“Oh! Right!” She looked at Ryne a bit sheepishly. “I know I’ve been a pain in the rear lately, standoffish and—”
“Not letting me touch you.” Ryne finished the statement, a bit of a scowl on his face.
“I know and I’m sorry.” Melody cupped his face and gave him a quick kiss. “But you see, Lycan Link made a mistake and switched you and Kane, so for a period of time I thought you and I shared a father and were half-siblings.”
“You and me?” Ryne let out a low whistle. “Now that would have been a complication.”
“Damned right.” Melody ran her hands through her hair. “I didn’t know what to do, who to tell. I tried to talk to Bryan, but he was busy finding Cassie and then he told me to talk to Daniel since Daniel had grown up in the pack with you...”
“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Ryne tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. Why hadn’t Melody turned to him?
“Don’t you see? I just couldn’t because if it were true, then we couldn’t be together and then there was the baby...”
A sheen of tears covered her eyes and Ryne pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I understand. What did Daniel say?”
“Not much at first. Honestly, it’s so hard to get information out of you guys. But eventually he started talking about your parents and how your family would come and go and well... I started to realize that certain things didn’t line up with what my mother had told me about my father, so I contacted Lycan Link and found out they’d discovered the mistake and were correcting their records and now you and I aren’t related anymore!”
Elise laughed. “That’s quite a tale, Mel. But why was Kane contacted and not Ryne?”
A guilty flush came over Melody’s face. “Er...Ryne was, but I kept sneaking into his office and checking his e-mail. When a message came in from Lycan Link, I deleted it.”
“Melody! Reading your Alpha’s e-mail is not allowed!” Ryne scolded her.
“Well it’s your own fault. Your password is my name. Even I can hack into your account when you make it that simple.” Melody rolled her eyes and Ryne tried to growl, but ended up laughing.
He stood up and scooped her into his arms. She squealed rather satisfactorily and he grinned.
“Ryne Taylor, what do you think you’re doing?” Melody squirmed in his arms.
“Taking you upstairs to have wild sex with you, of course. And you’ll re-establish our mental link first. I miss sharing orgasms with you.” He nuzzled her neck and nipped lightly.
“Ryne!” Melody shot an embarrassed look at Elise and Kane.
“Great idea, Ryne.” Kane stood up and pulled Elise to her feet leering at her playfully. “Should we emulate them?”
Elise opened her mouth to answer, but Kane’s cell phone rang. He checked the number and grunted. “It’s the Chicago pack finally getting back to me. Every time I call, I get the Alpha’s granddaughter on the phone. And then she says the old man is too busy to talk to me! If Sam Harper tries to put me off one more time...” He growled discontentedly as he flipped the phone open. “Ryne, don’t be too long. If we can finally arrange a meeting with the old man, I want to be able to jump on the chance.”
Sighing, Elise stuffed her hands in her pocket and moved to stare out the window. Ryne couldn’t make out exactly what Elise was saying, but she was definitely muttering angrily under her breath.
Melody nibbled on his neck and he switched his attention back to her pushing his concerns for his brother and Elise to the back of his mind. Whatever, their problem, they’d find a way to work it out.
*****
Cassie walked down the hospital corridor reading the room numbers as she passed each door. Four-forty-six, four-forty-seven, four-forty-eight. There it was, Kellen’s room. She paused and took a deep breath, her hand in her pocket touching the papers she had carefully printed off the internet earlier that morning. Blinking her eyes rapidly she held back the threatening tears, damning her raw edged emotions. What was wrong with her? She’d thought this out carefully; she owed Kellen this much… She reached for the door handle.
Bryan’s hand settled over hers, stilling her movement. “I still think you shouldn’t go to see him.”
She looked up at him over her shoulder. His face was devoid of emotion, just the flexing of a muscle in his jaw giving away the fact that he was displeased. Bryan felt she shouldn’t be visiting Kellen, that she owed the man nothing. Earlier, when she tried to explain she wasn’t just going out of duty, but out of friendship, he’d turned away, his hands clenching into fists.
“I can go by myself,” she’d said. “I know you don’t care for Kellen. There are several cars in the garage that still have current plates. I’ll drive myself.”
But Bryan wouldn’t hear of her going alone and so they’d driven to the hospital together. It had been a tense ride, the atmosphere thick between them. She hadn’t known what to say and Bryan had been moody, almost angry. Any topic she thought of seemed inappropriate and so she’d said nothing at all, twisting the ends of her scarf in her hands. It was a deep green and matched her eyes, or so her uncle had said. She’d found it in her closet just that morning and had ended up crying over it; it was the last thing he’d ever given her. Tracing the tear stains with her finger tip, she’d sighed and leaned her head against the window, staring at the passing scenery.
It was that annoying state just before a rain. The world seemed dull and grey, the air heavy and damp. Bare, lifeless trees and muddy ground were about all there was too see; the only colour came from bits of garbage that had somehow escaped going to the dump. Cassie noted a scrap of old Christmas wrapping paper caught in clump of weeds. Its once colourful print seemed faded and sad, speaking of happier days now long past. Even the snow was depressing. The few remaining patches along the edge of the road were filthy from car exhaust. All in all, it matched her mood perfectly.
Glumly, she thought back to two nights ago and wondered how her relationship with Bryan could have changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. Transforming under the full moon had been one of the most freeing experiences of her life and she’d awoken the next day full of excitement and happy with the world. Bryan hadn’t been there, though the indent on her pillow showed that he’d spent the night.
Two nights in a row sleeping in the same bed; she’d giggled, feeling foolishly happy and hugging the pillow to her chest. It seemed like her life was finally turning around. Mr. Aldrich was gone and she was back home. She no longer feared being a werewolf and then there was Bryan... A wide smile had spread across her face and she’d flopped back in the bed, hoping he’d return soon.
Of course he hadn’t and she eventually went in search of him. Sadly, Mel informed her that he and the two Alpha’s were still working on ‘clean up’ which basically meant getting rid of anything that might link the previous day’s events to werewolves. They also had a meeting with the Chicago pack and there was no telling how long it might take.
She’d sighed but had made the best of things, filling the day with other activities. That, of course, didn’t mean she forgot about Bryan. He was often on her mind and she longed to talk to him about her night as a wolf. Some of her muscles seemed stiff with overuse and she was curious as to what they’d done. Hopefully, nothing embarrassing she thought, scowling when the wolf inside gave what sounded like an exceptionally contented sigh but refused to reveal any details.
With nothing in particular to do, she’d spent some time on the internet researching an idea she had, soon becoming so engrossed in the topic that she had been surprised when Franklin called her to dinner.
The skies darkened and Bryan still hadn’t appeared. Cassie had consoled herself that Mel and Elise were alone as well and they’d spent a pleasant evening getting acquainted. They’d all stayed up late waiting for the men to return until Ryne finally called around ten o’clock.
Apparently the Chicago pack was more than a little miffed that their territory had been invaded by tw
o Alphas without first obtaining consent. They wanted compensation and various laws, clauses and precedents were being tossed about almost like weapons.
Ryne confessed that Kane was so upset he was threatening a takeover, which hadn’t helped negotiations run smoothly at all. In short, it was going to be a long night and the women would be lucky to see them by morning. On that note, they all said good night, each heading off to their own lonely beds.
Which brought her up to this morning. She’d felt groggy when she’d awoken, having spent a restless night missing Bryan’s presence in her bed, but shook off the feeling, knowing he was sure to come back soon. Anxious to finish her project before he arrived, she’d quickly dressed and settled down at the computer.
And that was where Bryan had found her; looking up treatment centres for Kellen, to help him learn how to control his gambling addiction. That was when everything started to go downhill.
Dark circles under Bryan’s eyes gave evidence that he’d been working hard on little sleep. Lines of tension had tightened his features. Apparently, there’d been some issues with the Chicago pack, but he didn’t elaborate on them. In fact, he’d been rather taciturn and disinclined to talk about the situation, more interested in what she was doing and why.
It turned out, Bryan didn’t want her looking up information for Kellen; he didn’t want her visiting Kellen or even calling him. His demands got her back up and after that, well... Now they were outside Kellen’s hospital room, barely speaking to each other.
“Cassie?” Bryan’s curt voice brought her out of her reverie.
“I need to see him, Bryan. I know you don’t understand, but it’s what I feel I have to do.”
“Then I’ll go in with you.” His chin jutted out slightly and she held back her annoyance at his high-handed manner.
“No. This is something I need to do by myself. Go and wait in the lobby. I’ll meet you downstairs in about fifteen minutes.”
Bryan clamped his jaw shut, his displeasure palpable, but he released her hand and stepped away. “Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
She nodded and watched him walk down the hall hurt by his unfeeling attitude. Her chin quivered but she quashed her feelings and turned to face the door. One deep breath, then another. Okay, she was ready.
Cassie walked into the hospital room and was immediately struck by white. White walls, white curtains, white bedding, and... Kellen’s white face. His eyes were closed and his hands were lying at his side.
“Kellen?” She whispered his name, wondering if he was awake or not, taken aback that he looked so poorly.
Immediately, his eyes opened and a smile spread across his pale face. “Sandy!”
She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, the mattress making a soft whooshing noise. “Hey, how are you? You don’t look so good.” She brushed his hair from his forehead.
“I’m okay, all things considered.”
“What did the doctor say?”
He shrugged negligently. “A few bumps and bruises, some residual sedatives in my blood, but I’ll be good to go tomorrow.”
“I’m glad.” She took his hand and he squeezed it.
“And you? How’s my girly?”
Cassie closed her eyes at the endearment, biting her lip and forcing down the emotion that welled up inside her. She swallowed and opened her eyes. “I’m good.”
“Then what’s this?” He touched her face where a loan tear had escaped.
She sniffed and blinked hard. “Nothing. I’m just...happy you’re all right.”
“Sure you are.” He studied her face then dropped his gaze. Silence stretched between them, Kellen plucking at the bedspread, while Cassie studied the floor. It was white, too with a few flecks of grey.
“Sandy?”
“Yes, Kellen?” She looked up at him warily.
“I...I’m sorry about Dollar Niche and Eddie and Hugh and—”
“It’s okay.” She interrupted falling back into her old habit of minimizing his failings.
“No. It’s not okay. I was willing to trade you, our relationship, for money to finance my gambling. It was wrong. It was stupid.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “The only thing I can say is that at first I thought you’d be happy to be rich, but then, when I talked to you at the house, I realized you’d left your old life for a reason and I had no right to decide for you if you went back or not.”
Cassie smiled sadly. Same old Kellen, always thinking things through after the fact. “I know. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”
He smiled and seemed relieved, pushing himself up a bit in the bed and seeming perkier. His guilt was always short-lived. “So, what happened to all the bad guys? I guess I missed all the excitement.”
“Um...Mr. Aldrich was involved in some illegal dealings, but it’s all being kept pretty hush-hush. I even had to sign papers swearing I won’t talk about it with anyone.”
“Whoa! That’s serious stuff.”
“Yep. They’ll probably be around to see you, too. So don’t say anything to anyone about what you heard or saw.” Cassie put some added sternness in her voice in the hopes that Kellen would realize how serious this was.
“That’ll be pretty easy. I was too drugged most of the time to remember anything. Just fuzzy images and bits and pieces of conversations.”
“Good! I mean...it’ll be easier for you this way, not to slip up.”
He nodded. “So... After I’ve been sworn to secrecy and I’m released tomorrow, what are we going to do? Do you want to do some sightseeing in Chicago or fly right back to Vegas?”
Cassie took a fortifying breath. Here came the hard part. “I’m not going back, Kellen.”
“Oh.” The smile left his face for a moment and then he brightened again. “Well, that makes sense. You’re an heiress. Why would you live in a pokey little house in Vegas and work at a grocery store? You know, I was thinking a change might do me some good, too. What do you say I move up here and...?” He stopped talking obviously noticing that Cassie was shaking her head no.
“No, Kellen. You aren’t moving here with me.”
“But I said I was sorry! It was all just a big misunderstanding, a mistake...”
“Kellen...”
“...Anyone can make a mistake...”
“Kellen...”
“...And I promise I’ll never do it again...”
“Kellen! Will you please quit talking and listen to me?” Cassie shouted the words at him and he finally stopped, giving her a hurt look.
“All right, I’ll stop.”
“Thank you.” She composed herself for the little speech she’d prepared. “Kellen, I care for you—”
“And I care for you—”
Cassie continued on, ignoring his interruption, staring at the wall over his shoulder. She knew she’d never get this out if she looked at him. “And for a time, we were good for each other. You helped me when I had no one and I’ll never forget you for that—”
“I didn’t mind. I wanted to help you—”
“And I’d like to think I helped you, too—”
“You did, Sandy, more than you’ll ever know. Without you I’d—”
“But we aren’t good for each other anymore.” She paused and this time Kellen had nothing to say. Stealing a glance at his face, she saw the shocked disbelief, the denial. He was slowly shaking his head...
She took a shuddering breath and opened her mouth to continue when he finally spoke.
“Sandy, you don’t mean that. You and I...” He paused and swallowed hard. A sheen developed on his eyes and hers began to tear in response. “You’re all I have. If you give up on me...” Kellen bit his lip and looked down; his hand was clenching the covers.
“I’m not giving up on you Kellen, but I am moving on. I...I can’t take it any longer; the broken promises, the disappointment, the sneaking and lying. We’re always in debt—”
“I’ll stop gambling, Sandy. I promise. Right now on this very spot, I swear—??
?
She reached forward and pressed her hand to his lips. “No Kellen. We’ve done this before. You need help. More than I can give you.” Pulling back her hand, she dug in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to him. “I found this on the internet. It’s a private clinic for gamblers and it’s not too far away. I called this morning and they’re willing to take you, to help you. I’ll pay the entire cost, if you’ll go.”
Kellen reached out and slowly took the paper from her hand. The room was silent as he read the information. “I don’t know, Sandy.”
“It’s supposed to be one of the best places in the country. The success rate is high. Please, Kellen. Do this for me. For you. You’re a wonderful man—smart, kind, funny, good-looking—but the gambling is ruining your life. You were lucky this time, but one of these days your luck will run out.” Cassie stopped talking and pleading and held her breath, hoping her words were finally making an impression, that he’d accept what she was offering.
“If I go, will you take me back?”
Her heart plummeted. This was the question she’d feared. Would her answer seal his fate? Should she lie? Or put her life on hold for him one more time? “Kellen, I...” Her voice cracked and she could no longer hold back the tears. “I can’t. I’m sorry, I wish I could, but I can’t. I have to move on; live my own life.”
Kellen was crying too, silent tears dripping down his face as he finally realized this was the end. “What are you going to do? Will you stay here?”
“I don’t know. I have my uncle’s house, but I...I met someone. We’ve only known each other a few days, but I think...I hope we might have something together.”
He wiped his nose on the back of his hand and took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. “I’m glad for you and I hope it works. You...you deserve to be happy.”
“Oh Kellen!” Cassie launched herself at him and held him tight, sobbing against his chest. His arms wrapped around her, his warmth seeping into her, his familiar scent surrounding her. She cried for the loss of his presence in her life, for the dreams she’d had when they first met. She cried for the wasted years, the fights, the good times and happy memories. And she cried for Kellen and his future, hoping he’d make it and knowing it was quite likely she’d never really know. This was it, the end of the line for them. It was time to say goodbye.