No. Stop. I didn’t care where Knox was or what he was doing. All I’d wanted for two days was for him to back off and give me space. Now I had it. Great. Fantastic. Exactly what I’d asked for.
So why did I feel personally offended that he’d actually listened?
Fuck these stupid thoughts. I was not going down that road. The man had called me a warm hole and left me. I didn’t get to have feelings about his whereabouts.
The twins were napping after a morning of Noah teaching them “wolf games” in the backyard, which had mostly consisted of them chasing each other around while partially shifted. Watching my four-year-olds bound around with wolf paws while giggling hysterically was still breaking my brain a little, but at least they were happy.
Noah had left too, mentioning he needed to check on something at the pack house. For the first time since we’d arrived in Werewolf Town, I was alone with my kids in this house.
I tried to focus on the book I’d found on Noah’s shelf, some thriller about a detective hunting a serial killer. Normal, human problems. No werewolves or mate bonds or children with supernatural abilities. Just good old-fashioned murder.
My enhanced hearing kept interrupting though, catching random sounds. Someone’s blender two blocks away grindingice. Then complete silence. Then dogs barking somewhere to the east. Then nothing again.
A knock at the door interrupted my attempts at reading.
I froze. Noah had said no one really bothered him here, that pack members respected his space. So who was knocking?
Through the peephole, I saw a stunning blonde woman with a smile that looked practiced and perfect. Everything about her screamed danger, from her designer clothes to the way she stood on the porch.
I opened the door cautiously, keeping the chain on. “Can I help you?”
The woman’s nostrils flared, and her smile turned from calculated to vicious in an instant. “Oh, this is rich. You must be the human whore Knox has been hiding.”
“Excuse me?” The words hit me so unexpectedly I almost laughed.
“I’m Mary Thorne.” She said it as if I should recognize the name, as if she was someone important. “Knox’s fiancée. Well, soon to be.”
The chain snapped as she pushed the door open with casual strength, forcing her way inside. “And you’re in my way.”
I stumbled back, shock giving way to anger. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting a look at the competition.” She prowled into Noah’s living room, touching things with deliberate disrespect. A photoframe here, a book there, leaving her scent on everything. “Though competition is a strong word for what you are.”
“Get out,” I said firmly, moving to block her path to the hallway where the twins slept. “Now.”
“Did he tell you about our date last night?” Mary purred, examining her manicured nails. “He was very eager to see me. The council arranged it, of course, but he seemed quite enthusiastic.”
Date? Last night? That’s where he’d been?
“And later,” she continued with a satisfied smile, “he was very, very energetic. Though I suppose you wouldn’t know about his appetites anymore. You haven’t been taking care of him properly, have you?”
She scoffed, wrinkling her nose. “Typical human. Too focused on themselves to ever be good lovers. We wolves have stamina you couldn’t dream of.”
The implication hit me in the chest, but I refused to show it. Knox had spent the night with her? Been eager and energetic? Of course he had. Why would I expect anything different from the man who’d already proven he saw women as disposable?
“The pack expects an announcement soon, you know,” Mary continued, settling onto Noah’s couch as if she owned it. “Our mating ceremony will be the event of the year. His parents are thrilled.”
“I don’t care about your traditions or your delusions,” I snapped, ignoring the way my heart cracked at the thought of Knox with this vicious woman. “I don’t care about Knox.”
“Don’t you?” Her laugh was cruel, knowing. “Then why are you still here? Why not take your bastards and leave?”
That’s all I’d wanted to do since arriving, but I’d be damned if I’d let this bitch think she could order me around.
“Knox will be here any minute now,” I lied. “Leave.”
“I don’t think so.” She examined a throw pillow with disgust before tossing it aside. “I know exactly where he is right now, and I know where he’ll be later. With me, where he belongs. Where he’ll always belong.”
She stood, moving closer. “You’re just a charity case, nothing more. A loose end he’s tying up out of misplaced guilt. Don’t let your delusions get to your head.”
