Chapter 7 #2
"I'll still be nearby if things go sideways, or you can always talk to George in the kitchen."
"Thank you."
Everything went smoothly for the shift until Kellen entered from the sun deck.
For the briefest of seconds all she could think of was curling into his arms, just like she had with his wolf that morning.
Her distraction was long enough for her to miss the coaster and drop the drink in her hand off the end of the table.
It crashed to the ground, but didn’t splash anyone.
Apologizing profusely, she cleaned it up while Carlie quickly found the family a new table.
The crash of the drink drew Kellen's attention.
Damn, can he read my mind? He sure looked at her as if he could. If he had, he would know exactly what she was thinking, which was highly inappropriate between a boss and his employee. She shivered but not because she was cold.
No. There was no way Kellen could read her mind. If wolf shifters were capable of that, she never would have escaped.
The moment passed and Kellen disappeared into the kitchen.
She lost track of him after that. The days ticked by.
For the next week, she only saw him out of the corner of her eye while she worked.
She'd started to recognize the daily customers, and a few tourists who were here for the season.
The brown-haired guy who'd asked her out on her first day also became a regular, but her luck held, and another waitstaff showed him to his seat each day.
The end of the week came, and the weekend rush tapered off as closing approached.
"I'm heading home," Carlie announced, "but Kellen asked to see you in his office."
“Okay thanks. Have a good night,” Samara said as she rolled her neck.
It ached, but it would still be a few more days before the stitches could be removed.
She decided to hold off on more painkillers until she got to her room.
Today had gone smoothly with no spilled drinks or screwed up orders.
Working gave her a sense of purpose, and she didn't feel quite as lost as she had.
In her heart, she held onto a small dream of returning to Helena and resuming her life as a paramedic, but she shied away from that sensitive area.
Once Carlie locked the door behind her, Samara walked back toward the office. Kellen sat behind his desk, staring at his computer screen, not acknowledging her even after she sat down in the guest chair. After a minute he said, "Another railcar exploded in Lincoln. A wolf was inside."
Samara gripped the edge of the desk to keep herself from falling over in shock. "Are you sure?"
"The sheriff in Lincoln said as much."
"These railcars aren't just blowing themselves up, but I can't explain why it’s happening. Josiah's not the one destroying them."
Kellen tapped his fingers on his desk, deep in thought. "And it's not you."
"How could I?"
Kellen shrugged. "Who else aside from you would have a reason to attack the pack now?"
"I'll bet Josiah has made a lot of enemies over the years. One of them is taking advantage of his diminished pack."
"Yes, that would be most likely." He turned the screen to his computer so he could show her the streaming news. This one still had flames burning, but Samara could see the identification numbers. "But we don’t have a list of wolf shifters who want a piece of the Riverstone Pack, if any exist."
"I rode that railcar from Dilworth to Lincoln," she confirmed. "I switched railcars again in Lincoln."
Kellen turned the screen back toward himself. "Was that the third railcar you rode?"
"Yes." Samara's stomach turned to ice. "He’s getting closer to finding me."
"We won't let that happen." Kellen started typing into his computer, but she couldn't see what he was doing.
"How many wolf shifters are running around out there?"
Kellen kept his eyes on the screen. "There are packs all over the world. Wherever there are wolves, there are wolf shifters."
"Really?" Samara couldn't believe it. "I mean, with all of the technology out there, someone could use it to find a pack."
"Only if we give them a reason." Kellen stopped typing and pushed the keyboard away, focusing on her for the first time. "Most pack alphas have enough sense not to attract the attention of outsiders. If a wolf goes rogue, it's handled quietly."
"Handled, as in killed?" It sounded brutal, but considering what she had done to the Riverstone Pack, who was she to judge? "Have you ever had to kill a rogue?"
Kellen hesitated, but he didn't turn away from her. "Not since I moved here with my brothers."
Interesting. "So, the three of you are related."
"Not by blood." A small smile crossed Kellen's face as if he were remembering something pleasant. "We're just good friends."
"But not a pack."
"No, not a pack."
Clearly, he wasn't going to elaborate. "You're going to have to explain that to me, because from what I witnessed from the Riverstone Pack, the alpha's word is law."
"Yes, in wolf shifter hierarchy, the alpha's word is law, but most alphas work toward keeping their pack safe, not to accumulate money or power."
"But Josiah wants money and power."
Kellen's smile disappeared. "That's part of it, but not the end. He's using his money and power for something, but we don’t know what he really wants. I can’t imagine he’d tell his pack either."
Her curiosity got the better of her, so she jumped into dangerous waters. "Were you a part of his pack?"
"I grew up in the Riverstone Pack." Kellen grimaced, and looked away from her, up at the pictures on the wall. "It was fine as long as you stayed out of Josiah's way. If you caught his attention, though..."
"Which, I'm assuming, you did."
"Not in any way that angered him. I was his best omega. A guard at first, then his bodyguard, after that his assassin."
Earlier she had thought he had all the good qualities an alpha should have, but he really was an omega.
"So, does that mean you're stronger and smarter than all of the other omegas?"
"I do not have anecdotal or empirical evidence to suggest that. Stephen and Leo are omegas, and they're just as strong and smart as I am."
A self-effacing answer if she ever heard one.
God, his eyes. They caught hers and she couldn't look away.
The depth of his stare pinned her to the spot.
Her rapture lasted only a moment when Kellen pushed out of his chair.
Before she realized what was happening, he was by her side.
Spinning her chair to face him, he squatted down in front of her.
He pulled his hands off the chair, so there was no chance of them touching.
Good thing too, because at that moment, jumping the boss became a real possibility.
"My wolf," he said, his voice soft and breathy as if in absolute wonder, "He's been bouncing around my skull ever since you wandered into this place.
We knew you were here even before I stepped behind the bar.
Keeping my back to you and pretending to take inventory was nearly impossible.
You're a wolf shifter. You have to be. There's no reason for my wolf to react to you so powerfully unless you were. "
"What are you saying?"
"My wolf wants yours."
"My wolf is dead." As if he needed reminding.
He shook his head. "I don't believe that and neither does my wolf."
"Well, I do." She pushed the chair back, away from him, but not so far that he couldn't reach out for her if he wanted. "I didn't ask for this, and I don't want it."
Kellen tilted his head. It was such a wolf-like gesture that Samara could almost see his wolf, along with his confusion, in his eyes.
"I wish I could make this easier for you, but I'm not going to lie to you either.
Your wolf is still in there somewhere. I don't know why you can't sense her or why your own senses are diminished, but I'm scared for you.
If you keep acting like a human and your wolf suddenly reappears, it could be disastrous for both of you if you're not prepared. "
Denial overtook her good sense. Damn it, she had just gotten settled into routine, and she truly enjoyed working with Carlie and George.
"I took down more of the Riverside pack than you ever have, and I did it without being prepared.
I'll be just fine. And if I have to swallow another gallon of silver, I'll do it. "
"Please don't." He reached up and gently touched her face, his fingers running over her lips. "There's still so much life you have to live. Cutting it short because you've become something you don't understand is heartbreaking."
That word broke her. Her heart raced and her blood roared in her ears.
She wanted Kellen, but it wasn't enough.
"You say your wolf wants mine. What about you? Do you, Kellen Maratto, want me, or are you just a slave to an animal that would mate with any female in your pack?"
Oh, she touched a nerve judging by how fast his face changed from gentle wolf to rock solid hard wolf shifter charged with desire. "I am no slave, and my wolf wouldn't force me to mate with someone I didn't love."
"That had better be the truth." She couldn't stand it any longer, so she leaned forward, grabbed Kellen's shoulders, and yanked him forward into a kiss that seared her soul.