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  “Then why did Brian and Brayden Kirkpatrick seem so interested in your whereabouts when they requested a meet with Calder last week.”

  Surprised, I straightened and stared down at him. “What?”

  “The Kirkpatricks paid us a visit in Dallas last week and they asked about you. Brayden seemed especially keen.”

  A sneer curled my lip as I got to my feet and leaned down to help him up. “I’ll bet.”

  Lachlan took my hand but didn’t release it when he rose from the ground. “Is there something between you and Brayden Kirkpatrick?”

  I felt my lip curl even further, this time in disgust. “Hell, no. I can’t stand that dick.”

  He studied me. “Did he do something to you?”

  I pulled my hand from Lachlan’s grasp and gestured for him to follow me to the cabin. “Yeah, he would drive in from Houston and pester the shit out of me the entire time I was in Austin. Kept saying I would make the perfect mate. It was creepy as hell. I was almost relieved when Jacob forbade me from looking into the murder of my parents because it gave me an excuse to get out of there and away from him.”

  “Did he—”

  “God, no. I mean, Brayden tried to kiss me a few times and got a little pushy when I told him no, but nothing more than that. He was never dangerous, just…annoying.”

  I entered the cabin, Lachlan on my heels, and moved straight toward my clothes. Nudity wasn’t usually something that bothered me. As a shifter, I was accustomed to being naked in the presence of others before or after pack runs. However, being around Lachlan made me more aware than ever of my exposed skin and my body’s response to his proximity.

  Once I was dressed, I faced him once again. Lachlan was looking around the cabin, his eyebrows lifted.

  “This is an interesting place,” he commented.

  I laughed. “Yeah, it’s a little on the rustic side.”

  The cabin was finished inside, but barely. It was basically one large open room with a huge, overstuffed sofa and twenty year old television in one corner, a small dining table in the other, a tiny kitchen just behind that, and the bed in the final corner. Through a door at the back of the living space, there was a miniscule bathroom. It hadn’t been very clean when Darrell brought me out here, but I took care of that easily enough.

  When I looked back at Lachlan, he was grinning at me. My heart turned over at the expression on his face because I hadn’t seen him smile like that in years. Not a genuine, amused smile or a real laugh.

  I ignored that smile, and the effect it had on me, and put my hands on my hips. “Now, tell me why you’re really here, Lachlan.”

  Chapter Six

  Lachlan

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of Chloe as she stood before me, her hands on her hips. It had only been three weeks since I last saw her, but she looked different.

  Her hair was lighter, the dark gold streaked with brighter honey and caramel highlights, and her skin had a light tan all over. Probably from lying naked in the sun as she had been when I found her this afternoon.

  It was as if I were seeing her with new eyes.

  She moved, crossing her arms over her chest. “Answer me, Lachlan.”

  “I told you. The Kirkpatricks came to see us last week and they asked about you. Calder and I are concerned.”

  “What exactly did they say?”

  “Brian asked about you. Where you were.”

  She waited a beat. “And that’s it? Wow, you should have had him incarcerated.”

  Frustration began to simmer within me. “It wasn’t what he said, Chloe,” I began. “It’s how they reacted. Especially Brayden. It wasn’t just mild curiosity. His body language wasn’t right and neither were his eyes.”

  Chloe stared me down in silence for a moment, something I wasn’t accustomed to. In all my years as alpha of the MacIntire pack, very few of my subordinates would meet my gaze for such a long period. The wolf within me saw it as a challenge. Strangely, when Chloe did it, my wolf liked it. He wanted her to watch us.

  “Okay, so Brayden’s behavior was strange. It’s not as if he knows where I am.” Her head tilted to the side. “Speaking of finding me, how did you?”

  “We called your grandmother,” I admitted.

  She grinned, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh, I bet that was fun. I’m kinda sorry I missed it.”

  Fun wouldn’t be the word I would use. More like painful. It had taken Calder and I an hour to convince Sophia MacArthur that Chloe might be in danger. Even when we had, she still hesitated to share her granddaughter’s location. When our conversation was over, Calder had looked at me and said, “I’m so glad that she-wolf lives on the East Coast because I have to tell you, if she ever moved here and wanted the pack, I’d just let her have it.”

  I couldn’t blame him for saying that. Chloe was tough, nearly unbeatable in a fight, but only because her grandmother taught her everything she knew. At two hundred and twenty years old, Sophia MacArthur was still strong and vibrant. And dangerous as hell. I’d heard stories about the way she took apart any opponent who was stupid enough to challenge her for the position of alpha for her pack. It rarely happened any more, but when she first took control, there had been quite a few wolves that thought that a female alpha would be easy to defeat. They’d learned their lesson swiftly and without mercy, recognizing their error in judgment just moments before they died.

  Sophia MacArthur didn’t take prisoners. She kicked ass and took names.

  Chloe spoke, jerking me out of my thoughts. “Well, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine,” she stated, unclasping her arms and spreading them wide. “No Kirkpatricks here. I’m safe and sound.”

  “And how’s your investigation into your parents’ murder going?” I asked.

  She growled beneath her breath. “I’m at a dead end. Everyone in the pack is avoiding me, including Darrell.”

  “Maybe I can help,” I offered.

  She scoffed. “Considering my cover story is that I had to leave the MacIntire pack because Calder and I had a falling out, I don’t think that will work. The last thing I need is to make them suspicious. Then I really would be in danger.”

  “So, let’s adapt the cover story to accommodate my presence.”

  “How?” she asked. Her expression was skeptical.

  My palms grew hot and clammy. Calder and I had discussed the best way for me to stay close to her during her time with the MacArthur pack, and we had agreed upon a course of action. But now that I was facing her, about to utter the words, my head felt light and my stomach hollow.

  “We’ll tell them I’m your mate and you left because I rejected you. But I’ve changed my mind and I came after you.”

  I expected Chloe to laugh at me. Maybe even tell me to fuck off.

  She did neither of those things. Instead her arms wrapped around her waist as if she needed to hold herself up and her face paled. “What?”

  I shrugged. “It’s a cover story that allows me to remain close to you without drawing too much attention. Everyone here knows what happened to my…last mate, so no one would be surprised if I’m reluctant to take another. It also explains why you would leave a second pack in two years.”

  Chloe merely stared at me, shaking her head slowly. She looked horrified. “No, Lachlan. I can’t do that.”

  “You can and you will,” I commanded. “Your grandmother agreed it’s a sound plan. She didn’t like the idea of you being here alone to begin with and she said she would feel much better knowing I’m here to guard your back.”

  She didn’t respond aloud, just kept shaking her head as though she couldn’t believe this was happening. I thought she would be annoyed by my proposal, but her reaction was completely unexpected.

  “Chloe, what’s wrong?”

  Before she could speak, I heard a truck pull up the driveway and I twisted toward the front door, a snarl reverberating from my chest into my throat as a door slammed and swift steps came up the front porch. When I yanked it o
pen and stepped outside, I nearly ran into another male.

  The wolf stood before me, his light brown hair neatly combed and his brown eyes narrowed. After a moment, I realized I was looking at Darrell, the current alpha of the MacArthur pack. Only he wasn’t truly an alpha. He might have been the oldest and strongest male of his pack, but he didn’t have the presence of a born alpha. I felt no urge to lower my gaze or a push of dominance from him.

  He took a step back, hesitating for an instant before he stood his ground. “Darlin’, everything okay?”

  I nearly sneered. As if he could protect her. She was more dominant than he was and we all knew it.

  “Everything’s fine, Uncle Darrell,” she said from behind me.

  I straightened. It had been decades since I’d seen Darrell Whelby and I hadn’t recognized him.

  “Darrell,” I greeted, nodding my head at him.

  The fear in his eyes gradually vanished as he took in my appearance. His brows lifted when he finally recognized me. “Damn, Lachlan. I didn’t realize that was you. You look different.”

  He stepped forward and held out his hand. I took it, shaking it firmly, and bit back a growl when his eyes met mine before skittering away.

  “What brings you here?” he asked, releasing my hand.

  “I came to see Chloe.”

  This time, when his gaze rested on me, it didn’t move away. “The way I hear it, your pack was done with her.”

  I shook my head. “It was a misunderstanding, Darrell. I’m afraid that it’s my fault Chloe left and I’m here to get her back.”

  “Oh, really?” He sounded skeptical.

  Chloe’s hand clamped on my bicep in a warning and I knew I only had seconds to act before she opened her mouth and screwed up the plan that Sophia, Calder, and I had developed.

  Moving swiftly, I reached back and wrapped an arm around Chloe, tugging her into my side. “You see, when I realized that she was my mate, well, I didn’t have the best reaction.”

  As I suspected, Darrell knew about what happened to Belinda and his face softened. “That seems understandable.”

  Beside me, Chloe’s body was as tight as a bowstring and vibrated with her desire to deny everything I was saying. I squeezed her shoulders tightly and quickly continued.

  “It took me a while to realize my mistake and I’m here to apologize.”

  “Lachlan…” Her voice was low and carried a warning note.

  Ignoring her and preparing to protect my balls in case Chloe decided to retaliate, I said, “As you can see, I have a lot of convincing to do before we return to my pack.”

  Darrell’s eyes moved over both of us and just when I thought he was going to challenge my words, he smiled a little. “Well, son, you’re going to need all the help you can get. My niece is a handful.”

  “One of the reasons I admire her so much,” I replied.

  Chloe’s elbow jabbed me sharply in the gut, making me grunt in pain. “Now that the two of you are finished talking about me as though I’m not here, what brings you by, Darrell?”

  His smile widened into a huge grin and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I came to invite you to a barbeque. The pack is having a big dinner tonight in town and I thought you might like to get out of this cabin for a while.”

  “That sounds great,” Chloe agreed, nudging me again as she tried to step out of the circle of my arm.

  For some reason I couldn’t fathom, I didn’t want her to. Instead, I jerked her closer to me. She growled softly and Darrell’s grin morphed into a laugh.

  “Damn, this is gonna be fun,” he stated gleefully, rubbing his hands together. “We’re eatin’ at six, but come by early around five or so. We’ll have a beer and I’ll give you some tips for handling a MacArthur woman.”

  Before Chloe could react, he turned on his heel and walked out of the cabin, shutting the door behind him.

  As his footsteps faded from the porch, Chloe shoved me away and whirled to face me. The earlier pallor of her face was gone, replaced with a bright flush. Her fists were clenched by her side and anger rolled off her in waves.

  She waited until Darrell started his truck and drove away before she spoke.

  “What the fuck was that?” she growled, her voice barely a low rumble in her chest. Her eyes were changing and I knew she was holding on to her control by a thread.

  Without thinking, I reached out and cupped her cheeks, leaning forward. “Please let me help you, Chloe,” I murmured. “Let me repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  Chapter Seven

  Chloe

  Lach’s hands were warm on my face and oh-so-gentle. His touch was muddling my mind, making it difficult to think. The anger that had filled me moments ago drained away.

  Let me repay you for everything you’ve done for me.

  His words rang in my ears, reminding me that he had no desire for me. He was too broken to realize what I truly was to him. Even if he did, I was certain that his real reaction would mirror his fictional one. He would reject me.

  Spurning a mate in our culture was rare. Our very nature urged us to claim our mate, our wolf often pushing us even if our human heart resisted. However, if anyone could master his wolf, it would be Lachlan.

  I tore myself away from his hands, putting several feet between us. “I appreciate why you want to help me, Lach, but it’s not necessary. There is no debt to be paid. I did for you what I would have done for anyone in my pack.”

  The imploring expression left his face, replaced by determination as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m glad you feel that way, but I’m not leaving. I came to help you and I’m staying.” Then he pulled out the big guns. “Sophia wanted me to tell you that if you don’t accept my help, she’ll be on the next flight out.”

  Shit. I shuddered to think what would happen if my grandmother came here. She didn’t have the patience to ask subtle questions or observe for long periods of time. She would definitely discover what happened to my parents, but it was extremely probably that there would be blood spilled when she did, and not all of the people she spoke with would be guilty.

  “Fine,” I relented, knowing that I had no other choice. “You can stay, but you’re on my turf now. You aren’t my alpha any longer and I won’t follow your commands without argument.”

  Lach’s reaction surprised me. He laughed. “When did you ever follow orders without arguing?”

  I shrugged one shoulder. “You have a point. Now, if you have thoughts or suggestions, I’m willing to listen, but Gram and I have a plan and I don’t intend to deviate from it.”

  “Sophia already made that perfectly clear.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at his tone. “Good. Now, let’s figure out how we’re going to handle the barbeque tonight.”

  “Oh, I’m allowed an opinion now?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Lach.”

  “Just kidding.”

  Once again he was smiling at me, a smile I hadn’t seen in years. Ignoring my body’s reaction to it, I grinned back. Even if he never realized that he was my mate, I would have to be satisfied in the knowledge that he was happy and alive.

  Several hours later, we made our way into town. As we climbed out of Lach’s truck and walked toward the park, we noticed the crowd of shifters gathered around tables and a huge smoking grill. Children ran around on the grass, swarming a playground filled with brand new equipment.

  My heart ached at the memories the picture evoked. While I was growing up, my parents arranged pack gatherings like this all the time. This was a painful reminder of a happier time.

  As Lachlan and I approached the group, he reached out and took my hand, squeezing gently. I tugged my hand away, ignoring the way he growled at me beneath his breath.

  During our conversation at the cabin earlier, I’d argued with Lachlan that the pretense of us being mates wasn’t necessary. Honestly, I feared that my sanity would be destroyed if I had to go along with that harebrained scheme. Mos
tly because there would be no pretending on my part.

  Acting the part of the smitten mate would likely kill me.

  Lachlan finally tired of arguing with me and merely pulled out his phone, dialed my grandmother, and handed it to me. She made it very clear that I was to adhere to the plan that she, Calder, and Lachlan had concocted or she would take over.

  I compromised and told her that he could put on the show of a mate trying to woo his she-wolf, but that I would behave as though I were resisting.

  When I shared that, my grandmother laughed loudly. “That’s a good plan, darlin’. And it’s a damn sight more accurate. Any mate that rejected you would have to work his ass off to earn your forgiveness, wouldn’t he?”

  While what she said was true, my motivation wasn’t realism. It was self-protection.

  As we drew closer to the crowd, people shifted, moving out of our way, clearly avoiding us. Everyone suddenly seemed busy, looking everywhere but directly at us.

  Except Darrell. As soon as he spied us walking through the crowd, he grinned and came over.

  “I’m glad y’all made it,” he greeted. “Let’s get you somethin’ to drink and give everyone a chance to say hello to you.”

  I nearly laughed at his words. I seriously doubted anyone would speak to us. I wasn’t sure why. We followed him through the crowd and I watched the wolves around us carefully.

  Though I had trouble believing it, there were many rumors about how Darrell ran his pack. Rumors that said he was cruel and violent, that he would force unmated she-wolves to submit to his sexual appetites when he wished. The Darrell I’d known when I was a child never would have done those things, but that Darrell also hadn’t been the leader of the pack. Power could twist weak men, turning them into unrecognizable degenerates.

  So I watched the way his pack mates reacted to him and what I saw made my jaw clench.

  The females smiled and glanced his way, but none looked directly at him. Several even cringed ever so slightly when he brushed by. The males hunched subtly in his wake, as though they worried about offending him. The only pack members who didn’t seem to fear him were the four males that also served as the town’s police force.