Anny had shown up moments ago with two large cakes—one chocolate and one vanilla—and a huge container of chocolate chip cookies.
One of the living room sofas had been shoved aside, and a second table brought in to accommodate the large crowd. Tablecloths, cutlery, and dishes had been laid out. A second coffeepot had been set up on the kitchen counter, and both were full with freshly brewed coffee.
Everyone was here, except for the men waiting for Troy Burdette. Mikhail also hadn’t shown up yet. He was late. As if she’d summoned him with her thoughts, the door was pushed opened and he walked in.
The wind pushed his masculine scent toward her, and her body immediately responded. There were too many people around. She couldn’t allow them to smell her arousal or there would be too many questions.
She did the only thing she could to counter Mikhail’s potent appeal. She conjured up a memory of Pierre. Nothing like thoughts of her ex to put a damper on her sexual needs.
Still, she couldn’t help taking a peek at him. Like the other men, Mikhail was wearing jeans and a sweater, casual wear that looked amazingly good on his honed body. His hair was still damp from his shower, and several strands dipped over his forehead. She wanted to run her fingers through it and push the strands back into place.
He turned in her direction and caught her staring, but she couldn’t look away. The air seemed to snap around her, growing thicker by the second.
“They’re coming,” Reece announced.
Elise tore her gaze from Mikhail and focused on Hannah. The poor girl looked almost ill. Reece stood like a tower of strength beside her. She envied them their ability to stand together.
She risked a quick look at Mikhail, but he’d gone to stand beside Sage and Rina. They were his family. She left the kitchen and went to stand beside Gwen and Gray. They were her daughters now because of their love for her sons.
The door opened, and Jacque strode in. He was followed by a tall man with black hair and brown eyes. Louis and Armand brought up the rear. Elise knew that Cole and Elias were out scouting the land to make sure the visiting alpha came alone. The children were all with Cole’s parents.
Everyone stilled. Elise wondered how the first meeting between the alphas had gone. There was no telling from their expressions. Still, it couldn’t have gone too badly, since their visitor was actually here. Hannah took a step forward and paused.
Troy Burdette’s gaze went unerringly to his daughter. He took a step toward her and then stopped. He looked to Jacque for permission. He might be alpha of the Montana Pack, but here he was a visitor.
“This is Troy Burdette,” Jacque announced. He stepped out of the way and left the path open between father and daughter.
Hannah bit her bottom lip and hesitated. Reece wrapped his arm around her waist and glared at her father. To Troy’s credit, he was the one to move. He slowly approached his daughter.
“Hannah.” His voice was husky and deep.
“Father.” She inclined her head in formal greeting.
Troy flinched as if Hannah had struck him. He sighed and stopped in front of her. He slowly lifted his hand to her face and stroked his fingers over her cheek. Reece’s growl was so low it was little more than a vibration.
Troy let his hand fall back by his side and faced the wolf by Hannah’s side. “You must be Reece.”
“I must be.” Elise almost smiled at Reece’s terse reply. He’d been an amazing teenager when she’d met him, and he’d grown into a man any woman would be proud to call her own. She wished his parents had lived to see the fine men their sons had become. Reece and Sage had their uncle and Sue, but it wasn’t the same.
She looked at Jacque and Louis and was grateful she was able to share their lives with them. Mikhail didn’t know what it was like to have a child of his own. The closest he would ever come was Rina.
Even if Mikhail had mated, he might never have fathered a child. It just never happened for some couples. Anny and Armand, and Louis and Gray didn’t have children, and they were happy. Of course, there was still time for them to get pregnant. Werewolves had the ability to get pregnant far later in life than humans did because they lived so much longer.
Troy held out his hand to Reece, and the younger man reluctantly took it. Their handshake was brief. Then the visiting alpha looked down at his daughter. “Should we shake, or do you have a hug for your old man?”
Hannah gave a small cry and threw herself into her father’s arms. He closed them around her and buried his face in her hair, but not before Elise caught a glimpse of the tears in his eyes. Reece had apparently seen the man’s emotions as well, because he relaxed ever so slightly.
When father and daughter parted, she moved back to Reece’s side. “This is Reece’s brother, Sage, and his mate, Rina.” Troy nodded at them. “And this is Sue, Reece’s aunt.” The older woman stepped up and offered her hand.
Troy shook it and frowned. “You’re human.”
Everyone tensed, and several of the men growled and moved toward Sue. Troy held up his hands. “I mean no harm. I’m just happy my daughter has found a pack that truly accepts her.”
Jacque took over and finished the introductions, saving her until last. “And this is my mama, Elise LaForge.”
She offered a smile that faltered the longer Troy Burdette stared at her. His gaze started at her face and then slowly meandered down her body, pausing briefly at her breasts. Her earlier intention of giving him the benefit of the doubt disappeared with the insulting action.
“I’m extremely happy to meet you.” Before she knew his intentions, he reached out, took her hand, and brought it to his lips. He managed to kiss it before she tugged it away.
All the men in the pack growled, and Jacque shoved the man back a step. “That is ma mère. Keep your hands to yourself.”
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. The men had pushed their mates behind them. Troy was close to being evicted before dinner even began.
The visiting alpha shrugged, totally unconcerned. “She is also a beautiful woman.”
Heat crept up her cheeks, and she looked away. Mikhail’s face was rigid with fury. If looks could kill, Troy Burdette would have been dead and buried. His anger frightened her, and she had to remind herself that Mikhail wasn’t Pierre. He wouldn’t blame her for what had just happened.
She wiped her hand against her skirt, wanting to remove Troy’s scent. It was bewildering to be singled out like that. Was Troy hoping to curry favor with Jacque? If so, he’d gone about it the wrong way. Her boys were very protective of her.
“And you’re just visiting,” Jacque reminded him. “Let’s eat.”
Elise got the feeling their guest would be leaving after dinner, unless something changed. She felt bad for Hannah, who was visibly upset at the exchange between the two alphas.
“I apologize if I overstepped.” Elise was surprised Troy offered an apology. Most alphas wouldn’t. “My only excuse is that it is rare to see a beauty like your mother.” He offered her a smile, but she wasn’t appeased. She didn’t see it as a compliment. He’d all but blamed her for his bad behavior.
“Mama.” Louis put his hand on her back and guided her down toward the far end of the table. She knew what he was doing and didn’t object. She wanted to be as far away from Troy as possible. Plus, it put her closer to Mikhail.
Jacque held out Gwen’s seat and then took his own at the head of the table. Their guest was allowed to sit next to his daughter, but Gator flanked him on one side, and Reece was right bedside Hannah. Everyone else took empty seats.
Knowing Sage wanted to be closer to his twin, Elise moved over a spot to make room for him and Rina. “Thank you,” Sage whispered in her ear before taking his chair.
Sue was about to sit on Elise’s other side, but she saw an opportunity and went for it. “Would you like to sit closer to the boys?” Elise asked. When Sue nodded, Elise shifted over another seat. That put her directly next to Mikhail.
He was a
solid presence beside her, and one she needed after her interaction with Troy. She looked up the table and studied their visitor. He was tall and good-looking. He was also younger than her and made her blood run cold instead of hot. Only one man had the ability to arouse her interest, and he was currently sitting next to her.
Mikhail was like a silent guard dog, big and mean and ready to bite. Unlike her former husband, she didn’t fear her big bad wolf would turn on her. It was a revelation.
Feeling daring, she slipped her hand under the table and squeezed Mikhail’s thigh. The muscles went rigid beneath her hand. Before she could regret her brazen action, his big hand covered hers.
Elise released a slow breath. Everything was going to be okay.
…
Mikhail was torn. On one hand, he wanted to lunge across the table, grab Troy Burdette, and rip his lips from his face. He’d had no right to kiss Elise, even if it was just her hand. She belonged to him.
But Troy’s actions had benefited him in a way Mikhail had never imagined. Not only had Elise maneuvered things so she was sitting next to him, she’d also reached out and touched him in public. Yes, it was beneath a table where no one could see, but this was a huge step forward.
He’d feared that his anger at Troy would frighten her, make her take a step away from him. Instead, she’d moved toward him. So he owed the bastard for that. But he was watching Troy. No way would he allow the other wolf to get close to his woman again.
He kept his hand on top of Elise’s as long as he dared before reluctantly removing it. As dinner began, he held the platters of meat so she could make her selection. He offered her the various side dishes so she could add some to her plate. The others would see it as him being courteous. It was so much more.
Mikhail relished the small act of feeding Elise, of being able to take care of her in this small way. All the other men took for granted what he treasured.
Her smile was all the reward he needed.
When she had everything she needed, Mikhail piled food onto his own plate. Normally, he would have been concerned about singling out Elise for attention. That wasn’t a worry tonight. No, this evening, everyone was watching their guest.
He studied Troy Burdette and then looked at Hannah. Her coloring was different from her father, but he’d heard Sage mention she took after her human mother, at least in that respect. On closer inspection, Mikhail noticed their facial shape, the tilt of her nose, and stubborn chin were all gifts from her father.
He also didn’t trust the man. There was something about Burdette that put his wolf on edge, and that was before he’d touched Elise. He was too smooth, too perfect, knew all the right things to say, and had a ready explanation for his actions. From what Mikhail knew, he’d been the same way with his daughter over the years.
The silence wasn’t normal. The chatter and laughter that usually accompanied their meals were missing. Finally, Hannah broke the silence.
“Why did you come? Why now?”
Troy sighed and put down his fork. Mikhail noted the man hadn’t eaten much. That was his loss. As usual, Gator and the others had produced a mouthwatering meal. He was also curious to see how Troy would answer the question.
“I thought leaving you was the best thing to do to keep you safe,” Troy explained. “You resemble your mother, not me. You were more at home living in a city than I could ever be. There was no reason for anyone from my former pack to look in your direction if I wasn’t with you.”
“You left her alone,” Reece pointed out. “That made her vulnerable to any full-blooded wolf who might have crossed her path.”
“I appreciate you did what you thought was best.” Hannah leaned into her mate when Reece put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m so grateful you kept me and raised me, but it was hard to be alone all those years. I was still little more than a kid when you left. Eighteen is young to be thrust out into the world with no family or friends, no anchor.”
Troy made a sound of distress, but Mikhail wasn’t buying it. The man wanted something.
“I stayed around at first, following you and watching. I wanted to make sure you were okay on your own.”
Hannah gripped the edge of the table, her fingers turning white. “If you stayed around, why didn’t you stay with me?” The pain in her voice made Mikhail’s heart ache. He glanced at his sister and found Sage had pulled her close. She knew what it was like to be on her own. A lot of the women in this pack did. It made them uniquely qualified to understand Hannah’s plight.
Elise might have been in a pack her entire life, but she’d been more alone than even Hannah. At least Hannah had been free to make her own choices and go where she wanted. Elise had been trapped, unable to do or say or be what she wanted.
Unable to help himself, he slipped one hand beneath the table and angled it until it touched her outer thigh. She shifted her position slightly, moving closer.
Troy pushed away from the table and walked around until he was next to his daughter. She turned in her chair so she was facing him. Then the older man went down on one knee in front of her.
“I wanted you to have a life away from the danger, away from pack politics and the infighting that usually accompanies it. And a part of my reason was selfish. I wanted the freedom to go deep into a forest, to shift and run. You have no idea what it was like for my wolf to be subdued for so long.”
“You could have taken me with you.” Hannah’s sadness was affecting everyone. Sue was dabbing at her eyes, as was Rina.
“You’re not a wolf.”
Reece growled, but Troy pinned the younger wolf with a laser-like stare. “It’s the truth.”
“She still could have run with you,” Reece told him. “She runs with me, with us.” He wrapped his arm around his mate from behind, his thick forearm banding across her upper chest. “She’s a part of this pack.”
“Maybe it was a mistake, but I can’t change what I did or why I did it.”
“Why did you finally go back to your former pack?” Jacque asked. Mikhail was curious to hear the man’s answer.
“I thought if I controlled the pack, I could keep any of them from going after her.”
That was true to a certain extent, but it didn’t add up for Mikhail. It didn’t for Jacque, either. “And were any of your former members searching for Hannah?” Jacque leaned back in his chair and casually rested his hands on his stomach. “Or did you just decide you’d done you duty, your daughter was safe, and you were ready to move on in life?”
Mikhail saw the flash of guilt in Troy’s eyes. Unfortunately, so did his daughter. “You could have just told me.” Hannah reached out and touched her father’s tightly clenched jaw. “It wouldn’t have hurt any less. You were still gone.”
She sighed and rubbed tears from her eyes. “You raised me, and for that, I’ll always be grateful. But we haven’t been part of each other’s lives for years. Why now? Is it because I’m a part of a wolf pack?” She let her hand fall back into her lap. “That’s it, isn’t it? You can make a valuable connection to another pack through me.”
Troy stood and addressed Jacque. “It’s a factor. I want to forge relationships with other packs. Many of our men need mates.” He glanced at Elise, and Mikhail’s early anger reignited.
Hannah slowly stood with her mate beside her. “If that’s your intention, then you don’t need me around.” She turned her back on her father and walked to the door. Sage and Rina followed the couple. Mikhail was torn between following to make sure his sister was all right and staying right next to Elise.
In reality, it was no contest. Rina had a mate to protect her. There was no way he was leaving Elise. It didn’t matter that two of her sons and other members of the pack surrounded her. She belonged to him.
He removed his hand from her leg and rested both on the table. His wolf was silent inside him. Like Mikhail, the creature was sizing up Troy as a possible opponent, searching for weaknesses.
The man watched his daughter go but did
n’t try to stop her. As soon as she was gone, he turned back to Jacque. “I’d like to discuss some pack matters with you.”
Jacque slowly came to his feet. The power surrounding him was palpable. Louis stood next to his brother, and the rest of the men pushed away from the table, including Mikhail.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Jacque informed him. “You were here to see your daughter, nothing more.”
“We could benefit one another,” Troy began.
The low growl that Jacque emitted left no doubt he wasn’t pleased. “I said there is nothing to discuss. You have nothing my pack needs or wants.”
Troy’s jaw tightened. Mikhail didn’t like the calculation in the other man’s eyes. “I could demand compensation for my daughter. She was mated to one of your pack members without my permission.”
Mikhail couldn’t believe the audacity of the man. Any pity he’d felt for him earlier was shattered. The man didn’t deserve to have a daughter as wonderful as Hannah.
“You could, but you won’t.” Jacque prowled around the table with Louis at his back. “You abandoned your daughter. Reece saved her life. She belongs to us now.”
Mikhail could almost see the wheels turning in the man’s head. He wondered if Troy was smart enough to know when to cut his losses. “You know where to find me if you want to talk business,” he told Jacque.
“Thank you for dinner,” Troy said to Gwen as the alpha female. He headed toward the door with Louis and Gator behind him. The door closed with a thud, leaving those remaining stunned.
Jacque raked his fingers through his hair. “Fuck.” Mikhail figured that about summed it up.
Sue jumped up from the table. “I’m going to go to Reece and Hannah.”
Jacque shook his head. “Stay a bit longer. I don’t trust Burdette not to have men out there. I’m not risking anyone’s safety.”
Sue bit her bottom lip but nodded.
“I could take her,” Mikhail offered. As much as he wanted to stay with Elise, he knew Hannah could use a friend right now. Sue had become a surrogate mother to the girl in the time she and Reece had been together.
Wolf of her Own Page 15
