Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Isat in the truck watching Laney practically run into her dorm building. I didn’t bother saying anything to my dad because I knew he had plenty to say to me. I’m sure he was able to sense my connection to Laney, no matter how much I’d tried hiding it.
Adan sat seething in the back seat, wanting to chew me out.
At least he knew better than to question or come at me with my dad here.
He didn’t have a death wish. I’d gotten a taste of how he felt back at the house when he’d accused me of scaring Laney off after he worked hard to gain her trust. As if he deserved it.
The problem was that I could tell Adan liked Laney.
Thank fuck he didn’t have romantic feelings for her; he only liked her as a friend.
But for me, it didn’t matter. The thought of her with another man made my blood boil in a way that became hard to control.
If Adan had actual feelings for her, I’d have probably killed him by now.
As it was, I was having trouble sitting there without shifting.
And my dad knew it.
At least he wouldn’t say anything to me in front of Adan since he came from a weaker family.
Dad would never want to give someone like him reason to be concerned about the leadership of the pack.
Irritation coursed through me. There was only so much bullshit I could take.
Right now, I needed to calm down. Especially before I met with other members of the pack.
Dad pulled his truck into our driveway.
“We’re not going out for burgers?” Adan said, his voice dripping with disdain.
“No,” Dad said, his response practically a bark. I couldn’t believe Adan dared question him with such an attitude. My dad could tear his throat out without breaking a sweat. “We need to talk, and we can’t do that in public.” He got out of the truck, heading for the house.
“What would you have done if Laney agreed to go with us?” Adan asked as he climbed out.
“I knew she wouldn’t,” my dad said before going inside.
Adan leaned against the side of the truck, his focus on his feet, his hands clenched into fists.
“Are you coming in?” I asked, closing my door.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” He didn’t look my way as he spoke.
I knew he needed to get himself under control before he faced the other members of our pack. “I hope you know you’re a good friend.” Both to Laney and to his fellow packmates.
He shrugged.
Normally, I wasn’t one for small talk. If I gave a pep talk before a game, that was one thing.
But this one-on-one feel-good shit wasn’t my style.
However, Adan needed it. Since he came from a weaker family, he was often overlooked and got a lot of crap.
Through it all, he remained steadfast and loyal.
He always had a good attitude and pitched in when needed.
“Thanks for looking out for Laney,” I said, trying to keep things light but wanting him to know I cared since he fell under my protection.
“I didn’t do it for you,” he mumbled.
“I know.” He did it for Laney. Which made me appreciate him all the more.
“I’ll see you in there.” I jogged into the house, finding it now filled with my housemates and their dads.
Everyone was congregating in the kitchen, the table piled high with burgers from a nearby joint.
At least we didn’t have to cook for everyone.
After grabbing a few burgers, I went into the dining room where we had a long table big enough to accommodate everyone.
My dad took a seat at the head of the table, so I sat on his left since Gareth sat on my dad’s right side.
Earlier, when Laney had been here hanging out with Adan, the other members of the pack had been hiding nearby.
Watching. Smelling. Listening. I’d nearly lost it when I’d found them here.
While I knew my dad wanted to meet her, I hadn’t realized he’d do it behind my back if he had to.
When Laney refused to go out with Emily, effectively ruining my dad’s plan, he’d discovered Adan had formed a friendship with her.
He’d asked Adan to invite her over. Adan hadn’t had a choice in the matter.
I downed two burgers before my dad stood, getting everyone’s attention. The room quieted down.
“We have confirmation Laney Lake is a half-breed,” Dad said.
“Her DNA sampling, along with her unique smell, can leave no doubt. The question becomes, is she so weak that she doesn’t shift?
If so, why do we sense her when she’s nearby?
Usually only the strongest of us garner that sort of attention.
” His gaze cut to me. “My instinct is to believe that someone sent her, but she doesn’t seem to know anything about our world.
If she is weak and ignorant, then she can’t be a threat to us.
” He sat, letting others gather their thoughts.
“I agree,” Gareth said. “I think we smell her because she has a unique scent since she doesn’t belong to one of our known packs. I don’t think it has anything to do with her strength, which can’t be much. She seems far too timid. Not at all like our women.”
His comment made me want to attack him. My fingers itched and my eyes watered, both indications my body wanted to shift and fight. I sucked in a deep breath, needing to keep myself under control, especially with so many from my pack watching.
“Rowan?” my dad said. “What do you think about Miss Lake?”
That I wanted to sink my teeth into Laney.
That I wanted to undress her, fuck her, and keep her forever.
I rubbed my face. I had no idea why she stirred these primal feelings in me, since I didn’t even know her.
I mean, I knew she was gorgeous. Her long dark hair and blue eyes made me hard.
Then her smell was enticing, inviting me in.
My father chuckled. “Now we all know you’re attracted to her. But you better rein it in because she’s not a purebred, she’s not from our pack, and she’s not equal to you. Besides, you’re with Emily.” His eyes narrowed, a silent order to behave and not fuck up in front of everyone.
My face heated with embarrassment. I still hadn’t told my parents that Em and I had broken up.
Em said she’d talked to her mom about us, and her mom had been okay with it.
She asked her mom to break the news to her father.
Once they both knew, then I’d tell my dad, who would probably flip out. My mom wouldn’t care.
“How do we know she’s not related to someone from our pack?” Jacob asked.
“When I met her, I didn’t smell any of our bloodlines in her,” Dad said. “I also performed a quick background check.”
“Is she from Virginia?” Seth asked since that was where the closest pack lived.
We didn’t come across members from the Virginia pack often.
It wasn’t that we were rivals, but we definitely didn’t get along.
The license plate from the motorcycle guy who’d attacked Laney had been from Virginia.
Em had managed to get the guy’s plate number.
When I ran it, I discovered it was a rental.
My guess was that an enforcer had checked on that pack, then rented the motorcycle to drive up here to check on us.
Even though we didn’t have any evidence, I believed the guy was an enforcer based upon the way he fought and acted when he realized I was an alpha.
“No,” Dad answered. “She’s from Connecticut. My guess is the mother, Raven Lake, probably slept with a lone wolf who’d been passing by.” My dad scratched his head. “It’s a good thing Laney doesn’t shift, otherwise she probably would’ve scared the shit out of her mom.”
That was assuming the mother didn’t know she’d slept with a werewolf and she didn’t know about Laney. Given the wolfsbane I’d smelled in Laney’s insulin, I bet the mom knew.
“You’re certain Laney’s dad isn’t her biological father?” Danny asked.
“Fairly certain,” Dad answered. “According to the birth certificate, Raven had Laney before she married Noah.”
It made me uncomfortable that we’d gathered this much information on Laney without her knowing. It was sort of creepy.
“And we’re certain Laney’s mom isn’t a half-breed?” Cole asked. “That would explain why Laney is so weak.”
“Mrs. Lake is human,” I answered. “I met her.”
“What do you want to do about Laney?” Adan asked. He’d positioned himself in the back corner, standing as he ate. His dad hadn’t shown up. That, or he hadn’t been invited.
“I don’t think we need to do anything,” Dad said. “I want everyone to leave her alone.”
Most everyone nodded in agreement.
“What about the attack?” Adan asked, mirroring my concern.
“I think a lone wolf accidentally came across her. Recognizing her as a half-breed, he was within his rights to try to kill her.”
“What if the guy comes back?” Danny asked. “If Laney is killed, there will be an investigation.” We couldn’t attract attention like that.
“Once the guy realized she was protected, he moved on,” Dad said. “He won’t risk coming back and antagonizing our pack.”
“How can you assume it was a lone wolf and not an enforcer?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound even so it came across as a question and not an accusation.
“When the enforcers come to town, they usually let us know beforehand,” my dad answered. “No one reached out to me before or after the attack.”
I doubted they told us every time they came into town. Otherwise, how would they enforce the laws if we always knew when they’d be here. Surprise visits made more sense.
“So can we stop watching her?” Danny asked.
The thought of her not being protected made me edgy.
“Yes,” Dad said. “Leave Laney Lake alone. That’s an order.”
An order from the alpha, which had to be obeyed. Even by me. I felt his authority cover me like a coat, forcing me to obey. I didn’t try to fight it because it would only piss my dad off. Plus, I didn’t know if I was strong enough to disobey a direct order.
“Are you going to report her to the enforcers?” Adan asked.