Devlin Dynasty 2: Fall Fury (21 page)

“Not exactly.”

“Okay, then tell me how exactly.”

“I was attacked, but not by the wolf. By wolves. Six of them, to be exact.”

The six that had attacked her. “How? When? Six wolves followed me into thewoods. I ran and tried to get away but couldn’t.”

He smiled and nodded. “I know.”

“And then this other wolf…what do you mean, you know?”

“I know what happened to you last night.”

“How?”

“Some of it, I saw. The rest, they told me.”

Maybe he had a fever. That had to explain his delusion that he could talk towolves. “They told you.”

“Yeah.”

“How? Do you commune with wolves psychically?”

He arched a brow. “Sort of.”

She reached out and laid her palm on his forehead, realizing her hand wasshaking. “No fever.”

Max laughed. “I’m fine, Shannon. Really. Now listen closely, because I have a lotto explain to you.”

She’d try to sit still for his explanation. Then she’d call a doctor or take him to the ER. Whatever happened to him last night affected his brain. Although that didn’texplain the devastating wounds healing as if by magic. This was all so confusing!

“Last night, you ran from a half-dozen wolves. You ran into a lone wolf who then

fought with the other six.”

Her pulse began to race. “How did you know that?”

He reached for her hand, his thumb gliding over her wrist. “Because I was there.”

She searched his face, looking for a glassy-eyed stare, anything that would makethis seem like some kind of dream. Maybe they were connected and he’d read hermind, pulled her memories. Hell, anything was possible.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean you were there?”

“I’m surprised you haven’t put it together yet.”

“Put what together?” As soon as she said the words, something flashed in her

mind. No, it couldn’t be. Too farfetched. Too ridiculous.

“How could I be there to see it last night, Shannon? Search your heart. You know

the answer; you’re just refusing to see it.”

How could she think straight when his thumb caressed the inside of her wrist,massaging her frenetic pulse? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You were there, so were the six wolves. Who else?”

“Just the gray…” No. He was insane.

“The gray wolf? Yes. The one who approached you, then went around you to

fight with the others. Do you know who the gray wolf is, Shannon?”

“No!” She wrenched her arm away from his grasp and stood, hugging her arms around her middle, refusing to put to words what ran through her mind. “That’s not possible!”

He stood and approached her, reaching for her hands. She backed away and hedropped his hands at his side. “I’m surprised that you’d be so shocked,considering the magic you and your family possess.”

She didn’t want to believe what her mind told her was true, and yet the evidencestared her in the face. “You were outside my condo that night.”

He nodded. “Yes. I followed you.”

“Why?”

“Your scent called to me. I’ve wanted you as my mate from the first moment I

saw your picture in a magazine.”

She stared at him, open-mouthed. “What?”

His lips curled in a smile that made his face look boyish. How could thishandsome man be the snarling wolf she’d seen last night?

“I felt a connection to you even then. After I met you, it became even stronger.

I’ve come to Louisiana to set up my own pack, Shannon. I come from a very longline of Devlin wolves, and we’re branching out. That’s why I’m here. To start myown pack. I’ve already chosen my mate.”

This was all too much to process. She didn’t understand it, had more questionsthan she could possibly ask him at one time. “Mate?”

“Yes. Why do you think I wanted you to move in after last night? We’re mated,

Shannon. You’re already mine. You can’t escape that. It’s your destiny.”

Confusion turned to a burning anger. Anger that he didn’t tell her what he wasbefore he took her to bed. Rage at once again being told what was expected of herbecause of destiny.

She’d never let her family tell her what to do, and she’d sure as hell not be ledaround by Max.

“Listen to me very carefully, Max. I am not your destiny. I am no man’s destiny. I make my own choices about what men I want to be with. You will never decide for me. My family won’t decide for me. No one will decide for me.”

“Shannon, I understand your—”

“You don’t understand a damn thing! All you understand is what
 
you
 
want, when

you
 
want it and how
 
you
 
want it. You want me, but that’s all I’ve ever heard from you. You’ve decided I’m your mate, that I should move in with you, but have you ever once asked what I want? No, you haven’t. I’m sick of you and everyone else telling me what I should do and how I should feel!”

She knew she was nearly hysterical, but she couldn’t help it. The last twenty-fourhours had been too much to bear. She needed space, time and she needed to getthe hell out of here and away from Max. Her feelings for him ran the gamut fromgratitude that he saved her life at the risk of his own, to profound anger that hecontinued to tell her what to do.

He held out his hand to her. “Shannon, if you’ll just let me explain…”

She backed away from his outstretched arm. “Don’t touch me! I don’t want tohear it, Max. The fact that you’re this…this creature instead of a man…it sickensme. To think I had sex with an animal!!”

His face paled, his jaw clenched tight. He breathed in and out rapidly through hisnose, and she knew he was holding his temper in check.

He was pissed. Good. She needed him to be, needed to strike out and hurt him toget him to back away, to quit giving her that sympathetic look that made her wantto melt into his arms, to hold him close and never let go.

Because she finally realized that loving Max would mean giving up her soul, hervery freedom. And that she wouldn’t do.

Her heart wrenched at the hurt she saw in his eyes, but she steeled herself toignore it. She had to. Self-preservation won out and she’d do whatever she had todo to get him to back off.

She marched into his closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Granted,they were way too large but she had no clothes to wear. “I’m calling my sister tocome and get me. I’ll wait downstairs. Do not come near me, and do not attemptto talk to me. I want nothing to do with you, Max. I’m disgusted by what you are,and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Before she lost her nerve, before she looked into his eyes and once again saw thepain she knew she’d put there, she turned and hurried downstairs.

After calling Kaitlyn, grateful to realize the phones now worked, she steppedoutside on the porch and paced. A hundred times she wanted to go back inside,fling herself into Max’s arms and beg his forgiveness for hurting him, for lying tohim.

But she couldn’t do it. She had to stand firm. If loving him meant losing herself inthe process, then it wasn’t love. It would never work between them.

Knowing it didn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, nor did it stem theanguish threatening to tear her up inside.

Kaitlyn pulled into the driveway and she hurried into the car, slamming it shut.

“Just drive,” she said, noting Kaitlyn’s concerned expression. “Don’t ask, because

I’m not going to tell you anything right now. I just want to go home.”

As Kaitlyn nodded and drove away, Shannon had the feeling that she wasn’t

going home at all.

She’d just left home.

Chapter Thirteen

Max paced the confines of the back porch, stepping up to the screen to look outover the water, then beginning his walk from one end to the other again. He feltcaged, frustrated, desperate to take a run into the woods, but knowing it wouldn’thelp.

Shannon wouldn’t take his calls, wouldn’t see him, wouldn’t speak to him. Shehadn’t shown up at work, and it wasn’t like she was required to be there. The adcampaigns and press releases were finished. Now they just waited for the grandopening, so there really was nothing urgent that required her attention there.

How could he talk to her, to explain how he felt, if she wouldn’t see him?

Alphas did not beg. It wasn’t in his nature to lie down on his back and bare hisvulnerable belly to anyone, especially a female.

Besides, Shannon had made it quite clear that she was disgusted with what hewas. He sure hadn’t counted on that reaction from her. Maybe he’d been tooconfident that she cared enough about him, wanted him enough, that it wouldn’tmatter what he was, especially in light of the fact that she possessed magic of her

own.

So now what? What did an alpha werewolf do when he finds his mate, falls inlove, but she doesn’t return his feelings? It wasn’t like he could go pick another. The thought of doing that left him empty. He’d already mated with Shannon. They were bonded. In a werewolf’s world, that meant for life. His blood wasinside her now. Hell, for that matter, his pup could be growing inside her, too. And he’d be damned if he’d allow her to raise his child without his presence. Or, God forbid, raise his child with another man.

Over his dead body.

Shit. He’d handled this whole thing badly. He should have told her about who hewas before they made love, before they bonded. He should have waited to touch

her, to taste her, until he was certain she’d accept him.

One helluva predicament.

His hearing picked up a car coming up the drive, his heart pounding at the thoughtthat it might be Shannon. He stepped inside and went out the front door,disappointment racing through him as he saw Aidan step out.

“Hey there,” Aidan said, waving an envelope in front of him. “Thought you might

want to see the press releases that are going out next week.”

Max had left the office early today, tired of wandering around aimlessly, unableto concentrate on work, and waiting to see if Shannon would show up. He pastedon a smile and said, “Thanks. Have time for a beer?”

Aidan bounded up the stairs and grinned. “Always have time for a beer.”

After grabbing a couple bottles from the refrigerator, Max led Aidan out onto theback porch. They sat in the chairs and Max scanned the press release. “Looksgood. I’d say we’re ready to roll.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

They both stared outside for a few minutes, drinking their beer in silence.

“You’ve got to give her a little time,” Aidan finally said.

Max looked at him. “I don’t think time is going to help much.”

Aidan’s mouth curved in a half-smile. “You’d be surprised. I know my sister.

She’s stubborn. Damned stubborn.”

Max took a long swallow of his beer and nodded. “Don’t I know it.” It was one ofthe things he loved best about her.

“She also loves you.”

Arching a brow, Max asked, “How do you know that?”

“We’re connected. All of us. Not mind readers, but we can feel each other’s

emotions. She’s miserable right now.”

Great. Misery that he’d caused. That should endear him to her even more. “Inever meant to hurt her.”

“I know that. If I wasn’t certain of that fact, I’d be here to kick your ass, not share

a beer with you.”

Max laughed, understanding that sentiment. He’d do the same thing if anyonehurt his sister. “So now what do I do?”

Aidan shrugged and finished his beer. “Wish I could tell you. I had enoughtrouble trying to figure out what to do about Lissa. I finally had to swallow mypride, smack myself upside the head and find her. I was going to tell her I lovedher and keep telling her until she believed me.”

“If only that would work in this case.”

“All you can do is try. Granted, my relationship with Lissa isn’t like yours with Shannon. You bring a little something ‘extra’ to the relationship that she’ll have to deal with.”

Max was taken aback. Did everyone know about him? “How did you know?”

Aidan grinned. “Mom told us the other day, after Kaitlyn explained that Shannonwas a mess. She also warned us to stay out of it and let you two settle yourdifferences by yourselves.”

He made a note to thank Angelina for that. “Do you have any reservations aboutit?”

“Nah. If Shannon agrees to it and it doesn’t hurt her, then what you two do and what powers you possess are your own business. I have enough of my own to deal with as it is,” he said, winking.

“Thanks.” Max shook Aidan’s hand and walked him to the door.

“I hate to sound corny and all,” Aidan said, “But you really have to dig deep and

search your heart. You’ll know what to do.”

He nodded and watched as Aidan drove away, then went outside and walked tothe edge of the water, staring into the murky depth as if they could provide theanswer he sought.