Sentinel: Reckless Desires (Wolf Shifter Romance) (Alpha Protectors Book 2) (8 page)

A
couple
of hours had passed since I’d burst out of the room. I’d run wild through the forest, using my wolf’s coat to insulate me from having to face the truth of what had just happened. Not only had I screwed the man who was my mate and the father of my child, I’d almost told him the truth.

Which would’ve been good
.

Once he knew, then the temptation would be removed. He wouldn’t want me anymore. Of course, I would have to pretend that I didn’t ache every time he was around, that being with him again hadn’t felt like coming home…

All lies.

My memories hadn’t done him justice; time had lied to me. Angel was magnificent, everything my soul had been searching for and everything my heart was craving. Being with him had completed me. Simple. I hadn’t even known I was broken until he’d touched me and taken away the pain that was such a constant part of me. I hadn’t realized until it was gone.

But I had broken myself. I had run away from him, chosen not to give myself to him. And I had to remember that.

He would hate me when he found out. My wolf whimpered inside of me, my human emotions too complex and foreign for her to understand.

It
was
easier to hate him now he was the beta—something I had worked my whole life for and he’d been handed it on a plate. I don’t think he even wanted the position. I’d seen his barely concealed contempt for the pack.

But my dad obviously thought he was the wolf for the job.

Was it jealousy clouding my judgment, making me look for something that wasn’t there? Because something didn’t feel right about this. There were too many coincidences. And why would my dad appoint a wolf like Angel as beta? On the surface, he wasn’t the strongest, and from what I’d seen he didn’t display leadership qualities.

But my wolf didn’t agree.

I was going around in circles!
I was going to give myself a headache; I could already feel a dull flare just behind my eyes.

I rubbed at the bridge of my nose, trying to ease the tension.

To top it all off, he had called a meeting for the lieutenants.
To rub my nose in it, no doubt.

I strode into the alpha’s den, the small building where we met to discuss pack issues and divvy up the assignments for the day. It was actually more of a single room, just big enough to seat the alpha’s inner circle plus his large desk, but it did the job.

My back immediately went up at the sight of Angel sitting behind my dad’s desk, his broad frame filling the chair with ease, his long fingers tapping out a beat on the wooden desk.

Heat flooded me as I remembered those fingers skillfully playing my body,

I strolled over to where Smith sprawled on one of the couches. Giving his knee a shove, I sat down next to him. “Any idea what the new beta wants?” I murmured, keeping my eyes fixed on Angel.

Something was different. He’d always been easygoing and relaxed, but this man behind the desk was none of those things. He was confident and assertive, determined. Determined to do what? And then it hit me.
This
was the man from five years ago. Or more like him, anyway.

“I thought if anyone would have an idea, it would be you,” Smith whispered back, his tone not judging me, more just stating a fact.

I was painfully grateful that at least one person wasn’t going to rake me over the coals about what they’d walked in on. But Smith never had, instead choosing to ignore the whispered rumors and spiteful comments, and he’d always had my back. A bit like the older brother I’d never had. “Yeah, well, he wasn’t the beta when we—”

“Quiet, everyone.” Angel’s deep voice cut me off, and from the slight arch to his brow, I could tell he’d heard me.

So what?
I gritted my teeth and met his raised eyebrow with one of my own.

He ignored me, but from the twitch to his lips I could tell that I’d got to him. After divvying up the pack jobs, he proceeded to skillfully dissolve a couple of squabbles between members of the team, weighing in with thoughtful judgment and advice when needed. Stretching out behind the desk, he folded his arms over his chest.

Despite myself, I couldn’t help but appreciate the bulge in his biceps, and the way his T-shirt strained across his chest.
The same chest that I had licked and kissed only hours before.

“Dial it down, Chloe,” Smith muttered, shuffling in his seat next to me.

My cheeks burned at Smith’s gentle reminder that I was sitting in a room full of shifters. All with sensitive noses.
Dammit!
But wow, Angel wore leadership well, almost like a real alpha.

Wrenching my mind back on track and out of the gutter, I rejoined the discussion.

Angel had, up until now, ignored the snide comments coming from Mark’s side of the room. The low curses and muttered threats seeming to roll off his back. Any other shifter would have walled Mark up and made him publicly apologize, but Angel just plodded on, assigning the tasks and turning a blind eye.

But I could tell he was pissed. The slight stiffening to his neck and the jump of a muscle in his jaw gave it away.

“Who was running the boundary yesterday?” A couple of hands went up, and Angel nodded. “And who—” he consulted the large book in front of him, the ledger where my dad noted everything to do with the pack, “—let’s see, who was running the rec room last night?” Another couple of hands went up. “And what was the stock level?”

I tuned his voice out, instead focusing on his face.

Every time he asked a question, his eyes were taking in the whole room, noting everyone’s response, not just those whose hands rose. He was digging for something, but what? I settled back to listen, intrigued by the way he skillfully questioned the group until he had everyone’s whereabouts accounted for. But it wasn’t just that. He’d also cross-checked to make sure there were no discrepancies, that each lieutenant had at least one other person backing up his, or her, whereabouts. But he’d done it in such a roundabout way, peppering the interrogation—and it
was
an interrogation—with so many irrelevant questions that nobody questioned his motivation.

He was trying to find out who shot my dad!

It was so skillfully done I didn’t think anyone else had caught on, but I knew at the exact same moment that he did when something wasn’t quite right.

I lurched forward in my seat, unable to stop the reaction.

With an almost imperceptible tilt of his head, Angel caught my eye.
Not now
, his eyes seemed to say.

I wanted to scream back at him,
why not?
All we had to do was ask them and make them tell us the truth. And then we’d know. I jumped to my feet. I didn’t care if he was the beta or not, this was my dad we were talking about.

“Chloe.” The weight of power pushed into that one word staggered me, sending me reeling back down onto the couch.

Smith glanced at me, surprise clear on his face. “You all right, Chloe?” He obviously hadn’t felt it. I looked around the room. No looks of shock or surprise.
Nobody had. Just me
. My mouth dropped open. For once in my life I was speechless.

Angel wasn’t a beta. Everything I had suspected and dismissed as bullshit was true. He wasn’t just strong; he was so strong that he’d been able to hide it from everyone. My mate was an alpha.

I waited for the panic to surge up inside of me along with the overwhelming need to run. But it didn’t. Why wasn’t I scared anymore?

More importantly, what did he want with my pack?

And then the panic hit me, but for a whole other reason. How the hell was I going to convince an alpha to let me keep my child? He could just take her from me. Just like that. My hands trembled with the need to rush over to the school and spirit Maisie away into the night, to hide her forever.

He might not take her from me. Just hours ago he’d seemed eager to mate me.
But he hadn’t. Hadn’t even asked—not even in the heat of the moment.

A knock sounded on the door, interrupting my internal monologue.

At Angel’s call to enter, the door opened and a couple walked in. The man was tall, with white-blond hair and cheekbones that could cut glass. The woman, obviously his mate from the protective arm he had around her, was a tall, curvy blonde, with bubblegum-pink lips and a bounce to her step.

I glanced at Angel, but he seemed as confused as I was.

“Can I help you?” Angel said at last, closing the ledger with a resounding thud.

The couple drew to a stop in front of the desk, power and confidence oozing from them. “We’ve come to visit David. We’re old friends.” It was the man that had spoken, his voice carrying the barely imperceptible trace of an accent. He didn’t phrase it as a request, more of a demand, from one alpha to another.

Angel frowned. “The alpha has been injured. I thought that maybe your appearance here meant you knew something.”

The blonde woman gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. The man hugged her into his side, his hands moving over her back in comforting strokes.

“We didn’t know,” he offered, then added like it should mean something, “we are Jason and Macey of the Sunclaw pack. We were passing and thought we’d pay our respects and visit with an old friend. We would still like to do so, if that is acceptable?” The man—Jason—leveled a blunt stare at Angel, his posture demanding Angel introduce himself and submit.

Angel rose from behind the desk, coming around to shake the man’s hand. “I’m Angel, the newly appointed beta of this pack. I’m sure the alpha will be happy to see you, but please don’t expect much. He needs his rest.” His voice held a careful balance of deference and dominance.

“We’ve known David a long time and we’d like to sit with him, if that’s okay with you.” This time it was the woman that spoke, a slight tremor to her voice betraying her anguish.

I was perplexed.
A long time?
I’d never seen this couple before, or heard my dad speak of them, yet they claimed to be old friends. Before I could think to voice my concern, Angel had started out of the room, escorting the strangers to see my dad.

At the threshold, he paused, his eyes seeking me. “Everyone, you have your tasks for today. We’ll reconvene this evening. And, Chloe? Please wait here. We’ll run the pack perimeter together.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought for a brief moment his eyes were pleading with me. I swallowed back the immediate need to snarl and flounce off—being told what to do grated on me—and nodded.

I wanted to speak to him too. He had some explaining to do.

Like who the hell he really was.

O
nce safely in
the alpha’s room, I turned to Jason and Macey. “Thanks for coming down, guys.” Indicating that they take a seat, I quickly outlined what had been going on. “So I can’t stay with the alpha and protect him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be targeted again soon once the traitor realizes that he hasn’t done a good enough job. And to be honest, I’m a little worried. He’s not recovering as fast as he’d like. I think the loss of his beta and taking a bullet is taking its toll.”

Jason leaned forward in his seat, a thoughtful look on his face. “We can stay as long as you need us to. It sounds like you’ve got your hands full down here.”

“I have.” I didn’t bother to explain the situation with Chloe. It wasn’t any of their damn business and had absolutely nothing to do with the assignment. And to be brutally honest, I wasn’t putting myself out there until I was sure things were going to work out. “Nice touch pretending you didn’t know me, by the way.” I grinned, relaxing completely for what felt like the first time in ages. It was good to have friends here to help lighten the load.

“Didn’t want to blow your cover,” replied Macey, an answering grin on her face. She had curled up on the couch next to her mate, their fingers loosely linked and providing constant contact.

My heart ached, a tightness squeezing my chest. I wanted what they had. Not the going at it like rabbits, though that was an obvious perk to being mated. I wanted the closeness, the having someone to share my life with, my worries, my dreams.
To not go through this life alone.

“Are you okay?” Jason’s voice dragged me back out of my thoughts.

I shook my head, then turned it into a nod. “Let me introduce you to David and get you settled. Then I’ve got to get going.” I opened the adjoining door to the bedroom, indicating that they follow me.

Macey bounced from the couch, her lips curved in a smirk. “You mean get back to that gorgeous she-wolf, right?”

I chose to ignore her. I knew Macey well enough by now to know that encouragement only made her worse.

She bumped shoulders with me, her eyebrows arching. “I’m right, aren’t I? You and her—”

“I don’t think it’s any of your damn—”

“I think what he’s trying to say, my love, is to keep your damn cute little snub nose out of it,” Jason interjected, but his lips were curved in a matching smirk.

Macey threw her hands up in the air, blowing out an exasperated huff. “I can’t help it! I told you, I’ve been getting these weird feelings, like I know which assignment to give to whom. Like the universe is trying to tell me something!”

“So you said, but it’s not like he’s found his true mate.” Jason was answering Macey, and luckily he didn’t see my face.

Because I was pretty sure the knowledge was there, plain for everyone to see.

Then my eyes clashed with the man on the bed, and any hope that my heart wasn’t pinned to my sleeve up and vanished.

Knowledge glowed in the old man’s eyes.

But how much did he know, and how much had he guessed?

* * *

A
ngel was taking
his damn time.

I paced the small room for what must have been the hundredth time, agitation riding me hard. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. Why had he hidden himself from us? What did he have to gain? Did my dad know? And why the hell had I not figured it out sooner? No wonder I’d been so confused, letting him slide under my defenses. He’d been hiding his very essence from me.

I jumped as the door swung open, silently bracing myself. I was just on edge, the strain of the day getting to me.

Angel’s silhouette filled the doorway, his face hidden in shadow. He stood there, silent.

My pulse started to race. Despite myself and my earlier convictions, I took a step forward. It was like an invisible rope connected us, pulling me forward. I stopped short, pinning my feet to the floor. “Who are you, really?”

“You know who I am, Chloe.” His answer was nothing and everything all at once.

It was also the biggest pile of bullshit I’d ever heard.

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” I bit out, standing my ground.

“As do you.” At those three little words my heart skipped a beat, free-falling into my stomach with a thud. What did he mean? Did he know?

“Walk with me.” With that command, he turned and walked away, not stopping to make sure I followed.

Grumbling under my breath, I did as he asked, following him out into the sunlight and across the courtyard. He struck out in a straight line, heading toward the forest, his long legs eating up the ground and forcing me to jog to keep up.

Upon reaching the forest edge, I grabbed his arm and wrenched him around.
Deja vu much?
“Why…no, how did you do it?” I’d had it up to here with the silent treatment, and it was about time he started talking.

He leaned back against a tree and stuck his thumbs in his jean pockets. Emotion flitted through his eyes, clouding them sky blue until they had darkened to a deep aqua. “I’m an alpha.”

“Duh, yeah, I’d already guessed that one. But why did you hide it?” I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him my best tough expression. The one that said,
I’m not about to take any bullshit answers
.

“I didn’t think it would be a good idea to come to the pack as an alpha.”

“Ding! Lie. Tell me the truth. Why are you really here?”

He sighed, a long drawn-out theatrical sound, as if he were a poor man being harassed. “Why won’t you believe I wanted to join the pack?”

“I could believe it, if you weren’t lying.”

“And what makes you so sure that I’m lying?” He pushed away from the tree and stalked toward me.

I stood my ground, squaring up to him. “Because a man like you wouldn’t pretend to be less than somebody like Mark, unless he had a damn good reason.”

“A man like me?” His words caressed my skin, inviting me to judge him.

“You’re an arrogant son of a bitch.”

“Yes. I am.” He let out a dry chuckle.

I was mentally slapping myself. How the hell he had ever convinced me that he was less than what he really was, I’d never know. The man in front of me oozed power and confidence. He was self-assured to the point of nearly being cocky, as secure in his own skin and with who he was as anybody I had ever met.

And dammit, it was a turn-on.
Again.

He leaned closer, crowding me. “Which
me
do you prefer, Chloe? The Angel you can boss around and dominate, or the real man?”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. He was everywhere, all around me, surrounding me, his presence almost overwhelming. “I’d like to know the real Gabriel,” I eventually whispered.

He flinched, like I’d physically struck him. “Gabriel ceased to exist a long time ago,” he murmured, his eyes the color of a stormy sea.

How long ago?

He must have read the question in my eyes, because his lips twisted into a pained smile. “Gabriel was a man who found his mate. A man who would’ve done anything to love and cherish her. A man who had hopes and dreams and trust.” His eyes seemed to dare me, challenging me to push back.

“Why did you come here?” I had to find out... had to know his motivation. My dad had named him beta, but if he didn’t know the truth about Angel then he could have made a fatal mistake.

Derision shone in his eyes as he latched onto my train of thought. “I don’t want your pack,” he snarled. “I didn’t even know it
was
your pack. Hell, I didn’t even know you were here.”

“Then why?”

When he didn’t answer, I smacked him in the chest. “Damn you, tell me! How am I to believe you and trust you if you don’t tell me why you lied?”

“Lied? You’re one to talk about lying, aren’t you?” This time there was no misunderstanding the sarcasm that dripped from his voice.

He knew about Maisie.