Howl (Southern Werewolves Book 2), page 10
“Peyton. What’s your excuse for having your scent all over the rat poison?”
I’d already discounted the other two suspects, even though I hadn’t even met one of them. It was clear to me who out of these three women hurt my cat. My limbs started to shake, and I tucked my hands under my arms to hide the tremors.
Peyton shrugged a single shoulder. “I don’t know, Abey. What was a cat doing here in the first place?”
The shaking got more violent, and I took an unsteady step forward. The heavy hand on my shoulder was back, and it took everything in me to not shake it off. I stopped moving forward, but I refused to back down. This bitch hurt my cat, and she’d admit it to my face or I’d drag it out of her.
Abraham folded his arms across his massive chest. “Who or what lives or stays in this lodge is none of your concern, Peyton. Answer the question.”
She shrugged again and pulled a hand in front of her face to examine her nails. “I just gave it a little bit. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.”
I took another shaky step forward; this time Wyatt’s heavy hand did nothing to stop me. “You didn’t think it’d be a big deal to poison my cat?” I asked, my voice low and deadly.
Peyton rolled her eyes and looked toward Abraham. “Why is she even in here, Abey?”
Abraham slammed his palms against the table hard enough that I swore I heard the wood groan. I was thankful I couldn’t see his face because I was scared just looking at the back of him.
“You will stop questioning me. I am your alpha. I do not need to explain myself to you. Are we clear?”
Peyton was wide eyed when she nodded.
Abraham straightened and crossed his arms over his chest again. “I’m going to ask you one more time to explain to me why you thought it was acceptable to feed a cat rat poison.”
Peyton dropped both hands to the table. “I did it to get rid of her!” she yelled, pointing a black-painted nail in my direction. “I thought if her cat got sick, she’d stop coming out here and things could go back to the way they were.”
“The way things were? What’s changed, Peyton?”
She leveled me with a narrow-eyed look. “Before she came around, you were more concerned with the pack, and now it’s like we don’t even matter to you. Like I don’t matter.” That last sentence was said softly and almost like she didn’t mean to admit it.
I watched Abraham’s shoulders inflate with a huge lungful of air before he let loose. “Let me make one thing clear to all of you,” he said, taking in each woman and every man in the room. “Elizabeth is my mate.” He paused for a moment while that sunk in. “She will be here indefinitely. I don’t want to hear anything about this ever again, do you understand?”
Peyton, clearly not one for letting things go, sat up straight in her chair. “How is she your mate when she wasn’t even born a wolf?”
Abraham leaned over until he could place both fists on the table in front of him. “She is my fated mate. There is no denying that. Accept it, or you can leave.”
Peyton gasped loudly and slapped a hand against her chest. I barely concealed an eye roll. “You’d kick me out of the pack? Over her?” She was back to pointing at me, and I was seconds away from breaking that finger of hers, the need to shift almost unbearable.
“Peyton, you’ll be lucky if I allow you to stay in this pack after what you did to the cat.”
She threw her hands in the air. “It’s just a cat!”
He leaned closer to her, and if I wasn’t a werewolf, I’d have to struggle to hear what he said next. “No. He was a guest in my house. Who you deliberately hurt. Who you almost killed. Consider yourself lucky it seems he’ll recover from what you did otherwise I’d have no choice.”
Peyton’s jaw fell open, her dark eyes wide. “You wouldn’t.”
Abraham’s voice was lethal and gritty when he responded. “I swear to you, I would. Do not test my patience again.”
Peyton’s mouth snapped shut audibly, and I smothered a satisfied grin.
Abraham turned to the other two women and nodded toward the door. “You’re both free to leave. I’d like you to start interviewing for another housekeeper immediately.”
“Wait, what?” Peyton squawked.
Abraham waited until the two women left the room before he turned to address Peyton again. “Effective immediately you no longer work here.”
“But, Abey–”
“And you are banned from this lodge. I don’t want to see you step foot in here again.”
“Don’t you think this is a little much–”
“And you’ll be receiving a fine. When I figure out how much, you’ll get an official notice.”
Peyton jumped to her feet and placed both hands on her hips. “Abey! All this because of a cat? This is ridiculous. Beatrice will never let you do this–”
“Beatrice,” he yelled loudly over her, “is my beta. She does what I tell her. And if I were you, I’d stop arguing with me. I have half a mind to excommunicate you still.”
Her eyes got wide again, and she slumped back into her chair. “You’re really serious.”
“As a fucking heart attack.”
He turned to Clyde then, dismissing her all together. “I want two of you to help her collect her things from here and then escort her out of the lodge. Clear?”
Clyde nodded once. “Clear.”
Abraham turned to me. “Let’s go. We’re done here.”
But it didn’t feel like we were done. In fact, it felt like we were just getting started.
Chapter 13
When we left the conference room, Abraham waved off Wyatt before he led me up the stairs. Once there, he pulled me into his arms and released a big breath.
“You did so well.” His voice was muffled with his face pressed against my neck.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I think I was too shocked to do anything. I really thought the person who attacked me was the one who poisoned Charlie.”
Abraham sighed, his breath sending my hair flying. “I admit, it was my thought too. To be honest, I can’t believe Peyton would do something like this.”
I laughed humorlessly. “I can.”
He pulled back to look at me. “What do you mean?”
I rolled my eyes and patted him on the cheek. “She’s in love with you. Or obsessed with you. I’m not sure which. I’m not that surprised she did something to try to get rid of me. I guess I should be thankful it wasn’t me she tried to poison.”
Abraham watched me closely, his blue eyes taking in every nook and cranny of my face. “You really think so?”
“I know so.”
He pulled me back into his arms. “How did I miss that?”
I laughed and pinched his side, finding nothing but muscle and skin, with not an ounce of fat on him. “You’re too irresistible for your own good. Who can blame the girl, honestly?”
Abraham's deep chuckle reverberated through his chest and into mine. “Irresistible, huh?”
I smiled into his chest. “Just about.”
“Is that what you think of me too?”
This man.
I pulled away, so I could look into his bright blue eyes. “You don’t know what I think of you already?”
Abraham released a big breath and looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “I’ll be honest, El. Sometimes you’re hard to read.”
There were those walls again. Just when I thought I’d torn down the last of them, I turn around to find another.
“I’m sorry, Abraham.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
I shrugged and looked away. “I wish I could be more open. I wish I could just lay everything out for you. But I can’t. Not now. Not yet.”
He kissed the apple of first one cheek and then the other before pulling away, so he could look at me again. “El, believe me when I say I will take whatever you give me and be happy with it.”
There goes my heart again. The fickle organ couldn’t keep it together for more than five minutes with Abraham around.
I took a deep breath. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you willing to accept so little? You could have practically anyone you wanted. Why waste all this time on me?” The words burned like acid on their way out, but I couldn’t stop them.
Abraham led me over to a chair facing his desk before he crouched down in front of me and placed his hands on my knees.
“El. I told you before.” He wiggled a finger between us. “This is forever. I’m willing to accept whatever I can get because I’m crazy about you.” He chuckled, and my heart clenched painfully in my chest. “I’ll take what I can get because I know there’s more. I know there’s an endless ocean inside you, El, and I’m gonna dig as deep as it takes to get to every last drop. If that takes a month, or a year, or a decade, it doesn’t matter to me.” He shrugged.
His words robbed me of my own. I sat there, with my jaw practically in my lap while I tried to process everything he’d just said. Before I could get through it all, he moved closer to me and spoke again.
“There is something, though, that’s bothering me now that I’m hopin’ you can help me with.” He leaned closer until his nose was grazing mine, his warm breath on my parted lips.
“What’s that?” I croaked, normal speech completely beyond my abilities at this point.
He brushed his lips against mine before skimming them up one side of my jaw and back down the other side. “I just need to know if you find me irresistible. I swear, I won’t sleep tonight if I don’t get the answer to that question.”
My lips twitched with a smile. “You want to know if I find you irresistible?”
He nodded, his lips still ghosting across my face. “I need to know, baby. The anticipation’s killin’ me.”
I rolled my eyes but decided to play along. If my werewolf needed an ego boost, I had no problem giving it to him.
I scooted closer until I was pressed against him. He took a deep breath, and his chest rubbed against my hardened nipples. I placed both my hands on either of his wrists and slowly trailed my fingers up his arms until they were behind his neck. Ducking to one side of his face, I placed a soft kiss on the edge of his jaw, the same place that would tick every time he got angry.
“Mr. McCoy, you’re so irresistible, I find it hard to control myself around you.”
“Is that right?” I could hear the smile in his voice.
I nodded and pressed another kiss to the corner of his lips. “It’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself whenever we’re in the same room.”
He grunted, the sound deep and manly and like a shot of electricity straight between my legs. His hands moved down my sides until they were cupping my butt and dragging me closer to him. “Why would you keep your hands to yourself, baby? Don’t you know what’s mine is yours?”
A shiver raced down my spine when he pulled me close enough to feel the erection straining against his jeans. “You really mean that?” I whispered into his ear.
I watched his body twitch with a shiver of his own. “Every. Fucking. Word.”
His cussing was like an aphrodisiac to me. I shivered again and knew I’d need a new pair of panties after this.
Abraham pulled me closer and kissed my neck before sucking the flesh into his warm mouth. I gasped and titled my head back to allow him better access when there was a knock on the door, and it was thrown open.
“Abraham, what the fuck?”
I gasped again, but this time out of shock and threw myself against the back of the chair, putting as much room between me and Abraham as I could.
“Beatrice, usually when someone knocks, they wait for the person inside to tell the person outside that they can come in. Is this a new concept for you?”
“I’m not in the mood for pleasantries, Abraham. What happened with Peyton? Why is she packing up her things right now?”
He ignored her and leaned forward, kissing me gently on the lips. I had to restrain from following after his mouth when it left mine. “Are you finished packing?”
“I think so.”
“Why don’t you go make sure while I talk to Beatrice? I’ll come find you in thirty, okay?”
“Okay,” I said shyly.
“Okay,” he said, his voice soft and his eyes warm.
“Okay!” Beatrice yelled. “Can she leave so we can talk?”
Abraham’s head jerked toward her, and he opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
“Beatrice, I’m right here. If you have something to say, you can say it to me.”
I caught the small glint in Abraham’s eye as I rose to face my least favorite of the McCoy sisters.
Beatrice stood with a hip cocked to the side and her arms folded over her chest. Her face was pinched in anger, eyes bright and alert.
But, underneath all that anger and bravado, I could see a tiny morsel of embarrassment. Apparently, my words affected her even if she didn’t want to admit it.
She sighed loud and dramatically. “Elizabeth, would you mind leaving me and my brother alone, so we can discuss something?”
My eyebrows were probably close to touching my hairline I was so shocked. Believe it or not, this was the most civil thing she’d ever said to me. It wasn’t exactly friendly, but it also wasn’t dripping with animosity.
Like a smart woman, I took it and ran.
“Sure thing, Beatrice. See you soon, Abraham.”
“I’ll call Wyatt and tell him to meet you at your room,” Abraham said as I walked toward the door.
After that, they both mumbled goodbyes, and I left the office, closing the door behind me. I could immediately hear their raised voices inside but chose to tune them out.
This werewolf hearing thing was interesting, and I was excited that I was starting to get the hang of it. If I really wanted, I could hear all the way to the kitchen three floors down, but I could also block it out if I needed to. It was all new and strange to me, but I wasn’t hating it.
“Elizabeth, there you are!”
I turned to find Abraham’s cousin, Calvin, streaming toward me, his long legs eating up the distance between us in seconds. As soon as he was close enough, he opened his arms and pulled me into his chest.
I froze.
I’d really thought I’d gotten better at this open affection thing. I thought that my willingness to hug and be hugged by Abraham and his family meant that I was getting over my aversion to being physical with people.
But, apparently not.
Or maybe it was just this person.
It felt all wrong in his arms. He was too close. Too big. Too all over me for me to feel comfortable in his arms.
And why was he hugging me, anyway?
As soon as that thought left my head, Calvin pulled back to look in my face.
“I heard what happened to Charlie, and I’m so sorry.”
I cocked my head to the side, trying to understand where this was coming from. “Thanks?”
Ignoring my questioning look, he continued, “I can’t believe Peyton would do something like that.” He let go of me all together and spun around to pace the hallway in front of me. “And Abraham let her off so easy. If I had it my way…” his voice trailed off as he ground a fist into the palm of his other hand.
I was stunned speechless.
Since when did Calvin start caring so much about me and my cat? And hadn’t he been friends with Peyton for years? Why was he taking my side over hers in this situation?
None of it was making sense, but I quickly realized I shouldn’t be questioning it. My place in this pack was still new and, despite what Abraham says, tentative. I could use all the support I could get.
“It’s okay. Charlie’s gonna be fine. Thanks for your concern.”
He stopped pacing to face me, his dark hazel eyes burning with intensity. “She did it to get rid of you. I hope she wasn’t successful.”
I smiled. It felt good to know he wanted me around. That I’d made enough of an impact on him that he’d miss me if I was gone.
I admit, I hadn’t had much interaction with Calvin before. This weekend was pretty much the most I’d seen of him since I met him. But here he was, seeking me out to see if I was all right. My chest swelled with my determination to stay with this pack and get to know them all better.
“No, she didn’t scare me away.”
What I didn’t tell him was that nothing could keep me from Abraham.
Except, of course, the job I had four hours away in Raleigh.
I pulled my cell from my back pocket and checked the time. If I had any hope of getting a good night’s rest, I needed to be on the road soon.
I looked back at Calvin to find him watching me intently. His dark eyes were still intense and being the recipient of that look made my skin itch.
I jerked a thumb over my shoulder at my room. “I should really finish packing. I need to leave soon. Thanks for coming to check on me. I really appreciate it.”
Calvin smiled, his broken tooth making it a little lopsided. “Of course. You’re pack now.”
My grin stretched across my face as I turned and walked into my bedroom.
I was pack now. That meant I had a built-in family of over thirty werewolves who were supposed to support and care about me. Sure, some of them weren’t my biggest fan, but the majority of them had welcomed me with open arms. Calvin coming to check on me proved that.
A little while later, I was zipping up my suitcase and rolling it toward the door when there was a knock and Abraham walked in. Just like every other time I saw him, my heart thumped an extra beat. The smile on his face widened, and I knew he’d heard it.
When his eyes landed on the luggage in my hand, the grin abruptly fell from his face. “All packed?” he asked, his voice full of false cheer.
“Yeah, I’m about ready to leave.”
Abraham crossed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms. The suitcase fell from my hands to land on the carpet with a muffled thud. He dragged me to his chest and buried his nose in the crook of my neck.
“Do you have to leave?”
My stomach clenched at his words. At the pitiful sound of his voice. And for a split second, I was ready to give it all up for him. My apartment. My career. My life in Raleigh. Everything. Just so I never had to hear that sadness in his voice again.
