“Stay behind me.” If Harper was shocked to seem him come out of the shadows and step in front of him, she didn’t say anything. He didn’t bother to look at her, keeping all his focus on the angry wolf in front of him. And he knew could no longer keep his true nature from Harper. Once her fear dissipated, she would have questions and he owed it to her to be honest.
“Josh, what is going on?”
He ignored the question as he stared into Tyler’s eyes. “You aren’t wanted here. Go home and I will deal with you later.”
Tyler would be pretty sure of his chances again a lone, human female but he wouldn’t be so sure that he could defeat Josh. Josh made sure that his displeasure showed in his eyes and Tyler’s lip fell back over his teeth, his fur smoothed back over his body and he slowly back away. Once he was sure that Josh wouldn't come after him, he turned and ran back into the woods as quickly as he’d burst out of them.
“Josh?” There was uncertainty and fear in Harper’s voice, and he cursed Tyler for his impulsive behavior.
He knew that his friend was struggling with Eloise’s disappearance, but there was no excuse for this. Once he got Harper back safely to the apartment he and Tyler were going to have a long-overdue talk. But first, he needed to explain to Harper what she’d seen.
“I will answer all your questions when we get back to the apartment. I don’t want to have this discussion out in the middle of the road in the dark.”
He turned toward him and he could see the confusion in her eyes. “Why were you talking to that animal as if it could understand you.”
He didn’t answer, perhaps she could see in his face that he wasn’t going to explain anything to her while they were standing out in the cold. She turned around and started back down the path she had taken during her walk and he didn’t fail to notice that she was careful not to walk too close to him
God damn Tyler for forcing his hand like this. What he’d done was unforgivable, and it had rung the death knell on their friendship. And as much as he wanted to blame his former friend for this fiasco, he knew that he was partially to blame as well. He’d been putting off having a discussion about Harper about his true nature, he’d made himself willfully blind to the big obstacle between them. He only hoped that once she learned the truth that any feelings she had for him would be strong enough to overcome learning that he was not human.
They got to the apartment, and once they’d removed with coats she snapped on the light in the living room and turned to face him.
“We’re here now, so do you want to tell me what the hell happened on the road? Why were you talking to that wolf as if you knew it and as if it could understand you.”
Josh took a deep breath and considered his words very carefully. She needed the truth from him, but how to explain something so fantastical that it would be difficult for her to believe.
“I was talking to him like he knew me because he does. That animal you saw on the road was Tyler.” He didn’t know how else he could say it. Tyler’s actions had prevented him from softening the truth and had forced him to reveal all to her without preparing her first.
“I don’t understand.” Her face was pale, and she looked at him incredulously. “How is that even possible?”
“It’s possible because Tyler isn’t human. He’s a werewolf.”
She shook her head as she slowly back away from him. “That’s crazy, there is no such thing.”
“Werewolves exist. They are here in this town. Didn’t you ever think it was strange that a group of people live in a big house on the outskirts of town, and keep to themselves? We aren’t all related but we still live in a big group together. We are a wolf pack.”
She looked dazed for a second, as if she couldn’t wrap her head around what he was telling her. “Does that mean that you…”
She couldn’t seem to finish her sentence as her eyes pleaded with him to deny what he’d just told her. He would give anything to be able to tell her that this was all a big joke, that the wolf in the road had been a figment of his imagination. The only thing he could do was tell her the truth, and so he left his true nature show itself in his eyes.
She gasped and stumbled back. Her hands moved up as if to ward him off, and his heart sank when she saw her fear of him emblazoned clearly on her face. He shuttered his eyes so that they would return to their normal color.
“It’s true, Harper. Tyler is a werewolf and so am I.” He stepped toward her with his hands out to offer her comfort. She moved away from him against, putting the sofa between them. He didn’t want to tell her that if he wanted to get to her, the sofa would offer her little protection. But he kept his mouth shut. She was frightened enough as it was, and he wouldn’t do any more damage than had already been done.
Her mouth worked but no sound came out.
“I was waiting for the right time to tell you. I’m sure you realize that my nature isn’t something that can easily be brought up in the normal course of conversation.”
She moved to sit on the sofa and stared straight ahead for a long time. It was a lot to wrap her mind around. He knew that he should leave her to sort things out in her head, but he was reluctant to leave her while things were so uncertain between them. He wanted to show her that he hadn’t changed, that he was the same man she’d allowed into her bed. But how could he do that when he hadn’t shared with her a crucial part of himself until he had been forced to? Would she even believe that he had every intention of telling her eventually?
“Thank you for keeping him from hurting me.” Her voice was subdued when she spoke and when she looked at him he couldn't read any emotion in her eyes. “But I think you should go. I need some time alone to process this.”
“I’ll go, but please know that I never meant to hurt you. I was going to tell you, I swear it. And I would never had done anything to hurt you. I’m the same person that I’ve always been.” She gave no reaction and he sighed. They weren’t going to get any further with this tonight. All he had left to cling to was the hope that once the shock wore off for her that she would realize that what he was saying was true. “I’ll let you have all the time you need to process this. I’ll go now.”
She made no move to acknowledge what he’d said, and he pulled his coat back on and left the apartment. He didn’t want to believe that this was the end for them. It was just a blip in their relationship and they would get back on track once she came to terms with what he was.
Until then he needed to deal with Tyler and what he’d almost done to Harper. He left the building as anger burned deep in his gut. Tyler was going to pay for this.
38
Josh
Josh stormed through the front door of Shadowbrook, and the anger that had burned in his gut after he left Harper would soon explode. All he needed to do was find his target.
It was all falling apart. He’d seen the look in Harper’s eyes when he had shown her what he really was. The fear had been there. He could talk about not hurting her until he was blue in the face but he feared it would make no difference.
And it was all Tyler’s fault. He ignored the tiny, nagging voice in his head that said Tyler wasn’t the only one to blame. He ruthlessly ignored it. He was in real jeopardy of losing his woman. A woman he was growing to love. If Tyler fucked that up for him because of what he had done, Josh didn’t know how he was going to be able to continue living at Shadowbrook without killing him.
What the hell had Tyler been thinking, coming at her in the middle of the road in the middle of the night like that? What would he have done to her if Josh had not had the presence of mind to follow her at a discreet distance when she had left the bed they’d been sharing? Had he planned to lash out and hurt her? He was a dead man if it was.
Josh stormed up the stairs and when he got to the door to Tyler’s room he didn’t bother to knock. He flung the door open so hard that it crashed against the walls d bounced back to hit Josh in the shoulder. It only served to add fuel to the anger bubbling inside him.
Tyler sat on the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands and when he heard the door open he looked up. His face was haggard. Did he regret doing what he had done tonight? It didn’t matter, the damage was already done.
“What kind of game did you think you were playing tonight?” Josh’s angry shout bounced off the walls and the house was so quiet that he was certain the others in the house could hear him. He didn’t care.
Tyler was up on his feet and stalking toward him.
“If you know what’s good for you, you will get the fuck out of my face.” There was a snarl on Tyler’s face and an air about him that seemed to be itching for this confrontation. It was a good thing, since Josh was eager to have it out with him as well.
“Not until you tell me what you were doing on the road. Were you threatening her? If I hadn’t been there would you have hurt her?”
“We will never know now since you came rushing to her rescue. Typical Josh, putting a human before his own kind. Why don’t you go running back to your human bitch and leave me alone.”
As soon as he heard Tyler call Harper a bitch, Josh saw red. He lunged at him with a snarl and they crashed against the dresser. Pain went through Josh’s shoulder as he hit the corner but he ignored it. This fight had been brewing for a while, and Tyler’s aggression toward Harper needed to be answered for.
Josh pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into Tyler’s stomach. His former friend bent slightly and Josh used that opportunity to hit him in the side of the head. Tyler shoved him and Josh went slamming into the wall. The mirror that hung on the wall next to him shuddered and fell to the floor, shattering on impact.
Josh straightened and charged back at Tyler when vice-like arms handed around him and pulled him away. The arms let him go and Josh saw that they belonged to his brother, who had a furious look on his face.
“I don’t know what the fuck started all this, but I am ending it.” As Josh straightened up he knew that tone his brother used. It meant that it was his Alpha speaking. Josh took a calming breath and prepared to make his case for why he and Tyler were trying to beat each other in the middle of the night.
“Why don’t you ask Tyler about the stunt he pulled tonight?”
Tyler lunged at him and Ben put his arms up and shoved him back. “I am prepared to overlook a lot considering what has happened but don’t push your luck.”
What has happened? What the hell was his brother talking about and how could he give Tyler leeway when he didn’t even know what he had done?
Tyler’s shoulders sagged and he went back to sit on the edge of his bed.
“What the hell is going on?” Josh looked from his brother to Tyler. Something was definitely wrong here.
Ben sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “Go downstairs and I will talk to you in a minute.”
The look on his brother’s face didn’t invite any argument. Josh thought better of saying anything more right now. He turned on his heel and walked out of Tyler’s room.
Several pack members were standing in the doorways of there rooms, looking at him. Was it his imagination that made their eyes seem hostile?
He ignored them as he went down the stairs and made his way to the office that Ben kept in the house.
He wasn’t long waiting for his brother to join him.
“I am sure you have a good explanation for brawling in the middle of the night.” Ben walked into the room and sat down in the chair behind the desk. “Tyler was pretty closed-mouthed.”
“I’ll bet he was.” Josh’s mouth gave a sour twist. Why was his brother putting up with Tyler’s sullen behavior. “Harper has a nightmare and went out for a walk. She was in the road leading to the house, when Tyler blocked her way. He was in wolf form and his posture was threatening. He forced my hand and I had to tell Harper everything.”
Ben swore under his breath. “I’ll discuss it with him tomorrow.”
“What is going on? Why not talk to him now?” Josh crosses his arms over his chest. His brother wasn’t usually someone who put off dealing with stuff.
“I suspect that Tyler’s behavior tonight wasn’t done out of malice. He’s like a wounded animal, and eager to lash out.”
“Why because his sister is missing and he blames me for it?”
Ben gave a shake of his head. His face was grave and a finger of dread traced it’s way down his spine.
“His sister is no longer missing. Derek found Eloise. She’s dead.”
39
Harper
Harper looked up in surprise the following morning when Lana walked into the apartment with an unhappy look on her face. Her eyes went to the suitcase in her friend’s hand and then back to Lana’s face.
“What’s going on?” After Josh’s revelation last night Harper didn’t think that anything could surprise her, but the last thing she expected to see this morning was Lana in the apartment with a bag in her hand. She thought that she and Ben were happy, were joyful even since they were obviously in love and had a baby on the way.
“Things aren’t great at Shadowbrook at the moment and I’m going to be staying here for a while. Thankfully there is more than one bedroom in this place.”
Lana didn’t say anything more as she walked away from the door, and down the hall toward the second bedroom. Harper sat there for a moment, wondering if she should pry into what was going on. Did Lana not know about the true nature of the residents of Shadowbrook?
It seemed unlikely considering that she was living close to them and surely she would have noticed that the people around her spent part of their time as wolves.
Unable to leave her friend, who looked unhappy and dejected when she’d left the room to brood on her own, Harper got up and followed the path that her friend had taken only a few moments before. What kind of best friend was she if she was going to ignore something that was obviously upsetting Lana.
She went to the doorway of the bedroom where Lana was sitting on the edge of the bed with her suitcase by her feet.
“Is Ben going to be coming here too?” She stepped into the room and took Lana’s coat from her limp hands and draped it over the back of the chair that sat not too far from the bed.
Lana shook her head. “He is needed there and he assured me that this was only temporary.”
Lana didn’t look very convinced, and Harper wondered what she could say to help her friend feel better. She was having her difficulties coming to terms with what Josh had told her last night, and didn’t know what she could possibly say to Lana that would help, but she had to try.
“Can you tell me what the problem is?”
A look of hesitation crossed Lana’s face. She seemed reluctant to say anything and when she did speak, she chose her words very carefully. “The people who live out there are having difficulty accepting me. Ben thinks it would be best if I stay here for a while.”
“Is it because you are human?” A look of shock crossed Lana’s face as she looked sharply at her. Apparently, no one had made Lana aware that she knew the big secret the members of Shadowbrook were hiding. “I know what Josh, Ben and all the rest of them out there are. Josh told me last night. So anything you chose to tell me will not come as a shock to me.”
“Oh, I think there might be a few things that will surprise you.” Lana gave a bitter laugh. “Ben is the leader of the group, the Alpha. The pack is not happy that he has chosen me as his mate, and the fact that we are having a baby together is only making things worse.”
Harper walked over to the bed and sat down on it. “What do they think is going to happen? That you will try to destroy them somehow?”
It seemed ridiculous that the wolf pack couldn’t accept Lana when there wasn’t a mean or vicious bone in Lana’s body. And what harm could a baby do?
“Do you remember asking me about a Canergie family a few weeks ago?”
“Yes, what about it. You told me you didn’t know anything.” Harper studied Lana’s face, and her friend’s face flus
hed red for a second.
“I’m afraid I lied about that. There was an old feud, and some of the members of the family returned a few months ago, demanding to get the estate back. Ben and the pack thought they defeated them, but apparently, there are still more of them out there in hiding. A woman named Eloise volunteered to go and find them.”
“Josh told me about her.” Although not the full truth apparently. “She’s missing, isn’t she?”
Lana shook her head. “She’s not missing anymore. She’s dead.”
Dead? Did Josh know about that too and had failed to tell her just how dangerous the world was for people with his nature? That still didn’t explain what that had to do with Lana.
“Surely they aren’t stupid enough to think that you had something to do with her death?” If they did, then they were on the wrong track. Lana wouldn’t hurt anyone, and her friend was definitely not the murderous type.
“They don’t think that. Deep down I’m sure they know that I have no reason to hurt any of them. But they aren’t fans of any humans at the moment. And Ben thinks it would be better if I was here out of harm's way until things settle down. I don’t think they will until they find the people responsible for the killing of Eloise.”
“Surely that will be a matter for the police, just like the police are looking into the person who shot Josh.”
Lana looked at her in confusion. “The police aren’t involved in looking for Josh’s shooter. Everyone in town knows what they are, and they are leaving it up to them to deal with it. What’s pack business stays pack business, apparently.”
Firefighter Wolves Shifters (A Paranormal Romance Series Boxset) Page 17