Wolf Bite (6 page)

Ryan growled a chuckle. “No, I will not call her so she can win your fight for you, but well-played.”

That fact hadn’t actually occurred to her and she laughed. “Sorry, I really did mean it only as an example.”

“I know. Mother would take your side though. She always does.” Thankfully, he didn’t sound too displeased by the idea. “You should take the day off. I’ll call Carter and square it away with him. Why don’t you take the rest of the week off? Go do something for yourself. Can you let me take care of this for you?”

Translation—would she not fight him so he could feel she was still under his protection? “I would appreciate it. I think I’d like to clean the apartment, maybe go to a couple of the museums and explore Dallas. Between work and school, I don’t get to as much as I’d like.”

“Then I’ll take care of it. You
call
me if anything else happens and I promise to at least consider letting you handle it yourself. Deal?” It was one hell of a concession and Alexis blinked back tears.

“Thank you, Dad.” She sniffed.

His voice sounded gruff. “Love you, kiddo. You come home and visit us soon.”

For the first time since she’d left, she wanted to do it. “I will. Maybe in August, before school starts again.”

When Ryan hung up, she swiped away tears. He’d let her win that argument. He wasn’t flying down to take charge and check on her. Letting him deal with her boss was a cop out in some ways, but then she didn’t have to lie either. Choosing the photos on her phone, she pulled up a picture of her family. Kyle wasn’t a little kid anymore. He was twelve and tough as nails.

But still her baby brother.

Yes, she would go home in August and see them. Maybe sooner. But first…
I need to buy a new bed.
 

Mason paid for the coffee and carried both cups outside to the patio. He’d blown off Margo earlier, promising to meet her at lunchtime. She’d arrived at the designated Starbucks before him and awareness of her steady regard followed him into the building and out again.

Setting a vente coffee in front of her, he turned a chair around and straddled it. A second shower helped diminish Lexi’s scent and a change of clothes would mask the rest, he hoped. Better to get the meeting over with, then get the hell out of there. He met Margo’s gaze and knew his wolf join him in the stare.

Once upon a time, Margo Montgomery, Enforcer for the southern territories, dominated him—a fact she proved when she’d beaten the hell out of him and put him down. Also Lone Wolves, Enforcers committed to a higher task, one that protected both packs and Lone Wolves. Margo used her dominance to keep him in line when he’d been an angry teenager living away from his pack for the first time.

That was no longer the case and hadn’t been for a few years. Where she used to appear regularly, her visits grew more infrequent with longer gaps in between. The staring contest continued, but the muscle ticking in her jaw betrayed her struggle. A golden cast to her eyes revealed her wolf and her teeth bared in a grimace.

Finally, she dropped her gaze and Mason allowed himself to relax a fraction.
Battle number one, won.
 

“So, you wanted to talk to me?” He kept his tone conversational and took a sip of his coffee. Fortunately, he was between construction jobs at the moment and in no great hurry to be anywhere.
Alexis.
His wolf wanted to see her, to make sure she was okay.

Mason shoved the thought out of his mind. He couldn’t see her again. No matter how much he wanted to.
See. Taste. Have.
 

“Not really.” Margo gave him as sly look. Like many of the wolves, she came from mixed descent, Spanish, Native American, Anglo, and African-American. Beautiful. Controlled.

Deadly.

Fortunately, he’d never made the mistake of trying to fuck her. The she-bitch had claws and wasn’t afraid to use them.
Don’t want her.

Never had, not really.

“That’s not what you said this morning.” What was she up to?

“Actually,” she said with a smile. “What I said was, ‘buy me a cup of coffee.’”

Fair point. So what the fuck was she doing near Alexis’ apartment? He took a long drink. He’d asked them to make his extra hot, so the Americano scalded on the way down. Rising, he nodded. “Then we’re finished.”

“No.” Margo gave him a sideways look. “We’re not.”

Bitch.
He could walk away, Margo didn’t have the dominance to make him stay. But she could make his life hell and it was easier to appease her than draw blood in a straight on fight. With an aggrieved sigh, he asked, “What do you need, Margo?”

“Random check-in. I was due to track you down. How’s life?”

He didn’t sit. “It’s fantastic. Are we done?”

“You seem agitated.” Curiosity filled her eyes. “That doesn’t have anything to do with Ryan’s pup does it?”

Scenting no deception, Mason avoided a direct answer with a shrug. “I was on my way to work.”

“I didn’t notice any construction projects in the area.” Suspicion slid beneath the words, but Margo maintained her relaxed posture and took a sip.

“I was on the crew that built the building.” Let her take from that what she would. “Why were you there?” Not looking for him, certainly. He was fairly certain Margo didn’t know where he lived and he intended to keep it that way.

“It’s not important.” Apparently she didn’t mind lying to him. She’d mentioned Ryan—Lexi’s father kept an eye on her. The only reason for an Enforcer to be there, unless…

“You mentioned Ryan’s pup.” Fur ruffled beneath his skin as his wolf batted the scent of the lie around. “Has she gone Lone Wolf?” Lexi was human, but she was still pack. It wasn’t so ridiculous an idea.

“It’s not really your concern, is it?” Her eyes narrowed.

“She was a friend. And someone I cared about.” All truths. “If she’s here, that means she’s not with pack. She’s not protected.” He let the disapproval rise in the words.

Margo sighed and waved him toward his chair. The invitation was more wolf-to-wolf as equals than dominant to subordinate, so Mason humored her and sat. She scanned the area around them visually. Her nostrils flared and he recognized her checking the local scents. Enforcers never let down their guard.

Seemingly satisfied, she leaned forward and dropped her voice to a near subvocal range. No human would overhear them, even if they sat at a nearby table. “Alexis Huston left the Willow Bend pack about four years ago, but she does not possess Lone Wolf status. Toman overruled Ryan, granting her permission to go to school here. So, we keep an eye her. Pass through regularly, check her job, her school and her apartment building. I was in the area, it was time for a check in.”

As gossip went, that was bland. He couldn’t help himself, he had to ask. “Why did Toman let her leave?” The Alpha’s primary reason for existence was the safety and protection of his pack, all of them. Lexi was still pack. The memory of her soft cries and her nails raking down his back reminded him he still wore her marks. Any other time, he’d have stripped off his shirt and shown them off proudly.

But not among the humans and sure as fuck not in front of Margo.

“Hell if I know, they don’t tell me that.” She laughed. “Ryan told me she was coming here, gave me her address, and asked me to circulate it to the other Enforcers. We keep an eye on her and we don’t let her know we’re doing it. She wants her independence. Toman gave it to her.”

Toman should never have overruled her own father. It pissed Mason off that the Alpha would overstepped so far as to interfere in what should be a family’s personal business. Then again, Alexis was human, not wolf. She was also Mason’s—he cut the thought off. Toman wouldn’t deliberately endanger her because of Mason? Or would he? Once upon a time, Mason believed he’d understood his former Alpha, even tried to respect him when his wolf had been in a killing anger.

Now?
With years of maturity under his belt, he saw a number of different solutions Toman could have put into play. All options Toman chose to ignore.

“Why she’s here isn’t your problem,” Margo was saying. “That said, and since you’re still in Dallas, I have a favor to ask.”

Him? She wanted to ask him a favor? That was rich. His wolf went hunting quiet and they both stared at Margo. She shifted under the weight of his gaze.
That’s interesting…
Making her look away was one thing, but making her uncomfortable?

It made the predator in him very happy and soothed some of his irritation at Toman.

“Yes?” He asked with a smile, before taking another sip of his coffee. Her brief scowl had him easing off. Having the power to overwhelm someone didn’t mean he had to be an ass about it. “What favor?”

“Ryan Huston called me this morning, he was worried when Alexis didn’t go to work and wasn’t answering her phone. I was on my way to check on her when I ran into you.”

The house of cards beneath his façade trembled, but Mason merely nodded and waited for her to continue. Too many hunts were ruined when a wolf lunged too soon or retreated before the kill could happen. Ten years of solitude taught him a great deal about patience.

“But I had another call before I could go up. You know Ripper Morgan?”

Vaguely.
He’d crossed paths with the other Enforcer once, maybe twice, in the first years away from Willow Bend. Morgan didn’t like the south or at least he said he didn’t and hadn’t ventured into this region often.

“Fine, it doesn’t matter. I need to head out to help him which means I won’t be close if anything happens to Ryan’s pup. You know her, can you keep an eye on her for a few days until I get someone else here?”

Oh, he really shouldn’t. But what a tempting offer… Too tempting. He studied the request, looking for the trap.

“It’s not a trap or me setting you up. To be perfectly honest, you’re being considered for Enforcer status, if you want it…”

Oh hell to the fuck no.
Harassing Lone Wolves? Policing rogues? Sure, it might be fun to hunt them. While, Enforcers might not answer to one Alpha, they sure as hell got caught in the crossfire of politics.

“…whether you do or not. I need someone in the area to keep an eye on her.” Her voice softened because, like him, Margo was a protector. Lexi needed protecting. “Ryan’s pretty pissed. She was mugged last night, but apparently his pup’s gotten some teeth because she fended off the attacker.”

She’d broken his nose. Pride flushed him, but he covered the reaction with another swallow of coffee. “So you want me to keep an eye on her? What? Follow her around like a guard dog?”

“For a few days. It will make Ryan happy and he’ll stay in Willow Bend and not come down here to drag his pup home in defiance of Toman’s orders.”

Mason’s ears pricked and everything in him focused on Margo. What was she saying? How the hell could the Alpha order a father to stay away from his child? It didn’t matter that Lexi wasn’t Ryan’s biological daughter—from the day he’d mated her mother, he’d claimed her as his. “What am I missing?”

She shook her head and pulled a card out of her pocket. “Politics. Just…keep an eye on her. That’s got my new number on it.” She slid the card over to him. “If anything happens, protect the pup, deal with the problem.”

The card was a golden ticket to seeing Lexi again. His wolf wanted to pounce on the opportunity and rush back to her immediately. Caution stayed his hand.

“Not bait. Not looking for you to fuck up. Genuinely need the favor.” Margo’s gentle tone held a note of pleading. The proud wolf across from him wasn’t used to asking for help. Even if he hadn’t already decided because it gave him an excuse to be near Lexi and to protect her, he would have answered Margo’s need.

“All right,” he put a finger on the card and drew it to him. “I’ll probably be leaving Dallas soon.” Knowing Lexi was so close, he’d never be able to stay away.

“Hold off until I have someone to cover this area? We’re scattered a little thin in this state.” What she didn’t say was that they were few wolves here at all, one of the reasons Mason chose the region.

He nodded. “I can wait.”

Wait and spend more time with her.
Maybe make up for leaving her alone when he should have spent the morning pampering his lover.

Lover
.

No, she couldn’t be, not really.

But for a few days I can pretend…

“Thanks, Mason.” Margo sounded sincere. “I’ll be in touch.”

He didn’t ask if she had his number. Of course she did. He nodded. She rose, drained her coffee, and walked away without another word.

Still sitting at the table, he turned the card over in his hand and memorized the number. He stored nothing in his phone and wiped it regularly. It wouldn’t matter if he lost his phone, nothing on it could be used to trace back to the packs.

Lexi…
His wolf growled and Mason was hard-pressed not to join him. Once he was sure Margo was out of scenting range, he rose and drained his coffee. It wouldn’t do to betray his eagerness. She said it wasn’t a trap, but then again, why would she admit planning to make him slip up?

Pad Thai.
Lexi loved it, the spicier the better.

He’d bring her food. She couldn’t shut the door on his face if he brought her favorites, right?

Whistling, he strolled toward his car. He needed to pack some gear so he could stay close.

Very close.

Having survived the humiliation of knowing looks and not very well disguised snickers from men delivering her new bed and carrying out the wreckage of the old, all Alexis wanted to do was put away her laundry, maybe pour a glass of wine, and watch something tear-worthy on television.

Or maybe they’d be gelding something on Animal Planet. Yeah, so the neutering thing probably took it too far. She’d been in a bad mood, waxing between the desire to cry and the urge to throw something all day. The least Mason could have done was leave her a number or something.

By mid-afternoon, it occurred to her to check her cell phone. Maybe he’d sent himself a text so they could have each other’s numbers. Maybe he’d had to leave for work early and hadn’t wanted to wake her. All reasonable, rational thoughts—except she’d found no unrecognized messages or numbers. So, no, Mason had simply left.