by Olivia Arran
He wouldn’t hurt me.
“Chloe, when you walked out on me…what you’ve got to realize is that it was close. They nearly had to put me down. I was feral, I’d marked you but not claimed you. It took me a long time and a hell of a lot of control to get a grip on things. I can’t do it again.”
An uneasy silence hung between us as his words sank in.
“I’m telling you this so you’ll understand. I’m going to fight for you.”
I wanted to throw myself into his arms, I really did, but I just wasn’t ready. I was still scared. “I can’t risk losing myself. I can’t risk hating you one day, don’t you see?”
“You can’t live your life like that, always worrying about the what-ifs. You’ve got to give us a chance.”
“No I don’t. I can’t be a stay-at-home mom, the little wife with no ambitions of her own. You’re a strong man, an alpha wolf.”
“Who said I’d want you to stay at home? Maybe I could be the stay-at-home-dad?”
I nearly burst out laughing at the thought, catching myself when I realized he was deadly serious.
He glared at me. “I won’t leave Maisie. I can’t. I’ve only just found out about her and—”
“I won’t ask you to leave.” I couldn’t do that to him.
“But you don’t want me to stay.”
Was he actually accepting it, coming to terms with my decision? I studiously ignored the disappointment that flooded me. It was what I wanted, after all. “So what do we do?”
He stood up, brushing stray blades of grass from his jeans.
I looked up, cupping a hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun. My breath caught in my chest at the sight of him, all tanned and broad, the sunlight streaming through his hair and playing on his face.
He held out a hand, challenge in his eyes.
After a second of hesitation, I grasped it.
With an easy tug, he had me on my feet.
My traitorous heart skipped a beat, a shiver of anticipation slithering down my spine. But he didn’t pull me into his arms. It was for the best.
He released my hand and I swayed, caught in his blue gaze.
“First things first. Your father brought me here to catch whoever murdered Joe. He believes there’s a traitor in the pack,” he said, steadying me with a hand on my shoulder.
It took me a second, but I finally caught up. We were putting the whole mess of what to do about us on the back burner. I shook my head, a sound of disgust escaping me. Angel’s words didn’t surprise me. Deep down I’d already known it had to be an inside job. But the confirmation stung, dammit! “What do we know?”
I fell into step with him, our arms brushing occasionally, a distraction I was pretty sure he was engineering.
He frowned, then shrugged. “I’ve narrowed it down to three people. Mark, Neil, or Smith. One of them is lying about where they were yesterday.”
“It’s got to be Mark.”
Another shrug. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
“So what are we going to do?”
This time when he turned to me, his expression was one of wicked excitement, of a wolf thrilling for the chase. “I’ve got a plan.”
Chapter Nineteen
Angel
I outlined the plan to Chloe as we walked back to the packhouse. She was a good listener and we worked well together, tweaking the details to make sure that the traitor wouldn’t suspect.
“So, have I got this right? We pretend that there’s another developer interested in the land?”
I nod. “Yes. We’ll set up a fake meeting and let the pack think that your father is trying to make a deal. Let them think that he’s planning for all eventualities.”
She stiffened, a stricken look passing over her face.
Shit! With everything that had gone on, it’d slipped my mind that she didn’t know the truth. She still believed her father could die. Time to come clean, no more secrets. “Chloe, about your father—”
“It’s a good plan. We should spread the rumor that it’s really you doing this and not dad. The pack would be more likely to believe that an outsider has infiltrated the pack and is trying to take over.”
She made a damn good point. Pride swelled inside of me; my mate was sharp. “Agreed. Now, about your father—”
She turned abruptly, her eyes suspiciously bright. “We can’t be seen together. If I’m to spread the rumor then I have to act like I hate you.”
“Something tells me that won’t be too hard.”
She flashed me a wan grin, then took off down the path at a jog. As she neared the bend, she slowed, then hesitated. Not turning around she called over her shoulder, “Meet me here at midday tomorrow. I’ll bring Maisie.”
And then she was gone.
I resisted the urge to fist pump the air.
Fuck it. I let out a whoop. I was going to spend time with my daughter. And my mate. If that didn’t deserve a fist pump, I didn’t know what did.
Angel
There was nothing quite like a close-knit pack of wolves for spreading rumors and gossip. Yesterday, I hadn’t even arrived back at the packhouse before people started giving me the cold shoulder. Nobody confronted me, but I could tell by the way their eyes slid right over and past me, as if I didn’t exist. The lieutenants didn’t come for me, but they did form a wall between Chloe and me, closing ranks around her. It was grating, being the outsider, something I hadn’t thought would bother me but actually it sucked. So I was quite happy to escape the pointed stares and disparaging whispers.
I reached the spot where we had agreed to meet. I was the first there. I was exhausted, having not slept for fear of attack, so I lay down in the sunshine planning on a little shut-eye.
No sooner had I closed my eyes, than I heard voices coming closer. Maisie’s high-pitched squeal of delight at being allowed out to play on a school day rang in my ears.
“Is he asleep?” Maisie whispered in a voice loud enough to be heard over a stampede of cattle.
I couldn’t keep up the pretense, and cracked open an eye. “Not now, I’m not. Can’t an old man get some sleep around here?”
She sidled up to me, a giggle spilling from her. “You’re not that old,” she replied while rolling her eyes.
I sat up, arranging my face into one of mock outrage. “You’re not meant to agree with me!” I growled. And I lunged for her, pretending to miss.
She leaped to the side, then darted around me.
I pretended to prowl toward her, my actions deliberate and menacing.
Chloe looked on from where she stood to the side, but amusement danced in her eyes. “I thought we’d run as wolves,” she commented, before adding, “That’s if you’ve finished playing?”
“Yes please, Momma!” Maisie jumped from foot to foot, then immediately started wriggling out of her clothes.
Mouthing a thank you at Chloe, I excused myself, disappearing into the forest to shift. Calling the change to me, I let it wash over me in a flood of strength, my wolf surging to the surface in a crack of bones rearranging and fur flowing. Shaking out my new form, I cocked my ears and trotted back toward the path.
Chloe was a gorgeous red-brown wolf, about half the size of me, with a white tip to her tail. Beside her stood a little black furball with bright silver eyes. Even in wolf form she looks exactly like me. I’d always thought it a little weird that being a blond I was a black wolf, but now it felt right. Genetics leaving its mark.
Giving a happy yip, Maisie tore off down the path, darting off to the side and deep into the forest. Trotting over to Chloe, I rubbed her flank with my muzzle, nudging her in the direction of our pup.
With a powerful kick from her hind legs she took off, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. I let her pull ahead, keeping my ears and eyes open for anything that might pose a threat to my family.
We raced through the forest, branches whipping through fur, the rich earthy smells of the forest kicking up under our paws and caressing my tongue. Warm suns
hine darted between the tall trees, playing peekaboo with the shadows.
We played a game of chase, Maisie leading us on a ragged path until we emerged next to a small stream.
With a mock growl, I crouched down, my tail raised and ears back. I pounced, tackling the pup and dunking us both in the cool refreshing water.
She swiftly retaliated, her powerful little jaws snapping at my hind legs as she tried to dunk me. Sprays of water flashed through the air, low snarls and high-pitched yips echoing through the otherwise silent forest.
Chloe lazed on a large rock, seemingly content to watch the fun and games from a safe distance.
I nudged Maisie, flicking my big head over toward her momma.
Catching my drift, her lips peeled back from sharp little teeth in a wolfy approximation of a smile.
We waited until Chloe’s eyelids had drooped shut and then we each stalked silently toward her. In unison we struck, pushing the red-brown wolf off the rock and into the stream a short distance below.
Chloe reared up from the water, howling and spitting.
Then it was payback time.
My heart had never felt so full or content. This was what I wanted. Needed.
The air started to cool, the sun dipping in the sky as we set off back to the pack. It was slow going, Maisie obviously worn out as she stumbled between us, her little legs dragging with the effort and her eyes blinking closed. Reaching where we had discarded our clothes, I headed back into the forest to shift back.
Grabbing my jeans, I shifted back to my human shape and tugged them on, forgoing the shirt and stuffing it in my back pocket.
The sight that met me when I emerged from the trees was one of Maisie curled up on Chloe’s lap, her eyes shut tight, and her thumb tucked securely into her mouth. Chloe’s eyes were also closed, her head thrown back as she enjoyed the last of the day’s sun.
Dropping to the ground, I stretched out next to them. “What’re you thinking?” I lowered my voice to a low murmur, so as not to wake Maisie.
“I’m just daydreaming,” she whispered back, not opening her eyes.
“It better be good.”
“Oh, yes, it is.” Her eyes flashed open and she raked them down my body, a languidness and rakishness to her stare. “Stop looking at me like that. We need to behave,” she mock-hissed. “Our daughter is here and she’s got big ears.”
I stiffened, her words ringing in my ears. Our daughter.
“Are you my daddy?”
I swallowed hard. One look at Chloe told me I was on my own. She looked like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. I shrugged at her. She had been the one to drop us in it. Turning my full attention to Maisie I thought up and rejected half a dozen replies before eventually answering. “What would you think about that?”
The kid was looking at me, as if considering. “I’d say yes.”
“You’d like it if I was your daddy?” Surely it couldn’t be that easy.
“Yes, please. You’re fun. And you look like me.” She popped her thumb back into her mouth, signaling the conversation closed.
Turns out, it really was that easy. “Um, yeah. So, I’m your daddy.”
Next thing I knew she had hurled herself onto my lap, her little arms coming up and squeezing around my neck. Her deafening shrieks could only be described as joy ringing in my ears.
My hands hovered in the air, eventually coming down to rest on her back. I gave a tentative squeeze, taking a deep breath as her sweet baby smell filled my nose.
She pulled away from me, her blue eyes bright and wide. “We can be a family now!”
A vise squeezed around my heart, and I stuttered, trying to think of how to answer her.
She blinked, suddenly unsure and turned to her mom. “Can’t we? If he’s my daddy, and you’re my momma, then we should be together.”
And there it was. In the words of a babe, everything I’d been trying to tell Chloe made simple. I realized I was holding my breath, waiting to see what Chloe said.
Eventually Chloe answered, meeting my eyes for the first time. “Maybe.”
It wasn’t a declaration, or a commitment, but it told me everything I needed to know.
She was open to trying.
Chapter Twenty
Chloe
After I’d managed to put my foot in it and spill the whole can of beans to my daughter, I made some sort of half-hearted excuse about needing to get back.
Angel split off so there wasn’t a chance that we would be seen together.
No sooner had he left than I heard a rustling on the path ahead. Grasping Maisie’s hand, I tucked her slightly behind me. I knew that Angel would still be watching. He’d said that he would see us safely back to the pack, and though I didn’t like to admit it, just knowing he was there calmed my thundering heart.
“Who’s there?” I called out.
Branches swayed, a rustling sound reaching my ears. Then Mark emerged from the trees.
I froze, remembering Angel’s words. Mark was a suspect. He could’ve killed Joe and tried to kill Dad, but I couldn’t let him know that we suspected him. It could ruin everything.
So I rolled my shoulders back and walked toward him, like I didn’t have a care in the world. “What are you doing all the way out here?”
“Oh, I’ve just been out for a run. What about you?” His eyes flicked from me to Maisie, and then back again.
I had no reason to believe he was lying. It was completely natural for a shifter to go for a run, but he sounded a little…off.
I forced myself to shrug, mumbling something vague.
“We’ve been for a run through the forest too!” Maisie piped up.
Mark’s attention swung to her, then his lips spread in a beaming smile. “It’s the best thing ever, isn’t it?” He remarked, his enthusiasm sounding real to my ears. “Could you imagine if you’d been born human? You wouldn’t be able to run through the forest and explore and chase and play.” He gave a theatrical shudder, twisting his face into one of mock horror, and Maisie exploded with laughter.
What was he doing? Why was he being nice to her? He’d never bothered before.
Shrugging off the feeling of unease, I steered our small group along the path, lengthening my stride to hopefully reach the packhouse sooner rather than later. Any hope that Mark wasn’t heading our way disappeared when he lengthened his stride to match mine.
I just had to keep reminding myself that Angel was out there, watching out for us.
“So, Chloe,” Mark began, then cleared his throat, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
I arched an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to spit it out.
“Bad news about Angel, then,” he eventually said, his eyes not meeting mine.
“Mark—”
“I mean, well, you know—” his eyes slid to Maisie, then back to me, “—with everything that’s going on with you and him, it must suck—”
“Can we please not speak about this in front of…” I let my voice trailed off, trying to tell him with my eyes to be quiet. The last thing I needed was her hearing about the rumor, especially with her only just having found out about Angel.
“Angel is my daddy, did you know?”
Dammit!
Mark came to abrupt stop, a dumbfounded expression on his face. He blinked at Maisie as though seeing her for the first time, then his lips curled up in a smug smirk. “Well, well. So he’s the guy that dumped you.”
Before I had the chance to defend myself, a deep voice rang out. “No. She dumped me actually.” Angel was walking up the path toward us, as if taking a leisurely stroll through the forest.
Maisie tore her hand from mine, her little legs pumping as she ran into his arms.
He scooped her up, popping her onto his hip, his arm curling around her possessively.
Yeah, there was no mistaking whose child she was, not when you put them side-by-side. Especially when they both grinned, displaying matching dimples.
Angel and M
ark were waging a silent war over Maisie’s head, both doing that male wolf posturing bullshit. It was growing old, fast.
And what the hell was I meant to do? I had to pretend to hate Angel, but I didn’t want to side with Mark. Just being around the guy gave me the creeps.
Angel’s eyes slid from Mark to meet mine. He let Maisie slide back down to the ground, then bent over and whispered something in her ear.
Our daughter smiled up at him, then skipped off down the path and back toward the pack.
Angel turned from watching her, a coldness settling into his eyes. He raked them over me, his lip curling as if disappointed with what he saw. “It was a lucky escape,” he eventually drawled, his tone screaming arrogance.
Mark took a step forward, and I braced myself for both of them to start berating me.
“You’re an asshole,” Mark spat out, his voice a low growl. “You don’t deserve her. She’s much too good for you and you’d better believe that, because if you don’t I’ll take great pleasure in beating the knowledge into your thick head. Do you hear me?”
My mouth dropped open in shock. Mark was…defending me? What the hell was happening?
Angel must’ve thought the same thing. His brow creased for a split second, but he recovered quickly. Sneering at Mark, utter contempt in his voice, he replied, “You’re welcome to her.”
And with that he spun on his heel and stalked off.
“Jeez, Chloe. No wonder you ran away,” Mark muttered under his breath, then set off walking again.
I followed him in silence. I was still reeling.
Was Mark putting on a show, or had I really misjudged him?
Angel
I watched them from the shadows of the trees, clamping down on the urge to break cover and blow this undercover operation wide open. It was killing me to let Chloe walk back with that asshole.