SWAT Team One and the Social Worker (17 page)

by the edge of the bed. He had thrown on a pair of boxer shorts and

looked just as enticing.

“Nothing.”

Dustin gave her one of his looks that basically told her he knew

she was lying, but she wouldn’t give in. She couldn’t tell them about

Alex. They would know how terrible of a person she had been and

what a mistake she made. Because of her self-centeredness, she left

her best friend, her lover, when he needed her most. His blood was on

her hands.

“I’ll go shower and meet you downstairs.” Quickly, she walked

away from them.

* * * *

Dustin and Donny sat with Adam and Kyle while Trey made

small talk with Ted. Trey had gone over to Sam’s to get her some

clothes to wear, and as he was leaving, Ted was walking down the

street. His presence didn’t sit right with any of them. They knew he

was up to something, and Kyle’s ability to interrogate without coming

across as if he were interrogating was proving to divulge useful

information about Ted. They had relatives back in Wolf City, and one

phone call could give them more information about Ted.

Kyle just finished placing all the food on the table when Sam

emerged, dressed in a snug-fitting red tank dress. The low-heeled

matching sandals gave her a little height, but their focus was on her beauty. She was a stunning woman, and the red dress had been one of

Trey’s favorite outfits on Sam. Dustin recalled Trey’s obsession with

Sam in red and what it did to his wolf. Figures, since he was the one

to go grab her clothes that he would pick out his favorite. Dustin

chuckled to himself. He would have done the same thing.

They all rose as Sam entered the room. She smoothed out the

material of her dress, blushing away from their stares. But then she

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froze as she caught sight of Ted. Instantly Dustin and his brothers

were on the defensive.

“He talked Trey into letting him come here. If you don’t want him

here, he’s gone,” Dustin stated abruptly as Donny and Kyle each

grabbed a hold of Ted.

Ted was in a dead stare at Sam. He was smiling as he took in the

sight of her, which only added to the upset.

“No, don’t hurt him. I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see you here,

Ted. I was in a daze.”

Donny and Kyle released their hold but grumbled under their

breath about it. None of them liked the way Ted looked Sam over.

“That’s understandable, Sammy. You’re simply glowing this

morning,” he stated with a wink, and Sam looked as if she were about

to be sick.

Dustin and his brothers spoke through their link, annoyed at his

playful nickname of Sammy. They wanted to know the relationship

between them. Were they lovers? The thought upset them.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” Adam suggested, but the tension

continued to filter through the room.

“I stopped by your house this morning, Sammy. I was hoping that

we could talk. There are some things we need to discuss.”

Sam eyed him but was cautious in her response. It didn’t sit right

with any of the brothers.

“We can walk back to my house after breakfast. I have some

things to take care of today, and I want to call to check on Brandy and the kids.”

“What things?” Kyle asked, abruptly causing Sam to fidget.

Sam lowered her eyes to her lap.

“Just some things.”

“We have plans of our own for you today,” Adam added with a

wink as he looked her body over from head to breasts. It was quite

obvious to anyone with a brain what those plans would involve.

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Sam was embarrassed as her cheeks turned red, and she glared at

Adam. He flexed his arm muscles as he took a bite full of egg but

remained holding her glare. Dustin chuckled to himself. One-on-one

Sam would definitely be a challenge to conquer, but five-on-one was

going to prove to be quite interesting.

“We’ll discuss it after we’re done eating,” she replied as she tilted

her chin toward Adam defiantly then raised her eyebrows at the

others.

“It’s important, Sammy. It involves your family and…mine,” Ted

stated, and Sam stared at him as if that one sentence had so much

meaning she lost her appetite over it.

Sam abruptly stood up from the table.

“Don’t, Ted.”

Ted stood up as well as all five of the brothers.

“You know I would never hurt you. Alex—”

“Don’t!” Sam yelled then abruptly began to walk out of the

kitchen. Ted followed, and of course the rest of them did, as well.

Ted grabbed her arm to stop her, and a series of growls went

through the room.

“Stop and listen, please.”

* * * *

Sam saw the multiple sets of glowing eyes on the brothers. They

would tear Ted apart if she didn’t do something quick.

“Stop! He’s not going to hurt me. I need a few minutes alone with

Ted.”

“No!” The word sprang from all five men at once.

Sam jumped at the intensity in their tone.

“I am asking you to please leave us alone for a few minutes.”

“The answer is still no. You are ours to protect, and this guy

upsets you, so the answer is no,” Kyle replied, taking position next to Ted.

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“What gives you the right?” Sam challenged, now getting angry at

the way the men were acting. It was as if she became their possession

just because she had sex with them. She had never seen the men act

like this over a girlfriend, or anything, for that matter.

“They’re your mates, Sammy. They are part of you just as you are

part of them. It’s the process of the bonding that you engaged in last night,” Ted stated, and she sensed the pain in his eyes and something

else. Was he jealous, angry? And what did he mean by bonding

process? Suddenly she remembered the intense itch and the way they

each bit her last night. They marked her as their mate. She knew only

a little bit about that process. She never made it that far with Alex. He wouldn’t bite her. She had joked around with him about it, and a few

times during sex his teeth touched her skin, but he never actually bit her. Not like the brothers had.

She looked at them as she touched the bite marks on her shoulder.

“Sam.” Trey began to explain, but she turned away from him to

look back at Ted.

“I’ll discuss that with them later. I want to know why you’re here

and what it is that you so desperately need to discuss with me.”

“There are a few things, Sammy. Things that I believe you’re not

ready to share with your mates.”

“What things would that be?” Donny inquired, taking a

challenging step toward Ted.

Ted allowed his wolf to show through his eyes. The men gave

their own looks.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’ve tried to stay away from

them and resist the pull, but I couldn’t. Things have gotten out of

control.”

“You’re apologizing to this guy because we mated?” Trey asked,

sounding both angry and insulted.

“It was sex. Look at them. How was I to resist them any longer? I

mean, there’s this itch, this need inside of me so strong, and I lost control.”

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Sam couldn’t look at them. She felt guilty for betraying Alex. His

brother was hurt and disappointed. That was the look she saw in Ted’s

eyes moments ago.

Ted shook his head.

“No, Sammy. I’m not upset about this. I’m happy for you.”

“But I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve them.” She motioned

with her arm, pointing toward the brothers.

“No, Sammy, you’re wrong. You do deserve this. You deserve

happiness and a future, and it’s exactly what Alex would have

wanted.”

“No! Don’t say his name. Don’t try to fix this, Ted. I killed him,”

she cried and covered her face with her hands. The men were shocked

at her statement. The room fell silent, and Ted pulled Sam into an

embrace.

“That’s part of the reason why I came here, Sammy. You didn’t

kill Alex.” She sobbed as he held her against his chest.

“I shouldn’t have left him.”

“Then you would have died, too.”

Sam slowly pulled away from Ted. Was he crazy? Did he lose his

mind? Is he trying to say that Alex would have killed both of them?

As if reading her thoughts, he held her by her arms.

“He didn’t kill himself, Sam. He was murdered.”

Sam was shocked. She felt the room spin and prayed she didn’t

pass out. Her mind zigzagged with crazy thoughts as she recalled the

crime scene and the day Alex died.

“Let’s sit down, honey. Let me explain.”

Ted led her to a leather couch, and the men followed. They were

silent, but she knew they were right there with her.

* * * *

Ted cleared his throat as he looked at Samantha and her swollen

eyes. She had been through hell the past few days, and now he would

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add more upset and danger to her life. He had no choice. He wanted

to keep her alive, and she was of great importance to the were packs.

“I had to make it look like a suicide, and it was the hardest thing I

have ever been asked to do. But it’s the way Alex wanted it.” Sam

shook her head in confusion.

“Listen, Alex wasn’t completely honest with you. A lot of people

in your life back in Texas weren’t. Alex was in the service as you

know, but he also worked undercover for the government.” Sam

widened her eyes in shock.

Ted turned to look at the men that now stood or sat around Sam.

He had checked them out thoroughly and knew they could be trusted.

In fact, he couldn’t have asked for better protection for Sam. At first he thought he would have to steal her away and bring her back to her

father for protection, but after investigating the men last night and early this morning, it seemed that fate had a hand in this current

situation.

“You each are part of a similar program. You’ve served your

government, your country, and your packs to the fullest to ensure their secrets and their safety from annihilation. This is even bigger than

anything you’ve been privy to.”

“What are you talking about?” Kyle tried to deny the accusation.

They were deep undercover. Loving Sam and finding out that the

woman they were sent to protect was also their mate had to have been

a shock to these wolves. That connection and bond would be

challenged and useful if they didn’t get Sam out of the city and into

protection pronto. There was so much to explain.

Ted eyed them knowingly then went back to explaining things to

Sam.

“If you were there with Alex that day, you would have been

killed, too.”

“But they said he shot himself. There was blood everywhere. I

saw it. I saw what was left of him,” Sam cried then began to shake.

Dustin placed a hand on her shoulder in support.

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“We had to make it look that way. It was to protect you and to

protect his identity from the ones trying to destroy the were packs and the council of elders.”

“Why would they come after Sam?” Donny asked.

“They believe that she has information that can destroy the packs

and take over the government.”

“Me? I didn’t even know that Alex was living a double life. He

told me nothing.”

“You were with him every waking hour for the last two weeks

before his death.”

“Because he wanted me there. He was leaving for another tour in

the war.”

“He was leaving for good, Sam. He wanted to take you with him,

but he knew he couldn’t.”

“Take me with him where?”

“Into hiding. He knew that his identity was going to be blown and

that they would come looking for him. He loved you, Sam, and he

wanted to spend those last two weeks with you because once he left,

he was never coming back.”

She was silent as the tears streamed down her cheeks. It was

obvious that she was thinking about their time together.

“Why didn’t he tell me? I loved him, and I would have gone

anywhere if he needed me.”

Ted looked at the men around her then back at Sam.

“He knew that you really weren’t his mate. He knew that you

were meant for someone else, or in this case, five other alphas who

would help you lead and who would protect you with their lives.”

“Lead? Lead what? I’m just a human, not some werewolf with

supernatural powers. None of this makes any sense to me, and Alex

never confided any information to me.”

Ted released a sigh. “I told you the truth, Sam. Alex died

protecting his culture and this government just as your mates do every day. There are individuals both human and were who protect

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everyone from scientists to politicians in order to keep this world

intact and not fall under the control of evildoers. Those evildoers

come in many forms, too. Whether they are blue-collar or white-collar

criminals to terrorists, their intention is to destroy this world and all the good.”

Sam looked at her men as if now wondering what they had kept