Cole approached the man guarding the splintered and broken wooden door, and offered his hand. “Witt,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” the man replied, clasping Cole’s hand.
“Thank you for protecting my mother,” Cole said. They shook, then Cole pushed open the door to the house he grew up in. I looked up at the big man and gave him a small smile.
He nodded at me and said only, “Ma’am.”
Harkins greeted Cole as we stepped into the living room. “Cole,” he said, “glad you’re here.”
“Thanks for the call,” Cole replied. Harkins looked past Cole at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Kitchen’s a mess,” Harkins said to Cole. “Might wanna keep your lady in here.”
I looked up at Cole, then at Zaria sitting in a big, black leather chair as she stared out the window, expressionless. My boots clicked on the floor as I walked past the men and sat on the plaid sofa across from her. “I’ll be fine here,” I said. “Go ahead.”
Cole and Harkins walked to the kitchen, and I turned to Zaria. Dark circles surrounded her sunken eyes, her hair was a mess, and I could smell the smoke and liquor on her even from my distance. Her jeans were torn, and her dark green shirt was wrinkled. She looked like she’d been having a hard time well before she was attacked.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
She turned to me and answered, “What do you care?”
“Your son is my mate. I love him. And he cares about you,” I answered.
“Don’t be so sure,” she replied, and furrowed her brow.
“I’d like us to be cordial,” I said. “You don’t have to like me. I know I’ll never be a shifter, but I will be the mother of your grandchildren someday, so you might want to ease up on me a bit.”
She stared at me with the same golden eyes I treasured on my mate. It was strange seeing similarities between them when their personalities were nothing alike. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking with the expressionless mask she wore, but I felt the weight of her judging me.
“I’m doing fine,” she finally answered.
“Do you need any bandages for your wounds?” I asked, pointing to the blood that soaked through her sleeve.
“No,” she answered. “Just flesh wounds.”
“Maybe you should stay at our place until this is over,” I offered, regretting the idea as soon as it came out of my mouth. What a horrible mess that would be. We would have no space and time alone if Zaria was with us, but I couldn’t imagine the guilt Cole would feel if something else happened to her.
Zaria raised an eyebrow and smirked at me like I was amusing her. “I’m fine here,” she answered.
“Fine,” I said.
It was the longest conversation I’d ever had with my future mother-in-law.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cole
Bloody paw prints were smeared across the white linoleum tiles. Crimson droplets were spattered across the wooden cabinets. There was more red around the kitchen than paint on the walls. The scene reminded me of the man in my kitchen, the man I had killed. There was much more blood here—a fight between wolves instead of men. Two gray wolves lay in the center of the floor, one with a white muzzle. I took a closer look at the intruders who had attacked my mother. Both had fatal wounds to the throat—Witt was efficient. I didn’t recognize the larger gray wolf, but the smaller wolf with the white muzzle was familiar.
“Do you know either of them?” I asked Harkins.
“Not the big one. Little guy used to be one of Stratton’s. Think his name was Keir,” he replied.
“Doesn’t matter now. But that means Dashiell converted some of the old pack when he took over. There could be some allies hiding in Ellistown. Or at least a few that might not fight for him if they were unwilling to fight for Stratton,” I said. At least something positive might come out of this attack. “Did you call the Tribunal to report this?”
“Yep, left a message just after I called you,” Harkins replied.
“Good. Who knows how long it will take to hear back from them, though. Something’s off. I didn’t hear back about the doctor until a grizzly showed up on my porch,” I said.
“Mm-hmm,” Harkins answered.
“How bad off is Reynolds?” I asked.
“Upstairs on the bed, takin’ a rest,” he replied. “He’ll be fine in a week or so.”
“So pretty bad,” I said. “Thanks, Harkins.”
I walked back to the living room to check on Hailey and my mother. It was good seeing my mother being civil with my mate, though that was more likely due to the injuries than to a change of heart. I sat next to Hailey and set my hand on her knee. She looked up at me with concern in her deep blue eyes.
“Everything okay?” I asked Hailey.
“Oh yeah,” my mother replied. “I’m peachy.”
“Yeah, I’m just worried about you,” Hailey answered. “Are you holding up okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, then turned to my mother and said, “Tell me what happened.”
It was hard to look at her, knowing that she had caused all of this. I couldn’t forgive her, not now, maybe not ever. But being pissed wasn’t enough to keep me from checking that she was okay and finding out what had happened.
She took a swig from the bottle of vodka in her hand, then said, “I was sitting in the kitchen, eating lunch alone. Since I wasn’t invited to your party at the bar.”
“You’ve made your feelings clear, you’re a drunk mess, and it wasn’t about you. It was about me and Hailey, and I needed it to stay that way,” I replied.
Zaria stared at me, her expression blank—the world’s best poker face. “There was some noise from out front,” she continued. “Reynolds went to check it out. He didn’t come back. Witt stayed with me in the kitchen, waiting in wolf form. They broke down the door, little one as a man, big one as a wolf. Witt went to stop them over there.” Zaria pointed near the doorway. “Little guy slipped past him, shifted and bit my arm.”
“Did you shift to defend yourself?” I asked.
“No,” she answered. “Witt made that mess all by himself.” She leaned forward from the big recliner and raised her voice. “And he needs to clean it up.”
Hailey asked, “Why didn’t you help him?”
“Didn’t you hear?” my mother answered, “Garret’s dead. I got him killed. There’s nothing left for me. I’ll gladly take the punishment for sending that poison.” Zaria laughed. “Maybe next time they’ll send more than two.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?” I asked.
“The little one seemed scared, like he immediately regretted biting my arm. If the big one had gone down outside I doubt the little one would have come in at all.”
“That is helpful, thanks,” I said. To take down Dashiell, we might only have to take down select targets. The problem was knowing which were which. “You can’t stay here with the broken door and Dashiell’s men looking to harm you.”
“I prefer being home,” she answered.
“I know, but it’s not safe. You need to stay somewhere else,” I said.
Zaria smirked and looked at Hailey. “Well,” she said, “since you insist, your mate invited me to stay at your house.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Hailey
My shoulders were rigid, and I kept my hands in my lap. I held my legs together to keep from touching Zaria’s leg as the truck carried us over bumps through the winding forest road. The drive was painfully long, wedged between Cole and Zaria in the cab of the pickup. Light conversation might have helped, but everyone silently looked out their windows.
Cole’s face had been hard and expressionless since we left Zaria’s house. I hoped having her around wouldn’t be too hard on him, and on us as a couple. There was no doubt that it would be hard on me, losing the freedom to be at ease in my own home. But I tried not to linger on that. The Tribunal would recognize Cole’s innocence. Cole would somehow take care of the thre
at of the other pack safely without putting himself in danger, then we would get our home back, and we would go on the vacation he had promised.
The truck bumped in a pothole, pushing everyone to the right. I quickly scooted back toward Cole. Zaria didn’t move or look at me. I wasn’t sure if I should be glad or not, so I rested my head against my mate’s arm and tried to pretend she wasn’t there. What would we be doing if we were alone, I wondered. Probably talking about the scene at Zaria’s house, and our feelings about the situation. If she was going to stay with us, we would have to figure out how to be us despite her presence. I regretted inviting her the moment she said yes, though I knew it was the right thing to do.
After what felt like an eternity, we were home. I unlocked the door and Cole carried Zaria’s bag to the entryway.
“Nice house,” Zaria said, and walked into the great room to the massive wall of windows.
“You’ve never been here?” I asked.
“No,” she answered.
I couldn’t imagine never having my family at my home. Just after moving in with Cole, I was ready to share my new space with my sister. I wondered whether it was Cole who didn’t want her there or if it was Zaria who had never chosen to visit. A little blame probably fell to each of them. Well, even though she had to stay, at least it was a step in the right direction.
“Your son does great work,” I said.
“I know,” she answered, voice taut.
Had I offended her? It certainly wasn’t my intention.
“Let’s make dinner,” Cole said.
Zaria sat down on the sofa by the hearth and stared out the window into the forest lit only by the last hints of sunlight peeking through the mountains and pines. There wasn’t much to see this time of day, but maybe she could see more clearly than me with her golden wolf eyes. I wondered if she appreciated the beauty that surrounded the home or if she was too drunk and jaded to appreciate anything at all.
Glad that my mother-in-law had chosen to stay out of the kitchen, I followed Cole. “What are we having?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered, “Why did you tell my mother she could stay here?”
“I didn’t want her to come, but I thought she shouldn’t be alone,” I replied, careful to keep my voice down.
“You’re right, she shouldn’t. I wish she was at Axel’s, or Amy’s, or anywhere else but here,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “I didn’t want to make it harder on you. Why has she never been here before?”
“It was kind of you. You’re a sweet and thoughtful person,” he said, and pulled me close in his arms. “I invited her once when I was finishing the decking and the house was complete. She didn’t come and never asked to visit any other time, so I didn’t bother inviting her again.”
“That makes sense. Maybe having her here will be good for the two of you. Maybe you can work some things out,” I suggested.
“That’s a pleasant thought, but I doubt anything will change. It hasn’t so far,” he said.
It was nice having a few minutes to ourselves in the kitchen. I hugged him and reminded myself that soon we’d be in Hawaii with all of this behind us.
We made sandwiches and salads to keep things simple after the long day. I cut the vegetables while Cole put together the grilled ham and swiss. Zaria joined us at the table, where we ate. The sandwiches were tasty with a sweet and tangy honey mustard. Everything Cole made was delicious, so it was no surprise. Even something as simple as a sandwich tasted better when he made it.
I was beginning to think Zaria’s stay was going to consist of nothing but tension and long, awkward silence, but then her phone rang. She went to the entryway where her purse sat and dug through to find her cell.
She answered, “Axel.”
Cole stopped eating and snapped his head toward his mother.
Zaria said, “You’re in Ellistown?”
Chapter Thirty
Cole
“So how did he gain their trust?” I asked my mother.
“I’m sure it wasn’t hard to convince Dashiell’s pack that he’s not loyal to you,” she answered.
“Great,” I said dryly. “It would have been better if he had called me.”
“Well, maybe he would have if you had treated him half as well as you treat that snobby half-brother of yours,” she said.
“I never did anything to Axel,” I said.
“That’s true. You never made any effort to make him feel like a part of your family,” she replied. “It’s always about you and Lance.”
“Lance and I grew up as brothers,” I said, working to keep my cool as my mother insulted me in my own dining room. “Axel only became part of my family when you chose a mate. We were both adults already. And really, if he wanted to be friends he’d lose the attitude. It’s him that has a problem with me, not the other way around.”
“Bullshit,” she replied.
I needed to turn the conversation back to what was relevant, not fight about why my step-brother and I weren’t as close as Zaria would have liked. “So he’s free to explore in town as a hired thug, but how are we supposed to get more information?” I asked.
Zaria smirked at me. “He said he’d call. His phone’s off for his safety. When he has something, he’ll let us know.”
I had to admit it was good news that we had a man on the inside, so long as he came through for us. With Axel working for Dashiell, we could get tactical information on Ellistown. We could learn who was cooperating out of fear and who was loyal. It was vital to figure out who our potential allies were and where innocents were staying in the town. We could discover which areas of the perimeter were least guarded, and when the best time would be to stage an assault. I hated the idea that taking down Dashiell depended on Axel’s reliability. If he let his affiliation with my family be known or showed his hatred for Dashiell, he would be dead for sure. I was surprised that he had made it that far, and that he controlled himself well enough to deceive the valley pack.
“Tell me the moment he calls. I want to talk to him,” I said, then left the table to wash my dishes in the kitchen.
Hailey helped me set up the sofa with sheets and blankets for my mother to sleep. When we went to bed I was hopeful that Axel could provide us with useful information, but was tired from dealing with my mother. I looked forward to having Dashiell dealt with and my mother back to her own house. When this was over, we’d go on vacation together, just me and my mate.
Chapter Thirty-One
Hailey
My body stayed warm under the down comforter, but icy air lingered around me. I woke alone in my bed to a cold room without a fire. The room was more frigid than usual. It was the first time that I had woken here without embers burning in the hearth. Sunlight filled the room, radiating from high above the treetops. I worried that I had slept in too late and needed to rush to work. After the short day yesterday, I didn’t want to take advantage of Eric’s kindness.
Climbing out of my warm blanket cocoon, I checked the clock. I still had an hour before I needed to be at Rosebuds and Greenery. Despite the cold, if Zaria hadn’t been staying in the living room I would have gone straight down to the kitchen to find Cole. But I didn’t feel comfortable walking around in just a t-shirt and panties with my future mother-in-law in the house. I picked dark blue jeans, a white ribbed tank, an oversized green sweater that reminded me of Cole’s office, and some knee-high, brown boots. After a little bit of mascara and lip gloss, I ran my fingers through my hair to unknot it and pulled it back into a high ponytail. Warmer and covered up, I went downstairs.
A fire roared in the empty great room, and I was tempted to curl up in front of it to let the heat sink through me. The bedding we had set out for Zaria was neatly folded in the corner of the open room. Preparing to deal with her, I took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen. Cole stood alone by the fridge filling two glasses with orange juice. He was dressed for the day in dark-washed jeans and a white t-shirt, a fa
vorite outfit of his recently. His hair was a sexy mess, lying over his golden eyes.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Hey,” Cole replied, gifting me a full smile. If we had been alone, I would think he was ready to head back up to the bedroom.
“Where’s your mother?” I asked.
“Out in the woods for a run,” he answered.
“Alone?” I asked. As much as I didn’t care for Zaria, I didn’t want her to get herself killed.
“Witt’s keeping an eye on her. He’s proven himself quite capable.” He set down the glasses and moved toward me.
“No suit again?” I asked, catching his contagious smile.
“I’m done with trying to be what the pack wants, what my mother wants. I’ll continue running the bar with Lance, and I’ll see this crap with Dashiell through, but I’m not alpha. I’m mated to a beautiful woman, and I know exactly what I want,” he continued.
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
Cole was on me in the blink of an eye, his arms around my back, kissing my neck.
“Mmmm,” I said. “That’s nice, but I think we need to get ready for work.”
He kissed a trail up my neck and gently parted my lips with his. His mouth was sweet, slowly moving mine, tempting me to forget my responsibilities altogether. One hand rested on the small of my back, holding me close, while the other moved gently up and down my spine, tickling and arousing me. I put my arms around his waist and enjoyed the moment.
The front door shut and I felt someone’s eyes on us, standing behind me. I dropped my hands, but Cole lingered, as if to tell his mother, Fuck you, this is my house and my mate.
“What do you have for breakfast besides your human?” Zaria asked.
Werewolves & Whiskers: Sawtooth Peaks Wolf Shifter Romance Box Set Page 23