Chapter 13
Effie Harlow
“Effie, please sit. You two may go.”
“No.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, Dr. Hastain’s eyes widening in surprise before humor slipped onto his face. He nodded towards the security guards, who left. That didn’t surprise me. My no had been to sitting down. I didn’t want to be in proximity to him. Caedmon’s father.
I knew it was him without confirmation. He looked just like Caedmon, down to the same color eyes. But instead of rich brown hair, he had black hair that made him look pale and severe rather than the warmth my mate offered.
Although it was hard to focus on his appearance or anything else outside of the emotions I was feeling right now.
His father’s presence made me feel more anger than I ever had in my life.
A protective urge rose up as I looked towards the man that had caused my mate so much pain.
If he saw my hatred, he didn’t seem to care, offering me a calculating and clinical stare.
Hadn’t his plane been delayed?
Why would he have lied?
“So this is the girl?” he asked, taking a sip out of a dark crystal glass.
The university president’s office was gorgeous and made of dark wood, the two of them seeming to fit perfectly in it—which is why I didn’t cross past the doorway. I knew I was somewhat trapped here as it was; I wasn’t about to sit down. I wanted to be able to leave the minute Tore arrived.
“Yes, this is your son’s mate.” Dr. Hastain sighed. “Could be my son’s as well…”
“You’re a bitten wolf?” Caedmon’s father asked, looking me over in a way that made my stomach roll. I nodded, not offering him a verbal response, glad he had ignored Hastain’s words. I didn’t want to give them any validation, because he knew the truth.
He looked towards Hastain and nodded. “You chose well.”
“I thought so.” The man had the audacity to smile proudly before narrowing his glare at me. “But we aren’t here to talk about that, Effie.”
“Why am I here?”
Dr. Hastain’s eyes lit up with humor. “Where else would you be? Back at the Whitepaw Pack? Did going back there remind you of how thankful you should be? Or did you want to stay there? I mean, I did make a purchase—I’m positive there would be some system for returns if necessary.”
The threat in his words had my spine straightening. He didn’t stop to get my response though, seeming to love the sound of his voice.
“But I won’t do that. You clearly play a big part here, and not just because of who you are mated to. That’s small stuff that we can handle later. We have something rather important to talk about, don’t we?”
“What?” I asked, my intuition warning me that this was about to go south. The fact that he had access to ‘true magic,’ as Ryder called it, made me unsure what to expect from him.
He grinned. “You’ve been hiding talents from all of us, Effie. Talents you shouldn’t have. Like the ability to heal five blood-bonded pack alphas all at once.”
I felt my face pale of color as I intertwined my fingers, trying to keep myself standing up straight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Caedmon’s father chuckled. “Shit liar as well.”
I didn’t look at him, instead keeping my gaze on the biggest threat as he leaned back in his leather chair, looking amused.
“As happy as I am about you healing those boys, I think you are forgetting that someone needs to be punished for the pain they suffered originally… Pain they endured because of you. They hurt them because of you, isn’t that right? ”
Guilt slammed into me as I kept my voice even. “They attacked us first. That’s how Dakota got hurt.”
His eyes darkened as he waved his hand in dismissal. “I have no way to prove that though, and this isn’t the first time your pack has attacked them. So I figured instead of doing a group punishment, I would bring you here and ask you.”
“Ask me what?”
He grinned. “Who should suffer for it? Someone has to. Even Caedmon is at risk.”
“Would do the boy some good,” Caedmon’s father mused.
“None of them. None of them will suffer for it,” I growled, unable to help my wolf side from coming out in defense of them, but authentic panic hit me at the idea of them being hurt. I wouldn’t allow that. I wouldn’t allow Hastain to hurt them again.
“Then will you serve the punishment?” he mused, making me swallow, feeling uncomfortably on edge.
“No she will not.”
Tore’s voice filled the space, instantly providing me with reassurance that I was now safe. I turned my back on them and was immediately encircled by Tore’s large arms. Leaning into his chest, I felt my panic calm, and the low, deep rumble that came from his chest was protective and territorial.
“Tore. How good of you to join us, I’m sure you remember—”
“No one will be serving a punishment.” Tore’s voice was hard and dark, filled with an energy that had a chill going up my spine.
I pulled back and nearly flinched, seeing how furious he was, a flash of unease going over me before remembering that this was Tore.
He would never hurt me, and all of his anger, his energy, was narrowed on the two men in the office.
Something I knew they recognized because the perceived power they held before had disappeared now that another dominant male was present, both of them going uncomfortably quiet.
“That isn’t how this works.” Dr. Hastain sounded tense and uncomfortable.
“Let me tell you how it works.” Tore’s chest produced a dark noise as he kept his tone lethally quiet.
“We are going to walk out of here, and you are never going to have Effie alone in this damn office again. You want to talk to her? It’s with one of us.
No one is being punished, especially not Effie, for the attack they made on us. Understand?”
Dr. Hastain chuckled. “Sure, Tore. If that makes you feel better.”
A savage snarl ripped from Tore’s throat, startling Caedmon’s father.
I almost smiled at that. Tore placed me behind him and stepped forward, leaning over the desk and saying something low and harsh.
I couldn’t hear it, but Caedmon’s father did, his eyes widening as Hastain paled, making me wonder what the heck my mate had said.
But then it didn’t matter. Tore straightened up and walked backwards until he had me tucked against him.
“We’re leaving now.”
I turned, and then Dr. Hastain’s voice filled the space. “Just remember, Tore—until you mark her, she doesn’t belong to you. She doesn’t belong to your pack.”
Realization clicked in my brain as I looked up at Tore, his jaw set hard as he walked us out of the office, his hand on my back.
Before I had a chance to say something, he was lifting me up and hanging me onto him like a monkey, his pace increasing so fast that I felt like we went from being inside to outside to back inside in a terrifying heartbeat.
A flash of a second. The blink of an eye.
I knew fenrir were fast, but holy crap.
When I was placed down, I felt a bit dizzy, looking around to realize we were in the lobby of our building. Tore led quietly to the elevator, his entire frame vibrating with tension as I tried to sort through what I wanted to say to him.
“Tore—”
The elevator doors closed, and I let out a surprised yelp as he lifted me up so I was sitting on top of the railing, his body completely sheltering mine.
I let out a whimper as he kept me pinned there, his head buried against my neck, his lips skimming over my bitten mark, unintentionally causing a wave of desire to pulse through my center.
I swallowed, knowing it was so not the time but unable to help the basic need I felt so strongly when I was around him.
“Tore.”
“Not yet,” he gritted out. “I’m really trying to calm down, lil bit.”
I ran my hands through his hair and spoke quietly. “He just talked to me—”
“It wasn’t just a talk,” he growled. “I don’t know what his end game is, Effie, but it’s bad. He’s playing it way too fucking safe right now. I don’t know how to keep you safe if I don't even know the rules of the game.”
“He gave you the solution though!” I finally interrupted as he pulled back and offered me a confused look.
The elevator doors opened, and I clung onto him as he walked into the dorm.
I could tell no one else was there, and Tore didn’t hesitate to go to his room as he sat down on his desk chair, keeping me on his lap so I was straddling him.
His attention was zeroed in on me, and I was trying to not focus on how hard he was…
But I wasn’t doing a very good job since I could feel my body physically reacting to it.
“And what solution is that?” Tore demanded softly.
“To mark me.”
A low rumble broke from Tore’s throat. “I can’t, Effie. I can’t just mark you.”
“Why not?” I whispered as I shrugged off my coat, thinking about how I had marked my mates. I wanted their marks on me as well—badly. This was the perfect solution.
“I don’t have the restraint to just mark you—”
“So don’t have restraint.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, my cheeks turning bright pink. I hoped he understood what I was saying, because I think it was the most blunt I’d ever been before.
“Effie.” His growl came from deep in his chest as his hands tightened on my hips, drawing me closer against him as I felt my pulse spike. I was pressed so firmly against him that I could feel everything, especially how much Tore wanted me, and it did nothing to cool my desire and blatant need.
“I’m serious,” I whispered. “If you can’t mark me without restraint, then don’t have restraint, Tore. I want you… I love you. I don’t want your restraint.”
His eyes flashed completely black as one hand came up and weaved through my hair so that it was holding me tight as he examined my expression with a burning intensity. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, Effie.”