Moon Claimed (Werewolf Dens #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,93
be so easy if we lusted for each other. I’d marry him in a heartbeat.
Instead, I just wanted Sascha’s hands all over me in the worst, borderline painful kind of way.
I dialled his number and waited.
One ring.
Two rings.
The ringing cut off, and I gaped at the screen. “You mothershitter.”
He screened my call.
Furiously, I typed a text, but his message came through first.
Busy today and morning, but Tuesday works for a meet.
A meet. Any ol’ one?
And he was not that busy.
Liar.
Eyes narrowed, I sent my reply.
No problem. We can do them one after another.
One second for a kiss. A few seconds for the bite. And a minute for sex?
Suck on that, Sascha Greyson.
24
“Lovely to have met you, Darryl,” I said, clasping his hand in both of mine.
The politician handshake cracked Wade up for some reason.
My phone rang as we returned to the car, and I nearly didn’t answer. There was only an hour before the tribe’s Tuesday night gathering, and Sascha was meeting me at Lake Thana to finish this meeting crap once and for all.
“Hello.” I tossed the keys to Wade.
“Andie,” Pascal said. “We’ve heard some alarming news. The head team thinks it’s best to discuss the matter without delay.”
My stomach dropped as I fastened my belt. “Is everything alright?”
“I’m sure it will be, but its best that you’re here.”
Shit.
They knew.
They fucking knew.
“Be there in ten.” I hung up. “To the manor. Shit has hit the fan.”
Wade stepped on it. “What’s she done now?”
“The head team received some alarming news. They must know.”
“We can’t assume that, baby girl.” He sped between the cabins to the nearest major road.
I could. “What else could alarm them enough to ask me to come in?”
“It might not be about you. Maybe a marmot got into the pantry again. Just, please don’t panic.”
Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths while wishing my wolf was more into human politics. I could use her insight right now.
She surprised me by giving it. Fight them all to establish hierarchy. Sniff each other’s buttholes after.
Maybe I’d go this alone.
Crap. Sascha.
I’d have to postpone the damn meets. Just what I needed.
Can you do tomorrow morning?
His reply was instant.
Not tomorrow.
I can meet on Friday for the one minute and four seconds we need.
“Smartass.” I growled, messaging back.
You can do earlier than that.
You’re being selfish.
Strangling my phone, I tried to reset my focus as Wade parked in front of the manor.
“Need me in there?” he asked.
“That will make me look extra guilty. I don’t want to implicate you like that. Meet you at the gathering?”
He kissed me on the cheek, and I walked into the manor to face my doom.
This was what I expected after telling Rhona. I smiled at one of the younger stewards and received a stony stare in reply.
The same happened with Gerry, the trainer, just down the hall.
I was right.
Everyone knew. My heart pounded as I received snub after snub.
The head team had assembled in the meeting room.
I sat. “Someone put me out of my misery. What’s happened?”
Wade was right. I shouldn’t blab everything.
Maybe a marmot did get in the pantry.
They avoided my gaze—all except Nathan who’d appeared around one second from exploding.
Roderick cleared his throat. “Rhona sent a message through the tribe SMS system an hour ago.”
We had that? “It said what exactly?”
“She gave the details of money stolen from the manor to cover a debt racked up before coming to the valley. Your debt.”
I stared, genuine outrage flooding me. “She said what?”
Relief plastered over his face. “We knew it wasn’t true.”
“No,” I said slowly. “It’s true that I borrowed money from the manor—I did so at Rhona’s urging. Ragna left me a large debt that the sale of our house in Queen’s Way didn’t cover by five thousand dollars. I hesitated to take the money, but Rhona assured me borrowing the funds wasn’t a problem. She said that ridding myself of one problem would allow me to focus more on the tribe.”
I couldn’t believe this!
She’d been working against me back then?
“I had a contract drawn up,” I glanced up, “by a tribe lawyer.”
Trailing off, I recalled that the money wasn’t meant to transfer into my account until the house sale recently. I didn’t think anything of the money coming in earlier but looking back Rhona played me well and truly.
Was anything between us ever real?
“That’s certainly a different story from what she outlined,” Pascal said in the silence. “The problem now being that every steward in the tribe has heard the incorrect version.”