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  Once again, Lachlan’s hand found mine, squeezing hard, and I knew he noticed it too. I also left my hand in his. I needed the comfort of his touch. Something was wrong in the MacArthur pack and the knowledge made my gut burn with rage. My parents had always been firm but fair with the wolves they led. Though alphas were not elected, they wanted their pack members to be happy and healthy and to maintain peace.

  Even though our walk through the park was short, I saw more than enough to convince me of the veracity behind the rumors.

  Somehow I managed to school my expression to hide my fury and disgust. Glancing at Lachlan out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he’d pasted a smile on his face, but I could still see the tightness of his jaw and around his eyes.

  Two picnic tables were set up, one holding drinks and the other food. Darrell nodded to a female standing next to them and she fished two beers out of cooler and brought them over.

  “Go grab one for me too, will ya darlin’?” Darrell asked her as she handed the bottles to Lachlan and I.

  “Yes, sir,” she murmured with a bob of her head before scurrying away to do as he asked.

  When Darrell faced us, his eyes dropped to our hands, which were still clasped together, and his face darkened. I jerked my fingers away from Lachlan’s grasp and growled low in my throat.

  Darrell’s expression cleared a little and he laughed. “Don’t worry, Lach. She’s just like her grandmother. You’ll work your way around her in the end.”

  My lip wanted to curl into a sneer at his words but I bit it back. He was right on one account though—I was just like my grandmother. I would wait until I had proof that he was mistreating his pack and that he participated in my parents’ murder. Then I would make him pay.

  Chapter Eight

  Lachlan

  By the end of the evening, I was convinced there was definitely something wrong in the MacArthur pack. Though Darrell never said or did anything the least bit aggressive, the pack members were beaten down. There was no other way to describe it. The she-wolves scrambled to make sure that their alpha’s every need was attended to, even before he had a chance to ask.

  The males weren’t much better.

  No, it was only Darrell’s deputies that seemed normal, but even that was suspicious.

  It had taken several hours, but the pack members had finally begun to thaw toward Chloe. Even then, it only began after a she-wolf approached her. The female looked to be in her forties, which meant she was likely over two hundred years old. Maybe more. Our kind aged slowly, decades could pass and it would appear as though we had just aged by a few years.

  “Chloe MacArthur, it has been too long,” she greeted, pulling Chloe into a hug. “How are you, child?”

  “I’m fine, Miss Emma,” she replied, hugging the woman in return. “How are you?”

  “Feeling every one of my years,” the she-wolf answered as she released her from the hug.

  For the first time since we arrived at the barbeque, Chloe smiled and genuinely meant it. “Come on, I want you to meet my friend, Lachlan.”

  She turned toward me, holding Miss Emma’s hand. “Lach, this is Emma Copeland. She’s a teacher at the elementary school here and one of the best she-wolves I know.”

  I held out my hand, happy to meet someone who could make Chloe smile like that. “Hi, Mrs. Copeland. It’s nice to meet you.”

  The older wolf took my hand and just held it rather than shaking it. “Call me Emma.” She paused. “You look just like your father, Ian,” she stated, her eyes misting over. “I know you don’t remember me. The last time I saw you, you were just a pup, barely out of diapers.”

  “You knew my father?” I asked, ignoring the fact that she used my first name. A name I’d hated all my life.

  She nodded. “He was a good man, a fierce wolf, and one of the best alpha’s I’ve ever met.”

  “Thank you.”

  “From what I hear, you’re just like him.”

  I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with the comparison. For years, my father was the yardstick I’d measured all my accomplishments against. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  She smiled at me and smoothly changed the subject. “So I hear you’re my little Chloe’s mate. I also hear you’ve already mucked it up.”

  “Uh, well, you see, Miss Emma—”

  Before I could formulate an intelligent response, the she-wolf laughed and turned back to Chloe. “Good for you, girl. Don’t let him get away with anything this early on or he’ll try to walk all over you for the rest of your lives.”

  Chloe arched a brow at me. “That’s excellent advice, Miss Emma.”

  The older she-wolf laughed as she took in the two of us. “Y’all make a lovely couple. I’m so glad I got a chance to see it.” She laced her arm through Chloe’s and looked up at me. “Why don’t you go get us something to drink, Ian, and give me a chance to catch up with Chloe?”

  I sensed that she wanted to talk to Chloe privately, so I did as she asked. I took my time, giving them a chance to discuss whatever it was Miss Emma had on her mind.

  When I returned, they both looked a little upset, but their conversation seemed to be finished.

  We talked for a while until Miss Emma’s mate, Tom, came over. After introductions and some catching up, Tom told Emma he was ready to leave.

  “I’m ready to go myself,” I murmured to Chloe. I’d been on edge the entire time we were at the barbeque and it was beginning to take its toll. There was a dull ache behind my eyes and fatigue dragged at my body. I hadn’t spent this much time around a group of wolves in months.

  “Me, too,” she agreed.

  We said our good-byes to Darrell and his son, Carter, before walking toward the parking lot. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to reach for her hand again. I suppressed the impulse and kept pace with her, my eyes sweeping the dark cars and shadows for threats. From the moment we entered the park, I felt unease prickling the back of my neck. It wasn’t just from the way the pack reacted to their leader. It was something more sinister, but the reason eluded me.

  “I’m driving,” Chloe stated firmly as she skirted around the hood of my truck.

  “It’s my truck,” I argued, even though my heart wasn’t in it.

  She held her hand out for the keys. “But I know the area and it’s dark. It’s better if I drive.”

  Since the ache in my head was rapidly becoming a harsh throb, I let it go and dug my keys out of my pocket. When I climbed into the passenger seat, I noticed a slip of paper in Chloe’s hand.

  “What’s that?”

  “It was in the driver’s seat,” she answered in a low voice, unfolding the note.

  I leaned over and read over her shoulder.

  They know why you’re here. Be careful.

  Without speaking, Chloe gave me the paper and started the truck. I read the words again, unsure of the motivation behind them. They could be a promise of future violence or a heads up to watch our backs.

  I waited until we were on the road, away from the park, before I spoke again.

  “Do you think this is a warning or a threat?” I asked her.

  She kept her eyes on the road in front of us when she answered. “I think it’s a warning from whoever contacted my grandmother.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  My reaction caused her to glance at me. “Why do you say that?”

  “My truck was locked. They got the note inside without setting off the alarm. It seems to me as if that’s their way of saying, we know why you’re here and we can get to you anytime we want.”

  Chloe nodded. “That’s a good point. Either way, we need to be careful.”

  “Who are they? Darrell? His officers?”

  “Probably,” she replied.

  I lifted the paper to my nose, inhaling deeply. All I smelled was Chloe and lavender so strong it made me sneeze. Whoever wrote this note was covering their scent.

  “Bless you,” Chloe said. “What are you doing anyway?”


  “I’m trying to see if whoever wrote this left their scent, but all I can smell is you and lavender.” My nose twitched again and I lowered the page, fighting the urge to sneeze. “A lot of damn lavender. Did you recognize the handwriting?”

  She frowned and shook her head. “No, I didn’t. So the messenger didn’t want to be identified. I guess that makes sense. If I was actually working for Darrell, I would probably take the note straight to him.”

  “What’s with him, anyway?” I asked. “He seems nice enough, but his pack is terrified of him.”

  “I know,” Chloe stated, her hands tightening on the steering wheel until the leather creaked. “I don’t like it. I’ve known Darrell since I was a pup and he was always just…Darrell. He would give me piggyback rides and sometimes he even shifted and let me play fetch when I was little. What I saw at the barbeque today doesn’t fit in with my memory of him. There is no reason his wolves should be so afraid of him unless he’s doing something heinous to them.”

  “Do you think he had anything to do with the death of your parents?” I asked.

  She was silent for so long that I thought she wouldn’t answer. Finally, she spoke, her voice low and vibrating with anger. “I didn’t before but now I’m not so sure. I intend to find out. If he did, then I’m going to kill him.”

  Chloe turned down the dirt road that led to the secluded cabin, the truck bumping along the rough terrain. I had to give her credit though, she was as careful with my vehicle as I was.

  “Stay in the truck and let me look around before you get out,” I stated, unbuckling my seat belt.

  The look she gave me should have singed off all my hair. “I don’t think so, Lach.”

  “Chloe, I’m telling—”

  Her seatbelt clicked then her face was suddenly just an inch away. “Listen to me good, Ian Lachlan, because this will be the first and last time we have this conversation. You and I both know that I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I was the fucking enforcer of the last two packs I joined, which means I had to kick a lot of ass. We also both know that I am the better fighter of the two of us. Added to that, you aren’t back to your full strength and it’s unlikely you will be anytime soon because you barely ate a damn thing at the barbeque tonight. You and I will get out of this truck together and check the property together. Have I made myself clear?”

  Though her aggressive behavior pissed off the wolf within me, I still found myself biting back a smile. Calder would have been laughing by now, not at her anger, but at me for thinking that she needed my protection. More than once he’d said he was glad Chloe didn’t want to be the alpha of the MacIntire pack. He knew he couldn’t take her in a fight. He might hold his own, even get in a few good licks, but in the end she would rip him to shreds and smile while she did it.

  “You’re right, we should do this together,” I conceded.

  Her brows lifted in surprise and she leaned back in the driver’s seat. “You’re not going to argue?”

  “Hell, no. I don’t know what I was thinking. In fact, now that you’ve pointed all that out to me, I think I’ll stay in the truck and let you go look around by yourself.”

  The anger disappeared from her face and her hazel eyes sparkled in the shadowed cab. In the dim moonlight, I saw the corner of her mouth tug up. “Okay then. I’m glad you see reason.”

  When she reached for the door handle, my hand whipped out quickly, grabbing her right wrist and jerking her back over into my space, though not as close as she’d been before.

  “Just one thing,” I said. “If I do or say something that you don’t like, do not get in my face like that again. You can talk to me with respect or not at all.”

  I expected her to get mad and tell me to go fuck myself. Instead she studied me for a moment, an enigmatic expression on her face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I let the stress of the situation get the best of me, but it won’t happen again.”

  I blinked at her for a second, confused. At her gentle tug against my grip, I released her hand.

  “Are you ready to get out?” she asked, her face unreadable.

  I didn’t get the sense that she was angry, or even hurt. All I saw was acceptance.

  “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  With that, we both opened our doors and stepped out into the night.

  Chapter Nine

  Chloe

  There were no wolves around the house, only nocturnal animals and trees. I couldn’t hear Lachlan as he moved around the property near me, but I could feel him all the same.

  When it became clear that everything was safe, I approached Lachlan. “I’m ready to go inside and take a bath. It’s been a long day.”

  He nodded, falling in step beside me as I walked back toward the cabin. We moved in silence through the cool night air. Once we were inside, he moved toward the kitchen. To my surprise, he began digging in the fridge and pulled out the leftover spaghetti from my meal last night.

  I didn’t say a word. Grabbing a clean pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, I went into the tiny bathroom and shut the door. The bathroom was just as rustic as the rest of the cabin, but there was a long, narrow claw foot tub set against one wall. The exterior was chipped and discolored, attesting to its age, but it was deep enough that I could submerge my entire body from shoulders to toes. I assumed that Darrell had gotten the tub for free from someone who was remodeling their bathroom and decided to install it here.

  Regardless of where it had come from, I was glad to have it. I’d been tense and on edge all night, my muscles tight with unease from being surrounded by Darrell and his cronies and awareness from being so close to Lach. I needed a break from both.

  I ran the tub full of scalding hot water, pouring in some lavender bath salts that I’d picked up from the store in town last week. As I inhaled the scent, my mind wandered back to the note that had been left in the driver’s seat of Lachlan’s truck. Despite his suspicions, I believed that the writer wanted to help us rather than warn us off. I only wished I could figure out who’d left it. It was clear that not all the members of the MacArthur pack were content with Darrell’s leadership.

  Until the author of that note realized that they could trust me, all I could do was wait. Here, with Lachlan.

  I exhaled, sinking deeper into the water and letting my head rest against the back of the tub. I’d left the MacIntire pack to escape the pain of yearning for him so badly yet knowing I couldn’t have him. Though I no longer believed the wound left by grief was mortal, Lachlan was still injured all the same. His soul had been broken and I had my doubts that it would ever heal.

  However, tonight in the truck, I’d seen a flash of the Lach I’d known before. The alpha that would never tolerate a wolf speaking to him the way I had. I’d grown so accustomed to being the one in charge after Belinda died that I’d almost forgotten how strong he’d once been. For months I’d made him eat and forced him to get out of bed and get fresh air, watching in agony as his body wasted away.

  Tonight was the first time in nearly two years I’d seen even a fragment of who he used to be. It was arresting.

  And dangerous.

  The wolf within me was eager to claim her mate, certain that he was ready. But I knew better. The man was just as much a part of Lachlan as his wolf and the man might never be able to see the truth—that I was his mate. The second mate he would have in his life.

  It was extraordinary among our kind to have more than one mate. Though the death of a mate wouldn’t kill us right away, the remaining wolf would often wallow in grief until their body gave up. When the spirit was unwilling to continue living, the body would acquiesce.

  Lachlan’s body was beginning to regain strength, as was his mind. It made me hope for more, which I had no business doing. I couldn’t. If I allowed myself to consider that he might one day be able to take another mate, my wolf would wrest control of the situation. I would claim him whether he wanted me to or not.

  I couldn’t do that to Lachlan. Until he was re
ady to acknowledge the possibility of a connection between us, I couldn’t broach the subject. My yearning for him was too strong and I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to put my mark upon him and make him mine.

  Water trickled down from the corner of my eye and I sucked in a deep breath, dropping beneath the surface. I hated crying. It was counterproductive. When I’d mastered the urge, I broke through the water and pulled the plug. As the water drained, I washed my body and hair, taking a moment to rinse off beneath the weak stream of water that the showerhead released. Another reason I preferred a bath to a shower. It was difficult to even get my entire body wet with the lack of water pressure, much less clean.

  I dried off, dressed in my pajamas, and brushed my teeth. Though it was barely ten, it had been a long, trying day and I was ready for bed. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw a black duffel bag sitting on the sofa next to a pillow and blanket that must have come from the trunk at the end of the mattress. Lach and I hadn’t discussed where he would sleep, but it was clear he’d decided to take the couch. I wasn’t going to argue. I’d passed out on it the first night here and it wasn’t very comfortable. Though, it was wide and long, big enough to easily accommodate a man Lach’s size, the cushions were nearly flat. It would serve him right for showing up here and being bossy.

  Lachlan looked up from the sink where he was washing the dishes he’d used. “Feel better?”

  I nodded. “Look, I know it’s early, but I’m going to bed. If you want to watch TV, go ahead. I’m so tired I’ll probably sleep right through it.” It was a lie. I’d always been a light sleeper, even worse now that I was here at Darrell’s cabin, investigating the death of my parents.

  “I’m tired myself. I’m going to take a shower and do the same.”

  “Okay. Night, Lach.”

  “Night, Chloe.”

  Since there was no wall between the sleeping area and the rest of the cabin, I walked over to the far side of the bed and lay down facing the wall, picking up the book I’d bought a couple of weeks ago. I rarely sat still long enough to read, but I found I slept better when I took a little time to unwind before I turned out the light.