Page 28 of Lone Wolf’s Claim (The Kincaid Werewolves #1)

B rock took a shuddering breath and sat up, wiping his face and pushing his hair back off of his forehead with both hands.

He needed to move. To go. To get the fuck away from this house and this road and these crazy creatures.

He needed to go home, and get back to his normal, lonely life.

Everything would be all right once he got home.

Things would go back to the way they were and this week and everything that had happened would fade day by day until eventually, it would be nothing but a vague memory.

And he was full of shit.

He was a werewolf. And werewolves fell hard when they met their female. And they only loved once. And he would never forget.

The hair rose on the back of his neck. He was being watched. Without giving away the fact that he knew, he forcibly pulled himself out of the bowels of the emotional hell he now found himself in and tuned in to what his senses were telling him.

Heather.

His heart flipped over in his chest. He didn’t have to look to know it was her. He could smell her sultry fragrance; that light scent of heather blossoms and woman. He could fucking feel her there. His pulse sped up in excitement. She’d followed him outside. Why?

But he immediately squashed down any and all hope. Or, maybe I’ve just been out here so damn long she was leaving to go back to her friend’s. And here he was, on his knees in the middle of the road like a goddamn pussy. As if he needed her feeling sorry for him on top of everything else.

Lumbering to his feet, he started to walk away without a backward glance, his face burning with embarrassment.

“Brock. Wait! Please.”

Her voice flowed over his wounded soul, but he kept walking. He didn’t want to hear how much he had hurt her. He knew. And he’d already apologized. There was nothing else to say.

“Brock, please. Help me out here,” she called a little louder this time. “Ow.”

He remembered her injuries, and with an inward curse he stopped. Clenching his fists at his sides, he turned back to see her limping after him as fast as she could go. She stumbled, crying out when she caught herself on her injured leg.

Without another thought for himself or his wounded ego, he rushed over and swooped her up into his arms. “What are ye doin’?” he growled. “Yer going tae injure yourself even worse.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck and grinning up at him she said, “I know. I think you need to carry me.”

So, that was her game. Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered her back down and steadied her until she was standing on her own two feet. “Heather, what are you doing?”

“Does this mean you’re not going to carry me?” she asked. She looked so disappointed that he almost picked her back up again. Then she sighed. “It’s okay. I know I’m a bit more than an armful.”

He frowned down at her. “What are you blathering on about?”

She chewed on her bottom lip. She rubbed her palms on her thighs. She tried to untangle her hair.

“Heather. Why are you out here? Can I help you get a cab or something?”

She raised a brow. “Do you think they’ll take those golden coins we’ve been collecting?”

Money. Right. They had none. “Can I help you get back to Grace’s or wherever it is you were going?”

“Do you love me?” she blurted out. Then she slapped her hand over her mouth.

Gently, he pulled it away from her face and held it in between both of his. “I dae. Verra, verra much.” His eyes were suspiciously moist, and he wiped the back of one hand over them.

“Then why are you leaving me?” she whispered.

Flabbergasted, he searched her pretty face. “I thought I should…I thought that was what you would want. You looked so upset with me…”

“Did you love her?” she interrupted. “I mean, you must have. She’s…perfect.”

He shook his head. “No. I didn’t. I don’t!” he scoffed. “And she is nowhere near ‘perfect’. Not to me.” He bent down until he was on a level with her to make sure she was paying close attention. “Heather, I was never with that woman.”

“What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t me.” Would she believe him?

She wrinkled up her forehead. “But, I thought…you confessed…”

“Aye. I did. But I didn’t do it. I was trying to protect…

somebody.” For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say the bastard’s name.

“I was going to tell the truth, today. I was,” he insisted.

“I was going to tell everyone! But then Sara showed up with the child. And I just couldn’t do it.

I realized that if I told the truth now, I wouldn’t be freeing myself, or getting back at the one who’d done it.

I’d be condemning a female and her innocent child.

” He shrugged. “I just couldn’t do that. ”

“Oh,” she said. “But why were you going to tell the truth now? After all this time? After all you’ve been through?”

“Because I want to be with you. I want to be worthy of you.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t expect you to believe me…”

“I believe you.”

“You do?” he asked in disbelief.

“I do. But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Whatever happened or didn’t happen is in the past. It has nothing to do with who you are now.” She gave him a timid smile. “That’s what I came out here to tell you.”

He knew he loved this woman. She had come out here after him before she even knew the truth of the matter. And that said a lot to him.

She backed away a few steps. “But, you know, if you’ve changed your mind now that we’re back in reality, I totally get it.

It’s okay.” She smiled, even though it looked like it pained her to do so.

“I mean, it was crazy in there. And things happened. And it’s totally cool.

I don’t expect you to marry me or anything. ”

“Heather.”

“I mean, being sucked into another world like that…”

“Heather.”

“That would mess with anyone’s head.”

He rested his hands on his narrow hips and cocked a brow at her. “Are you finished?”

She appeared to think about it for a few seconds. “Yes? Yes. I’m done.”

Stepping closer to her, he tilted her face up to his and kissed her soundly on those beautiful lips.

“Good,” he breathed when he came up for air.

“Because I want to stop talking now and take you somewhere where we can be alone and I can show you exactly how much I meant every single thing I’ve said the last few days. ”

Her eyes were large in her pretty face as she stared up at him. “Oh, okay.”

“And I think I should carry you. Because I want to hold you.”

“Okay,” she breathed.

He smiled down at her. “Okay.”

Scooping her effortlessly into his arms, he strode over to the truck he’d borrowed and deposited her inside of it.

“Where did you get this truck?” she asked once he’d joined her inside.

“I stole it so I could follow you here.”

“Good call,” she told him. “Where to now?”

The truck started with a rumble and he reached over to take her hand.

“I thought we’d drop by Cedric’s, the pack leader that was here earlier.

Maybe he knows somewhere we can stay until we get our bearings again.

” He glanced over at her. “That is, if he doesn’t demand I leave his territory as soon as he sets eyes on me again.

I doubt all of this made a very good impression. ”

“He won’t,” she told him.

“How do you know?”

“Just drive. I’ll tell you about it on the way.”

* * *

As it turned out, Cedric and Lucian were “having a blether” when they arrived at his place.

He happily handed Brock a spare credit card with the directions to use it for whatever they needed, and gave him directions to the nearest hotel.

He also gave him the keys to a legal vehicle and promised to have one of the “pups” take care of the borrowed truck as soon as he was done “getting th' truth out o' this eejit”, casually pointing his thumb back to where Lucian was perched on the edge of his sofa. Standing in front of him were two more males, both with arms crossed over their chests. The one with short, dark hair didn’t look surprised to be in this situation.

The other one glanced up and gave Heather a saucy wink, then grinned at Brock when he growled quietly at him.

“I still believe yer a braw lad, Brock,” Cedric told him as they were leaving. “And I would like to hear yer side of things, and maybe discuss your future. Why dinna you and yer lass come back here for dinner the day after tomorrow?”

“I would appreciate the chance to do that. Thank you,” Brock told him, his voice full of respect.

“Och. Aye. Go on wit’ ye now. I’ll see you both in a couple of days.” And then he closed the door in their face.

The hotel was only a few blocks away, and Brock quickly secured a room and hurried Heather into it.

He’d barely closed the door behind them before he grabbed her and backed her up against the wall.

Planting a hand on either side of her so she couldn’t escape, he gave her one last chance to change her mind.

“Are you very sure about this, sunshine? I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out, or where I’m going to end up, or what I’ll be doing. ”

Planting her hands firmly on his hard chest, she peeked up at him from under her lashes. “I want to be with you,” she stated. “But there are some things you should know first.”

Warmth and desire rippled through him at her words, so much so he barely heard the second part of what she’d said. Burying his face in the side of her neck, he mumbled, “What things?”

“Brock, listen.”

Reluctantly, he lifted his head and gave her his attention.

“Prince Nada told me some things. He said…”

“Nada? His name is Nada?” He barked out a laugh. She rolled her eyes and he got serious again. “Sorry. Go on.”

“So, you know that place that the bad Fae were banished to? The one I was telling you about?”

He nodded.

“Well, it’s going to open again. And they’re going to get out. The prince is worried, and I believe he’s sincere.”