Purr For The Alpha (A Paranormal Romance) (Timber Valley Pack) (12 page)

Virginia crouched down in the underbrush, watching Riley and Leah.  They’d snuck off again, and this time, she’d followed them. She had to know what they were up to, and why Riley always came out of the woods looking pale and sick, and then recovered within minutes.

It had happened at least once a day, all week long. Other than that, everything at camp had been going fine. They were getting along with the other campers, and Riley and Kimberly seemed to be spending a lot of time hanging out with each other. 

As Virginia watched,  the two of them threaded their way through the forest, with Leah clearly taking the lead.  She knew where she was going.

Leah led Riley over to a bush
, and pointed at it.  He shoved his hands in to the bush and came out with a bluebird that was making pained chirping noises, and had a dangling wing.

As she watched, Riley closed his eyes and concentrated. There was utter silence, and then a minute later,
the noises stopped and the bluebird flew away. Its wing had healed.

Riley leaned over and vomited into the grass.
  Virginia grimaced in sympathy. Being a healer was draining. Come fall, she’d be training full time with the pack’s healer, so she could control and guide her powers and learn to heal without exhausting herself to the point of illness.

             
She went back to the clearing outside of the cabins, and when Leah and Riley came out, she called Riley over to her. Leah waved at them and headed off to the archery range, where her archery class was just about to begin.

             
“What’s up?” Riley said.”

             
“Riley, I followed you into the woods just now,” Virginia said. “I saw you heal that bird.”

             
“You weren’t supposed to see that.” Riley looked up, startled.

             
“Why not, though? You just did something awesome,” Virginia said. “You’re a healer. Why are you hiding it?”

             
“Because I’m a guy,” Riley muttered. “Only women are healers.”

             
The light dawned on her. “Wait a minute. Is that why you think you’re gay?” she asked him.

             
“Well, yeah. Because only girls are healers. I tried to tell my dad once that I was a healer, and he said that I couldn’t be, because that would mean I was a homo, and-”

             
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Virginia said indignantly. “Pardon my language, but your dad’s a dick. And he’s wrong. He’s the last person you should take advice from.”

             
“I know, but still. I’m like the only male healer in the world. I wish I were a shaman, instead. Men are shamans. Women are healers. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

             
“There could be others that you don’t know about, but even if you were the only one, you have an ability that can help your fellow shifters, and even non-shifters. You healed that bear’s foot the other day so it could run off, didn’t you?”

             
“Yeah. Leah can sense when wild animals are hurt. She hears it, like a distress call.  She takes me to them, and I heal them.”

             
“You know, that’s nothing to hide or be ashamed of. And by the way, I’m telling you, I see you checking out girls all the time, and I know that you’re not gay. It wouldn’t matter if you were, but you’re not.”

             
“But I am a weirdo,” Riley said. “It’s not just the healing. When I get mad, things catch on fire. I’m not even trying to do it, most of the time. Things just burst into flames.”

             
“So? That sounds like a handy tool. You’ll never need matches when you’re camping. You should train to be a healer,” Virginia said. “Really. Our skills are highly valued, and very necessary. Does Karen know?”

             
“No. She’s got enough to worry about,” Riley shook his head quickly. “You can’t tell her. Promise you won’t tell her.”

             
“I won’t, but you should think about telling her yourself. I know she’d be supportive, and she’s going to find out sooner or later.”

             
Riley shrugged and walked off. Across the field, Kimberly waved at him, and as he walked towards her Virginia thought his step was just a little bit lighter.

* * *

             
The club doors wouldn’t open for another hour.  Ty was reading through a pile of paperwork at his desk when he heard a knock on his door.  “Come in, babe,” he called. “It’s about time.” He hadn’t defiled his desk yet this evening, and he hadn’t spanked Karen for days now. He’d come up with an excuse to punish her, not that he needed one.

             
Evangeline walked up, looking delighted. She was wearing a tight, low cut red top and skinny jeans and heels.

             
Ty scowled at her, disappointed. Great, just what he needed. Evangeline was like a burr that stuck to his fur, clingy, impossible to shake off, and every bit as irritating.

             
“I thought you were Karen,” he said, making his voice distinctly unfriendly.

             
Her face fell, and she sat down in the chair facing his desk.

             
He shook his head. “I don’t have time to talk to you, Evangeline. I’m very busy,” he told her.

             
“You weren’t busy when you thought I was Karen,” she pouted.

             
“That’s right, I wasn’t. If you’ll excuse me now.” He looked pointedly at the door.

             
She ignored him, leaning forward in her chair.

             
“Ty, we need to talk,” she pleaded.

             
“No, you want to talk and I have no desire to listen.”

             
“I just don’t understand why you’re treating me like this. We had a great thing together,” she said.

             
“We had sex with each other a few times, six months ago. I made it very clear to you before we got involved that I wasn’t interested in anything else. You were dating other men at the time, I was dating other women, so I thought you had no problem with it.”

             
“We could have so much more,” Evangeline pleaded. She leaned forward, arching her back and thrusting her breasts at him. “I’ve been waiting patiently for you to come to your senses and realize what you and I could be to each other.  I’d make a great Alpha’s wife. I have all kinds of ideas for how to run a pack, I’ve even been thinking about how we could set up our compound together. The property is fairly hilly, so-”

             
“Whoa! Stop right there!” Ty protested, rearing back in his chair. Good God, she’d taken leave of her senses. Virginia had warned him a couple of times that Evangeline was stalker-level hung up on him, but he hadn’t seen it until right now. “I’m sorry, I just don’t feel that way about you. And I can tell you, hearing about how your family has treated Karen and her brother and sister has killed any desire I would have even to be friends with you.”

             
She blinked hard, tears glittering in her eyes. “That is not fair,” she sniffled. “We’re trying to protect you and your family from them. They’re infamous. Did you know that Riley is a thief just like his father? A bunch of wallets have gone missing from the workshop, and Riley’s always out sneaking around in the woods outside of the campgrounds. When the counselors ask him about it he always comes up with some stupid story. Anthea told me all about it.”

             
“He’s a thief because he likes to be in the woods?”

             
“You know he’s up to no good, or he’d say what he was doing out there.” Her face had gone pouty and sullen. He felt his temper rising in him, itching under his skin. He suppressed a low growl.

             
“No, actually, I do not,” he said. “I go out in the woods all the time, myself. We do that. We’re shifters.”

             
“She’s blinded you to the truth, and she’s taking advantage of you,” she protested.

             
“Now, how exactly is she doing that, given that I invited her to stay with me?”

             
“Why are you doing this, Ty? She’s feline! If you mate with her, you know what that means? You can’t start your own pack! You’ll give up all that property you could have inherited! You might never have cubs, and if you do, some of them will be Lynxes!”

“I want you to leave. Now,”
Ty said, shooting to his feet. “Don’t come back.” She went pale, swallowed hard, and got up, stumbling back away from him.

Then her pleading expression turned sullen. 
“You’re making a mistake, and you are going to regret this.” That almost sounded like a threat, but what could she possibly threaten him with? It was laughable.

She stormed out of the office, and as she flung the door open, she saw Karen standing there and let out a startled scream.

She swung back to glare at Ty. “She was spying on you! I told you she can’t be trusted!” she wailed. Tears ran down her face, leaving a trail of gritty black mascara.

“She has
no need to spy on me, because I have nothing to hide from her,” Ty said. Evangeline stormed off, to Ty’s relief.

Karen walked in, looking self-conscious.
She was wearing her waitress uniform, and he admired her long trim legs as she strolled through the door.  She had a faint, fading hickey on her neck from when he’d nipped her the night before, which made him smile. He liked leaving marks on her where other shifters could see them. They signaled his ownership, his possession over her.

She sat down, crossing her legs.
“I didn’t mean to listen in,” she said. “Okay, that’s a total lie, I was eavesdropping.”

Ty
shrugged. “I meant it, Karen. I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“Is what she said true?” Karen asked, a frown wrinkling her pretty forehead. “You couldn’t have your own pack if you were with me?
You wouldn’t inherit your family’s property?”

“The Covenant that rules the wolf shifters says so, yes
. If an Alpha wants to start his own pack, he must first be married to another wolf. If I marry outside of my species, then I lose my claim to that portion of land, and it would go to whatever Alpha is born into the Battle family after that.”

“Sounds like Evangeline had that area already redecorated for you,” Karen said, with a shaky laugh.

“Ha,” he said scornfully.
“That was never going to happen. Besides, I didn’t necessarily want to start my own pack. I’m the boss of my own business here, and I like it. I enjoy the challenge, the creativity, the socializing, everything that goes with it. I love the atmosphere here. That, and friends, and family – that’s all I want.”

He looked at her.  “When I say family, that includes you. I want you. I have ever since the first time I laid eyes on you. I’m glad we didn’t get together back then, because I was young and immature and I would have screwed it up, but I want you, and I will have you.”

She stood up abruptly, shaking her head.  “Ty, I would be costing you so much. I never knew that your being with me would cost you everything. Your property, your rightful place as the leader of your own pack.  I’d be stealing your future.” Pain rippled across her face, shining in her luminous blue eyes.

Why wouldn’t she let him in? He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
“I just told you. You wouldn’t be costing me anything that I actually want.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.” She had backed up to the doorway.

Frustration boiled up inside him. Every time he got close to her, he felt her pull away.  “Why do you keep running away from me, Karen?”

“Um, I don’t know, because you’re scary?”
She took another step back and she was in the hallway now.

“Karen Padfoot.” His voice came out in a growl.

“What?” She’d been turning away, but the command in his voice pulled her back.

“
I meant what I said the other day. Now that I’ve finally got you, I will never let you go.”

              “I hope you consider our offer to come work with us,” Vince said as he laid a contract on top of the stack in Karen’s inbox.  She was in a spacious office in the back of his building.  She had a big oak desk and a wall full of law books, and it smelled of fresh wood and pine potpourri. “You’re a natural at this.”

             
“Thanks, Vince. I appreciate the offer,” Karen said gratefully. The Battle family had every reason to hold a grudge against her, and the fact that they would consider giving her a job like that was a testament to their generosity and also their ability to have an open mind.

             
“The contract I just gave you concerns my son Max’s acquisition of his new pack’s property. I’d like you to review that one first, please.”

             
She hesitated, then looked up at him. “So, if Ty were with me, you know, permanently, he would lose all the property that he would have inherited?”

             
Vince nodded. “It’s true. He couldn’t lead his own pack.  Currently, the only Alphas in this area are myself and my son, and we each have our territory carved out. Ty could have inherited and started his own pack, but it appears his intentions are otherwise now.”

             
“Does that bother you?”

             
“No, not at all. He’s his own man. If he felt called on to start his own pack, he would most definitely do so. It’s not for everyone.  There’s plenty of Alphas out there who go into other areas of leadership. My nephew Steele, for instance. The sheriff job suits him perfectly, and it takes up too much of his time for him to be running his own pack.”

             
“I see.” She nodded.

             
“Ty’s a changed man since you’ve come to stay with him, Karen,” Vince said.

             
Her cheeks flooded with color, and she murmured “Thank you,” as he left the room.

             
Before she could start on the contract, her phone rang.

             
“That son of a bitch gave me a speeding ticket for going five miles over!” Isadora yelled into the phone.

             
“Hello, best friend and bane of my existence. Let me guess. Dash?”

             
“Yes, he who will from now on be known as Dash-hole. I swear to God, I wanted to take that night stick of his and –“

             
“Are you sure it was only five miles over? Because I’ve driven with you before,” Karen interrupted her quickly, before Isadora could burn that visual into her brain.

             
“It was definitely five, or some multiple of five. Whatever. It’s like he was laying in wait for me. Bastard. I was on my way for a lunch date with Pierce. He made me late.”

             
“You know, I’m going to suggest something that you’re not going to want to hear. I actually think you and Dash would be a good couple.”

             
“Excuse me, I think we have a problem with our connection,” Isadora squawked in disbelief. “Hello, I’m Isadora. Have you met me before?  Me, date a cop? I have only ever dated guys with tattoos and a bad attitude.”

             
Karen would not be dissuaded. She was raising two adolescents; she was used to dealing with stubborn dumbasses. “I think Dash, on some level at least, probably a level which he isn’t even admitting to himself, is attracted to you, which is why he always manages to be around when you’re here.  And I think you like him too. I’ve never heard you bitch about a guy as much as this before. I also think that you’re refusing to acknowledge it because – wait for it – your parents would actually approve of him.”

             
“Keep up that talk, and I will have a new lynx-skin rug in front of my fireplace, woman. I am hanging up now. You go wash your mouth out with soap.” Isadora cut the connection off.

             
Karen snickered to herself. Ha. She quickly texted “Isadora and Dash, sittin’ in a tree” to Isadora, then started in on her contracts. She turned off her phone so she could ignore the stream of obscenities that Isadora texted back, along with the picture of a lynx skin rug.

             
It took a couple of hours before she finally made her way to the contract that made her heart seize up in her chest.

             
It was a contract for Ty to open a new nightclub in North Dakota.

             
He’d start there next month.

             
She sat there, staring at it. Obviously he hadn’t meant for her to see this particular contract, right? Or perhaps he had. Perhaps this was his way of saying that she was too much work, and if he had to work that hard to pursue her, then he was throwing in the towel.

             
Just a few days earlier, he’d said that he would never let her go. They hadn’t discussed it since. They’d spent passionate nights together. Yes, she’d still gone back to her room afterwards, but…had he given up on her already?

             
Most likely, she thought, this particular contract was intended to go to the lawyer who they had on retainer.  It didn’t really matter whether he’d meant for her to see it or not, though.  The end of their relationship was sitting there staring her in the face.

             
She sat there, staring at the paperwork. Tears filled her eyes and before she could stop them, she was horrified to feel hot tears running down her face. They gushed faster and faster, dripping onto the desk. She frantically mopped them up with tissues from the box that sat in front of her. 

             
Sorrow washed over her, and she sat and buried her face in her hands and sobbed for several full minutes straight, shoulders heaving.

             
She should have known all along, shouldn’t she?  Why would someone want to take on her and her messed up family? She’d just been an itch he needed to scratch, a conquest he could finally cross off his “to do” list.

Up until this moment, she hadn’t realized
how much she wanted to stay here with him.  She wanted to come home to him every night, to lie in his arms, to feel his caresses and his warm mouth and strong hands moving over her body.  More than that, she just loved to spend time with him. She loved talking to him, loved their banter and his quick wit.

Well, people didn’t always get what they wanted in life, she told herself. She didn’t have the luxury of curling up in a ball an
d hiding out from the world just because her heart was broken. She had a job to do, and a family to support.

S
he got up and went and washed her face, and carefully redid her makeup. She put on foundation. She patted on eyeshadow. She drew on eyeliner. She stroked on mascara.

Then she went back to work. Work was something she could control. It was like school. She could do her best, put in an effort, and she would be rewarded.  Her actions produced predictable results – unlike in life.

Several hours later, she was finished with all of the contracts except Ty’s. Screw him, he could get someone else to finalize the details of his break-up note to her.  She left it sitting in her inbox.