The Finding (3 page)

“Done for the
day?” A towel landed in his face as the speaker walked past.

Wearily he
reached up and wiped the sweat from his face and chest while eyeing
the room’s other occupant. Daniel was chugging back a bottle of
water, his body glistening from an intense workout.

Bryan sat up,
giving his arms a shake and then stretching. His muscles ached
slightly from the strain they’d be under, not tired, just well
used. “No. I think I’ll go for a run. Want to join me?”

“Nah. I’m
whipped. You Beta-types can exercise until you barf, but not me.
I’m the intellectual in the pack, remember?”

Snorting, Bryan
studied his young friend. At twenty-two, Daniel might claim to be
an intellectual, but his lean frame was still packed with muscle
and had all the local ladies swooning. Well... Most of the local
ladies, he amended, noting that Daniel was staring out the window
with a look of longing in his eyes.

The object of
the younger man’s attention was Tessa, a doe-eyed, dark haired
Spanish beauty. Daniel had been following her around like a
love-sick puppy ever since she’d joined the pack three years ago.
Not that Tessa ever gave Daniel any encouragement, but that hadn’t
stopped the man from wanting her.

Shaking his
head at the follies of young love, Bryan stood up and clapped
Daniel on the shoulder. “Why don’t you make a move on her?”

Daniel firmed
his mouth and shoved his hands in his pocket. “She’s not ready
yet...”

“Ready? She’s
nineteen; definitely time for her to choose a mate.”

“You know her
history.” Anger washed over Daniel’s face and Bryan gripped his
shoulder.

“I do. But she
can’t live in the past forever. Someone needs to help her move on.
Why not you?”

Shrugging,
Daniel threw his water bottle in the recycling bin and picked up
his discarded t-shirt. “I don’t know. The time never seems
right.”

“If you wait
too long, you might lose your chance.” Bryan threw out the warning
and headed for the door, knowing he’d pushed all he could. Daniel
had to be the one to make the move.

Once outside,
he debated about turning into his wolf form, but decided to finish
his workout as he’d started. His human body needed the exercise
more than his wolf did.

Bending to
tighten his laces, he heard giggling coming from the nearby gazebo
and glanced that way. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he
saw two young girls peering at him. Becky and Emily were the
daughters of the newest family to join Ryne’s pack. At fifteen and
thirteen respectively, they were harmless enough, but the crush
they’d developed on him was annoying and embarrassing.

As Beta, he was
the second in command, the Alpha’s bodyguard, and the pack’s
enforcer. Being followed by giggling teenagers did nothing for his
image, nor did he know how to deal with them. He didn’t want to
hurt their feelings, but subtle hints weren’t having much effect in
dissuading them.

Knowing if he
delayed much longer, they’d actually work up the nerve to approach
him, he got to his feet and prepared to walk past them.

“Hi Bryan!” The
girls spoke at the same time. One was attempting an exaggerated
model stance while the other settled for tossing her long blonde
hair over her shoulder.

“’Evening,
girls.” He kept his eyes focussed straight ahead and didn’t slow
his pace otherwise they might decide to follow him. It wouldn’t be
the first time it had happened. As he continued on his way, he
picked up on parts of their conversation...

“Did you see
how his muscles rippled? And his butt...”

“Mmm. And his
voice. It’s so deep it makes me shiver.”

“I like his
hair best. Dark blond is so cool.”

“No. I think
it’s more of a light brown.”

“Whatever. His
eyes are dreamy.”

“Oh yeah, hazel
eyes...”

Bryan winced.
Geez, it was like he was some pin-up poster boy. It was nice when
the ladies in town were all over him, but these two were just kids.
It made him feel creepy, like he was some kind of pervert. He broke
into a slow jog and headed around the curve in the driveway,
catching a glimpse of the girls still staring his way.

He wondered
when he’d quit being a kid himself and why he felt he was so much
older now. After all, he was only twenty-four. That was young,
wasn’t it? Maybe it was the responsibilities of being Beta that
weighed him down and made him feel older. The pack was growing;
Ryne was going to be a father... He chuckled at the thought of his
bad-ass Alpha changing diapers. He could never imagine himself in
such a position.

Breaking into a
run, he veered off the driveway and headed deeper into the woods.
Nope, a Beta had to be tough and ready to defend the pack or deal
with trouble makers. Settling down to family life just wasn’t part
of his plan. Right now, he was a no-strings attached kind of guy.
That’s how he liked it and that’s how things would remain.

*****

Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA...

“Hey, Kellen!
It’s almost supper time.” Cassie called out happily from the stove
where she was stirring a pot of pasta sauce. She hummed a Latin
tune under her breath as she worked, swaying slightly to the beat.
Her singing was off key, but it didn’t matter. Her plans had gone
off without a hitch so far and she was feeling extremely pleased
with herself.

Executing a
fancy little step, she paused and listened carefully. Kellen hadn’t
answered yet. Opening her mouth to call out again, she heard a
board creak near the front door. She frowned. Now what was he
doing? He’d only arrived home a few minutes ago.

Perhaps he was
playing a joke on her as he sometime did. A mischievous grin spread
across her face and she decided to turn the tables on him. She set
the spoon down and tiptoed to the archway that separated the
kitchen from the living room. Peeking around the corner, she saw
Kellen was almost at the front door.

Stepping out,
she cleared her throat loudly, planted her hands on her hips and
spoke in a mock serious tone. “And where do you think you’re
going?”

Kellen froze,
then slowly turned around to face her. Something about his posture
gave her the feeling he’d been trying to sneak away unnoticed
rather than trying to trick her. His expression, a combination of
guilt and exasperation at being caught, confirmed the fact.
“Out.”

Her playful
mood rapidly evaporated at his evasive answer. She leaned against
the doorway, suddenly feeling weary as she took in his
appearance.

His lithe body
was dressed for a night out with the boys; nothing special of
course, but not his usual at home gear of sweats and a comfortable
old t-shirt. Well fitting denim encased his hips, a band t-shirt
showed off his broad shoulders and a brown leather jacket was
clutched in his hand. The jacket was the same shade as his hair,
which was one of the reasons she’d bought it for him last
Christmas. Since he often worked the night shift, and evening
temperatures could be quite cool in the desert, she’d deemed it to
be a practical extravagance. He’d been duly appreciative of the
gift, but those had been happier times...

“Out where?”
She knew the answer already, but some devil inside prodded her
onward even as she questioned her own actions. Why did she do this
to herself? Why did she set herself up to be hurt by asking stupid
questions? Cassie knew she should just let him go; turn the
proverbial blind eye to his behaviour, but hiding from a problem
wouldn’t solve anything.

Really?
A voice inside her taunted.
You hide every day; keeping me
locked up, denying my existence. Your own secret is a living thing,
struggling to get out, to make itself known...

Never mind, she
hissed to herself. That’s not the issue right now. She pushed the
voice firmly away, refocussing on Kellen and wondering what excuse
he might use this time.

Kellen’s mouth
was drawn into a straight line. She watched the blue of his eyes
deepen before he lowered his lashes as if trying to hide his
expression. “Just out with friends. It’s no big deal.” Giving a
shrug, he pulled on the leather jacket and adjusted the collar.

“I know the
kind of friends you mean and—”

“You’re not my
mother, okay? So lay off!” The angry words were flung at her and
Cassie fought not to respond in kind. Both of them shouting
wouldn’t solve anything. Someone needed to keep a cool head; as
usual, it would be her.

Taking a deep
breath, Cassie steadied herself. “Kellen...” She stepped forward,
her hand held out beseechingly. “Stay home. Please. Keep me company
like you promised.”

He winced at
the word ‘promise.’ She paused until he finally met her gaze, then
smiled tentatively, gently. “I...I made your favourite meal.”

The words hung
between them; the bubble of hope like a palpable entity while she
waited for him to comment. She’d never been taught to cook, but had
mastered the basics over the past few years. Her lack of ability
was a standing joke between them; Kellen gently teasing her about
her culinary disasters then helping her turn them into something
edible. Spaghetti and meat sauce was one of her few successful,
independent meals and he frequently claimed it was the best he’d
ever tasted. He could be so sweet sometimes...

Silence
stretched between them and his lack of response forced the smile to
fade from her face. She let her hand fall to her side and
swallowed. Kellen shifted his weight before exhaling slowly. His
eyes flicked towards her before lowering to stare at the floor.
“I’ll just be a little while. When I get back, I’ll heat some
up.”

Clenching her
hands, she concentrated on the feeling of her nails digging into
her palms. Better to feel physical pain than to let the hurt settle
in her heart. He was lying; he wouldn’t be a little while; he just
said that to assuage his guilt.

Bitterness
crept into her voice. “No you won’t. I...I know you’re gambling
again.” She watched his shoulders hunch as if to protect himself
from her words. “I’ll not pay off your debts again.” The words were
tossed out like a challenge.

“It’s just a
few bets. You know, me and the guys playing poker. No big
stakes...” He brushed his hair from his eyes and gave a light
laugh. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t have money—”

She was angry
and let him know it. “
My money
, not yours. And I’m saving it
in case of an emergency.” Kellen knew that—oh, not the exact kind
of emergency she was worried about—but he knew she didn’t want to
spend it foolishly. “We live on what we make from our jobs.” Cassie
lifted her chin and glared at him.

“Yeah, right.”
He was using his snarky attitude now, his hands shoved in his back
pockets, a sneer twisting his lips. God, she hated that tone. “Like
the money you earn as a cashier at a grocery store will ever make
us rich.”

“We don’t need
to be rich!” The volume of her voice rose, even though she knew she
shouldn’t respond to his words. It was the same old argument.
Kellen always wanted more.

Correspondingly, he spoke louder as well. “Maybe you don’t, but I
have no intention of stocking shelves and mopping floors for the
rest of my life. I want more than this!” He swept his arm out to
encompass the living room of their small rented home.

Cassie knew
what he saw. Slightly worn furniture and an older style TV; tables
she’d purchased at a second-hand shop and draped with colourful
fabric... It wasn’t much, but it was clean and it was theirs. They
owed no one. She refused to acknowledge the stinging hurt of his
derisive words. While she was proud of how they’d managed thus far,
Kellen wasn’t content with the life they’d forged together. He was
always seeking that mythical pot of gold.

She brushed an
imaginary speck from the small table beside her, then looked at him
out of the corner of her eye. Exhaling slowly, she tried to keep
her voice calm and reasonable. “Gambling is a bad habit. You told
me you’d quit.”

“Just like you
quit the drugs?” He fired the words back at her.

She folded her
arms defensively and looked away from his accusing stare. How
typical of him to try to twist the conversation around. “I never
promised you I’d quit. Besides, it’s not the same thing.”

“No? I’ve gone
for months at a time without placing a single bet. Can you say the
same thing?”

Cassie was
silent knowing she needed her monthly ‘fix’ as he called it, though
for far different reasons than he suspected.

Kellen
continued, heaping blame on her. “Who else has a once a month habit
like yours? You lock yourself up for three days every month. You
won’t let me see you or talk to you... Hell, you even tried to ban
me from the house while you’re off on some freaky drug induced
trip.”

She knew he was
trying to draw attention away from his own shortcomings, but the
truth of his words left her with no defence, or at least not one
she could share. Even after all this time, he knew nothing about
the three days from hell she suffered every month. Days filled with
fear; fighting the raging voice inside, struggling not to convert
into a monster capable of killing any person who got in her way;
hating herself and what she was. He had no idea of her
self-loathing...

“I’ve heard you
when I’m home; the crying, the thrashing about, babbling to
yourself... And you look like shit afterwards.”

“It’s not your
concern.” Cassie hugged herself even more tightly, trying to forget
what it was like; how with each month the struggle seemed to grow
harder, how the beast was becoming stronger...

“Sorry
sweetheart, but it
is
my concern. I’m the one you call when
you wake up God knows where with no idea of how you even got out of
the house. I’m the one who covers for you at work. I’m the one
risking my neck and possible arrest every time I buy your illegal
drugs.” His face was ruddy with emotion by time he finished
speaking.