A guard came from behind the post and approached them.
Arianna took off her helmet. “It’s me, Roy. Let us through.”
Without further hesitation, the guard pushed the buttons that opened the gates. Jayson pulled his bike up and halted next to the gravel walkway beside the iron horse sculpture.
The three-car garage door was closed, but there was a light shining in a window on the first floor in her father’s office. He knew the exact location.
Jayson got off the bike, lifted her by the waist, and placed her on the ground. Her forehead was creased and her lips were pursed in uneasiness. He hated seeing her that way and preferred her smiling and worry-free. Those days were buried somewhere in their past. He’d dig as deep as he needed to in order to find them again.
“You look troubled,” he said.
“It’s because I am.” Her attention shifted from the home, and she met his gaze.
He grasped her forearm and pulled her in closer. “All this will be straightened out soon. I have the signed paperwork. You have the information on Zeldano that will give your father second thoughts about his plans.”
Arianna sighed. “I fear that even this may not be enough.”
“Don’t worry. There are other ways to fix this, but my priority right now, is you. It always has been…and always will be.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Why do you continue to push me away, Arianna? Even after what we experienced together last night.”
“Not here. I don’t want to talk about this. We had sex because we were both aroused. That’s all there is to it. Nothing more.”
His heart slammed hard against his chest. Her words hurt him, and he almost wondered if she truly meant them.
He didn’t have a chance to protest or plead his case.
Arianna pulled away from his embrace and walked up the steps toward the door. She used her key to enter the home, and turned the lights on in the foyer.
“Father,” she called out as she walked through the door.
Jayson came inside behind her, and closed the front door. He glanced around the main receiving area with its fourteen foot ceiling, walnut flooring, and traditional furnishings. Whenever he visited the Klein’s, it always left him in a damper mood with its drab neutral color scheme. It was grandeur, of course, but his style called for small, cozy, and modern.
Arianna picked up some letters on an end table and thumbed through them. She plucked one out of the bunch and tore it open.
As she read, her eyelashes gracefully brushed her cheeks. Her lips moved slightly as she scanned the letter.
Jayson wanted to kiss her lips again. He remembered the taste of them…like berries and whipped cream. It was a combination that he craved on a daily basis.
Had his wishes been granted? What had he done to deserve this fortune of having her back by his side? If only he could keep it that way. His only regret was coming together once again under these trying circumstances.
“What is he doing?” Arianna walked toward the hallway leading to the office. “Father! I need a word with you.”
“Arianna, I’m on the telephone.” Her father called out. “Come join me in my office.”
Jayson followed closely behind her as she walked down the wide hall to her father’s office. The door was cracked open slightly, and he could hear her father on the phone line. His keen sense of hearing allowed him to identify the caller on the other end as male. They were discussing the stock market.
As soon as he entered the office, Mr. Klein rose quickly from his chair. Jayson could sense a threat as well as intimidation from afar. It didn’t take him long to know that her father’s demeanor exhibited both of these.
Mr. Klein narrowed his eyes. “What is going on here?”
“I think you know,” Arianna said, stepping further into his office. “We end all of this tonight.”
“I will call you back,” Mr. Klein said into the phone and threw it on his desk. “How dare you bring him here into my home?”
Arianna folded her arms across her chest. “That’s not the issue right now.”
“What have you told him?” Her father came out from behind the desk with an enraged expression on his face.
On instinct, Jayson growled and shielded Arianna behind him. “Your temper is rising, Mr. Klein.”
His eyes bulged and his face reddened. “I told you to stay away from my daughter!”
“And I told you a very long time ago that wasn’t going to happen,” Jayson declared, firmly.
“You have some nerve coming here.”
“Father,” Arianna said, returning to Jayson’s side. “I’m here to ask you to reconsider your decision. There’s still time to fix this. I will turn this business around. You know I can.”
“No.” Mr. Klein shook his head. “This is how it has to be. You’re my daughter. You were never meant to work in this manner.”
“Why?” Arianna asked. “Because I’m not the son you’ve always wanted…?”
“I’ll explain everything…” he concentrated his gaze on Jayson “…once he leaves.”
Jayson retrieved the rolled contract from his jacket pocket. “I’ve signed the dissolution forms.” He thrust it out to Mr. Klein. “I’ll contact the bank in the morning when they first open. Your share of the funds will be wired to you.”
Mr. Klein frowned and appeared to bite at the corner of his mouth before accepting the contract. He snatched it. “It took you long enough.”
“Father, you’re making a mistake.” This time Arianna moved to stand directly in front of her father.
“You don’t understand now, Arianna, but you will in time.” Mr. Klein moved to sit back behind his desk.
“I will never understand why you are doing this. Zeldano is a crook. He’s conned hundreds of businessmen out of their hard-earned dollars. You know this much, and you still want to move forward with this.”
“Arianna! Not another word.” Mr. Klein crumbled a piece of paper between his fists.
“He will do the same with you,” she continued.
“What you will do right now is lead Mr. Truman back to the pound where he belongs—”
Jayson growled and threw himself forward. If it wasn’t for Arianna, who blocked him from going any further, he probably would have wrung her father’s thick neck.
This time he bit into his bottom lip and took deep breaths until his blood rage reached a safer lever.
Arianna loosened her grip on him and turned back to her father. “I will have no part in this.”
“This is not a mistake. Everything has been finalized. And it has been that way since the day you were born.”
“What?” she gawked.
“You heard me. The deal was not inked by the pen, but by blood.”
“You’ve known about this…?” Arianna backed away her hands over her mouth.
Mr. Klein gripped the edges of his desk. “This ensures that our family name lives on.”
“No.”
“You deceived my father this whole time.” Jayson’s head spun as reality sunk in. “You’ve been planning this for twenty-seven years?”
“It was not deception,” Mr. Klein snapped. “Sooner or later, the partnership would have ended. I’m surprised that my relationship with your family had lasted this long…all because of a piece of paper signed long ago by your great-grandfather. I made plans—and did what I had to do—for the sake of my family.”
“Undo this! Everything. Now,” Arianna ordered her father.
Her father’s facial expression softened, but only for a moment. “I cannot.”
Arianna stormed out of the room, leaving Jayson standing alone with the man he’d put up with for over a decade. He was gratified to be free of the partnership and employment contract, but there would be no celebration as he’d anticipated.
“You’re doing a grave disservice to your family, as well as your daughter,” Jayson said.
“You’ve been brainwashing Arianna all t
hese years,” Mr. Klein barked back, and his irises clouded over in gold. “I warned you to stay away from her. Sometimes verbal warnings aren’t really enough.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Call it what you will,” Mr. Klein said, firmly.
Jayson turned and left the office.
He didn’t have time to exchange threats. Arianna needed him now more than ever. If he could only convince her that he would be there for her, no matter what. Jayson was concerned with her well-being. Nothing else mattered.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“How long have they been living here, exactly?” Arianna asked, observing the recently built cottage as Jayson parked his motorcycle under a tall oak tree.
The home was one story, but predominantly large and situated in the middle of the clearing in the forest. It was built on the outskirts of the Caedmon village where the houses were spaced further apart. Two columns flanked the front entrance leading up to a covered wrap-around porch. It was a traditional, yet elegant estate. One that you could certainly lounge around in for days—without being bothered.
Jayson helped her off the bike. “About a month after Devin signed the law welcoming the human branch back into the Pack, the home was completed. They wasted no time moving out of the Caedmon mansion.”
If there was only one thing their present leader, Devin Caedmon, was known for, it was his reserved nature. She couldn’t blame him. The town where the Caedmon village resided was small. Although, Arianna was not as high profile as the pack Alpha himself, she cherished privacy as well. It was one of the reasons why she’d decided to leave the town to pursue a higher education once she graduated high school.
“And his wife…she’s human, right?”
He chuckled. “Right. Don’t worry, we won’t bite.”
Arianna had only known Devin Caedmon as a teenager. They were a good eight years apart, and she was too young then to care about the rumors and scandals surrounding the royal family. It wasn’t until later, when Devin was banished from the pack by his own father, did she learn who he really was. Of course, even back then, news was always slow getting over to the human side of the fence. For loyal human Caedmon, like Arianna, that had changed. In the new Alpha’s eyes, they were all equal. Yet, she was still having second thoughts about facing him.
“I don’t know about this anymore,” she said. “I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
He took her hand. “It’s important that Devin knows what’s going on. Zeldano has also been a threat to us for some time now. You know that more than I do.”
“I could be putting the rest of my family in danger. We risk losing the support of the Alpha.”
“No, you won’t lose him,” Jayson said. “Devin’s not like that. You’ll see.”
Arianna looked back at the cozy cottage again. This time, a light had been turned on over the front door. Someone already knew they were there.
She grasped Jayson’s hand as they walked up the steps onto the porch. Moments after they rang the bell, Devin opened the door.
Arianna couldn’t help herself as she stared at the man she hadn’t seen in over a decade. He was just as she expected him to be. Huge, but handsome. His whole body took up the small space of the doorway. His green eyes sparkled as he peered intently at both Jayson and her. There was a regal manner of danger about him. He had the kind of look on his face that warned anyone not to cross him. She’d heard about him and his recent battle with his cousin, Darius. The outcome had earned him more respect and people began to pay more attention to his silent, but deadly reputation.
“Jayson,” Devin said, finally. His eyebrows drew together when he looked at Arianna again. “Miss.”
“Arianna Klein,” she said.
One of Devin’s eyebrows arched sharply in surprise, and he held out his hand. “The daughter of Anthony Klein? Blood relative of the first human Caedmon.”
“Correct.” She took his hand and shook it.
“I felt the spirit within you…sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier.”
Arianna shook her head. “No need to apologize.”
“Come in.” Devin stepped aside. “I can’t begin to imagine what brings you here this late in the evening, Jayson.”
They stepped inside the cozy cottage and Devin took their jackets.
“News,” Jayson said, placing his hand on the small of her back.
“Doesn’t sound like good news,” Devin said.
“There is really no such thing as good news anymore. I’m sorry to bother you but this couldn’t wait.”
Devin led them to a large family room with a massive sectional. He turned on several lamps to lighten up the dark interior.
At that moment, a tall woman entered the room. Her dark brown hair was piled up on top her head in a bun. She wore a men’s flannel shirt and pants. When she saw them, her hands went to her mouth in surprise. “I didn’t know there were guests.”
Jayson stood, and nodded. “Tamara.”
“Jayson, is that you?” The woman smiled. “It’s been so long.” She came out to greet them.
Tamara was beautiful, from head to toe, even in her choice of attire. Compared to Devin, she was as delicate as a fairy.
“It’s me,” Jayson said, holding out his arms to offer Tamara a hug. “I’d like you to—”
In the blink of an eye, Devin had crossed the room. He moved Tamara out of Jayson’s grasp, and growled deeply.
The hairs stood on the back of Arianna’s neck and her palms grew hot in alarm.
Jayson’s body grew tense beside her, and she could literally feel the wolf spirit responding on instinct to Devin’s warning.
“Devin.” Tamara placed a hand on Devin’s chest in an attempt to calm him. “I’m fine. He meant no harm.”
“Excuse me.” Devin’s frown faded. “I shouldn’t have acted that way.”
Jayson took a deep breath in, then whispered, “She’s pregnant.”
Arianna’s eyes widened and her gaze dropped to Tamara’s belly. If Devin’s mate was pregnant, she certainly showed no signs of it. Then again, the oversized shirt she wore could have hidden just about anything.
Devin’s wolf had taken charge and its protective instincts kicked in upon seeing his pregnant mate touched by another. Pheromone levels were high in the room. Why hadn’t she sensed it before? Arianna could now feel it down in her very bones. Devin would remain extremely protective—and dangerous—until Tamara delivered. Keeping his offspring alive and his mate healthy was the Alpha’s main priority right now. Even the slightest threat could push his wolf over the edge.
“We confirmed that she was carrying just last week,” Devin said. “It hasn’t been announced yet.”
“I was wrong. There is good news.” Jayson smiled. “Congratulations.”
“I’m Arianna.” Arianna held out her hand to Devin’s mate.
“Call me Tamara.” She took her hand and squeezed lightly.
Although, Arianna had been out of town on business at the time of Devin and Tamara’s wedding, she heard great things about her. Not only was she mate and wife to their leader, she was also a valued citizen in the Caedmon village. It was rumored that she now volunteered at the village school as a teacher. As a human, she’d earned a coveted position in the community, which said a lot about her character.
“We won’t stay long. Arianna and I have had a long day,” Jayson said as they sat down on the sectional, both couples facing each other.
“I understand.” Devin nodded. “You may spend the night here, if you like. It’s a long way back into town.”
“Thanks for the offer, but we plan to head back to the city.” Jayson ran his fingers nervously through his hair. “I finally did it, Devin. I’ve cashed out. Klein and Truman, LP is no more.”
There was a long silence before Devin spoke. “This outcome has been a long time coming, but you don’t seem happy about it.”
“I had selfish reasons for delaying…” Jayson stole a sideways glance at Arianna.
“What I did not expect was that Mr. Klein had selfish reasons for rushing the dissolution of the partnership.”
“There are always selfish reasons where money is concerned,” Devin said.
“Do you remember Zeldano?” Jayson asked.
Devin focused, his eyes forming slits. “Which one? Luther or the son, Ivan?”
“In this case, both.”
Arianna swallowed, as her heart beat rapidly. She was relieved that Jayson was doing all of the talking. Her tongue was tied. She was fearful of what Devin would think of her and her family now.
“Ever since the creation of the Caedmon Council, one Zeldano male had always served on it…until halfway into my father’s reign as Alpha.” Devin laced his fingers together and sat back against the sofa. “I remember it all and how it went down. Luther was my father’s Second-in-Command. There was an issue about the amount of royalties he would receive while on the Council. This was never resolved. My father was too busy with other things to make amends. The entire Zeldano family broke away from our pack on bad terms.” He cleared his throat. “Why do you bring this up?”
“Mr. Klein intends to partner with the Zeldanos,” Jayson stated.
Devin’s full attention shifted to Arianna. All eyes were suddenly on her. Blood rushed to her face from being in the spotlight, and she shifted in her chair.
“Why are you afraid of me?” Devin asked.
“It’s not you who I’m afraid of.”
“Of whom?”
“Of no one,” she professed, meeting his feral gaze. “I’m afraid of what you will do to my father.”
His lips formed a grim line. “Then you understand that it is against Caedmon law to transpire against us while still doing business among us.”
“Yes.” Arianna swallowed and hung her head low.
“And you stand against your father in his plans?” Devin asked.
“I believe my father is ill, and that he’s acted in desperation. I don’t want him to do this.”
“How long have you known about this?” he continued to grill her.
Wolf's Kingdom: (COBRA Coalition) (Caedmon Wolves Book 8) Page 38
