The Road to Redemption (7 page)

Kane snorted.
“A lucky punch, no doubt. And you were always a soft touch around a
good looking female.”

“Perhaps.”
Damien didn’t refute his friend’s statement, but in reality being a
‘soft touch’ hadn’t factored into the fight’s outcome last night.
Sam was a damned good fighter. She’d made a few mistakes but with
some extra training… He jerked his attention back to what Kane was
saying.

“If she’s been
functioning as the de facto Alpha for several years, and it’s never
been reported to Lycan Link, I might have a case against the
Chicago pack. I’ll have to check the Book of the Law, but this
might be the wedge I need to start my takeover bid.”

If anyone knew
the Book of the Law, it was Kane. In the time that Damien had
stayed with Kane’s pack, he’d been impressed with how knowledgeable
Kane was and the dedication he showed for his job. Of course, that
dedication to the pack also meant less time for Kane’s family.
Damien hoped that the information he was providing would help his
friend quickly win his claim to Chicago so Kane could get some
balance back in his life.

A bit of
movement at the far end of the park caught his attention and he
realized it was Sam Harper. “I have to go, Kane. I’ll be in touch.”
He put his phone away and turned slightly so he could watch Sam’s
approach more easily.

She strode
along a pathway that cut through the park, head high, spine
straight, hands tucked in her back pockets. Her stance pushed her
breasts forward and Damien eyed them appreciatively before shifting
his focus to her face. Sunlight filtered through breaks in the
trees and, in those moments, highlighted her violet eyes.

Once again
Damien was struck by how odd the colour was for a Lycan. No doubt
there was a bit of Witch or Fae in her background.

Fae.

Beth had been
part Fae, but there was nothing ethereal or fanciful about Sam. The
woman seemed as down to earth and practical as they came.

“Damien.” She
spoke his name as soon as she caught sight of him and veered off
the path towards where he sat. He didn’t stand as she approached
though he could tell by the look on her face she’d expected him to.
And it wasn’t that he didn’t feel the pull of her authority. It was
the inexplicable need to push her buttons that kept him seated.
Both he and his wolf watched with interest to see how she’d
respond.

Sam stopped a
few feet away. He nodded and took a swig from his can of soda. The
briefest hint of irritation passed over her face.

“Comfortable?”
She queried.

“Yep.” He
nodded and then patted the space beside him. “Sit down and take a
load off your feet.”

Much to his
surprise she did. And then grabbed the soda from his hand.

“Hey!” He
protested, caught off guard by her move.

“Hay is for
horses.” She quipped. And bringing the can to her lips, she
proceeded to take a long drink.

Damien watched
as she drank, noting the faint movements of her throat as she
swallowed, the way her lids half covered her eyes as if she were
savouring the taste of the carbonated beverage. When she’d had her
fill, she handed the can back to him and wiped her mouth on her
hand. “Thanks. It’s a scorcher today and I needed that.”

He gave the
can a shake. Empty.

Sam raised her
brows as if she had no idea what his problem might be.

Giving her a
dirty look, he crushed it in his hand and then tossed it in the
recycling bin that stood a few feet away.

“And swoosh.
Nothin’ but net! A basketball star in the making.” A soft, husky
laugh accompanied her comment on his perfect aim.

The sound of
her laughter caught his attention. So far, she’d shown about as
much personality as a cactus in a desert; only her prickliness
breaking through her bland exterior. He eyed her curiously.

“And you’re a
soda thief in the making. Ever heard of asking first?”

She shrugged.
“Why? You’re a member of the pack now. Pack shares.”

He opened his
mouth but couldn’t think of a comeback. “Point to you.”

“Naturally.”

“Cocky little
thing, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” She
stretched her arms out so that her elbows were on the back of the
bench and extended her legs out in front of her, crossing them
casually at the ankles. Then she looked at him out of the corner of
her eye. “You got a problem with that?”

He shook his
head and felt the edges of his mouth curving upward, the action
feeling almost unnatural. There’d been little to smile about in the
past few years. Narrowing his eyes, he resumed a serious expression
and studied the female beside him, wondering how she’d garnered
such a response from him.

Something
about her demeanour made her seem younger at the moment. The lines
of tension around her eyes and mouth were gone. Mimicking her pose,
he let out a long, slow breath. The sun had shifted and he was no
longer in the protection of the shade. “Is it always this hot in
your city?”

“In the summer
it is, though usually it starts to cool down by now.” She tilted
her head back so her face was raised to the sun and closed her
eyes. “I try to absorb as much of the warmth now as I can. Winter
is a bitch here.”

“You don’t
like the cold?”

“I don’t mind
it, but it’s easier to move about in the summer. No tell-tale
tracks in the snow.”

Damien studied
her full, red lips, noting how they were curved into a
self-satisfied smile. “What are you looking so pleased about?”

She shrugged,
eyes still closed. “A successful morning. I got a lot accomplished,
dealt with a few pressing financial issues much faster than I’d
thought and now I’m ahead of schedule. It’s a beautiful day, plus,
it isn’t often I have time to sit and enjoy my territory.” Her
chest rose and fell as she inhaled deeply. “Smell that? Papa Tony’s
Pizzeria – he just took one out of the oven. He makes them with
extra cheese for me. And the fresh tar? They’re fixing the pot hole
around the corner from the pack house; I damned near lost the front
wheel off my bike in it last week.”

Damien watched
her out of the corner of his eye as he sniffed the air, sifting
through the multitude of scents to find the ones she was
describing. The expression on her face, the way she spoke; it was
obvious Sam felt a deep connection with her territory. A breeze
came by and the edges of her long front fringe moved slightly
revealing more of her face.

Her bone
structure was delicate. High cheekbones, a small chin, a fine nose
with a hint of an up-tilt near the end. Her skin tones spoke of a
French background, or maybe Italian…? His gaze rested on her lips
once more; the lower one was enticingly plump and he wondered what
it would be like to gently nibble on it or trace it with his
tongue…

A truck’s horn
blared directly across from them and Damien jerked in surprise then
growled. Sam snorted and sat upright.

“You get used
to it after a while. Horns, sirens, train whistles – to me, they’re
like the bird calls the country packs have to deal with.”

Damien scowled
at the delivery van’s driver who was now arguing with a cabbie over
a parking space. He was inexplicably angry with them…or was he
angry at himself? The way he’d been staring at Sam, contemplating
kissing her… What was he thinking? He was here to do a job not ogle
the local women. And since when did females catch his eye, anymore?
Not since Beth had he—

“Come on.” Sam
got to her feet, thankfully oblivious of his wayward thoughts.
“I’ll treat you to a slice of Papa Tony’s. Then you’ll know what
real
pizza tastes like.”

“Sure. That’d
be great.” Damien stood up and followed her, trying not to stare at
how her jeans clung to her cute butt. He ran his hand through his
hair, completely thrown off by his reaction to her. His inner wolf
was equally puzzled by this new type of Alpha and cocked its head
to the side while it studied the Lycan walking ahead of them.

~~~

Elise pushed
open the door to the room she and Kane were using while staying at
her brother-in-law’s home. There was a celebration going on
downstairs, but Kane had excused himself to take a call. That had
been over half an hour ago. Worried that something was wrong, she’d
come looking for him.

Ryne’s home
was a sprawling old Victorian place built on a large property a few
miles outside the small town of Stump River. The building had
fallen into disrepair, but Ryne’s pack was slowly returning the
place to its former glory. This particular room had recently been
finished and boasted an ensuite bathroom, comfortable furnishings
and a spectacular view of the forest that surrounded the house.

Her mate
presently stood with one arm braced against the window frame and,
to a casual onlooker, he might look like he was observing the fall
colours that were appearing on the trees. However, another glance
revealed he had his cell phone in his hand and was focused on the
conversation, not the view.

Elise leaned
her shoulder against the doorjamb and crossed her arms, unashamedly
listening in on the conversation. They were blood bonded mates.
There were no secrets between them. As the trend of the
conversation became apparent, she sighed. Pack business. Again.

Kane,
seemingly unaware of her presence, kept talking. “That’s right. I’m
looking for information about Alphas abdicating their role or
appointing an ‘acting-Alpha’ if they are temporarily incapacitated
... No. Not a Beta … Are there any precedents? … Uh huh … Yeah ...
Okay. Get back to me as soon as you can.”

He ended the
call and appeared about to make another, when she quipped lightly.
“Must be a pretty important call if you don’t even notice that I’m
standing right behind you.”

Kane gave a
slight jolt and turned. “Elise!”

Obviously he’d
been so engrossed in his conversation that he really hadn’t
registered her presence. It was a bit demoralizing.

Elise stepped
into the room and trailed her hand lightly over the engraved wooden
post that edged the footboard of the bed. She glanced at her mate
out of the corner of her eye and gave a wistful smile. “There was a
time when I’d never have been able to sneak past your radar. You’d
have pounced and had me pinned to the bed within seconds of
entering the room.”

“Sorry. I
was…” He held up the phone and shrugged smiling ruefully.

“I know.” She
returned his smile, but it was forced. Kane had promised to make
this a ‘work free’ getaway. She parroted his all too frequent
excuse. “You had a call you had to make. It couldn’t wait. It was
only supposed to take a minute, but it turned out it was more
complicated than planned.”

“Yeah.” At
least he looked uncomfortable making the admission. “The first one
was from Damien. He had some information about Chicago—”

“The
first
one?”

He ignored her
indignant statement. “And I wanted to get the ball rolling. I have
John doing some research for me so that when we get back home I can
start to act on the takeover.”

“And, of
course, you couldn’t have done that later.” She resisted the urge
to put her hands on her hips, but couldn’t keep her irritation from
showing in her voice. “There
is
a celebration happening
downstairs. Remember? Ryne and Mel had their bonding ceremony this
morning?
You
officiated over it?”

His mouth
tightened. “Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Elise.”

“And being
abandoned at a party does?” She could feel the tension building
inside her. This had happened so many times recently, Kane getting
lost in pack business and forgetting his family obligations. “Kane,
you promised me…”

He opened his
mouth then snapped it shut. Taking a deep breath, he visibly forced
himself to relax. “I know. I know.” Keeping his eyes on her, he
walked over to her and, placing his hands on her shoulders, he gave
her a gentle shake then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But I’m
doing this for us. If you want us to have more time together—”

“If
I
want. What about you? Don’t you want more time together?” She
stepped back and tilted her head so she could see his face.

He was
frowning at her comment, his mouth flattened into a firm line. At
first, he seemed about to say something cutting in return but
stopped himself. His features smoothed into a conciliatory
expression. “Of course, I do. I chose my words poorly.” Kane pulled
her close and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under
his chin. “If
we
want more time together, then a certain
amount of preparatory work has to be done. We’ve discussed
this.”

His tone was
calm and reasonable, almost overly patient as if he were talking to
a recalcitrant child.

She bit back
the bubble of resentment that welled within her. A fight wasn’t
what she was looking for today. There’d been too many of those
recently. Maybe she was being unreasonable. After all, he hadn’t
been gone that long. And he
was
the Alpha…

“I know.”
Elise whispered the words into his chest feeling like she was being
a shrew. He’d explained, when the idea first came to him, that
taking over the Chicago pack would be work, that he was doing it
for her, for their family. And she believed him…mostly. When it was
all over, he’d have more time. He’d promised, and Kane Sinclair was
a man of his word. Slowly, she ran her hand over his broad chest,
feeling his warmth and strength. Beneath her ear, she could hear
the steady beat of his heart. Kane was a good man, a wise Alpha, a
loving mate and great father to their pups…when he had the
time...

“Hey.” He
placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. Kissing her
slowly, he whispered an apology against her lips. “I’m sorry. I
should have left the call until later.”