“I’m happy with the way things are.”
No, not really. But the secret had gone on so long that to let it out now might do more harm than good.
Chapter 25
“¿Dónde has estado?” Lincoln used the remote to turn off the television. He’d been texting Damien to call or come home ever since Angeline had left for work.
“No estamos en servicio activo.” Damien closed the front door. “I don’t have to report to you.”
“I’m an officer. And active duty or not, you would report to me if you were still a Dogman.”
Damien’s face reddened and the jagged scar along his cheek turned a blackish-purple. “Don’t get all high and mighty. You’re on your way out of the Program, too.”
“Not yet.”
“Oh, Somalia.” Damien waggled his hands. “Do you really think the Program is going to put you in a hot zone? They’re jerking you around, man.”
“I’m headed to Munich tomorrow night. My orders say I’m going back to Somalia.”
“Who at HQ fucked up?” Damien dropped into the living room chair. “You’re missing a goddamn leg!”
“This one works fine.” Lincoln tapped his knuckles against the stump cup.
“You’re going back for that kid, aren’t you?”
“I won’t leave him behind.”
The muscles in Damien’s jaw flexed. “How did you convince HQ to actually put you back in?”
“Brice has connections to the Woelfesenat. And I asked him to put in a good word for me.”
“He’s got that much sway?”
“I guess someone on the Council owed him a favor.” Lincoln knew Damien well enough to know the wheels were already turning in his mind. “Brice won’t help you get reinstated.”
“You know that for a fact, do you?”
“He’s the one who told me that you were discharged and why.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Damien snarled. “They had no right to kick me out.”
“You suffered a head injury and refused treatment. If you can’t prove mental and physical fitness for duty, you get booted.”
“HQ is letting you back in and you’re missing a leg.”
“I have to take the physical readiness test.” Lincoln hoped the training he’d been doing would pay off. Otherwise he’d be sidelined and it would be a crapshoot as to whether or not Dayax trusted an unfamiliar extraction team enough to go with them rather than going wolf and running away. “I’m flying out of Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. I’d like you to come with me.”
“For what?”
“HQ is better equipped to help you deal with your injuries.”
“Then why didn’t they fix my face?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they would have if you’d undergone the psych treatment.”
“My brain works fine. I’m not going to become one of their lab rats.”
“So you’d rather leave the Program for good?”
“Yes.” The flicker in Damien’s eyes betrayed him.
“Why didn’t you go home?”
“Yeah,” he scoffed. “Going home a washout isn’t high on my list of things to do this year.”
“So you tracked me down for what? To reminisce about the good ol’ days?”
“I thought—” Damien snapped his mouth shut and stared hard at Lincoln. “Doesn’t matter now.”
“You were looking for a place to fit in and, since I’m here, you thought Walker’s Run might welcome you, too.” Lincoln knew he’d guessed right by the surprised look on Damien’s face. “They might, but if you want to stay, you’ll have to get the counseling recommended by the Program.”
“You’re the one who had the meltdown yesterday.” Damien shook his head. “Yet I’m the one who needs therapy.”
“I met with a psychologist and I agreed to follow her recommendations because I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“A little late for that, don’t you think?” Damien snorted.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what happened. But I’m not entirely at fault. I gave a specific order. Lila, you and the rest of the team chose to ignore it. I can’t undo my decision any more than you can undo yours.”
Damien responded with silence.
“Once I return from Somalia, I’m retiring. I plan to make Walker’s Run my home.”
“Because of her?”
“If you’re referring to Angeline, then yes.”
“What is it about the she-wolf that has you so wrapped up in homesteading?”
“She’s my true mate.” From the moment Tanner had given Lincoln the photograph, he unknowingly had been on a path leading him straight to her.
“And HQ thinks I’m the crazy one.” Laughing harshly, Damien rolled his eyes. “You’re a Dogman. How can you think of being anything but that?”
“Because after this mission, the Program doesn’t want me and I’ve found someone who does.” Not once in the last fifteen years did Lincoln have the courage to dream of a happy ending with the woman in the photo. To him, she had been as ethereal as an angel. And too good for the likes of him.
Then he’d met the real flesh-and-blood woman—strong, sassy and independent—and had fallen madly in love with her, not the photograph.
“What about me?” Damien’s voice rose and bitterness laced his tone.
“Your whole life is ahead of you. You can go anywhere, do anything.”
“The only thing I’ve ever wanted to be is a Dogman.”
“Me, too.” Lincoln’s heart squeezed at the anguish in the young man’s face.
“It isn’t fair.”
“No one ever said it was. But we’re trained to adapt to any situation. This is no different, for either of us.”
“So you’re adapting by taking a mate and settling down?”
“Yeah.”
“Lame, man. So lame. With your skills you could get contract work with any pack in the world.”
“I’m settling in Walker’s Run. It’s time I learned a new set of skills.” Such as how to be a good mate and father.
“Such a waste.” Damien stood, his face twisted into a grotesque mask of disgust and despair. “I need some air.”
“Hey,” Lincoln called out before Damien reached the door, “I’m staying with Angeline tonight and leaving tomorrow afternoon. But Tristan doesn’t mind if you squat here until you figure things out.”
“Gee, thanks.” Sarcasm weighted Damien’s words.
“Walker’s Run is a great place and you’ve made friends among the sentinels. Give some thought about staying. If you agree to follow a treatment plan, this could become your home, too. You could make a good life here.”
Damien answered with a derisive snort and slight head shake. He left, closing the door with a quiet click, which unsettled Lincoln more than a resounding slam would have.
Lincoln started to go after Damien, but the kid had a lot to process and needed some space. If Lincoln had been sidelined so early in his career, he might not have reacted very well, either. Hopefully, Damien would see what lay before him as an opportunity rather than as a dead end. Because a Dogman with no options could quickly turn feral. And Lincoln didn’t want to be forced into putting down one of his own.
* * *
I’m going to be a mother!
The roar of the Friday night crowd at Taylor’s could not drown out that one singular thought in Angeline’s mind.
Mixed emotions jumbled her nerves and caused her stomach to clench. She had no idea how to be a mother. Being a fantastic aunt was what she knew, and Angeline made a conscious effort to shower her nieces and nephews with as much love and attention as she could muster. But from her own experiences, she realized that an aunt was not the same as a mother. Miriam had been a strong and loving influence in Ang
eline’s life and they had forged a close bond, but their relationship had never pinnacled that of a parent and child.
She wondered how the relationship between her and Dayax would evolve. Mother. Aunt. Or something else.
Regardless, she would do her best to help Lincoln raise him.
“Angeline!”
“Hmm?” She glanced at Avery, the bartender.
“Your drink order is ready.” She pointed to the four tap beers and one specialty bottle on the bar.
“Thanks.” Angeline began placing the drinks on the round tray in her hands.
“Are you okay?” Avery dropped ice cubes into two round glasses. “You haven’t seemed yourself all night.”
“I’m fine, just have a lot on my mind.” With drink order in hand, Angeline squirmed through the swell of people around the bar and headed toward the tables.
“Here you go.” She placed the glasses in front of the off-duty sentinels and the bottle in front of Reed. “Is Damien coming?”
Since his arrival, Damien seemed to have bonded with several of the sentinels who were close in age.
“He might come later,” Shane said. “He’s training with Zach.”
“Why? Lincoln has been working with him.” Angeline didn’t like the idea of her younger cousin joining the Dogman program, but since he was dead-set on it, she trusted that Lincoln would help him prepare.
“Lincoln spazzed out. Zach got freaked. Can’t say that I blame him,” Shane said.
“Give Lincoln some slack,” Reed snapped. “You have no idea what it’s like to—” He sealed any further words behind firmly pressed lips, picked up his ale bottle and left the table.
The color in Shane’s face faded and he stared hard at his glass. An awkward silence blanketed the table. Likely, they were all remembering that only a few months ago, Reed had faced his own mortality at the end of a poacher’s shotgun. And he hadn’t quite gotten over it yet.
“Shake it off, guys,” Angeline said. “Lincoln and Reed need understanding, not pity. Besides, we all have things that get to us from time to time.”
Lance, a newly deputized sentinel, raised a toast and the young men’s spirits seemed to lift. Except for Shane, who picked up his glass and joined Reed at the bar.
“I’ll check on you guys later.” Angeline left to attend her other tables.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur, with the pace not slowing until closing.
Slumped in the booth she’d been cleaning, Angeline propped her feet on the opposite seat and closed her eyes, feeling like she could sleep for a week. Of course, she couldn’t. Once she got home, she wanted to spend every waking second with Lincoln. Not that they had many left before he had to leave for Atlanta.
Though he promised not to be gone long, she had a nagging feeling things wouldn’t go as smoothly as he predicted.
“Hon, why don’t you go on home?” Jimmy squeezed her shoulder.
“I haven’t finished cleaning my stations.” She hid a yawn.
“We’ll take care of it.” Her uncle held out his hand to help her stand. “You all right to drive home?”
“I’m tired, not drunk. I just need some coffee.”
“There might be a pot on in the kitchen.” Jimmy picked up the cloth from the table and began wiping down the seats.
“Thanks.” Angeline headed to the kitchen, swallowing the urge to ask for Saturday night off. She and Lincoln had discussed her accompanying him to the airport but he’d decided it would be too difficult to say goodbye at the terminal and preferred to make the near three-hour drive alone.
After pouring the last of the coffee into a large to-go cup, Angeline put on her coat, said good-night to the late-night staff, went out the back door and walked to her car. The chilly night air wasn’t as cold as it had been last week, but it was still frosty enough for her to appreciate the car heater.
Sitting behind the steering wheel, she jabbed the key into the ignition and turned it, expecting the vehicle to roar to life. Sadly, it didn’t.
She tried again and got the same result. “Damn battery.”
At least she wasn’t stranded. Jimmy and the others were still inside the restaurant.
Leaning across the middle console, she reached for her purse on the passenger side floorboard.
Rap, rap, rap!
A squeal accompanied Angeline’s startled jump. Twisting in the seat, she saw Damien outside the car, his face peering in the window.
“Everything okay?”
Angeline took a calming breath. “The battery is dead.”
“Want a lift?” Damien looked perfectly decent, but a creepy-crawly sensation rose from her clenched stomach. “I’m parked over there.” He pointed to the car near the light.
“A jump would be better,” she said. “I have cables in the trunk.”
“I’ll bring the car around.” Damien jogged across the parking lot.
Guilt replaced the uneasy feeling she had. Damien had never actually done anything to warrant her distrust. Still, she remained inside, instead of climbing out to get the cables.
He parked in front of her vehicle and opened his hood. “Pop the trunk,” he said, walking past her window.
Obediently, she pressed the button to unlock the trunk, then pulled the lever to open the hood. Damien worked quietly and quickly. In only a few minutes he called out for her to crank the engine.
The car roared to life. Shortly afterward, he closed both hoods and returned the jumper cable to her trunk.
“I’ll follow you out,” he said, walking past her window without stopping.
“You really are a nice guy, Damien Marquez.” Dismissing the annoying nag in her mind, Angeline waited for him to get into his car before backing out of the parking space and driving home.
Chapter 26
The first time Lincoln had knocked on Brice Walker’s front door, his life had been in chaos. Now, only a few short weeks later, he knocked at the door again with a clear hope for the future.
He squeezed Angeline’s hand, and she looked up at him. The fragile smile on her lips tugged his heart as much as the reticence in her eyes at attending a Saturday-morning brunch at the Alpha-in-waiting’s home.
Brice opened the door. Almost immediately they were greeted with a high-pitched squeal and the fast patter of tiny feet headed toward them.
“Link-ed!” Arms wide-open, Brenna headed straight for him.
Brice swiped her up and gave her a stern look. “Manners.”
“Puh-leez, comes in.” Brenna waved her arm, motioning them inside the house.
Lincoln’s hand gravitated to Angeline’s lower back, guiding her to enter ahead of him.
Brenna tapped him on the shoulder and held out her arms with a happy grin on her slightly slobbery mouth. Brice handed her off and Lincoln held her in a tight hug.
“Good morning, Brenna.”
Her chubby cheek pressed into his shoulder for barely a second before her attention turned to Angeline. “Who dat?”
“You don’t remember me?” Angeline gave the child a playfully exaggerated frown and then pulled the knit cap off her head. “How about now, munchkin?”
“Ann-jeel!” Brenna clapped her hands and leaned toward Angeline to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“All right.” Brice gently took his daughter from Lincoln and set her feet on the floor. “Go check on mama.”
“Mmm, ’kay.” The little girl darted down the hallway to hunt for her mother.
“She’s growing so fast,” Angeline said.
“Some days it’s hard to believe she’s almost two.” Brice took their jackets and hung them on the coatrack inside his home office.
They followed him into the open living area, and the delicious smells of cinnamon rolls, ham and eggs made Lincoln’s mouth water.
“Help you
rself to some tea or coffee,” Cassie said cheerfully, putting Brenna in her high chair.
“Juice?” Brenna lifted her sippy cup toward Angeline.
“Thanks, munchkin. But I’ll stick with coffee.” Angeline poured a cup for Lincoln and then one for herself.
“You two—” Cassie looked at Brice and Lincoln “—out!” She shooed her hands at them. Although the kitchen was large and open, with two wolfan males, two females and a child in a high chair, space was in short supply.
Lincoln hesitated long enough to see that Angeline had settled next to Brenna and the two of them were engaged in some imaginary game. A rush of pride caused his heart to swell. Not only would Angeline be a fine mate, she would be a terrific mother. Of that, he had no doubt.
Turning from the heartwarming domestic scene, he followed Brice into the living room. While Brice sat in the recliner without the footrest engaged, Lincoln chose the nearby love seat.
“Are you ready to go back on active duty?” Brice rested his right ankle on his left knee and massaged his calf.
“Yes,” Lincoln said without hesitation.
“How about becoming a father?”
That made Lincoln’s heart skip a beat or two. “I never imagined becoming a father, so I don’t know if I’m ready. But I’ll never rest easy if he’s not in my care.”
“Will you return to your birth pack to raise him?”
“They are good people, but there’s a lot of pressure to be the absolute best. I want Dayax to have a more balanced upbringing.” Lincoln glanced toward the kitchen. Watching Angeline play with Brenna while talking to Cassie filled him with a great sense of contentment.
“I’ve decided to bring him to Walker’s Run and make a family with Angeline. I just need to figure out how to support them.” Though he’d have a sizable pension, Lincoln wanted to be useful and productive.
“The Co-op’s revenues pay for housing, health care, education and provides startup money for business ventures. Once you join the pack, all those benefits will extend to you and Dayax.”
“I’m a Dogman. I don’t know how to be anything else.”
Tamed by the She-Wolf Page 22
