The Finding (40 page)

“Well? What did
Meredith say? Is Miss Cassie all right? Was she involved in the
scuffle at the house? Is that other werewolf still with her?”

“Give me a
chance to answer, will you.” Franklin groused at her and waved for
her to sit down.

She complied
and clasped her hands tightly in front of her, holding back the
other questions that threatened to spout from her lips. Miss Cassie
was like a grandchild to her and the thought that some harm had
come to her... Mrs. Teasdale blinked back a tear and sniffled; she
was scared for the girl and not afraid to admit it.

“Meredith has
kept a close eye on Cassie’s house and from all appearances our
girl is fine.”

“Thank the
Lord,” she breathed out and closed her eyes in silent prayer, her
shoulders slumping with relief.

“The young
fellow is still with her—”

“That sounds
promising.” She opened her eyes and stared at Franklin, her spirits
perking up at the news.

“But it seems
Anderson is in a pickle with some loan sharks and Miss Cassie is
set on saving him.”

“Well, Cassie
does have the money—” She attempted to brush the fact away.

Franklin didn’t
give her time to finish. “It’s rather complicated, but the long and
short of it is, Aldrich is using Anderson and his debt as bait to
get Cassie to come back to Chicago. As a matter of fact, she and
the young man—the one we think is a werewolf—are on their way here
right now.”

“She is?” Mrs
Teasdale beamed for a moment at the news of Cassie’s imminent
arrival, then frowned. “Wait a minute. What’s Aldrich’s plan for
her?”

“I’m not sure,
but it can’t be good or he wouldn’t be using blackmail to get her
to come back.”

“But the
werewolf is still with her? He hasn’t abandoned her over this?” She
sought reassurance that Cassie wasn’t facing this alone.

“Apparently
not. His interest in her must be greater than his need for privacy.
If the media ever got a hold of this, the whole werewolf thing
could explode around all of us.”

“But it won’t,
will it? I mean, these wolves must be experienced at operating
under the radar. They wouldn’t do anything foolish.”

“If it were
only wolves, I’m sure everything would be fine, but there’s an
estate worth millions involved, a missing heiress, Aldrich and
don’t forget Kellen. The boy has some feelings for Cassie, but he’s
unstable and possibly desperate.” Franklin outlined all the
possible pitfalls and Mrs. Teasdale began twisting her fingers
nervously again.

Please let
Cassie be safe and find a place where she can belong, she whispered
to the powers that be. Please.

*****

Bryan scanned
the lobby of the motel as he walked in and noted two familiar
looking figures standing near the elevator. One looked just like
Ryne from the back and the other was a petit woman with long brown
hair. He sniffed the air, a smile breaking out on his face. It was
Elise; he’d remember her scent anywhere.

The two of them
had grown up together in the same pack. At one time, he’d even
fancied himself in love with her and she with him. Unfortunately, a
political alliance had gotten in the way of their youthful plans.
She’d been forced to move to a new pack and mate with Kane, a fact
that had been hard to deal with at the time. Eventually, Bryan had
come to realize his attachment for Elise had been based on
familiarity and proximity rather than a deep abiding love. He was
still fond of her in a brotherly way, but that was all.

From the way
Kane had his arm protectively wrapped around Elise, it was easy to
see the two were still besotted with each other. Everything had
worked out for the best, Bryan mused. They were happy and so was
he.

His wolf
rumbled and Bryan qualified his statement.
Mostly
happy.
Sure a few things could improve, but living in Canada, being Beta,
helping forge a new pack; none of that would have been possible if
he’d stayed in his old life.

And
Cassie
, his wolf added.

Bryan rolled
his eyes; the creature really was obsessed. He wasn’t sure what to
make of the situation. Could his wolf be right? Was Cassie the wolf
of his dreams or was it pure coincidence? While he’d like to think
that was the case—the idea of predestination controlling his life
irked—he couldn’t deny facts. Their wolves were attracted and
seemed to know each other, and Cassie wasn’t exactly unappealing to
his human side. Actually, she was more than a little appealing. The
heat that had grown between them on the plane had been
undeniable...

A pinging sound
caught his attention. The elevator door was opening and his old
friend was about to disappear. He called out her name.

“Elise!”

Elise stopped
mid-step and spun around. Their eyes locked across the distance of
the lobby and then she waved, a wide smile spreading over her face.
Kane looked at her, then followed the direction of her gaze. Bryan
knew the instant Kane realized who had caught Elise’s attention. An
instinctive glower formed on the Alpha’s face before he schooled
his features and nodded in recognition.

“I’ll talk to
you upstairs.” Elise called out the words as Kane pulled her back
into the elevator just before the doors slid shut.

Bryan chuckled
to himself. Obviously Kane hadn’t forgotten the past completely. It
might be amusing to tease the man...

“Who was that?”
Cassie tugged at his arm and he looked down at her, having
momentarily forgotten she was there.

“That was
Elise. We grew up together.”

“Oh.” Cassie
nodded. “She seemed awfully pleased to see you.”

He shrugged. “I
suppose. We haven’t seen each other in three years.”

“Hmm.” Cassie
made a non-committal noise, then rubbed her hands up and down her
arms. Bryan could see faint goose bumps raised on her skin. “The
man with her looked familiar.”

“That’s Kane
Sinclair, Elise’s mate.”

“I’m sure I’ve
seen him before.” She scrunched up her face as if trying to find a
memory.

Realizing they
were almost blocking the door, Bryan urged her towards the front
desk. “I don’t know where you might have encountered him. As far as
I know he’s never been to Vegas or Chicago, at least not in the
past few years.”

Bryan dealt
with procuring their room, while Cassie stood beside him obviously
still puzzling over Kane. As he bent to pick up their bags, she
suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered to him urgently.

“I know where I
saw him! Kane looks exactly like the guy I saw the night my uncle
died. I mean, it was getting dark and the fellow was covered in
mud, but I’m sure it was him.” She shivered, a look of remembered
fear in her eyes.

“Kane looks
almost exactly like Ryne. It was Ryne you saw, but people often
mistake them for each other.”

“Oh.” She bit
her lip and looked around. Waves of anxiety washed off her. “So
this Ryne—your...er...Alpha—he’s upstairs right now?”

“Yep. I’ll
introduce you as soon as we get settled.” He walked toward the
elevator, talking to her over his shoulder. “And Ryne’s not just
‘my Alpha,’ you know. He’s yours too. You’re a member of the pack
now.”

“Not if I can
help it.” The words were probably supposed to be muttered under her
breath, but he heard them all the same.

As they stood
side by side in the elevator, Bryan sighed. Her resistance was
starting to get on his nerves. Thankfully other people were on the
elevator as well so it was impossible to continue the conversation.
It was probably a good thing. Otherwise he might say something he’d
later regret.

The elevator
stopped at their floor and Bryan found their room, unlocked the
door and gestured for Cassie to enter. She did, then looked at him
askance when he stepped inside as well and shut the door.

“You don’t have
to come in. I can unpack on my own you know.” Cassie dropped her
bag on one of the beds.

“I’m sure you
can, but this is my room too.”

“Excuse me?”
Her eyebrows shot up and she stared at him in surprise.

Bryan spread
his arms out in a placating manner. “No ulterior lecherous motives,
I promise. The full moon is only two days away. It’s not safe to
leave you by yourself.”

“I’ve survived
full moons by myself for three years. I don’t need a babysitter.
You can leave.” She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin.

“I’m not
leaving and from what you’ve told me, you ‘survived’ them by
drugging yourself. That’s no way to live and as your Beta, I’m not
going to allow you to continue hurting your wolf that way. Not only
that, but what are the side effects of those drugs for your human
half? You don’t take something that powerful for years and years
without some damage being done.” Bryan had stepped closer with each
word and was now in her personal space.

She shrugged,
looking to the side unable to meet his gaze. His presence in front
of her was like a palpable force and she licked her lips nervously
before caving in to the urge to step back and concede to his
dominance. “I haven’t noticed any ill-effects.”

“Maybe not yet,
but in time.” She felt him studying her, perhaps puzzled by her
stubbornness. Finally, he exhaled slowly. “This is a pointless
conversation. I’m staying. We’re sharing this room. End of story.
Now unpack and I’ll introduce you to the others.”

“No thanks.
I’ll just wait here.” Cassie sat on the bed and traced the pattern
on the bedspread.

Bryan had bent
to pick up his bag, but turned back to face her. “Why don’t you
want to meet the others?”

She gave
another shrug. “I just don’t.” He continued to stare at her and she
squirmed under his gaze before explaining further. “They’re
werewolves.”

“So?”

“I don’t feel
comfortable around them.” She looked up at him guiltily, before
averting her gaze. “I keep expecting them to jump and attack.”

He barely
managed not to roll his eyes at her statement. “You’ve been around
me for a couple of days. Aside from our rather ‘unusual’ meetings,”
he paused and laughed softly at the memory, “I haven’t attacked,
have I?”

“Well,
no...”

“Does the fact
that I’m a werewolf make you nervous?”

She paused
before answering. Bryan made her nervous, but not because he was a
werewolf. It was the awareness between them that she didn’t know
how to handle. “I’m not worried that you’re a werewolf. Not
anymore. You’re just...you. But Kane... Just seeing him made me
quake in my boots.”

Bryan grunted
in acknowledgement. “That’s the Alpha in him. He’s a pretty
powerful one, especially given the fact that he isn’t that old.
Your wolf recognizes him as a dominant from another pack and she’s
unsure what to do.”

“Well, whatever
the case, he bothers me and I’d prefer to keep my distance.” She
averted her face and Bryan shook his head, looking exasperated.

“Cassie, this
is ridiculous. You’re prejudiced against werewolves all because of
one incident when you saw Ryne at his worst.” He paced the length
of the room then turned and looked at her. “Are you scared of
American servicemen or police officers?”

“No, not
really...” She answered slowly, obviously puzzled by his sudden
change of topic.

“But they carry
weapons. They might have to fire at someone, even kill, if that
person was endangering the lives of innocent victims.”

“True. But
that’s their job. They’re just protecting—”

“Exactly!” He
cut her off before she could finish her thought. “And Ryne was just
protecting his mate. The only difference is that his ‘weapon’
wasn’t a gun.”

Cassie was
silent for a moment, absorbing the idea. “I...I suppose.”

He hunkered
down in front of her and took her hands. That same electrical
current seemed to flow between them where they touched and he
rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, taking a moment to
notice the soft, smooth skin. In such close quarters, her scent
wrapped itself around him and he inhaled deeply, enjoying the
pleasurable stirring it caused inside of him.

Looking into
her eyes, he spoke softly. “Cassie, werewolves aren’t monsters.
We’re living creatures with hopes and dreams and aspirations. We
love, have families, are fiercely loyal to our pack mates. You
don’t need to be afraid of us, or...afraid of yourself.”

His last
comment seemed to hit home. Her eyes turned a deeper green and a
watery sheen appeared. Her pain was palpable.

“That’s it,
isn’t it?” Bryan cocked his head and studied her. “You’re afraid of
yourself, aren’t you?”

Cassie pressed
her lips tightly together. She appeared to wage an internal war
before finally speaking. “The only werewolf I’d ever seen was your
Ryne. My uncle had just announced that I was a werewolf and was
talking about how they have this law that requires killing people
who discover their existence. Then this awful savage creature
appeared and attacked for no reason, or at least I thought it was
for no reason.” She pulled her hand away and wiped at a stray tear,
sniffling. “I’m scared that’s what will happen to me if I ever
allow myself to transform.”

Reaching out,
Bryan tucked her hair behind her ear, and then cupped her cheek.
“That won’t happen to you, Cassie. You have nothing to be afraid
of. For the most part, a person’s wolf has the same characteristics
as their human half. Not always, but those are rare cases. When you
turn, you’ll still be you, just a bit furrier and bit more in tune
with your natural instincts. The wolf won’t do anything that you
would find inherently wrong.”

“Really?” She
gave him a disbelieving look. “I don’t think I would have thrown
myself at a complete stranger in a public park and started kissing
him.”

Bryan chuckled
at the memory. “Well, your wolf seems to think it already knows my
wolf from those dreams, remember?”