Price was fucking furious, but there was nothing he could do about it. He took what was left of his pack— the dregs, the guys who were criminals because they liked to hurt people— and that was the last we saw of them. He didn’t just leave the neighborhood, he left the city. Last we heard of them, they were way out of our territory, wandering around picking pockets and mugging people and stealing cars. Really small-time stuff. Pathetic. Eventually we lost track of them.
The new wolf pack invited me to join, but my wolf said, You have a pack.
It was hard to believe, but once he said it, I realized he was right. I didn’t have that empty, no-pack feeling gnawing away inside of me. I had a pack, and it was Protection, Inc.
Even so, for the first six months or so, I was half-convinced that at any second, Hal would take back his offer. Or I’d realize I could never hack it outside of a gang, and I’d have to drop out. But he didn’t. And I didn’t.
And here I am.
Chapter Seven
Nick
Before he started talking, Nick had intended to tell Raluca about the gang he’d run and the kills he’d made, and leave his feelings out of it. But she hadn’t asked what crimes he’d committed. She’d asked him why he was so angry. So he had to begin with his father’s first pack, and then go on to the CEO. His mother’s death. His father’s. Everything.
As he spoke, his rage poured out in a torrent. And not only that, but grief and guilt and all the other feelings he usually tried not to even think about, let alone talk about. By the end of it, he was completely wrung out, with the bedspread beneath him damp with sweat.
Raluca kept her word. She didn’t let go of him. She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she held him tight, stroking his hair and rubbing his shoulders, until he was done.
She didn’t break the silence immediately, but she didn’t need to. He could feel her love and support in the gentle but relentless strength of her hands, in the steadiness of her breathing, and in her presence. Raluca was his mate, and nothing he’d told her had damaged the bond between them. If anything, he’d strengthened it with his honesty.
“What happened to Manuel?” she asked. He hadn’t gotten used to her real voice, and it once again startled him. It was no longer high and chiming, but resonant, deep for a woman. Less pretty, but more sexy. And far more real.
The unexpectedness of both her question and the sound of it distracted him from that fucking tidal wave of emotions. He rolled over, nudging her to move with him until neither of them were lying on any wet spots.
By the time they’d resettled themselves, his voice was steady. “He’s in college now. Still with the pack in Montana. I’ve flown out to visit them a couple times. That’s them in the photo in the lobby. Manuel’s the skinny one with long legs. We were deer hunting, and I happened to be in the lead when an aunt shifted to take a picture. They’re not my pack, but Hal wanted a photo of me that wasn’t a team shot, and I didn’t want to be on the wall as a lone wolf. I have a snapshot of me as a pup with my Dad and Mom, but I couldn’t put that up either. I don’t mind seeing Manuel, because he made it out. But if I had to look at my parents every day, I’d lose it for sure. It’d be about three days before I tracked down fucking Price and killed him.”
Nick cut himself off. His heart was pounding with the force of his rage, his muscles taut and quivering as stretched wires.
“Your anger is justified.” Raluca stroked his damp hair. “You and people you loved were terribly wronged. You were forced to commit acts you never would have freely chosen. You were manipulated by your own honor, and you nearly gave up your life for it. If I were you, I too would be filled with rage.”
Nick let out a deep breath. He’d known by her body language that she must have thought something like that, but it was still good to hear. He hadn’t cried when he’d told his story. He didn’t cry, period. But hearing that from Raluca made his eyes prickle.
“Thanks.” His voice shook a little, but this time he didn’t try to stop it. Raluca wouldn’t care.
She went on, calmly but with growing intensity, “And if I ever see Price, I am not sure that I could hold so tight to honor as you did. A wolf does not stand a chance against a dragon, no more than I would as a woman. There can be no fair fight between Price and I. But for what he did to you, I would be very tempted to seize him in my talons, soar upward until he begged in terror for his life, and then let him fall. Sc
reaming all the way down.”
“Whoa.” Nick stared at her. He hadn’t expected that. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Raluca’s eyes burned silver. “In fact, if you wish it, perhaps Hal could discover where he lives now. I am not bound by pack laws.”
Nick was tempted, but he shook his head. She had no blood on her hands, and she couldn’t know what that felt like until it was too late for take-backs. “Nah, let’s leave him to his sorry life. But if he ever comes after me again, feel free.”
“I shall,” Raluca said coolly.
Nick had no doubt that she meant it. He knew his teammates would protect him, but it was something new to have his mate swear it.
It was something new to have a mate at all. Once he’d stopped fighting his feelings, the depth of his love dizzied him. He’d never felt anything like it, protectiveness and sexual heat and camaraderie and adoration, all wrapped up in one astonishing package. Now that he’d given into it, he couldn’t believe he’d managed to deny it for as long as he had.
More balls than brains, his wolf remarked. Still.
Shut the fuck up, Nick retorted silently, but he couldn’t get any real anger into it.
Raluca’s eyes cooled to stormy gray. She touched his chest. He didn’t have to look down to see where she had her fingers. “The dead deer in the forest. Are those your kills as an alpha?”
“Yeah.” Nick lifted her hand and laid it over the pitted scars on his chest. “And obviously, that’s from Price. I don’t know if it scarred like that because the original wound was so bad, or because I tore it open again shifting.”