When he reached his room, he heaved a sigh as he stripped out of his clothing. He padded to the bathroom and started the shower. When it was warm enough, he stood beneath the spray, letting it cascade over him. Isaiah grabbed the soap, worked it over his body from head to toe and rinsed. He did it twice more before he felt clean.
He didn’t linger. He had things to do.
It didn’t matter that Meredith didn’t want him. She was his. His to love and protect. There was no way he was leaving the city until he knew he hadn’t brought more hunters down upon them. If he’d found them, it was possible other werewolves would too. What if one of those two groups discovered their secret?
He yanked a clean pair of jeans out of his duffle bag, pulled them on and sank down on the side of the bed without bothering to zip them. His life as he knew it was over.
There was no way he could go back to North Carolina. No way he could leave Meredith and the kids vulnerable. Most folks would laugh to hear him call grown men kids. But that’s what they were. In werewolf age, they were adults, but not by much. Furthermore, Meredith had kept them sheltered. They all needed training in self-defense.
Not that they’d accept it from him.
He leaned over and grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on. This was his destiny. His resolve hardened as he took out his phone to make the call that would change everything.
Funny, but he wasn’t the least bit upset about it. A sense of rightness coalesced inside him. This was what he was meant to do. The small pack living in the heart of the city was his to protect. It was where he belonged.
If he spent the next four hundred years of his life watching over them, then he’d done what he was supposed to be doing with his life. Didn’t matter if they never knew he was there. He’d know.
What if Meredith eventually found and took a mate?
That thought stopped him cold. He couldn’t even think such a thing. His fangs lengthened and his fingers turned to claws. He dropped the phone on the mattress before he accidentally crushed it.
Grabbing the ends of his hair, he bent down, putting his head between his knees. He sucked in air as he willed his wolf back into submission.
If such a thing happened, he’d have to learn to accept it. If Meredith ever took a mate, he’d leave and return to North Carolina. But until such a day came to pass, she and her children were his responsibility.
He raised his head and picked up the phone. His thumb pressed the necessary buttons and then it was ringing.
“Isaiah.” The concern in Joshua’s voice soothed him. His brother was Striker of the Wolf Creek Pack. They would be fine without him. And he would see them on occasion. Still, his heart ached. He loved his brothers fiercely, but he loved Meredith too. And she was as necessary to him as air was. More. Without her, he had no life.
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “You need to send someone else to Chicago to pick up the truck.” He rattled off the address where he’d left it. “Have them watch it for a day or so before they move it. I won’t be able to monitor it today.”
“What the hell is going on? And don’t say nothing.”
He had to tell Joshua something or his brother would be on his tail in a heartbeat. As it was, it sounded like his brother was in a moving vehicle. “Where are you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Talk.”
“I met a woman.” He didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t talk to Joshua about Meredith and what she meant to him. He was too raw. Too vulnerable and he hated feeling this way.
He’d blocked off his emotions for so many years it was as though they’d finally overflowed the dam and it was ready to burst.
“Yeah. Anyway, I won’t be coming home.”
“But you hate the city.” He could hear the disbelief in Joshua’s voice and it brought a slight smile to his lips.
“Life’s a bitch, ain’t it?” He had to end this and get back to Haven. He was also going to have to find a room to rent close to Meredith’s place. “I know you’ll take care of the pack and the boys.”
His eyes stung and he rubbed them with his thumb. “I gotta go. I’ll call you as soon as I’m settled. And don’t worry. I’ll contact James in a day or so to let him know I’m leaving the pack. I won’t leave that for you to handle.”
“Isaiah,” his brother shouted. But he was done and ended the call. He turned off his phone and stuffed it into his back pocket.
He sat and stared at his empty hands. It felt strange not to have to answer to anyone but himself. He was truly a loner. He shook his head and pushed to his feet. Lone wolf. That was him.
Except it wasn’t funny. A wolf without a pack was vulnerable. He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache there as he thought about Meredith alone for years with children to protect. She was one hell of a female. She was worth giving up everything for.
Grabbing his duffle, he headed out of the room. He hadn’t unpacked, so he knew he was leaving nothing behind. Check out was fast and easy as he’d paid cash in advance. In a dive like this they didn’t care how you paid as long as you did.
Isaiah stood on the sidewalk and squinted up at the morning sunshine. He needed food and a place to stay. He turned and made his way toward Wicker Park, his gait sure and steady.
His first plan of action was to get some food and a paper, preferably in a location where he could keep an eye on Meredith’s building. He’d check the rooms for rent in the classifieds and find somewhere to dump his stuff after he fueled up.
The hunters would need time to regroup and wouldn’t strike in broad daylight. He had time to take care of business and catch a few hours sleep before he had to stand watch.
Thankfully, money wasn’t an issue. Living for ninety years had some benefits, one being that he had investments in many major companies, primarily oil, gas, pharmaceuticals and technologies. He’d never spent a quarter of what he’d made over the years and had banked it all. He could easily spend the rest of his life watching over Meredith. His needs were simple—a place to sleep, food and keeping Meredith safe. Everything else was extra.
By the time he hit Meredith’s familiar neighborhood, his stomach was very vocal in its complaints. He’d been here mostly at night and the area had a much different vibe in the day. It was alive with sights and sounds and smells. Instead of making him feel claustrophobic, as they usually would, they made him feel closer to Meredith. This is where she worked and lived. These were her people.
A local café caught his eye—Bean There. Obviously, they specialized in coffee. But their outside menu board also boasted a soup and sandwich lunch special. The location was perfect, so he went in.
It was a pleasant place, painted in vibrant shades of yellow, cinnamon and green. It wasn’t quite lunchtime so only three of the tables were occupied.
A young woman wearing a tie-dyed skirt with a bulky knit sweater smiled as he went to the counter. “Hi. What can I get you?”
“I’ll take two soup and sandwich specials and a coffee.” He studied the desserts in the glass case.
“You expecting company?”
Isaiah shook his head. “Just hungry.” She laughed as he pointed to the case. “I’ll have a blueberry turnover and one of those brownies as well.”
“If I ate like that, I’d be as big as a house,” the dark-haired woman groused. “You must have great genes.”
“Something like that.” He paid when she rang up his total.
“You can have a seat and I’ll bring your food down to you.”
“Thanks. By the way, do you sell the local paper?”
She shook her head and pointed to a small stand. “We don’t sell them, but we have several copies. You’re free to read, we just ask that you don’t take it with you when you go.”