She didn’t want him to leave. In fact, she’d do anything to make him stay. Her mind ran wild with ideas, but she suppressed them, knowing that this rut or whatever it was created the madness she was feeling. He said it would pass in a few days. Part of her hoped it didn’t.
It was a little frightening to not be completely in control of herself, but there was something so primal about wanting someone so badly. There was something that just felt so right about it. It was the natural order of things in their world, and wasn’t it exactly what she’d been looking for? She wanted an Alpha she could love, one that didn’t turn her stomach with his overly macho ways.
She kept her eyes on him as he dressed, biting her lip to keep her desires at bay. He turned and bent over her, giving her one last kiss before he left. His mouth was hot against hers, pulling her in, demanding she submit. Then, he pulled away and smiled.
“I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can get back.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
She watched him as he walked out the door, keeping her eyes on him until he was completely out of sight. Her heart was racing, and the ache in her belly intensified. It felt like he was being ripped away from her. She coaxed herself to breathe, to calm herself. When that didn’t work, she went to take a cold shower.
Had it really been so easy to find what she was looking for, after all this time? Her cell buzzed on the dresser nearby.
“Hello?”
“Katerina?”
“Mike?”
“Hey, sis. I need your help.”
“Of course. Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“No. Um. I’m with some people.”
“What do you mean you are with some people?”
“I mean, I’m with some people.”
“Mike, are you in trouble?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call the police. Tell me where you are.”
“No! Do not do that. I just need money.”
“Money? To get home?”
There was a clattering noise on the other end, and she heard Mike grunt loudly. Then a different voice came on the line.
“Katerina—is that what your brother called you?”
“Who is this?”
“You don’t need to know my name. What you need to know is that your brother owes me a lot of money, and if I don’t get it today, it’s not going to be so good for him.”
“How much money?”
“Eighteen thousand dollars.”
“Eighteen thousand dollars? I don’t have that kind of money, and even if I did, today is Sunday. How am I supposed to get it?”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Listen, I own a house. I can maybe get a loan, but not before tomorrow. I’ll have to go to the bank.”
“You have until ten p.m. Mallory Park. South benches. Bring the money in a brown lunch sack, and someone will pick it up.”
“I can’t—” she began to say, but he cut her off.
“This isn’t a negotiation, princess. Bring us the money your brother owes us or we’ll have to take it out of his flesh. Frankly, I’d rather have the cash, but it’s your call.”
“I—” she began, any further thoughts were cut off by the sound of the call clicking off from the other end.
“Oh, God,” she gasped into the open air around her.CHAPTER SEVENTEENTravis
“What’s wrong?”
Kat’s eyes were red and swollen as if she’d been crying. She looked anxious, and perhaps a bit shell shocked. She started to say something but quickly devolved into babbling incoherently.
“Okay. Okay. Come and sit down,” he told her, leading her to her kitchen table and placing her in a chair before kneeling down in front of her. “Now, just breathe. Calm down and tell me what has happened.”
His scent filled her nostrils, creating some weird mix of desire even in the middle of her distress. She pushed it away, trying to get a grip on herself.
“Mike. They have Mike.”
“Mike? Your brother? Who has him?”
“I don’t know,” she gasped.
“Okay. Tell me what happened.”
Kat told him about the phone call and their demands for money.
“I can’t get that kind of money, not on a Sunday. I don’t know if I could even get it on a Monday, maybe I could get a loan, but I don’t know if that would happen on such short notice or if they will give me one at all,” she babbled on.
“Alright. Let’s start with something simple. How much money do they want?”
“Eighteen thousand dollars.”
“Eighteen thou?” he repeated, making a whooshing sound.
“I talked to Mom and Dad. They don’t have it either, not on hand. Dad said he could get it together within a few days, but not today. What kind of people call and demand that much money on a Sunday?”
“Bad people.”
“What am I going to do, Travis?”
“These people. Do you know who they are? Are they wolves or humans?”
“I don’t know.”
“When they called, did they use your brother’s phone?”