“She loves you.”
Carter nodded. He knew how she felt about him without her saying the words.
Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. If he kept trudging down this path, he’d be in the exact same place he’d been before. He’d be alone, filling a void in his heart with mindless dates and ditzy women who didn’t mean anything to him. He’d worked so hard to avoid any kind of emotional attachment, he hadn’t realized that he’d created a relationship with Faith even before they were married. He loved having her in his life. He needed her. He didn’t want to lose her over something as stupid as his trust issues, especially if there was a chance that their bond could be stronger than the first he’d experienced.
Deep in his gut, hard knots of anxiety bounced around like balls in a pinball machine. He longed to be with Faith, to protect her and care for her like no one had before. He wanted to watch sunsets from the swing on his back porch. He wanted to run as wolves through the forest after dinner and then curl up in front of the fire and make love. More than all that, he wanted to grow old with her.
And she wanted all of that, too. He felt her love for him so deeply it hurt.
“I think I’ve ruined everything,” he said, as the fear set in. “It might be too late.”
“When it comes to true love, it’s never too late.” Jameson handed Carter his phone. “Invite her to your ceremony tonight.”
Carter smiled as a plan came to light. “No, I have a better idea.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Faith spun the note in her hand and read it for the hundredth time:
I’m taking you out. After what happened with Carter, you could use a break. Dress warm. I’ll pick you up at eight.
~ Tracy
Sighing, Faith shoved her arms into her coat and shot a sideways glance at the clock.
Eight on the nose.
She really didn’t feel like going out. Cuddling up with a fuzzy blanket and carton of Chunky Monkey sounded much better.
A car honked from the driveway.
“Gotta go, boy.” She gave Humperdinck’s back a loving scratch. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
He gazed up at her, his honey-brown eyes filled with warmth.
“We’re going to be okay, you and me,” she said, fully aware she was talking to herself as much as the dog. “Everything’s going to be all right. Better than all right.”
She’d had a rough few weeks, struggling to get Carter out of her head. They should’ve never gotten married. Maybe then he’d still be in her life, texting her suggestions for their movie night on Friday.
“No,” she said aloud. “That wouldn’t have worked for long.”
She would’ve gone crazy watching him date woman after woman, and then listening to him talk about why those relationships weren’t working. She would’ve wanted more, eventually. She would’ve made a move. She would’ve wanted to be with him the way she did now.
At least she was stable. In the future, she wouldn’t need to do something crazy like freaking marry someone to be able to support her brother, her only family. Her blog was now a full-fledged, up-and-running website. Have a Little Faith had gotten a major face-lift. Comments and views reached heights she never could have dreamed.
She’d even received an email about adopting Humperdinck. The man was from Portland, sounded sincere—like he loved animals—and wanted to surprise his wife with the dog she’d always wanted. After she returned tonight, she’d reply to his email and arrange a meeting.
The car honked a second time.
She locked up her front door and spun around, covering her mouth with her hand. A limo was parked in the driveway and a man dressed in a tuxedo held the rear door open.
“Ms. Griffin?” he asked flatly.
“Yes?”
This couldn’t be right. Why would Tracy send a limo?
“Tracy asked me to deliver a message. She says she’ll meet you at your destination.”
She walked down the porch, the sound of her boots striking wood echoing through the forest. “And where would that be?”
“I’m not obliged to say just yet.”
“I see.” Hesitantly, she slid into the limo. “Are we—”
He shut the door before she could finish, and left the glass wall between them locked in the up position. She settled in for the drive, gazing out the tinted windows as the city swept by them. An hour later, she’d guzzled the water in the console, eaten the nuts in the complimentary mini-bags, and had knocked on the security glass until her hands hurt.
Where the hell was Tracy taking her?
As they pulled off the road near a sign that read Welcome to Wallace Falls State Park, Faith sat back, searching for signs of her friend. Instead, car after car lined the road and filled a large parking lot. A couple strode by them, hand in hand. She didn’t need the windows down to pick up the scent—the vents allowed enough air into the cab.
There were werewolves here. Lots of them. Realization hit—the promotion ceremony.
The car stopped and the driver walked around the hood to open her door.
“This way, ma’am,” he said.
What the hell was going on? Tracy was oblivious to the workings of the Seattle Wolf Pack. She wouldn’t have wanted to bring Faith here, among a bunch of wolves, to the pack’s promotion ceremony.
“Son of a…” She pulled her cell out of her bag to call Tracy, the conniving snot. She must’ve talked to Carter and arranged for her to be brought here to watch him get promoted.
No bars, no service.
She put her hands on her hips. “Can’t believe she did this behind my back.”
“Ma’am?” the driver asked.
“Is Tracy seriously meeting me here?”
“No, ma’am.” Smirking, the driver pointed to a dirt path lined with roping white lights. “But you have someone waiting for you that way.”
Yeah, that someone was Carter. Had to be. Her stomach turned at the thought of seeing him. She could be strong and independent, stand on her own two feet and face the future alone…as long as she didn’t meet those dreamy eyes of his. One look in them and she seemed to lose herself. On second thought, when she was with him, she felt more like herself than she had with anyone else. He brought out the best in her. A month with him and she had become the woman she’d always wanted to be.
Why would he bring her here? Did he think she would’ve declined if he’d come right out and asked? She probably would’ve, which meant he knew her stubborn streak well, but still. He was her friend, and this night meant a lot to him, which meant it was special for her, too.
Before she could think about what that meant, she crossed the tree line and strode into the forest where streams of moonlight broke the canopy over her head. Mrs. Owens appeared from around a tree, startling her.
“Glad you could make it, sweetheart,” she said, reaching out to hold Faith’s hand. “This is such a huge moment for your husband!”
“Yes…it is, isn’t it?”
Oh how flippin’ wonderful—he hadn’t told them. He was planning on going through with the ceremony, earning the position he’d clawed for, fang and nail. To hell with how awkward this might’ve been for her, right?
Class-A jerk.
“You know what,” Faith said, “I left my coat in the car.”
She turned back, but Mrs. Owens caught her arm. “We’ll be in wolf form soon enough, my dear. To witness the ceremony, you have to shift first.”
Faith got the drift. With a coat of fur, she wouldn’t be cold.
Mrs. Owens took her by the arm and led her down the dimly lit path. “There is a large turnout tonight,” she said, winding through the tress. “Over fifty packmates arrived. Carter is still meeting with the captain, but as soon as they’re finished negotiating his pay and other details of the position, the ceremony will begin.”
Yeah, that sounded fair, uh-huh. Negotiate a hefty paycheck while Faith stood out in the cold and acted like nothing had happened betw
een them.
When would he tell them she moved out? she wondered. Probably not until long after he’d secured his position.
Faith smiled and patted Mrs. Owens’s arm, playing the part of a doting wife. “I’m so proud of him. He’s worked so hard for this.”
Her stomach panged as she realized she spoke the truth. She was proud of him. He had worked hard for this job, giving up his mornings, evenings, and weekends. He’d kept his eye on his goal, and had never wavered, not once.
His determination was admirable.
As the path ended at a giant clearing, Faith sucked in a short breath. Red, white, and black roses were everywhere: littering the floor, in giant stands beside a stone altar, in vases on a dozen tables.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Mrs. Owens crooned. “Veronica Vale-Black Event Planning took care of the details. She’s just amazing. Oh! There she is over there.” She pointed to a thin, wispy little thing in a lacy black dress arranging a floral arrangement on a nearby table. “She’s newly transitioned, married to our Alpha’s head of security, Logan Black. Looks like he and the Alpha have some unfinished business. Hope nothing’s wrong with security for tonight’s ceremony.”
Faith followed her line of sight. Logan and Drake, Seattle Wolf Pack’s Alpha, talked near the altar, leaning over its stone top. They weren’t the only two werewolves in the clearing with unfinished business.
Once she got hold of Carter, she was going to—
“And there’s Nate and his wife—isn’t she lovely?” Mrs. Owens leaned close and whispered. “They just arrived, minutes before you did. It’s my understanding that our Alpha intends to open up a second position for Nate, as well. I caught wind that it’ll happen sometime next year. I just can’t get over how gorgeous she is.”
Faith bit her lip. Paisely was undeniably Sports Illustrated cover model material. But that was all right, because Faith could cook and train dogs and start up an online business with nothing but her determination. She may not have been thin like Paisely, but she had curves, and men loved them. Well, Carter seemed to enjoy them, anyway. And Paisely may have had unblemished milky-white skin, but there was nothing unique about her. Nothing that showed the depth brewing beneath the surface.
Faith drew her hair back over her shoulders, exposing the scar on her neck. The mark was a battle wound—one she’d wear with pride, from here on out. She’d gone through hell and soul-staggering depression when she’d lost her parents. But she’d made it and come out on the other side stronger than before.
“Yes,” Faith agreed, holding her head high. “Paisely is absolutely stunning.”
Yet not for one second did Faith want to switch shoes with the floozy. Especially not while Paisely was wearing those fugly purple stiletto ankle-rollers.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Drake Wilder, the Alpha of the Seattle Wolf Pack, announced from the altar. He dwarfed the stone, his six-foot-gigantic frame hovering over it. His hair was longer than when she’d seen it last, dark and slicked back, and his eyes were wide, nearly black. At his side, his wife, Emelia, smiled brightly. She looked amazing, for having given birth to their third child—a boy, named Russell Drake Wilder Jr.—a few months before. “I received word from the captain that he and Mr. Griffin are ready for the promotion ceremony to begin. We will eat at the tables behind us promptly after the ceremony, but first, the wolves must descend.”
Faith shivered as she watched the crowd shift in the moonlight. Wolves of all shapes and sizes shed their clothes as fur blanketed their bodies. They dropped to all fours, snouts elongating and muscles bulking up. Some were small and sleek, while others were burly and robust.
Glancing at the waning moon, Faith brushed her hands over her arms and willed the moon’s energy to whisper through her. Body humming, she let the urge to shift overtake her, balled all the energy swirling in her gut into a ball, and pushed outward.
The shift from woman to wolf happened quickly, but not as quickly as others. Mrs. Owens was already in wolf form, her back covered in light fur that matched the color of her hair. She sat back on her haunches, arched her neck, and howled at the moon.
The others followed, crying violently at the golden orb hanging low in the sky. They approached the altar, stalking side by side, providing little room for Faith to see the front. Drake stood taller than the rest, his fur midnight black and glossy.
Proud members of the Seattle Wolf Pack, welcome! Their Alpha spoke through the pack’s process of mindspeak. We have gathered together on this glorious night to witness a promotion in our pack. Carter Griffin, a tireless enforcer in our bureau, will become one of our distinct detectives. He vows to protect each and every one of you. Without further ado, I give you Mr. Carter Griffin!
They cried out once more, their howls echoing in the night.
Out of the corner of her eye, Faith spotted Carter, the ridge of his back high, his ice-blue eyes a piercing contrast against his black fur.
He approached the altar, faced the members of the pack in attendance, and then bowed, his nose to the ground.
I’m honored to be chosen for the position of detective within the bureau, he projected. But there’s something I must confess before the ceremony goes any further.
Faith’s interest was piqued. She weaved through the crowd toward the altar.
Contrary to what I’ve led the officials in the bureau believe, Faith Hamilton and I didn’t marry for love, Carter said. She agreed to marry me so that I had a better shot at getting this position.
The wolves in the crowd buzzed with shock. Mindspeak inundated Faith’s thoughts until she couldn’t hear her own.
Carter scanned the faces in the crowd, and when his gaze landed on hers, her heart clenched.
I understand the reasons that the bureau desires its high-ranking officials to be mated, he continued, and for that reason, I cannot accept the promotion. Nate Ramsey, the other candidate who is here tonight, should get the job. Under the circumstances, he’s more deserving of the position than I am.
Carter was going to hand the job over to Nate? Just like that? Why? She was playing the part. He could’ve easily gone along with the ruse, accepted the position, and moved on. They could’ve dealt with the ramifications of their divorce later.
But there is more that needs to be said. An apology that needs to be heard. He projected loudly above the dissention of the crowd. His gaze gripped her; she couldn’t look away, no matter how she tried. Faith, what I said to you when we got in that big fight…I was right.
That’s not exactly the best way to apologize, she answered back.
His mouth widened into an awkward smile. I didn’t ask for you to take cooking classes, for the dog kennels to clutter the back lawn, or for Humperdinck to take such a liking to me. I didn’t ask for you to exercise or entertain anyone. I was absolutely right.
She titled her head and tsked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Not doing any better.
I’m not finished… His voice reverberated through her head, rich and thick, drowning out every other thought in the pack. I didn’t ask for your sweet scent to linger in my house, for you to pop into my head whenever I think of something funny to say. I didn’t ask for you to make me laugh, to be the greatest lover I’ve ever had. I didn’t ask for you to be my mate, though you are, Faith. You have to know what you are to me. You’re everything: my best friend, my wife, my soul mate, and the very best part of me.
As her throat squeezed, disbelief rooted in her mind. Carter hadn’t said the exact words before, but he’d sweet-talked her a dozen times. She was dead tired of allowing him to use her emotions as his personal yo-yo.
It was going to take something really extreme to make her open up and go back to him.
If I can’t be with you, none of this means anything. You’re the reason I got the job…I don’t want it without you. He stepped off the altar and pushed through the crowd. Hell, I don’t want to live a single day without you at my side.
He approached her, the crowd
parting, staring. And when he reached her side, he burrowed his head against her neck. I love you, Faith. I love you more than I’ve ever loved another. You were in front of me the entire time, but I was too stupid and too blind to see you. You were, and have always been, the woman fated for me.
She wobbled, her legs and will weakening together.
And I know you love me too, even if you haven’t said the words. His voice was soft, tender, a caress against the fur on her neck. I pray that you can find it in your heart to take me back. If you can’t forgive me for being such an ass, I’ll spend every single day of the rest of my life trying to convince you that we belong together.
I don’t know what to say. She cast her thoughts, struggling to hold back the emotion bubbling inside her.
I know exactly what to say. Drake interrupted, standing behind the altar. The packmates went quiet. Carter, from what I’ve seen tonight, there is no reason why you have to sacrifice your position in the bureau.
He lied! Nate Ramsey’s thoughts hurled from the back of the crowd. How can you push him up the ranks if you can’t trust him?
Drake’s dark gaze met Carter’s. Because he revealed the truth to us now, when it meant the most. He could have taken the position and run with it, yet he didn’t. He came forward in front of the members of the pack gathered tonight, and that takes courage. However, if Carter believes Nate is a worthier candidate, perhaps we should reconsider our stance to accept only one detective into our ranks. Nate, please come forward.
He shouldered through the crowd and joined Drake at the front.
Carter’s captain stepped forward to address the crowd. Carter Griffin, you were up for this position once before, and were turned down due to being in an unstable state. The captain eyed Faith carefully. Although you claim not to be married in heart to this woman, we can sense that you’ve mated. We sense your desire for her and hers for you. It’s clear to see that the bond you share together has strengthened you. What I see beneath the moon tonight is a different man than the unstable one we met years ago—one who is determined to walk a path of honesty, integrity, and courage. We’d be happy to have such a werewolf promoted in our bureau.
So I Married a Werewolf (Entangled Covet) Page 19
