“That will be…twenty even.”
He gave her a twenty dollar bill and returned his empty wallet to his back pocket.
“Thanks. Would you like me to wrap it?”
“Hi, Anya,” Nicolai said.
Anya nodded in greeting.
“You ready to go?” Nicolai asked Robert.
Nodding, he took the small bag from Anya and followed Nicolai out of the store.
Chapter Thirteen
Serena sat in the living room, watching Lanie fill the stockings with small packages. She had stockings for her mate, her daughter, the Tracker and their Soldiers.
“What an odd custom,” she said.
“Perhaps. But I enjoy seeing their faces when they see what’s in their stockings. Even Lucien looks forward to checking his stocking.”
“What kinds of things do you put in there?” she asked.
“Something I think they will enjoy but might not buy for themselves.”
“Like what?”
Lanie laughed. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
“This year Kane and Nicolai have mates, so their stockings are going to be full of sensual items.”
“Oh.”
She glanced at Lucien’s bulging stocking.
Lanie went into the hallway and returned with several packages. She put them under the tree.
“Lanie, what’s it like being the Alpha Bitch?”
Lanie smiled gently.
“At first, I was intimidated. Primarily because I had no idea of what pack life entailed. My reluctance stemmed from ignorance.”
“What made you decide to stick it out with Lucien?”
“I fell in love with him,” Lanie replied.
Lanie sat on the couch next to her. “With Lucien by my side, I knew that I—we could tackle anything.”
“You’re a team.”
Lanie smiled and squeezed her hand.
“We’re pack,” she replied.
The door closed gently and a soothing scent filled her nose. She grinned and got off the couch.
“Robert, you’re back.”
Her smile faltered when she saw the disappointed look on his face.
Nicolai asked, “Lanie, where’s Lucien?”
“In his office,” Lanie replied.
Nicolai left and Robert shifted from one foot to the other. He had a small package in his hand. When he caught her looking at it, he shoved it behind his back.
“Robert, have you had dinner yet?” Lanie asked.
“Not hungry,” he replied, reaching for her.
She wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his scent. He hadn’t been gone long, yet she had missed him. She could sense his worry. Though he held her gently, there was a tension in his muscles that worried her.
“What happened with the wolf?” Lanie asked.
After clearing his throat, he answered, “He took the woman into the forest.”
“Why didn’t you go after him?” she asked.
“Nicolai didn’t seem too worried about it tonight. I suppose we’ll have better luck finding them in daylight.”
She frowned.
“Wolves have excellent night vision. There must be some other reason Nicolai didn’t pursue this tonight.”
The lights from the Christmas tree cast a warm glow on his face. The day had taken a toll on him and it showed.
“Are you sure you won’t eat something? Earlier tonight, Lanie, Carina and I baked gingerbread cookies.”
She took his hands and pulled him to the kitchen. She pointed to the island.
“Carina and I made that gingerbread house. It was so much fun, Robert. I can’t wait to start our own traditions with our children.”
Robert’s eyes widened in shock. Then his lips formed a tight line.
Her stomach felt queasy.
“Robert? Don’t—don’t you want children?” she stammered.
He stepped away from her.
“I can’t take that risk, Serena. My genes are damaged.” He shook his head. “You don’t want children with me.”
“Robert, I’m not sure what Dr. Jessup did to you, but perhaps Dr. Mallory—”
“No,” he protested. “You don’t understand.” He ran his fingers though his hair. “Dr. Jessup didn’t make me a monster. My family—”
He grabbed her arm.
“Let’s go, Serena.”
Since they didn’t have their own vehicle, they couldn’t return to the cabin. She followed him down the hallway to the guest bedroom they had slept in before.
He closed the bedroom door and leaned against it.
To keep her from leaving?
“I remember it like it was yesterday. It was football season. The game was on. I got up to use the bathroom.”
When he returned, his parents were in the kitchen. Their voices grew louder, more heated.
His pulse raced.
His father brushed past her. He opened the fridge and pulled out a can of beer. She said something sarcastic.
He held his breath and stood as still as a statue.
His father took a long swig, emptying the can. Then he tossed the empty can at her chest. Before the can hit the floor, he swung at her. His fist connected with her face and she collapsed on the floor.
Warm liquid ran down his leg, soaking into the dingy beige carpet.
She lay still on the cold tile. With a grunt, his father kicked her ribs.
Crunch.
He covered his ears, but it was useless. The sound echoed in his head.
The tip of his father’s faded black shoes disappeared into the soft flesh of his mother’s side.
He tasted bile.
His mother was silent.
Did she feel pain?
His stomach roiled.
Was she already dead?
He didn’t know whether to be glad or sad.
With a final stomp on her face, his father backed away. Breathing heavily, his father’s wild eyes focused on him.
Rubbery legs barely kept him upright.
His father gripped her lifeless arms and dragged her along the tile. Once his father passed through the bathroom door, the feeling in his legs returned.
He ran.
Out the door, to the neighbor’s house.
Screaming until he was sedated.
“Why did he kill her?” Serena asked.
“Don’t know.” He sat on their bed. “He never said. Not even during the trial.”
The scent of his pain overwhelmed her. She sat on his bed next to him and hugged him, hoping to ease his suffering.
“What if I’m like him? A bad seed?”
“You’re not.”
“What if I snap?” He stood quickly, as if afraid of her touch. “What if I snap and hurt you?”
“You won’t.”
“What if my wolf—”
She stood and held his face, forcing him to listen to her.
“If it’s one thing I know, Robert, is that your wolf would never hurt me.”
“How can you be sure?”
“No male is capable of hurting his mate,” she assured him.
He sniffed, paused then sniffed again.
“Why is this scent so familiar?” Recognition lit his face. “This scent. Earlier, in the woods. That’s where I caught the scent. It seemed familiar then too.”
“You mean the convict found his mate?”
***
On Christmas morning, Robert stood on the small patio, staring at the forest that started in Lucien’s backyard.
He’s in there somewhere. With that poor woman. Today I’m going to find them and—
The patio door slid open.
“Murderer!” Evie accused, her small frame shaking with fury.
Robert didn’t deny the accusation. He had killed five men in as many days. Countless more when he was employed by the military.
Her claws extended. Curling her hands into tight fists, her claws dug into her palms. Blood dripped to the ground. Fat red droplets against vi
brant green grass.
“Why? Why did you kill my mate?” Evie demanded. “What did he do to deserve his death?”
He couldn’t answer.
“Mommy!”
A small child ran toward the distraught woman.
“Mommy, you’re hurt!” he cried.
“Evie?”
A tall man came out of the house, a young child on either side of him. His body was tense, coiled, ready to attack.
Evie picked up her son.
“Look at him,” she demanded.
He focused on the young boy.
“He never knew his father. Because of you. Murderer.”
He winced. Ashamed, he lowered his eyes.
“I…didn’t know any of them had a family. Reid and Rafe seemed like loners.”
“Reid? Rafe? I don’t know these men. How many lives have you destroyed?” Evie shrieked.
“Those were the only wolves I handled. I swear,” he declared.
“Liar.”
She set down her son and gave him a gentle push toward his siblings.
“Go to Rylan,” she ordered.
He ran to Rylan, who scooped him up and held him in one arm.
“You deprived my children of their father,” she said calmly.
His heart raced. He forced his hands to remain motionless at his side. Evie’s wolf eyes flashed and she snarled. She uncurled her fists.
“Evie! Stop. Please. He’s my mate,” Serena cried.
Confused, Evie paused.
Serena ran between them.
“Evie, Please don’t kill him,” Serena begged. “He’s my mate. He’s the only one who can save me from Remington.”
“This…human—” Evie snorted with disgust. “How can you defend him, knowing he killed my mate?”
“I never killed a wolf,” he spoke suddenly. “I…did…terrible things…I…beat them…,” he confessed.
Shocked lined Serena’s face.
“I told you, I’m no good for you, Serena,” he whispered.
His throat constricted painfully.
Evie turned away from him. Her children clung to Rylan, worry lining their innocent faces.
“I’m sorry about your mate,” he croaked.
He saw the exhaustion on her face and in her sagging shoulders. The burden of her grief was too heavy to carry.
She’s in so much pain. Her heart is broken because of her lost mate. I don’t want Serena to grieve like that. She needs to choose another man. One that will make her smile instead of cause her pain.
“I understand your need for vengeance. Serena, go inside. Go find a wolf worthy of being your mate.”
“Robert—” Serena protested.
“Killing you won’t bring Lucas back,” Evie said.
She glanced at Serena.
“It will only cause more unnecessary pain.”
As if the burden of her grief had vanished, Evie’s expression changed. With a smile, she turned to her family.
“Let’s go home, Rylan.”
“Evie?” a deep voice called.
“Kane!”
Evie hugged Kane, then pulled back to study his new scars.
“I heard about your capture. How did you manage to escape?”
“My mate set me free.”
“Mate? Oh, Kane, I’m so thrilled you found your mate. Where is she?”
“Emma’s inside. I want you to meet her.”
Evie pulled away from Kane.
“This is my mate, Rylan.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Sir,” Kane said.
Rylan acknowledged him with a nod then followed him into the Alpha House.
He turned away from Serena and focused on the forest.
“I thought we were mates—” Serena’s voice cracked.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Baby, don’t,” he said, holding her face in his hands. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Don’t you see that?”
“Then stop pushing me away,” she whispered.
His throat constricted.
“Robert, don’t you know? I lo—”
He pressed his lips against hers, silencing her before she could say it.
He didn’t deserve it.
Not yet.
He released her then fished a small box out of his pants pocket.
“This…ah…is for you.”
He thrust the small package into her hands.
“For me?”
She opened the box.
“Oh, Robert! It’s beautiful.”
“It’s to replace the bobby pins.”
Her smile dimmed.
“I figured since I lost your bobby pins…you didn’t have anything to keep your hair up so….”
He noticed her hair was up in a pony tail.
“Thank you, Robert,” she murmured.
She removed the ponytail holder and twisted her hair up.
“I can help,” he offered, reaching for the hair clip. “Turn around.”
She turned around as he stepped closer. The light scent of coconut reached his nose and he licked his lips.
“Robert? Do you need help?”
“No, Serena,” he replied softly.
He squeezed the clip and fastened it to her hair, making sure he didn’t catch her fingers.
His hands dropped to his sides. He stayed where he was, inches from her body.
The door opened and Lanie marched out.
“Robert, Dr. Mallory would like to see you in her lab,” Lanie said.
***
“You wanted to see me, Doc?” he asked.
Dr. Mallory ran her fingers through her hair.
“I did a full workup of your blood and—”
“You’re sterile,” Dr. Jessup blurted out. “No half breed mutts for you.”
A heavy stone plummeted into the pit of his stomach.
Why is it so hard to breathe?
His fingers curled into fists. More than anything, he wanted to wipe the smug look off Dr. Jessup’s face.
“Oh, were you planning on raising a litter with that bitch?”
Dr. Mallory’s firm grip on his arm stopped him.
“I’m sorry, Robert. It’s a side effect of the excess testosterone your body is making. Your sperm is being produced at such a fast rate, they don’t have enough time to mature.”
“Is there anything you can do to fix me?”
Dr. Mallory glanced at Dr. Jessup.
“I wouldn’t advise playing around with genes the way Dr. Jessup has. But if he could undo what was done to you—”
She shrugged.
“There are no guarantees, Robert.”
“If you let me observe you mating with your bitch, I’ll do what I can, Robert,” Dr. Jessup offered in a sugary sweet voice.
“Never,” he snarled.
Chapter Fourteen
Dr. Jessup ignored Dr. Mallory’s stare.
Robert had stormed out of her lab and he was curious about Robert’s response.
If only she wasn’t here, he’d be able to—
“Why do you enjoy tormenting Robert?” Dr. Mallory asked.
“I don’t believe in wasting time, doctor,” he replied.
She tilted her head as she studied him.
“I wouldn’t expect you to have compassion, given your treatment of wolves.”
He forced himself to keep still. He didn’t like feeling as if he were a specimen under a microscope.
“But Robert worked for you,” Dr. Mallory continued. “Why would you treat him this way?”
Even though she was a woman, he had to admit, her intellect was superior to most men he knew.
“Robert betrayed me when he interfered with my plans to observe that bitch mate with other wolves,” he said.
“Is that why you injected him with an untested serum?”
He laughed.
“Ironic, isn’t it?” Would she suspect what he was planning?
“What is ironic?” Dr. Mallory asked.
“He denied m
e valuable data. Now he has been denied something he values,” he replied.
She shook her head sadly.
“And you consider humans superior to wolves.” She sighed then added, “I feel sorry for you, doctor.”
“Why should I need your pity? I’ve accomplished something no one else has. I’ve made a man turn into a wolf,” he boasted. Did she know what he had planned?
“That would make you very popular with my kind, Dr. Jessup. Be grateful that Lucien found you first.”
“Oh?” How interesting.
“If you wish to remain on Lucien’s good side, I strongly recommend that you work on a cure for Robert.”
“I thought you were delighted to have another wolf join your pack.”
“It would be better if that wolf could father pups.”
He smirked.
“Fertility problems?” Perhaps he would get to observe a mating couple after all.
“Not exactly. More of an issue of having a small population,” Dr. Mallory replied.
“If we used my serum, you could have an army of wolves.”
She shook her head.
“And when that generation dies?”
He scoffed.
Perhaps he was wrong about her intellect.
“Isn’t it obvious? You inject more people and repopulate your pack.”
“That wouldn’t work, doctor. Being a wolf—being a Last Hope Wolf is more than having four legs and a fur coat.”
“It’s a unique subculture?” he asked.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
He took off his glasses and cleaned them with a soft cloth.
“Would Lucien allow me to refine my research if I could fix Robert’s fertility issue?”
“It would certainly work in your favor,” she replied.
“Then I suppose I have some work to do,” he said before returning to his desk.
He didn’t hear her move. Was she observing him? Then I won’t give her anything interesting to see.
He took a sample of the ‘anti-serum’ he had been working on and placed a drop on a slide. He added the cover slip and placed the slide under the microscope.
He must have satisfied her because he heard her fingers tapping on her keyboard. He reached for an empty beaker.
Clearing his mind, he walked casually across the room and smashed the beaker against Dr. Mallory’s skull.
His cock twitched, filling faster than it ever had before.
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