Web of Lies

by Sara Dailey

  “But she lied to¬—”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Cade interrupted. “Do you love her?”

  I did not want to have this conversation with Cade and Aiden right now. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the sofa behind me.

  “It won’t go away just because you want it to,” Aiden stated, propping his feet up on the coffee table like this was no big deal. “It doesn’t work like that.”

  “How exactly does it work then, Einstein?” I asked, sounding harsher than I intended.

  Cade’s furrowed his eyebrows and replied, “Look man, if you two are true mates, then you have to be together. Period. And you didn’t answer my question. I realize that it’s not very manly to sit around and talk about your feelings, but it’s a fairly simple question when you think about it. Do you love her?”

  “Yes,” I reluctantly admitted.

  “Then that’s all that matters…”

  “No, it’s not. She lied. She betrayed me and our pack,” I argued.

  “Do you really think she had a choice? Luke, come on. You know how things work in packs. We’ve all had to do things we didn’t want to do for the sake of our pack,” Cade reminded me.

  “That doesn’t make it any easier to swallow,” I muttered. This couldn’t be the only way. Yes, I loved Scarlett. Even after everything she did, I still felt it deep inside my chest. If she walked through that door right now, I honestly didn’t know what I would do or say. I’d felt empty for two days, but along with that empty feeling came hurt and betrayal. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to trust her again.

  “You need to go to her,” Aiden said.

  When I shook my head, he urged me to reconsider. “You look like shit, and I know how badly you must be feeling. Cade and I have both been there, and she’s probably just as bad off as you are. I remember seeing Alli so sick and thinking that she was going to die. It scared the shit out of me seeing my sister like that.”

  I looked over at Cade and the look of absolute guilt and horror on his face tore at my insides.

  Aiden’s eyes shifted to Cade’s as he said, “Sorry man, but it’s true.”

  “No, he’s right. I let my dad keep me away from Alli when I needed her and, more importantly, she needed me. She suffered because of me. Don’t be that stubborn, Luke. Go to her. She has no one. If you are mates, you will know it instantly. It will haunt you for the rest of your life if you let it get any worse because eventually, you will have to face her,” Cade said.

  Shit! It didn’t seem like I had a choice in the matter. I had to go to her. I should have never left her alone for the past two days in the first place. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would have, but Cade saw Brain and Drew in Crescent Hills, so I figured she’d be safe while they were gone. However, there was a good chance they’d be back soon, and I needed to make sure they didn’t find out what she’d told us. I’d never forgive myself if they hurt her.

  My decision made, I struggled to sit up, and as I took a moment to allow the room to stop spinning, I asked Cade, “So what happened in Crescent Hills? Why do you think Brian and Drew were there? You really didn’t find out anything?” Aiden shot Cade another one of those looks that spoke volumes. Unfortunately I didn’t speak the language, so I threw a pillow at him. “Damn it! Will you two stop that? It really pisses me off.”

  Aiden chuckled to himself. “Cade thinks he saw Kendall there.”

  “Shut up, man! I should have never told you that. It wasn’t her anyway, so just drop it,” Cade snapped.

  I smiled for the first time in days, but I couldn’t help it. Seeing Cade’s cheeks redden was priceless. “Kendall, huh? You sure it wasn’t her?” I asked, unable to hide my amusement. I wished I could have seen it. I bet he almost shit his pants.

  Cade grimaced. “Positive. And I have no idea what Brian and Drew were up to, but how about we go see what we can find out? I’m pretty sure they are heading back today.”

  With a bit of renewed energy at the thought of seeing Scarlett and maybe getting some answers, I forced myself up off the couch and threw on some jeans and a hoodie.

  “So you’re going over there?” Aiden asked as I headed for the stairs.

  “Yep,” I answered without stopping.

  “You gonna wait for us or what?” Cade asked as he trailed behind me. “I think it’s about time we had a word with Drew and Brian. Don’t ya think?”

  Aiden, following close behind Cade, said, “First thing’s first. Let’s find Scarlett. Luke isn't in any shape to help until we do. Then we can make a plan to interrogate Brian before we beat the living shit out of Drew.”

  Cade chuckled. “Good idea, Aiden. Come on. I’ll drive.”

  CHAPTER 52

  Drew

  “Oh God, no! Holy shit! No! No! No! What have I done? Jesus Christ, Scarlett! Look what you made me do! You stupid, stupid bitch! This is all your fault. You made me do this to you! Do you hear me? You did this!” My entire body shook as I looked down at the mangled mess I had made of Scarlett’s body. Dropping to my knees, I concentrated on breathing in and out before I flipped the fuck out.

  I’d never meant for things to get so far out of hand, but she wouldn’t stop running from me. Now, I didn’t even know if she was still alive. Cautiously I reached out to feel for a pulse. The moment my fingers made contact, her body shifted from wolf to woman. A girlie shriek flew out of my mouth as I jumped away from Scarlett’s naked body, and immediately, I looked around to make sure no one had heard. Thankfully, it didn’t appear that anyone had witnessed my wussy-ass reaction or anything else that had happened here.

  Even in this form, she didn’t move. That was a bad sign. She was a bloody wreck, but I didn’t see any wound that she wouldn’t be able to heal from. I stood there just gawking at her limp body wondering why the healing process hadn’t already begun. It wasn’t until I reached down and turned her on her side that my stomach lurched, and I knew that what I saw was bad news. When I’d chased Scarlett down, she fell hard onto her side and a thick fallen branch impaled itself in the side of her upper thigh, just below her hip. It was lodged in there good too. I couldn’t tell how deep, but judging from the dark, red pool of blood around her injury, it was not a superficial wound. I’d never seen so much blood in my life, with the exception of in those stupid slasher movies. I still needed to check for a pulse, but with that much blood all around, I was too afraid to touch her.

  What I really needed to do was get her to a doctor, but what would happen to me when they found out that I was the one that caused this? No, no doctor, but I couldn’t just leave her there. Could I? I must have paced back and forth for a solid ten minutes while Scarlett lay there bleeding out, trying to decide what to do. Finally, I built up the nerve to place my fingers below her nose to see if she was breathing. After I determined that she was still alive, I slowly placed my hand on the branch and gave it a slight tug. The stick shifted, but so did the flesh around it, all bloody and oozing and…holy shit! I turned and lost it. Completely lost it. I couldn’t stomach the sight of her wound. I just couldn’t do it. I dropped all the way to the ground and hung my head over my knees as I hyperventilated.

  While I tried to focus on slowing my breathing, my mind raced, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made to just let her die. She’d been causing nothing but trouble anyway. She probably told Luke the truth, and if he had any sense at all, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her now. She’d betrayed her pack, so we wouldn’t take her back. In fact, my father would probably have her killed if she ever returned. I’d actually be doing the bitch a favor if I let her die, but I couldn’t just leave her here out in the open.

  I scanned the area for a place to hide her. I found a small ditch not far off, so I held my breath, lifted Scarlett off the ground, and carried her to it. She appeared to be near dead already. I laid her down in the ditch and felt for a pulse. Nothing. Without a second thought, I quickly covered her body with a bunch of leafy branches and brush until she was co
mpletely hidden.

  As I stood back to inspect my work, I swallowed a lump in my throat and fought back the sickening feeling in my gut. I knew what I’d done was wrong, but it was what was best for my pack. I had to put the pack first. If that meant that Scarlett had to be sacrificed, then so be it.

  I tried to cover my tracks the best I could, but any werewolf worth a shit would be able to scent me out, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Besides by the time anyone realized that she was missing, I would be long gone. With one more quick look around, I shifted and ran back to the house.

  CHAPTER 53

  Luke

  The moment the thought that Drew or Scarlett’s dad might hurt Scarlett entered my mind, I couldn’t get to her fast enough. Don’t get me wrong, I was still pissed at her, and I really didn’t know if things with us would ever be the way they were, mated or not, but the need to see her safe was all-consuming.

  We were halfway to her house before I realized I hadn’t showered in two days. Guess it didn’t matter now. I could get my shit together once I knew that Scarlett was okay. We pulled up in front of her house and another one of those vicious combinations of nausea and panic swept through me. Not thinking clearly, I jumped out of the car and dashed up to the porch.

  “Scarlett!” I yelled as I pounded on the door. Unable to wait for an answer, I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned. To my surprise, it opened, and I hesitantly took a step into the house.

  “Scarlett,” I said just loud enough for someone inside the house to hear me. When she didn’t respond, I flipped the on first light switch I came to. That light was followed by every one I could find as I ran through the house calling her name. Panic quickly consumed me as I flew through each empty room.

  “The house is empty,” Cade said as I walked back down the stairs, but I knew that already. My heart stopped when the backdoor opened and Aiden stepped inside looking grim. “I think you guys need to see the patio.”

  I pushed passed Cade and hurried outside. The sight of the patio furniture over turned and flung around haphazardly sent chills down my spine. My hands clenched into fists at my side, my mind raced through one bad scenario after another, and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes. Something bad happened here. Scarlett was in danger.

  “Don’t jump to conclusions,” Cade said.

  I turned around and stared him down as if he’d just made it to the top of my hit list. Did he really believe it was possible for me not to jump to conclusions?

  “I know it looks bad, but it won’t do anyone any good to go crazy without knowing,” he corrected himself. “Let’s go back to my car and wait for someone to come home. It doesn’t look like anyone has left for good, so someone has to come back eventually.”

  “I’m going to take a closer look in her room, and I’ll meet you in a minute,” I mumbled as I walked away from the horrible scene on the patio. I needed a minute alone, some time to get my emotions under control before I played the sit-and-wait game in the car with Cade.

  I walked into her room again, and as I fell back onto her bed, I was inundated by her scent. It completely consumed me. When I breathed her in again and again, my stomach eased, and the headache that I had for past two days vanished. Just being in the room where she’d been made me feel better, stronger. And I knew exactly what that meant.

  *****

  Cade shot me an odd look as I got back in the car. “Find anything?”

  I wasn’t quite ready to admit what had been confirmed while I was inside. “Nah. Where’d Aiden go?” I asked since he was no longer in the backseat.

  “I told him to go on home and we would call him when someone showed up,” Cade explained before he proceeded to look me up and down. The knowing look on his face made me want to tell him to piss off. “So I guess it’s true, huh? She really is your mate?”

  The car became instantly stuffy, and I would have done just about anything to get the hell out of there. I tugged at the collar of my hoodie and rolled down the window.

  “Sorry man, it’s just that your color is back, and you’re holding on to one of Scarlett’s shirts for dear life,” he noted. I looked down and couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t even realized that I had picked it up off her bed. I stared out the window at her house and confessed, “Shit. I can’t believe this is happening.”

  We waited and waited, but nobody came home. As the minutes passed, Scarlett’s scent had faded, and the headache and nausea returned with a vengeance. I needed to find her. Sitting here waiting was a waste of time. There had to be something else I could be doing besides waiting in this damn car.

  My mind raced with all of the possible horrific things that could have happened to Scarlett, and those images left me feeling desperate and helpless. My palms were slick with perspiration, my eyes blurred, and the sound of Cade texting on his phone was enough to send me over the edge. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

  Just when I thought that I might have to use the last of my energy to crush Cade’s phone into a thousand pieces, a car I didn’t recognize came speeding straight toward us. Cade and I exchanged a concerned look as the car screeched to a halt. We both hopped out of the car, and a tall, lean guy about our age got out and started yelling.

  “Which one of you is Luke?”

  I took a step toward him, and the guy actually pushed me. Ballsy move. He may have been a few inches taller than me, but he wasn’t nearly as built. Needless to say, I didn’t move, but the piece of shit tried and tried again.

  “Where the hell is my sister?” he shouted, this time getting right up in my face.

  So this was the real Gavin, Scarlett’s real brother.

  “Tell me where she is or I swear I will take your ass down!” Gavin ordered, trying to push me again.

  Scarlett’s brother or not, this guy was starting to piss me off, and I didn’t have time for him, nor did I feel up to showing him just how unlikely his threat to “take me down” would be. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and flung him up against Cade’s car. “Gavin, right?”

  He didn’t respond right away, so I grabbed his shirt again and gave him a little shake to make sure he was listening. “Listen to me, Gavin. I don’t know where she is, but I need to find her too. And I’m not going to hurt her. I swear, I would never hurt Scarlett, but she’s missing. I need to find her, and I need you to help me.”

  His eyes went wide with shock, but he still didn’t say anything, so I shoved him back and grunted. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me find your sister?”

  I stepped back and let Gavin straighten himself up before asking, “When was the last time you heard from Scarlett?”

  The shock was gone and replaced with obvious skepticism. Gavin crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. “Why the hell should I tell you? Hell, maybe you are the reason she’s missing.”

  I looked over at Cade, and the bastard was texting. Texting! And smirking. I grabbed the phone out of his hand and shouted, “Who the hell are you texting? And stop fucking grinning. It’s not going to be funny when I have to tell Scarlett that I beat the shit out of her brother.”

  Cade snatched his phone back and said, “For you information, I was texting Aiden to tell him to get his ass over here.” Then he chuckled to himself and nodded toward Gavin. “Just tell him and get it over with.”

  I froze. Hell no.

  “Tell me what?” Gavin asked, his eyes darting back and forth between Cade and me.

  “Jesus Christ, Cade!” I snapped.

  “Tell me what? Is this about Scarlett?” Gavin demanded.

  “It’s nothing,” I muttered as I glared at Cade.

  “You tell me then,” Gavin urged Cade, and I suddenly felt like a chicken-shit.

  Cade rolled his eyes at me and said, “Scarlett and Luke are true mates.”

  “Yeah, right.” Gavin laughed. I rubbed my hands over my eyes and through my hair. This was turning into a disastrous night. Gavin looked at me and asked, “He’s kiddin
g, right?”

  When I didn’t say anything, he looked horrified and then said, “I don’t know whether to shake your hand or punch you in the face.”

  “Don’t hit him. He’s in a bad mood. He’ll probably hit you back,” Cade joked.

  “Listen, I haven’t seen Scarlett in two days. I feel like shit. She probably feels just as bad as I do, and I need to find her. So, have you heard from her or not?” I demanded.

  “Holy shit,” Gavin stammered as his eyebrows shot up as if something important suddenly occurred to him. “Holy shit, shit, shit shit…she hasn’t retuned any of my texts…I thought that you did something to her…oh shit…Luke, dude,” he stopped and turned to Cade. “Will he really hit me?” he asked.

  Cade took a few steps to strategically position himself between Gavin and me. “You better just say what you need to say,” Cade warned. I was trying to remain calm for Scarlett, but with the way Gavin was acting, I was having a really hard time doing so. Just in case I really didn’t like what he had to say, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

  “Okay, just remember, I thought that you were the bad guy. When I hadn’t heard from her, I thought you must have found out and your pack had done something to her. I thought she was in danger.” Gavin stopped and looked over at his car before he continued. “The last time I talked to Scarlett she told me about your father, so when I decided to come find her, I brought him to trade,” he admitted.

  I looked at Cade. “What the fuck did he just say?”

  “He’s in the car,” Gavin clarified.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I ran over to Gavin’s car and sure as shit my dad was unconscious in the back seat. “What the hell is wrong with him?” I demanded as I pulled the door open and reached inside to feel for a pulse.

  “They’ve been keeping him sedated,” Gavin explained as he walked to the other side of the car. “I gave him a pretty big dose before I stole him, not enough to do any permanent damage; just enough so he wouldn’t wake up on the way here and try to kill me.”