you have to do if you want to keep your pack.” Her aunt stood and emptied her coffee into the sink. “Get him back.”
Rylie found Seth near the gate at the bottom of the hill. She opened her mouth to call for him, but stopped when she realized that he was deep in conversation with a stranger.
She approached them cautiously, one hand on her stomach as if she could protect her babies by touching them. This stranger was tall and muscular with eyes like shards of sapphire and hair to his shoulders. His skin was the kind of tan that came from spending long hours in the sun. He was almost as big as Abel, and looked like a cross between a biker and a bodybuilder.
He also smelled like wolf.
Her hackles lifted at the sight of him. She let out a growl before she could stop herself.
The sound made both men look over at her. “So this is Rylie, I take it,” said the new werewolf. He had a deep, rolling Southern accent that sounded like melted chocolate. She barely heard him. There was something extremely dominant about the new wolf, and her inner Alpha was rising to the challenge.
“This is Rylie,” Seth confirmed. The new man lowered his eyes, hunched his shoulders, and slowly dropped to one knee. It was a submissive posture, meant to appease her. It worked. Her fists relaxed, and Seth took her hand. “His name’s Brody. I told you he was going to join us a few weeks ago. Remember?”
She took several deep, calming breaths before responding. Her fingernails ached, which was a bad sign. Those were usually the first things to go when she wolfed out. “I forgot about that. Is he…safe?”
“There are no odd tattoos.”
Brody glanced up at Seth without standing. “I’ve got more than a few tats.” Rylie’s gaze dropped to his hands. Sleeves covered his arms, but she could see tribal patterns all the way onto his knuckles.
“But nothing bloody,” Seth said, referring to the bleeding apple tattoos that all of Cain’s followers wore.
Rylie nodded and checked her fingernails. They were secure. “It’s good you got here safely,” she said, forcing herself to smile. Gwyn would smack her upside the head if she didn’t display appropriate manners to a guest. “Especially considering how everything’s been since the senator got assassinated. What were you two talking about down here?”
“We were making arrangements,” Seth said. “Brody has special skills we can use.”
“Special skills?”
It was Brody who responded. “My background is in personal security. Bodyguardin’, to be precise. I’ve been asked to keep you safe, ma’am.”
She was torn between shock at the idea of a bodyguard and confusion at having someone ten years her senior calling her “ma’am.” Seth caught her confused expression and gave her a gentle hug. “I can’t always be here to protect you, Rylie. As long as we’re dealing with all of this unrest, I’d feel a lot better knowing there’s someone to watch your back.”
“A bodyguard? But I don’t want a bodyguard.”
Brody stood slowly—no sudden movements. “I assure you, I am very discreet.”
“Seth? Can we talk?” Her voice was a full octave higher than usual.
They stepped a few feet away, and Brody politely turned his back. It was more for show than anything else. Werewolves had great hearing, and they would have had to be on opposite sides of the property in order to really speak privately.
“What’s wrong?” Seth asked.
“I wouldn’t need a bodyguard if you’d just let Abel protect me,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “I don’t want some strange guy following me around!”
“Rylie—”
She jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “I want you, and I want Abel. That’s it. And I’m really going to need Abel if I want to stop Levi’s new megalomaniac streak. Abel has to take over as Alpha.”
“But Abel left.”
“Because you attacked him!”
“Can you blame me? I’ve been putting up with him for years .”
“You’ll have to
Rylie found Seth near the gate at the bottom of the hill. She opened her mouth to call for him, but stopped when she realized that he was deep in conversation with a stranger.
She approached them cautiously, one hand on her stomach as if she could protect her babies by touching them. This stranger was tall and muscular with eyes like shards of sapphire and hair to his shoulders. His skin was the kind of tan that came from spending long hours in the sun. He was almost as big as Abel, and looked like a cross between a biker and a bodybuilder.
He also smelled like wolf.
Her hackles lifted at the sight of him. She let out a growl before she could stop herself.
The sound made both men look over at her. “So this is Rylie, I take it,” said the new werewolf. He had a deep, rolling Southern accent that sounded like melted chocolate. She barely heard him. There was something extremely dominant about the new wolf, and her inner Alpha was rising to the challenge.
“This is Rylie,” Seth confirmed. The new man lowered his eyes, hunched his shoulders, and slowly dropped to one knee. It was a submissive posture, meant to appease her. It worked. Her fists relaxed, and Seth took her hand. “His name’s Brody. I told you he was going to join us a few weeks ago. Remember?”
She took several deep, calming breaths before responding. Her fingernails ached, which was a bad sign. Those were usually the first things to go when she wolfed out. “I forgot about that. Is he…safe?”
“There are no odd tattoos.”
Brody glanced up at Seth without standing. “I’ve got more than a few tats.” Rylie’s gaze dropped to his hands. Sleeves covered his arms, but she could see tribal patterns all the way onto his knuckles.
“But nothing bloody,” Seth said, referring to the bleeding apple tattoos that all of Cain’s followers wore.
Rylie nodded and checked her fingernails. They were secure. “It’s good you got here safely,” she said, forcing herself to smile. Gwyn would smack her upside the head if she didn’t display appropriate manners to a guest. “Especially considering how everything’s been since the senator got assassinated. What were you two talking about down here?”
“We were making arrangements,” Seth said. “Brody has special skills we can use.”
“Special skills?”
It was Brody who responded. “My background is in personal security. Bodyguardin’, to be precise. I’ve been asked to keep you safe, ma’am.”
She was torn between shock at the idea of a bodyguard and confusion at having someone ten years her senior calling her “ma’am.” Seth caught her confused expression and gave her a gentle hug. “I can’t always be here to protect you, Rylie. As long as we’re dealing with all of this unrest, I’d feel a lot better knowing there’s someone to watch your back.”
“A bodyguard? But I don’t want a bodyguard.”
Brody stood slowly—no sudden movements. “I assure you, I am very discreet.”
“Seth? Can we talk?” Her voice was a full octave higher than usual.
They stepped a few feet away, and Brody politely turned his back. It was more for show than anything else. Werewolves had great hearing, and they would have had to be on opposite sides of the property in order to really speak privately.
“What’s wrong?” Seth asked.
“I wouldn’t need a bodyguard if you’d just let Abel protect me,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “I don’t want some strange guy following me around!”
“Rylie—”
She jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “I want you, and I want Abel. That’s it. And I’m really going to need Abel if I want to stop Levi’s new megalomaniac streak. Abel has to take over as Alpha.”
“But Abel left.”
“Because you attacked him!”
“Can you blame me? I’ve been putting up with him for years .”
“You’ll have to
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