“You say the sweetest things.”
Despite everything, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she batted her eyelashes at him outrageously.
Rick had been upset when they’d gotten back to their apartment and found Ben standing outside their door, pain killers in hand. The Marshall had been rubbing his hip and wincing. Rick had immediately drawn a bath, undressed her carefully, set her in, and told her to stay put. She could hear him talking to Ben out front, but couldn’t quite make out the words. She decided to let it go, figuring if it was something important Rick would tell her about it before bed.
The hot water had done the job almost too well. By the time he returned to help her out of the huge Jacuzzi tub, she was mostly asleep. He’d dried her off, put her to bed, and settled in next to her. He’d put his big hand on her stomach, kissed her good-night, and pretended to go to sleep. He didn’t even try to seduce her.
She could tell something was bothering her Wolf. The tension took quite a while to leave his fingers. She couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong, but unlike him, she couldn’t hear his thoughts. When she tried to ask him, he’d laid his finger gently across her lips, shushing her quietly, before settling back down.
She placed her hand over his, stroking those long, strong fingers, and drifted off to sleep, determined to find out what was wrong as soon as possible.
Rick was gone when she got up the next morning. Whatever had bothered him the night before, he was apparently determined to keep it from her.
It seemed they were going to have to have another little chat about sharing.
She headed for the offices, ready to discuss things rationally. She was only carrying the air horn and pepper spray in case she ran into Gina again.
Really.
She smelled them before she heard them. Chela, Ben, Dave and Rick, all in Ben’s office. She made her way as silently as she could, wondering if she would find them all goofing off over video games or something. She’d seen the console Ben kept in his office the day she’d first come. Hey, if shooting space aliens relieves some of that stress Rick was carrying around last night, I’m all for him playing hooky. But we’re still gonna talk.
“We have to do something about this before Belle finds out.”
The controlled anger in Ben’s voice halted Belle in her tracks. Before Belle finds out what? She tried to think as quietly as she could, knowing Rick might hear her.
“God, I hate her.” The venom in Chela’s voice sent a shaft of pain through Belle’s heart, but her next words erased it. “How could Gina do this?”
“It’s the only way she could think of to get what she wants.” Belle had never heard this level of ice in Rick’s voice. Whatever it was Gina had done, it was bad.
“I tried talking her out of it, but she’s adamant.” She could hear the anger and sorrow in Dave’s voice.
“Not your fault, man. You can’t choose your family.” Ben’s voice was soothing.
“The hell I can’t. She’s no sister of mine.”
“The sad thing? She’s right. Protocol is on her side. As dominant female, she has every right to demand that Rick take a second mate to fill the slot of Luna since there’s a good chance his mate is permanently disabled.”
Belle listened to Chela’s voice with a sense of shock. Second mate?
Rick growled menacingly. “I would sooner fuck Dave.”
A low growl came from within the room. “Hey, no fighting over me, now. I know I’m such a prime piece of real estate, but, really.”
Dave’s weak attempt at humor didn’t seem to go over too well as Ben spoke up. “Knock it off, asshole.
This is serious. If Gina gets enough of the Pack on her side, Rick and Belle are screwed.” Belle’s eyes narrowed as she took a cautious step closer. “We could wind up with Gina being our Luna.”
Rick sighed wearily. She could picture him running his fingers through his hair. “This must be what she was researching in the archives. Damn it.” She heard a thump and wondered what Rick had hit. “How long?”
“Thirty days. If Belle can’t shift and accept the challenge Gina threw down by then, you’ll have to accept Gina as the Luna. It’ll be your duty as Alpha.”
“Don’t tell me about duty. I know where my allegiance lies.”
Belle felt numb. She stepped back, moving away from Ben’s office as quietly as only a Puma could, wounded or not. She took the elevator back to the third floor and let herself into the condo. She went to the phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed a very familiar number.
“Hello?”
“I need your help.”
Simon didn’t even hesitate. “We’re on our way.”
She hung up the phone and headed into the bedroom. She packed a small bag, waiting for the hurt she knew was going to come. She just hoped that what she had in mind would put Gina’s ambitions to rest once and for all.
And then she and Rick would have a little “chat” about duty along with the one about sharing.
Rick stared at the open closet door, the knife of pain twisting even further in his chest. Belle was gone.
He could feel himself beginning to lose it as his Wolf howled in misery.
“She can’t have gone far, not with that limp.”
Rick turned blind eyes to Ben. “She must have heard us.”
“Why didn’t you warn us?” Ben was scowling at Chela as he wandered the bedroom. He stopped suddenly, stared intently at something on the bureau.
“She did, she just warned us too late.” Rick didn’t want anyone blaming Chela for this. It was his damn fault. He should have told Belle about Gina’s bullshit move to claim him last night, but she’d been in so much pain he hadn’t wanted to bother her with it.
“I think Belle didn’t let herself feel anything until after she left.” Chela bit her lip, looking more like the woman Gina beat up on than the Omega she’d so recently become. “I’m sorry, Rick.”
“Not your fault. Mine.”
“No. Not your fault. No one’s fault. Take a look.” Ben pointed with his chin to the bureau.
Rick hurried over, eager to see what Ben did.
There, nestled in one of Belle’s silk scarves, lay her air horn. On top of that was a can of pepper spray, a small gold necklace, her diamond earrings, and a tiny soapstone sculpture of a wolf.
Relief settled in, so swift he felt dizzy. “She’s coming back.”
“How do you know?”
“She left her jewelry. She’s also letting me know she’s safe.” Rick saw the confusion on their faces.
“The air horn and pepper spray are still here.”
“Why does that strike me more as a threat than an attempt at reassurance?” Rick ignored Ben’s murmur, knowing deep inside he was right and Ben was wrong.
He fingered the aqua silk scarf, sniffing as Belle’s sent wafted from the fabric to tease his senses. “But, why did she leave? That’s the question.”
“Well, I can feel her now, and she’s upset. I think she’s arguing with someone.”
Rick turned to Chela. Her face was filled with strain as she struggled to connect to the Luna. “Do you know where she is?”
“No…other than she does feel safe wherever it is.”
The two men turned to each other. “Halle.”
Rick pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Where is she?”
“Hello to you too, Rick!” The cheerful voice floated through the phone.
“Emma, please. Where is my mate?”
“Which one?”
Ah, fuck. “My only.”
“She’s seeing Jamie Howard right now. Can I take a message?”
She’s seeing the Pride doctor? Fear pulsed through him. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Other than a mate who might be forced to shack up with a real bitch?”