Darkest Wolf(34)

“Why?”

“Someone was betraying the pack. I happened to pick a bad time to start spying on Tristan and the mated pairs.”

Yes, you did. But you had your reasons and they were valid.

His wolf had never said that before. He agreed with his decision to follow Tristan around and see what was going on?

They had their reasons but they weren’t behaving very pack-like, in my opinion.

“Why did you do it?”

He wished he could take it back and never tell her any of this. Rex could have conceivably gone his whole life and never had to tell her. Why had he done this? Oh yes, her right to know. “We had a traitor in our mix. Actually, more than one.” She nodded. “Right.”

“And all of a sudden only mated couples were trustworthy. Everyone else was being kept out of Tristan’s loop.” He could still remember the weeks leading up to his decision to find out information being kept from him. It burned in his belly now as much as it had then. “Like the fact that some members of the pack had met their mates made them inherently more dependable and less likely a traitor? This seemed like nonsense to me. It was a mated man—my father—who got us into this mess and continued to cause us trouble.”

“Why didn’t you say something to Tristan? Tell him how you felt?” He snorted. “That’s not how the pack works. He’s the alpha. He tells us how it is and we do what he says. The fact Tristan is pretty benevolent for an alpha makes things slightly easier, but he’s not exactly touchy feely with anyone but his wife and children.”

“Better to follow him around in some clandestine attempt to gain information he didn’t want you to have?”

Her tone was light, but he could see in her eyes she thought he was out of his mind.

Elizabeth’s blue depths said she thought he’d been very, very wrong in his actions. She was in good company. His whole pack had agreed. “They caught me and they beat the crap out of me before making accusations about treason.” She reared back. “Well, they shouldn’t have resorted to violence.”

“We’re part animal.”

Elizabeth did a good imitation of the snort he’d made earlier. “I think you pull out the animal card when you want to justify acting like Neanderthals.”

“Neanderthals?” Rex couldn’t stop the laughter overtaking him. He would love to tell Tristan, Cullen and the others they were cavemen. The looks on their faces would be priceless.

She tilted her head to the side as she attempted to imitate him. “Oh, don’t blame me, baby, for being a jerk. I’m an animal. I can’t help it. I bet your wolf has better manners than you do.”

I knew there was a reason I loved her.

“You just made his day.”

It was amazing how right she was about his wolf. His four-legged half was often better adjusted to life than he was. Easier to get along with, more polite.

“So, after the second accusation things got a little hard on you, I imagine.”

“Correct.” He stretched his arms over his head to stop himself from grabbing her and pulling her against him. So far, she’d initiated small touches between them. He didn’t want to ruin it by overdoing things too soon. “And my chance to redeem myself in the eyes of the pack is to bring back a witch to help us, by any means necessary.”

“Except you’ve already delayed doing so, haven’t you?” Was he an open book?

It’s the mate thing.

His wolf’s words made his heart rate increase. Was that what it meant to be mated?

To be understood by another person so well, you almost didn’t have to tell them how you were feeling? They just knew? And if so, how in the world could his father have done what he did, and how could his mother have worked so diligently against her mate?

He shook his head at the thoughts. There would never be answers to these questions.

“Tristan had some choice words about my delay. I can’t blame him. They’re in the middle of endless battles. He wants you on Westervelt. Yesterday.”

“Oh, Randolph.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t. I’m not worth it.”

“What?” He couldn’t follow her train of thought. Not over the roar in his ears that had started when she’d begun to cry. All he could think was he had to stop her unhappiness. Somehow, he’d caused it and he hadn’t meant to.

Acting out of instinct rather than thought, he leaned over and kissed her. In the past, his kisses had contained simple meanings. The first time it had been to jar her into using her powers. He’d been the one who had been rattled. The second time had been to say goodbye, in case he died in battle.