Werewolves in Love 2: Yours, Mine and Howls (33 page)

This would be nothing like living with a human male, either, nothing like the short, tentative relationships she’d had before. Those affairs seemed so bland and superficial to her now—but safe, and predictable, and within her control. This would be none of those things.

Yet she didn’t feel—much—fear. Mostly she felt love and remorse and something a little too close to pity for this powerful wolf who’d struggled so hard, for so long, to build a pack and a family.

You couldn’t tell a Pack Alpha you felt sorry for him. He wouldn’t understand.

“I won’t keep secrets from you again, I promise. I should’ve had the balls to tell you.” She was absurdly thrilled to see a tiny grin at that. “You’ve had a horrible day. I’m sorry I made it worse.”

In a low voice she couldn’t decide was angry or not, he asked, “Are you feeling sorry for me?”

She couldn’t laugh, because his gaze was hard and impersonal. He was sizing her up with some kind of finality. If she didn’t pass, she wouldn’t get another chance. Turning her head to rub her cheek against his palm, she said quietly, “Maybe. A little. Because I love you, and I know you’re hurting, and I don’t like knowing I caused some of it. I don’t want you to doubt me. I want you to lean on me.”

“Alphas don’t lean. Alphas protect.”

“I don’t need protection. And Alphas lean on their mates, don’t they?”

“If they’re lucky. I was starting to think I was lucky.” He stared at her some more. “You love me?”

“Yes,” she whispered, afraid that if she tried to say anything more she’d start crying.

“Me too. It’s not automatic, you know. There have been wolves who got stuck with mates they didn’t love, women they didn’t want to need. I always thought that sounded like a kind of hell.”

She pulled his hand away from her face. “So, you love me and I love you. Right?”

He nodded curtly.

“Then maybe we could kiss? You could let me hug you? Or something?”

Nodding again, and with a frown, he hooked an arm around her waist and dragged her onto his lap. He brushed a quick, hard kiss across her mouth before he buried his face in her neck, hugging her so tight she let out a little squeak. His hold relaxed a bit. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and cradled his head.

They rocked together like that until she said softly, “Hey. Cade?”

“Mmm?”

“I said I wouldn’t keep secrets from you anymore, and I won’t. I know you’re exhausted, but…”

“But what?”

She pushed his hair back from his eyes and kissed his forehead. “But, baby, you really, really need a shower.”

A slow, tired grin spread across his face. “I’m pretty wiped. Can you help me?”

“Happy to.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next day he declared the ranch on lockdown—no one to enter or leave without his approval. Pack members living in town were still looking for Stapkis and the Fae. His wolves understood without being told that the lockdown instructions were primarily for the protection of Ally and Rebecca. He’d expected Ally to raise holy hell at being told she couldn’t leave the ranch without his permission and an escort. His mate still pretended to be unclear on the overall concept of submission to the Pack Alpha.

To his surprise, though, she agreed to the restrictions after only token protest. Then he figured out why. She was obsessed with the MacSorley situation.

Both Ally and Michael spent the day hounding him to call the Irishwolf. He’d been glad his best friend and his mate got along so well, but now he wished they didn’t. They’d spent all morning speculating about MacSorley’s role in Cade’s past. Neither paid any attention to Cade’s repeated order to drop the subject.

After a dinner of cold sandwiches and chips—and still no sign of Sindri—Cade lost his temper, roaring for both of them to shut the fuck up and leave him alone, which they finally did—at least for a while.

It wasn’t just the nagging, though. That pissed him off, but Sindri’s behavior disturbed him more. The old man was the rock and the rudder of Cade’s life. If he was too distraught to speak to them or come out of his den—not even Becca, kneeling by the door and pleading, could get a response—Cade would do whatever necessary to get some answers. Even if that meant talking to the wolf he still couldn’t think of as his uncle.

He locked himself in his office before dialing MacSorley’s cell phone because he didn’t want Michael or Ally to know they’d finally worn him down. And after all that, he got the bastard’s voicemail. He left a two word message: “Call me.”

It figured, Cade thought sourly two days later, that his uncle would finally call back just as a new crisis erupted.

“Cade? I apologize for not calling you sooner, pup, but I’ve been out of pocket.” His tone held none of its usual cockiness. Only the
pup
kept him from sounding downright submissive.

“Are you still in town, MacSorley?”

“Yes.”

“Sarah Jane back yet?”

“She should—wait, did Ally tell you where she went?”

“Ally’s not keeping secrets from me anymore. I want to know why Sarah Jane went to Iceland and how she’s involved in all this. I want to know a lot of things, but at the moment I’ve got something else to worry about.”

“What’s that?”

“Becca’s sick.”

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s got a fever. It’s up to a hundred and two. I’ve had the ranch on lockdown, but Ally wants to take her to the doctor.”

“Could you ask the doctor to come to you?”

“Ally swears it’s strep, and that means they’ll need a culture. I won’t send them into town alone.”

“No, of course not. Until we know where Stapkis is, I don’t think she should go anywhere without a couple of wolves with her.”

Two days ago, Cade would’ve demanded to know who the hell the insolent son of a bitch thought
we
might be. Now, with a superlupine effort he wished Ally were there to witness, he said instead, “Michael and I are going.”

“Why don’t I meet you there? Maybe we can grab some lunch, talk a bit?” When Cade didn’t answer immediately, Dec added, somewhat hesitantly, “If that’s okay with you. If you want me to wait, I under—”

“No, no. I was just thinking. Yeah, why don’t you meet us at the doctor’s. I’ll take another wolf as well, just in case we run into the Fae. Fremont Pediatric Associates, on McCoy, two blocks off Field. We’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Good. I’ll see you then. And Cade—thank you.”

He’d planned on taking Roman and Michael, but Dylan asked to come along. It pleased him that the pup wanted an active role in the pack.

Michael slid behind the wheel of the Rover, starting the engine while everyone else piled in. “Look, Cade, I’ve been thinking. Maybe we need to take a few more guys with us.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just—” He frowned at the steering wheel. Cade got the distinct impression his second was embarrassed. “I’m just thinking—if Rufus is in town and decides to do something crazy, the more muscle we’ve got, the better.”

“You were just saying yesterday how you thought Stapkis had probably killed himself already.”

“Yeah, but what if he didn’t? What if he’s just been lying low, waiting for us to give up?”

“He’s got a point,” Ally said from the backseat.

“Thirteen guys would’ve found one broken-down, crazy old wolf by now.” When Michael turned his head to look at him, Cade was shocked at his expression. “Michael. What’s got you so worried all of a sudden?”

His lieutenant shrugged miserably. “It’s just—just a feeling, that’s all. Like something bad is gonna happen.”

“There are three of us right now, four when we meet up with MacSorley.”

“Five, you mean,” Dylan piped up from the backseat. “We’ve got Ally too.”

Michael rolled his eyes while Cade and Dylan grinned at each other. Cade had no idea how he’d explain Ally’s nature to Michael. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to try. If Michael thought he’d seen strange stuff… “Five against one, bro. Stapkis shows up, we’ll handle it.”

Michael gazed at him another minute and then sighed. “Yeah. You’re right. We’ll handle it. I’m acting like a chick.”

Cade laughed, then glanced back to see Ally leaning over with her cheek against Baby Girl’s forehead.

“I gave her Tylenol before we left, and she’s still hot, and it’s hurting her to swallow.” She looked up at him. “Definitely strep.”

“She didn’t tell me about the swallowing.”

“Me neither. I could just tell by watching her eat.”

“So where’d she pick it up?” It wouldn’t have been from the wolves.

Ally shrugged. “Some other kid she’s been around.”

“Shit,” he muttered, turning back around in his seat. “It’s the kids in town. Town kids have germs.”

She seemed to find that funny. “All kids have germs, baby, even Becca. She just hasn’t had a chance to build her immunity.”

“She didn’t need immunity before y’all started taking her into town all the time.”

“So what do you want to do, keep her on the ranch?”

“For a few more years, yes.”

“Well, we’re not doing that.”

He turned to look at her. “What do you mean,
we
?”

The car got quiet. Michael kept his eyes locked on the road. Dylan stared out his window.

Cade and Ally stared at each other.

Her jaw trembled—just the tiniest bit, but enough that he noticed. “We—you and me. I just assumed— I mean, I’m your mate.” Her voice began to quiver as she dropped her gaze. “She needs a mother, Cade.”

“No.” He cleared his throat to cover the catch in his own voice. “She needs you.”

Her eyes snapped back up to his. He took a deep breath. “And I guess if you’re going to adopt her, we need to get married first.”

Ally smiled.

The air in the car felt lighter. So did his heart. When he tried to speak, his voice caught again. Just as well—he didn’t have words for what he felt. He reached back to touch her face. She took his hand, pressing her cheek to his palm. Her damp lashes tickled his skin.

“What, Tough Girl’s crying now? What a pansy,” cracked Michael.

“Watch it, dude,” Dylan said softly. “Don’t fuck with her when she’s crying.”

“Don’t say fuck,” Ally hiccupped. She brushed a kiss against Cade’s palm and pushed his hand away, rolling her eyes. Barely sniffling, she said, “Michael’s just jealous ’cause he doesn’t have a female.”

Michael snorted. “Michael’s got plenty of females. Don’t worry about old Michael.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have a mate.”

“Yeah, well, why would I want a mate? Only sleeping with one female, having her telling you what to do all the time, not being able to break up with her even if she’s a bitch—shit! Watch it, I’m driving here!”

She’d thumped him on the back of the head. Dylan started laughing.

Michael was on a roll. “Women can’t stand to see males running around loose. Reminds all the collared guys of their free range life, everything they had before they got tied down. See, like poor Cade over here—”

“
Poor Cade?
” squealed Ally.

“Hush, you’ll wake up Stinky Butt. Now, poor Cade probably looks at me and thinks, damn, three months ago I would’ve gone into town and picked up a hot college girl just like Michael’s doing, but now I have to stay here and—”

“Cade? Did you spend a lot of time chasing hot college girls?”

“I can’t remember anything before you, baby.”

She didn’t hear him. She was too busy explaining to Michael that he only fucked lots of different women because he was afraid to fall in love, while Michael was trying not to laugh long enough to explain that he fucked lots of different women because he
could
. Dylan was laughing at both of them, Baby Girl slept right through it, and Cade put his head back, closed his eyes, and basked in the sound of his family.

The doctor deemed Becca’s strep a mild case and said she’d be better in twenty-four hours with the antibiotic he prescribed. Ally didn’t say I told you so, which made Cade love her a little bit more.

As they walked out of the doctor’s office, MacSorley waved to them from across the street, where he stood chatting with Michael and Dylan next to Sarah Jane’s rental car. Cade pressed the remote to pop the lock on the Rover. “I’m hungry,” Becca whined. She was grumpy too. He walked around the car to join them.

“Hi Daddy,” Becca slurred, sleepy once more.

“Hey, baby.”

Ally turned to smile at him as she finished buckling the car seat. A honey blond hank of ponytail had worked its way loose. He tucked it behind her ear, skimming his thumb across the soft curve of her cheek.

“We could send the guys home with Becca and go get some lunch.”

“Sounds great, but aren’t you supposed to sit down with Dec?”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I’d rather lay down with you. Let him wait. We can grab a few hours alone, maybe talk about a wedding. I’ll look at rings if you want to.”

A car pulled into an empty spot a few feet away.

Michael yelled his name.

Ally smiled more easily this time, one hand still on Becca’s knee. He bent his head for a kiss, blocking out everything but the beloved scent of saltwater and lavender.

Her eyes flew open. She gave a little start. Some corner of his brain registered the scent of a strange wolf.

Michael called to him again.

As he raised his head, a vaguely familiar voice said, “Got yourself a mate now? Think you’re gonna have a wife and family like I did, you son of a bitch?”

Before he turned his head to look at the interloper, he noted two things simultaneously.

The voice belonged to Rufus Stapkis.

And there was a red dot on Ally’s chest, just below the hollow of her throat.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Michael, who’d been paying attention the way Cade should’ve been, yelled again.

Transfixed by the red dot of the laser sight, Cade didn’t turn his head to Stapkis or look up at Michael across the street.

For the first time in over twenty years, he’d ignored his surroundings, too busy mooning over his mate to protect her. As a result, his worst enemy stood a foot away with a gun pointed at Ally and his daughter. Their daughter.