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Stephanie dared to reach over and set her hand down on Annie’s new pelt. It was thick and warm and very real against her palm. Oh, my sweet baby girl.
I’m okay.
Every muscle in Stephanie’s body tensed. She’d heard that. She knew she’d really heard that, and it hadn’t come out of Annie’s mouth. Can you hear me?
If a wolf could smile—something Stephanie wasn’t really sure about at this point—Annie was definitely smiling at her. Clear as a bell. You always said you were an animal psychic. I can tell you for sure now that you are.
“Quiet ladies,” Joan said in a hushed tone to the other women, who were going on about all they’d learned and all the mistakes they’d made along the way. “I think something special is happening here.”
Oh, my god. Tears blurred Stephanie’s vision, and she blinked them away quickly. She didn’t want to miss a single second of this. This is amazing. I thought I was losing you, Annie.
No way, Mom. I’m tougher than that.
I know. Stephanie put her arms around the beautiful wolf’s neck and held her close. I love you so much.
14
“Have you seen anything?” Bennett caught Hayden as he was coming in from his shift. The number of guards had grown since he’d arrived at the Glenwood packhouse with Stephanie and Annie, and Rex had called for all hands on deck. Anyone available was to report for duty, and the most vulnerable of their pack had either been brought to the packhouse or at least checked in on. That should’ve made Bennett feel better, but it didn’t.
Hayden shook his head as he shrugged out of his jacket. “Nothing but branches blowing in the breeze. That should be a good thing, but the look on your face suggests I should be sorry I didn’t see anything.”
Bennett let out an irritated huff. “You’re right. It should be good. I’m just eager to get my hands on those assholes.”
“I’m sure you’ll get your chance,” Hayden replied, glancing back out the doorway he’d just come through. “I don’t know as much about the Bloodmoon Crew as you, but I know they’re not ones to give up.”
“Right.” That was exactly what Bennett wanted because he wouldn’t give up, either. It was also terrifying since Nelson and his wolves were now after Annie and Stephanie. They’d run into an unexpected surprise at the animal clinic, but small defeats weren’t enough to make them lose the war.
Hayden put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get it figured out, Cuz. We always do. In the meantime, I’m heading up to the kitchen to see what’s cooking. I heard Sarah made that awesome stew, and Tiffany sent over a few things from the café. It’ll be way better than anything I attempt to cook at home or what we have at the firehouse. Want to come with?”
“No, thanks.” Bennett had eaten what little he could manage to choke down. The food was excellent, of course. Someone always stepped up to create something delicious and homemade in a crisis, and Bennett was typically a believer in taking care of yourself no matter what else was happening. This wasn’t the same as being pursued by a murderous crew looking to take him out. It was far bigger, big enough that food wouldn’t help.
“Bennett.” Kane stepped into the basement meeting room. He’d changed out of his uniform and brought the scent of stew with him down from the kitchen. “I can hear you pacing from upstairs.”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Bennett snapped. “I feel like a caged animal. First, Rex gives me the Alpha command and prevents me from doing anything to take out those pricks. Then they come after my mate and her daughter, and you know how the hell that went. I can’t even help with that, though. Lori kicked me out of the dining and living room while they figured out how things were going with Annie.”
Kane shook his head. “If there’s anything I know about women, you’d better let them do whatever they’re doing and stay out of it.”
“But it’s my fault,” Bennett insisted.
“You can go around pointing the finger all day. But even if that finger is pointing right back at you, the most important thing is that the situation is handled. Annie is in a vulnerable position right now. No offense, but she doesn’t need some detective-turned-vigilante at the moment. She needs exactly what she’s got up there: her mother and the other women in this pack. I know you don’t like that, but it’s true.” Kane stepped over to the long bank of windows and looked out.
He was right. Bennett knew that. He still didn’t like it. “I shouldn’t have let Stephanie stay at her clinic, but I did anyway. Maybe I can’t help Annie right now, but I need to do something, damn it! Rex won’t even let me take a shift on guard duty.”
“Can you blame him?” Kane’s blue eyes were calm and reasonable, which only irritated Bennett more. “This might be our pack, but it’s not entirely unlike the force. Letting someone work on a case that’s too close to them is a liability.”
Bennett hunched his shoulders. “I was going to thank you for your help this morning, but now I’m not so inclined.” Why did he have to be right when Bennett was so eager to argue?
Kane laughed. “I’ll just let you thank me double later.”
“For what?” Bennett narrowed his eyes.
“I was going to suggest that the two of us get our asses up into Rex’s den and talk about exactly what’s going on here. I know I hesitated before because I didn’t want to ruffle feathers. After what I saw this morning, I’m more than happy to back you up.” He grinned. “You know, just like the good old days.”
Bennett smacked him on the arm and headed for the stairs. “The coffee’s much better here, though.”
As he emerged on the main floor of the packhouse, his wolf surged inside him. It knew Stephanie was there, just on the other side of the wall. Whether Lori and the other women thought so or not, his mate needed him. She shouldn’t have to go through any of this alone. Their relationship was up in the air, yes. There was no telling if Stephanie would still want anything to do with him now that her daughter was no longer human. That didn’t stop him from wanting to be right there next to her during the entire process. He clenched his jaw and headed straight down the hall to Rex’s den.
They found him standing in front of the window, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over his territory. He turned as soon as they stepped through the door. “I was expecting to see the two of you. Have a seat.”
