A Handful of Wolf (12 page)

The only thing wrong was his stomach. It’d been grumbling all afternoon, easy to ignore, but now a sharp stabbing pain slashed across his belly. It was enough to make him double over.
Tammy
. He had to call Tammy. If she refused to see a doctor, he’d make sure his parents took her. He leaned against the bar while he waited for his head to stop spinning, and sucked in a deep breath. He couldn’t call her from here, way too noisy. He straightened his back, produced a smile for Megan and her girls and then headed for the stairs and the street beyond.

Tammy didn’t answer. He checked the time and calculated the time difference. Mid-morning for her. She never slept late, so where was she? He left her a voicemail, sent her a text message and then rang his parents. They didn’t answer either. Another pain jabbed at him and he tried to breathe through it.
Jesus
. Fears semaphored across his brain: Tammy unconscious somewhere; Tammy dying in hospital; Tammy alone and unable to get help.
Focus, Sasha
. He shoved at the rising panic and drew strength from his wolf. It paced inside him, unsettled and edgy, but still strong. He’d call Jake.

Music poured from the club windows, high above the street, and Sasha realized the BB’s had almost finished their first set. Megan had her friends, she’d be fine for a few minutes. He placed a call to Jake. Unable to stay still, he padded back and forth. Why didn’t the damn phone connect? Surely it didn’t usually take this long? Another pain pierced his belly and he hunched over while he caught his breath. On the other end of the phone, a crackling female voice answered.
Lillian
.

“That you, Sasha?”

“Yes.” Thank God. “I need to speak to Jake, is he there?”

The line crackled some more. “No, there’s been a heavy snowfall and a mini avalanche. He’s leading a team to clear the blocked roads. Can he call you back?”

Blocked roads?
Fuck
. How would Tammy get to the doctor? “It’s Tammy. I think she’s ill, she needs a doctor and she’s not answering her phone.”

“Tammy? I’m sure I saw her this morning. She was rounding up volunteers for the clearance.”

“There’s something wrong with her. I need to speak to her, Lillian.”

A burst of static crackled in his ear and the call disconnected.
Double fuck
. At least he’d got through to Lillian. She’d get a message to Jake. He wasn’t happy, wouldn’t be happy until he’d spoken to Tamster and reassured himself, but it would have to do.

He slid the phone into his pocket and headed for the stairs, only to have his path blocked by three tall, massive shifters. The largest stepped forward. “I think we need to have a talk.” The others moved to flank Sasha left and right, and his wolf growled. It didn’t like being intimidated and everything about this felt bad.

Dion insisted on buying drinks for Megan and her friends, and they accepted, squeezing together around one of the many scattered tables in the club. She looked for Sasha, but he hadn’t returned. It was so noisy in here, no wonder he’d gone outside.

Lou chinked their glasses together and caught her attention. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing with Sasha? He’s not your usual type.”

The concern in her eyes softened the sting of her words and Megan gave her a quick hug. “He’s nothing like Ryan, if that’s what you mean.”

“Even so. That weird story of how he came out here to meet you. You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Dion leaned across the table and cut in. “You don’t know how Megan met Sasha? Did he not tell you?”

He was obviously going to tell the girls about Sasha rescuing her scarf and how she’d kneed him in the balls. The heavy, smoky atmosphere made her hum with energy and she fidgeted as she waited for the story to come out. She could hardly wait for their surprise.

“He told us some crazy story about them being betrothed as babies.” Nessa looked puzzled and Megan had to stifle her giggle. “I said it couldn’t be true, but Megan isn’t telling.”

Dion laughed aloud and then took a long slurp of his beer. “Nothing like that. I made him a bet.”

Megan heard the words, but they didn’t sink in at first. Lou’s horrified gasp made her look up from her drink and actually listen to what Dion was saying. “Twenty bucks for a kiss and fifty if he could score a date with her.” He grinned at the girls, took another swig of beer and then wiped the foam from his upper lip. A bet.
Sasha made a bet
. With Dion.
Twenty dollars
. The words swirled like little knives, each one cutting a slice from her heart.

She was mistaken. She had to be. Megan looked at Lou for confirmation, then Nessa. They both stared back at her with identical expressions of horror. No, she had it wrong.

Energy flooded her veins and she reached forward, closing her hand around Dion’s drink. “Say that again. You made a bet with Sasha? To date me?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged, totally relaxed. “We do it a lot. It passes the time at work.”

“He only went out with me for a bet?” She clung to a faint hope that Dion was lying, making up an equally nonsensical story.

“Ah. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.” He looked wary now, his eyes flicking left and right, and Megan fought the urge to throw his drink at him. Her chest was tight and she realized she’d been holding her breath. Was it all a sham? The way he held her, the kisses, the gentle intensity. Was he just another Ryan after all?

*

Something felt
off
to Sasha. Not only were these guys built like Russian weightlifters, but they smelled strange. His wolf pushed at him, as though trying to tell him something and he inhaled discreetly. The memory slammed into his brain. Megan had carried this smell after the meet with Connor in the pub. The largest shifter cocked his head to one side and stared at him, his gaze flat and unblinking. “Girl got your tongue, along with your balls?”

Yep, this wasn’t a friendly chat. With his wolf growling, Sasha lifted his chin and returned the stare. “Have we met?” He knew they hadn’t. This guy had long shaggy hair down to his shoulders and a distinctive swirling tattoo on his temple. Sasha would have remembered him.

The shifter took a step forward, crowding into Sasha’s space, but he didn’t give way. “I know who you are. You’ve been talking to Connor and I don’t like that.”

Thanks, Jake
. Making a mental note to decline any future diplomatic invitations, Sasha crossed his arms, making sure his muscles flexed. Working on building sites all summer had given him extra bulk and he had to show them he wasn’t scared. “You have a problem with me talking to your Alpha?”

“He’s not my Alpha. I have my own pack.”

Sasha frowned as something dropped into place in his brain. “You’re not Kiwi. You’re English—that’s a Manchester accent.”

“Don’t go running to Connor with any more rumors. This is none of your business and the sooner you fuck off back to your little pack, the better.”

He suppressed his wolf’s urge to snarl.
Don’t rise to the bait
. “Are you threatening me? If humans get suspicious of all the wolves in the mountains, we’re all fucked.”

“And you’d know all about humans, wouldn’t you? Your Alpha should be more careful who he chooses as his Mate.”

His hackles rose. This was no longer a general threat. Sasha’s Alpha was being insulted, or worse. His wolf pushed at him, urging him to shift, to take down this arrogant fuckwit, but he held back. This was a public street. Anyone might see him.

“Snowdonia Wolves are strong. We don’t take threats lightly, so back off.”

The shifter chuckled. “You think that now. You have no idea what’s going on.” He stuck both hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, every inch confident and assured. “Make the most of your peaceful little mountain. All hell is going to break loose soon enough.”

Sasha felt his phone vibrate and cursed that he couldn’t answer. What if it was Tammy? He dragged his focus back to the fuckwit. “You’re talking through your arse.”

When would he ever learn to keep his mouth shut? With animal speed, the fuckwit uncoiled himself and stepped right up into Sasha’s face, then lifted one finger and touched the tip of Sasha’s nose. “Keep
this
out of my business. That was your last warning, boy.” Another pain ripped through his stomach and he battled not to flinch. He could not afford to show weakness. His muscles were burning with the effort of standing still, of not reacting to the pain, but he managed.

After an eternity of them glaring silently at each other, the shifters turned as one and strode into the shadows, but Sasha didn’t relax until they’d disappeared. He dug into in his pocket for the phone to find a missed call from Jake. For fucks sake. He rang back, but there was no answer. The evening that had started so brilliantly, had turned into steaming pile of shit. At least things with Megan should be okay.

*

Megan needed to clear her head, to think. To make sense of what Dion had just said. His words swirled in her head like a tornado, sweeping up thoughts and feelings and smashing them into pieces. If it was true, if it’d all been a joke—another bet—then it hadn’t meant anything to Sasha. All his honeyed words had been just that. Case in point, look at how quickly he’d made up that story for Nessa and Lou. Her stomach churned and for a moment she thought she’d be sick. She had to get away.

Ignoring her girls’ anxious gestures, she pushed back her chair and walked on unsteady legs away from the table. Nessa appeared by her side, one hand on her arm. “Megan—”

“Don’t say it. Don’t say
anything
.” Nessa opened her mouth to speak and Megan shook her head. “I need a minute.” She meant to go to the bathroom, but could see the queue from here. The bar would suffice. She lurked in a slow moving queue for drinks, buying herself a few moments to collect her thoughts.

One way or another he was a liar, and a very skilled one. Dion had no reason to make it up. What had he said to Sasha earlier? She racked her brains. Sasha had said to ignore him. Dear God, she’d been tricked again. What was it about her? Did she have
Fuck Me For A Laugh
tattooed on her forehead? Angry tears welled up and in desperation she tugged the scarf from her neck and used it to blot her eyes. She would
not
cry. Not here.

Somebody nudged her shoulder and she looked up to a pair of bright blue eyes, startling in a dark skinned face. “You okay, miss?” The stranger gave her a kindly smile and she managed a tight nod in return. He looked like a student, tattooed and pierced, and skinny. They had to be colored contact lenses. Almost everyone in here had the same unearthly eyes.

Megan took a quick breath. “I’m, uh, yeah. Thanks.”
I’m falling apart. The man I thought I’d fallen in love with has been playing me for a fool
. Maybe. There was still a chance that Dion had the details wrong, or had been making up a story of his own. It wasn’t plausible, not really feasible, but after what she’d shared with Sasha—and don’t forget the best sex ever—she owed him a chance to explain.

Sasha needed to see Megan. The urge to hold her, to feel her melt against him, drove him to run up the flights of stairs to the club entrance, where he waited impatiently for the doorman to admit him. He’d fired off more texts to Jake, his parents, Tammy and his friends, but nobody had replied. Fear for Tammy wrapped round him like poison ivy, every tendril digging tighter. What was all that shit with the other wolves? Threatening Jake. They were just mouthing off. Was there some kind of uprising to replace Connor as the Alpha? That happened in packs, but there were clearly defined protocols. Challenges would be laid down and agreed to. The pack would be given the opportunity to vote. Jake would have known about it.

He shook his head as he entered the club. Too many things to think about. His rapid gaze took in the stage—empty. The dance floor—no sign of Megan. Their table—Nessa and Lou, and the guys from the band, but no Megan. The bathroom? He took in the long queue and wondered if she was already in there. She hadn’t left the club, he’d have seen her.

His wolf growled, a harsh, guttural noise inside him and he turned to see her standing at the bar with another wolf. The guy was talking to her and as Sasha watched, the shifter closed his hand around Megan’s shoulder.

Sasha lunged and then pulled up short. Her scarf was gone, the Claiming mark showing clearly on her pale skin. He took a calming breath. The other wolf would not make a move on her. Sure enough, when he looked properly the other guy was just preventing her from being jostled. Yeah, he’d been jumping to conclusions.
I’m an idiot
. Right now, Megan was the only person who could make him feel better about the world and he moved steadily through the crowd, anticipating her touch.

She turned a second before he reached her and their gazes locked. What the fuck? Her eyes were red rimmed, tears glistening on her lashes.

Sasha barged past the guy in his way, ignoring the rumble of protest, and put his arms around Megan. “
Cariad
, what’s happened?” He traded glares with the young wolf, but the guy just shrugged and walked away. “Megan? What’s wrong, baby?” Even as he tried to hold her, she jerked free and took a step back, hitting the edge of the bar.

“Don’t.”

“What?” He looked back at the crowd but the young wolf had gone. What had he missed? He’d been outside twenty minutes. What had changed? “Did he hurt you? Say something to you?” She shook her head, mute. “Talk to me,
Cariad
. You’re scaring me.”

Megan ran one unsteady hand through her hair and then wrapped both arms around herself. She looked smaller somehow, shrunken. “I want you to be honest with me, Sasha.” He opened his mouth to speak, but she carried on, and talked over him. “Brutally, completely, one hundred percent honest. Okay? Can you do that?”

A new fear took hold in his gut. The other wolf had seen the Claiming mark. What if he’d explained the significance to Megan? Sasha hadn’t told her about the whole Mating thing yet, but there’d been no rush. He licked his lips and realized she waited for him to speak. “Of course. What’s up?” The wolf must have assumed she knew about shifters. Maybe that’s why she was upset? Lillian had been shocked at first, or so Jake had said.