"Have I met him?"
Bas shook his head. "No. Her son is Luke. He's a Wild Lake wolf, but he doesn't belong to any pack. Not anymore. When the day comes, he'll move back here and run things."
"So, it's possible for a human woman to, uh . . . give birth to a wolf?"
Bas leaned against the door frame. "When she's ready. Yes. If you're ready. Someday maybe we can talk about that."
Warmth flooded through me. I hadn't thought about it before, but as Bas stood in front of me looming large, looking at me with love in his eyes, I knew my answer. Yes. Someday. I think I would like to talk about that. I didn't have to say anything. Bas knew. And that knowledge brought light into his eyes and color to his cheeks. He came to me; leaning over the bed, he kissed me.
I would have given him more. Even though I was saddle sore and still exhausted from last night, I was ready. But, the angry buzz of my phone on the nightstand table interrupted the mood. I reached over and tapped the screen. A chill ran through me that Bas caught. I put up a finger and answered.
"Miss Winslow?" The voice on the other end was stern and deep.
"Speaking."
"This is Dean Stockard. Do you have a moment?"
"I do." God. Dean Stockard. My mind ticked off the limited reasons why he could be calling me personally. Had I flunked out of school? Did my tuition check bounce? Why is it so much easier to think calls like this would bring bad news?
"Miss Winslow, we have a problem. Several, actually. I'd like to make an appointment for you to come to my office. Preferably tomorrow morning."
My eyes flicked to Bas, and my throat had run dry. Sensing my distress, the muscles bunched in his arms as he curled his fingers into fists. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to punch my way out of trouble for this one.
"I can make that work. But, Dean, I'd like to know what this is regarding so I can better prepare for this meeting."
He took a breath. "Miss Winslow, I'll be frank. It's not good news. It's come to my attention that you might be at the root of a security breach at Congressman Foster's office. You are interning there this summer, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Well, I've just gotten off the phone with the congressman and some of what he had to stay was rather disturbing. I really don't want to go into details over the phone, but you should know that it's serious. Our relationship with that office is one I'm rather proud of. It's been cultivated over decades. Our interns have gone on to some prominent positions in the legal field. It sickens me to think something could happen to taint that."
"Of course not." My heart shot straight to my feet. This was Dale. I wasn't surprised, except by the speed at which he'd put things in motion. Bas hadn't even met with Willie Jr. yet. It meant that Kane had already gotten the message to Dale to clear out of Wild Lake. He hadn't wasted time to try and punish me for it. If he couldn't get to me through Bas, he'd try to hurt me any other way he could.
"Now, if the congressman's accusations are even partially true, I can't expel you for that. You're not a lawyer yet. You can't be disbarred. But, I must tell you, this is the kind of thing that would put your ability to ever get a license in jeopardy. It's a character and fitness issue of very large proportions. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
"I do. And, Dean, I . . ."
"Good. So, when we meet tomorrow, you have to know I expect thorough answers. You'll need to account for your time and your actions. I expect you in my office by nine o'clock."
"Yes, sir." My eyes locked with Bas's. I put a hand on his forearm to steady him. I could tell he wanted to rip the phone from my ear. "I'll be there." Before I could say anything else, Dean Stockard hung up on me.
"Abby, what is it?" Bas gripped my forearms and pulled me to my feet.
"It's starting," I said. "Dale's sent the first volley. I was worried he'd try to hurt me physically. But, it seems he's trying something much worse. He's trying to ruin me, Bas."
Bas let me go and paced the room, reminding me of the caged wolves I'd seen in the zoo when I was a kid. "Fucking Kane. He couldn't just tell Dale he was banished. He had to give him details as to why. I'll kill Dale, Abby. I'll rip his fucking throat out."
"And I'd pay to watch. But I'm afraid that's not going to help me. I think the dean has pretty much made up his mind."
I tried to keep it together, but when Bas turned and faced me, I fell apart. Tears streamed down my face as I realized the truth of my words. I'd been so stupid to think Bas and the pack could protect me. They could, but not from this. Everything I'd worked for may have just slipped through my fingers like grains of sand.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It was settled. Whatever happened with Dean Stockard, I had to face it on my own. If Foster were accusing me of breaching confidentiality, my showing up with Bas or any of the other Wild Lake wolves would only prove my guilt. And I was guilty. I'd made my choice. Telling Bas the congressman's plans for Wild Lake was always going to come back to haunt me. It didn't make the reality of it any less awful.
"You sure everything's okay, honey?" Iris met my eyes in the bus's rearview mirror. I sat as I always did in the seat directly behind her. Bas had thrown a fit when I refused his offer to use one of his cars. But, it mattered to me that I did this completely on my own. I started my legal career with no help from anyone else, I needed to end it the same way if that's what would happen. He looked gutted when he dropped me back off at Kendra's apartment. He'd wanted to stay, but I wouldn't hear of that either. The longer he waited to deal with Willie Jr., the more risk to Pat and Harold. I would not let them be another casualty in this. Bas had finally relented, but not until I agreed to let Connor and Eli follow me from a respectable distance. Since Dale wasn't part of his pack, Bas couldn't predict his movements so easily.
"I'm okay, Iris. It's just been a bad day. I've got a few things to tie up at school, then you might not see me for a while."
"Hmm. Well, I don't like the sound of that. You keep your chin up, honey. Whatever it is, trust me, things don't always stay that bad."
I laughed and finished her sentence with her. "Yep. Sometimes they get worse."
She'd been telling me that for as long as I could remember. We smiled over it, but I knew this time, she was absolutely right.
"You taking the number 45 home? Louann's driving tonight. I'll tell her to look out for you."
"Thanks. I don't think I'll be on campus all that long. Something tells me this is going to be a short meeting."
"Well, I'll be back this way about eleven o'clock. You know how to find me if you need some cheering up."
"Thanks, Iris. I just might." I leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek as she opened the double doors to let me out. Her eyes shone as I turned and waved. Then, I headed into the building and whatever hell Dean Stockard planned to put me through.
It ended up being just about as bad as I thought. The dean had a scathing letter from Congressman Foster. He'd laid everything out. His suspicions about my relationship with Bas and the credible proof that I'd revealed confidential information that might put his conservation bill in jeopardy. That last part was a bit of a stretch, but it didn't matter. Stockard bought it. But, the part that shocked me the most was the stack of affidavits Foster had attached to his statement. Grace had supplied one. Now, I could imagine she did it only to protect herself, but it still hurt.
I explained what I could, but my defense was thin. Yes, the documents I'd copied were all on file at the county courthouse. Anyone could have gone up and viewed them. But not anyone did. Only I had. Foster had another affidavit from Kathy the clerk in case there was any doubt. Stockard wouldn't let me read Foster's written statement, and that was what got my blood boiling more than anything.
"Dean Stockard, if I'm being accused of something, don't I have the right to at least face my accuser?"
"You're not in court, Miss Winslow; this is a matter of your integrity. And so far, you haven't denied anything. Did you or did you not discuss sensitive information that you gained during the course of your work for Congressman Foster with someone outside his office? And without his express permission?"
"With all due respect, there's more to it than that."
"Again, you're not denying the core accusation, Miss Winslow. Your actions have put this program in serious jeopardy. And you've actually put a very important bill in jeopardy. I wish I could expel you. But, as I said, that's not within my power."