Jacque pinned him with a hard stare and then nodded. “Once you deliver Sue, go to Cole’s and stand guard with Joseph. I want to make certain the children are safe.”
To be trusted to see to the safety of the alpha’s children, with all their children, was a high honor. It was a responsibility Mikhail didn’t take lightly. “I’ll see to it.”
He couldn’t touch or speak to Elise before he left. Sue was already at the door waiting for him. He did manage to catch Elise’s eye. Her gaze was filled with warmth and pride. For him or for her son, Mikhail didn’t know.
He’d have to find out later. Right now, he had to deliver Sue to her family, help protect the alpha’s children, and later take a turn on patrol before he’d be able to go to Elise.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Eighteen
Elise paced to the living room window, peeked out at the cold dark night, and resumed pacing. She hadn’t been able to sleep. Jacque had wanted her to stay with him, Gwen, and the children, but she’d wanted to be in her own home.
Mikhail was coming. She didn’t know exactly when, but she trusted he’d be here at some point during the night.
The pack was upset, and rightfully so. Troy Burdette had abandoned his daughter years ago and reached out to her now to try to make a profitable business connection with the pack Hannah had become a part of.
She’d like to say she couldn’t believe it, but that would be a lie. So many wolves were ruthless and cruel. Troy’s only saving grace was that he’d cared enough for his young daughter to keep and raise her. If he’d behaved differently tonight, he might have gained Hannah’s trust again. Elise shuddered to imagine having to spend more time around Troy. Every time the man had looked at her this evening, she’d felt unclean. He was obviously searching for a mate and found her a viable candidate.
She’d left the back door unlocked and gave a sigh of relief when she heard it open. But her greeting died in her throat. It wasn’t Mikhail standing there. It was Troy Burdette.
“What are you doing here?” How had he gotten past the sentries patrolling? She’d never imagined he’d dare to come back, let alone make it this close to the houses.
He shut the door and smiled. “I came to see you, Elise. I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Another woman might have found him attractive, but not Elise. Sweat popped out on her brow, and it became harder to catch her breath.
“Get out of my home. You were told to leave.” Obviously, he thought himself above the laws and wishes of this pack.
He prowled closer, and his smile faded. “No need to be that way. We can sit and talk.” He motioned to the sofa. “We could do so much more.” The heat in his eyes betrayed what he really wanted.
“I won’t mate with you,” she told him. She moved behind a chair to put something between them. It wasn’t much, but it was something. It also moved her closer to the front door. He was between her and the back one. She’d never make it before he caught her.
Troy shrugged. “I could change your mind.”
He was so sure of himself. His arrogance converted some of her fear into anger. “I don’t find you at all attractive.” Maybe honesty would help him see the reality of the situation.
He lowered his brows and growled. “You’re lying.”
She shook her head. Where was Mikhail? She prayed he’d walk in at any moment. “Sniff the air. All you’ll smell is fear and anger, not arousal.” She wasn’t about to play coy games with him.
He sniffed, frowned, and then shook himself. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll learn.”
Her blood ran cold. Pierre had said something similar to her so many years ago. “I can promise you that I won’t learn. I hate you now, and I’ll hate you twenty years from now.” The past and present threatened to meld, but she shook herself. She was not the woman she used to be. She was stronger.
Troy moved quickly, putting himself in position to lunge at her whichever door she went for. Elise didn’t give herself time to think, she just acted. She whirled and didn’t run toward either door, but for the big picture window. She had one foot on the bench seat and her arms in front of her face to protect it from the glass when she was snatched out of the air.
Troy was alpha of his own pack. He was not only strong, he was also incredibly fast. “What are you doing?” He dragged her away from the window and her only means of escape.
Elise struggled, kicking back at him with her feet. She embraced her wolf and her claws grew. She reached behind and dug them into his body. She wasn’t sure where she struck, but she smelled blood just before he flung her to one side. She flew through the air, coming down hard on the coffee table. Pain shot through her back and hip as the table tipped and dumped her on the floor.
But she was used to dealing with pain, had years of practice in moving through it. She rolled to her feet and bolted for the back door. Troy lunged and tackled her to the floor. Her head smacked the hardwood, and the wind was knocked out of her.
He flipped her over, grabbed her hands, and pinned them over her head. His body was big and heavy. He was also aroused. His hard-on pressed against her belly.
She tried to howl but couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Troy leaned down and kissed her. She tried to twist her head aside, but he simply followed her. She couldn’t breathe. Panic set in, and she struggled in an attempt to free herself.
She was going to die. Going to suffocate.
Troy ended the kiss when she tried to bite his tongue. The bastard was grinning. “I like a woman with some fight in her. They usually come so easily to my bed. But not you. You’re a challenge.”
A flash of insight struck her. That’s probably why he’d raised Hannah. Not because he’d loved her, but because someone else had told him he couldn’t. Oh, he’d cared for his daughter. He’d had to in order to stay all those years. But the novelty had worn off, it hadn’t been a challenge anymore, and he’d simply left.
“Let me go.” Elise tried to keep him talking while she gathered her reserves for another escape attempt. She had no idea when, or even if, Mikhail would arrive. If Troy had men skulking around pack land, the pack would be kept busy. No one would imagine Troy would come to her home.
He was panting heavily, his hair falling around his shoulders and his brown eyes narrowing. “Can’t do that. I’ve come too far. If we’re mated, your sons will have to accept me.”
She almost laughed. He obviously didn’t understand Jacque and Louis at all. “They’ll kill you,” she warned him.
“They’ll try.” He flashed a self-satisfied grin. “I’m the best.”
“Their father thought the same thing.” It was gratifying to see him lose his smile until he grabbed her chin and exerted pressure. She feared he’d break her jaw.
“Once I’ve mated you, they’ll accept me.” He truly believed what he was saying, simply because that’s what he wanted. He couldn’t foresee any other outcome.
Elise went limp, pretending not to fight. The best way to get him to drop his guard was to pander to his ego. He seemed to accept her defeat. He even smiled. She did nothing and said nothing.
“This will be over quickly.” He grabbed her sweater and used his claws to rip it to shreds. “You might even enjoy it.”
Yeah, that was never going to happen. She was doing her best not to get sick all over him. What little she’d eaten at dinnertime was threatening to come back up. She took slow, deep breaths and waited for her chance.
Troy had to move off her long enough to flip her onto her stomach if he wanted to mate with her. The idea of it made her ill, but she fought through it. She’d survived years with Pierre. She’d survive this, too.
A picture of Mikhail flashed in her mind. He’d want her to fight. He’d have faith in her that she could and would fight.
Strengthened by her resolve, she waited.
Troy lifted his weight off her, and she sucked in a breath. When she didn’t fight, didn’t do anything, he seemed satisfied. He started to
roll her onto her stomach. The second she was on her side, she took a deep breath and howled. At the same time, she threw all her weight at him and kept rolling. Caught off-guard, he tumbled off her.
Elise scrambled to her hands and knees and bolted for the door.
“You bitch.” He slammed down on top of her, driving her onto her stomach. He yanked at her skirt, shoving it up her legs. Cool air washed over her thighs.
She struggled and bucked, trying to get him off her. Being on her stomach put her at a disadvantage. She didn’t waste energy trying to talk or reason with him. They were beyond that.
“You can’t escape me.” She heard the sexual excitement in his voice. He was alpha of his own pack and didn’t seem to see anything wrong in what he was doing. Other wolves were subordinate to him and therefore his to manipulate and control as he chose.
She understood him all too well having lived with a man just like him.
Elise reached for her wolf, but the pain and fear rushing through her wouldn’t allow her to shift. She reached for calm and claws extended from her fingers. She dug them into the wood floor and dragged herself closer to the door. It wasn’t easy with Troy’s weight on her.
She wished she hadn’t held out against Mikhail, wished they’d made love. All she’d ever known in her life was pain at worst and indifference at best. Mikhail cared deeply for her. The way he touched her, the way he coaxed her to orgasm was proof of that.
In that split second, she knew she couldn’t let it happen. She reached back as far as she could and jammed her claws into Troy’s thighs. He managed to swallow back his howl of pain, but he didn’t hold back his anger. He hit the back of her head. The hard blow momentarily stunned her.
The back door slammed open and hit the wall with such force the entire room shook. She heard a howl of anger, and then Troy’s weight was gone. Elise rolled toward the wall and gasped for breath.
Mikhail was on top of the other wolf, and he was beating him. There was no mercy in his face as fist after fist hit Troy Burdette. This was not a fight between wolves for dominance. This was a fight between men over a woman.
Troy tried to throw him off, but Mikhail was a machine. He landed blow after blow to her attacker’s body and face. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, grunts, and heavy breathing filled the air.
In spite of a werewolf’s ability to heal, she knew Mikhail could kill him at any second. It would be no trouble for him to snap his opponent’s neck.
That would open up a whole other host of problems with Troy’s pack. Still, a part of her couldn’t say she wasn’t enjoying seeing him get a beating he would remember all his life. He deserved nothing less for what he’d been about to do to her.
“What the hell.” Jacque raced in through the broken door and came quickly to her side. “Mama.” Her son took one look at her torn clothes and bruised body, and his eyes narrowed. He growled and started to reach for her but stopped, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do.
He crouched beside her and dispassionately watched Mikhail beat Troy.
Gator raced into the house and took in the scene. “Fuck.”
When neither man made any kind of move to stop Mikhail, she knew it was up to her to put an end to this. “Stop him.” Both Jacque and Gator looked at her like she was out of her mind. “You have to stop him. We don’t need problems with the Montana Pack.”
“Don’t care,” her son told her. “He hurt you.”
And that was enough for Jacque. She knew he’d have no problem if Mikhail killed Troy, but she would. She pushed away from the wall, ignoring the aches and pains that shot through her. There was nothing broken, although it would take her a day or two to totally heal. She was an expert at assessing her own injuries.
It would take her longer to heal emotionally, and for that, she needed Mikhail. She reached her hand out to him and called his name. “Mikhail.” He rammed Troy’s head into the floor and blood spurted everywhere. “Mikhail,” she tried again. “I need you.”
It was as though a switch had been flipped. It was fascinating to watch, to realize the power she had over this man. He stopped, dropped Troy to the floor, and came to her side.
Mikhail ignored both Jacque and Gator as he fell to his knees before her and carefully took her outstretched hand. “Elise?”
She knew what he was asking. “I’m okay.” She wanted to assure him that he’d gotten there on time but couldn’t do it with her son there. But Mikhail understood. He briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
A tear rolled down her cheek. Mikhail groaned and caught it with the top of his thumb. “I told you no more crying.” His voice was gruff, but his touch was gentle. Of course, that made her cry even more.
Mikhail pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face against his chest and shuddered.
“I’ve got you, baby.” The steady beat of his heart steadied her. “Get rid of the garbage,” he ordered Jacque and Gator.
Elise risked a peek, curious as to how the younger men were reacting to Mikhail’s orders. Jacque’s golden-brown eyes narrowed as he studied Mikhail. His gaze flicked up to her, to where she rested easily in Mikhail’s arms, and then back to Mikhail. “You and I have a lot to talk about.”
“We do,” Mikhail agreed.
Then Jacque came to her and ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “Are you okay, Mama? Do you want Gwen or Corrine?”
Elise’s heart swelled. She’d never loved her son more than she did at this moment. She knew his wolf had to be bristling at the perceived challenge to his leadership, but he shoved it aside to see to her well-being.
“I’m fine.”
Jacque gave a grumble of disbelief. “You’re not fine.”
She reached out and touched her son’s hand. “I will be.”
He gave a shaky laugh. “I have no doubt. You’re the strongest woman I know.” His compliment surprised her. She’d had no idea he saw her that way. “I’ll be by to see you as soon as we take care of this matter. He has men waiting on the highway for him. Cole and Joseph are keeping an eye on them.
Mikhail was done waiting, because he carried her to her bedroom. Elise was more than ready to get rid of the clothing she was wearing. Her sweater was in tatters around her, and her bra was stained with blood.
She began to shiver now that the ordeal was over. Mikhail sat on the side of the bed and rocked her in his arms. They clung to one another, neither of them saying anything. It was enough that they were together.
…
Jacque watched the big wolf carry his mama down the hallway to her bedroom. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The only reason he was allowing it to happen was because he saw the way she was clinging to Mikhail.
She’d been able to stop Mikhail from killing his opponent simply by calling his name, by telling him she needed him. That was something that usually only happened in a mated pair. He knew that if a man had hurt his Gwen, she would be the only one capable of stopping him from killing.
Gator lifted the unconscious and battered wolf and tossed him over his shoulder. He didn’t seem the least concerned about the situation. Jacque narrowed his gaze. “What do you know about this?”
They walked to the door, and Gator waited while Jacque managed to get it to close. It wasn’t a tight fit because the frame was severely damaged. His mama would need a new one.
Gator shifted Troy’s weight, and they began to walk toward the road. “I have eyes. I see the way they look at one another when they think no one else is watching.”
Jacque was still trying to process the idea of his mama with a man, any man. “How did I not see it?” He was alpha. It was his job to see everything with regards to his pack.
“You did not want to see, mon ami.” The two of them walked side by side with the comfortable ease of men who’d been friends a long, long time. “She is your mama. You do not want to see her as a desirable woman.”
“Fuck.” Jacque raked his fingers through his hair. “Don’t talk about he
r like that.”
Gator, the bastard, had the audacity to laugh. “Elise is a fine-looking woman. She’s still in the prime of her life. It’s not surprising Mikhail is attracted to her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He would have expected his friend to warn him.
“Because you might have put a stop to it. If you’d objected, Elise would have walked away from him, even if she didn’t want to. She deserves a chance to do and have what she wants without fear of repercussions.”
Jacque wanted to deny his friend’s claims, but knew Gator was right. His first instinct would have been to protect his mama, which meant sending Mikhail away. “I hate it when you’re right,” he grumbled.
Gator laughed and slapped him on the back. “Have no fear. I warned Mikhail if he hurt her, I’d gut him.”
That did make him feel marginally better. He scented Louis coming from the right. His brother’s gaze went straight to the man draped over Gator’s shoulder before dropping to glance at both Jacque’s and Gator’s hands.
“Who beat Troy almost to death and why? I thought we were trying to avoid problems with his pack?”
“He attacked Mama.” The words were barely out of Jacque’s mouth when he had to stop his brother from finishing the job Mikhail had started.
“Why is he still alive?” Louis demanded.
“Because Mama put an end to the beating. She doesn’t want trouble with Troy’s pack. I say we give his battered body back to his men. They may decide they need a stronger alpha. Any challenger will finish what we started.” It was unfortunate but true. In most packs, leadership challenges were to the death unless an alpha stepped down when he grew older.
“Where is Mama?” Louis asked.
“With Mikhail.” Jacque couldn’t help himself. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he couldn’t resist seeing how Louis reacted.
“Mikhail? Why him? Why aren’t you with her?”
“Apparently, they’re closer than we know.” Now that had Jacque worked up all over again.
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