“Soni…” He looked up to find her watching him with an expression he couldn’t decipher. “You’ve made your point.”
But she wasn’t done with him.
“Let’s say it does come down to a challenge, and you win,” she added. “To hell with the rest of us, right?”
“What I do shouldn’t matter. Besides, I thought Lukka was agoodleader?” He couldn’t help the anger in his voice. “You sang his praises last time.”
“Don’t give me that! I knew that all it would take was the slightest hint of trouble for you to intervene. Despite all your talk, and your resentment toward us—”
“Not toward the pack,” he clarified. “Never toward you.”
Sonia flinched. “Well, I didn’t tell you the whole truth. A part of me thinks I shouldn’t. But before you take on Lukka you should have the whole picture.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s a long story,” she said tiredly. “He’ll be waiting for me to call in. I’m meant to convince you to bring her back. I’ll send word that it will take the rest of the day at least. Then we can talk. About everything.”
“Before you head inside, there is something else you should know,” Bill admitted. Gruffly, he reiterated the story of the Eislanders and Naomi’s newfound status as a made.
Had he tried to predict Sonia’s reaction beforehand, he wouldn’t have come close.
She just sighed, utterly deflated. “Well, that kind of diminishes the chances that Lukka will just let you walk away,” she said, but despair wasn’t the emotion coloring her voice. No, Bill recognized that hard note, alright. “Good. Maybe that means I can convince you to seize this opportunity as more than a chance to run.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Bill groaned. “Sonia… Don’t tell me that you want to convince me to challenge Lukka for more than my freedom.”
Sonia shrugged. “I’m going to try.”
6
Loren said nothing as Micha all but dragged her into the house. Once inside, she headed straight for the bay window in the living room and…
Watched.
They were still by the car, yards from the house. Sonia was shouting, waving her arms through the air, whileMcGoven just stood there. They were practically toe-to-toe. Only a foot separated them but...when Sonia deflated, arms falling to her sides, he didn’t hesitate to engulf her in his arms, holding her close.
No!A rage so intense it burned shot through Loren. She dug her nails into her palms just to keep from shouting. Screaming. It was the same impulse she felt when the woman had slapped him.
A need to fight. Defend. She couldn’t recall everwantingto get off the horse, but the next second, she’d been on the ground ready to—
What?she wondered helplessly. Hit her?Attacksomeone she didn’t even know, just because the woman had the nerve to touch a grown man she had no hold over?
Yes,something inside of her growled, completely unashamed at the fact.Mine—
“Who is that?”
The sound of Naomi’s voice was like pouring grease onto a smoldering fire. Utilizing her last shred of self-control, Loren moved as far from her as she could and bit her bottom lip so hard she tasted blood, just to keep from saying something nasty in return.
“That’s Sonia Carlisle,” Micha replied with admiration in his tone. “Her father was well-respected in the pack when he was alive, and she is a liaison for Lukka. That’s probably why she’s here—sending word from the pack. I wonder if they know about—” He seemed to stop himself from mentioning the attack or any of its relevant aftermath. “Actually, I think she grew up with McGoven. She’s probably just here to see him. Rumor is, they’re pretty close.”
Only the relationship between them didn’t seem so“close”now. Sonia broke away from his embrace, shouting, while McGoven frowned, replying to her intermittently with a nod or a shrug.
From his nonchalance, one might assume they were talking about something as trivial as the weather. But Sonia looked…
Terrified. Those blue eyes were wide, pleading with a desperation Loren could feel, even from inside the house. Whatever they were arguing about, it wasn’t good. But that didn’t give Sonia an excuse to lean against him, pressing her face into his shoulder.
“She his girlfriend or something?—”
The fact that Naomi spoke from halfway across the room was the only reason she didn’t end up on the floor as Loren spun around. There wasn’t a single thought in her head. Just the impulse tohitsomething.