The Road to Redemption (18 page)

“Why not ask
Helen?”

“It’s not her
responsibility to raise
our
children. Sure, she doesn’t mind
helping out, but she’s getting older, you know. Plus she takes care
of the house and does the cooking. That’s more than enough for
someone her age.”

He sighed
knowing the conversation was going nowhere. They’d rehashed the
problem too many times in the past. “I’m doing the best I can,
Elise. I’m trying to build a strong case against Chicago. Once
that’s done and some of the pack moves there my work load should
lessen and I’ll have more time for you and the children.”

Elise looked
away, her jaw jutted. She was still angry, but there was nothing
else he could do. He leaned back and drank his coffee, brooding
over the fact that if they weren’t having sex, all they did was
argue. It hadn’t always been like this between them, but over the
past year their relationship had slowly changed. There wasn’t a
specific event he could recall that had caused things to sour.
Frowning, he wondered if this happened to every couple. Certainly
his own parents hadn’t lived in harmony… The idea that he was
following that same path was depressing and he took another sip of
coffee to muffle his sigh.

Eventually,
Elise must have calmed down for when she spoke her voice sounded
even, though she still didn’t look at him. “How’s Damien
doing?”

As far as
olive branches went, it wasn’t much, but he accepted it anyway.
“Fine. He’s given me some good information. Most of the Lycans in
the Chicago pack are older, working well past the age that they
should. Old man Harper himself is basically crippled and he has his
granddaughter running the show. And the man is putting lineage over
suitability when selecting the next Alpha.”

Finally, she
looked at him. “You mentioned that last night. I was wondering
about Damien himself.”

“He’s fine, I
guess. I think the girl, Sam, is giving him a run for his
money.”

“That’s what
he needs.” Elise gave him a hint of a smile—she’d always had a soft
spot for Damien—and, for a moment, the tension between them eased.
She poured herself a cup of tea. Jacob climbed on his lap,
demanding some bites of waffle and Kane helped him spear a piece
with his fork. Leah cooed and babbled at a butterfly causing them
both to laugh.

He wondered
why it couldn’t always be like this. It wasn’t as if he enjoyed
working such long hours. It was what the job demanded. And now that
High Council was considering adding younger Alphas to the mix, he
had to look sharp if he wanted to gain one of the coveted
positions. He frowned, thinking of the extra travel the job would
involve. It meant more time away which was a negative, but the
title was very prestigious.

His phone rang
and he picked it up, leaning to the side to avoid a sticky bit of
waffle that Jacob was now waving about.

“Sinclair here
… Yes, I have it. It’s in my office. Just a second…” He stood and
tucked Jacob under his arm, but the boy began to whimper.

“Daddy, no!
Waffles! I want mo’ waffles!”

The sticky
fork landed against his cheek. Kane tried to juggle the phone and
his son while keeping from having his eye poked out. His voice came
out harsher than he’d planned. “Jacob, be careful! Elise, take him
before he blinds me.”

Elise stood
up, a tight look about her mouth, and took the boy.

“Go. Take care
of your
third
phone call. I’ll watch the children by myself.
Again
.”

He bit back a
retort that it wasn’t his choice and headed to the office. The
position on High Council was looking more appealing by the minute.
At least if he were away from home more, he wouldn’t be constantly
criticized for doing his job!

Elise fixed
Jacob his own plate of food and then sat back down in her chair.
She blinked back tears and took a sip of tea, trying to swallow
past the lump in her throat. A simple family breakfast. Was that
really too much to ask? She’d planned it all last night, right down
to Kane’s favourite waffles and he hadn’t even mentioned them. He’d
been too busy checking his messages!

“Momma mad?”
Jacob was looking at her with a worried expression.

She tried to
school her features into some semblance of a smile. “No. I’m not
mad.”

“You
yelled.”

“I…” She tried
to be honest with Jacob, but how to explain? “I was mad, but not
any more. And not at you. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Elise bit her
lip. Yelling at Kane wasn’t the solution. He had his work to do,
and it was important. She was just overtired…

“Kane’s gone
already?” Helen stepped onto the patio and looked at the still
laden table.

“He had to
take a phone call.”

“Ah!” She
paused. “Are you okay?”

Elise debated
about giving the usual ‘fine’, but she wasn’t fine and she needed
to know if she was being a shrew or not. “Helen, can I talk to
you?”

“Sure. I’m
good at talking, and listening. Which do you need?” The other woman
sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Both, I
guess.” Elise carefully lined up the cutlery as she spoke. “Kane is
always working. He never has any time for me or the children. Even
when we were in Stump River, supposedly on a vacation, he was
taking calls and emails.” She left off moving the spoons about and
looked directly at Helen. “Am I expecting too much to want some of
his time for us?”

Helen shook
her head. “No. But I do know exactly what you’re talking about.
Something similar happened to me and my Zack.” She stirred her tea,
a far off look in her eye. “I’d get so irritated because I expected
him to be there for birthdays, or even a family supper, and he’d be
called away. And then, when he finally did show up, I’d have to
bite my tongue even though my feelings were hurt that the needs of
others came before our family. I’d feel I was being selfish, yet at
the same time angry because he wasn’t here building memories with
the children. It was time we could never get back.”

“That’s it,
exactly!” Elise wiped Jacob’s face and sent him back to play on his
tricycle. “You must have come to terms with it, though.”

“As a couple,
we had to, or it would have torn us apart. Being an Alpha is a
demanding job. Lots of people are counting on you, all wanting a
piece of your time. And being the mate of one isn’t a life-style
everyone is cut out for.”

A cold knot
twisted in Elise’s stomach once more and she stared at the table,
unconsciously straightening the cutlery yet again. “I’m beginning
to wonder if I’m cut out for it.”

“Elise?” Helen
slowly set down her cup and sat up straighter.

“We fight a
lot these days.” She whispered the words, ashamed to admit her
weakness and fearful Jacob would overhear. “I’m tired, and I get
irritated with him. Sometimes it’s his fault and sometimes…I don’t
know. It’s as if I want to hurt his feelings, just like he’s hurt
mine. I know he doesn’t mean to, but I want to scream ‘don’t you
notice me?’” Tears were threatening as she finally looked up at
Helen, fully expecting a well-deserved condemnation. “I must be a
dreadful person. I know he’s the Alpha, but inside I’m so full of
resentment.”

“Oh, honey.”
Helen reached over and squeezed her hand. “Every couple goes
through a rough patch now and then.”

“I know, only
this keeps getting worse and worse. I’ve thought about selling my
half share of the Grey Goose but…” She exhaled and tried to
explain. “All my life I’ve done what I was told. When I wanted to
go to college, my father said no. When I wanted Bryan as my mate, I
was told it would be Kane. Everyone expects an Alpha’s mate to take
charge and jump into the role, but I never wanted that! I love
Kane, but I want my own life, too. Even if it’s only for a little
while…” Her voice trailed off and she felt guilty, unable to
believe what she’d admitted.

“You know, not
everyone is meant to stay at home, just like everyone isn’t meant
to have a career. Personally, I love my life. Some of the younger
ones might look at me and think I’m a household drudge with no mind
of my own or no ambition, but running a big house like this is hard
work. Yet, I’d never wanted to do anything else. It’s almost
reverse discrimination that people devalue the work I do because
it’s confined to the home.”

“Helen, I
don’t think—”

“I know. But
just because I love my job within the pack, doesn’t mean it’s for
everyone. Maybe you’re going to blaze a new trail for the role of
the Alpha’s mate. Maybe she doesn’t have to be defined by her
mate’s position.”

“Me? A
trailblazer? I don’t think so.” She shook her head and gave a
rueful smile.

“Don’t sell
yourself short. You’re one of the quiet ones, but that doesn’t mean
you aren’t effective. Some people are in your face and shoving
their will down your throat. It can turn people off.” Helen nodded
as if she had personal experience with those personality types.
“But you come at it a different way. Soft like, making suggestions,
getting people to think and before they know it, they’re doing what
you want and believing it was their own idea. You handle being the
Alpha female just fine. You’ve grown into the job, making it your
own rather than a carbon copy of what all the other packs are
doing.”

“Maybe.” She
felt her face flush at the praise while, at the same time,
wondering when Kane had last told her she was doing a good job. “I
think the real problem is that Kane works too much. He hates to
delegate, even though I’m sure John could handle a lot more than he
already does.”

“Carrie has
mentioned that John’s been chomping at the bit lately. As Beta, he
has leadership quality and wants to use it.”

She nodded. “I
know. And now that High Council is looking at Kane, he’s working
even harder trying to be some ‘Super Alpha’.”

“Kane’s
already an exemplary Alpha.”

“Try and tell
him that.”

“Hmph. I guess
I don’t have any words of wisdom for you. All I can say is talk to
him. Each couple has to find the balance that works for them.”

“I guess.” She
made a face, not holding out much hope that would work.

Leah started
to fuss and Elise picked her up, joggling her on her knee. Jacob
had abandoned his tricycle and was on all fours trying to stalk a
squirrel as if he were a wolf. It was adorable and she sighed,
wishing Kane was there to share the moment.

~~~

Damien
realized he was being followed barely two blocks from the pack
house. The sixth sense he’d relied on so many times in the past had
been working overtime lately. More than once this past week, he’d
been sure someone had him under surveillance, yet he’d never been
able to determine the source. It had to be Dante, but the bastard’s
use of the scent mask made it damned near impossible to locate him.
Maybe today would be his lucky day.

Using the
side-view mirrors of the parked cars, he managed to catch a glimpse
of someone in a ball cap and jacket some distance behind him. Down
wind. Clever, but not good enough.

On the off
chance that it was simply a case of two people travelling in the
same direction, he slowed his speed. The other person did the same.
Yep, he was being followed, but without tipping off the tail by
staring, he wasn’t sure who it might be. His gut told him it was a
Lycan; not Dante as he’d first suspected. Too short for that. Sam?
The size was about right. He growled in frustration.

Yesterday, she
hadn’t questioned him about his trips out by himself and he’d hoped
their heart to heart in the pond had driven the topic from her
mind. Yeah, right. Somehow he knew Sam had the tenacity of duct
tape. It was more likely she’d decided he wouldn’t talk and was
trying to ferret out his secrets on her own.

He’d been
searching for Dante these past three days, and this morning had
received a mocking text from the man as well as a demand to meet at
the local pool hall. How Dante had managed to discover his number,
he didn’t know. The man had sources everywhere.

Well, Sam
couldn’t see him with the bastard again; she’d start asking
questions he wasn’t prepared to answer. He’d have to shake her off
his tail and fast if he was to get to the meet on time. But would
she give up that easily? Not likely. It was more probable that
she’d keep looking and stumble upon him just as he had Dante by the
throat.

On to plan B.
Confrontation followed by redirection.

Damien turned
the corner, ducked in a doorway and, when Sam appeared, stepped out
in front of her and grabbed her arm. Except it wasn’t Sam.

“Chris?” He
released the firm grip he had on the boy’s arm. “Why are you
following me?”

“Oh! Er… Hi,
Damien.” Chris quickly transformed his shocked expression into a
cocky grin.

Damien didn’t
return the greeting. Instead he folded his arms and widened his
stance.

The smile
faded from Chris’ face.

“I’m…er…not
following you. Really. Just going the same way.”

Damien raised
one brow and waited for the boy to incriminate himself even
further.

The boy
shuffled his feet and looked at the ground. “Okay. I was following
you.”

“Did Sam put
you up to this?” He couldn’t believe she’d use the boy that way,
but with so few pack members she might have felt pushed into doing
so.

“No. She never
gives me any fun assignments to do.” Chris shook his head. “I was
only practising. I heard Sam talking to my folks about me maybe
going to the Academy in a few years, and I thought I’d start to get
ready.”

“Huh.” Damien
considered the boy’s story and relaxed his pose. “Okay, I believe
you. But you made some pretty basic mistakes. You were downwind
which was good, but way too close.”

“Really?”
Chris’s shoulders slumped. “I’ve never tried to follow anyone
before. I guess it’s harder than it looks.”