“Anything good?” Shaun stepped behind him. “Oh, your Canyon contact.” He leaned down to read over Evan’s shoulder. “Sweet. There’s one thing. Confirmation this Sam guy we keep hearing rumours of is the one in charge.”
“Great. Now go find me the right Sam in all of Whitehorse so I can challenge him and take over his pack.”
Shaun’s chuckle turned to a low questioning hum. “Dude. I think… Yeah, I know her.”
“My informant?” Evan’s heart thumped like a pile driver into solid rock. “Seriously? What are you looking at? Where?”
“You are worse than useless with computers. Stop staring at your fingers when you type.” Shaun pointed to a small picture in the corner of the screen. “Right here on the contact list.”
“That entire list is like one inch square,” Evan snarled, leaning in to peer closer.
“Get some bifocals, old man.”
Evan backhanded Shaun without looking away from the screen.
His Beta laughed evilly as he rubbed his chest. “Seriously, I know her. She works at the place that fixes all the computers you manage to bust. I haven’t seen her often, but I’ve caught a glimpse or two of her hiding in the background.”
Evan could have sworn that picture hadn’t been there any other time he’d IMed with Amy. Another ping dragged his attention back to the computer as she poked him.
You still there?
Evan focused on the screen. On the small picture showing a delicate-looking woman with enormous eyes. Amy seemed far too small to be hiding the burden of deceit from her pack, and his protective nature kicked into overdrive.
We have to stop this, he wrote, desperate to assure her she wasn’t alone. It’s not right for so much pressure to be on anyone’s shoulders. I want you to come in. Come to the Takhini pack house, and let me protect you
I don’t need protection
Her response was instantaneous, and totally the wrong thing to say.
Damn. She was going to be stubborn? She hadn’t met the king of stubborn. He was about to try one last chance at diplomacy when a wonderful idea blossomed. Fine, but if you get worried, I expect to hear from you. Anytime you need a hand, you call me, and I’m there. And no more contacting me via IM.
That little warning message, the one stating Amy is writing appeared. Vanished. Appeared again, as if she were writing and erasing a note a few times. Probably planning to protest.
All he got was a final Okay
This conversation was over, anyway. Now that he knew where to find her? He was going to bring his informant into protective custody for her own damn good.
One quick trip to the computer shop, and she’d be under his wing and then he could get back to the business of straightening his pack affairs.
Because only once that mess was cleaned up could he concentrate on the aching pit inside demanding he drop everything else and look for his missing mate.
Another frustrated battle of wills raged within as the human side and the wolf pulled him in different directions. His wolf couldn’t understand why they weren’t off doing a house-to-house search of Whitehorse if that’s what it took to find her, damn the time and energy it would take.
The human side sympathized and sort of agreed, yet the truth sucked. Alpha wolves didn’t get the chance to do what they wanted. The pack and its well-being came first.
He soothed the wolf the best he could with promises of another nighttime search through the city.
In the meantime, he had a different quarry to track.
Evan rose to his feet and slapped Shaun on the shoulder. “Hold down the fort. Feed Justin, and make sure he has everything he needs. Oh, and could you ask your mate to help at the hotel front desk if she’s got the time? A little of Gem’s social savvy could go a long way to soothe ruffled clients.”
“Where are you going?” Shaun asked as he pivoted out of the way.
“I’m going to have a one-on-one with a certain secret who needs to become un-secret for her own good.”
Chapter Four
Amy leaned back in her chair, annoyance rising. Well, that hadn’t gone nearly as well as she’d hoped. Evan had clammed up, and she hadn’t had a chance to set up the next sting.
Losing the ability to drop leading hints would have hurt a lot more a few weeks ago, though. Now she just about had everything in place.
She rose to stare out the window, the nearby leaves trembling in the slight breeze. Her skin itched, as if she’d been too long in a hot tub and was badly in need of cream.
Her wolf nudged her. Hard.
It wasn’t a trip to the spa she needed, but a good long run. Everything she did for the pack drained more of her energy. She loved each of them, cared for them deeply, but they were a group of individuals who required a unique kind of attention. Plus, there was the computer shop that was a real business even though she also used it to hide her presence.
Add in the extra time she’d put into planning surprises for Evan?
Screw it. A run would refresh her so she would have more to give. Amy pulled off her clothes and folded them carefully, stacking the articles to one side of her desk. She pushed open the sliding door behind her that led to the second-storey balcony, and drew in a deep breath of fresh air.
The sound of an email alert stopped her in the middle of taking advantage of her usual route to freedom. She stared longingly at the slim ramp built along the outside of the building at a narrow incline, stopping just far enough off the ground her wolf could make the leap but wild animals didn’t access her domain uninvited.
Amy took a quick glance at the email in the hopes she could blow it off, but this one needed attention ASAP. She left the door open, though, even as she sat, bare-ass naked in her computer chair and put out the pack fire.
But as soon as this was dealt with? She would take her cranky butt into the bush and work off her lingering aggression. The power of her wolf side hovered in the background as always. The beast made her strong and drove her nuts. One of the downfalls of being an Alpha female—she rarely had someone to work out her itch without them caving to her superior wolfie vibes.
The date with Colin on Monday was very much needed. He seemed strong enough to give her physical relief without her wolf becoming pissed off or bored by a weaker partner.
Solitude and frustration had become her constant companions, and she didn’t expect that to change. She’d been alone for years, and she always would be alone. Expectations of anything more had long ago been burnt away. Her heart was devoid of all but two things—love for pack.
And vengeance.
She bent her head and put her fingers to work composing a reply, the fire burning up her spine balanced evenly with the ice in her soul.
Evan stared at the computer-shop signage, every nerve in his body on high alert. This neighbourhood wasn’t his usual stomping ground, and a computer store? The last place on earth he’d ever go for shits and giggles.
But the closer he got to Bytes Unlimited, the more agitated his wolf became. He paused across the street in the shadows to scope the place out. Make sure there wasn’t a hidden assault team from the mysterious Canyon pack waiting in ambush.
Amy might have thought she was safe, but that didn’t mean her Alpha wasn’t checking up on her. Evan needed to get the woman out of danger, his sensation of uneasiness rising by the second.
Damn the risk to himself, this was happening now.
Evan strode across the road, jaywalking between moving vehicles. He was at the door in no time, jerking the glass open. Somewhere deep in the shop, a gentle buzzer sounded.