"And they've tried to move up here, haven't they?"
Bas nodded. "In my father and grandfather's time, it was open warfare. A lot of people got killed or hurt. But, our packs drove them back for good about forty years ago. Now it might be a skirmish or two here or there, but nothing we haven't been able to handle."
I smoothed a hand over Bas's hair. Water dripped down his back and he looked up at me, his eyes flashing blue and bright. He reached up, encircling his hands around my waist, he pulled me off Ladybug and into his arms.
"I wanted you to see this," he said. "We don't bring outsiders here, Abby. Not ever."
"I can see why. I'd hate to think what might happen if someone tried to ruin what you have here."
"Oh, they'll keep trying."
My veins turned to ice despite the warmth of Bas's body. I knew the answer. I knew where the next threat would come. I knew what the law said and what I was supposed to do. But, as Bas held me close and showed me yet another mystery of who he was and what he had to offer, something settled deep in my heart. I knew what I had to do.
"Bas," I said, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at him. "There's something you need to know."
Chapter Twenty-One
We went up to the house. Bas brought me to a back bedroom, one Pat reserved just for him. It was quiet and cozy, with a king-sized four poster bed with a Queen Anne's lace patterned quilt on top of it.
Bas sat shirtless on the edge of the bed, his bare feet sticking out of his jeans. I paced in front of him as I got through the gist of what I thought Foster planned to do.
"The land is only Pat and Harold's while they're alive. When they die, it goes back to someone named Gaither. Do you know who that is?"
Bas's face looked grim. He tore his hand through his hair and pressed a closed fist into his thigh. "Yeah. I know who that is. Old Willie was Lloyd Bonner's lawyer. He wasn't a shifter. Young Willie is his son. He took over his father's law practice about twenty years ago. He's supposed to be a friend of the pack. I've always had my doubts. Now I know for sure."
"So Willie Jr. isn't a shifter either?"
Bas shook his head. "Hell, no."
"But why would Lloyd Bonner set it up like this? I thought he was a friend of the pack too?"
"He was. The best kind. He died before I was born, but Pat has mentioned a few times her father was senile toward the end of his life. I'm betting Old Willie took advantage of that. Does that matter? Can't we throw out his will if he wasn't in sound mind when he made it?"
"Maybe. But that might be hard to prove if he's been dead for more than fifty years. The cleaner thing to do, if you really believe this wasn't Lloyd's intention, would be for Young Willie to just deed his interest to Pat and Harold now. Would he do that? Or sell it to them?"
"You'd think." Bas was on his feet. His shoulders hunched and his fists curled. Rage poured off him in waves, and I could feel his need to shift.
"Bas?"
He froze and turned toward me, his eyes flashing silver. I reached out and put a hand on his chest. His muscles flexed and bunched beneath my fingertips. But, he went still, and his eyes settled back to human.
"What is Foster's purpose with all of this? Why is he trying to mess with Wild Lake? He needs your support for his reelection bid. Why do something to sever that tie for good?"
"He thinks it will pave the way to a better offer."
"But Dale's were. He's from Wild Lake too, isn't he?"
"He. Is. Not. One of the other packs gave him sanctuary a few years ago. I was against it, but it's not my place to dictate how another pack operates. I've never trusted him, but up until now, he's mostly adhered to the rules around here. This though? He's crossed a line, and he needs to be handled."
"Who's his Alpha?"
"He came from a nomad pack further south. I've worried for years about their loyalties. But, like I said, it wasn't my place to tell another Wild Lake Alpha who to give sanctuary to or not. And Dale had political connections that we thought could prove useful at some point."
"So there's nothing you can do about him?"
"I didn't say that. He's here as a guest of another Wild Lake pack. Their home base is about forty miles north of here. Kane Matthews is their Alpha. Kane's going to have to be the one to do something about Dale."
"He will though, won't he? As soon as he sees what Dale's up to? I mean, if his plan is to try to take away this land through this Young Willie, that's bad for all the Wild Lake packs, isn't it?"
"You'd think. Either way, I need to see Kane."
"Good. And Bas, please don't be angry with me for keeping this from you as long as I did. I swear I wasn't sure what it meant. Not all the way. Not until I came out here and met Pat. Saw what this place was to you."
Bas strode toward me and put his hands on my upper arms. His eyes grew dark, his face hard. "Abby. Don't think for a second I blame you for any of this. I know what you've done. I know telling me crosses a line for you, ethically. You've put yourself on the line for me and for this pack. I know what that means."
The air seemed to go still around us. One beat. Two. Time slowed and Bas's pulse became mine. Tiny hairs along my spine raised, and again I felt that pull between us that went beyond just lust or even love. I needed Bas. Not just inside me. This was his pack. I wanted it to be mine too.
"What happens next?" I swallowed past a dry throat.
"I need you with me," he said. "It's too dangerous for you not to be."
"What do you mean?"
Bas took my hand and guided me to the edge of the bed. I sat with my hands folded in my lap as Bas sank in front of me, kneeling on one knee. "It's going to get back to Dale. These deeds and probate documents you showed me, yeah, they're public record, but he's going to figure out who brought everything to my attention. Make no mistake; I'm going to fix this. He thinks he can strong arm Willie Jr. If Dale gets to him first, he probably can. When I shut this down, he's going to figure out how I knew. In the meantime, there is no way I'm letting anyone hurt Pat or Harold."
My heart tripped. "God. Do you really think their lives are in danger because of this now? Would he really go that far?"
Bas didn't speak, but the hardness in his eyes gave me all the answers I needed. "Oh, God. I feel like it's my fault. If I hadn't put this together, maybe Dale wouldn't have either. Is he really capable of . . . killing them over land?"
"Yes. One hundred percent. Control of Wild Lake means control of the packs on it. We'll talk to Pat and Harold, but I'm certain they have no idea what Willie made their father do. They'll be heartsick. And make no mistake; Dale's going to try and make a move."
I nodded. "Okay. Okay. I get it. God, I just wish I'd have said something even sooner."
Bas slid his hands up and gripped my arms. He jerked me forward slightly. A shudder went through him, and he clenched his jaw hard. "Abby. Thank God you didn't."
Fear like ice seemed to pour out of Bas and into me. It took a beat for me to comprehend the source of it. But, as Bas held me like that, the last piece of the puzzle slammed into place in my brain, taking my breath away. I tried to pull away from Bas, but he held me firm. "Abby."
Panic rose, making heat flush my face. A cold sweat formed on my brow. I needed air. I needed space. But Bas didn't let go. "Oh my God! He's not just going to try to kill Pat and Harold, is he? He's going to come after me."
Harold's scarred face and sightless eyes flashed in my mind. He'd been lucky. I shuddered at the thought of the physical sickness I often felt when Dale got close to me. I understood it now. He was a threat to me. Real and lethal.
"I can protect you," Bas said. "Listen to me. But, I can't do it halfway. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
Buzzing bees seemed to have nested in my brain. The air felt thick as tar.
"Abby!" Bas shook me again and his face came sharply into focus. Along with my fear, desire flared inside of me. He could protect me. He belonged to me. But, I didn't belong fully to him. Not yet. And suddenly, I understood what he meant with perfect clarity.
I cupped Bas's face in my hands and tilted his chin. Bas. My Bas. I'd resisted for so long. Unsure. Afraid. But now, he offered me protection. He offered himself. If I was brave enough to take it.
Chapter Twenty-Two