He’d love to take her on, but he had a job to do. Damien snorted at the word ‘job.’ It was a make work project dreamed up by Kane, but he’d taken it to humour his old friend. What was supposed to be a short visit with Kane’s pack had turned into two months. Every time Damien made noises about leaving, Kane had another ‘job’ for him to do.
Kane and his cute little mate, Elise, were trying to save his soul, Damien was sure of it. Not that he had a soul left to save, but with no real plans of his own, he’d let himself be drawn into their various schemes.
Which was how he found himself in Chicago, watching this little girl with the purpose of gathering intelligence about her pack. Were they really vulnerable to a takeover or was Kane overstepping himself? So far he’d only encountered the little girl, but no doubt other pack members were about the city. Damien gave a brief chuckle. He really shouldn’t call the female a little girl. While her height was lacking, she was supposedly in her early twenties.
Sighing, he tried hard to recall being that young. He’d just turned thirty and felt twice that old. And when he looked in the mirror each morning, the bleakness in his eyes and the haggard lines of his face told the tale of a life lived too hard for too long. Not that it mattered to him what he looked like. In fact, nothing really mattered anymore. He was just going through the motions of living.
When the girl finally stood up, she’d strolled across the bar and was promptly accosted by a middle-aged man unable to say no to the challenge she presented. Damien took half a step forward, ready to act—old instincts hadn’t died after all—but stopped himself. He had to see if she was as tough as she pretended to be. If things got really bad, then he’d step in.
Of course, his chivalry hadn’t been required. She’d flattened the man with a few smooth moves that gave no indication she was a werewolf before strutting out of the bar as if she owned the place. Observers would just think she was a star student from some local self-defence class.
Now she was walking down the street as casual as could be. Only the slight stiffness of her shoulders gave any indication she was aware someone was following her. Most wouldn’t even notice the change in the set of her shoulders, but fine points like that always stood out to him; just one of the many ‘talents’ he’d acquired over the course of his misspent life.
Well, he was here to learn about the Chicago pack. Using Samantha Harper seemed as good a way as any of getting up close and personal. With any luck, he’d have the information he’d need in no time and be sending it back to Kane.
If the Alpha decided to go with a takeover, it would eventually lessen the man’s workload. Part of the pack could move to Chicago and function under the direction of a strong Beta appointed by Kane. With half as many wolves to watch over, in theory Kane would have more family time. It was a wise move. In just the short time Damien had been there, he’d seen how much time the pack took, how the hours spent on pack business carved lines of stress in Kane’s face and took away time from his personal life.
Yeah, he’d do this for Kane and his family. Family was important; they were with you for so short a time... Damien blinked and swallowed past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. No, it didn’t pay to think of the past. There was only today. No past. No future. Just...today.
His skin prickled, the hairs on his arm rising slightly as his instincts warned him of upcoming danger. Narrowing his eyes, he inhaled slowly and gently so no one could hear him testing the air. Picking through the scents, he drew out the salient information, then assessed the shadows again for any new movement. He cocked his head and listened. The she-wolf was poised, ready for action. He’d discreetly followed her progress down the street. Now he wondered what she’d be like against one of her own species.
This is for you, Kane, he thought to himself. I hope your idea works.
Holding his arms loosely at his side, ready for what might come, he stepped forward.
Chapter 29
Time seemed to drag by. Cassie smiled politely, made small talk, and tried to stop checking her watch every few minutes. Where was Bryan? When was the ceremony? Did it really take this long to clear the tables? She clenched her fists and tried not to scream in frustration.
Mel came bustling up and pulled Cassie to her feet, leading her to the back of the room. “It’s almost time. Let me look at you.” She began to adjust Cassie’s dress and smooth her hair.
“Mel, stop fussing. She looks fine and you’re going to make her nervous,” Elise appeared with a glass of water and Cassie took it thankfully, enjoying the feel of the cool liquid sliding down her throat.