The Keeping(155)

“Sorry.” Bryan ran his hands through his hair, then roughly pushed his chair back. “I can’t concentrate. I keep waiting for the damned phone to ring.”

“As do we all.” Slowly Marco gathered the cards and began stacking the chips. “Have patience. He will call.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Daniel looked up from the computer game he was playing. His face reflected his worry.

Bryan studied his friend, noting the anxiety in his voice, how his muscles were tensed. Daniel was as worried as he was but... Damn! He was Beta, and while Ryne was gone, he needed to take responsibility for the safety and well-being of the pack. That included putting on a brave face, even when he didn’t really feel it. Lifting his chin, he straightened and spoke in a firm, confident voice. “Marco is right. I’m was just being a nervous old woman. Of course, Ryne is fine. He’s gotten through worse scrapes than this. By now he’s talked to Mel, found out there was nothing to worry about after all and they’re reconnecting, if you know what I mean.” He ended the comment by wiggling his eyebrows and giving a knowing look.

“Reconnecting?” Marco frowned over the word, then grinned. “Ah! Ryne y Mel estan haciendo el amor.”

Daniel visibly relaxed and gave a brief chuckle. “If that means they’re having sex then, yeah.”

“Our Alpha is—how you say—a ladies’ man?”

“Something like that.” Bryan smiled realizing that Marco was trying to lighten the mood as well. He sat down again and tried to keep the conversation going. “So, what was your old Alpha like?”

Marco snorted. “He is a bastard and not fit to rule.”

Bryan leaned back, propping his feet on the table and folding his arms behind his head. “A real nice guy, then.”

For a moment Marco looked confused but then seemed to grasp the sarcasm of the statement. “Yes. A real nice guy. He allows no discussion or debate; pack meetings are never held unless he is issuing orders and anyone who disagrees, ‘disappears’ without a trace.”

“He kills them?” Daniel set down his computer game and leaned forward, obviously intrigued by the tale.

“There are no bodies, but everyone knows.” Marco narrowed his eyes, his voice sounding bitter.

“And no one tries to stop him?” Bryan found it hard to believe that in this day and age, a pack would put up with such treatment.

“Many have tried and have died in the attempt. Most of my pack have learned through experience to endure the misery and live in hope for the day he finally grows old and weak. A few, such as myself, have dared to leave, but it is dangerous.”

Daniel frowned and seemed to study Marco intently. “You left for Tessa, right?”

“Yes. For her and for my son. It is no way to live. I wanted better for them.”

Bryan frowned. “I’m surprised he’s that powerful, at such a young age.”

“Who said he is young?” Marco queried. “Pablo turned forty-five this year. He’s been Alpha for almost eighteen years now.”

“Forty-five? And he was after Tessa? No wonder you wanted to leave.” Daniel shook his head looking disgusted. “Why doesn’t he have a mate already?”

“He’s had three, but they were all ‘accident prone.’ I was not willing to risk Tessa having a similar ‘accident’.” Marco clenched his fist and a muscle in his jaw throbbed.

Bryan got up and clapped a hand on Marco’s shoulder in a gesture of support. “I’d have left too, man.” He wandered to the window and stared outside. “You’ll find things are really different here. Ryne is a great Alpha and he’s real easy to get along with.”

“And even if you mess up, he doesn’t stay angry for long.” Daniel chimed in.

Marco nodded. “I look forward to getting to know him better when he gets back.”

Right, Bryan thought as he surreptitiously checked the time and then looked at the phone, willing it to ring. When he gets back...

****

Cassie ran as fast as she could towards her uncle’s house. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she couldn’t hear anything but its thump. Frantically, she kept looking behind her while trying not to stumble over the exposed tree roots that criss-crossed the ground.

She’d been hiding behind the trees, eavesdropping on the confrontation that seemed to be taking place between her uncle, Mr. Aldrich and a young woman named Ms. Greene. The conversation hadn’t made much sense, but she’d listened intently when her uncle began claiming she was like the woman, the one they said was a werewolf. It had seemed ridiculous and she even questioned her own hearing until she saw a man crawl out of the culvert and turn into a wolf! The wolf had attacked Mr. Aldrich and as the lawyer fell to the ground, his gun went off.