Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 (25 page)

Simmons took the sheaf of papers, sat at the table and began to read. “You really want to do this?”

“Not really, but it’s best for Sue and for Billy. She’s threatened legal action, and I don’t want to drag my son through that.”

Elias almost snorted aloud at the way William twisted the situation so he’d come out looking like the good guy.

“You realize you’re giving up all rights to him,” Simmons reiterated.

William nodded, took a shaky breath and wiped non-existent tears from his eyes. “It’s what’s best for Billy. Sue doesn’t let me see him much now as it is. The boy barely knows me. Taking him from his mother would only hurt him.”

Simmons glanced from William to Elias and back again. “You’re determined to do this?”

“The quicker the better. A legal battle would only hurt Loretta.” That subtle reminder that William was engaged to the boss’s daughter got Simmons reading again.

“Let’s get this hammered out.” The lawyer sat at the table and motioned for the rest of them to sit.

Elias blew out a breath and prayed for patience. His hopes for a fast getaway were squashed, but he wasn’t leaving until this was done and settled. “Here’s what we want,” Elias began.

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was almost midnight. Anny had left a short time ago to spend the night with Gator and Sylvie. She’d even taken both cats with her. Sue was grateful to be alone, but she felt guilty about putting Anny and her husband out of their own home, even though Anny had insisted.

Sage and Reece had both stuck around until Elias had called from the road to tell her they were about ten minutes away from home. Sage had lifted her sleeping son into his arms, kissed her cheek and promised to take good care of Billy. They’d left to spend the night at the alpha’s house. Reece had padded beside them, a silent and lethal guardian.

She paced the floor of the small home. What had happened with William? Why had it taken them so long?

Elias hadn’t gotten into any of it over the phone. Probably just as well. She had a million questions.

He pushed the door open and walked in. Her first thought was that he looked tired. Her second was that he looked vaguely guilty about something.

Then he opened his arms and she walked into them. He hugged her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I missed you.” Those three words settled her fears.

“Missed you too.”

He nuzzled her temple and inhaled. “Did you have a good time with Anny?”

“Yes.” She didn’t want to talk about Anny. She wanted to know what had happened with William.

“Let’s sit down.” Elias led her to the plush leather sofa. Her legs were trembling so she sat.

“He didn’t sign,” she said. Why else would Elias be stalling?

He held up the manila envelope. “He signed.” She started to smile, but Elias wasn’t done. “But.” Her lungs constricted and her chest began to hurt. “I had to add another clause. You need to sign it and have your lawyer sign it too. Then we send William his copy and you have yours.”

The weight crushing her lungs eased somewhat. “I don’t understand. He signed?”

Elias nodded and pulled the documents out of the envelope. “He wasn’t going to. I added the incentive of letting him stop his child support payments.”

“What?” How was she going to get by without them?

Elias set the papers down and gripped her hands in his. “If you want William out of Billy’s life, this is the way it has to be. If he’s paying child support, he’ll always have a right to him.”

She knew what Elias was saying was true, but it still felt wrong to let her ex walk away from his son. But wasn’t that the point? He’d never truly been a father, and his presence had done nothing but hurt Billy.

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She’d never have to see William again. Yes, it would be harder to make ends meet, but that was okay. She’d banked a small portion of every child-support check for the past few years for Billy’s education. With the trust fund her parents had left him, Billy’s education was covered. She could dip into the money she’d saved to help her get by until she figured out how to make ends meet.

Elias’s hands tightened around hers. She’d been so lost in her own world she hadn’t paid him any attention. His jaw was clenched and his gaze narrowed. The man radiated concern.

How selfish was she? He’d left his nephews and gone off to take care of William for her. He’d gone out of his way to help and had accomplished what she’d never have been able to do in a hundred years. And she hadn’t even thanked him.

She tugged on one hand until he released it. He kept his eyes on her as she raised her hand and pressed it against his cheek. Dark stubble abraded her palm. Her wolf needed a shave.

“Thank you.”

“You’re not mad about the new clause?” He turned his head and kissed the center of her hand.

She shook her head. “No. You’re right. It will get him out of Billy’s life for good. I’ll sign them in the morning and get them to my lawyer. He can take care of the rest.”

“It’s done.” Elias covered her hand with his, keeping it against her face. “Now we need to talk about us.”

Elias was more nervous than he’d ever been in his life. The stakes had never been this high before. He’d removed the obstacle of her ex-husband and it was now time to lay claim to the woman he loved.

He scowled, but was she afraid? No, she smiled at him.

“What is it?” she asked. “I thought that would make you happy?”

“It will.” He heaved a sigh and his frown deepened. “I don’t want your gratitude.”

“Oh.” She frowned and withdrew, easing away from him. “What do you want?”

He grabbed her by the hip and pulled her back. “You. I want you.” Because he’d wanted to do it since he’d walked in the door, he kissed her. Not a light brush or a tender one. No, he slammed his mouth down on hers and stole her breath.

The second she parted her lips, he thrust his tongue inward. She tasted sweet and warm. Sue groaned and shoved her fingers through his hair. She gripped his head and gave as good as she got. She sucked on his tongue, and he wanted to howl.

It would be so easy to just lay her out on the sofa and fuck her until they were both lost in the magic that happened whenever they touched. But he wanted more than that.

His chest was heaving when he broke the kiss. Sue looked shell-shocked. Her lips were moist and swollen, her eyes dazed and she was sucking air into her lungs. Her blond hair was tousled and sexy as it fell around her shoulders.

“We have to talk.” He should get a goddamn medal for being able to stop kissing her. She licked her lips and he growled.

“Talk?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his hand over his face and took a steadying breath. “I need you to understand everything. You know I’m a werewolf.”

Sue nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. She was wearing a sleeveless blouse that buttoned up the front. It was modest, but it was more arousing on her than the sexiest lingerie. Her breasts moved with every deep breath she took. He narrowed his gaze when he noticed her nipples were pebbled against the material.

“Elias?”

He forced his eyes back up to her face. “Right. What do you know about wolves?”

“Not much.” She frowned and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “They’re pack animals and have a leader, the alpha wolf.”

He nodded, glad she understood that much. “We’re much the same. All the people here are a pack. They’ll all work together to protect the pack. Jacque is alpha, but this pack is different from most. They don’t blindly obey the leader. They all have a say in what happens. But, make no mistake, Jacque’s final word is law.”

Her frown deepened. “That can’t be good.”

Fear gripped him. He was losing her. “It can be good or bad. It depends on the alpha. If a wolf doesn’t like the way things are being done, he can challenge the alpha for leadership.”

“Challenge? How?” Her big blue eyes filled with worry.

He wished he’d kept his big mouth shut. If he had, they’d be naked and he’d be buried inside her welcoming heat. “It doesn’t matter since I’m not challenging. My point is the pack is a community. One where everyone helps everyone else. It’s a large family.”

Her expression softened. “That’s what you want for your boys.”

“Yeah.” He swallowed back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. “They deserve that.”

Sue reached out and touched his arm. “You do too.”

The hell with keeping a distance. Elias plucked Sue off the sofa and perched her on his lap facing him. She grabbed his shoulders for support. “What are you doing?”

“I want to see you.” He palmed her hips and pulled her forward until her groin was snug against his. The heat of her burned him through the layers of her shorts and his jeans. “To feel you.” He ran his hands around until he was cupping her butt.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” she teased.

But he wasn’t in a teasing mood. He was painfully aroused, and his wolf was close to the surface. “Oh, we’re going to talk and we’re going to settle this. Tonight.”

“Settle what?”

“You. Me. Us.” He shook his head. He was usually a hell of a lot smoother than this, but no other woman had ever mattered in the same way Sue did. She was his mate.

Her hands fell away from his shoulders. “I’m listening.”

“I’m fifty years old.”

Her mouth fell open. “You are not. I figured you were in your early thirties and that your brother must have been a lot older than you.”

“We age differently than humans. Live longer.”

“How much longer?”

He squeezed her rounded behind. “Twice a human lifespan. Werewolves can live to be anywhere from one-fifty to two-hundred years old. Most don’t live that long. We do lead violent lives, but it’s possible. The same thing in our body chemistry that allows us to heal fast keeps us younger longer.”

“I see.” Even though she was sitting on his lap, he felt her withdrawing from him. “I’ll age and grow old while you’re still young.”

“I don’t care.” He held her face in his hands. “I don’t want to live without you. You’re my heart. I was so alone until I met you. Then something inside me relaxed and said there she is. There’s the woman you’ve been looking for all your life.”

“Elias.” Her blue eyes were filled with such sadness it hurt him. She was going to leave him.

“No.” He shook his head. “I want you as my mate. I want to take care of you and Billy. I want to raise him as my son and I want more children with you if we’re lucky enough to have it happen.”

“But it’s not likely, is it?”

Elias shook his head. “No, it’s not. Odds are astronomical because you’re not even a half-breed. I still want to claim you as my mate.” He might as well finish this. “That means I take you from behind and while we’re having sex, I’ll bite your neck right here.” He skimmed his fingers over the sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met. “I’ll be careful so it won’t hurt too much. Then you’re marked for all time. Every other wolf would know you belong to me. Are mine.

“What do you say?”

He wanted to bite her. She’d noticed marks on the other women but hadn’t questioned them. Hadn’t wanted to. They were only another indicator that she’d entered a very violent world. To know it was intentional was more than a little intimidating.

Elias had walked into her life and upended it totally. He’d brought her body back to life and taken care of the problem of her ex. Now he wanted to claim her, even though he’d live much longer than she would. He’d also offered to raise Billy. He’d make a wonderful father. He was so good with Sage and Reece.

God, the man she loved was a wolf. She’d never actually seen one of his nephews as anything but an animal. And he wanted her to give up her life and come live with a pack of wolves.

“I’d have to quit my job and move out here, wouldn’t I?”

Elias nodded. “There’s no other way. We have to preserve the safety of the pack at all costs.”

“Billy needs to go to school and be around other kids his age.” She had to put her son first.

“We can homeschool him. Isn’t love and family the most important thing? Trust me when I tell you if you stay, there’s not one adult here who won’t protect the boy.”

It was so tempting, but one thing niggled at her. For all Elias’s talk of claiming and needing her in his life, he’d never mentioned love. Her lips were dry. She wished she’d asked Anny more personal questions earlier this evening, but they’d been feeling their way, relearning to be friends. Plus, there’d been two sets of ears around for most of the night. Three once Sage had rejoined them.

“It’s not that easy,” she told him. “I’m not used to being dependent on any man.” She wasn’t about to give up her independence.

Elias snorted. “I wouldn’t exactly say any of the women here are dependent on their men. They just have careers or interests that allow them to work from home. Gwen is a writer, Anny enjoys baking and feeding the group, Gray is an artist, Sylvie makes amazing quilts and sells them online, and Cherise has started an online business selling prints of her pencil drawings and greeting cards of her design.”

“What would I do?” Was she seriously considering this? She realized that she was. She loved Elias. There was no other reason she’d be thinking about upending her entire life and that of her son.

Elias shrugged. “Whatever you want. I haven’t figured out what I’m doing yet, but everyone contributes in their own way. I’ve got years of experience in construction and have done some woodworking. I can make and sell furniture. I can look after you and Billy.”

“And Sage and Reece.”

His smile softened his harsh countenance. “And the boys. They have money from the sale of the company their father and I co-owned. It’s for their education or whatever they choose to do. They’ll stay here or go when they’re a little older. It’s up to them. And Billy will be able to do the same once he’s old enough to understand the need for secrecy.

“What do you say, Sue?” He lifted her off his lap, set her on the sofa and slid to his knees in front of her. “Stay with me. Mate with me and be mine. We can get married too. Make it official. I don’t have a ring, but we can pick out something you like.”

Her eyes filled with tears. He might not have said the words but, as she’d learned with William, actions spoke much louder. Elias always put others first—his nephews, her son and her.

This powerful, amazing man was on his knees before her. “What about when I’m old and wrinkled and you’re not?” As superficial as it seemed, it did worry her.

He brought her hands to his lips and kissed each knuckle in turn. “You’ll still be my heart.” He flattened her palms against his chest and she felt the heavy throb of his heart against her skin. “My wolf doesn’t care about what you look like. I don’t care what you look like. Although you are extremely hot.”

That made her laugh. “I’m serious, Elias.” It was one thing to joke now. Quite another to imagine herself an old woman with a young Elias beside her. “People will think I’m your grandmother.”

“You’ll be a hot cougar,” he corrected. “I’ll be your boy toy.” The twinkle in his eyes lightened her heart. When he looked at her like he was at this moment, she could almost believe it could work.

“What about the others? Do they know you’re asking me to stay?” He would have had to clear this with Jacque before he asked.

Elias nodded. “All of them agreed. If they hadn’t, I was going to convince you to go away with me.”