Fighting the Inevitable (15 page)

Rafe dropped his gaze
from his Alpha and bowed his head. Everything Jared said was true.
He had disobeyed his Alpha and he knew enough about pack law to
know this meant he was in serious trouble.

“
What is my
punishment?” he asked with a weary sigh. Whatever it was, he would
endure it. Having that brief moment with his sister was worth
whatever punishment his Alpha was going to mete out to
him.

“
Do you think
I want to punish you, Rafe?” Jared uttered a muffled groan. “Do you
think I don’t understand how painful and hard it was for you
tonight to be so close to Annie and have to walk away from her? I
see right inside you, Rafe. I understand she is more your child
than your sister. You have cared for her for so long, and I
understand how your relationship with her has changed because of
it.”

He stood up and began to
pace around the study. Dealing with Rafe presented the Alpha with
so many unique challenges. He didn’t want to break the man’s
spirit. Heavens above, he’d already been through so much through no
fault of his own! Jared had to try to maintain authority whilst
tempering his judgement to reflect the rather unique circumstances
of Rafe’s forced turning. He didn’t want to lose him from the
pack.

He stopped pacing, raking
a hand through his hair as he threw himself into his chair. “Your
circumstances make things difficult, Rafe. If you were an ordinary
member of the pack, I would simply have you flogged for
disobedience and then set to the most menial tasks for a prescribed
period. I find I cannot do this with you. Doing so would only
increase your hatred of pack life and you would slip further from
us, possibly even going rogue.”

Rafe stared at him in
shock and tried to swallow down the sudden fury engulfing him. “I
will never turn rogue! I will never be like that animal who did
this to me! Decree your punishment, Jared. Flog me and set me to
the menial tasks. I will accept your judgement.”

Jared frowned at him and
then a wry smile crossed his face. “Yes, you would accept the
punishment and go right ahead and disobey me all over again You’d
gladly accept any form of punishment just to experience that brief
moment with Annie again.”

Rafe looked away from his
Alpha. It was true. The damned man really could see right inside
him.

“
You leave me
no choice,” Jared sighed. “It pains me to do so but I am promoting
you to Beta. Perhaps if you experience some responsibility for
having to care for the pack, it will instil a sense of belonging in
you and you can understand the need to follow the correct chain of
command.”

Rafe growled and jumped
from his chair. “No, you can’t do this! I don’t want to be a beta!”
He understood the enormity of Jared’s punishment. Aaron was a beta
and he was Rafe’s closest friend here. He routinely watched Aaron
settling minor disputes, taking charge of various parts of pack
life, of being responsible for every single Were beneath
him.

“
You have no
choice,” Jared drawled with a smug smile. “Well, you do have one
choice,” he amended. “You can either accept your promotion or you
can challenge me for the position of Alpha.”

The look of complete
horror that crossed Rafe’s face satisfied Jared’s wolf. The hulking
man before him had no wish ever to be Alpha, even though he was
more than capable of being one. Rafe Armand would never challenge
Jared for leadership.

“
That is not
a choice,” Rafe finally ground out, his shoulders slumping in
defeat.

“
I’m sorry,
Rafe. I know this is not what you want. I know you wish you could
return to your old life as if none of this had ever happened. It
has happened, though, and cannot be changed. Aaron will begin your
training as a beta and you will accept the huge responsibility that
is now on your shoulders. You will protect this pack with your life
as we all do.”

Rafe bowed his head and
mumbled his agreement. He turned and left the Alpha’s house with a
heavy heart.

Aaron was waiting not far
away, his handsome face concerned as he saw the dejected figure
approach. “What was the Alpha’s punishment?” he asked, concerned
for his friend. He was aware of Rafe’s struggle to adapt to his
circumstances. “Are you to be flogged?”

Rafe’s tortured gaze met
his and he shook his head miserably. “You are to teach me how to be
a beta.”

Aaron threw his head back
and laughed loudly as he slapped Rafe on the back. “The Alpha is
truly evil at times, my friend. Don’t look so woeful. Being a beta
has many benefits as well as much responsibility. You will make an
excellent beta, Rafe.”

Rafe seriously doubted it
but he had no choice in the matter. Jared was forcing him more
fully into the pack and he was helpless to fight it.

CHAPTER seven

Rhianna smiled as she
drove her car along the dark road surrounded by large, looming
trees. She found herself smiling often whenever she drove along Old
Forest Road. It had been a week since the night she’d met Wolfie
and she always found herself looking out for the hulking beast as
she travelled the road. She watched her speed, too, just in case
any wolves shot across her path. She didn’t want to accidentally
run one over.

Her smile slipped a
little as her thoughts invariably turned to Caleb. It was hard not
to think of him as she drove along this road. He’d taken her home
that night and waited until she was safely inside before driving
away. She hadn’t heard a word from him since and she felt a mixture
of relief with a deep longing to see him again.

She knew it was for the
best. She couldn’t seem to think straight when the man was around
her. His overt sexuality overwhelmed her at times. She found
herself giving in to him with little or no fight at all. The man
was also a mass of contradictions. He could be loving and kind at
times but terribly frightening at others. So many things about him
scared her witless, and yet, she still longed to see him
again.

She smiled ruefully and
rolled her eyes. He probably hadn’t given her a passing thought
since he’d dropped her at home. He had most probably moved on to
someone who was a lot less high maintenance than she was. Noting
her surroundings, Rhianna slowed the car on impulse when she
recognised the area they’d hit the wolf. She pulled over and
climbed out of the car, peering into the dark at the tree line. She
couldn’t really see that far into the trees but she still peered
intently looking for any sign of movement.

“
Wolfie?” she
called quietly, holding her breath to see if she could detect any
sign of movement. “Are you there, Wolfie?” She was conscious of
just how incredibly stupid and possibly dangerous it was to stop in
the middle of the forest at night and look for a wild wolf. Caleb
would be pitching a fit if he could see her right now, but she felt
pulled toward the wolf in a way she just couldn’t explain. She had
even dreamed about Wolfie a couple of times in the past
week.

The strange connection
she felt towards the animal was confusing. She liked animals well
enough, and had even had a dog when she was younger, but she wasn’t
as fond of them as Rafe had been. He had been the true animal lover
in the family. So why did she feel this need to stop and see if
Wolfie was around?

Rafe watched Annie from
the shelter of the trees. He’d come here every night over the last
week hoping to catch one more glimpse of his little sister. He
thought he’d seen her car passing by a couple of times, but she’d
never stopped before. He ached to break the cover of the trees and
let her know he was there.

He knew Jared would be on
him like a ton of bricks if he did. Even now he could feel his
Alpha approaching as if he could somehow sense his beta was up to
no good. He broke cover of the trees just long enough for his
beloved Annie to catch sight of him for a brief moment. He whined
softly once and then turned and slunk back into the
trees.

Rhianna was sure it was
Wolfie she’d just seen. He had only been there for a short moment
before disappearing again, but she was sure it was her wolf. She
stood silently hoping he would come back but he didn’t. The chill
in the night air sent a shiver down her spine and she got back in
her car and carried on home.

Millie was in a stinking
mood when she arrived. Her usually even-tempered best friend was
banging noisily in the kitchen as she muttered dark threats under
her breath.

“
What’s
wrong, Mills?”

“
What’s
wrong?” her friend practically shrieked. “
Jared bloody
Hanlon
is what’s wrong! That man had the barefaced nerve to
call me at work today. Work of all places. He knew damned well I
would have to hold my tongue because I was in the
office.”

Rhianna smothered a
smile. Jared called Millie daily, much to her friend’s disgust. She
managed to avoid most of the calls; and the few that did reach her,
she would bluntly tell him where to get off before hanging up.
Rhianna liked the big man. He had been very kind to her after
Rafe’s death. She couldn’t understand why Millie was so upset by
such a gorgeous specimen of a man being interested in her. It
wasn’t as if she was still dating that guy from her work she’d been
seeing briefly when Rafe died.

“
Why don’t
you go out with him?” she asked her friend, and then ducked quickly
when a saucepan sailed in her direction. “I was only asking, Mills.
If you went out with him once, then maybe he’d stop calling you.”
Her eyes lit up with amusement.

“
You could
make yourself out to be the world’s worst date like that movie we
watched the other night. The one were guys paid a man to date their
exes and be such an ass to them they ran back to their old
boyfriends.” She couldn’t remember the movie’s name but it had been
kind of funny in a cringe-worthy way.

Millie blinked at her for
a long moment and then slowly smiled. “Maybe that would work,” she
said, brushing her black curls out of her face. “Annie, you could
be a borderline genius.”

Rhianna laughed and
picked up the saucepan, which had landed on the sofa. “Only could
be?”

“
You’d need
to sort out your own love life before you could definitely be a
genius,” Millie laughed, flushing sheepishly as she accepted the
saucepan back. “Sorry about that.”

“
I don’t know
why you’re so angry at Jared.” Rhianna sat down at the breakfast
table and slipped off her shoes. “The man is tall, dark, and
gorgeous. He has the body of a Greek god and he’s charming to boot.
What isn’t there to like about him?”

Millie groaned and sat
down next to her. “I don’t know, Annie. There’s something about the
man that sets me on edge. He’s so cocky and sure of himself. It’s
almost as if he thinks all he has to do is crook his little finger
and I’ll melt into his arms and do whatever he tells me. I’m not
that kind of woman, Annie. I don’t submit to that macho male
crap.”

Rhianna smiled and shook
her head. She could kind of understand where Millie was coming
from. She had practically run from Caleb when he’d tried his macho
crap on her, only she had been with Caleb and knew just what she
was missing by running from him. Millie was running and she hadn’t
even had the chance to sample the delights of Jared
Hanlon.

She found herself trying
to imagine what Jared would be like as a lover. He oozed the very
same sexual confidence that Caleb did. He was probably just as
skilled as Caleb in the bedroom; and yet, despite all the things
going for Jared, he did not spark one single bit of interest in
her. He was just a very handsome, charming man to Rhianna. A friend
and nothing more.

“
What are you
thinking about?” Millie asked curiously.

“
I was trying
to imagine Jared as a lover.” Rhianna smiled, her smile broadening
at the unconscious look of displeasure that crossed her friend’s
face and the slight tensing of her body. So, Millie wasn’t
interested in Jared? Yeah, right!

“
I couldn’t
imagine it though,” she continued, as if she hadn’t noticed her
friend’s reaction. “I keep thinking of Caleb instead.”

“
You really
liked him, didn’t you?” Millie asked, shooting her a sympathetic
smile. She didn’t know why her friend had stopped seeing the
gorgeous man. Rhianna had been very tight lipped about their
short-lived date the previous week.

Rhianna’s thoughtful
expression was broken by a smile. “I still do. He was just
exhibiting some of the macho male crap you so disapprove of, and I
needed a bit of time to decide if it was something I could put up
with or not.”

“
And?”

“
And I’m
going to go and see him tonight,” Rhianna announced slowly, as if
she had only just made the decision.

Millie was surprised at
her announcement and also pleased. Her friend had no idea just how
animated she became when she talked about Caleb. He seemed to be
one of the few people who could make Rhianna smile these days. He
seemed to be good at pissing her off too, but that was healthy.
Laughing and temper tantrums were all part of living and finally
Rhianna was starting to live again.

“
Maybe you
should give Jared a chance too, Mills. You never know, you may be
pleasantly surprised.” Rhianna couldn’t help smiling as indignation
crossed her friend’s face, along with a healthy dose of doubt. She
decided not to push it any further and rose from her chair to head
towards her bedroom. “Oh, have a look in my bag, Mills. I’ve been
working on an idea and I’ve done up a business plan. Let me know
what you think.”