59. Leviathan
LEVIATHAN
Sitting on my haunches, I gazed through the evergreen shrubs at Anders’s house.
After what happened at the shop today, I’d been astonished when he texted me an invite to dinner with him and June.
I’d stared at the message for a solid ten minutes, wondering if it would be a mistake to accept.
So much could go wrong or become uncomfortable in a situation like that.
In the end, I decided I’d rather not piss him off more than he already was, so I accepted the invite. Now, as I watched the shadowed outlines of June and Anders moving through the kitchen and dining room, I was second-guessing myself.
Chuffing out a canine sigh, I trotted forward and shifted to my human form once I was near the porch steps.
I’d dressed in a simple button-up, jeans, and boots, hoping to not be too dressed or not dressed enough.
Taking a steadying breath to prepare myself for dealing with this jackass all night, I knocked on the door.
Ten seconds later, the locks disengaged and the door swung open. Anders was there to greet me, and of course, June was beside him. He had his arm around her, and the sight of it made me want to growl.
“Good evening, Levi,” Anders said. “Come on in. Food’s on in about five minutes.”
“Thanks,” I said.
June gave me a hesitant smile, but she didn’t say anything as I walked in.
“Nice place you got here,” I said, doing my best to keep things as cordial and comfortable as I could.
“Thanks. Pop had it built about ten years before he passed. My mom lives in a little cabin down the road a little way. She didn’t want to stay here. Said it reminded her of my dad.” Anders shrugged and chuckled. “Good for me. I got a huge alpha house for free.”
Charming, I thought with irritation.
“Great. Lots of room,” I said, already regretting my choice to come here.
“Hey, babe, go check on that roast chicken, will you?” Anders said, then patted June on the rear.
Against my better wishes, I clenched my teeth together.
A terrifying and almost uncontrollable rage filled me at the sight of him touching her like that.
My wolf raged at me to tear the man limb from limb.
No matter what had happened between us, I still loved June.
I loved her more than I’d ever loved anything other than Naphele, and if I was honest, the love for her was equal to that love in all ways.
Given enough time it most likely would have eclipsed it, and watching another man touch something that should have been mine nearly tore my mind apart.
“Sure thing,” June said, and when she turned to leave, she shot me a nervous glance before vanishing into the kitchen.
Once she was gone, Anders turned back to me, the same shit-eating grin on his face.
“For real,” Anders said. “Why were you at the shop today? I know that story June’s grandmother gave me was bullshit.”
I nearly choked out a laugh. Instead, I kept my composure, nodding as though I’d been expecting the question.
“I went there to check through some of the old paperwork and pictures Mr. and Mrs. Hollis have in their store,” I said.
Anders grimaced. “Why the hell would you do that? All that shit’s good for is lining bird cages and litter boxes.”
“Not when you’re trying to find a murderer.” I spoke the words the same moment that June walked back in. Her eyes went wide.
“A murderer?” Anders snorted. “Who got killed? I haven’t heard about a death.”
“It’s not anyone around now,” June said quickly. “It was back when Levi lived here.”
Anders nodded slowly. “Some ancient cold case or something? Kinda cool. Any suspects?” he asked absently.
“We actually have a few,” I said. “I doubt any of them are still—”
“Babe, is dinner ready?” Anders asked.
June gave me an apologetic look. “It is. Let’s eat.”
I’d already decided not to mention that one of the suspects was Anders’s great-grandfather, but I was willing to give him some information, since it was his pack I was investigating and living in, but he seemed more concerned about other things.
Maybe a more pressing matter would get him to relax. He was acting a little weird.
“Have you had any more sightings of Red Maw tracks or members?” I asked as we took our seats.
A large roasted chicken sat on a platter with bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans beside it, along with a plate piled with dinner rolls.
Anders nodded toward the food. “Babe, go ahead and make me a plate while the alphas talk.”
June obediently began to dole out food onto one of the plates, giving Anders a hearty helping of everything. I despised the way Anders was treating her, like some slave, but in some way, I was responsible for all this. If not for my obsession with Naphele, she may have never left Hidden Grove.
“Found some tracks,” Anders admitted once he had his food.
“Even had a few scouts spot a group of four or five heading into the deeper forest a day or two ago. Damn, girl, this food is good,” Anders said, and his hand vanished below the table.
I couldn’t help but imagine him running his fingers over her thigh.
I gripped my fork hard enough that my knuckles turned white.
“Thanks, glad you like it,” June said, smiling sweetly at him.
Maybe I was seeing things the wrong way.
Perhaps June really was happy here. Hell, maybe Anders was less of a dick when I wasn’t around.
It could be that it was my presence that was making things hard for her.
Even after everything, I was still attracted to her.
My wolf wanted her, and there was no doubt she was someone I could spend the rest of my life with, Naphele or not.
But it appeared my inner consciousness wasn’t ready for that, and it had broken us.
I wouldn’t allow her happiness to be tarnished because I couldn’t let go.
I’d have to make sure I kept my attraction in check.
I did exactly that for the rest of dinner.
I deferred to Anders, swallowed my objections, and gave June only cursory glances and responses to her questions.
I made sure I did nothing that could be construed as inappropriate.
By the end of the night, I was pretty certain that I’d done a good job making Anders more comfortable with me and ensuring that June knew I was at peace with her decision.
That last one was a lie, but I was a good actor.
“You have a good night,” Anders said at the door. “Sure you don’t want to stay and help us finish this bottle of wine?”
“Got an early day tomorrow,” I said, taking the porch steps two at a time, then turning to them once I was in the yard. “Thank you for your hospitality, though.”
Anders looked somewhat relieved that I hadn’t taken him up on the offer. “Sounds good. I’m sure you’ve got a whole day of dating planned for tomorrow,” he added with a grin and a wink. “Gotta find that long lost love, right?”
Suppressing a sigh of frustration, I smiled back. “It’ll be a busy day, for sure,” I said.
“Come on, babe,” Anders said to June. “Let’s watch a movie or something.”
“Sure thing,” she said. As she followed him, she glanced over her shoulder at me.
Our eyes locked, and maybe I was kidding myself, but I thought I saw a faint hint of longing in her eyes—longing and the barest tinge of desire, as though she’d rather be with me than him.
That was wishful thinking on my part, but I couldn’t help what I thought I saw.
“Good night, Levi,” she said, then stepped inside and closed the door. The last thing I saw through the foyer window was her walking side by side with Anders, and my heart cracked.