“Give me a chance to love you, to show you that I can make you happy. Give us a chance, Myka. I need you, angel. I’ll help raise Patrick. I’ll love him as my own. I already love him as my own. We’ll fix the farm up. Expand the barn and chicken coop. Take in more horses if you like. Together we’ll make it our own. Make it perfect for our family.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have the money for that, and there aren’t many jobs around here for you, Galen.”
“I have money. More than I know what to do with. I’ve had a very long time to save up.” He smiled.
“I can’t just take your money,” she said in a huff.
“You can’t take something that is freely given. Everything I have is yours.”
“It’s not right.”
“Why? Why is it not right? You’ve worked hard your entire life. You lost your parents. You lost your brother, and you are trying to give Patrick the best of everything. Let me help you do that. If not for you, for Patrick. Let me make your lives easier for a change. Let me provide you the opportunity to enjoy life and what it has to offer instead of struggling with everything it’s taken from you. I know money can’t buy happiness, but it can be a true blessing if you have the right person to share it with. I’ve never wanted to share it before, but I do now.”
“I don’t want you to think I want you for your money,” she scoffed.
“I would never think that. You wanted me before you knew I had money.” He chuckled.
“I can’t deny it makes you even more attractive.” She pursed her lips. “Actually, I don’t think it’s possible for you to be more attractive. And that was a joke, of course. Money has nothing to do with how gorgeous you are, or my interest in you.”
“Angel, if there is one thing I’m sure of about you, it is that you are not a shallow woman.” He took her hands in his. “Give us a chance, Myka. Just a chance. I’ll get on my knees and beg if you want me to.”
“I would never ask you to beg for anything, Galen. No one should ever have that much power over another person.”
“Oh, but you do, angel.” He flipped her hands over, palms up. “You hold the ability to destroy me in these two tiny hands.”
“I’m confused.” She frowned. “I want you. I love you, but I’m scared . . . unsure of everything at the moment.”
“I will always be here for you. If you need me, you only need to say the word.”
“I need some time to clear my head. I need to think things through properly.”
He cupped her cheek in his big palm, bent, and placed his warm lips against her mouth and captured her sigh. When he slipped his tongue inside, she couldn’t resist the temptation to taste him. He tasted of man, of dominance, of Galen. She moaned when he stepped back, aching for his lips to be back on hers. But he was only doing what she’d asked—giving her time and space to think. She respected him for not trying to seduce her, because at this point, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist him.
She needed him. Wanted him to hold her. Yearned for him to comfort her. But she had to keep a clear mind and make the right decision. She had to be careful how she proceeded. She couldn’t allow Patrick to get hurt. And she didn’t particularly want a broken heart either.
Galen awoke as soon as Myka retreated from the dream. When he’d found her sleeping earlier, he’d hoped to be able to reach her in her dreams. His plan had worked. While things hadn’t turned out exactly how he’d like, at least she’d listened to him. He doubted she’d have given him that courtesy had they been awake.
He sniffed the air, then sat up from the twin bed in his room. By the time he made it to the barn doors, Brent was waiting for him outside.
“What are you doing here?” he growled.
“Thought you deserved the honor of taking care of Terrance. If you care to, that is. If not, we can take care of him.”
“I won’t kill him no matter how much the urge burns inside me to do so. Myka would never forgive me if I did. However, I wouldn’t mind having a little chat with the fucker.” Galen clenched his hands into fists.
“Let’s go.” Brent motioned toward the trees across the pasture.
By the time they arrived to where Knox and Raze were holding Terrance, Galen had let the fury of what Terrance had done to Myka take hold. He’d be true to his word. He wouldn’t kill him, but he didn’t have anything against hurting him a little.
“Let me go!” Terrance struggled against Knox and Raze.
“Yeah. Let him go,” Galen growled.
Eerie silence settled throughout the forest for several seconds as if every living thing could feel the anger emanating from Galen.
Fear shined in Terrance’s eyes after he was released. “I told you he was a killer.” He spit the words at the others. “He’s going to kill me just like he did all those women.”
“Give it a fucking rest, Terrance.” Brent rolled his eyes. “No one believes you now. Hell, no one really believed you to begin with.”
“So what? You’re going to kill me then?” Terrance shouted at Galen.
Galen shook his head. “Nope. I’m only going to kick your ass. What happens after that is up to them.” He nodded toward Brent and the others.
“Bring it on. This time I won’t hold back!” Terrance snarled before shifting into a wolf.
Galen laughed before letting his fangs and claws slide down. “Come and get some, pup.”
The muddy gray wolf leapt at him, and Galen feinted to the side and raised his claws to rip down the pup’s side as he flew by him. Terrance landed with a yelp, and blood began to seep through the fur where Galen had tagged him.
“You can’t win, pup. Shift back. Let me give you a proper ass kicking. Take it like a man.”
Terrance snarled, and leapt again. Snapping jaws came within inches of Galen’s face, but at the last moment, he punched the wolf in the head and sent him sprawling to the ground once again. This time, Terrance lay still for several moments, sides heaving, before finally getting back to his feet. He shifted and fell back to the ground on his naked ass.
“Damn but you are a pussy, pup,” Galen mocked him.
Terrance growled and got to his feet again. “I’m going to kill you!”
“Not on your best day and my worst.”
Terrance let out a sound that was nearing a screech and charged Galen, but Galen leapt into the air, clearing Terrance by a good foot before landing smoothly in a crouch. Terrance turned and charged Galen again, but Galen had had enough. He caught Terrance around the neck, and held him in a choke hold as the pup screamed, kicked, and clawed to get away. Galen increased the pressure until Terrance finally passed out from air loss and landed in a heap at his feet.
“I don’t think this one can be saved,” Brent said.
“He’d already be dead if I thought Myka would forgive me,” Galen sadly replied. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. But if you give him another chance, if he actually makes it through the reformation program by some miracle, you better warn him to stay clear of me, Myka, Patrick, and this whole damned area. If I see him again after today, I will kill him. There will be no questions asked. No forgiveness. No more chances. He will die if he gets near my family again.”
Brent nodded before Galen turned to make his way back to the barn. He stood in front of the house for a long time. Every cell in him reached for the woman inside. He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms, and simply hold her while she slept. He wanted to comfort her, tell her things would be okay, but he would give her the time she’d asked for to think things through. He owed her that much. Hell, he owed her more than that much.