Omega Moon Rising (Toke Lobo & The Pack) (24 page)

Chapter 20

Who was knocking on his door when he wasn’t even supposed to be in the house yet? Luke decided to ignore the pounding until he heard his father calling his name. Ignoring his father was not a smart thing.

“It’s open,” he called out. He exited the Gail’s Bedroom site, where he’d been looking at photos of Abby instead of working, looking for a reflection in a shiny surface, a stray thumb in front of a lens from which they could pull a fingerprint—anything to identify Gary’s cohort. His dad didn’t need to see Abby like that.

Luke started down the stairs but his father stopped him.

“Your grandmother sent me here to see what you’re doing.”

“I’m working,” Luke said. “I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I’m doing some computer stuff for the FBI—part of treaty fulfillment.”

“Abigail said you had a new job, but she didn’t say what.”

“Don’t call her Abigail.” Ancient Ones, he hated that name. Hated the way Gary had bastardized it into something evil.

His father, whose night vision wasn’t as keen as his own, studied him in the dim light filtering down from the loft. “All of your mother’s family is at my mom’s house, trying to figure out what’s wrong with Abby.”

Luke had heard his mother call for her family, but the import hadn’t sunk in. If his mother called for reinforcements, the situation must be serious. The LeFleurs thought their scat didn’t stink. “Is Abby okay?” He started for the door.

“She felt the baby move for the first time today. Everybody’s ecstatic about that. But the thing going on with her marking spot has everyone concerned.”

“Her marking spot?” Luke hadn’t marked her. Why would anything be going on with her marking spot?

Then the rest of what his father said clicked. “She felt the baby move?” She hadn’t said anything to him. That hurt.

“Your grandmother sent me over to find out exactly what you’re doing.”

“I told you. Some Internet stuff for the feds.”

“Luke, you gave Abby berries.”

“I did not.” The denial burst like flames from his lips.

“Does strawberry lemonade the same color as her dress ring a bell?”

Luke reeled as if his father had punched him in the gut.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” His father sounded grim. “Let’s see what’s on your computer, shall we?”

“Dad—”

“You wanna be the one to tell your grandmother you wouldn’t let me see what you’re doing?”

“It’s government work. It’s top secret.”

“You are so full of scat, boy.” There was no rancor in his father’s tone. “The feds wouldn’t let you be working in Loup Garou if it was top secret. I can take a guess, you know. I heard a story about you, Tokarz, Restin, and the guy from the State Department. And there’s the situation with Libby and Abby’s stepfather, not to mention the hobby you think you’ve kept secret for the past couple of years. Add all that together, and I could take a guess that might not be as mild as what you’re actually doing.”

Luke’s face burned.

His father’s tone softened. “If it didn’t involve Abby, I wouldn’t pry. But that girl is pregnant with my grandchild.” His father grinned. “If your grandmother wants me to find out what you’re doing, I’m finding out.”

“Come on up,” Luke said. He was still reluctant, and everything upset Abby—except Libby’s behavior. But the problem with being the youngest omega was that everyone—every single person in the pack—could order him about. Even baby Daniel Garnier, months-old half-human alpha-in-the-making, could piss on Luke’s boots. Luke would not only have to stand there and take it, he would have to smile the whole time.

His father’s tread was heavy on the stairs. “The last time I was here, I found Abby wrapped in bloody sheets.”

“They’ve been changed,” Luke said in a tight voice. He couldn’t imagine the terror a sight like that could instill.

“She’s okay now. Except for a pain in her neck.”

“Libby?” Luke tried to joke. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

“Not funny. Your grandmother said Abby is in serious pain. At her marking spot. Everyone is baffled.”

“So they’re blaming me. The story of my life.” His father knew it was true.

“She’s pregnant with your baby. You gave her berries. You’re having sex with her. Sometimes a guy can forget himself and act on instinct when he’s in the throes of sex. Would it be so awful if Abby was your mate?”

“I have nothing to offer a mate. Not even a name.”

“I’m less lycan than you, and if I felt that way, you wouldn’t be here.”

“When you mated with Mom, you gave me back a predominantly werewolf heritage. I want my offspring to have even more than I do. While I love my Rosie Dawn already, she’s still more human than werewolf.”

“Which is what the Ancient Ones want, or else she wouldn’t have been conceived.”

“I know that. But I want to be the one to break the curse.”

Dad paused at the top of the stairs. “Curse? Losing status is not some kind of spell or hex from magic or voodoo. It’s a sentence, like a human prison term.”

“Sentences can be commuted.”

His father changed the subject. “You’re turning this space into your office?”

“Yes. I plan to do a lot of work for the FBI. I’m good. The extra money will come in handy when I do find my mate and settle down to start that family.”

“And what are you going to do with the family you have? Abandon them? Desert them? Send them back to Oak Moon so you can live a dual life—your human wife and child in Oak Moon, your lycan offspring here in Loup Garou? How does Abby feel about that? And how well do you think a full-blooded werewolf female would go for that?”

Oh. He hadn’t considered that. A female lycan could be as jealous and possessive as a male. Things could get ugly—if not deadly—quickly.

He’d have to deal with it when the time came.

“There you go, Dad.” Luke gestured to his closed laptop. “Knock yourself out.” He leaned against the rail and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You know I don’t know much about these things,” his father grumbled. “Macy got all the technology genes.”

Luke struggled. He didn’t want his father to know for certain what he was doing, even if the FBI was sanctioning these excursions. Tokarz and the rest of the band knew about his Internet activities, but Tokarz knew all sorts of private details about the members of the pack. That came with being alpha.

A man’s father was different. A man wanted his father to respect him, and with a shudder of shame, Luke realized there was nothing respectable about what he’d done in the past. The only saving grace was that those activities had given him the skills, the tools he needed to help track down the pervert who’d fucked up his wife’s life. Who was still trying to fuck up his sister-in-law’s life. No matter how annoyed he was at Libby, she was still a kid and didn’t deserve the things that had been done to her by the mysterious Uncle Dougie.

Luke typed in the FBI-created password so his father could see exactly what was on the screen—not Gail’s Bedroom, but an album of thumbnail sized photos of women and girls in various poses.

“Why would anyone want to look at this?” Dad asked.

“If you don’t consider the people posing, it’s easy to pretend you’re all consenting adults,” Luke replied.

“Why you?”

Luke shrugged. “Human taint.”

“Only one quarter. Less than I am. I’ve never . . . this is beyond my ability to understand.”

“Then you’re the lucky one.” Luke’s fists clenched at his side. “Me, not so much. Although a month ago you wouldn’t have heard me say that.” He gestured at the screen. “Even now, there’s a little thrill . . .”

“Did you really find pictures of Abigail?”

Nothing like thrusting a knife into his chest and twisting it while still plunging. “Yeah.”

“And Libby?”

“Not yet. My guess is that they are there. My job isn’t to find the pictures, but to find the people behind the pictures.”

And kill them.

His father knew what he was thinking, even if Mitchell Jasper was clueless.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind helping you.” And his father didn’t mean surfing the net.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Abby clutched her neck. “It stopped for a while, but the pain is back.”

The crowd had dwindled to only Colette, Granny, and Abby.

“Was Libby so very awful today?” Colette asked.

“She gave me a fright,” Abby admitted. “She was being difficult before that—she resented the doctor visit, so she wanted her ears pierced, but Luke said no, so she–well, she has issues. I need to see about starting her on her ADHD medication again. That helps.” One more reason to resent being stuck in Loup Garou.

“Libby doesn’t like being told no,” Colette clarified. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved having her, but she really needs a firm hand.”

“The worst part was when she disappeared. In the mall. After last night, I thought for sure—”

“Ancient Ones,” Colette exclaimed. “That can’t have been good for the baby.”

“A woman from our church in Oak Moon was at the mall and saw Libby and invited her to the food court for something to drink.”

“And the woman from the church didn’t stop to think that maybe an eleven year old girl wouldn’t be in a mall over one hundred miles from home by herself?” Colette asked.

“She thought Libby had run away. It turned out okay. We’ve known Mrs. MacDougal forever. But Luke got really weird about her. I mean freaky weird. Claims Mrs. MacDougal wears so much perfume to hide her true aroma.”

Colette and Granny sat up from their slumped positions at the table.

“Really?” Colette asked in a soft voice.

Abby nodded. “He also said she wears so much makeup in order to hide her beard. That Mrs. MacDougal is really a man. And from there, he went from MacDougal to Dougie.”

“It’s not such a leap,” Granny said. “Except I’m the only old human lady Luke’s ever been around. I remember plenty of post-menopausal sapien women who once they lose that estrogen need to invest in electrolysis.”

“Well, it upset Libby even more than being reprimanded for taking off without letting us know where she was going.”

Abby told Colette and Granny the rest of what had happened, including their clandestine meeting with “that FBI guy.”

“So I guess Mrs. MacDougal is being investigated,” Abby concluded.

“How terrifying for you. Libby needs to learn that kind of behavior can’t be tolerated,” Colette said. “It’s not safe for anyone. Libby isn’t the only one with secrets.”

Abby didn’t think Libby had any secrets. Not after the doctor visit.

“And how did the doctor visit go?” Colette asked, almost as if reading Abby’s mind.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to discuss it,” Abby said. How did Colette even know about the examination? Whatever happened to patient confidentiality? “It was easier than I thought it would be. Her situation could have been worse.”

Colette sighed. “She’s such a little thing. I suppose if there’s something to be grateful for in this situation, that would get my vote. I don’t understand it, like I don’t understand Luke’s preoccupation with mating.”

“It’s a human thing,” Granny admitted. “Especially in America. One of the reasons I like living in Loup Garou is because sex isn’t a nasty thrill, but a matter-of-fact part of life. Women’s breasts are for feeding babies, not titillating men. Werewolf men don’t need titillating.”

“At least you raised Marcus right,” Colette said. “I didn’t do such a great job with Luke.”

“Luke is meant for other things,” Granny said. “I think that’s why he’s so . . . headstrong.”

Colette made a sound of impatience. “You know I don’t like all your human mumbo jumbo. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“And what do you think your Ancient Ones are?” Granny retorted.

Colette rolled her eyes and was about to respond when the sound of a vehicle parking next to the house distracted her. “That’s Marcus’s car.”

A moment later both Marcus and Luke entered the room. A laptop case was slung across Luke’s shoulder.

“What’s this about?” Luke asked. “Dad insisted I pack up my work and bring it here for the rest of the night. Are you okay, Abs?”

Abby nodded. She hadn’t felt a pain in her neck in several minutes. “Tired. That’s all.”

Luke dropped his laptop case to the floor and stood behind Abby. He started massaging her shoulders. “I’ve read growing a baby is exhausting work. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Abby moaned. His hands working the tense muscles of her back felt so good. She arched into his fingers. He acted as if he’d gotten over his earlier anger with Libby.

“Luke was working, like Abby said,” Marcus said. “But Mom, you might be on to something.”

Granny pursed her lips and nodded. “I’ve heard rumors. Delilah Garnier, who’s as human as I am, tells a story that raises the hair on my nape. About being hundreds of miles away from Tokarz and smelling smoke when he was trapped in a barn fire.”

“I was in that fire,” Luke said. “What does that have to do with anything?” His thumb found a particularly tight spot on Abby’s left shoulder and dug into the muscle. “Ancient Ones, Abs, you’re in knots.”

“I want to try an experiment,” Granny explained. “Boot up your laptop and get to work.”

“Here?” His hands left Abby’s shoulders, exposing them to the weight of burdens not hers to bear, not when he was supposed to protect her. “I can’t work here.”

“It’s only for a few minutes,” Granny said. “Sit opposite Abigail at the table.”

“You don’t have WiFi.”