Betrayed: Book Two - The Road to Redemption

by Nicky Charles

  A cold knot twisted in Elise’s stomach once more and she stared at the table, unconsciously straightening the cutlery yet again. “I’m beginning to wonder if I’m cut out for it.”

  “Elise?” Helen slowly set down her cup and sat up straighter.

  “We fight a lot these days.” She whispered the words, ashamed to admit her weakness and fearful Jacob would overhear. “I’m tired, and I get irritated with him. Sometimes it’s his fault and sometimes…I don’t know. It’s as if I want to hurt his feelings, just like he’s hurt mine. I know he doesn’t mean to, but I want to scream ‘don’t you notice me?’” Tears were threatening as she finally looked up at Helen, fully expecting a well-deserved condemnation. “I must be a dreadful person. I know he’s the Alpha, but inside I’m so full of resentment.”

  “Oh, honey.” Helen reached over and squeezed her hand. “Every couple goes through a rough patch now and then.”

  “I know, only this keeps getting worse and worse. I’ve thought about selling my half share of the Grey Goose but…” She exhaled and tried to explain. “All my life I’ve done what I was told. When I wanted to go to college, my father said no. When I wanted Bryan as my mate, I was told it would be Kane. Everyone expects an Alpha’s mate to take charge and jump into the role, but I never wanted that! I love Kane, but I want my own life, too. Even if it’s only for a little while…” Her voice trailed off and she felt guilty, unable to believe what she’d admitted.

  “You know, not everyone is meant to stay at home, just like everyone isn’t meant to have a career. Personally, I love my life. Some of the younger ones might look at me and think I’m a household drudge with no mind of my own or no ambition, but running a big house like this is hard work. Yet, I’d never wanted to do anything else. It’s almost reverse discrimination that people devalue the work I do because it’s confined to the home.”

  “Helen, I don’t think—”

  “I know. But just because I love my job within the pack, doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Maybe you’re going to blaze a new trail for the role of the Alpha’s mate. Maybe she doesn’t have to be defined by her mate’s position.”

  “Me? A trailblazer? I don’t think so.” She shook her head and gave a rueful smile.

  “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re one of the quiet ones, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t effective. Some people are in your face and shoving their will down your throat. It can turn people off.” Helen nodded as if she had personal experience with those personality types. “But you come at it a different way. Soft like, making suggestions, getting people to think and before they know it, they’re doing what you want and believing it was their own idea. You handle being the Alpha female just fine. You’ve grown into the job, making it your own rather than a carbon copy of what all the other packs are doing.”

  “Maybe.” She felt her face flush at the praise while, at the same time, wondering when Kane had last told her she was doing a good job. “I think the real problem is that Kane works too much. He hates to delegate, even though I’m sure John could handle a lot more than he already does.”

  “Carrie has mentioned that John’s been chomping at the bit lately. As Beta, he has leadership quality and wants to use it.”

  She nodded. “I know. And now that High Council is looking at Kane, he’s working even harder trying to be some ‘Super Alpha’.”

  “Kane’s already an exemplary Alpha.”

  “Try and tell him that.”

  “Hmph. I guess I don’t have any words of wisdom for you. All I can say is talk to him. Each couple has to find the balance that works for them.”

  “I guess.” She made a face, not holding out much hope that would work.

  Leah started to fuss and Elise picked her up, joggling her on her knee. Jacob had abandoned his tricycle and was on all fours trying to stalk a squirrel as if he were a wolf. It was adorable and she sighed, wishing Kane was there to share the moment.

  ~~~

  Damien realized he was being followed barely two blocks from the pack house. The sixth sense he’d relied on so many times in the past had been working overtime lately. More than once this past week, he’d been sure someone had him under surveillance, yet he’d never been able to determine the source. It had to be Dante, but the bastard’s use of the scent mask made it damned near impossible to locate him. Maybe today would be his lucky day.

  Using the side-view mirrors of the parked cars, he managed to catch a glimpse of someone in a ball cap and jacket some distance behind him. Down wind. Clever, but not good enough.

  On the off chance that it was simply a case of two people travelling in the same direction, he slowed his speed. The other person did the same. Yep, he was being followed, but without tipping off the tail by staring, he wasn’t sure who it might be. His gut told him it was a Lycan; not Dante as he’d first suspected. Too short for that. Sam? The size was about right. He growled in frustration.

  Yesterday, she hadn’t questioned him about his trips out by himself and he’d hoped their heart to heart in the pond had driven the topic from her mind. Yeah, right. Somehow he knew Sam had the tenacity of duct tape. It was more likely she’d decided he wouldn’t talk and was trying to ferret out his secrets on her own.

  He’d been searching for Dante these past three days, and this morning had received a mocking text from the man as well as a demand to meet at the local pool hall. How Dante had managed to discover his number, he didn’t know. The man had sources everywhere.

  Well, Sam couldn’t see him with the bastard again; she’d start asking questions he wasn’t prepared to answer. He’d have to shake her off his tail and fast if he was to get to the meet on time. But would she give up that easily? Not likely. It was more probable that she’d keep looking and stumble upon him just as he had Dante by the throat.

  On to plan B. Confrontation followed by redirection.

  Damien turned the corner, ducked in a doorway and, when Sam appeared, stepped out in front of her and grabbed her arm. Except it wasn’t Sam.

  “Chris?” He released the firm grip he had on the boy’s arm. “Why are you following me?”

  “Oh! Er… Hi, Damien.” Chris quickly transformed his shocked expression into a cocky grin.

  Damien didn’t return the greeting. Instead he folded his arms and widened his stance.

  The smile faded from Chris’ face.

  “I’m…er…not following you. Really. Just going the same way.”

  Damien raised one brow and waited for the boy to incriminate himself even further.

  The boy shuffled his feet and looked at the ground. “Okay. I was following you.”

  “Did Sam put you up to this?” He couldn’t believe she’d use the boy that way, but with so few pack members she might have felt pushed into doing so.

  “No. She never gives me any fun assignments to do.” Chris shook his head. “I was only practising. I heard Sam talking to my folks about me maybe going to the Academy in a few years, and I thought I’d start to get ready.”

  “Huh.” Damien considered the boy’s story and relaxed his pose. “Okay, I believe you. But you made some pretty basic mistakes. You were downwind which was good, but way too close.”

  “Really?” Chris’s shoulders slumped. “I’ve never tried to follow anyone before. I guess it’s harder than it looks.”

  “Yeah. It is.” Damien turned back towards the pack house and Chris fell in beside him. “I can give you some pointers, if you’d like.”

  “That’d be great. What about right now?” The boy grinned and began to walk with a bit of a swagger.

  “No, not today. I have to meet someone.” They turned the corner. The pack house was right ahead. He’d ditch Chris and might still have enough time to get to the pool hall before Dante. “No more following me. If you ever did manage to catch me unaware I could hurt you before I realized who you were.”

  Chris’ step faltered and he rubbed the spot on his arm where Damien had grabbed him. “My dad said you’re
a rogue and rogues can be really dangerous.”

  “He’s right.” Damien slid a sideways look at Chris wondering how he felt about that fact. From the look on the boy’s face, it wasn’t a negative in his young mind.

  “That must be way cool. Everyone would be intimidated by you. You can roam all over the country doing whatever you want.” There was a definite look of hero worship in his eyes.

  “Having no family. No friends. No pack. Never knowing where you’ll sleep or get your next meal. People always suspicious of your motives. Struggling to keep control of the animal inside you.” Damien tried to counter the picture the boy was painting, but doubted it worked.

  They stopped in front of the pack house and Damien checked his watch. Damn. It was later than he’d thought. He reiterated his warning. “Chris, I meant what I said. Don’t follow me.”

  “Sure, Damien. As long as you give me those lessons you promised.” Chris gave him a cheeky grin before heading inside.

  Damien waited until the front door closed behind the boy and then walked quickly towards his meet with Dante. He’d intended to be there before the man, but that wasn’t going to be possible now.

  “Chris, come in here!” Sam called out to the young Lycan as he entered the pack house. Through her office window, she’d seen him talking to Damien. No problem with that except, she glanced at the clock, the boy should have still been in school.

  “Hey, Sam!” Chris entered, his hands in his back pockets and a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

  “Where’ve you been?”

  “Out with Damien.”

  “At this time of the day? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

  “Nope. We have the afternoon off. The teachers have a workshop or something.”

  “Hmmm.” Sam tapped a few keys on her computer and pulled up the school calendar. Okay, the kid was telling the truth. “So what were you and Damien doing?”

  “I was practising following him, but he caught me.”

  Sam raised her brows. “Following Damien. And how did he feel about that?”

  Chris shrugged. “I dunno. He said I was pretty lousy at it, but he’d teach me some tricks. Not today, though. I think he was in a hurry to meet someone.”

  “I see.” She drummed her fingers on her desk then nodded. “Okay. Head to your room and start studying for that test you have on Friday.”

  “But they gave us the afternoon off!”

  “Too bad. You’re still grounded and your marks suck.”

  Chris scowled but did as he was told. Sam sighed wondering if she’d been as bad at that age. Probably.

  With Chris out of the way, she slipped out of the house. Damien was meeting someone. On the off chance that she could pick up his trail, she’d try to track him down.

  Chapter 14

  The pool hall wasn’t crowded; a few of the tables were occupied, some patrons were seated at the bar watching a game on TV. Damien stood in the entry letting his eyes adjust to the darker lighting while his nose detected Dante’s scent…or at least the lilac scent the dirt ball was using to hide behind.

  He was at the far end of the bar. Clever of him. Private enough for a conversation, but public enough that the bastard would feel relatively protected.

  Damien strolled across the room garnering a few glances from the locals. The bartender raised an eyebrow and he shook his head to the silent inquiry for a drink.

  Sliding onto a stool beside Dante, Damien fixed his eyes on the TV screen. The game was loud enough to cover their voices from human hearing.

  “Why the hell are you still in the area?”

  “Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Dante feigned a hurt tone.

  “We were never friends.”

  “Partner, then.”

  “No.” He’d only ever had one partner, Reno, and the idea that Dante would even consider himself to be in the same category caused his blood to boil. “We were never partners. Circumstances might have forced us to work towards the same goal, but that was as far as it went.”

  “Tsk. Tsk.” Dante took a drink, his eyes fixed on the TV screen. “You never were a team player. Deirdre often commented about that.”

  “Cut the crap, Dante. I’m here because I have a job to do. Why are you still stinking up the city with your presence?” He made no mention of what he’d overheard at Marcello’s; it could provide him with some leverage if need be.

  Dante eyed him speculatively, likely trying to decide how much he’d overheard. Damien carefully schooled his features to reveal nothing.

  Finally Dante answered. “Chicago’s such a lovely place. And since I found myself temporarily unemployed and without funds…”

  “You resorted to robbing old men? I gave you enough money to drag your carcass somewhere else.”

  “Perhaps. But I’ve since found several new sources of income and they require me to stay close by.” A slow smile spread over his face as he flicked a glance at Damien. “Very close as a matter of fact.”

  A sinking feeling settled in Damien’s stomach. His experience with Dante had taught him to never underestimate the man. If he claimed to have a winning hand, he usually did.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What are you up to?”

  Dante didn’t speak for a moment, no doubt savouring the moment before he sprung his news. In the background, the faint thud of a pool cue could be heard followed by the clatter of balls as they careened together before dropping into a pocket. The sportscaster on TV was droning out statistics, and patrons were exchanging good-natured gibes with the bartender.

  “How are you coping with Sam Harper?” The non-sequitur had Damien turning his head to look at the man.

  “What does she have to do with this?”

  Dante shrugged. “I heard she’s quite a tough little bitch.”

  Damien gritted his teeth at the term but outwardly didn’t react. The scuzzball was up to something. “She’s an Alpha, what do you expect?”

  “Ah! I’ve heard rumours about her, that she’s not completely Lycan. There’s some witch or Fae in her background, I believe.”

  “Your point?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that I’d imagine she’d hold a certain appeal to you. You were always trying to champion the mixed blooded ones.”

  He made a non-committal noise. It wasn’t a fact he could deny, but it wasn’t an issue in his dealings with Sam, either.

  “Not going to bite on that, are you?” Dante sighed. “Oh well, it doesn’t matter to my little venture anyway. I have enough leverage as it is.”

  “Leverage?”

  “You wouldn’t want her to know that you’re not the rogue she was looking for, would you?” A self-satisfied smile started to spread over Dante’s face. “I know a lot about you, Damien. What you used to be, what you’re doing now, spying for Sinclair. It would be a shame if Harper found out.”

  Damien stiffened in his seat. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”

  “Yes.” Dante looked him straight in the eye. “I need money and I’ll get it any way I can. Friendship doesn’t stand in my way when it comes to getting what I want.”

  “Like I said before, we were never friends.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And what if I said I didn’t care?” Damien stalled for time, his mind racing. Dante seemed to be going on a blackmailing spree. First Marcello, now him. Who was next on the list?

  “Really? You’re going to disappoint Sinclair and his little family? Aren’t they counting on you?”

  “Kane doesn’t need me here. He can build a case against the Chicago pack on his own.”

  “But if Lycan Link were to find out that he’d sent you in as a spy, they wouldn’t look kindly on him. And he was harbouring you before the pardon went through. I don’t know how that would affect his chances for a seat on High Council. Lycan Link can be so stuffy about things like that.” Dante made a moue and shook his head. “Such a shame. He was a promising candidate, too.”

  Damien clamped his mouth shut, try
ing to control the anger building inside him. He couldn’t be the cause of Kane’s downfall. Kane had been trying to help him, to give him a sense of purpose, when he’d sent him here. And Sam…he was operating under false pretences with her, but for some reason, he’d prefer she never found out and certainly not from the likes of Dante.

  “What? No questions as to who my source is? No threats?” Dante gave up staring at the screen and looked directly at Damien.

  “Leave. Now.” Damien spoke between clenched teeth. He could feel his muscles bunching, a haze beginning to shimmer before his eyes as his wolf struggled to escape.

  “I will. For the moment.” Dante chugged the last of his drink. “But you’ll be hearing from me.”

  “I should have killed you in that alley.” A growl rumbled up from his chest.

  “Probably. Mercy always was your downfall.” Dante nodded towards the front window. Through the layer of filth that coated the glass, Sam could be seen walking towards the establishment. “Your ‘boss’ is looking for you, so I’ll be on my way.” He stood, a wince of pain crossing his features.

  Damien curled his lip, pleased that the man’s knee hadn’t recuperated yet from their fight. No doubt his dissipated lifestyle was ruining his Lycan metabolism. “Watch your back, Dante. I’m going to hunt you down.”

  “If you can find me. I’ve played this game longer and harder than you have, Damien. And I’ve always won. Next time we meet, I’ll be expecting payment for keeping my mouth shut. A couple of hundred will do…for now.” Dante limped away, and Damien wondered what the chances were that he’d be able to kill the man in broad daylight without anyone noticing.

  The bastard had the nerve to hold the door open for Sam as she walked in. His inner wolf growled when the man eyed her like a piece of meat. If Dante ever touched her, there wouldn’t be enough pieces left to identify. The idea was extremely satisfying.

  Sam stood in the doorway, her stance was confident, as if seedy pool halls were her everyday environment. For some reason, he tried to picture Beth here and knew his little mate would have been out of her element. She would have looked about with wide-eyed fascination, and stuck to his side in case trouble should break out. Beth wasn’t a fighter. Sam, on the other hand, would probably grab a pool cue if a fight broke out and ram it into the stomach of any troublemaker who dared come near her. Yeah, the two women were like night and day.