Honor of the Wolf [The Gray Pack 6] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lori King

  “That’s bullshit!” Shane protested, backing further away from them.

  She almost denied it, too, just to avoid more turmoil. She didn’t want Luke to get into trouble for breaking Shane into pieces, but when he tipped her chin up and got a good look at her face he was going to know the truth.

  “Yes, he hit me, but he regrets it I’m sure,” she said, tossing a quick glance at Shane over her shoulder. He’d moved a good ten feet away and put a table between them, but his eyes were still blazing with anger.

  “I can’t let that go, baby. He hurt you,” Luke murmured against her hair.

  She was quiet for a moment as she debated her next words. “Take me home, Luke. I don’t care about him. I just want to leave.”

  The world stopped spinning as she waited for his answer, and the moment she felt him nod in agreement she finally breathed again. He lifted his head, and met Shane’s eyes again, pure fire leaping from their dark brown depths. “We’re not finished, but out of respect for Tavi you get to live another day.”

  With one last angry glare at Shane, Luke led her out the door with Oren right behind them. He helped her up into his truck after talking with Oren who agreed to help get her car home the next day. Tavi had no idea what the two said, and she truly didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was with Luke, and he would protect her. Somehow she just knew it.

  Luke felt like his heart was being torn in half. His Tavi had been hurt—physically assaulted by that heinous asshole, and he’d allowed the man to keep breathing. That wasn’t right. Every cell in his body wanted him to go back to that diner, rip Shane’s hands off and beat him with them, but one word stopped him. Tavi had said please. She’d asked him to stop and take care of her, and there was no way he could deny her that. His need to protect and care for her, was stronger than the need for vengeance.

  So instead of being arrested for homicide he was in his pickup truck with Tavi cuddled against his side, forcing back the animalistic urges rumbling in his gut. He knew he was on the verge of cracking, and it wasn’t a good place to be in with her nearby. His wolf was just as likely to surface and lay claim to the woman it wanted as it was to run back to finish the job on Shane.

  “You’ll have to tell me where I’m going, baby,” he said, hearing the uncontrolled emotion still making his voice crack with a garbled growl.

  “Seventeenth street, then take a left to Pine. It’s the house on the Northwest corner.” Her voice sounded much stronger than he would have expected, and he glanced over at her as they stopped at a stop light. She seemed to be okay, but a purplish bruise was already forming on her cheekbone. It would be there for at least a few days. A reminder that he should have made her attacker pay.

  “You’re growling.”

  Her words were quiet and her eyes were wide as she stared back at him. He would have expected fear from her, but only curiosity filled her stormy gray-blue eyes.

  “Sorry, I’m just really pissed off. Can you tell me what happened back there?”

  She hesitated and then sighed heavily. “Shane was just being a prick and I didn’t back down. He smacked me when I threatened to out him to the owner of the restaurant. Oren saw him hit me and came to my rescue. There wasn’t time for anything else because that’s when you came in.”

  “You should report it to the police,” Luke said firmly.

  “And what are they going to do about it? Arrest him? What good will that do? Ray won’t hire me back because he won’t want to deal with the drama. He’ll just let us all go and then I’m no better off than I am now. I’d rather just walk away and forget it all. I hated that job anyway.”

  Luke didn’t know what he could say to make her change her mind, so he just kept quiet. She seemed content with the silence, and it continued until they pulled up in front of her little house. Empty flower beds bracketed the small front porch, and half-melted snow still dotted the yard. It was probably a really nice-looking yard in the warmer months, but right now it just looked like a cold empty place.

  “Is…um…your daughter at home?” he asked tentatively.

  “No, she’s spending the night at a friend’s house. Este, my roommate, should be home though, so I won’t be alone.”

  Luke frowned as she slid across the seat and reached for the door handle. “You don’t think I’m going to just drop you off and leave you do you?”

  Her shoulders sank, and she shook her head. “Luke, thank you for coming to my rescue, and bringing me home, but nothing has changed.”

  “Are you kidding? Everything has changed. Tavi, I don’t believe in love at first sight, so I figured what I was feeling for you was just a good old case of lust, but damn it, it hasn’t gone away. When I heard that that fucker propositioned you and laid his hands on you…” He paused as he tried to regain control of his wolf before he continued. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would be on my way to jail right now, baby. I’m just sorry I was delayed in getting there tonight. If I’d been there I would have protected you.”

  Tavi gave him a small smile and her pretty eyes filled with tears. “You don’t have to protect me Luke.”

  “I want to. Don’t you see? I thought all I wanted from you was one night. A few hours, even a few minutes, to see what there was between us, but now…”

  Heavy silence weighed them both down as she considered his words. He could almost see her processing them, and it made his heart ache to know that she might still reject him. If she did, he truly didn’t know what to do. She was obviously more important to his wolf than even he had realized, and now that she’d been threatened there was no way he could just walk away like he’d never met her.

  “I want to, Luke, but to be blunt you scare me.” The steady look in her eyes kept him quiet when he wanted to defend himself. “There are so many things working against us. You’re younger than me. I have a daughter. I have no job. And neither of us is in a position to make a relationship work.”

  “How old are you?”

  His question made her laugh. “I’m thirty.”

  “Only six years. What’s six years in the grand scheme of things? And if your daughter is anything like her mother”—he swallowed hard—“I’m sure I’ll fall in love with her immediately. As for the job, I’ll go with you when you talk to the owner of the restaurant if you want. We can get your job back, or we’ll get you a better one.”

  “So you’re going to just take care of everything then huh?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Yep, if you’ll let me.”

  She shook her head, and her bright red hair danced around her shoulders. “See, that’s where our age difference seems so much bigger. It’s not about the number, it’s about the amount of life lived in those six years. I’ve been a single mother for ten years, Luke. I’ve survived on my own and taken care of Sonny because I didn’t have any other choice. That’s had a huge impact on how I view my future. I don’t need, or want, anyone to step in and try to take over.”

  “Then I won’t take over. Besides, you wouldn’t let me if I tried. Just don’t shut me out, Tavi. Give me a chance. Set a time limit if it makes you feel better, but give me a chance.”

  For a moment he didn’t think she was going to agree, but finally she smiled slightly. “Okay, one date.”

  “Really?” it wasn’t much, but it was more than he’d had a few minutes ago, and he wasn’t going to let this chance slip through his fingers. “Tonight?”

  Her eyes widened. “Tonight? After everything that’s happened today? I don’t know…”

  “Come on, my brother’s band is playing tonight at a local place. We can go have a drink and dance, and maybe you’ll see I’m not such a bad guy.”

  Luke couldn’t believe the words spilling out of his mouth. He didn’t want a relationship, but he’d practically just begged this girl to give him a shot at one. And he had no interest in listening to Gray Skies play tonight, but he’d not only just committed to going, but he’d also asked her there where all of his pack mates would s
ee them together. There was no way they’d believe she was unimportant to him after that.

  “One drink, one dance, one dinner. If I say we’re through after tonight you’ll leave me be, right?” she asked tentatively.

  It felt dishonest to nod his head in agreement because he knew he’d never be able to keep that promise, but he wasn’t willing to let her back out now.

  “Okay, I need to change.”

  Luke gave her a brilliant smile. “How about I come back and pick you up in a couple of hours. The band won’t start playing until about eight, so we have plenty of time. You’ll have some time to rest and put some ice on that bruise before we go.”

  She smiled gratefully and nodded. “I’m not sure ice will do much, but that’s what makeup is for. I’ll see you in a couple of hours then.”

  Before he could get his own door open so that he could help her out, she was already standing on the ground. “And Luke, thank you.”

  “For what, baby?”

  “For wanting to protect me today.” With that she shut the truck door and he watched as she scampered across the yard and into her door. A warm feeling filled his chest, and he knew he was right. Everything had changed.

  Chapter 8

  Tavi was doubting her decision to go out with Luke up until the moment he rang her doorbell. She’d showered and primped until she figured there was nothing more she could do to make herself presentable, and finally she stood face to face with him trying to decide whether or not to tell him to go home. But having pulled the door open, and seeing him dressed in dark blue jeans and a T-shirt looking delicious and decidedly hopeful, she couldn’t take it back.

  “You look beautiful, baby.” His eyes skimmed over her body, and she ran her hand over the soft suede skirt and top. It had been so long since she’d dressed for a date that she wasn’t even sure she’d done it appropriately, but he seemed to like what she’d chosen. A calf-length caramel-colored skirt, and teal blue shirt were paired with a pair of knee-length boots that lifted her a couple of inches closer to his chin making her feel stronger somehow. She’d swept her hair back from her face with a clip, and added only mascara and lip gloss to the concealer over her bruise, figuring he may as well get used to her natural look because she was determined not to be anything she wasn’t.

  “Thank you. Are those for me?” She gestured to the bouquet of mixed wild flowers he held in his hand. They weren’t the prettiest flowers, or the freshest looking, but she appreciated the sentiment.

  Luke looked down at the bundle like he’d completely forgotten he held it, and then passed it to her. “Oh yeah, sorry. I should have planned better so that I could go by the florist and get you real flowers, but I had to stop for gas on my way back into town and these caught my eye on the counter.”

  “They’re lovely, thank you.” She gestured for him to come inside and turned to find Este standing behind her beaming. “Uh, Luke, this is Este Codger, my…um…well, roommate, I guess you could say.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Luke. My you’re certainly a tall one, aren’t you?” Este stepped forward and shook Luke’s hand.

  “Yes ma’am, it’s nice to meet you.”

  She turned back to Tavi and reached for the flowers. “Such a thoughtful gift. I’ll take them and put them in water for you, Octavia dear. You don’t want to be late for your outing.”

  Tavi flushed at the use of her first name, but she nodded and allowed the older woman to take the flowers. “Um, okay, thank you.”

  Este disappeared into the kitchen leaving Tavi and Luke alone in the entranceway. Nerves rattled around in her stomach and she fought to keep from throwing up. Dating wasn’t something she’d ever been good at, and she didn’t think she had any right to be going out with a man so much younger and better looking than she was anyway.

  In the midst of her inner debate, Luke wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “Are you okay, baby? You don’t look like you feel very well.”

  Her cheeks heated even more and she grimaced. “Do you want an honest answer?”

  “Always.”

  She refused to think about how pleased she was when she turned in his arms and he didn’t release her. Instead he hugged her even closer to him, and waited for her to look at him.

  “I don’t date. I’m scared out of my mind and I almost didn’t answer the door.”

  Her chest was tight as she waited for him to react, but her heart almost burst when he finally did. His laughter rang through the room echoing off of the walls and filling her ears. Confused, she frowned at him.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You can’t be more honest than that, huh? I’m glad you told me the truth, Tavi. If you want to know the truth, I’m nervous, too. It’s been over a year since I’ve asked a woman out on a real date, and this is the first time it’s ever really mattered to me if she said yes.”

  His words warmed her up from the inside out, and sent a wave of reassurance washing over her. Gone was the arrogant young guy who’d assumed so much the day they met, and in his place was a man that she could imagine herself falling for. She felt like she was on some sort of carnival ride with Luke, and she had no idea when the next dip or curve was coming. Luke hugged her to him, and she could hear his heart racing against her cheek. She kind of liked knowing he was off balance, too, it made him more human.

  “Now that we know each other’s secret, let’s agree that we’ve made the right decision and get going before anymore doubts creep up. Okay?”

  She nodded against his chest, inhaling his masculine scent deep into her lungs before pulling back again. Luke helped her into her coat and then held the door for her. Calling out a quick goodbye to Este, she stepped out into the cold January air and hopefully into a brighter future than she’d had just this morning.

  Tavi was quiet as they drove to Rustler’s and Luke wasn’t sure what to say to make her more comfortable. She’d agreed to go out with him tonight, so clearly she was attracted to him, too. Why was she staying so closed off now? He didn’t want to bring up the bruise on her cheekbone, or the terrible events from earlier in the day, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to talk about with her. Fumbling for small talk wasn’t in his normal repertoire, and he didn’t want to mess this up.

  “So, Octavia?” he asked, smiling over at her. She’d belted into the far seat instead of sitting next to him this time, and he missed her warmth. He could see the tension in every muscle of her body, and she was twisting her fingers in her lap as though she was unsure of what to do with them.

  When she cringed at the use of her name he could have kicked himself.

  “Sorry, it just surprised me that Tavi stood for Octavia,” he said.

  “It’s a family name. My grandmother was an Octavia, and her grandmother before. I shortened it to Tavi when I was in high school, because it sounded so old-fashioned.”

  “I think it’s beautiful. I never would have guessed it. What’s your middle name?”

  “Eloise. The other grandma’s name. Not exactly a show-stopping nom de plume, huh?” She wrinkled her nose up and puckered her lips.

  Luke chuckled at the funny face. “Octavia Eloise…”

  “Reid,” she supplied.

  “Believe it or not I like it. It’s elegant and classic.”

  Her cheeks grew pink in the dim light of the dashboard, but she smiled. “Thanks. So what’s your middle name, Mr. Gray?”

  “Lucas Hess Gray,” he answered, laughing again when she wrinkled her nose back up.

  “Hess?”

  “It’s my father’s last name. My parents weren’t married when they had my brother and I, and my mother wanted us to have her family’s last name, so we both got Hess as our middle name.”

  “So the family name was that important to her?” Tavi asked, turning in her seat more as she warmed up to the conversation.

  “Yeah, it’s hard to explain, but our family is very close. We all actually live together on th
e same acreage just south of town. It’s about thirty minutes out,” Luke supplied.

  “Live together? Like in the same house?”

  Cringing, he shook his head. “God no! Well, my brother Noah and I share a cabin, but my mom and Nathan live in a cabin at the other end of the den—er, property.”

  “Nathan? Your dad?”

  “Stepdad. Mom and Nathan got married awhile back. My dad’s name is Dawson and he lives in his own place.” He paused, and then sighed. “I told you it was hard to explain. Most families aren’t as cracked up as ours is, and it’s my extended family that I’m close to. You’ll meet some of my cousins tonight at Rustler’s.”

  “Was it your family you were with at the diner the day we met?” she asked curiously. When he nodded she smiled. “I think it’s great that you’re surrounded by the people you love. Sonny and I only have Este to call family. There are times I’ve wished for a few aunts and uncles and cousins to spend the holidays with, or even share the joys and woes of parenting with.”

  “What happened to your family?” They were pulling into the parking lot at Rustler’s and Luke could tell she didn’t really want to answer him, so he reached over and took her hand. “It’s okay, we can continue that conversation another time if you want. Let’s go inside and get a drink. The band should start up shortly.”

  He was pleased when she smiled and nodded, and she even waited for him to come around and help her out of the truck this time. They were definitely making progress. Now he just had to keep reassuring her that he didn’t just want to fuck her brains out for the night—even if that’s truly what his wolf wanted the most.

  Tavi felt overwhelmed when she entered the bar and followed Luke across the crowded room to a set of semi-circular tables behind a short railing. There were several large guys already seated there that she recognized from when they’d been in the diner.

  “There he is!” A muscular blonde man who looked eerily like a Viking called out and gestured to them. “Luke, bring your girl over here. We saved you guys seats.”