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“Aye, lass.” He kissed her lips. “I’ll return to my room, shower, and get dressed, then meet you here.”
“Maybe we should go down separately.”
He chuckled, shook his head, and kissed her forehead. “See you in a minute.” His expression told her in no uncertain terms that he was escorting her down to the meal like her mate would. The only difference was that they still had separate bedchambers. But she suspected that would change soon.
She took a deep breath as she went into the bathroom. She just hoped Ian and the rest of Guthrie’s kin wouldn’t be too upset with Guthrie for taking her as a mate and the financial mess they would be involved in if they attempted to help her and her parents out.
She’d tried so hard to bury the worry last night, wrapping herself up in loving Guthrie and attempting to block out anything else.
She loved him. Twice, she’d woken and began to concern herself about the money, and both times, Guthrie had sensed she was awake and fretting. He assured her everything would be fine, that they’d take care of it when the banks were open, and then took her mind off it by making love to her again. And she truly loved him for it.
Now that it was time to have breakfast and afterward meet with her broker, she again wasn’t hungry. Seeing Ian, Julia, and the rest of their kin just made her feel guilty, though she swore everyone was smiling even more at them—if that was possible.
And it wasn’t just the women who were interested. Everyone was. She should have known, since Guthrie was so well liked. Then again, it was a pack mentality, and she wasn’t used to that. She’d love it, if only she didn’t have this financial burden hanging over her head.
“Calla,” Guthrie whispered to her, “eat if you can. We’ll be fine.”
She’d managed two bites of a scone, and then when Ian and Julia left the high table, having finished their meal, Guthrie quickly rose with Calla.
“I’ve got to get my coat.” She hated how choked up she sounded.
She thought he would leave her alone and go talk to Ian about her distress, but he pulled out his cell phone and said, “Ian, Calla needs to make a run to the bank. Can you see who would be up to going with us?”
They headed upstairs to her room, and he waited for her while she retrieved her coat from the closet.
“We have to go to a couple of other places too,” she said.
He raised a brow.
“My parents and I are on some of the same accounts.” God, if Baird wiped out her parents’ funds, he could sue for hers too, since her parents’ names were also on her accounts. She could be just as broke as them in a heartbeat. Ruined. When she’d always been so careful with her own savings.
Ethan and Jasper were busy with the cows, so Duncan and Cearnach met Guthrie and Calla downstairs in the foyer. He could tell from his brothers’ expressions that they knew something was up, which was why Ian had sent them and not some of their more distant kin.
Guthrie felt sick knowing Calla was dealing with something beyond her control. He guessed she was about ready to collapse in tears, yet she was fighting them, eager to attempt to settle this in her own way. He loved how tough she was, but he still wanted to make Baird pay for everything he’d done to her.
He intended to speak with Ian privately as soon as he could. He needed to know how Ian wished to handle this. Once she was speaking with a broker in private, he would call Ian. Guthrie would have done so while she was getting her coat and purse, but because of the distressed state she was in, he didn’t want to leave her alone for even a minute. He wanted to show her that he was her mate and would stand behind her, no matter what.
Money. Blackmail. Whatever Baird was threatening her with, Guthrie would protect her. More than anything, Guthrie had wanted to mate with her and resolve that issue before all else. Together, they could handle anything.
Later that morning, when they arrived at the building where Calla’s broker was, they waited for a bit in the lobby. Duncan and Cearnach stood near the door, watching out for trouble, while Guthrie and Calla remained in the waiting area outside the broker’s office. She was so anxious that she couldn’t sit. He suspected she would have been wringing her hands if he hadn’t been holding one of them and telling her she wasn’t alone in this.
As soon as the broker asked her into his office, Guthrie pulled out his phone, his brothers joining him.
“What’s up?” Cearnach asked.
As second in charge of the pack, Cearnach had every right to know. But Guthrie wasn’t leaving Duncan out of this, either. He suspected they were going to have a wolf fight with the McKinley pack over this.
“Calla’s in some kind of financial trouble. I suspect it has to do with Baird,” Guthrie said.
“Bloody hell,” Cearnach said. “I told her not to trust the slimy bastard.”
“Aye.” Guthrie called Ian and told him what he had overheard, and his brothers stood close, listening and watching the building for any signs of trouble. “She said she talked with her parents and had to take care of some banking business for them. I can’t call them at the moment. Can you? See if they can shed some light on this?”
“Aye, will do, Guthrie. Just don’t let her out of your sight. We don’t want her martyring herself over this. If she needs money, we’ll take care of it.”
Guthrie loved his brother. The MacNeill wolves couldn’t have had a better pack leader. “Aye, I told her I would do so, but she wasn’t willing to accept my offer at first.”
Ian didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Ian, are you still there?”
“So…you’re mated?”
Guthrie hesitated. He didn’t want to betray Calla’s trust, but he didn’t want to lie to Ian, either.
“Julia told me she had the impression that you were,” Ian offered comfortingly, sensing where Guthrie was coming from and trying to let him off the hook a little.
Guthrie took a deep breath and let it out. “Calla didn’t want anyone to know yet. She was afraid the pack would think she mated me so we would bail her parents out of whatever financial woes they’re having.”
“Congratulations,” Ian said, sounding proud of him, and Guthrie was glad he wasn’t upset over not having been told before this.
He glanced at his brothers, having forgotten they were listening in on the conversation. They were both grinning from ear to ear and giving him a thumbs-up.
