Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
The whistle blew, ending the game. I ran to Danny, grabbing him around his waist and hoisting him off the ground.
He raised his arm, shouting, as the rest of the team ran at us, eager to congratulate Danny for stopping that guy who would’ve tied the game in the last ten seconds.
The energy was high from the win we’d barely scraped out.
I released Danny and ordered everyone to line up so we could thank the other team. I led everyone to the fifty yard line where I shook hands with the captain before giving the rest of the players a low five.
I jogged off the pitch, my jersey clinging to my chest, heavy with sweat, mud, and grass.
“Hey, Coach,” I said, stopping before him and putting my hands on my hips. My lungs burned from playing eighty minutes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The high I got from playing was worth the scrapes and sore muscles. Of course I healed faster than the average person, so that helped.
“Hell of a game, Ward. We’ll debrief on the bus.” He patted my shoulder, then went over to the trainer who was examining one of our players. He was a freshman who’d taken a hard hit, but his ribs would be fine after he iced them.
I ordered everyone into the locker room so we could shower and get the hell out of here.
Plus, I was starving and needed to eat. Before I turned and followed my teammates inside, I glanced into the stands and spotted my entire family sitting with other members of our pack.
I nodded my chin, acknowledging my father, then went inside.
After showering, I grabbed my bag and headed to the parking lot, wanting to see my family.
I immediately spotted my dad along with the other parents, waiting to see their kids.
“Where’s Mom?” I asked.
“She took your brothers home.” Dad wrapped his arm around me, leading me away from everyone. “You played a great game.”
“Thanks.” Compliments from my dad were rare. If he said I had a good game, he meant it.
“How are you feeling? You took a couple of hard hits.”
I’d allowed just enough to take the edge off. Now, it seemed as if my head was on straight instead of being all screwed up from Laney. “I feel great.”
This past week had been torture. I could physically feel Laney’s presence around campus, as if she were begging me to come to her.
Several times, I almost did. But I’d stopped myself knowing no good could come from it.
Even now, just thinking about her made my heart rate spike, my palms sweat, and my mouth water.
I wanted her in a way I’d never wanted anyone else.
It didn’t help having one of my packmates watching her at all times.
No one had spotted the wolf who’d attacked her, but I wasn’t sure she was in the clear yet.
If it had been an enforcer, he’d be back.
We stopped closer to the bus where no one was around to overhear our conversation. Usually Dad didn’t insist on secrecy like this. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Do you have what I requested?”
With the game, I’d forgotten. “Yeah.” I reached into my bag, pulling out the small insulated cooler. “Laney’s DNA is in one tube; her insulin is in the other.”
Dad took the cooler. “I’ll let you know what I find out, and we’ll go from there.”
I was convinced that Laney was a half-breed, and her DNA would prove that.
As to what she’d been injecting into her body, I had no idea, but I knew it wasn’t insulin.
I wanted to discover if she was lying about it, or if someone was lying to her.
Neither possibility sat well with me. Regardless, I had to protect my pack.
Right now, that meant we had to know more about Laney.
Either she needed our protection, which we could offer, or she posed a threat to us, which we’d have to eliminate.
I glanced around. A few of the guys had come out and were talking with their parents. I had another couple of minutes before Coach ordered us onto the bus.
“Can I ask you something?” I said, lowering my voice since most wolves had excellent hearing, and I didn’t want anyone to overhear this.
My dad looked at me a minute before nodding.
I took after him. We both had the same build, dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and skin tone.
I liked to think my personality was like his as well.
As the leader of our pack, he was always trustworthy, strong, and respected by everyone.
He wasn’t hotheaded and never reacted without thinking first of the consequences. I was still working on that.
“When you and Mom married, was it arranged?” What I really wanted to know was if he’d mated with her first or not.
My parents always seemed to be in love. They never fought, my father respected my mom, and he treated her well.
They were solid. But they were my parents, so I never really analyzed their relationship.
Dad chuckled as he put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “Your grandfather wanted me to marry his second’s daughter.”
“Lucy?” I asked, shocked by the revelation. I couldn’t imagine my dad married to Danny’s Aunt Lucy.
“The problem was, I fell hard for your mom. She’s a few years younger than me, so she hadn’t been on my radar. Then, one day I came home from college, and there she was. All grown up. The second I saw her, I knew she was it for me.”
Just as I’d feared. My heart thumped in my chest, as if calling out to Laney.
“Why are you asking?” He dropped his arm.
I shrugged. “I’m just curious.”
“Is everything all right between you and Emily?”
“We’re fine.” Other than the fact that she’d been avoiding me all week and we hadn’t had a chance to talk about our relationship.
Every time we were supposed to meet, Em would send a text letting me know she was too busy or that something had come up.
I’d had to avoid Laney, afraid that if I got near her, I’d act on my feelings.
And there was no way I could allow that to happen.
It wouldn’t be fair to Em. I was holding out hope that when we talked, we’d figure it all out, and things would make sense again.
Deep down, I knew Em didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry her.
We were both trapped by our parents’ and our pack’s expectations.
“What is it?” my dad asked. “I’d rather you talk to me than me find out something from my second again.”
Shame washed over me. That night I’d been too worried about Laney to text my dad. It had been irresponsible of me. It was my duty to protect my pack.
“I’m sorry about that,” I muttered. It wouldn’t happen again. And, because this was my dad and the leader of my pack, I decided to stand up for myself and say something. “What if Em and I aren’t sure we want to marry?”
“You have to marry,” Dad said. “You must ensure our line. The pack deserves that.”
“I understand.” I really did. “But what if I want to marry someone else?” If Laney turned out to be my mate, my dad would never approve of us being together, since she was a half-breed.
The part I kept coming back to was why I’d even mate with her in the first place.
Maybe I wasn’t meant to pass on the alpha line.
Dad rubbed his temples. “My second doesn’t have any daughters. Emily is the only viable option. She’s the strongest female that’s close in age to you, and she comes from a good bloodline. She guarantees you’ll have an alpha son to carry on our line.”
Something squeezed inside my chest, making it hard to breathe, drowning me. Instead of answering, I just nodded as if I understood and agreed. Which I didn’t.
The coach came out, telling the team we needed to leave since it was a long ride back to campus.
“Before you go, is there something you need to tell me?” Dad asked. “I assume you didn’t bring all of this up without a reason.”
No, I hadn’t. “Just curious,” I said, hoping he couldn’t smell the lie on me.
Danny came over with his dad.
“Great game, Rowan,” Gareth said, shaking my hand.
“Thanks.” I readjusted the strap of my bag, knowing something was coming that I wouldn’t like since Danny couldn’t look me in the eyes.
Dad turned to Gareth. “Well?”
Gareth nodded. “Danny said he sensed something when he met the girl.”
They were talking about Laney. I clenched my strap, my muscles starting to shake. I forced my nails and eyes to remain normal. My breathing sped up as the desire to shift and attack rose within me.
My dad was focused on Danny. “Do you believe she’s a half-breed?”
“I do. But…” Danny glanced at me before continuing. “I felt something to warrant further investigation. I don’t think some random half-breed would have the pull she does.”
“What do you mean?” Dad asked.
“I sensed something within her,” Danny said. “We all do. And there seems to be a connection to us when she’s near.”
A low growl ripped from my chest. The thought of anyone else in my pack feeling something toward her was unacceptable. She was mine. No one else could have her.
Dad, Gareth, and Danny all stood there staring at me like I’d lost my mind.
Danny didn’t need to tell my dad that I’d been acting irrationally when it came to Laney, because he had a front row seat right now.
“Let’s go!” Coach shouted.
“I want to meet Laney Lake,” my dad said, his voice low and lethal, the voice of an alpha and not a father.
I didn’t want my dad anywhere near her. If he learned that I’d been forming a mating bond with her, he’d kill her himself.
“Arrange something,” Dad said. “The sooner the better.”
“You have her DNA,” I ground out. “Isn’t that enough for now?” He could test it to confirm she was a half-breed. There was no reason for him to meet her. He’d probably scare the shit out of her because he was so large and intimidating.
Danny reached in his bag, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to my dad. “Here’s the info you asked for.”
“What’s that?” I demanded.
“A copy of Laney’s driver’s license,” Danny said, not meeting my eyes.