A flash of jealousy rushed through me, taking me by surprise. Why would I be jealous? I tried to swallow it down as I bit into another slice of pizza, keeping my expression as neutral as possible.
“Oh?’ I said. When I glanced up, I saw his eyes dancing with amusement, as if he knew exactly what was going through my mind. I glanced away, heat creeping up my face.
“I asked her if she would give you some self-defense classes,” he finally explained. “Teach you the basics of fighting, enough so that you don’t feel defenseless. She said she could squeeze you into her schedule if you wanted.”
I blinked, staring like an idiot even as warmth and affection washed over me. Sam had done that for me? I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stared like an idiot for a moment, even as affection continued to run through me.
He tilted his head, a playful smirk spilling over that perfect face as his eyes sparkled with amusement. “Are you going to say something, or just keep staring at me like I’ve grown a second head?” he teased. “I think some words are in order. At least a thank you.”
I glowered at him. “You’re relentless,” I growled, though I couldn’t hold back my grin.
He raised his eyebrows. “Am I?” he asked, leaning forward over the table, shortening the gap between us. From here, it would have been simple enough to close the distance, and that overwhelming urge came, one that seemed to grow stronger every time I was near him, as if the mating bond was continually pressing us closer together. It seemed to get harder every time to hold myself back. Every time I caught a whiff of his scent or felt his casual touch resting on my shoulder or my back, it seemed to charge whatever the bond had started.
“Yes,” I said, close enough that our noses were nearly touching.
A flash of wolf burned in his eyes, along with a hunger that heated my entire body. He leaned forward, and for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he moved his lips to my ear. His face was so close to mine that I could count individual eyelashes and could see all the tiny details of his eyes, his mouth.
“You haven’t seen me be relentless yet,” he murmured. His breath caressed my skin, shivers radiating through me that made my entire body tense, those few words setting me ablaze ina way I didn’t anticipate. My toes curled as I sucked in a breath, and it was all I could do not to jump over the table right then and there and let him have his way with me. My mind seemed to go blank, the words reverberating in my head and seeming to render me mute.
He leaned away, though the heat of him lingered as my wolf went wild with need.
“Well?” he asked. “What about it?”
Something about his expression told me he knew exactly what he’d done to me, and that he was enjoying it. I forced myself to swallow, willing my voice to come back.
“Thank you,” I finally managed to say. “It…means a lot. More than you realize.”
“I’m always going to protect you, Rachel,” he said. “But I don’t want you to feel helpless, either.” His hand reached out and took mine, holding tight. “But be aware that the next time you get attacked by demons, I’m going to come running, no matter how strong you are.”
Chapter 10 - Sam
Over the last several years, I have learned how to navigate the elders. I understood how they operated and how they always thought they were in the right, no matter what. I knew that you had to speak to them with deference and respect. I had figured out that they were confident that they knew the ins and outs of the entire pack. Although the alpha was in charge, they believed all decisions should go through them.
I had also learned that they were arrogant, infuriating, and had no idea about the nuances of running Silver Falls, no matter what they told themselves.
“I understand that you want answers, but at the moment we don’t have any,” Elias said, eyeing the three tall men on the other side of his desk, not breaking eye contact. “We’ll let you know when we have more concrete information that we can act on.”
I stood behind Elias near the wall, eyes darting between the three elders, their hair all different levels of gray, their backs rigid as they puffed out their chests with self-importance. Each wore a disdainful expression that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a disgruntled noble. Behind them, however, stood the Oracle, watching the proceedings in perfect silence, an impartial observer.
“We were expecting something more by now,” Romulus, one of the elders, growled. “What have you been doing, precisely?”
“You mean besides keeping the pack protected?” Elias said, his voice dangerously even. Usually, when he used that voice, it came a few moments before an outburst where youwould want to be in the next state. I had been on the receiving end of that voice once before. So had most of the pack guard.
If the elders noticed the danger, they ignored it.
“We’re worried about our pack,” Thaddeus insisted. “We are trying to keep them safe.”
“And we’re doing that,” Elias responded. “We’ve gotten several new recruits into the guard, and we’re increasing patrols.”
“What about the lair?” Romulus demanded. “You said you were searching for it. It doesn’t seem as though you have made much progress on that end.”
Elias’s hand curled into a fist against the desk. “We have some leads,” he said.
“‘Leads’?” Dorian sneered with disdain. “Is that really all you can tell us?”
I growled, moving from my place against the wall until I stood directly in front of Dorian, looking down on his leathery face, his gray hair beginning to bald in the center.
“Don’t forget your place, Dorian,” I snarled. “That’s your alpha you’re talking to. Just because you’re a pack elder doesn’t give you the right to question his decisions or demand results. If you stopped pestering us, maybe we would be able to get some more work done, but you elders have your heads so far up your—”
