A Wolf's Duty (32 page)

“What exactly do you
want?” he growled, clearly displeased at having been woken when the
alternative of staying in bed wrapped around his mate was much more
appealing.

“Your highness,” the first
guard stuttered, fazed by Tobias’ gruffness.

“What is it? If it’s not
important then I’m going back to bed.” He moved to close the door
but the second guard prevented him from doing so after having
gathered his courage.

“Your highness, we don’t
mean to intrude but Lord Ryan and Lord Sebastian said that it was
very urgent.”

“Tobias?” The sleepy sound
of his name from Alex’s lips pulled at him, encouraging him to
rejoin her.

“Can’t it wait?” he
groaned.

“They said that there’s
someone here that they think you’ll be interested in seeing. They
sounded very anxious that you join them your highness.”

“Fine, I’m
going, give me a minute to get dressed. I want one of you to wait
here and when the Princess wakes up, bring her to me
immediately.”
If I’m going to suffer being
dragged from bed then I want Xandria there with me, nothing seems
quite as bad with her nearby.

“Yes your highness.” The
guards saluted.

Closing the door behind
him, he entered the bedroom, a small smile appearing on his face as
he watched Alex shift about on the mattress, her small hands
clutching his pillow for warmth and comfort. Shaking his head to
dislodge any thoughts of simply ignoring the guards at his door and
diving back between the sheets, he moved away from the bed.
Showering and dressing quickly he began to make his way to the door
before changing course. Sitting down at his desk, he penned a short
note to Alexandria, telling her where he’d gone and informing her
of the guard waiting for her before leaving it on his side of the
bed for her to read when she woke to find him gone. The note in
place, he turned for the door, leaving the room.

“Take me to Ryan and
Sebastian please.” The guard nodded, moving forward and leaving his
partner behind.

Tobias’s mind raced with
different scenario’s that could require his urgent attention but
nothing he had thought up prepared him for what actually awaited
him. The doors to the audience chamber opened and the first sound
he heard caused his heart to clench and his wolf’s hackles to
rise.

“I know she’s here. Give
her back to me. She’s my daughter dammit. You people kidnapped her
and I’m going to call the police if I don’t see her in the next
five seconds!”

Tobias walked into the
room dazed, needing his eyes and nose to confirm what his ears
heard. Though he had never met or seen Fred, his mind couldn’t
understand how the man before him could in any way be related to
the fragile creature he had left sleeping in his bed, but his nose
didn’t lie and the man had traces of Alex’s scent all over
him.

“Tobias,” Ryan sighed
relieved. “We have a bit of an issue. This man claims that we’ve
kidnapped his daughter and wants us to give her back.”

“I have no idea what
you’re talking about,” Tobias replied, his voice monotone as his
mind raced.

I promised not
to hurt him but does that still stand when the idiot comes here and
tries to take her from me?

Take our
mate?
At his musings, the wolf within him
rose, straining at the bars of its mental cage.
He wants to take our mate from us?

Tobias remained silent,
his thoughts still debating whether he was bound to abide by the
long forgotten promise or whether Fred’s coming to him was the
equivalent of a voluntary death sentence. Not receiving a response
from Tobias, his wolf decided to investigate, sorting through
Tobias’ memories and thoughts to piece together the newcomer’s
identity. The wolf within him roared at the discovery, shaking
furiously at its mental confines, desperate for release.

Kill him.
There’s no need to debate this! For two years this man laid his
hands on our mate, hurt her, beat her and scarred her! Kill him.
Tear his throat out! Make him bleed! Don’t think about this. Kill
him!

Clutching at
his head as a headache built, Tobias strained for his thoughts to
be heard above his wolf’s roars.
I made
her a promise.

She’s not
here, she’ll never know.

And what if
she asks about him, what should we do? Lie to her? There are no
secrets or lies between mates.
The wolf
quieted at the reminder, allowing Tobias to gather his
thoughts.

What should we
do then?
the wolf asked.

Let’s hear
what he has to say and then decide.

I still say we
should kill him and be done with it. You never know, she might not
ask.

Your opinion
is duly noted.

Fred’s bellowing reached
his ears and he allowed himself to focus on what was going on
outside of his mind now that his wolf was temporarily
appeased.

“I know she’s here, I
don’t know why you took her but I want her back. I demand that you
return her to me right now. I’m her father!”

“What exactly makes you
think that your daughter is here?” Tobias inquired, his voice
deceptively calm while on the inside he was seething.

“I have it on very
reliable authority that she’s here.”

An eyebrow rose at the
statement, disbelief filling him. “Reliable authority?”

“Yes. Look, I know that
she’s here and I want her back.”

“Who exactly are you
looking for? You’ve come in here, screaming that you want your
daughter back but you seem to be under the presumption that I know
exactly who it is you’re talking about. There are a lot of people
here and I’m positive that all the females here are someone’s
daughter.”

“Her name is
Alexandria.”

“It’s a very pretty name
but there I’m also fairly sure that your daughter isn’t the only
person in the world that goes by that name. Do you have a
picture?”

Fred scowled at the
question. “No.”

“Now, precisely what kind
of father comes barging into someone else’s home, demanding that
they return his daughter but doesn’t even have carry a photo of
her? Every proud, kind, loving father should have some sort of
picture of their child, which begs the question of exactly what
kind of father are you?”

Fred’s skin
flushed at the insinuation and he struggled to maintain his
calm.
Sean hasn’t come up with anything to
get her out of here and she’ll be twenty-one in just a few days,
I’ve got to get her out of here one way or another. This guy needs
a good seeing to but one thing at a time. Get that bitch out of
here and maybe I can come back for him later.
“Look, I didn’t come here to be insulted.”

“Then what exactly did you
come here for?” Tobias interrupted.

“I told you I came here
for my daughter.”

“How old is your
daughter?”

The odd question
side-swiped Fred and he answered automatically. “She’s
twenty.”

“That means she’s old
enough to know where she can get in touch with you and how to use a
phone.” Fred nodded. “If she’s old enough to know all of that and
if your daughter were here then why hasn’t she tried to contact
you? Why hasn’t she tried to leave? If she were here then maybe she
doesn’t want to go back with you, maybe she wants to
stay.”

“You people kidnapped her,
that’s why she hasn’t been able to get in touch with me otherwise
she’d have called, she’d have asked me to come and get her to take
her home. I’m going to have you arrested.”

“I’d love to see you try.”
Tobias laughed revelling in the scent of the man’s
discomfort.

“Just because you have
money, it doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you like and get
away with it. The law applies to everyone.”

“Yes, it
does.”
And here bastard, I can make
whatever law I like.

“I’ve had enough of this!”
Fred thundered. “I’m going to get my daughter back if I have to
search every room here. I know you’ve got her and I’m taking her
back.” He moved towards the door, but it swung outwards as it
opened, forcing him behind the thick wood. Hidden behind the now
open door, Fred watched as Alex walked into the room dressed in a
man’s shirt with a joyous expression on her face.

“Tobias?” She smiled
rushing towards him. “Is something wrong?”

“What are you doing here
Xandria? Better yet, what are you doing here dressed like
that?”

“Oh,” she flushed
apparently just becoming aware of her state of dress. “Well, Owen,”
She tilted her head to indicate the guard that had ushered her into
the room, “made it sound like it was important and I got your note
as well and I’m beginning to think that when your family members
get together something important is going on. I guess I just forgot
to get dressed properly. Sorry, I’ll go and change and then you can
tell me what’s going on, ok?” He nodded dumbly, unsure of exactly
what to say.

She looked over his
shoulder, frowning. “Ryan? Sebastian? Are you two ok? You look a
little stressed.”

Following Tobias’s lead,
Ryan smiled widely. “We’re fine Alex, why don’t you take Tobias’
advice and go get changed. I’d hate for my cousin to have to tear
my eyes out just so that we didn’t look at you.”

“Ok,” she mumbled,
confused at the odd atmosphere that filled the room. Turning back
towards the door she began to move towards it, tugging frantically
at the hem of the shirt to cover herself. Her eyes focused on her
clothing, she failed to notice Fred move out from behind the door
until he was standing directly in front of her and she walked into
him. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she murmured,
her eyes glued to the floor as she flushed with embarrassment. A
moment of silence passed where she didn’t receive a response from
the person she had bumped into and her eyes lifted.

“Fred,” she gasped,
shocked at his appearance in her sanctuary.

He grasped her wrist
pulling her up sharply. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m
your father and I expect you to call me dad,” he snarled, his
spittle flying into her face.

Her body froze as fear
overwhelmed her; a slight breeze was the only warning she had that
Tobias had moved before he appeared at her side, prying Fred’s
fingers from her wrist before throwing him halfway across the hall.
“Xandria, are you ok?”

Her eyes wide she turned
to him. “What’s he doing here Tobias?”

“Go back to the bedroom
Alexandria, I’ll take care of this.”

“I knew you had her!” Fred
screamed, lifting himself from the ground. “Give me my
daughter.”

“Xandria, go back to our
rooms. I’m going to take care of this so don’t worry.” Tobias
rubbed his hands reassuringly along her arms but he could feel her
body trembling in fear which only served to make him angrier, his
emotions and desires becoming increasingly feral and aligned with
his wolf’s.

Fred moved quickly,
covering the distance he had been thrown to return to Alex’s side,
tugging on her arm hard to draw her attention. “Why didn’t you call
me? I’m your father, you can’t just go running off and from what it
looks like, you aren’t exactly being kept here against your will.”
His gaze scanned her frame. “Following in your mother’s footsteps,”
he sneered.

“I, I,” she stuttered,
unable to form a coherent argument in the face of her worst
nightmare.

“We’re going home
Alex.”

Pulling Alex into his
embrace, Tobias clutched her shivering body against his before
moving towards Ryan and Sebastian. Though it loathed him to do so,
he handed his trembling mate over to his cousin. “Hold her for me.”
Ryan nodded, extending his arms to receive her slight
weight.

His mate now in trusted
hands he returned to Fred, his calm façade falling away with every
step until he stood directly in front of her father. “Xandria isn’t
going anywhere with you, she stays with me from now on.”

“Xandria?” Fred
mused.

“You on the other hand…”
Tobias’ hand shot forth, grabbing Fred by the neck before he put on
a burst of speed to slam the man against a stone wall, forcing the
breath out of him. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.” He
allowed his eyes to turn amber, inhaling deeply as the scent of
fear rolled off his captive in waves. “And you came to the wrong
place if you’re hoping for sympathy. You won’t be getting any from
me and here my word is law.”

Chapter Thirty
One

“What are you doing?” Fred
spluttered, clutching at the hand at his throat as he struggled for
air. “Let go of me.”

“Why exactly would I do
that? I said you were going to pay and I meant it.”

“I haven’t done anything
wrong!”

“No? I think physically
abusing my mate for two years is wrong and I’m sorry if you don’t
agree, but your opinion on the matter doesn’t really concern me.
Look at what you’ve done to her,” he snarled, forcing Fred to watch
Alex’s reaction to his presence. “Don’t worry, by the time I’m
finished with you, you’ll be in a far worse condition when you see
me. I can assure you of that.”