Taking a deep breath, he scented others in the distance—not too close but less than a mile away—they were moving slowly. It was Theo and Tristan. Neither of his brothers would be coming at such a slow pace if they didn’t want to give Az time to scent them.
“I smell them too.”
Leah was a remarkable wolf. She’d only been truly shifted for twenty-four hours and yet she’d grasped onto this part of herself with both hands, embracing it. “Let’s shift and meet them halfway.”
His hope was that they’d brought clothes. He really didn’t want others to see Leah naked, not unless it couldn’t be helped. She belonged to him now, and it turned out that one of his personality traits was an unapologetic need to keep what belonged to him all to himself.
Az shifted first, taking the clothes from his brothers. He dressed himself. Looking at Tristan and Theo, he motioned for them to turn around.
Tristan laughed and they both complied. “You know we’re both mated men, completely devoted to our other halves. I am the Alpha of this pack. During ceremonies, I’m going to see her naked. I see all the pack naked.”
Shrugging, Az couldn’t force himself to see the truth of what Tristan said, not just yet anyway. “We’ll deal with that when we get to it.”
Leah shifted, bathed for a second in the white light that would always look different to him now that he’d been mated to her in its embrace. Az let his eyes stroke her body and was rewarded by watching her nipples peak at his lustful stare. He reluctantly handed her the clothes.
Leah dressed herself. “You can turn around. I think Captain Caveman over here will behave.”
Az hoped he could. Everyone changed during matings. Maybe he got more aggressive and difficult.
Don’t worry so much, I was making a joke.
Leah’s voice in his mind was a warm caress. You know me so well now.
Tristan spoke first. “I’m sorry to interrupt your mating.”
Theo laughed. “Who is he kidding? None of us get long, uninterrupted matings these days. My mate turned into a demon an hour later.”
Leah grasped Az’s hand tightly. Faith’s a demon?
Not any longer. “What’s the problem?”
“Cullen’s spies tell us that Leah’s father is on his way here.”
His mate’s eyes filled with anger. “I told you not to call him.” She looked at the ground quickly and Az realized she was warring with her need to scream and her wolf’s need to be subservient to Tristan.
“It’s okay, Leah, Tristan is used to us occasionally blowing up at him during extreme circumstances. He’s not going to throw you out of the pack.”
Tristan shook his head. “You’re a Kane now. All of my brothers and their wives take extra liberties with me. I’m used to it.”
Az didn’t miss the look Tristan threw him that indicated that perhaps Azriel had taken a few too many of those moments himself but then his brother smiled.
“At this point, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wasn’t Alpha until I’d lived with these guys over a hundred years. It would be weird for my brothers to always look at the ground when I showed up. In any case, I didn’t call him.”
Leah looked up, squeezing Az’s hand even tighter. “So how does he know I’m here?”
“Therein lies the problem.” Theo crossed his arms over his chest. “It seems Kendrick Kane told him.”
Az cursed loudly. So much for basking in the glow of his new mate. His father was once again playing havoc with his life.
Chapter Nine
Everything had moved so quickly, Leah could hardly keep track. One minute they’d been out in the field. The next, she’d been rushed back to the mansion to await her father’s return. Standing in Tristan’s office, she tried not to let her hands shake. Nathan St. James might be her father, but he could be a scary son of a bitch when he wanted to be. Right now, he seemed intent on putting on a show.
Leah couldn’t believe this was happening. She stood in front of the man she’d believed to be her father for twenty-six years of life and she felt nothing but terror. Not one tiny ounce of feeling of love or compassion to the person she used to believe had been at least half responsible for giving her life.
“Leah, these men, they’ve brainwashed you. This is a cult. I’ve called the authorities; they are on their way here.”
To give him his due, the man sounded frantic.
His announcement earned a growl from Tristan, whose office they were currently borrowing for this strange reunion.
“They didn’t kidnap me, Dad. Kendrick Kane did.”
“No, they’ve deluded you into believing that.”
She wanted to laugh but couldn’t muster the energy. “Really? They’ve convinced me they didn’t kidnap me? They’ve done something to my brain to confuse me about exactly who broke into my bedroom in the middle of the night and took me away?”
“Leah…”
Don’t taunt him, she-wolf, he’s a powerful enemy and a good ally.
Az’s solid voice was the only thing keeping her from leaping at her father and ripping his head to shreds with her teeth. Leah could practically feel her teeth extending in her mouth at the thought.
That’s just because you are a new wolf. It’s hard sometimes to separate the emotions. You may not want to see him again but you would never forgive yourself if you gave into the instinct. Even your wolf wouldn’t like it when it was over.
Leah cleared her throat. “What about you, Dad? Did they do anything to your mental faculties?”
Hands fisted at his side, Senator St. James, who it turned out was her uncle, looked like he wanted to break heads together. His bodyguards had been detained at the boat deck. Whether or not the local authorities had jurisdiction on Westervelt was a bit of a tricky question. The truth was, Az had told her, they probably did, but it was enough of a grey area to at least keep them busy on the phone with state officials while she tried to work this out with ‘Dad’.
“I don’t think I understand the question, daughter.”
“Has anyone here done anything to you that would make it impossible for you to tell what is happening to you?”
Don’t do it.
She shouldn’t be surprised her wolf didn’t want her to show him what she could do.
In this case, she was going to have to discard the canine’s advice. Calling the white light, she slipped easily into her canine form. Through her wolf eyes, she stared up at her father.
Az, I’m going to need you to translate for me, as the one flaw with this plan was that now he can’t hear me.
Her beloved cleared his throat. “I’m going to speak on behalf of Leah who, obviously, you can’t hear.”
Her ‘father’ had been hostile toward Az when he’d first met him, which Leah might have resented as much as the fact that he’d all but handed her off to Kendrick to be kidnapped.
Does he believe me now?
Az repeated. “She wants to know if you believe her now.”
Her father nodded. “This has become hugely more complicated for me.”
To him? This had become more difficult for him? With barely a thought, Leah transformed back into her human form. Standing in front of her father, she immediately realized she was naked. As if reading her mind, Az threw a robe around her nude form.
She smiled her gratitude. Someday she might get used to the constant shifts into nudity on Westervelt but she doubted she’d ever feel that way in circumstances such as this one.
“How is this more complicated to you?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm and pettiness she heard in her voice. He was supposed to love her. As far as she knew, he thought she was his daughter. She would probably always think of him as her dad.