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“Thank you.”
Tao and Lucas climbed into Eliana’s jeep just before she spun out of the parking lot. Eliana was quiet on the drive back. From the back seat, he could see her eyes in the rearview mirror and how he wanted to soothe all those years of agony that she kept inside her torn heart.
TWELVE
ELIANA
Eliana managed to cool down the day after battling Garth. Of course, Lucas was right. Killing the bastard wouldn’t have changed anything. They had banished him, and he had to leave by pack culture and law, especially since he was bested in a fair fight.
It still made her apprehensive to think that he might still be out there. She and Tao talked it over and decided to have a pack meeting at the restaurant to announce the information they had uncovered.
It would mean a lot to the pack and, most of all, to Phil’s widow, Reta, to know the truth. She had been destroyed by his death and even more tortured by the notion he had a drug problem she had no idea about.
Deep down, she didn’t believe it. No one in the pack did.
So Tao and Eliana agreed the news would raise the pack’s spirit and encourage the hunt for a new alpha. Lucas stayed with Tao for the night, which was both comical and a bit disturbing.
She implored Lucas to go home, but he insisted that his job was far from being done.
Before the meeting, Eliana’s stomach churned, but she didn’t want anyone to notice. Having Lucas around was comforting, but it certainly didn’t help with her attraction. He had gone to the resort to get his things, and there he had changed into something more formal.
He returned an hour later as night fell, with Tao helping to place a row of lanterns along the porch leading inside for the festivities. He walked in while the rest of the pack filtered in, and Eliana sensed the second he stepped inside.
Lucas had trimmed his beard and gelled his hair back, sporting a loose lavender-shaded button-up shirt. It showed off his bulging arms, neck, and shoulders. His scent, that sugary delight, filled her mouth and nose, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips, imagining what he would taste like on her tongue.
She wore a well-fitted sundress. It was one that outlined her lean muscles along with the lovely teardrop shape of her hips. It was cute and tasteful, but the material clung to her like heavy sheepskin on a hot summer’s day when she looked at Lucas in his dashing outfit.
Eliana twisted her hands together, noting that her breathing had increased. Tao came up behind her and placed a hand on her lower back, which startled her slightly.
“You ready?” he asked.
Eliana nodded. The pack had seen her as the temporary leader ever since her father and Phil had passed away. She was the youngest but had the keenest leadership skills. If only her gender had been different, she would have made a legendary alpha.
Everyone had gathered at the restaurant, holding drinks that her mother had handed out on the house. They chattered aimlessly, chortling with nervous curiosity.
Tao pulled up two chairs and made a makeshift stage for Eliana to stand on. He helped her onto it as she was also wearing heels, which she wasn’t used to.
Eliana felt the power in the room as she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. Her heart clenched when she thought of her father doing this, so respectful and charismatic. She missed him, along with her uncle, dearly and sharply.
A bead of sweat bloomed on her forehead, and it slid down the side of her face and cascaded down to her chest as she spoke.
“I am glad all of you were able to make it here tonight on such short notice. I have news that is twofold, good and bad.”
The crowd chattered again, and Eliana sighed and impatiently clapped her hands together again. They gave their attention back to her, about twenty sets of eyes captivated in a humming silence.
“Please, pay attention.” She swallowed and went on. “We were all shocked when we heard the news about our precious alpha, Phil, and when it was deemed a drug overdose.”
She spoke with an assertive voice that carried through the room, but she still wanted to be sensitive to Phil’s widow sitting at a table with Bria. She gave her an affectionate smile, then continued.
“We all suspected what has proven to be the truth … Phil did not die of an overdose. Phil’s life was stolen from him by a man named Garth Neilsen.”
A small gasp came from the pack, and Reta’s hand went to her chest. Eliana was glad that her mother was sitting with the widow to comfort her.
“Garth is a bastard of a man who wanted to take Phil from us. I have been investigating with Tao and another alpha to figure out exactly why. But for now, it seems we were able to scare him off the island. That is where the good news lies.”
She was trying not to look at Lucas, who leaned against the wall near the bar with a cool vibe about him. She would lose the grip she had on the pack and the confidence to deliver such harrowing information if she gazed in his direction.
The bead of sweat slipped between her breasts, cooling her slightly.
