Evan took a seat at the long kitchen table across from the two men who had just arrived from Seattle. Everyone had vacated the house
,
and he was glad Ashley and the other women had gone on a tour of the property.
Steven Wightman was one of the five members of The Head Council
,
and it was no small thing that he’d come to Texas to meet with Evan. He and the leader of The Head Council, Ralph Jerard, had been the only two people privy to all the information Evan had been feeding them for months concerning this investigation.
Until now. As the date approached when they would seize the captives, they had expanded their mission to include about fifty members of NAR. It had been centuries since shifters needed to mobilize the small military group they maintained, and never for use against their own that anyone knew of.
Steven furrowed his brow as he sat. “This is Alex Marshall. I’ve brought him up to speed and he’ll be working with us.”
Evan nodded at Alex and shook his hand.
“So, tell us what’s new.”
“The mission was a success. All twelve women were rescued yesterday morning. They’re all on their way here to reunite with their families, recuperate, and hopefully shed some light on what happened in each case.”
“Good. We’ll be here to help interview them this afternoon. I understand some of their captors were taken into custody?”
“A few, yes. Three were transported to Seattle.”
“All right. Well, hopefully this is the breakthrough we needed.” Steven thrummed his fingers on the tabletop, clearly concerned with the direction this case was taking.
Evan swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He’d known this was a huge conspiracy for almost a year. And he suspected the shit was about to fling around the room. “I do have some interesting information from Allison. She’s the one rescued from Minnesota
,
and we drove her here this morning.”
Steven leaned his elbows on the table. “Is there something different about her case?”
“Seems like it. She was the only one kept in isolation with no one around except one man left to guard her. He rarely said much and didn’t claim to be her mate. In fact she was never raped.”
Steven lifted one eyebrow. “Really? I thought all the women had been told they were mated to the man who took them.”
“I did too. But that wasn’t the case here. In fact the man who guarded her wasn’t even the same one who swiped her from The Gathering. And there’s more.” Evan swallowed. “She seems to have been used for some sort of medical experiments. Every once in a while she was moved to another location she describes as being like a hospital.”
Steven sat back, running a hand through his hair. “Jesus. What did they do to her?”
“That’s another interesting thing. She doesn’t know. They kept her drugged
,
and she only has flashes of memories of the place and the people. Nothing solid. It’s like she has amnesia.”
“That can’t be good. Does she know where the place was or how far from the cabin?”
Evan shook his head. “No. Not a clue. And in addition
,
they must want her pretty badly because the men who rescued her got caught in a rain of gunfire getting her off the property. They escaped on the run, but just barely. One of them was hit.”
“And there were no problems with any of the other rescues?” Alex asked.
“Nope. Not a single issue.” Evan sincerely hoped to find that some of the others had not been raped, either.
Daniel finished brushing Sadie and exited the stable. He felt rejuvenated after the long run, but glanced around
,
wondering what sort of trouble he was going to be in with his mother for abandoning ship this morning. Luckily he didn’t see too many cars out front, which meant most of their guests hadn’t arrived.
Perhaps he hadn’t been missed yet. He scanned the area and spotted a woman sitting on the front porch of the first cabin. She might be Allison, their first guest, but it seemed odd she would already be sitting there by herself.
Daniel headed in her direction when she waved. She stood and stepped away from the cabin to meet him. He realized as he approached she was mated and pregnant. Not Allison
,
then. “Hello.” He held out his hand. “I’m Daniel.”
She took his offered palm. “Ashley. My mate and I drove here from St. Louis with Allison Watkins.”
“Ah, right. I forgot you were coming. Kenzie told us about you. How are you feeling?” He glanced at her belly. Newly pregnant shifters always made him feel awkward. They weren’t like humans. Wolves knew when a woman was pregnant, so the stigma of not presuming didn’t exist.
“Great. Thanks.” She smiled.
He knew she’d also been kidnapped from The Gathering
,
and the bits and pieces of her story made him want to vomit, but she looked so healthy and happy he tried to ignore her plight. If she could move on with her life, he needed to get over himself too. After all, twelve women were about to descend on the ranch, all of whom would have horror stories of their own. He needed to be supportive.
“Why are you out here by yourself?” He noticed the door open behind Ashley.
“Allison’s napping. I told her I’d sit out here while she slept to give her peace of mind.”
“Ah. Very nice of you.”
“She’s pretty shook up. Understandably so.”
“And your mate? Evan, right? He’s with you?”
“Yes. He’s in the main house. I assume some of your brothers are there now.”
“Probably. I’ve been out riding.” He nodded at the house. “I’d better go check in before they send out a search party. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
Daniel turned and started to walk away, but after two steps
,
he froze. He lifted his chin to the air and closed his eyes as he inhaled long and slow. His body went rigid
,
and he fisted his hands at his sides as he inhaled again.
Someone behind him gasped. And a tiny voice he hadn’t heard before spoke. “Shit.”
Daniel spun around.
Ashley was still there, but her eyes were huge and wide
,
and her mouth hung open. “Oh,” she muttered. She glanced back and forth between Daniel and the woman who’d approached from behind Ashley.
His gaze slid to the newcomer. She stood on the tiny porch as rigid as he’d felt, her arms at her sides, her brow furrowed, the sweetest red line running down her pale cheek from sleeping on that side. Gorgeous blonde curls hung down her back, some falling over her shoulders. She was underweight, frail, scared, shaking. Beautiful. And his.
“Shit,” she repeated under her breath.
He smiled at her. Ashley stepped to the side several paces and ceased to exist.
“Unexpected, yes. But surely you can come up with something more enthusiastic than ‘shit’,” he teased.
Her mouth opened and her eyes widened. “I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud.”
He nodded. “You did.” He stepped closer, but she backed up a pace into the doorway, so he stopped. “You must be Allison.”
“I am.” She took a deep breath. And held it. Her eyes fluttered closed on her exhale. “Shit.”
“You have a rich wealth of vocabulary.” He grinned at her.
Her eyes popped open again. “I— I’m sorry. I—”
“No worries. I’m kidding you. It’s shocking. I agree. I’m Daniel Spencer, by the way.”
Ashley cleared her throat to his side. “I’m going to go back to the main house. I think…” She turned and left without finishing her statement. Daniel didn’t glance her way.
“This can’t be happening,” Allison said. She fisted her hands together in front of her and squeezed one with the other. She eased forward until she plopped down on the front steps of the cabin.
Daniel worried she would fall before she sat, but he gritted his teeth and let her lower herself to the step on her own. She wasn’t remotely ready for him to approach.
She set her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.
“It’s not exactly what I had in mind for today
,
either. I’m sorry to shock you.” He shook his head to clear his mind.
This is a woman who’s been held hostage for a year in the remote woods of Minnesota. You’re freaking her out
.
He couldn’t bring himself to walk away
,
though. And besides, no way would he just leave her sitting there alone.
Her entire body shook.
He ached to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. But for her, the world was not okay right now
,
and the last thing she needed was a man getting in her space and pressuring her.
Deep breaths, Daniel. Think
.
Unchartered territory had him floundering for words that wouldn’t come. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he spoke again. “Don’t panic.” He backed up a step. He could tell she was close to hyperventilating. “It’s going to be okay.”
Somehow. Right?
He wasn’t sure he believed his own words. Suddenly nothing was okay. Not even for him. He wasn’t in a place in life to take on a mate. He was committed to the North American Reserves for the foreseeable future. Having a mate didn’t fit into that plan. Too much was happening in the world today. He felt a calling to help the cause, not to mate.
Except there was no denying what lay in front of his eyes. Her scent would haunt him. He had no choice. This was what Fate had dropped on his doorstep
,
and he had to face his new reality all wrapped up in the least tidy of packaging ever.
She lifted her face, her eyes red and huge. “Nothing about me is ‘okay’. I haven’t even wrapped my mind around the fact that I’ve been rescued. I haven’t seen my parents yet.”
“We’ll deal with it. Everything. One minute at a time.” He crouched in front of her to bring his face to her level. He remained several yards away, though he ached to inch closer.
She shook her head. “There can’t be a ‘we’. I’m not ready. I’m not even sure who I am right now.” She looked away.
His chest squeezed tight as though she’d gripped it with her fist and yanked his heart out. Common sense told him she was in pain and unable to deal with this explosion of information right now. And she had every right to be. But still he swallowed the hurt.
Man up, dude. This mate of yours needs space and time. Don’t take it personally
.
Voices behind him made him stand and back up several steps. He turned to find his mother approaching, Kenzie behind her holding the baby. He kept backing up. Allison would get the comfort she needed from his family. He had no choice but to step away and let them take over. For now. His legs literally ached with each step, but he forced them to move. He met his mother’s gaze as she approached and pleaded with her to help his mate.
She nodded, a wan smile that didn’t reach her eyes expressing her sorrow at his predicament.
Words weren’t needed. Ashley would have told them what had occurred. And even if she hadn’t, any wolf would smell the mating call on approach.
As his mother passed and took a seat next to Allison, Kenzie touched his arm with her free hand. He lifted his gaze to meet his brother’s mate. She had the same look on her face as his mother.
He swallowed. “I’ll be at my place.” And he turned and walked away, desperately trying not to think about the fact that he’d left his heart behind on that porch.
•●•
Allison shook. She couldn’t control the shivers that climbed up her spine and down her arms. She trembled as if she had a fever. She crossed her arms to hold them against her body and tried to breathe through the intensity of emotion washing over her. Natalie said something next to her, but she couldn’t hear a word.
She felt like she was underwater. Perhaps Natalie was speaking to Kenzie
,
who stepped closer and kneeled in front of Allison. She held the baby close to her chest.
Allison only knew one thing. Daniel was her mate and he’d just left. In fact she’d chased him off with her mouth. Relief and sorrow warred inside her, fighting for control.
Part of her wanted to run after him and breathe in his scent some more. It was calming. Even though she was scared out of her mind, his presence had been soothing.
Another part of her demanded she run in the opposite direction. Get in a car and drive away to anywhere but here.
Natalie set a hand gently on Allison’s shoulder and her words penetrated. “Honey?”
Allison turned her gaze to the kind woman who would be a part of her life forever now.
At least you know your mate’s family is nice
. If Natalie was a good representative of the rest of the clan, Allison could be sure of good in-laws.
She shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn’t mate now. It was absurd. She swallowed. “I’m fine. I just need…” She had no idea what. A reverse in time to five minutes ago before she met her mate would be a good start.
“I’m so sorry. I know this wasn’t in your plans for today,” Kenzie said. She reached forward with her free hand and set it on Allison’s knee. “You have so much on your mind.”
Natalie nodded. “Let’s deal with one thing at a time. Your parents will be here any minute. Why don’t we head to the main house
,
and then when they get here
,
you can spend some time with them alone. I’ll talk to Daniel. Tell him to give you some space for now. Okay?”
Allison turned to face Natalie. “Is it that simple?” Somehow Allison’s racing heart and sweaty palms knew better.
The woman smiled. “No. It’s complicated. But like I said, let’s take it one step at a time. You need time with your family first and foremost.” She stood, taking a limp Allison with her. She was so kind, keeping her arm around Allison on the walk back to the house.
When they entered through the back door, the place was quiet. The only person inside was a man who looked like an older version of Daniel.
He beamed when he turned to Allison. “Allison. So nice to meet you. I’m Jerome.” Instead of taking her hand in greeting, he pulled her into his huge embrace and held her.