“I can hear them.”
“Good, it means some of your wolf is accessible to you. We’ll work on—”
“Who is running early?”
“No one you need to worry about.”
And enough of that. She lifted the tray and set it aside, then scooched toward him. He opened his arms and she crawled into them, looped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his. Nose to nose as it were, she studied his beautiful eyes. “Maybe I don’t need to worry about it, but you’re distracted and something is wrong. So while I’ll consent to letting you control my wolf when I look like a dog, you do not get to blow me off. Tell me.”
The long stare bored into her and once again, she was reminded of how he seemed to see into her soul. Maybe it was his wolf or maybe his being Alpha, or maybe it simply was who Brett was. She chose to believe the latter.
“I will tell you, but I do not have time to answer your questions so I will need you to hold them until I come back. Can you do that?”
The icy sense of apprehension returned. “Okay.” If agreeing was the only way he would tell her.
“Your word, Colby.” Dammit.
“Fine. I give you my word.”
The corner of his mouth tipped a bit higher, but the smile held so much sadness. “The only way to become Alpha is to challenge the sitting Alpha unless he or she dies of natural causes. We can die, old age, infirmity, illness or accident.”
“Or someone killing you.” It wasn’t a question, it didn’t count. She was going to throw up.
“Yes.” So calm, so utterly nonplussed, he ran his hand through her hair. “To do so is to call Alpha Challenge. The laws are explicit. None may accost them and I will face the challenger in single combat.”
She couldn’t swallow. “Winner takes all.”
One nod, then he massaged the back of her neck and glanced at the clock behind her. She knew exactly where his gaze went.
Gripping his face, she pulled his attention to her. “You are not allowed to die. Clear?”
His expression gentled. “I have no intentions of leaving you Colby, I’ve just found you.”
“That’s great, super sweet. You cannot die. Say those words to me and I’ll believe you. You haven’t lied to me yet and you told me you didn’t want to lie. So tell me you will not die.” His face blurred and a tear slipped down her cheek. He pressed his lips to the spot and caught it, then covered her mouth with his. The tear salted their kiss, but when he stroked his tongue across the seam of her lips, she opened to him.
Need, fast and furious, kindled in her belly. The anxiety redoubled as did her wild desire to hold onto him and never let go. When he broke the kiss, she fought the urge to beg. She wasn’t that girl. She had never been that girl. One thing she’d learned from her work at the hospital, no matter how terrified or out of her depth she felt, the patients needed her calm and confident.
So did Brett. “You said you loved me last night.”
“I did.” Another kiss, this time to the corner of her eye. Then with a show of great reluctance, he lifted her and set against the pillows before standing. “I love you.” Three simple words and yet they seemed to encompass so much more.
Hugging one of the pillows to her chest to keep from reaching out and dragging him back she chose instead to challenge him. “Well, if you want my response to that, you need to come back.”
Canting his head, he grinned slow and devastating to her equilibrium. “Challenge accepted.”
Then he was gone and she bit down on the pillow as she tracked his movement through the house. At the door, he spoke in a voice so low she couldn’t hear the words even though she strained to hear them. Then the door closed and a car started.
He was leaving.
Pushing off the bed, she hurried over to the window and peeked through the curtains. His car backed into the driveway. The shivering began with her hands and she danced away from the window trying not to let the urge to cry out. What the hell was wrong with her? She wanted to scream. Snatching his shirt from the bed, she pressed it to her face and sucked in a deep lungful of his scent. The shivering slowed.
A footstep beyond the door had her wheeling around.
“Colby?” Luc. “I’m here if you need me.” A slid and a thump as though he slid down the wall and sat next to the door.
Brett went to face an Alpha Challenge and Luc was guarding her door. She wanted to do more than scream. She wanted to tear something apart. Why the hell was he…and then the cramps struck and she couldn’t not scream. Her arm snapped and heat swam over her and flooded her mind.
The door wrenched open and Luc filled the center of the dark void and she ripped Brett’s shirt and fell to the floor.