Far From Innocent (23 page)

And she said we were hiding, and that we would grow strong again when we accepted what ran inside of us naturally. She said we’d be strong.”

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Renee’s words had been directed at her personally. But Dimitri wouldn’t see it that way. He’d see the bigger picture—how it could be interpreted for their pack. He straightened, staring at her for a minute.

“I don’t smell a lie.”

“I’m not lying, Dimitri,” she told him.

He nodded slowly and then took her hand in his larger, rough hands. “Your gift always annoyed me, part of the reason being that I was jealous I couldn’t do what you can do.”

Her jaw dropped. Dimitri was never jealous of anyone. She was too shocked to speak. All she could do was stare at him.

“I’ve hated the gift because I didn’t have it. And then hated it even more when it destroyed our pack, our den, our sire.” His voice cracked with his final words and she tightened her grip on his hand. His smile was sad, and a scent she’d never smelled on him before filled the room. “I’ve held on to that anger and used it to justify the reasons why I should lead this pack. I thought if I led the pack, I could control the gift that was never given to me.”

“You’ve never said this before.” Nicolo stood, leaving them for a minute and tossing his beer bottle in the trash. He returned from the kitchen with three unopened bottles. “Those aren’t good reasons to lead a pack, Dimitri.”

“You’re right.” He took one of the bottles and ripped the lid off with his teeth. His teeth extended slightly, pushing against his lips when he handed the opened bottle to Erin and took another bottle from Nicolo. “And I’m a damned fool to just see this now.”

“You aren’t a fool.” Erin couldn’t remember when she’d last hugged Dimitri. It took a moment before he wrapped his arm around her. She stayed there for a moment, listening to his heart pound in his chest. “I can’t imagine the amount of strength it would take to enter a challenge knowing there will be only one survivor. You’re strong, Dimitri. Very strong. And I really believe you are meant to lead us.”

“So do I,” Nicolo added, patting his littermate on the shoulder.

Dimitri nodded, pushing her to arm’s length and studying her face. “I guess we’ll find out. Now tell me, why would Juan Anthony tell me that he’ll speak with me tomorrow?”

He changed the subject so quickly it took her off guard. His moment of soul-searching passed and she wondered if she’d even smelled him correctly. His look hardened, and she stared at the Dimitri she was used to dealing with. Embarrassment made her cheeks burn and filled the air with its sour smell. Dimitri just bared his soul to her and he deserved the same in return. In his grasp though she was suddenly very nervous.

She sucked in a breath. “You said our pack would honor tradition.”

“Yes, and?” he prompted. Silver streaks suddenly danced over his dark eyes and she struggled to get loose. He tightened his grip.

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There was no getting out of it. Both of them would know soon anyway. “Juan and I are mated,” she whispered.

The growl that ripped through Dimitri scared her to death. Nicolo grabbed her, pulling her free of Dimitri’s hold. She wasn’t sure if he meant to toss her across the room for Dimitri, or if her oldest littermate intended to offer protection.

“I won’t deny what I’ve done.” She fought Nicolo for a second and he let her go. “I love him. Both of you need to accept that. He will be here tomorrow to discuss it with you.”

Dimitri scrubbed his thick black hair with his fingers, looking torn more than angry when he turned away from both of them. He pulled the cap off the bottle of beer and then drank almost half of the gold liquid. When he put his bottle down on the coffee table, he used enough force that foam spilled over the sides of it like a small volcano erupting.

“The werewolf has nothing to offer you.” Nicolo shocked her by yelling. He never raised his voice at her. But his anger, more like outrage, bounced off the wall. The smell of it turned her stomach and she backed away from both of them, clutching the cold beer in her hand. “He has no job, no den, nowhere to keep you. What will you do? Will you move into that small den with his littermate and his bitch?”

Juan hadn’t discussed where they would live. But she knew they would work something out. And very few of them had jobs. They’d just moved here and finding work in Valle, where a pack already existed, wasn’t an easy task. Nicolo was being ridiculous. All of them worked together, providing meat from hunting and helping each other build dens.

“Juan is a good werewolf. I don’t know why you two don’t see that.”

“He is using you.” Dimitri turned around, his gaze absolutely cold. “You have the gift and you are beautiful. It’s obvious why he sniffed you out.”

“You’re wrong.” She shivered from the intensity of fury radiating from him. “Juan isn’t scared of the gift. He’s not jealous of it like you are. He loves me and I love him.

We’ve mated in our fur and it’s done.”

“Then why did he send you to your den?” Dimitri demanded.

“Because he respects pack traditions. Tomorrow he will come to me and he will speak with you. He told you as much when he brought me home.” She walked over to the coffee table and put her beer on it. Emotions rushed inside her with so much fury that the coffee table shook, causing her beer to spill over. She grabbed the bottle, willing her gift not to take over. “Juan will approach you tomorrow honorably,” she said, clenching her teeth while fighting to stay calm. “Don’t disgrace our den and me by turning him away. Show him that you are as strong of a werewolf as he is and hear what he has to say. If you can’t pull that off, you’ll never make it as pack leader.”

She turned and left her littermates. Her legs trembled, but she managed to walk to her bedroom and close the door without slamming it. What she wouldn’t do to be in Juan’s arms right now.

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Juan stepped outside, the ripe smell of freshly cut wood filling his nostrils. In spite of the cold autumn air numbing his skin, the sun blinded him and he shaded his eyes, staring at the werewolves talking in the road.

“We’ve pooled a lot of cash to pay for this lumber,” Josef Failo grumbled. The large werewolf rubbed his thick hands together, as if he’d parted with the cash all on his own and greedily waited to be paid back. He squinted at Juan. “The dens taking possession of these cabins should start considering paying some kind of rent on them.”

“More than likely a lot of dens don’t have a penny to their name.” Dimitri gave him a challenging look.

Juan needed coffee. He hadn’t planned on getting up before noon. Then he’d intended on heading over to Erin’s. When Dante got a call from Josie Balzon that the last of the expected dens had arrived the previous night, it had been decided that they’d meet to determine where to put them. He’d trudged out of their den to meet with the handful of werewolves who’d formed somewhat of a posse in lieu of a pack leader. Not to mention, he had his eye on this particular cabin for Erin and him.

“Are we running out of funds?” he asked.

“Do you have cash if we are?” Dimitri asked.

“I’ve put a fair amount of money into getting this pack settled,” Josef announced, rocking up on his heels. The smell of his self-importance turned Juan’s stomach.

“Our bills are paid,” Josie offered. “There are still things we need.”

“Like better roads,” Nicolo offered, kicking a rock with his boot and then sipping from a mug of coffee that smelled damned good. “But we have a few dens already wishing to open stores and schools. Isn’t that right, Dimitri?”

Dimitri hadn’t pulled his gaze from Juan—something Juan was more than aware of.

His anger, usually bent on Dante, now leaned toward him. Juan had noticed it the minute they’d gathered. It made him wonder what Erin might have said once she’d gotten to her den last night. The cold glare the werewolf had watched him with since they’d all arrived here had him thinking a few things might have been discussed in her den after he’d dropped her off.

“We have sixteen dens here on the mountain now.” Dimitri looked at his littermate, who nodded, confirming the fact. “Over half of them have cubs who could go to school if we had one. Right now they are all being home schooled. Josef here, and the Zammit den, both have expressed interest in opening shops.”

“I owned a grocery store in Malta. All of you know I could offer employment to several werewolves once my new store is open,” Josef said, puffing his chest out.

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Juan itched to punch it right back down to size.

“Perry Zammit is working with some of the contractors in Valle and hopes to have a hardware store open by spring,” Dante offered. “There will still be werewolves we will have to carry. It’s that way in any pack.”

“Not every den will be able to pay rent,” Dimitri told Josef. “And I sure won’t have anyone starving over the winter.”

“We’ll make sure everyone has plenty of meat.” Juan caught both Dante and Josie glance at him and then Dimitri. He wished he could pick up on whatever it was the two werewolves detected. He sniffed the air, smelling Dimitri’s hostile emotions. “Whatever it takes, all of us agree Malta werewolves will survive here.”

“And you have means to help support the pack when you don’t even have your own den?” There was a strong enough challenge in Dimitri’s tone that every werewolf looked at him.

Juan clenched his fists at his side. “I’m getting real damned tired of you insulting me and my den every time you sniff us out,” he growled. “If needed, of course I would pull money from funds that I have to help the pack.”

Dimitri stepped past the other werewolves, moving until he was inches from Juan’s face. “And what funds do you have, werewolf?” he growled.

Dimitri was fucking pushing him on purpose. And it really pissed him off. No werewolf got in his face—not ever. He fought so hard to keep his fists at his side that blood rushed in his veins, tempting the change to come forth.

When he didn’t answer right away, Dimitri added in a deadly whisper, “I have a right to know.”

Erin must have thought sharing the news of their mating would ease the path for him. If her littermates did anything to her after she’d told them, he’d take them both down—no matter that they were related now.

“I have the money to pay for the cabin behind us, which I’ve chosen for my den,”

he hissed. “Now get out of my face.”

“It’s good to hear another werewolf will be helping support the pack financially.”

Josef stared nervously from one werewolf to the other.

“You’ve mated with my little sister, werewolf. I will never get out of your fucking face.” Dimitri didn’t budge.

“I say we check out this cabin he wishes to have as their den.” Nicolo grabbed Dimitri’s arm, almost yanking him to the side.

“We aren’t here to talk about dens and mating,” Josef complained.

“We are now.” Dimitri pulled his arm free from his littermate and walked toward the cabin.

“His anger is lessening,” Dante whispered to him before Juan turned to follow the two werewolves. “But I thought you used up those funds when we invested in building these roads.”

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“I guess that goes to show that you don’t know everything.” Juan forced a smile, working to lighten his mood. Fighting with Dimitri wouldn’t help matters right now.

And it would make things even worse for Erin.

Josie tapped Juan’s shoulder. “Several females are coming up the road. I’ll be more than willing to offer escort while you go settle matters with your new den.”

Josie winked at him, grinning when he glanced at Dante. The werewolf was way too good-looking for his own good.

Dante focused on Juan. “Want me to go in there with you?” he asked.

“No. Stay out here and make sure gigolo here behaves himself.”

Josie laughed, obviously not insulted by the crude comment at all. “I respect another werewolf’s property, my friend.”

“You better,” Juan warned him.

“Well, this has turned into a personal den matter,” Josef said in disgust. “I’m leaving.”

That was fine with Juan.

There was a thick paste in his mouth, and he’d kill for some hot coffee. He turned toward the little cabin that he’d chosen after a row of them had been built the previous week. Staring at it now, he pictured him and Erin working in it. A fresh coat of paint, leveling out the ground around it…none of it sounded like work with Erin by his side.

And the cozy evenings alone with Erin cuddled up to him. That appealed more than anything. Long, cold evenings and sex with each other for hours—he couldn’t fucking wait.

He sniffed the air. Freshly cut wood and the scent from the other werewolves hung heavily around him. He wanted to be able to come home to his den where the only thing he smelled would be Erin, happy and content and anxious to see him.

Damn. He prayed she’d like the little cabin.

The hostile odors from her littermates attacked him the second he walked through the door.

“Erin told us last night that you mated,” Dimitri said the second he entered the cabin.

Juan closed the door behind him. “I planned on coming to you first thing today, until we all got called out here.”

“How long have you been seeing her?” Nicolo asked.

The three of them stood in the small, empty living room, which made the space seem even smaller. He took this conversation very seriously though, and wouldn’t pace or turn from either of them. Odd how he never pictured that he’d be in this situation, humbling himself before a den to win their approval over a mating. Having never rehearsed this in his mind, he simply straightened, clasping his hands behind his back, and faced the two werewolves.

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“I’ve known who she was since we all moved to this mountain. But it’s only been a week that we’ve seriously started spending time together.”

“Only a week,” Nicolo said. “Your own words. You admit that isn’t a very long time.”