Her skin hurt, her entire body ached. Inside, her wolf howled in pain. She’d just sent away the man she loved to protect her pack. She’d struck out at him instead of getting on her knees and thanking him for saving her son’s life. The responsibility of protecting her six children was crushing her. But she was strong and they were her life.
They needed to see her be a true leader, in command of the situation. Able to put the good of the pack first and make the hard choices that needed to be made.
She pushed herself to her feet, waiting until she was certain her legs would hold her before she spoke. “Let me know if there’s any change in Benjamin.” Her voice sounded as dead as she felt as she trudged out of the room. Hank started to speak, but she held up her hand. “Not now. Not…”
Meredith didn’t remember how she made it across the hall to her apartment, but suddenly she was in her bedroom. The rumpled bedclothes from the night before were still there.
Isaiah’s essence permeated the room. She doubted she’d ever be able to sleep in this room again without remembering the hours she’d spent in his arms. Tumbling down onto the bed, she closed her eyes.
The tears started as a trickle and soon became a torrent. She cried for her sons’ loss of innocence. Until tonight their world had always been secure. Yes, the threat had been there, but it had never hit quite this close to home before.
She cried for her adopted children and the home they might all have to abandon.
But mostly she cried for herself. She’d lost something precious and irreplaceable tonight. Something special and fine. And the worst part of it was she’d do the same thing again. She couldn’t put anything above the safety of her children.
What if she trusted him with their secret? a voice in the back of her mind asked.
It was too late for that. Even if she thought she could trust Isaiah with such a huge thing, the time for that had come and gone.
Isaiah was out of her life for good. As quickly as he’d come, he’d disappeared. She didn’t even know where to find him if she wanted to. North Carolina, he’d said. But that was a large state. Chicago was still their home, until they decided differently.
She’d only known him for a short number of days, but it didn’t matter. In her heart she knew he’d lay his life on the line for her and for all her children. But realization had come too late, smothered by anger and fear.
Meredith had sent him away and he wouldn’t be back.
She cried until she had no more tears left. Her eyes were puffy and swollen when she pushed herself off the covers without having slept a wink. The sun was rising and there was work to be done.
She stripped off her clothing and headed toward the bathroom. A shower and a cup of coffee would help, but she didn’t think she’d ever feel fine again. How could she? She was a woman without a heart. She’d sent hers away with the man she’d publicly scorned.
Chapter Twelve
“What the fuck happened?”
Quinn held the phone away from his ear as Steve Macmillan continued to rant. When he finally ran out of steam, Quinn spoke. “We stumbled across a group of werewolves. Must have been a meeting of some sort. On neutral ground.”
They’d been following one possible werewolf. They hadn’t expected to find more. He glanced down at the rifle lying on the front seat of his truck. He’d started down this road. There was no going back now.
“Jones texted that there were two females in the group.”
Quinn’s gut clenched. “Yeah.”
“Shit.” They all knew that Macmillan was searching for one particular female. Quinn didn’t quite know the details, but he knew it had something to do with the death of the man’s father.
“Jones and Warren took the ones in the park, while Collins followed the big guy. I was on the rooftop, as ordered.” Quinn threw that last bit in. He hadn’t wanted to play sniper, but he was the new guy in this group and did what he was told. He hoped like hell he’d made the right decision by shooting one of the hunters instead of the damn werewolf. His life was getting more complicated by the second.
“Why didn’t you get the sonofabitch?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? And he needed a good answer. “He moved too damn fast. Then he took off for the park again. I didn’t have a good angle and the cops were moving in.”
All true.
A sigh came over the other end and Quinn could picture Macmillan rubbing his hand over his face and smoothing down his goatee. “Here’s what you’re gonna do. Keep an eye on the park and see if you catch a glimpse of any of them. I’m going to watch Riley’s Garage myself.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
“And, Quinn.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t fuck this up.”
The rest of the statement went unsaid as Macmillan hung up. If he messed up again, he was dead. Quinn rubbed his hand across his eyes and pondered his options. From his vantage point last night, he’d watched the wolves run from the park. He’d seen them enter a building not far from where he was now.
He also knew the identity of the man that Jones, Warren and Collins had been watching for days. He’d seen him once before. That was twenty years ago, but he wasn’t a werewolf you forgot. The only question now was what he was going to do about it.
He clutched his phone in his hand and made his decision. Macmillan might have his own agenda, but so did Quinn. Quickly, he dialed a number. He didn’t wait for a greeting when the phone was answered on the other end. “I’ve got a problem. Isaiah Striker is in Chicago.”
The voice on the other end swore. “Trouble?”
“Yeah. You know what to do.” Quinn rattled off the address of the club called Haven and prayed he was doing the right thing.
Steve Macmillan ended the call and then punched in another number. He didn’t quite trust the new guy. He didn’t know Quinn. He preferred to work with men he’d known for years.
“Yeah?”
“Mitch, you hear what happened last night?”
“Fuckin’ wolves got Jones and Warren.”
“Collins too.” Macmillan added.
“What do you need?” That’s what he loved about working with men he trusted, men who had the same agenda as he did.
“I got the new guy watching the park. I want you to send a couple of your men down to watch a club called Haven. Jones sent me a message before he died and said he thought he recognized one of the women from that particular club.” Jones had been a fan of blues music and had gone to the club once or twice. “See what you can find out.”
“I’m on it.” The call ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Macmillan tucked his phone away. If the club had been established for years, then the female he was searching for wasn’t there. That didn’t mean if there was an infestation of werewolves it didn’t need to be dealt with. He’d get the facts first and then plan his strategy.
Isaiah walked the streets for hours. He put one foot in front of the other, not caring where he was going. It was all the same to him. Each step was taking him farther from where he wanted to be.
With Meredith.
The sun rose and still he walked, his long legs eating up the concrete sidewalks. He wondered what she was doing. Was she hurting as much as he was or had she put him from her mind completely? The last thought almost paralyzed him. He’d never be able to forget her. Ever.
His phone rang. He reached into his pocket and hit the answer button without really thinking about what he was doing. It was automatic. Much like breathing. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
He closed his eyes. Joshua. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, but especially not his happily mated brother. For a moment, he almost hated him. But the feeling passed. His current situation wasn’t Joshua’s fault. He’d fucked up his and Meredith’s relationship, such as it was.
“No,” he answered honestly. He didn’t have it in him to lie or pretend. He was still too raw. Maybe in an hour or two, but not now.
Isaiah started to laugh, but it was bitter on his tongue. “Nothing for you to worry about. I’ll watch the truck today and leave tomorrow.” No way was he risking leading hunters back to his pack.
Bad enough he’d led them straight to the woman he loved and her kids.
This is all your fault.
Meredith’s words beat at him like a hammer. But he deserved it. He’d been in such a hurry to get back to her, to see her, he’d ignored the niggling feelings he’d been having for days. He hadn’t been as cautious as he normally was.
As usual, when he fucked up someone else paid the price. It had been his sister years ago. This time it was Meredith and her family.
Once again, he’d failed to protect someone he’d loved. And he did love Meredith. There was no denying it any longer. She was the one for him. He’d spend the rest of his life missing her, longing for her.
“Isaiah?”
He’d forgotten his brother was on the phone. He stared at it and simply ended the call. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He waited for it to start ringing again but thankfully, it remained blessedly silent.
His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He didn’t care about eating. He didn’t care much about anything. Not even his family.
That shook him, but didn’t quite pull him out of the numbness that surrounded him.
The woman he loved had sent him away. The sheer terror he’d felt when he’d known she was in danger was unlike anything he’d ever known. Primal instincts—protect or die—had enveloped him until he’d been more beast than man.
Even her pack had found a home in his heart. He’d wanted to kill those hunters all over again for injuring Benjamin, and not just because it upset Meredith. He honestly liked her boys and the rest of them. They were young, but they understood loyalty. You could see the love and respect they had for one another. It reminded Isaiah of how life had been for him and his brothers before Rachel had gone missing.
Like his life, theirs was now changed forever. They’d been safe until he’d stumbled upon them. They’d lived here for years without any hint of trouble. Now they would always be worried, looking over their shoulders. They’d have to consider moving, leaving everything they’d built behind.
What if they told other werewolves? Neema’s words kept rolling around in his brain. Why would it matter? Were they running from a pack? Possibly. But only Meredith and her sons were family. From what little he’d been able to glean, none of them had been with her the same length of time.
Isaiah stumbled to a halt as the possibility struck him. Almost all of them had been kids when Meredith had taken them in. No way would werewolf children be running around on their own. Even if their parents were gone, the pack would raise them. It was too dangerous for a young werewolf to be out in the world alone.
There was only one reason why it would happen.
They were half-breeds. They’d been on their own and running because they hadn’t known who or what they really were until Meredith had found them.
No wonder they’d been afraid of him. Some werewolf packs were just as bad as the bounty hunters, wanting to kill any half-breeds to protect the purity of the bloodlines. And how stupid was that considering they were a dying breed. But beyond that, children were to be protected. No matter what.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath and got a strange look from a passerby. It was only then Isaiah noticed that the streets were starting to get busy. The world was waking up to start their day and he was walking around in bloodstained clothing.
He glanced up and looked at his surroundings, catching sight of a street sign. He might not have paid any attention to where he was going, but his feet had. His motel was only a few blocks away.
Picking up his pace, he made quick time to his room, doing his best to avoid people. The last thing he wanted was someone to remember seeing a man with blood on his shirt. Not that there was much to be seen. Thankfully, he was wearing a black T-shirt. Still, he didn’t want to take any chances.
When he reached his room, he heaved a sigh as he stripped out of his clothing. He padded to the bathroom and started the shower. When it was warm enough, he stood beneath the spray, letting it cascade over him. Isaiah grabbed the soap, worked it over his body from head to toe and rinsed. He did it twice more before he felt clean.
He didn’t linger. He had things to do.
It didn’t matter that Meredith didn’t want him. She was his. His to love and protect. There was no way he was leaving the city until he knew he hadn’t brought more hunters down upon them. If he’d found them, it was possible other werewolves would too. What if one of those two groups discovered their secret?
He yanked a clean pair of jeans out of his duffle bag, pulled them on and sank down on the side of the bed without bothering to zip them. His life as he knew it was over.
There was no way he could go back to North Carolina. No way he could leave Meredith and the kids vulnerable. Most folks would laugh to hear him call grown men kids. But that’s what they were. In werewolf age, they were adults, but not by much. Furthermore, Meredith had kept them sheltered. They all needed training in self-defense.
Not that they’d accept it from him.
He leaned over and grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on. This was his destiny. His resolve hardened as he took out his phone to make the call that would change everything.
Funny, but he wasn’t the least bit upset about it. A sense of rightness coalesced inside him. This was what he was meant to do. The small pack living in the heart of the city was his to protect. It was where he belonged.
If he spent the next four hundred years of his life watching over them, then he’d done what he was supposed to be doing with his life. Didn’t matter if they never knew he was there. He’d know.
What if Meredith eventually found and took a mate?
That thought stopped him cold. He couldn’t even think such a thing. His fangs lengthened and his fingers turned to claws. He dropped the phone on the mattress before he accidentally crushed it.
Grabbing the ends of his hair, he bent down, putting his head between his knees. He sucked in air as he willed his wolf back into submission.
If such a thing happened, he’d have to learn to accept it. If Meredith ever took a mate, he’d leave and return to North Carolina. But until such a day came to pass, she and her children were his responsibility.
He raised his head and picked up the phone. His thumb pressed the necessary buttons and then it was ringing.
“Isaiah.” The concern in Joshua’s voice soothed him. His brother was Striker of the Wolf Creek Pack. They would be fine without him. And he would see them on occasion. Still, his heart ached. He loved his brothers fiercely, but he loved Meredith too. And she was as necessary to him as air was. More. Without her, he had no life.
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “You need to send someone else to Chicago to pick up the truck.” He rattled off the address where he’d left it. “Have them watch it for a day or so before they move it. I won’t be able to monitor it today.”
“What the hell is going on? And don’t say nothing.”
He had to tell Joshua something or his brother would be on his tail in a heartbeat. As it was, it sounded like his brother was in a moving vehicle. “Where are you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Talk.”
“I met a woman.” He didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t talk to Joshua about Meredith and what she meant to him. He was too raw. Too vulnerable and he hated feeling this way.
He’d blocked off his emotions for so many years it was as though they’d finally overflowed the dam and it was ready to burst.
“Yeah. Anyway, I won’t be coming home.”
“But you hate the city.” He could hear the disbelief in Joshua’s voice and it brought a slight smile to his lips.
“Life’s a bitch, ain’t it?” He had to end this and get back to Haven. He was also going to have to find a ro
om to rent close to Meredith’s place. “I know you’ll take care of the pack and the boys.”
His eyes stung and he rubbed them with his thumb. “I gotta go. I’ll call you as soon as I’m settled. And don’t worry. I’ll contact James in a day or so to let him know I’m leaving the pack. I won’t leave that for you to handle.”
“Isaiah,” his brother shouted. But he was done and ended the call. He turned off his phone and stuffed it into his back pocket.
He sat and stared at his empty hands. It felt strange not to have to answer to anyone but himself. He was truly a loner. He shook his head and pushed to his feet. Lone wolf. That was him.
Except it wasn’t funny. A wolf without a pack was vulnerable. He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache there as he thought about Meredith alone for years with children to protect. She was one hell of a female. She was worth giving up everything for.
Grabbing his duffle, he headed out of the room. He hadn’t unpacked, so he knew he was leaving nothing behind. Check out was fast and easy as he’d paid cash in advance. In a dive like this they didn’t care how you paid as long as you did.
Isaiah stood on the sidewalk and squinted up at the morning sunshine. He needed food and a place to stay. He turned and made his way toward Wicker Park, his gait sure and steady.
His first plan of action was to get some food and a paper, preferably in a location where he could keep an eye on Meredith’s building. He’d check the rooms for rent in the classifieds and find somewhere to dump his stuff after he fueled up.
The hunters would need time to regroup and wouldn’t strike in broad daylight. He had time to take care of business and catch a few hours sleep before he had to stand watch.
Thankfully, money wasn’t an issue. Living for ninety years had some benefits, one being that he had investments in many major companies, primarily oil, gas, pharmaceuticals and technologies. He’d never spent a quarter of what he’d made over the years and had banked it all. He could easily spend the rest of his life watching over Meredith. His needs were simple—a place to sleep, food and keeping Meredith safe. Everything else was extra.
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