The acidic scent of fear filled the room. Marla let out a low whine. She looked at Draven.
Draven snarled at her. “Leave and don’t come back. Now!”
Marla picked up her clothes as she slowly moved toward the door. “You will regret turning me down for that human.”
Cooper grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. “Go near Kelly. Threaten her. Harm her. Look at her wrong, and you will have to deal with me. The monster inside me loves a good hunt.” He snarled at her, letting her see a wickedly sharp set of teeth. He let go of her arm and watched her run out of the building.
Chase. Kill threat, urged his beast.
Not now. Cooper looked at Draven.
Good fight. Good kill.
Cooper moved slowly toward Draven.
“Stand down.”
Cooper felt the power of the alpha command, but he and his beast ignored it. A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Is Kelly your mate?”
Draven watched him. His own beast was close to the surface. It wanted out to deal with the threat. “Yes, she is.”
Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “You need to fix the problem between you and Kelly. Claim her.”
“I can’t claim her.”
“Then you will lose her,” growled Cooper. “If she gets hurt because of you, I will hunt you down and kill you.”
“You can try.” Draven didn’t like the threat.
Cooper smiled. “I won’t have to try very hard.” The smile faded. “Someone is after Kelly. If you have any feelings for her, claim her. Protect her, or leave her alone.” He left before Draven could say anything.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Her feet hurt.
Her back hurt.
Her heart hurt.
And she was angry.
Cooper disappeared without even a warning, leaving her behind the bar alone. She knew he was having some issues with his wolf, but disappearing on a busy night was not cool.
And then there were the roses. As soon as she could get them outside, they were going into the dumpster with the rest of the trash.
“Do you need any help getting your roses to the car?” Her mom gently caressed petals of one of the silky flowers. “They’re beautiful.”
Okay, make me feel guilty. Kelly shook her head. “I’ve got it.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m just tired.”
Her mom patted her cheek. “Be careful going home.”
“I always am.” Kelly smiled at her. She grabbed her stuff and the roses. The sounds of music and laughter followed her as she made her way to the rear exit in the storage room. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed, blocking out all the sounds. For once, she was thankful she had only human hearing.
She looked at the dumpster across the parking lot and then at the roses. Maybe she should have just given them to her mom.
No. Not a good idea.
Everyone, including her mom, thought Draven gave her the flowers. She would have to explain to her mom and Pops where the flowers really came from, and that would create a whole new set of issues for her to deal with on top of what she already was.
The trash was the best place for the flowers. Too bad she couldn’t toss Oakson in with them.
In less than ten seconds, the glass vase sailed into the dumpster. An arc of red roses trailed behind it.
Two seconds later, the sound of glass shattering caused Kelly to smile. She pulled the envelope and card out of her pocket, ripped it into four pieces and sent them floating to the bottom of the dumpster.
“Good riddance.” She turned around. “Fuck!” She squeaked as she jumped back, almost hitting her back on the dumpster. “You scared me!” She grabbed her chest.
“What are you doing?” Draven stood about five feet from her.
“Besides having someone scare me to death, I was throwing out the trash. And now, I’m going to my car.”
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Really.” She echoed his word.
“It looked like you threw away about a dozen or so roses. Why would you do that?”
She shrugged. “For the same reason anyone else would toss them out.”
“What about you? Why did you throw out roses?”
“I’m allergic to them.” She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “See, runny nose.”
Draven raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to remember that when I send you flowers.”
“No use going to the trouble. I don’t accept flowers from men I don’t love.”
“So you don’t love the person who sent you the flowers you just tossed?”
“Obviously not, or I would have kept them.” She crossed her arms.
“Who sent them to you?”
She snorted. “That, I do believe, falls into the category of none of your business.”
“But it is my business.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
He took a step toward her. “Yes, it does. We are mates.” His voice softened.
Kelly blinked several times as she looked at him. “Are you sure about that?” She slowly shook her head. “Because I don’t think we are.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. His beast wasn’t happy with her doubts about her being their mate.
“Did you just growl at me?”
“My beast isn’t happy with you thinking you’re not our mate.”
“Well, you can tell your beast to just suck it up and deal with what I think.”
Another growl erupted from Draven.
“And don’t growl at me.”
“Then don’t deny we are mates.”
Kelly poked his chest with her finger. “You can’t have it both ways. Either we are mates which means you’re going to claim me, or we are not mates, and I’m free to do what I please.”
“I can’t claim you, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t mates.” He reached out to caress her cheek.
She stepped out of his reach. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Does it matter?”
Kelly opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stared at him with pain-filled eyes. “I guess not.” Her shoulders drooped. “Either way, I can see I’m not really wanted.”
“That’s not true. I want you. You’re my mate.”
“A mate you’re not claiming. If I was a shifter, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”
“I don’t want to put a monster inside you. It will kill you the first time it rips its way out of you. I refuse to let you die.”
She looked at him. “Life doesn’t come with guaranties. We all have an expiration date tattooed on our rear ends. For some of us, that date comes sooner than others. And speaking of monsters, have you really looked at my family? I grew up surrounded by big, bad beasts.”
“But I’m not putting one inside you.” He ran his hand through his hair. His movement caused his jacket to move away from his collar.
Kelly gasped. Her chin trembled. “Marla was right.” She blinked several times.
Draven frowned. “I know Marla talked to you today, but there’s nothing going on between Marla and me.”
Kelly shook her head. “It’s all clear now.” She took several steps away from him. “You’re the alpha, and I’m just a human, who is not good enough for you.”
“Whatever she told you, it’s not true.” Draven took a step toward her, but stopped when he saw the flicker of hurt and betrayal in her eyes. “Kelly?”
“I may be human and not have the keen senses you do, but I know lipstick when I see it. Go bond with the she-wolf who belongs to the lipstick on your collar. It’s obvious she is more to your liking.”
“Kelly, it’s not what you think.”
She held up her hand. “But it’s what I see. I want a mate who wants me for me, even if I’m human. I want a man who will love me. Honesty. Loyalty. Love. These are important to me. When I give my heart and commit myself to my mate, there will be no other. Just him. I want
and deserve the same thing in return. Because with that man, I will build a family that’s hopefully filled with children or pups. Yes, I feel the mating pull between us, but the good thing about me being human is I can walk away. Yeah, it will hurt, but I will live. I hope you find happiness with the she-wolf you’ve chosen.”
Draven watched Kelly get into her car and drive away. His beast howled in pain and anger. The man felt an emptiness he never felt before. Instead of protecting her like he thought he was, he had driven her away. Yes, she would be safe from him, but the cost was too high. He would never have another mate.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Draven’s beast finally released the man from its clutches. Exhausted, he trudged the woods to his house. The beast was furious with him for causing their mate pain and letting her walk away.
The whole time he was trapped, he thought about what Kelly said. She wanted the same things he wanted, but she made him realize he had a huge flaw. He wanted everything she did from a mate, but he wasn’t willing to give those things in return to her. She knew this. She walked away from him because she thought he could only give that to a she-wolf.
We need mate.
Draven agreed with his beast. He had to fix the mess between them, and that meant he had to let go of his ghost. There was no room for it if he wanted a future with Kelly. He would have to tell her about Lori, so she would understand why he refused to claim her. Tomorrow he would pick up Kelly and bring her home so they could talk.
He stepped into the clearing. His truck was parked in the driveway. He would have to thank whoever dropped it off. Walking over to it, he looked inside. The remains of his clothes were piled on the passenger seat along with his phone and keys. He grabbed everything out of the truck. On his way into the house, he stopped at the trashcan and dumped the ruined clothes into it.
Inside the house, he dropped his phone and keys onto the dresser in his bedroom. He knew there were several call and a couple of messages, but they could wait until after he had a shower, clean clothes, and maybe something to eat.
Several minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom with a damp towel slung over his shoulder. He dropped the towel onto the floor next to the clothes basket filled with clean clothes he hadn’t bothered to fold and put away. Picking up his phone, he flopped down on the bed.
Draven glanced at the time and shook his head.
Three in the freaking morning.
His wolf had taken control for over three hours. No wonder he was exhausted.
He scrolled through the missed calls. The third call was from Pops. The numbers he didn’t recognize showed up a couple more times with the last call about thirty minutes ago.
Frowning, Draven opened his voicemail. All three numbers had left messages. The first voicemail was from Moose telling him to answer his phone. The second voicemail was left by Mason. He wanted Draven to call him as soon as he got the message.
Draven frowned. Both men sounded upset.
He was about to listen to the message from Pops when his phone rang. It was the number Mason had called from. “Mason, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?”
“Get to the hospital now. Kelly was in a wreck.”
Draven felt as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. “How bad?”
“Man, I don’t know. She’s been unconscious since the paramedics pulled her out of the wreckage. Gotta go. The doctor just came out. Get to the hospital.” The line went dead.
Draven’s beast whimpered and whined.
Draven was off the bed and rummaging through the basket of clean clothes. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with his shop logo on the back. He dressed and shoved his feet into a pair of boots he grabbed out of the closet. Keys and phone in hand, he grabbed his jacket as he went out the back door.
Please let Kelly live. She has to live. He pleaded with anyone who would hear him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Where is she?” demanded Draven as soon as he saw Mason.
“She regained consciousness a few minutes after I hung up. The doctor is talking to Mom and Pops right now.” He pointed to the nurses’ station.
Draven nodded and walked over to the nurses’ station. “How is Kelly doing?” he asked her parents.
“Doctor, this is Draven Grayson, Kelly’s fiancé. Anything you tell us, you can tell him,” said Pops.
The doctor nodded. “I’m Dr. Carter, the attending E.R. doctor. Miss Hayes is conscious, which is a good thing. She had us worried. We are going to keep her for a few more hours. I want to make sure there are no lasting effects and to make sure there are no internal injuries.”
“What are you not telling us?” asked Draven.
“As I told her parents earlier, Miss Hayes has a nasty cut on her forehead. It’s been stitched. She has some severe bruising on her chest and stomach from the seatbelt which is typical for car wreck victims. She is going to be sore, and when we do release her, she will need to get plenty of rest.”
“Can we see her?” asked Pops.
The doctor nodded. “One at a time and just for a few minutes. I will let the nurse know Miss Hayes has visitors.”
“Sara, you go in first.” Pops caressed his mate’s cheek.
Draven bit back a growl. He needed to see Kelly, but Pops had taken that decision from him, which was Pops right. Draven had only declared Kelly was his mate. He hadn’t claimed her. If he had, they wouldn’t be standing in the ER. Just one more screw up to add to his list.
“Draven, can I talk to you.” Moose jerked his head to a quiet corner.
He followed Moose to the other side of the waiting room. “What do you want to talk about?”
“My brother just called. He towed Kelly’s car to the yard. It’s totaled. She’s going to be pissed about that.”
“It’s just a car. Her life is more important.”
Moose chuckled. “Don’t ever let her hear you say that. That supercharged pony was more than just a car to her. That was her baby, and it was fast. She could out run almost anything. Mason and Cooper were always trying to get her to let them drive it, but she never let anyone but the mechanic near it.”
“She’s had to out run cars before?”
“Yeah. Several times before she moved away. This time she didn’t have a chance. Someone knew what she was capable of doing in that car, and they made sure she couldn’t. My brother said from the looks of the wreckage, there had to be at least two vehicles. Big trucks and the one that rear ended her had a cattle guard. Whoever it was meant to do some damage.”
“This wasn’t an accident. It was planned.” Draven felt his beast rise up. Someone was going to pay for hurting her. “Any ideas as to who?”
“The Perrows. Justin. Anyone of the she-wolves chasing you. Take your pick.”
“So anyone.”
Moose nodded. “You’re my alpha and I know Kelly is your mate, but I care about her. She’s a good friend. A good woman. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
“Draven, do you want to see Kelly?” Sara touched his arm.
His eyes narrowed as he glared at Moose, but faded as he turned his attention to Kelly’s mom. “Yeah, I do.”
“She’s in room 2531. They gave her something for the pain. She will probably fall asleep while you’re talking to her. She has a low tolerance for any meds that may cause drowsiness.” Sara patted his arm. “Go talk to her while she’s still awake.”
Draven nodded. He looked at Moose. “Anything else?”
“Just remember what I said.” Moose escorted Sara back to where Pops was waiting with Cooper.
Draven nodded to Pops as he walked toward the nurses’ station. Glancing at the number plaques on the wall, he turned right. At the end of the hall, he saw Mason leaning against the wall.
Mason stood as Draven approached him. “The nurse was just here. The pain meds are starting to kick in. I guess mom told you Kelly’s a light weight when it comes to those things.”
“She did. We n
eed to talk later…all of us. This wasn’t an accident.”
Mason nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m standing guard. Cooper and Moose are also watching. We’re limiting who can visit her. The sooner we can get her out of here, the easier it’s going to be to protect her.”
“Whoever did this is mine,” growled Draven.
“Then you had better hope Cooper doesn’t’ get to them first. He won’t be able to stop his wolf. It’s growing more uncontrollable, and I guarantee it won’t leave anything for us.” He glanced down the hallway, and then looked back at Draven. “We’re all protective of Kelly, but Cooper and his wolf even more so.”
“Cooper and his wolf payed me a visit earlier. He refused to back down.”
“Crap!” Mason ran his hand through his hair. “I know he’s broken, but I don’t want to see him put down. He’s my brother and I love him.” Mason sighed. “He threatened you, didn’t he?”
“Basically. If I hurt Kelly, he’ll hurt me. That was after he told Marla if she came near Kelly again, his wolf would enjoy the hunt.” Draven shook his head. “I don’t want to put him down, but if his wolf becomes a problem, for the safety of the pack, I will.”
“His wolf is over-protective of Kelly.”
“It’s not sure if I’m strong enough or good enough to take care of her. Damn. And I thought Pops was going to be the tough one.”
Mason grinned. “The first day Kelly saw Cooper’s beast instead of running away in fear, she declared it her new best friend and before anyone could stop her, she hugged the growling monster. The beast surprised all of us when it stopped growling and licked her.”
Draven sighed. “If I don’t do something about the beast, it will become a pack safety issue, but if I do put him down, I hurt Kelly.”
“Not a position I want to be in. You’re my alpha and she’s my sister, but she is an alpha too. The others know it. That’s why they’ve done everything they can to keep her from her destiny. If she’s not afraid to take on a wolf as a human, just imagine what she will be like with a wolf inside her. A weak wolf isn’t for Kelly. It’ll have to be a monster to keep up with her.” Mason nodded toward the hospital room. “She’s still awake, but probably not for much longer.”
Alpha Wolf Page 6
