“It’s all right, Tristan. Evelyn is dead. She’s not going to hurt anyone again.” Pete let out a long breath. “She set fire to my house. Tony and Jake were inside. They got out and they’re both going to be okay, but Evelyn was trapped inside.”
Tristan closed his eyes. “Thank God they’re okay. Is it bad that I’m not sorry she died?”
“No, Tristan. I don’t think it is. Not after everything she’s done. I had the same thought myself. I mean, I’m not glad she died, just relieved that it’s finally over.”
Tristan opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by a light rapping on the door right before it opened and Cary peered into the room. Aaron was ushering him inside.
“Quick! Get in,” Aaron hissed. “Before she catches us.”
Cary practically fell into the room and Aaron stepped in behind him and closed the door.
“Phew, that was close,” Aaron said. “I thought she had us for a minute.”
“Who are you hiding from?” Pete asked.
Cary’s face colored. “Uh, the nurse said Tristan was only allowed one visitor at a time.” He turned and glared at his mate.
“But Aaron said Tristan would want to see us, too, so he made me sneak in here with him when she wasn’t looking.”
Pete threw his head back and laughed. “And, on that note, I’ll leave you to it. I’m going to go see if the doctors have finished treating my mate. You take care of yourself, okay?” he said to Tristan.
Tristan nodded. “I will. Thanks for coming in to see me. I hope your mate is okay.”
Pete swallowed hard before he choked out a reply. “Yeah. I hope so too.”
“Kelan called and told us what happened,” Aaron said. “Give our love to Tony. We’ll try to come in and see him in a while if he’s up to it.”
Images of Tony’s bruised and battered body lying on the ground outside his burning house rushed through Pete’s mind.
He’d come so close to losing his mate—perilously close.
But he couldn’t think about that now.
Tony would survive.
Pete only hoped he could say the same for their relationship.
He took a deep breath then plastered a smile on his lips.
“I’ll tell him you were all asking about him. See you guys later.”
Chapter Nineteen
When Tony cracked open his eyes, it took him a moment to remember where he was. His head hurt and his lungs burned every time he took in a breath. In fact, he ached all over.
And his arm…
He looked down, unsurprised to see it covered in plaster and held up by a sling. He turned his head to look around the room and smiled when he saw Pete sitting in the chair by his bed.
“Hey,” Pete said softly. “You’re awake.”
“Was I asleep long?” Tony’s voice sounded hoarse when he spoke and his throat was incredibly sore.
Pete checked his watch. “Only an hour or so. You needed the rest. Your body is healing itself.”
Tony nodded and reached for the water on the table with his good hand, but Pete beat him to it and lifted the straw in the glass to his lips. He took a small sip and swirled the liquid around in his mouth before swallowing. It eased the dryness in his mouth but did nothing to alleviate the rawness of his throat.
“I feel like shit,” he whispered, trying to force out a smile.
Pete’s eyes held a sadness in their depths that was difficult for Tony to look at.
He hated to see Pete so unhappy.
“I’m so sorry,” Pete said. “I’m so terribly sorry. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t got involved with me.”
Tony shook his head firmly and did his best not to wince when a wave of pain rushed through it.
“Don’t say that. I’m glad I met you. This isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself for anything that happened. This is all Evelyn’s fault. No one else can be blamed for what she did.”
“I would understand if you never wanted anything to do with me again,” Pete said quietly.
The very idea caused a sharp stabbing pain in Tony’s chest that hurt worse than the injuries to his body. Hot tears prickled in the corners of his eyes.
“Don’t talk like that. Why would you even think it? You told me wolves mated for life. You said we were mates.”
“It’s true,” Pete said, his eyebrows drawn together into a frown. “We are mates.”
“Well then, that means, whatever happens, we face together. I know I’ve only known you for a short time, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“Do you mean that?”
Again Tony forced his dry and cracked lips into a smile.
It hurt, but he needed to reassure Pete that he meant what he said.
“Every word.”
Pete grabbed hold of Tony’s hand and held it in his own.
“I promise I’ll take better care of you from now on. I won’t let something like this happen to you again.”
Tony shook his head. “Don’t make promises like that. For a start, you can’t protect me from everything. Neither of us can know what could to happen in the future. Just promise you’ll be there for me if something were to happen again.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” Pete said with conviction.
Pete leaned across the bed and pressed their lips together gently. His eyes were filled with adoration when he pulled back, and something that looked a lot like love. It warmed Tony’s heart and made him happier than he could remember being. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.
Pete kissed his forehead then sat back.
“Come in,” he called.
Kelan entered the room, his expression grim.
His lips were set in a tight, thin line and a deep frown was set into his forehead.
Tony’s heart thundered in his chest.
“What is it?” he asked quickly. “Is it Jake? Is he okay?”
“Jake’s fine,” Kelan reassured. “Or at least he will be. A small amount of smoke damage and a few cuts and bruises. Nothing he won’t heal from.”
“Then what is it?” Pete asked. “Something’s wrong. I can tell.”
Kelan sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
He leaned back against the door and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with resignation.
“I just got word from one of the firefighters that were at your house today. When they finally got the fire under control and got inside, it was empty—as in, no body. Evelyn wasn’t there.”
Tony stared at Kelan, unable to believe what he was hearing.
He turned to Pete, whose face had contorted with rage.
“How the hell did she get out of there alive? I thought Jake said she was trapped under a beam,” he said, looking to Tony for confirmation.
Tony nodded. “She was. I got out of the way right before it fell on top of her, then Jake dragged me outside.”
“Wolves are strong,” Kelan remarked. “And with the adrenaline pumping around her body, it wouldn’t have taken too much effort for her to push it off and get out before the whole house went up.
“She must have climbed over the back fence while we were all out the front.”
“So what does this mean? She’s still out there somewhere, still set on revenge. Is she going to come after us again?”
A shiver ran the length of Tony’s body when he remembered the cold, mean look in Evelyn’s eyes.
And the fire…
He couldn’t go through something like that again. Maybe next time he wouldn’t be so lucky to escape with his life.
And what if something happened to Pete or someone else he cared about?
“It means this isn’t over yet,” Pete stated morosely. “The woman’s crazy. I doubt she’ll stop until she’s dead.”
“I have to agree,” Kelan replied. “And it’s not enough just to be on our guard anymore. I’m going t
o call a meeting and I want the entire pack there. We need everyone looking for her.
“I might have to start patrols around town until she’s been caught. I would have said that we need to keep an eye on Gregory and Hayden as a priority, but after she set fire to the dancehall, killing so many innocent people, pretty much everyone is a priority.
“She even hurt her own sister and nephew, and if she’s capable of that, she’s capable of anything. We don’t know who or where she’ll target next. Only one thing is certain.
“Wolf Creek isn’t safe while she’s still out there.”
Chapter Twenty
Pete parked his truck in the yard and walked over to Kelan and Gregory, who were stood on the edge of the corral, watching Jake and Tony on a couple of horses. He pulled his cowboy hat low over his eyes even though the afternoon sun was slowly disappearing on the horizon.
“Howdy,” he greeted, dipping his hat. “How’s he doing?”
“Good,” Kelan replied. “He’s picking it up as quickly as Jake did.”
Pride filled Pete’s chest as he watched his mate ride around the corral.
He was a fast learner and had adjusted to country life much quicker than Pete had anticipated. It had taken a few more doses of Pete’s blood before Tony’s injuries had healed. He’d had the cast taken off his arm just over a week ago, but Pete couldn’t fail to notice the scent of fear on his mate whenever Evelyn’s name was mentioned.
Tony had taken another month off work while he recovered and during that time he’d decided he wouldn’t be going back at all. In just under a week, they would be leaving for New York to pack up his belongings and arrange for them to be shipped to Texas. They’d rented a storage unit to hold everything until Pete’s house had been rebuilt. Until then, they were staying at the guesthouse along with Nate, Jared, and Tristan.
As if Tony sensed that Pete was there, his head turned, and when he met Pete’s gaze, the smile on his lips lit up his entire face. Pete never got tired of seeing it and knew he never would. Tony said something to Jake then dismounted and made his way over to join them.
Pete looked across to the ranch. “Builders finished for the day?”
“Yeah,” Kelan replied. “Still got a lot to do, though. It’ll probably take another couple of months until it’s ready to move into. How is your place coming along?”
“Slow and dead stop. Any news?” Pete asked Gregory.
He shook his head.
“Nothing. We’re no closer to finding her than we were a month ago. We’ve got men from the FBI, the human police force and the council all looking for her, but we haven’t learned a damn thing.”
“She can’t have just disappeared,” Kelan said. “She’s got to be hiding out somewhere around here.”
“She might have given up,” Gregory reasoned. “Maybe the fire scared her off and she’s had second thoughts about her agenda.”
Pete snorted. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Gregory huffed out a heavy sigh. “No… Wishful thinking, I guess.”
“I called by to see Seth Armstrong today,” Kelan informed them.
Pete met his alpha’s gaze. “How’s he doing?”
“Not good. He’s having a hard time coming to terms with his mother’s death.”
“I can imagine,” Gregory said. “It’s hard enough to lose a parent, but for them to be killed by their own flesh and blood?”
“He keeps going over what happened. I think he blames himself. He said he had suspicions that Evelyn was up to something, but he never mentioned it to anyone.
“He thought she was acting strange because she was still grieving for her mate. Then on the day she set fire to Pete’s house, he said she was out of her mind.
“She’d been drinking and told Seth and his mother what she’d already done and what she planned to do to get revenge.
“They tried to stop her, of course, and she went crazy. Tried to kill them both.”
Pete sighed. “Seth can’t blame himself for any of that. He couldn’t have known what she was capable of.”
Kelan nodded. “I told him that, but I don’t think I got through to him. After everything he went through, he went to visit his father in the nursing home to tell him the news, and his dad went mad and lashed out.
“He blames Seth for not looking after his mother, for not protecting her. He attacked Seth and started to shift. The doctors had to restrain him.”
“Poor kid,” Pete breathed. “Is he going back to his job at the sheriff’s department?”
“No. He’s had to take on the running of the grocery store now that his mother’s gone.”
“That’s a whole hell of a lot to deal with for someone so young,” Pete said.
“Hey,” Tony greeted, pulling Pete out of his morose thoughts.
He turned to watch his mate climb over the fence.
“How was your ride?” Pete asked.
“Good! Think I’m getting the hang of it. How did it go with Jessie?”
Pete grinned. “He’s agreed to sell me the land. As soon as all the paperwork has been sorted I can look at getting some contractors in to rebuild.”
“Yeah? That’s great, Pete. I’m really happy for you.”
Pete raised his eyebrows and his mouth curved mischievously.
“And just how happy would that be?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Tony slid his arms around Pete’s waist and he pressed their mouths together. It was all Pete could do to remember they had company and not get down on his knees and take Tony’s cock into his mouth right there in the yard.
His mate never failed to get him worked up in a hurry.
“Who the hell is that?” Gregory asked.
“Damned if I know,” Kelan replied.
Pete pulled back from the kiss and followed Gregory’s gaze to a beat-up old Chevy that was making its way towards them. It pulled up next to Pete’s truck and a short, balding man in a cheap-looking suit got out and sauntered in their direction, tugging on his shirt collar as he walked.
“Evening,” he said when he approached. “I’m looking for Kelan Morgan.”
“You found him,” Kelan answered, stepping forward to shake the man’s hand. “How can I help you?”
The man had to crane his neck to look at Kelan’s face.
“My name is Mason Jacks. I’m a reporter with the Texas Mail newspaper. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about the recent arson attacks in Wolf Creek.”
Pete scented the air between them and frowned.
The man was human and he wasn’t the first reporter that had been sniffing around since the fires. A couple had been by the guesthouse, trying to question Jared.
Kelan’s face hardened. “You’re not the first to show up. And I’ll tell you the same thing I told the others—I’m not interested in talking to any reporters. I know nothing about the fires that would be of any interest to you.”
“I could make it worth your while,” Mason coaxed.
“I’m not interested,” Kelan repeated, brooking no argument. “My family and I just want to forget what happened and get on with our lives.”
The man turned to study the others then produced a card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Kelan.
“I’m going to be staying in town for another couple of days. I have a few other people I have to speak to. I’m staying at a place called Marnie’s on the edge of town.”
Pete cursed under his breath.
He supposed it wouldn’t be long before the man found out his house had been one of those hit, but he had no intention of volunteering the information.
“If you change your mind,” Mason continued, “you can reach me on that number.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Kelan bit out.
Mason’s eyes narrowed then he shot them all a cursory glance.
“If anyone here would like to talk to me about the incidents, please feel free to get in touch.”
“Thank you for coming
by,” Kelan said, politely dismissing the man.
He nodded then turned to leave. “Good day, gentlemen.”
They watched in silence as the man walked back to his car and got in. Nobody spoke until he was out of sight.
“Damn reporters,” Kelan said vehemently. “The last thing we need is more media attention on the town. It will only attract new people. That’s the third damn reporter that’s contacted me in as many weeks.”
Gregory sighed. “Jared said there have been a ton of strangers nosing around town since they covered the fires on the news stations. But there isn’t a lot we can do about it. I’m sure the fuss will die down soon and people will forget about us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kelan said. “We have a lot of shifters in town. The fewer humans around here, the better, or we’re in real danger of them finding out about us.
“Well, I guess I’d better see how Luke is getting on with dinner. Do you all want to join us?”
Gregory shook his head. “I need to be getting back to headquarters, I’ve got some work to finish up before I can go home.”
“How is Hayden enjoying his vacation in Vegas?” Tony asked.
Gregory’s eyes lit up at the mention of his mate. “He’s having a great time from what he said and enjoying his visit with Mac. The man has been like a father to him over the years.
“I hate not having Hayden around, but I’ve been so busy with council business, I haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as I’d like, and, to tell you truth, I’m glad he’s there.
“I won’t feel comfortable leaving him alone until Evelyn’s been caught. I’ll see you all later.”
Kelan turned to Pete and Tony after Gregory had left.
“Do you wanna stay? Luke’s making pot roast.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Pete replied, turning to smile at his mate. “But Tony and I have plans tonight.”
“Doing anything special?”
“Just dinner and a movie,” Tony answered. “It’ll be nice to get out of the guesthouse for the evening.”
“Sounds great, have fun.”
They walked to Pete’s car. “See you later, Jake!” Pete called over his shoulder.
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