“Please, Alpha King!” pleaded Lucas. “First, tell us what this is about, and where it’s coming from?”
Alpha King Julius leant forward and clasped his hands together, staring back at Lucas with a hard look and a single raised eyebrow. This was a man who would accept nothing less than the truth.
“I had a call from some concerned members of your pack…”
The fucking nutters, both Lucas and Dane thought to themselves at the same time.
“…about the manner in which you took control of your packs, the merging of both territories, and finally their concerns for their welfare in the kind of pack you’re building.&r
Lucas’ heart was racing as he and Dane ran through the packhouse doors. He noticed Dane had stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to face him.“Uh, I’ll let you deal with things,” said Dane, “but could you mind-link me when you’ve seen her, just so I know she’s ok? I’d appreciate it.”Lucas nodded and took off back up the stairs. It was difficult for Dane to resist the urge to check on Cara, but he knew it was the right thing to do.Lucas burst through the door to their private lounge room and Rani scurried out, head lowered and avoiding eye contact with him.Cara stood from the couch, and he took a good look at her. She’d tried to tell
Cara looked up as the door opened and Dane entered. She could see on his face that he was just as taken aback at her appearance as Lucas had been. He sat on the couch across from her, careful to keep his distance under Lucas’ roof.“Lucas said you had something to talk to me about. You look awful, what happened?” he asked.“I told Lucas what I did to your mate,” she replied, avoiding eye contact. “I also told him that you didn't know about it. He demanded I tell you.”“I don’t get it. Why would you even tell him about that?”“Lina abandoned me.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Cara knocked tentatively on Lucas’ open office door. He looked up and tried to hide a grimace, then looked back at his computer.“I’m busy. Whatever it is will have to wait,” he replied, his tone clipped.“I want to take you out for the afternoon.”“I just said I’m busy,” he snapped.“Lucas, please. I’ve already asked Dane and he said he’s happy to take over for the rest of the day,” she pleaded. “I’m not taking no for an answer. You can’t avoid me forever.”He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. Cara had been trying to make an ef
Dane tied the laces on his running shoes and left his suite at the packhouse. Stig had been nagging him to be let out for a run, so he planned to go for a jog into the forest, then shift and let Stig loose.He halted as he saw Cara and Lucas embracing at the bottom of the stairs, their lips moving passionately.He’d been trying to avoid Cara around the packhouse, just to put a bit of distance between them, but it seemed like she and Lucas were making good progress. They had never been this showy with their affection before, so he figured things must be going well. It still hurt a little, but he was happy for her.He cleared his throat and gave them a polite smile before passing them and continuing out of the packhouse. He jogged down the main road, but as he turn
Cara saw Lily leave Dane’s suite and called out to her.It was time for Cara to act.Lily turned, and her face dropped.“I don’t want any trouble,” said Lily. “I’m keeping out of your way, and I’m not even looking at Lucas.”“What are your intentions with Dane?”“This is a trick question, isn’t it? If I say I’m using him for sex, you’ll kick me out and if I say I really like him, you’ll kick me out because you think he still belongs to you. Right? I can’t win either way?”“That’s not tr
Cara had begged Lucas not to tell the pack about her pregnancy yet, but she knew the excitement was eating away at his resolve to keep that promise. She’d never seen him so happy and her heart felt like it would burst whenever he gave her belly a gentle rub or talked to the pup growing within.As soon as the surge of happiness started to wane, the guilt took over and was crushing in its severity. The baby could be Lucas’... but it could also be Dane’s. She had sat and looked at the calendar and plotted the dates many times now and had come up empty-handed.In the aftermath of Thomas’ death, she had hastily thrown away the birth control pills to avoid being found out, but had forgotten all about replacing them. It was a toss of the coin. Either one of them could be the father.
Not for the first time, Dane found himself staying at his house down in the Cape. Again, he had a need for some clear headspace, and again it was because of Cara.Was he a father? Did it matter? In his mind, this was a perfect opportunity for them to start the rest of their lives together. He hadn’t heard from her in days, and although he knew she would have a lot on her mind and a lot to think about, he was beginning to feel anxious and restless.His phone vibrated in his pocket and he cringed when he saw it was Joseph. He’d been pestering Dane to stop past and see how their business was going, but Dane had brushed him off, not really bothered by the logistics as long as the income was hitting his bank account.“I’m not really in the mood for it, to
Dane sighed as he glanced at the upcoming meeting in his calendar. He couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do less than have the difficult conversation that was to come.He had agreed to the meeting with Julia’s father, Jannik, mainly because he felt terrible for what happened to her under the roof of his business. Jannik’s family were also close friends of Cara’s family, so he had extra incentive to make the situation right and put it to bed.“Jannik, good to see you. I wish I was meeting with you under better circumstances,” greeted Dane as he shook his hand. “What happened to your daughter is terrible. I will help in any way I can.”“Well, you can start by killing the arsehole who did this, to undo the ma