autumn leaves, her features lovely and elegant, who opened the door.
Garnet stepped through with her head clear and her wolf’s frustrated anger focused into lieutenant composure. All thanks to a sexy, playful wolf she’d done her best to ignore for seven years. Kenji had always been good at that, at making other people feel better. She hadn’t missed the light in Eloise’s eyes, had figured out the cause pretty damn quick.
Kenji Tanaka had always had such a generous heart.
That appeared unchanged, and it didn’t fit at all with how he’d destroyed their friendship with a harsh coldness that bewildered her to this day. He’d hurt her and he hadn’t seemed to care. He hadn’t said sorry for standing her up, hadn’t even wished her a belated happy birthday. Instead, he’d ignored her, as if they’d never been friends.
Back then, she’d been so angry that she’d taken his actions at face value, especially given his increasingly wild behavior in the months and years immediately following. Kenji had come very close to going totally off the rails with his partying and dangerous stunts, had been placed on probation when it came to his status in the pack. It was one hell of a serious disciplinary measure for a wolf everyone had thought would make lieutenant.
Not seeming to care about that, either, he’d carried on with his recklessness—until the day he’d jumped off the top of the highest accessible waterfall in den territory.
Garnet had seen the jump by sheer chance, had felt her scream lock in her throat, her entire body going ice-cold. No, she’d thought, no! She’d frantically searched the churned-up water for his body, but he hadn’t broken his neck that day, just a few ribs.
Garnet had intended to tear him a new one for that stupid stunt, but Hawke had hauled him off into the trees while he was still wet and injured, their alpha’s grip on Kenji’s nape unforgiving. They hadn’t reappeared for hours; and whatever had happened that day, Kenji had stopped the flat-out crazy behavior. But he hadn’t picked up the violin he’d abandoned—and he hadn’t halted his odyssey through the female population of SnowDancer.
Garnet’s wolf flexed its claws inside her, but even that wolf, primal and proud, was wondering if maybe in her anger and hurt, she’d missed something vital all those years ago. But that mystery would have to wait, no matter how it tore at her. Today, she had to focus on Russ and Shane.
“Jem! Oh, Jem, tell me it’s not true!” Athena rushed into her arms as soon as Garnet entered the living area. Her perfume was as delicate and floral as her sundress, her hair a mass of wild mahogany curls around a striking Botticelli face.
Beside Garnet, Kenji held Julie close, lending his strength to a packmate who needed it.
It took several minutes for Athena to be in any condition to talk. Sitting down with her while Kenji wandered into the kitchenette to talk to Julie as she made some coffee, Garnet took the older woman’s hand. It trembled. “Why did Shane go over to Russ’s, Athena?”
Athena’s normally creamy skin was blotchy and devoid of its usual glow when she answered, her hazel-green eyes huge in a face that seemed all jagged bone. “Russ, he called.” A hiccuping breath, her voice as soft as always. “He said he wanted to clear the air, have a quiet drink with Shane.”
“That doesn’t sound like Russ.” He’d held on to his grudges like pups hang on to their favorite toys.
“Actually, I could see him making that call.” A smile curved Athena’s lips but it was a terrible mockery formed of sadness. “Russ likes . . . liked, things in neat boxes. Me and Shane, we were a loose end.” She looked down at the carpet, but Garnet had the feeling she was seeing the man who’d been an integral part of her life for a decade. “So he’d shake hands with Shane and that would be it. The box would be closed and he could carry on.”
Smile fading, Athena looked up to meet Garnet’s gaze. “I was happy for him, thought he was finally moving on from our relationship.” Her voice broke on the last word. “I d-didn’t h-hate him. I wanted g-good things for him.”
Garnet allowed her packmate to regain her composure before saying, “He called this morning?”
“No, last night. He wanted Shane to go over then.” The blood vessels in her swollen eyes spidery red lines against the white, Athena accepted the mug