Luke’s glower deepened. He thought himself dominant enough that her father should have chosen him as his second, not Blake. Luke had been part of the pack longer. He’d killed more unsanctioned wolves and had been a crucial component in the destruction of more than one rival pack. He was cunning and lethal and carried out his alpha’s orders without question. The latter was likely part of the reason her father hadn’t chosen him—leaders didn’t grow stronger if they surrounded themselves with individuals who never questioned them.
Luke’s eyes didn’t leave Nora’s. He’d just interrupted what might have been a fun fight between her and Jasmine, and Nora’s wolf still wanted blood. Never mind that her father would not allow it. She could fight insignificant wolves like Jasmine, but the second she tried to challenge anyone with authority, her father put a stop to it. It enraged her wolf and pissed Nora the hell off.
“Talk to your father.” Luke made those words an order, like he was the more dominant wolf and he fully expected her to comply. It was an attempt at a strong exit. She knew it. Blake knew it. Only a wolf more submissive than Luke would have been fooled by the ruse.
When he strode away, Nora spun toward Blake. He stood with his arms crossed, his shoulder leaning on one of the evergreens supporting the wooden bar.
“What?” he asked, hardly a hint of inflection in his voice. “I let you handle it.”
“You stood there. That was enough.”
He shrugged in a way that said I can’t help what I am. Then he turned to focus on Tate, who still hadn’t conquered his wolf.
Suppressing a growl, Nora moved to his side and rested her arms on the bar.
Tate’s yellow eyes locked on her. She felt his interest, his intrigue, his want. She was used to that desire. Something about a naturally born werewolf called to the others. Her pack mates knew better than to act on their instincts, though. At least, most of them did. Her father would kill anyone who pursued her without his permission.
Which meant Luke had permission.
Her wolf snapped and snarled, demanding to be released.
No, Nora told her.
This wasn’t the first time Lehr had approved someone she and her wolf didn’t like. The others were no longer part of the pack. One was no longer alive. The latter was the last time she’d defied her father and fought a wolf in the pack hierarchy, and it was the first time she’d truly been afraid of him.
She looked past Tate and watched Luke join his alpha, who watched the struggling werewolf with zero emotion on his face.
“He won’t survive the night,” she said.
“I know.” Blake sounded apathetic. He wasn’t. He knew it had been a mistake to bring Tate into the pack. Blake should have sent him somewhere else, to Viktor or the Nashville pack. Either would have been a better fit.
Blake took something out of his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it in front of Nora. It was a check for more than half a million dollars.
She gave him a sidelong look. “No one mentioned a big deposit to me.”
“It’s not pack money,” he said.
“Then what’s it for?”
“The Mistwood Estate. I’ll buy it from you. You can move closer to Knoxville, be in the city instead of out here in the backcountry.”
Her eyes narrowed. She was listed as the estate’s owner on paper, but it really belonged to the pack, and Blake outranked her—everyone outranked her. If he wanted it, he could simply move in and kick her out. He certainly didn’t need to pay her for it. This was an act. “You’re running interference.”
“I’m trying to help.”
“Help who? Me or your alpha?”
His silence answered her question.
She blew out a breath and shook her head. It wasn’t easy to get a check out there to the cabin, not when their clothing and anything else on their bodies disappeared when they shifted. It had been delivered ahead of time, which meant her father had orchestrated this.
“He cares about you, Nora,” Blake said gently.
“I’m a status symbol.”
“You’re his daughter. I know you’re frustrated—”
“Of course I’m frustrated. He’s holding me hostage.”
