Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
But that was foolish.
I shoved the anger back down and forced myself to think about Sam. He was different. His pack was different. This wasn’t going to end the same way. He may have reminded me of Ted at first, but he wasn’t the same. I could trust him. Ted was just a face on the TV screen to me now. Nothing more.
I used the restroom and emerged. The kitchen was choked with the group of kids who had been out at the fort now serving themselves from the huge farm table piled high with various potluck items. I caught sight of JT and Remy disappearing with filled plates through the far door toward the deck, side by side and giggling.
Rather than fight my way through the kitchen, I reversed direction to go out front and follow the wrap-around porch to the back deck to head JT off there. Make sure he got something healthy in him. I was sure he’d picked the baked beans because they were his favorite and all the sweets options. Nothing else.
Another crowd bottlenecked that area, and I tried to get around a female and two guys. “Who’s that halfling running around with Clio?” a man asked, holding a plate loaded with barbecue.
I stopped in my tracks then took a step back. Then another.
“Yeah, they’re new to town. Apparently, she’s human. The alpha put Sam on seduction duty to find out what the scoop is. You know, what kind of drama the kid will bring into the pack.”
A wave of dizziness nearly bowled me over. I reached out and set my hand on the side of the house to hold myself up. I couldn’t breathe.
The alpha put Sam on seduction duty? Seduction duty?
The head of the pack thought a five-year-old would bring drama?
Well, I guessed Sam had done his duty all right.
The blonde woman standing beside the man who’d just spoken must’ve sensed my presence because she turned around to find me behind her. She gasped, and her eyes widened. I recognized who she was because she looked just like Sam and Sylvie.
She elbowed the man beside her and hissed, “Chuck!”
He whipped his head around, and his eyes got just as big.
To me, she said, “He didn’t mean it like that. My husband is an idiot. Sam—”
I shook my head and shoved past them, not interested in anything she had to say about Sam. My vision blurred as I scanned the crowd, looking for JT. I had to get out of there. My stomach balled up under my ribs like a tight fist. The shock of betrayal was almost too much. I could barely think. I had to get away.
Get my halfling with all the drama and go.
“Wait! Hang on!”
I ignored Sam’s sister calling behind me.
“Chuck–you’d better fix this!” she snapped.
I picked up my speed, darting between people to find my son. There. Crap!
Of course, JT was sitting with Sam at a table. Before JT was a plate loaded with cut fruit, a half ear of corn and some cubed cheese. Healthy food. Wes, Joy, and Remy sat with them. A seat was saved beside Sam, no doubt for me.
I walked over, bent down and took the plastic fork from JT’s hand and set it on his paper plate. “Come on, JT. We’re going.”
“What?” Sam’s brows slammed down, and he stood from the table. “What happened? What’s going on?”
I picked JT up and held him close. His eyes were wide and frightened because he could tell I was mad. His little hand grabbed hold of my shirt.
“The seduction’s over,” I spat at Sam. “Deal’s off. We’re through.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” All the color had leached from Sam’s face as his eyes widened. “What happened? What’s going on?” He looked around like someone else might tell him what was going on.
As it turned out, someone did: his sister. “Chuck spilled the beans.”
It sure as hell wasn’t baked beans.
26
SAM
* * *
I stared at my sister Genevieve’s pinched face. Her husband, Chuck, stood behind her looking sheepish.
“What beans?” My voice raised enough to attract the attention of the wolves around us.
Chuck spread his hands. “It was a poor choice of words. I just said you were on seduction duty to find out the scoop with the new pup.”
Oh, fuck. Fuck!
“Oh, shit,” someone nearby murmured. I thought it was Joy. Great. So it was as bad as I thought.
“He’s not on seduction duty. She’s his mate!” Genevieve cried, slapping Chuck in the arm.
“Well, how was I supposed to know?” he countered. “She’s not marked.”
I wanted to punch my brother-in-law in the teeth, but Clio was already moving away.
Fuck. This was so fucked.
“Clio! Hold up!” I jogged to catch up. I could’ve easily gotten ahead of her, but she was freaked enough as it was. “Clio.”
She kept walking, straight toward the field where I’d parked the truck.