“Don’t know, but he definitely might be a werewolf.”
“Go back and keep a watch.” There had been a lot of buzz around that garage about a month ago. Rumors of infighting among wolves and the death of several hunters had been big news. Those bastards were short of women, so some group would take in his father’s murderer. It was a place to start.
He stood. “We’re done. Keep me informed.” Sauntering over to the counter, he smiled at the waitress.
Chapter Three
Meredith stared at the six pairs of eyes staring at her, watching her with varying degrees of anger, distress and fear.
“We shouldn’t have let him go.” That was about the tenth time Hank had made that proclamation since Isaiah had left and it was beginning to wear on her.
“I agree with Hank,” Michael added.
“What should we have done? Kill him?” She threw up her hands in frustration. “That would make us no better than the hunters.” They walked a fine line between protecting themselves and turning into the things they most dreaded—cold-blooded killers.
They’d killed before. All of them, with the exception of Neema, had been forced to take another life in order to protect themselves. Hunters had come before and would again. There had been two other werewolves in the early years who’d wanted to destroy Neema and Kevin. Thankfully, she’d found the half-breed children first and with her sons’ help had been able to protect them.
“It’s not like that, Mom,” Benjamin soothed. Her youngest was tough, but was more reasonable than her eldest.
“Then what is it like?” She took in all of them with a single, dark gaze. Teague sat with Neema in his lap, his arm wrapped protectively around her. Kevin stood off by himself looking thoughtful, as usual.
The other three—Hank, Michael and Benjamin—paced and sat and stood and paced some more.
Fatigue washed over her. It had been a long day and an even longer night. “He said he means us no harm and I believe him.” She didn’t know why she did, but she trusted her instincts. Given his immediate negative reaction to the mere mention of bounty hunters, she didn’t think he would have anything to do with them.
But as much as she might think he was trustworthy, she couldn’t risk their lives. Too often, some elitist werewolves would tip off other wolves or, even worse, hunters to the location of half-breeds so the hunters could do their dirty work for them.
That had happened when they’d been living in Vegas back in the nineties. It had been a close call. One that still gave her nightmares on occasion. She’d come close to losing Benjamin and Kevin that time. Thankfully, they’d managed to destroy the hunters. Which brought her back to the problem at hand.
“Still,” Michael began to protest.
She held up her hand for silence. He shut his mouth, his jaw working as he swallowed his anger. “Still,” she echoed. “We cannot take a chance. We’ll start round-the-clock guard duty.” She turned to Benjamin. “You take the first shift and wake Hank next. After that, Kevin, Michael and Teague can all take a turn. It will be easier in the day. All of us will need to be more aware than ever for the next few weeks until we’re certain there is no threat from hunters or…others.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say his name aloud. Just the thought of him was enough to raise her blood pressure and send her hormones spiraling out of control.
The men looked slightly appeased and nodded. Good. It wasn’t always easy for her to maintain control of her small pack. She was alpha, but she was also female and the males were coming to an age where they wanted to test their boundaries and limitations. She worried about that constantly and struggled to balance all the wants and needs of her pack against their continued safety.
She lived in fear that someday one of them, or perhaps all of them, would leave. That would break her heart. She’d sacrificed so much, but she regretted not one moment of it. As long as her children were safe nothing else mattered. And they were all hers. Only two had been born of her body, but the other four were the children of her heart.
Michael strode to her side, went down on one knee before her and bowed his head. The formal pose was a tribute to her status as alpha. “It will be done.” He stood and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You should rest. You look tired.”
She touched her hand to his cheek and leaned in to kiss his forehead. Love swelled in her heart for her son. She had been on her own since he was a pup of seven, two years after Benjamin was born. She’d kept them both safe for the past thirty odd years, adding the others to the mix over the years.
They all came to her. One by one, they kissed her good night and offered their unwavering support. Hank came last, his head down. She tipped his face up until he was looking at her. “I’m proud of you, son. You’ve come a long way.” And he had. He’d been with them only five years. He’d spent his teenage years on the street and several in the army before the changes in his body had sent him running from everyone and everything he’d ever known.
All her adopted children had been alone in the world, not knowing about their heritage until she’d found them. The fact that they’d managed to stay alive and sane was a miracle in itself.
Hank’s pale blue eyes met hers and he nodded. She stroked his short hair, letting the bristles tickle her palm. That was one of the things he carried over from his time in the military. The discipline they’d taught him had enabled him to survive until he’d found them.
“I won’t let you down,” he promised, his words fierce.
“I know.” She stood and gave his arm one final pat before heading to the back of the bar to the staircase that led to the apartments above. Benjamin was already on watch and would patrol the building inside and out until it was time for the others to take their turn.
Her steps were slow and measured as she made her way to her one-bedroom apartment. She’d given her sons the larger apartment on this floor, knowing they needed their privacy. She needed hers too. Now more than ever.
A sense of relief hit her as she closed the door behind her and set the lock. The warm, open space welcomed her. She’d decorated the place to her taste, had chosen every piece of furniture carefully. The plush brown sofa and chairs were welcoming after a long day. She’d whiled many an hour away curled up on that sofa reading, watching television or working on her laptop.
The kitchen and living space were separated by a counter. There were three stools there in case anyone dropped by to enjoy a coffee or a meal with her. She also had a little built-in eating nook beneath her kitchen window. It allowed her to enjoy a hot mug of tea and a good book while staring out at the city street below.
She didn’t bother with a light as she went straight to her bedroom. She didn’t need it. Not with her preternatural vision. But more than that, she knew this place like the back of her hand. She needed no light to know that her bedroom was painted a pale yellow with accents of green. Just being here soothed her, and right now she needed that.
Her shoes were hurting her feet after so many hours, so she kicked them off, sighing at the instant relief. She padded to her large closet, unzipping her dress as she went. Her nipples were still taut, her breasts swollen. The fabric rubbed against them as she pulled it off. She moaned, closing her eyes as heat ricocheted from her breasts to her sex.
It took every ounce of discipline she possessed to drape her dress on a hanger and put it with the other garments waiting to be taken to the drycleaners. The tiny pair of bikini panties she wore felt confining, so she yanked them off, stuffing them in the laundry hamper. They were still damp, a reminder of her arousal.