Werewolf in Seattle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “The truth is, I have some information about your mother,” George said.

  “My mother?” Her resistance faltered.

  “That’s right. It’s of an intimate nature.” He shrugged. “I’m only considering your feelings.”

  Luna had suspected George knew more about her parents than he’d let on. She was hungry for any insight into the past, but if George was about to reveal something embarrassing or humiliating, she’d need time to process it before sharing it with her friends. After being a lone wolf for so many years, she instinctively protected her secrets.

  She exchanged a look with Hector, who excused himself, but told her he wouldn’t be far away if she needed him.

  Moments after they were settled in easy chairs in Geraldine’s sitting room, Janet appeared bearing a silver tray with the coffee, cups, and a basket of fragrant cookies. Janet left the tray and gave Luna’s shoulder a squeeze before she exited the room.

  Luna imagined everyone gathered in the kitchen debating what George had to say that required a private discussion. She was pretty damned curious about that, herself. After serving the coffee, she set the basket of cookies within reach of George’s chair. She’d always loved those cookies, but this afternoon they might as well be hockey pucks, because she’d lost her appetite.

  “Great atmosphere.” George drank some coffee and picked up a cookie. “I can see why MacDowell went for your plan.”

  Luna set her untouched coffee back on the antique table beside her chair. She’d chosen Geraldine’s favorite chair in hopes it would give her strength. “What did you want to tell me about my mother?”

  “First of all, you look so much like her that it’s startling.” He bit into the cookie.

  “So you knew exactly who I was from the time I walked into your office, didn’t you?”

  He nodded as he chewed his bite of cookie. Then he swallowed. “But you didn’t seem to want to acknowledge it, so I didn’t push. Maybe if you’d changed your last name and disguised your looks, you might have gotten away with this.”

  She forced herself to take a deep breath before answering. “I’m not trying to get away with anything.”

  “Aren’t you?” He skewered her with a glance, but then looked away again. “So, I could be wrong. Just because your mother was a gold-digger doesn’t mean you are, I suppose.”

  Her blood ran cold. “She was not a gold-digger.”

  “I didn’t say she was an effective gold-digger. When she realized that Byron could be disinherited because he was involved with her, she decided to cut and run, so she lost out on the gold, after all. That doesn’t change her original intent, however.”

  Luna’s nails bit into her palms. “My mother was not after the Reynaud money. I don’t know why you’re making up lies about her, but—”

  “I was there, Luna. I was Byron’s cousin and closest friend. I can testify that’s the way it was.” He chose another cookie. “And here you come along, attach yourself to a wealthy old woman who conveniently dies, and now you’re getting cozy with her heir. Like mother, like daughter.”

  Anger flowed through her like lava. “How dare you! I’m not after anyone’s money!”

  “Maybe not. But now that you’ve identified yourself as Sophie’s daughter, that’s the story that will circulate. Once it’s out there, the Were community won’t come within miles of this place. If you truly want to help Colin, you’ll go back where you came from. You’re nothing but an anchor around his neck.”

  Her chest was so tight she could barely breathe. “I know very well how that story will circulate. You’re trying to get rid of me.”

  “Bright girl.”

  “Why?” She gripped the arms of the chair. “I’m not the one standing in the way of acquiring an interest in this place. Colin has all the control.”

  “Yes, but you’re the driving force behind the project, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Once you’re gone, he’ll lose interest and decide to sell.”

  “No, he won’t. He loves Whittier House.” But the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that George was right. Colin had gone along with the inn project mostly because of her. A few years down the road, if the inn became a huge success, keeping it might be a logical business decision, but right now he was motivated primarily by his emotional ties, of which she was one.

  Without her, he might chose to sell, but she couldn’t let that happen. Her determination had very little to do with herself anymore. Now she would fight for the sake of Janet, Dulcie, Sybil, Hector, and even Geraldine, who would have hated the thought of this filthy, rotten Were getting his paws on her beloved house. And she would fight for Colin, too, who needed a connection with Whittier House whether he fully realized that or not.

  The vibration of helicopter blades overhead made them both glance up.

  George sighed. “Kids these days. Can’t follow a simple set of instructions. Well, seeing as how Knox is here already, we might as well cut this chat short. I’ve said what I came to say. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing.”

  She stood, her back straight, her gaze locked with his. “You’ve put me in a tight spot, but I’ve been in tight spots before. You can’t force me to leave. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you never own Whittier House.”

  “Stay if you must, but you’ll create huge problems for Colin if you do.” He stood and reached in his shirt pocket. “I’m betting you don’t really want to make his life tougher than it already is.” He held out an airline ticket envelope. “I’ve added a little cash for the journey.”

  Trembling with rage, she smacked the envelope from his hand. It sailed to the floor, spilling hundred-dollar bills.

  He shrugged. “I agree that cold, hard cash is a bit insulting, but I’m only trying to smooth your transition. I’ll just leave all that there, in case you change your mind.”

  “I would rather die than accept anything from y’all!”

  His eyebrows rose. “Seriously? You’re that stupid? You have no other options, Luna. If you don’t leave of your own free will, I’ll crush you like a bug, and your precious laird with you.”

  “Guess again, Trevelyan.”

  Luna’s heart slammed into her ribs and she spun toward the doorway, certain she was hallucinating. Colin couldn’t be here. He was in Scotland, thousands of miles away.

  And yet, there he stood, his furious blue gaze fastened on George Trevelyan. For the first time since she’d met the Seattle pack alpha, she felt a little sorry for him. But not much.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Luna hadn’t called him. Colin took that information like a sucker punch to the gut. She’d planned to handle George Trevelyan on her own, without his help and support. And for that, he had only himself to blame.

  Why should she call him? He’d constantly reinforced the idea that his precious obligations took precedence over her needs. He’d warned her that his life was in Scotland, not here with her.

  But the moment he’d walked into the sitting room and discovered Trevelyan there, his priorities had shifted, and they were never shifting back. Luna was the center of his existence. If that interfered with his obligations, so be it.

  George quickly covered his surprise with a genial smile. “I swear the world gets smaller every day, MacDowell. Apparently a trip across the pond is nothing more than a long commute for you.”

  Colin walked into the room. “Something like that.” There was so much he wanted to say to Luna, but he had to keep his attention on George. He flexed his hands, fighting the urge to take George apart physically. But breaking him mentally would be much more effective and wouldn’t break up the furniture.

  “If you’d told me you were coming, I’d have sent Knox over to SeaTac.”

  “No worries. I managed.” Colin had deliberately chosen a different air taxi service because he’d wanted to surprise Luna. He hadn’t realized he’d surprise George, too. Excellent bonus. “So what’s going on, here? I only caught the tail end, but it
sounded as if you were threatening my manager.”

  George adopted a regal stare. “As the Trevelyan pack alpha, it’s my job to police the Seattle Were community. Luna is a disruptive influence. It’s in everyone’s best interest, including yours, for her to leave Seattle.”

  “Nice speech.” Colin kept his voice and his gaze steady. “Is that the same one you gave Sophie twenty-eight years ago, or have you refined it since then?”

  Luna gasped, but Colin didn’t lose focus. This was a pitched battle between alphas, and maintaining eye contact was crucial. By doing that, he detected a slight flicker of an eyelid that told him George wasn’t as calm as he appeared.

  Yet George’s reply was nonchalant. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Then let me jog your memory. Twenty-eight years ago, a beautiful human female caught the attention of two Weres, cousins, in fact. The more competitive of the two was rejected in favor of the other. Rejection didn’t sit well with him. He talked the woman into leaving by claiming that if she stayed, she’d ruin her chosen sweetheart’s life.”

  A muscle in George’s cheek twitched. “Nice try, but it didn’t happen like that.”

  “Maybe not, but Edwina and Jacques remember that you took Sophie’s rejection hard. They’ve always wondered why Sophie left so abruptly. One minute she was nuts about their son, something that did worry them, by the way. But then, all at once, she hopped on a train.”

  “You’re lying.” All the affability left George’s expression. “You haven’t talked to them.”

  “Once I realized that it made no sense for Sophie to have left of her own accord when she was mated with Byron, I wondered who might have talked her into it. During a layover in Chicago, I phoned Edwina.”

  George’s eyes glittered. “Edwina’s losing it. You can’t trust anything she says.”

  “Don’t you say that about my grandmother!” Luna started toward him.

  Colin put a restraining hand on her arm. “He knows that’s not true, Luna. He’s bluffing, but it won’t work. Edwina and I had a long conversation, and we both agreed that if Byron had told anyone about mating with Sophie, it would have been his cousin, the Were he loved like a brother.”

  George’s face turned gray.

  “If I had any doubts about your role in this tragedy,” Colin continued, “your actions today erased them.”

  Luna’s breath hissed out. “You.” The word was filled with equal parts of horror and loathing. Fingers curled, she lunged at George.

  Colin grabbed her around the waist and held on tight. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”

  She struggled in his grip. “But he’s responsible for my father’s death! He deserves to pay for that!”

  “Don’t you think I pay for it every day of my cursed life?” George’s face twisted with agony.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry for you!” Luna’s breathing was ragged. “What about the price my father paid? And my mother? And my grandparents? And me?”

  “How could I know he’d go after her? I told him she didn’t love him anymore, that she didn’t want to live as a Were. Why didn’t he believe me? If he’d believed me, he’d be alive!”

  Heat came off Luna’s body in waves. “He didn’t believe you because he knew she would always love him, that they were mated for all time.”

  George began to shake. “I get that now, but back then, I didn’t understand…God…the wreck…the blood…” Burying his face in his hands, he wept.

  Colin had looked forward to this moment with relish, but now that it was here, he took no pleasure in George’s complete humiliation. He just wanted the Were out of his sight. “I’ll call Knox,” he said. “He’ll take you home.”

  “God, no.” George’s shoulders quivered. “I can’t face my son right now.”

  Luna stepped away from Colin, and he let her go. Although she might have been ready to claw George’s eyes out a moment ago, Colin didn’t think she’d do it, now.

  She took a shaky breath. “Sit down, George,” she said. “Get yourself together.”

  His eyes red and his face damp with tears, George located the chair he’d recently vacated and sank unsteadily into it. He glanced once at Luna and looked away. “Every time I see you, I see Sophie. That’s why I wanted you gone.”

  Luna folded her arms. “Let’s not forget the plan to buy Whittier House when my absence made Colin lose interest in the project. Don’t pretend it was all about your guilt.”

  George coughed. “Okay, I admit that was a consideration.” Reaching in his back pocket, he took out a handkerchief and began mopping his face. “But now I’m finished.” His whole body sagged. “Once this gets out—”

  “Maybe it doesn’t have to get out,” Luna said.

  Colin glanced at her in surprise. “Don’t forget that I’ve talked to Edwina.”

  “And how did she react?”

  “She’s upset.” He directed his attention to George. “And she expects you to atone for what you’ve done, which means clearing Sophie’s name and welcoming Luna fully into the Trevelyan pack. However, once she finds out that you tried to drive her granddaughter out of town…”

  “She’ll want my head on a platter,” George said.

  Colin nodded. “Yes, she will. And I’m prepared to hand it to her.”

  Luna looked at Colin. “But we don’t have to tell her about this.”

  “Why wouldn’t we? The bastard deserves whatever he gets.”

  “I agree, but think about it for a minute.”

  Finally he understood her intention. Although she’d been put through an emotional wringer, she’d kept her wits about her. She was even smarter than she was beautiful, and that was saying something. “No, I guess we don’t.”

  George stared at both of them in amazement. “You would do that?”

  “Yes,” Luna said, “on the condition that you throw all your support behind the Whittier House Inn, without—”

  “Done! I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll—”

  “Wait.” Luna held up her hand. “I’m not finished. Colin and I welcome your support, but there can be no more discussion of buying in. We didn’t want to be part of your empire before, and now we’d rather drink battery acid than be in business with a weasel like you.” She looked at Colin. “Right?”

  “Damn right.”

  George blew out a breath and stood. “Okay.” He offered his hand first to Luna, and then to Colin. “It’s a deal.”

  Colin shared a triumphant glance with Luna. He’d never been more proud of her, or more desperately in love.

  Luna held herself together until the helicopter lifted off the helipad, taking George Trevelyan back to Seattle. Wind from the whirling blades buffeted her as she stood next to Colin, who’d tucked his arm securely around her waist.

  As they watched the helicopter rise up over the trees, she allowed herself to lean into his solid warmth. “That was intense. Thanks for showing up.”

  He tightened his grip. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. I was willing to let Edwina and the pack take him down, but thanks to your quick thinking, we have him right where we want him—on a tight leash.”

  “Yes, but y’all handed me the leash.” Glancing up at his profile, she felt her heart constrict. He meant far more to her than he should under the circumstances. “That insight about my mother was brilliant. I wish I’d thought of it.”

  He turned, slid both arms around her waist, and gazed into her eyes. “I can’t take credit for the insight, either. My brother Duncan came up with it.”

  “Then please thank him for me. I have a much better image of my mother, now.” She rested her hands on his broad shoulders and looked into his face. She never grew tired of doing that. “And how is that situation with your brother, by the way?”

  “He’s breaking up with Molly.”

  “And you’re happy about that, I’ll bet.” So Colin had efficiently subdued his brother’s rebellious impulse. She felt a prick of disappointment.
Colin’s prejudices were still firmly in place.

  “I’m happy only because she wasn’t his true mate.”

  “You’re absolutely sure she’s not?”

  “He’s sure, and that’s what counts.”

  She nodded, but she wondered if Duncan had simply caved under pressure and told his older brother what he wanted to hear. Colin could be extremely convincing, as she knew first-hand.

  He started to say something, then shook his head and glanced away.

  “What?”

  He looked into her eyes. “I wish you’d called me when you knew George was coming. I understand why you didn’t, but I still wish you’d called to let me know.”

  “I wasn’t about to bother y’all when I didn’t know what he wanted.” This laird of Glenbarra had a lot of nerve, but then he was a pack alpha, so it probably went with the job. “Speaking of calling, I wish you’d called me to say you were flying back here, and I don’t understand that at all. Why the hell didn’t you?”

  “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Mission accomplished. I thought I was hallucinating. You had no reason to be here.”

  He pulled her closer, surrounding her with his heat, his scent, his charisma. “I had every reason to be here.” His gaze searched hers. “I’ve been an idiot, Luna. I hope someday you’ll forgive me.”

  “For what?” Something in his expression was different, and he’d never called himself an idiot before. That wasn’t particularly laird-like. She wondered what he was leading up to. Then a horrible possibility occurred to her. “Please tell me y’all didn’t sell Whittier House.”

  “No! I wouldn’t do that.”

  She let out a breath. “For I second there I was really scared. So what am I supposed to forgive, then?”

  “My arrogance, my meddling, my stubbornness, my insufferable snobbishness.”

  “Oh.” She paused while she debated whether to be honest or not. Honesty won out. “I have to admit you’re guilty of those things, but I—”

  “Just don’t reject me yet.” His plea was reflected in his amazing blue eyes. “I know I have flaws, but give me a chance to redeem myself.”