Wolf Bite (12 page)

She was
hurting
and he was relieved. It pissed her off.

“Alexis Huston, mind your tone.” There it was. The angry wolf peeked out of his voice and she had a brief flash of satisfaction for cracking his calm, followed swiftly by a wave of guilt. She was taking her temper out on her father. “You’ve not looked at a man in years. You had one poor excuse for an affair during your internship, only to shut it down without a single tear.”

Belligerence rallied. “So?”

“So?” He growled and she heard the crack of wood in the background. Had he broken something? Or simply smashed his fist to the desk. “So, you’ve isolated yourself for years, ever since—” He stopped and his tone gentled. “I am sorry you’re hurting, but I am relieved that you
can
hurt. It means you are free to fall in love again.”

Ignoring the last sentence, she focused on the one he hadn’t finished. “Ever since what?”

Her one affair had happened over her internship. She hadn’t lied to Mason when she’d said she hated the work, but she’d thought that Jensen was a sweet guy…who left her cold. She’d gone through the motions with him, but the sex had been mechanical and she’d spent most of the time wishing it were over and done with.

Nothing at all like sex with Mason. Mason owned her body and her pleasure and turned her inside out. Heat scalded her face as the memories swarmed over her and it only intensified the gaping hole of pain in her soul.

Ryan went silent again, but she could hear the faint sound of his breathing. She knew he was still on the line, so why didn’t he simply answer her? Yelling at him wouldn’t get her anywhere. After draining the rest of the water, she tossed the bottle into the trash and leaned her forehead against the refrigerator. She was burning up and the appliance was cold.

“Daddy? I’m hurting and now I’m mad. Please tell me.” When had her voice gotten so small? Salt rubbed wounds burned. God knew, she shed enough salt in her tears to turn her heart raw.

He sighed. “Baby girl, you haven’t been the same since that boy left. I admit I was worried about you. You kept trying to chase after him, but if you could fall in love enough to hurt like this, I don’t have to worry anymore.
That
relieves me. I hate that you are hurting and I mean it, I’ll come break his legs. Tear him limb from limb.”

That boy
? All the oxygen backed up in her lungs.
Mason?
Nausea threatened again and she rubbed her cheek on the fridge. Maybe she’d contracted West Nile virus at the lake—wouldn’t that make her week just complete?
Mugging. Mason. Misery.
 

“No, I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” Let him assume whichever him he wanted. “Actually, I feel like crap, so I think I’m going to go to bed and sleep.”

“Come home,” Ryan said, and she didn’t hear an order, only an invitation. “Let your mom and me take care of you.”

“I can’t.” But her refusal held a lot less heat. “I just had a few days off and Carter needs me in the office.” Not really, based on the work she’d had waiting for her. They hadn’t even noticed she was gone. Maybe it was time to look for a new job, settle on a degree course, and get on with her life.

Fresh tears made her vision waver.
Sooner or later she would be done crying, right?
 

“I can handle Carter.” Ryan drummed his fingers on the desktop. “I hate the tears, baby girl. They make me want to kill something.”

Blunt to the point of painful, that was the wolf way. She sniffled, then laughed. “Well, if I change my mind about the broken legs, I promise you’ll be the first one I call.”
Never.
That would happen never. She didn’t understand all the bullshit wolf politics, but Mason was no longer pack. Ryan would do more than break his legs.

“Good.” Satisfaction thrummed in that one word, then he said, “Do you want to talk to your mom?”

Intending to say no, she choked on another sob. “Yes, please.”

“Tiffany,” Ryan called. “Alexis needs you.”

A moment later, “Baby? What’s wrong?”

And because it was her mom, she spilled her broken heart out onto the phone and told her everything.

Except Mason’s name and the fact that he was a wolf.

A week later, she gave up the fight against the flu she’d battled for several days and called out sick from work. Carter had been concerned and made a point of showing up at her office every day. The older man had probably received a call from her father, but for once, Alexis didn’t mind Ryan’s overprotectiveness or the fact that when she telephoned the office to tell Carter she was ill, he gave her the week off and the name of his physician.

According to her thermometer, her fever raged at a blistering hundred and two. Not good. At least her stomach no longer revolted over every little thing. Oddly, it hadn’t liked toast or bland foods, but craved protein. God, she had protein cravings that wouldn’t quit. Dressed in jeans, t-shirt and running shoes, she grabbed her purse and headed out. The worst part of the last week had been no matter where she went, the scent of Mason haunted her.

Her imagination was cruel. Her tears finally dried, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with her misery lessening. Illness made her cranky and the fever added to her discomfort. She planned a trip to a grocery store to stock up, then she’d hole up in her apartment until whatever vicious bug she’d picked up passed.

At the store, she loaded her cart with cold meds, then swung through the meat department to pick up some fresh steaks. Despite her rebellious stomach, she practically salivated at the butcher counter. On impulse, she added ribs, pork, and salmon. The fresher the better. A dozen brown paper wrapped cuts filled the bottom of her cart.

Avoiding the alcohol section, she paused on the tea aisle and studied the offerings. She hadn’t been able to keep down a single cup of coffee all week, but she missed her caffeine. An herbal tea that advertised soothing effects went into the cart, so did a calming tea and one for energy. Then she grabbed a box of plain old black and orange pekoe.

Honey sounded good, so she added that and grabbed a fresh gallon of milk. In the dairy aisle, she studied the yogurts. Her stomach didn’t outright reject the notion, so maybe she could manage to eat a few of those to balance the overload of red meat she’d packed into her cart. A motion to her right had her glancing in that direction. A familiar woman studied the eggs a few feet away.

Tall and athletic, the woman’s mixed ancestry showed in her deep skin tone offset by rich red hair. Alexis pretended to study the yogurt, then turned again—not bothering to hide her stare. The woman was definitely familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place her…

“Margo?” The name burst out of her before she could reconsider.
Margo Montgomery, Enforcer.
They’d met twice—once in Chicago, after she’d begun her internship and once in Dallas. The woman turned up at a restaurant where Alexis had been eating lunch. She’d introduced herself, handed Alexis a card, and told her to call if she had any trouble.

Later, she’d dropped into Alexis’ life shortly after her move to Dallas. She’d given her a card and the same abrupt instructions.

Ryan
.

Pivoting, Margo gave up her pretense of looking at the eggs and abandoned her empty cart to approach Alexis. “Good morning. You look like crap.”

“Well, hello to you, too.”
Bitch
. Nails scraping across a chalkboard would have been a symphony compared to the jangling of Alexis’ nerves at the woman’s approach. It didn’t help that Alexis felt like shit and probably looked it, while Margo moved with a predatory grace fitting her stunning exotic beauty.

The closer she came, the angrier Alexis grew.

“Ryan said you were sick and asked me to check on you.” Not an ounce of apology could be found in her tone. “You should see a doctor.” Nearly four inches taller than Alexis, Margo seemed to loom over her. She paused less than a foot away, nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed.

Instantly furious and not understanding her rage, Alexis turned away from her and reached for the yogurt she’d been perusing. She picked out several without looking at the flavors and tossed them into the cart. Margo moved closer and Alexis glared. “Back the fuck off me.”

Surprise filtered through the other woman’s expression, but instead of backing away, she invaded Alexis’ space more. Fists clenching, Alexis jerked the cart. It collided with Margo and halted her progress.

“What part of back the fuck off did you not understand?” Shock rippled beneath her anger, but fury was a welcome emotion and she embraced it over the grief eating a black hole in her heart.

If her temper perturbed the other woman, she didn’t let it show. “You aren’t well.”

“Congratulations, Sherlock, you’ve confirmed that I’m sick. If you’ll excuse me, I need to pay for this and head home.” Margo, however, didn’t take the hint, nor did she get out of Alexis’ path. Sucking in a deep breath, Alexis scowled. “What?”

“You’re really sick. Have you seen a doctor?”

“I’m also
really
an adult. So, piss off.”
Who the hell does she think she is?
Alexis turned her cart and headed away at an angle, unwilling to turn her back on the Enforcer. It was stupid—Enforcers had no say over her.
Mason.
She was here because of Mason. That realization only made Alexis more determined to walk away.

Margo matched her pace, continuing to crowd her space. Halfway up the cereal aisle, Alexis halted and glared. “Stop. Following. Me.”

“No.” Lips pursed, Margo canted her head to the side. “You have a glassy look to your eyes and you’ve managed to throw down a challenge at me three times since I approached. That’s not like you—and reckless behavior could get you killed. So, I’ll be making sure you get home.”

Who the fuck…?
Barely able to keep her hands on the cart, she fought the urge to pound the other woman’s beautiful face bloody. The familiar scent of Mason drifted over her and she scowled. God, she was losing her ever-loving mind. Margo touched her cheek and Alexis had enough. She slapped the other woman’s hand away followed by a good, hard shove. To her shock, Margo actually backed up at the push.

“Don’t touch me again.” Angry at Margo for being in her space. Angry at Mason for leaving her. Angry at the world for her fucking cold. She just wanted to be left alone. “You want to watch me? Do so from a distance. Fine. Whatever. I’m going home.”

Hot on the heels of the anger came the need to flee.
Wolves. Fucking wolf politics. Fucking pushy ass bastards who didn’t understand she didn’t need them sniffing after her
. Her stomach revolted, but she swallowed back the need to vomit. Chin up, Alexis kept her gaze ahead of her and ignored the Enforcer on her march to the checkout lanes.

A couple of other women out shopping blocked her path, then took one look at her and got the hell out of her way. Mason’s scent was everywhere, but she refused to look. Her fever, and her imagination, seemed intent on torturing her. Stacking her items on the counter, she didn’t respond to the clerk’s small talk nor to Margo’s continued surveillance.

She paid for her groceries and headed for her car. Margo stalked her across the parking lot and by the time Alexis arrived at her car, every nerve in her screamed at her to teach the bitch a lesson.

Yeah. Right
. Starting a fight with a wolf was the best way to end up with broken bones and wouldn’t that be the perfect way to end her week? Trunk loaded, she returned the cart to one of the metal pickup stands and paused when she found Margo standing at the car door.

“Seriously? What is your problem?” Why wouldn’t the Enforcer go away?

“Something is wrong with you.” Margo’s less than newsworthy response added another irritation to her already shitty morning.

“No kidding. I’m sick and being annoyed by a dumb wolf.” Deliberately choosing the aggressive route flew in the face of everything she knew about the wolves. Frankly, Alexis didn’t care. Being furious was so much better than feeling like a kicked puppy. “Go. Away.”

The Enforcer frowned and for one long, blistering moment, Alexis thought she’d pushed her too far. Finally, Margo opened the car door for her and held out her card. “Take it. Go home and rest. If you need anything, please call me.”

Accepting the card seemed the fastest way to get rid of her. Alexis threw her purse across to land on the passenger seat and climbed in. Aware the wolf still watched her, she started the engine and pulled out of her parking spot. Once the car was in motion, she opened the window and tossed the card back out.

Petty? Maybe, but Alexis didn’t care. She dialed her father before she’d even turned onto the road. When she went straight to voicemail, she said, “Call off the dogs, Dad. I’m sick, not in trouble, and I don’t appreciate you sending a nursemaid. We have a deal.” Then because she felt particularly pissy, she added. “Or don’t, and I’ll assume you never want me to call or come home again.”

One should never threaten an action one wasn’t willing to go through with, but Alexis wasn’t kidding. She hung up and dropped the phone back onto her seat. At the traffic light, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Margo was three cars back.

Fuck
. Fine. Let the Enforcer follow her all the way home. She was done caring about that. Three traffic lights later, she thought she saw Mason’s black truck and her temper roused all over again.

At home, she unpacked, stored all her groceries and turned her phone off. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t want to see anyone. In her bedroom, she crawled under the sheets and went to sleep.

Twenty-four hours later, she dragged herself out of bed. The sheets were soaked. Maybe her fever had finally broken. Fatigue dragged at every muscle and she took her time in the shower. Afterward, she dressed before changing the bed sheets. It made her sad to think of washing them, since it would remove the last trace of Mason from her life.

Galvanized by the lonely thought, she left them for later and went to the kitchen. Hunger pinched her sides and she grilled two of the steaks she’d left in the fridge. She thought she’d prepared enough to eat for the rest of the day, except she polished off both in short order.