Sins of the Father

by JJ King

  Rose lifted her heavy eyelids and smiled sleepily at Liam who raised his head and grinned knowingly at her. He kissed her thigh and moved up, pressing his lips on her own in a soft, sweet kiss.

  He shifted, taking his weight on his arms. “Are you ready?” He asked, stroking her hair back from her face.

  Rose nodded, uncertain there could be anything better than what she’d just felt. She’d had orgasms before, a few anyway, but always by herself. This… this was more.

  He moved, filling her inch by inch, stretching her until she dug her nails into his arms to brace herself. There was no pain, no tearing, just indescribable fullness and a feeling of belonging. Rose opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, worry etched over his face. She leaned up and kissed him, then lay back and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  With a half grin Liam moved, matching the thrusting of her hips. Rose clung to him and closed her eyelids as she was bathed in pure bliss. It was impossible to think beyond the next moment, beyond the pleasure.

  The pressure built again, this time more quickly than before, gathering inside her with each thrust. Rose felt a feathery thought brush against her mind and she opened to it, recognizing it as Liam, her mate, her lover.

  “You’re mine, forever,” he whispered, “I love you.”

  Rose’s heart melted and expanded all at the same time, and all she felt was happiness. She had no words to explain how she felt, they felt too small to encompass everything anyway, so she sent him her emotions and smiled when his eyes filled with tears.

  They came together, her body seizing around him, pulling him over the edge with her. Rose shivered from aftershocks and snuggled into Liam’s chest, listening to the racing beat of his heart, and closed her eyes, surrendering to joy and sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “We need to go home right now,” Ronan stepped into the dining room and announced just as Katherine took her first bite of German pancake. The sweet eggy concoction filled her mouth so she couldn’t speak and it took a solid twenty seconds of chewing before she could swallow. She felt silly the entire time, especially since everyone at the table had turned and were watching her while she did it. She thanked the Old Ones that it was just their small group and not the entire Dougherty clan sitting around the table.

  Katherine swallowed and took a deep breath, “Did something happen?” Her imagination took off at the thought of something having happened back at Wild River; to their mother, to Eve, to Teagan. There were endless possibilities if you took into consideration the entire pack.

  Ronan shook his head, “Everyone’s fine, but Wild River is under attack.”

  Katherine felt the heart drop out of her. Wild River, their home, built by her father’s two hands; it couldn’t be. She pushed to her feet, wiping her mouth with a linen napkin that seemed way too fancy for breakfast, thinking about what needed to be done before they could leave.

  Ronan’s chortle stopped her preparations. Her head whipped toward him and she scowled, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “Wild River is fine; it’s just under siege…” he paused dramatically with a cocky grin on his face, “by the Alpha Council.”

  “What?” Katherine felt like a yo-yo, being yanked around by her neck. She glared at her brother and wondered if it would be considered rude to smack him in polite company. The thought felt so familiar she paused, realizing she hadn’t wanted to smack him since before he’d left for Colorado. Thick emotion filled her chest for a moment. She’d really missed her brother.

  Still, she wanted to clobber him.

  He crossed the room and picked up a plate, then began piling it high with an assortment of food from the buffet. “Yeah, Teagan just called. Apparently the Council members have decided that it’s time to get a move on. We’ve been called back for conclave.”

  At the word “conclave” she noticed a moment’s hesitation in Ronan’s tone. He was back to his irreverent, flippant self, but the idea of taking their father’s place as Alpha of North America was obviously troubling him.

  Katherine knew that succession wasn’t the only thing on Ronan’s mind. He’d sent her a detailed text just after sunrise that had filled her in on the results of the interrogation so far. The news was disappointing; nothing they’d found had even hinted at Raphael’s connection to their father’s murder. They were just as in the dark as they’d been before.

  Katherine pushed the disappointment down so she could deal with the present. “Well, we were leaving today anyway, so I don’t see any reason to rush our plans.” Katherine cut another piece of decadent pancake and shoved it in her mouth. She was anxious to get home, to hug her mother and smother Eve in kisses. She and Quinn had stayed up late reminiscing about her infant days, laughing at the hardships and sleepless nights that hadn’t seemed funny at the time. They’d survived, though, as they’d survived Raphael and would conclave.

  Katherine could tell Quinn was excited to get home to their baby girl, too. He kept fidgeting and bringing up pictures of her on his cell phone. She loved how proud he was of their daughter and how good a father he was. When things settled down, she figured they’d try for number two; maybe a little boy this time, just like his daddy.

  Looking around the table, Katherine couldn’t help but notice that she might not be the only woman feeling lucky this morning. Rose had practically floated into the room on Liam’s arm with a genuine smile plastered across her face and hadn’t stopped smiling since. There was a new intimacy between them, a connection that was both sweet and sizzling. Katherine could feel the electricity between them from across the table. She sent a wink in Rose’s direction when her sister glanced at her and got a pretty blush back in return.

  They were on their way by 9:00 a.m., heading in style aboard one of the Dougherty family helicopters to the small plane they’d left safely at the Sligo Airport. Katherine sat next to the pilot and listened intently while he explained the nuances of flying something other than a plane and decided in a fit of excitement that she wanted her very own helicopter.

  The flight across the Atlantic was uneventful. They paired off in mates, leaving Ronan the odd man out. Katherine glanced back at him occasionally and wondered how their mother was doing now, if she’d gotten over the worst of it like herself and Ronan. The pain was still there, violent and ripping at the heart, but it had dulled somewhat so she could breathe now, and think.

  She also wondered how his mate could stand their time apart like she did. It pained her to be apart from Quinn, especially when it was done by force. She knew there were times it was necessary, though, and she also knew it must hurt them both like a son-of-a-bitch. Anna was a good woman and a good mate to her brother. Katherine made a mental note to call her some evening when their world wasn’t about to end.

  Katherine could feel fatigue creeping up on her by the time she let the wheels down and executed a seamless landing on the strip just outside Wild River. She yawned loudly as she climbed down onto the tarmac and smiled sleepily as Quinn came up behind her and wrapped his arms snuggly around her body.

  “You deserve a good night’s rest in your own bed,” he whispered in her ear, sending shivers of instant awareness through her body until the last thing she could think of was sleeping.

  Katherine twisted until she could see his face and grinned at his devilishly arched eyebrows, “Sleep, yeah right.” She giggled and sunk into his kiss.

  “Eventually,” he agreed mischievously, “maybe after a nice soak in the tub and a massage and…” he leaned into her ear and whispered something so naughty it turned her knees to rubber.

  “I think I can stay awake for that,” she murmured, utterly tempted to throw him down on the tarmac and have her way with him now, voyeurism be damned.

  “Come on love birds,” Ronan called while hauling their bags out of the plane. “You’re an old married couple, get a room.”

  Katherine chuckled and ignored her brother for another moment while she dove into a heady kiss with her
mate. She pulled back, reluctant to break the connection but anxious to get home to Eve. She waited for Quinn to sling his bag over his chest then held her hand out, “Let’s go see our baby girl.”

  The ride back was filled with nervous energy. Katherine couldn’t stop herself from rocking back and forth in excitement as they drew closer and closer to her little one. She was anxious to see her mom, too, to hug her and tell her the threat was over. Well, one threat. They still didn’t know who was responsible for her father’s murder. The thought brought with it a heavy weight that settled directly on Katherine’s shoulders. She’d had so much invested in the theory that Raphael was responsible for every bad thing in the world that finding out he’d had nothing to do with Colorado was heart wrenching. It was like starting back on square one. She hoped Anthony had more information for them. They’d find out soon enough.

  “I wonder how your mother’s doing having the entire Alpha Council at Wild River.” Quinn broke the silence.

  Katherine considered, “She’s stronger than anyone thinks she is, so she’ll be alright. Teagan’s been there with her and Anthony arrived with the Council.” Katherine prayed she was right. This would be her mother’s first time playing hostess without Pierre by her side. She was still in deep mourning for her soul mate and being asked to entertain twelve grumpy old wolves whose politics and personal opinions she stood firmly against. If things had been different, if she hadn’t been emotionally torn apart, Katherine knew her mother would have taken the opportunity to bend a few ears towards the Sisterhood’s goals of equality. “She’ll be alright,” Katherine whispered, more for herself than anyone else.

  Katherine swallowed back tears when she caught sight of Wild River’s stone façade. It had been her home since 1803, except for the years she’d spent on her own in Toronto and Vancouver, or wandering the globe searching for a purpose. It was more to her than stone and wood, especially now. It was a symbol of their family, built by her father and brothers, and made into a home by her mother. Pierre had lead a nation from those walls and he’d been proud of his pack. Katherine blinked rapidly and told herself to leave the sentimentality at the door. She was too tired to give in. If she did, she’d never stop, and her mother needed an ally right now. For now, she would be Katherine LaFlamme, first born daughter of the late Alpha of North America, a strong intelligent woman, proud wolf, and nothing less.

  “Katherine?” Rose laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

  Katherine turned in her seat and saw the worry on Rose’s face. During the time they’d spent together since their unfortunate meeting, Katherine had come to really care about Rose. She was brave and fearless, endlessly loyal and fierce when it came to her family. She was strong and sometimes had a hard time with vulnerability. She was just like her father.

  “She’ll love you, Rose.” Katherine promised, hoping her prediction was right. As well as she knew her mother, there was always the chance Sylvie would see Rose and the others as evidence of Raphael’s duplicity, but Katherine hoped that wouldn’t be the case. If she and Ronan could come to like and even care for Rose, anything was possible.

  The plan was to wait until the Council had been squared away to tell Sylvie. It would be done today, though, there would be no more waiting. And now that Rose would be in the house with Sylvie around, they’d have to meet. Lying by omission and lying outright were two very separate things. Come hell or high water, they were coming clean tonight, but first they had to make it through supper with the Alpha Council.

  Rose appeared unconvinced, but she licked her lips and nodded, then twisted the fabric from her sweater as they pulled the van to a stop in front of the main doors.

  Unanimous groans filled the evening air as they climbed out, the sound broken only by cracking bones and loud yawns. They’d been traveling for over ten hours and working on a single night’s good sleep. The whole group deserved an all-inclusive beach vacation. She couldn’t wait for Daphne’s and Keme’s wedding down South.

  The door to Wild River swung open and a tiny ball of fur zipped out of the house, shivering with excitement as she raced circles around her parents’ feet. Katherine laughed joyously and fell to the ground, catching Eve in her arms a split second before her daughter smashed face first into her. Quinn crouched down next to them and held out his hands, then burst into laughter when Eve flew into them and attacked him with sloppy pup kisses.

  The reunion was perfect, exactly what Katherine had needed to lift her spirits and chase away exhaustion. She hugged her daughter tight and buried her nose in Eve’s thick fur, inhaling the most amazing scent in the world, and felt whole again.

  “She missed you,” Sylvie stood in the doorway watching them wrestle on the pea gravel in front of her home. Katherine tore her gaze away from Eve to look at her mother, whose eyes were lit from within with laughter and happiness. Seeing her mother again, her real mother not the shell she’d left behind, released a barrage of emotion in Katherine. She pushed to her feet and rushed to Sylvie, stepping into her already open arms. “I missed you, too, ma fille,” Sylvie whispered as she inhaled Katherine’s scent.

  “Any room for me?” Ronan dropped his duffle bag on the ground and stepped forward, stopping just short of them. He hesitated, Katherine could see it, and she knew why. Part of him still felt responsible, still thought there should have been something he could have done to prevent their father’s murder. He had hidden away from their mother before they’d left for Ireland and now he wasn’t certain how she’d react to him.

  Sylvie shifted Katherine to the side, still keeping one arm around her, and smiled sadly, “There’s always room for you, Ronan.”

  The three of them hugged tightly while Eve raced in and out between their feet, trying desperately to trip them up. When she lifted a leg to relieve herself on Ronan’s pant leg, the circle disbursed in a fit of laughter and Katherine rushed to scoop up her super inappropriate little girl.

  “She’s just a baby,” Sylvie chuckled, “you two peed everywhere when you were her age. You ruined all my good rugs.” She smiled at the memories and started into the house. “Anthony was by far the worst, though.”

  “The worst at what?” Anthony took the stairs two at a time and rushed forward to wrap his arms around Katherine. Ignoring everyone else for the moment, he looked down at her and shook his head, “Do you even know how to leave the house without getting abducted?”

  Katherine patted his cheek and reached up to muss his perfect hair, “Worried about me, were you?”

  “Well, you’ve kind of proven yourself a bit of a target lately,” he grumbled, righting his hair. The laughter in his eyes dimmed, “But it’s over right? He’d dead?”

  Katherine knew “he” meant Raphael, so she simply nodded, and since the atmosphere had grown a little more serious, she took the plunge and asked, “Did you find out anything more about Dad?”

  Anthony scanned the group whose eyes were all on him and took a deep breath. “Why don’t we meet in Mom’s room after supper to discuss it?” His tone was firm, so like their father’s had been, and Katherine knew there was no use arguing. Besides, they had a few things to discuss in private and who knew when a member of the Council would pop up.

  Speaking of the Council, Katherine eyeballed her father’s study door, which was firmly closed and, she suspected, locked. “They’re in there, aren’t they?” She jutted her chin towards the door.

  All eyes turned but no one spoke. Finally, Sylvie cleared her throat and clapped her hands together, so like her normal self it made Katherine’s heart palpitate. Katherine couldn’t help but notice the fatigue that laced the corners of her mother’s eyes, though. “You’re all looking the worse for wear, so perhaps you should adjourn to your rooms and rest before we eat.” She looked over the group and stopped on Liam and Rose, who stood hand in hand at the back of the group.

  Katherine stilled, waiting for some kind of recognition, but none came; at least, not for Rose. Sylvie smiled warmly at Liam and s
pread her hands, “Liam Dougherty, what a welcome surprise! I can’t thank you enough for being there for my children. I hear your arrival with Ronan saved the day.” She turned to smile lovingly at Ronan who beamed under her approval.

  “Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. LaFlamme.” Liam’s thick Irish accent sounded as charming as ever.

  “Sylvie, please,” her mother responded. She started up the stairs, ever the gracious hostess, and motioned for the group to follow.

  Katherine lifted Eve into her arms and snuggled her into her neck, then began up the stairs behind her mother and Quinn. She couldn’t wait to sink into her bed with her tiny family and let her bones go to liquid.

  ♀♀♀

  She didn’t get the long hot soak Quinn had enticed her with earlier, but Katherine figured she got an even better deal. After a quick shower to loosen her stiff muscles, she’d pulled on soft pajamas and lay in bed with Quinn and Eve, wrestling and laughing as their daughter romped as first a wolf, then changed in seconds into a beautiful baby girl. Katherine spent almost an hour cooing over her tiny fingers and toes, nibbling on her belly until Eve dissolved into giggles.