still she bared her throat to him and averted her gaze. Rafe was not playing.
“Rafe, baby, I’m okay, really! We were just being silly,” she reached up and stroked his face. The tenderness in that small movement was too much for Cat, so she turned around.
She felt like a voyeur watching them. However innocent the touch, it
was full of something intimate. It was sacred and private. She had no right to that moment. It was theirs, made just for the two of them.
Cat sighed. If only that sort of thing was in the cards for her.
“But since you’re here, don’t you think you should tell her?,” Charley had her arms around her husband and was perched in his lap stroking his face when she asked the question.
Cat could tell from his body language alone that conversing with his sister was the last thing on his mind right then.
“Um, yeah, okay. Uh, Cat? You got a minute?”
CHAPTER 5
“What? Hell no! I’m a goddamn police officer Rafe, I don’t need a friggin’ bodyguard!”
Cat’s emotions were all over the place. Anger, annoyance, outrage, insecurity, disbelief, fear, then back to anger. Still she never looked her Alpha in the eyes and never made a move to challenge him. She had too much respect for her brother to act that way. Besides it was a contest she would never win.
“Language please,” Charley’s sing song voice interrupted Cat’s tirade.
Cat tried to control her temper, but even her Wolf was miffed. Her feelings were always clearer to Cat when the full moon was close.
She counted to ten in her head. She needed to be calm to get anywhere with her brother. Otherwise he would just dig his heels in. And she had no wish to fight, but come on!
“Look, we’ve picked up some good intel here and it’s possible you’re being targeted as a means to get to me.”
“So friggin’ what? I can handle it, Rafe!”
“You’re my sister Cat,” he sighed heavily and wiped his face with his enormous hands. Geez, he was big, at least three of her width wise. Almost twice the size of the rest of the men in the Pack.
“Yeah, I’m your sister. You taught me well. I can take care of myself!”
“BUT you are also my Wolf. I am the Alpha, you will obey me, Catriona!,” the command in his voice made her waver where she stood. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it was strong and it held her still when she wanted to turn away. She whined in her throat and averted her gaze. Damn Alpha!
“Yes, sir!,” she said with clenched teeth.
“You will have a shadow everywhere you go. Now, I worked it out with Matt Larentia, you will take the next month off.”
“Lt. Larentia? But-”
“No buts, Cat. You’ll do this my way.”
“Fine.”
Cat stormed out of the office and slammed the door. She didn’t have to use her supernatural senses to guess the expression on Rafe’s face.
No doubt Charley was holding him down with nothing more than a sweet word or smile. Bless her!
Cat knew she overstepped, but she couldn’t help herself. She stalked across the house to her room and made her way to the shower.
The hot spray hit her body and Cat sighed. She was tense. Even after her workout. She scrubbed her body with the vanilla-tangerine scented body wash Charley had purchased for her.
It reminded Cat of flavored frozen custard on the Boardwalk. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Memories played through her mind. Games, rides, frozen custard, and cotton candy. She used to sneak off and follow Rafe and his buddies when she was just a kid.
Man that was fun! She wished it were summer now. She could use a funnel cake after the bomb Rafe just dropped on her. A bodyguard! Really?
She didn’t flinch when the bathroom door swung open. Nudity was sort of acceptable for Wolves. Not that she paraded around naked, but there were times during the full moon when she or other Wolves were nude before and after the Change. Hey, it happened.
“Liam is that you?,” she knew it wasn’t the youngest Wolf of the house the second she inhaled. Oh crap! She fought the urge to duck and cover.
She was grateful steam from the shower fogged the glass enough to hide her blush from probing eyes. Lack eyes to be exact.
“Does Liam often come into your bathroom when you’re showering?”
“What? No! Ew, no way! Why the heck are you in here?”
“Rafe ordered me to act as your guard for the foreseeable future.”
“Oh bullshit! I don’t need a bodyguard!”
“Well, you got one.”
“That’s just great, sunshine! But I’m pretty sure I can handle things in here!”
“That’s a shame, I’m an excellent backwasher. But if you’re really sure, I’ll wait outside. And, uh, tell Liam to stay the hell out of your bathroom.”
Cat flinched when he left the room, slamming the door. Was Rafe out of his mind assigning Tate Nighthawk to her? Her brother could be a real butthole sometimes. Ugh.
She took her time in the bathroom. There was no need to rush. Besides she was in no hurry to confront her new bodyguard.
Cat thought about it. She didn’t have any work for the next few weeks. Well, since that was the case, she was going to make the most of her time off. Even if she did have Tate hanging around.
“Seriously? 45 minutes in the shower? What were you doing in there?”
“Hey, you don’t need to stick around for me!”
“Um, yeah, I do actually. It’s my job.”
Cat rolled her icy blue eyes and tossed her wet bond hair out of her face. She had pulled on a pair of black leggings and a long fluffy sweater.
On anyone else it would have fallen to the knew, but on her it stopped mid-thigh. The sleeves were oversized and the neck was large enough to reveal one lean shoulder. She didn’t bother with a bra. Her breasts were smallish and high enough on their own.
She wasn’t into fashion, but she was something of a clothes horse. Whatever body issues she had, she always could put just about anything on and it sort of fell into place.
She knew she looked okay, but she stopped being concerned with how she looked in front of Tate a long time ago. This outfit was just plain comfy. She was still tugging on a pair of knee high weatherproof boots when she started walking down the hall.
“Where to?,” Tate’s voice was deep and clear. She had to work hard to mask the effect it had on her.
“I was told you were going to shadow me, not badger me to death with inane questions.”
“Suit yourself,” Tate’s face betrayed no emotion. Still Cat knew she was being rude. Too bad for him. She didn’t ask for his company and she wanted that to be as clear as crystal.
She headed towards her little convertible and stopped when Tate turned her around with a hand on her shoulder.
“What?”
“If we’re going out, it’s best we take the box.”
Cat rolled her eyes and followed him to the huge suped up SUV parked alongside the driveway. The windows were tinted bulletproof glass, there was a custom satellite hands free phone system, GPS, and a trunk chock full of state of the art weapons for killing enemies of both the supernatural and normal kind.
He had dubbed it “the box” because of the bulky square shape of the vehicle. Rafe ordered a dozen more of them based on Tate’s review. But Tate kept the original. His opinion was important to Rafe.
Cat had never driven one of these babies before and she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity. She hopped into the driver’s seat before Tate had a chance to blink.
He set his jaw and she knew what was coming, but she wasn’t going to budge. The corner of her mouth tilted up and she raised a blonde eyebrow as she met his dark eyes. She felt for the keys around the ignition, but came up empty.
“It’s keyless. You need to be added to the database first. Here, let me scan my thumb, then you just push the button. Tate leaned over Cat, his wintergreen scent filled her nostrils. She felt warm in places she shouldn’t and she held her breath to stop breathing him in.
If only she could stop the furious pounding of her heart. His face was close to hers for one fraction of a second too long. She wondered if he was doing it on purpose.
Their breath mingled and she could have sworn she saw desire in his eyes. She swallowed. Her eyes felt heavy as she stared at his full
lower lip. It looked so tempting.
She wanted desperately to taste it, but just like that he was gone. He walked around the car and sat in his seat, eyes forward as if nothing had happened. The roar of the engine snapped her back to attention and Cat put the SUV in gear.
“Where are we headed?”
“I need some things from town since I’m not allowed to work.”
“What things?”
“I don’t know, things, you know, like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons, batteries for my feminine massager.”
“Really?”
“Hey, you asked, buddy!”
“Can’t you get a real man to do that for you?”
“Yes I’m sure I could, but no thank you! Real men smell.”
“Wolves don’t.”
“Oh, yes they do! Especially when it rains! Then there’s all those pesky emotions. Werewolves can not handle emotions at all!”
“What?!” Tate was stunned. He couldn’t believe his ears.
“Listen, Tate, I do not need to deal with anymore cry baby men who want a commitment! Werewolves are the worst, It’s all like, you’re my territory, yadda yadda, boo hoo. Ugh. Let me tell you, I’m fine with Mr. Vroom Vroom!”
Tate laughed aloud at her outrageous commentary surprising them both. Cat couldn’t help but smile. He did not laugh often.
She continued with her quips the entire twenty-minute drive to town. It didn’t matter if half of what she said was an outright lie or not.
Tate was feeling refreshed and jovial in a way he hadn’t for a very long time by the time Cat put the SUV into park in the almost full lot of the local grocery store.
“Geez, it looks like they’re having a sale. What is everyone in Maccon City here?”
“It’s worse than a sale.”
“Huh?”
“Blizzard warning.”
“Oooh. Yeah, everyone’s buying their bread, milk, and eggs. Like that ever stopped the snow. But anyway, come on! Those forecasts are never even accurate.”
“Alright let’s just hurry up. I smell ice.”
“No duh, Tate, it’s winter. Who are you, Queen Elsa or something?”
Tate didn’t reply. He stood behind her stone faced and unmoving as she grabbed a shopping cart and muttered to herself about ice and Werewolves who thought they were the next Storm Jackson! She didn’t see his amused smirk.