The Finding (64 page)

Cassie stood on
tiptoe and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then looked at him,
searching his eyes. “Would it really bother you that much if I
left?” She cocked her head to the side, a curious expression on her
face.

He closed his
eyes and swallowed hard. This was it; the moment of truth. The
words in his heart ached to be shared yet actually saying them,
opening himself up to possible rejection had him clenching his
fists to hide their trembling.

“Cassie, when I
couldn’t find you, when I thought you’d run away from me, I nearly
died inside. When you’re gone, it’s like a part of me is
missing.”

“Really?” A
smile slowly broke out on her face.

“Yeah, really.”
He leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “I love you
Cassandra Greyson.”

“Oh Bryan!”
Cassie stared up at him, innocent wonder, and love shining from her
eyes, then she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. Laughing, she
wrapped her arms around him and snuggled in close, rocking him from
side to side. He brought his own arms up around her and hugged her
tightly. She hadn’t said the words, but he could see the love in
her eyes and in his heart he knew someday soon, she’d be ready to
speak them.

After a few
minutes, he loosened his hold. “You’re soaking wet, you know.”

She gave a
careless shrug, seeming content to rest her head against his chest.
“So are you.”

“Good thing the
rain has stopped.”

“It has?”
Cassie looked around. “Oh yeah, you’re right.”

“I always
am.”

She chuckled
and pushed him gently. “We should be going.”

He took her
hand and began to lead her to the car. “You’re all done visiting
with Anderson?”

“Uh-huh.”

Bryan gave her
a sharp look. Something was wrong, he could tell from her voice.
“Did Anderson say something to upset you?”

“Not really.”
Her steps slowed. “I...I gave him information on that rehab centre
I was researching and his parents’ phone number and then...” She
stopped completely and swallowed. “I said goodbye.”

“Goodbye?”
Bryan said the word cautiously, not wanting to read more into it
than he should.

She nodded
slowly. “I told him we weren’t good for each other anymore and that
I thought...”

“Yes?”

“I
thought...maybe...probably...” She stopped and faced him, placing a
hand on his chest and looked up at him, her eyes filled with
uncertainty and hope. “That I’d found someone else. Someone who was
right for me.”

Bryan took her
hand and brought it up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to it. “I
think you have, too.” He gave her a crooked grin then pulled her to
his side. His heart soared in his chest and at that moment, he was
sure he could conquer the world. “Come on, Cassie. Let’s go
home.”

She wrapped her
arm around his waist and there seemed to be a little skip in her
step as they continued to walk to the car. “Yeah. Let’s go
home.

*****

Stump River,
Ontario, Canada

6 months
later...

Cassie
nervously wiped her hands on her dress and glanced across the room
to where Bryan was sitting. Their eyes locked and he grimaced,
rolling his eyes before turning away. As was the custom, the two
who were to be mated didn’t sit together during the meal, only
coming together for the bonding ceremony. She thought it a foolish
custom. It wasn’t like she hadn’t met Bryan before—they’d known
each other for six months—but Ryne had been inexplicably insistent
that the first bonding ceremony to take place in his pack be done
properly.

Secretly she
wondered if it wasn’t fatherhood that had changed him. Ever since
baby Grace had been born, he’d been acting different. Melody said
it was what happened to all reformed bad boys once they had their
own daughter. They suddenly saw the world in a whole different
light.

Whatever the
case, she couldn’t wait for the meal to be over so Ryne could bond
them and then—she pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to still
the quivering inside—she and Bryan would finally be mates and
consummate their union.

Surprisingly
enough, since they’d arrived in Stump River, Bryan had behaved like
a perfect gentleman, much to her chagrin. Oh they’d kissed, had
even made out, but the stubborn man had a will of iron. He claimed
he wanted to give her sufficient time to be sure this was what she
wanted; that her life had been too full of changes and she needed
to adjust first, to become one with her wolf...

It was sweet of
him, thoughtful, kind... And at times she’d wanted to bash him over
the head with his good intentions, especially when she’d gone into
heat. Thank heaven for the werewolf form of birth control! Even
with its help, she and her wolf had spent many a night bemoaning
their fate, pacing restlessly, wishing for their mates...

Someone reached
in front of her and she gave a start. They were removing her plate
and she’d barely eaten a thing. With dinner over, the ceremony
would be soon. A few of the guests were getting up and starting to
mingle. She watched Bryan stand up and step towards her only to be
intercepted by Levi and Marco who steered him in another direction.
He cast a helpless look at her and she gave him a tiny wave,
sighing as he was whisked out of sight.

“This is
lovely, Cassie. I can’t believe how beautiful Stump River is in the
fall.” Elise sat down beside her, looking out the window at the
trees. Cassie followed the direction of her gaze, taking in the
amazing array of colours; deep reds, burnt oranges, leaves so
golden they looked like drops of sunshine against the dark tree
trunks. Warm days and cool nights had created the perfect
conditions for an amazing display of fall colours.

“Thanks. Mel
said September was the perfect time for a bonding.”

“And a naming
ceremony, too.” Mel sat down on her other side, cradling the baby
in her arms. “Where are Jacob and Leah? It’s almost time for the
ceremony and they won’t want to miss it.”

Elise surveyed
the room, scanning the tables still overladen with food, the tall
pots of dried grasses and fall flowers, the groups of visiting
guests... “Hmm, Kane’s outside with Leah, and Jacob was supposed to
be with Daniel...”

“Ah! Then
they’ll be playing computer games in Daniel’s room.” Cassie nodded
wisely, having come to know the pack ‘computer geek’ quite well
over the past few months.

Elise made to
get up. “Oh, I’d better get Jacob then. It isn’t fair that Daniel
misses all the fun because he’s babysitting.”

Mel chuckled.
“Relax. He’s happy to have a reason to hide. Ever since Cassie
snagged Bryan, Becky and Emily—they’re the teens in the pack—have
set their sights on Daniel. The man spends half his time hiding
nowadays.”

“Poor fellow.”
Elise frowned.

“Not really.
It’s made Tessa come out of her shell a bit. She was always so shy
and nervous around Daniel, despite the fact that he obviously liked
her. But now that the girls are after Daniel... Well, let’s just
say that she’s feeling a bit territorial.” Mel gave a satisfied
smiled which quickly faded as an undeniable odour wafted up from
the baby. “Uh-oh. Time to find Daddy.”

“Ryne?” Elise
raised her brows and gave a disbelieving laugh.

“Yep. It’s
amazing what a man will agree to do when he watches you give
birth.” Mel stood up and holding the baby gingerly went in search
of her mate.

Elise turned
back to Cassie. “So, how are you holding up?”

“Fine.” She
gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Actually, nervous as hell.”

“Bryan will be
a fine mate.”

“I know, it
just seems like such a big step.”

Elise gave a
reminiscent smile. “It is, but it’s worth it.”

“You and
Kane... You’re happy together?” Cassie was hesitant to ask, but
she’d sensed undercurrents between the two of them when they were
in Chicago and was curious to know how it had worked out. They
certainly seemed happy enough now.

“Uh-huh. We
have our moments, but we manage to work out our problems. For
example, back in Chicago. Kane had been working too much and I was
spending too much time with the kids. We had a long talk and came
up with a solution we hope will work.” She frowned as if a bit
uncertain.

“What’s the
solution?”

“Kane wants to
split the pack. It’s getting too big for one person to manage. He
has his eye on a territory that’s under-populated with wolves and,
in his opinion, poorly managed. There’s something in the works, but
he’s being pretty close-lipped about it until he has all the facts.
Damien—he’s a friend of Kane and Ryne’s—is going to do some
preliminary scouting.” She shrugged. “If it works, Kane should have
a lot more free time.”

“When will this
all take place?” Cassie asked trying to distract herself from her
growing nerves.

“If everything
goes well, Kane’s hoping to have a report by time we get back.”
Elise glanced over at her mate. “He has a lot of confidence in
Damien.”

*****

Sam Harper
tapped the table with a pen, eyes narrowed, mouth clamped shut into
a straight line. Six months ago a meeting with Kane Sinclair had
raised everyone’s hackles. The arrogant son of a bitch had dared to
claim the Chicago pack was inefficient and mismanaged. Ha! As if he
knew anything about what went on in this city. The man had no idea;
absolutely none!

And then there
was the brother. Ryne Taylor had stolen from the Chicago pack;
Cassandra Greyson had been a potential pack mate and her land and
money would have gone far to assist their beleaguered
resources.

But instead of
being grateful that the Chicago pack wasn’t pressing charges
against them, Kane, Ryne, and the Beta, Bryan—another pain in the
ass—had pulled out the Book of the Law, using it to claim what
wasn’t theirs. And then Sinclair had the gall to leave mumbling
about a takeover!

Well, it wasn’t
going to happen. The pack had met and agreed on a course of action.
It wasn’t ideal—they all knew it—but sometimes necessity drove you
to take actions you never thought you would. For example, hiring
‘Sylvia,’ or whoever she was, to kill Leon Aldrich. It had gone
against the grain to go to outsiders for help, but that damned
Sinclair wouldn’t leave them alone; constantly demanding reports
and updates.

Sam snorted.
Well, Aldrich was gone and at least they hadn’t had to pay Sylvia.
It was a small thing, but some days you took what you could get in
the way of good news.

With the money
saved, they could afford to buy some more help for the next problem
looming on the horizon. Rumour had it, Sinclair was sending someone
in to check the pack out, but the intruder would have a surprise
waiting for him. Sam took a swig of beer and leaned back against
the wall, one lip curled.

There was a
small faction of werewolves that were true loners or rogues. They
were usually tough, mean and as deadly as they came, but they were
also for hire. A meeting had been set up with one of them for
tonight. On the off chance Sinclair’s ‘spy’ came around, the
Chicago pack would have the rogue in their back pocket and whip the
intruder’s butt, sending him back Oregon with his tail between his
legs.

A glance at the
clock let Sam know it was almost time. A final swig of beer; a
glance around the smoky, crowded bar… Yep, the usual crowd looking
to start something. Well, good luck with that you losers, Sam
thought. I don’t take crap from anyone.

Shoulders back,
chin up; look each person straight in the eye until they’re
compelled to look away. Sam smirked. I’m an Alpha, buddy. You don’t
stand a chance.

Almost to the
door and… There it was, a hand on the shoulder. Some jerk always
had to try his luck.

“Hey, baby. You
got a cute ass.” The man’s liquor soaked breath was offensive as
was the stench coming off his sweaty body. He tried to pull her
backwards. “Wanna share—”

The man never
stood a chance. Sam jerked her arm back, elbowing the idiot in the
stomach. As he bent forward, clutching his mid-section, she ground
her stiletto heel into his foot, then pivoted around to deliver an
uppercut to his chin. In less than a second, the man was an
unconscious heap on the ground.

“Anyone else?”
Sam surveyed the men who were gathering around her with disdain.
The assault was nothing new. She frequented quite a few bars and
the human males always thought she’d be an easy target not knowing
what she lacked in size, she made up for with skill and speed.

When no one
answered, she sniffed and turned, walking slowly towards the doors;
no hurried exit for her. She could see her reflection in the glass
doors as she approached. Short, black hair spiked on top with a
longer fringe almost hiding her eyes. She’d used black kohl liner
to take further attention away from her eye colour. They were
violet, a rare shade in humans and even rarer in wolves. Sam
despised the colour; it was too girly for the image she tried to
portray. Now, her black jeans and T-shirt, complete with leather
jacket—that gave off the right vibes. Her heels were her only
concession to femininity since they gave her some much needed
height.

She was at the
door now. No one had made a move to follow her, not that she
expected them too. As the door started to swing shut behind her,
she could hear the murmur of voices and allowed herself a tight
smile.

“Did you see
that?”

“She flattened
Phil in two seconds!”

“Just a might
of a thing, too.”

“Hey, Phil! You
okay, buddy?”

The sound of
the voices faded as she walked down the street, carefully assessing
the shadowed doorways. Pools of brightness from the street lights
brightened select areas giving a false sense that the street was
safe, but Sam knew better.