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Eyes wide and enraged, Cortana had no doubt that the other predator would’ve went for the throat in the next minute, but a custom chime from Renata’s cell phone beckoned her attention first.
The malicious smile that came over her breathtaking features turned smug. “That would be Riaz asking for my presence. I’ll see to him from here on out, Fang Tart.”
Cortana was left alone in Riaz’s quarters in the next breath, an uneasy feeling sweeping through her limbs. Bitter jealousy was a pit in her stomach, the biting stab of confusion pulling her eyebrows together.
Had she truly been fighting with another woman for a spot at Riaz’s side? Jealousy swelled in the wake of his text to Renata, so she couldn’t truly deny it. If her goal was to maintain her—albeit faltering—professionalism among the wolves, even sleeping in his quarters last night hadn’t been wise.
There’d never been a question about it, once it was clear how much he needed her support. Neither she nor Riaz had voiced their desires, but the truth of it was that this was his space, and she’d stayed of her own intent.
Shaking her head to clear the murky thoughts, she glanced at his bathroom. While the spiteful voice within urged her to make good on her promise to shower here, her logical mind thought better. Gathering what little she’d had on her when she arrived in his bedroom, she exited, stage left.
Chapter Twenty
A run with Ava had helped clear his head somewhat. Though older than him by three centuries, she couldn’t maintain his blistering pace, but gave it a valiant effort. Riaz deliberately slowed to accommodate her, which meant his wolf remained on edge.
Tearing up the turf on the return journey to the den, a howl loosened from his throat, chorused immediately by the slate-grey wolf at his side. They still hadn’t spoken of what’d happened the night before, the empathetic woman knowing he’d needed to expend energy before he could stand to discuss it.
The door to the den was open, and after shifting, he texted Renata to ask for a meeting. She typed out a clipped note in response, complete with an emoji kiss. Lip curling in disdain, Riaz closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his face. Better to pull off the Band-Aid now than wait until that wound festered.
It took her only a minute to materialize by his side, the smug grin on her face making him nearly recoil when she drew near. “You summoned me, alpha?”
He nodded. “Let’s speak in private.”
Her arm coiled through his as they walked toward the pool, knowing it’d be mostly empty at this time of day. Though his wolf immediately took offense to her claim, he shielded his spark of anger, knowing it would all be sorted in a short time.
When they reached the glistening water, Renata turned to him expectantly. Strangely, the she-wolf was batting her eyes at him, leaning toward him as though he were about to ask her to mate with him. Hard pass.
Honesty was the best policy. “Whatever you think is between us is done, Renata.”
Cat-green eyes widened to a comical degree, her mouth falling open. Blubbering words caught in her throat, an incomprehensible trail of syllables and consonants tumbling from her lips in no clear form of speech.
“I respect you too much to point you down a path I have no intention of following.” Stoic, he stood apart from her, waiting to hear the scathing eruption he was sure would commence at any moment.
But resolve hardened in her eyes. “It’s that vampire, isn’t it?”
Frowning, Riaz exhaled. “I’d be lying if I said no.”
Renata’s wolf looked at him through her eyes, and an angry tide that churned ominously below the surface. “She’ll be your end, Riaz. She’s no good for you. A liar. A manipulator.”
His wolf took immediate offense. A snarl hovered on his lips; his words were course with his temper. “Cortana is none of those things. She’s shown you nothing but respect since she arrived, and all you’ve met it with is contempt. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop making yourself a nuisance before my wolf decides to enact vengeance.”
Wincing as though he’d physically struck her, the she-wolf tucked tail and ran as though her life depended on it. It left him alone, the pool lapping gently within its boundaries beside him.
He let his mind wander to the woman who’d curled around him as he slept last night. Needing only four hours of rest, he’d woken while she was yet claimed in sleep.
He’d studied her stunning features, been floored once again by the gentle beauty of her. The long brunette braid had unraveled several tendrils as she slept, framing her face, and softening the sharp feminine line of her jaw.
He’d had a hard time extracting himself from where she’d curled into him, gathering his wits as he looked to the horrendous day that was ahead.
When he appeared in the great hall, Riaz was met with a compact, emotional wall of sorrow. His pack gathered around him, and he once again dedicated himself to their needs. A hug, a kind word, a sad smile for the little ones that clung to his legs. It was a bitter world, and he encouraged them to appreciate Benny’s memory instead of gravitating towards grief.
It was advice he’d spoken but couldn’t take, knowing that his sorrow wouldn’t abate. It would ever remain a heavy weight around his neck that choked him from the inside out.
While Riaz had slept, the healers had determined that Benny had been shot with the combination bullets the Citizens had been manufacturing. Shot once in the hind leg, the colloidal silver and liquid sunlight formed an insurmountable chemical cocktail that the young wolf couldn’t hope to resist. His rabidity had been unavoidable.
Benny, young and naïve, had followed the patrol to the warehouse yesterday in his wolf shape, and been shot when he unintentionally surprised a perimeter guard. The two scouts Riaz had sent hadn’t known he had shadowed them until the commotion outed them as well, but they had the good sense to remain hidden among the shadows instead of leading the guards back toward the den.
And now Benny was dead. At Riaz’s hand.
