Moon Claimed (Werewolf Dens #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,46
away.
“What the fuck?” Rhona seethed.
Half turning, I held a finger to my lips.
“You slept with that fucker?” she exploded.
I winced as her voice boomed in my ears. I could probably hear that from around a kilometre away, so there was no chance Sascha didn’t catch it even with the frequency generators. “You’re making a series of assumptions. I suggest you listen first instead.”
The words were harsh, yes, but I’d changed into a fucking wolf last night, so she could suck it up.
She inhaled sharply for another go.
“Rhona.” My voice cracked like a whip.
Her mouth snapped shut. I doubted she’d ever been spoken to in such a way.
She tests our authority, my wolf silently spoke.
My fingernails sharpened and extended. We’ve got to stay cool!
Forest, forest, forest. Calm.
Why? my wolf enquired.
I gave her a quick rundown of Rhona, the stewards, and my position and felt her boredom seep through me.
Human politics. I will leave you to them.
My claws receded and the pressure in my gums disappeared.
Sascha’s footsteps cut off suddenly. He’d moved past the frequency generators. I could still see him walking away through the trees though.
It had to be the frequency generators.
“If we speak quietly, he shouldn’t hear,” I said, doing a final check for any wolfy body changes before facing her. “Let’s clear one thing up. I did not sleep with Sascha Greyson. No matter my agenda for the tribe, I’m not willing to go that far.”
Her face didn’t change.
“You don’t believe me?”
“You’re naked beneath that gown,” she hissed.
I shrugged. “I showered and fell into bed after hours of cleaning. The Luther woke me up when he arrived. I expected you, Wade, or Cameron, so I just put the gown on. When I realised it was him, of course I wasn’t about to change—not with the theory we’re currently testing.”
She chewed on that, but for the first time—maybe ever—Rhona didn’t give me a shred of reluctant acceptance.
Dang, she was really upset.
“He came the very morning after you moved out here?” She looked at the two mugs. “How did he know?”
Crap. My heart thumped. “I believe he’s stalking me.”
“Why?”
I opened the closet and dragged out loose shorts and a comfortable T-shirt. This gown was chaffing me. Long sleeves and pants weren’t a great idea today. My professional appearance would need to take a hit until I wrapped my head around the new sensitivity of my skin. “Because he often turns up where I am. I went to collect my things from the apartment recently and he arrived not long after I got there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
I pulled on underwear and a bra, drawing on the silk T-shirt before pulling up the high-waisted linen shorts and fastening the large brown buttons up the front. “Because he’d just killed your father, Rhona. You don’t like to worry me, and I don’t like to worry you.”
“If I hadn’t come across the pair of you, would I know about this? I asked Heather to alert me if she spotted anything unusual on the cameras. He avoided them somehow.”
I nodded grimly. “Heather never called me either. Obviously, I didn’t expect to wake up with a Luther at my door. If they’re able to wriggle their way onto tribe territory, we need to tighten security.”
Rhona considered me. She’d tucked her rage away, but a hardness remained.
“Something’s worrying you,” I said softly. “You knew this was the plan, Rhona. You knew I intended to use this infatuation against him. It was your idea.”
Rhona faced the window. “He was inside your cabin, Andie. That’s another thing entirely. Did he… did he touch you?”
Thank fuck she was facing away. Blood rushed into my cheeks because, uh—yes—touching ensued. Some really nice touching that couldn’t happen again.
“He’s playing a game of cat and mouse with me. For now.”
Rhona shook her head. “For now. Then what?”
“That’s what we need to decide in the upcoming weeks. For Grids. Together.”
She faced me, and I couldn’t notice any dent in the hardness.
“Maybe we should call it quits on this strategy right now. You seem upset, and nothing is worth that to me. Say the word, and we’ll move on.”
That got to her at last.
The tension in my shoulders eased as she exhaled.
“You’ve never betrayed my trust,” she muttered. “It’s just that Dad never did either. Until he really did, you know?”
My stomach churned. “I know. Just please remember that I would do anything for you, Rhona. Always. Anything, seriously.”
She forced a smile. “I know. It’s just… there’s never been anything between you and the Luther