Page 20 of Property of Prowler (Kings of Anarchy MC: Nevada #1)

NINE

PROWLER

Prowler came awake to Wolf howling and thrashing to get out. Which made zero sense because their woman was … smelling all wrong.

IT’S NOT OUR MATE, YOU FUCKING MEAT BAG.

Wolf growled with a ferocity that Prowler had never heard before.

Jackknifing up from the bed, Allie went flying off him.

It was true. It wasn’t his mate trying to wring pleasure from him. He and Wolf both had been so exhausted they were practically comatose, and Allie had taken advantage of his state of stupor.

“What the hell, Riley?

“FUCK,” both man and wolf roared. Wolf’s pain manifested itself in physical agony for Prowler, nearly doubling him over.

“Get your shit and get out.”

“Riley, you can’t kick me out.” Allie stood naked and unapologetic, meeting his gaze. Big mistake, Wolf took that as a challenge. “If I go, Cass goes …” She walked her fingers in the air. “All the way to Tucson with me. And who knows when you’ll see her?—”

Her words were cut off by a half-shifted paw to her throat. “You go to your room, pack your things, and be waiting by the door until the lawyer arrives. Then you’ll sign any fucking papers he puts in front of you, and then I don’t want to lay eyes on you again. Do you understand?”

The fear he saw in her downcast eyes was real, and this time he could smell it on her. She gasped, and Prowler shifted his hand back, releasing some of the pressure on her throat.

She nodded her compliance, and her words were resigned.

“He’ll kill me if I run away.”

“I’ll kill you if you don’t.”

He shoved her toward the door, and she went.

“What are you?” Allie asked in a shaky voice but didn’t turn back to look at him.

“I’m what you made me. Now go.”

That was the first time he realized how much resentment he had toward her.

He took his first life because of her.

He had a wolf because of her.

And his biggest regrets in life were because of her.

But she also gave him his greatest joy, so he was deeply conflicted.

Now that they’d bonded, he didn’t see Wolf as a negative.

Allie was in the guest room banging around. He wondered how they hadn’t woken Cass. He pulled on his jeans and didn’t bother with boxers or even buttoning them. He headed toward Cass’s room to peek in on her. It was empty.

Maybe she was already awake and just ignoring the ruckus. She was an early riser, and it was sunup.

He didn’t find her in the living room either. Just as he was about to freak out, he spotted a note on the counter.

Riley,

Cass is with me. I’ll let her explain the impromptu sleepover, but give her time, don’t hound her. I promise it’s nothing to be concerned about, just girl stuff.

Love, T

Love.

She wrote love. He gave a little howl. He could feel Wolf’s joy, but it was tainted. He felt tainted.

Wolf?

Nothing.

“Wolf?” Prowler spoke aloud, but Wolf’s only response was a snarl followed by a whimper.

Prowler’s muscles were still contracting and contorting in pain.

He could tell it came from Wolf, but he didn’t know what to say to bridge the chasm that had so recently closed but now reopened larger than ever before.

I’m sorry. I …

Prowler was at a loss. He didn’t understand Wolf’s pain. He was a man of action, not talk anyway.

What Wolf needed, what he needed, was his family together in his house and Allie out of sight.

Grabbing his phone, he called Langley, who answered on the first ring.

“Where are you?” Prowler asked as soon as Langley picked up.

“You’re up, good.” Langley spoke over Prowler’s question.

“I need you here now.”

“Good thing I’ve been in your driveway for thirty minutes waiting for the lights to come on.”

Prowler didn’t care for lawyers, but Langley was okay. The club took care of him, and he in turn took care of them.

Prowler threw open the door before the man could knock and stalked back toward the kitchen island with Langley on his heels.

“Allie. Get out here.” Within moments, Allie appeared with her travel bag and eyes cast down.

There was a touch of regret for how harshly he treated her, but not for her—for their secret. She now had firsthand knowledge that he was more than just a man.

Prowler shoved a pen in her hand, but Wolf snarled and twisted his muscles when she got within two feet of them.

“Ah, Ms. Powell, sign here. And here.” Langley flipped pages, and Allie signed. When she set the pen down, she turned to Prowler but not looking him in the eye.

Good.

“Can I see Cass at all?” She sounded genuine.

Prowler thought.

He didn’t want to keep Cass away from her mother, but he couldn’t look at her. Couldn’t ask Taylor to look at her, even though she didn’t know Allie was in his bed trying to fuck him while he was practically unconscious.

Wolf scoffed, and then snarled, fangs bared … toward Prowler.

What the fuck.

Prowler raked his hand through his hair and paced.

“Langley, can you print our standard NDA?”

“Don’t need to, brought one with me.” Langley pulled another document from his briefcase. The MC had an NDA everyone had to sign who wasn’t a member but visited the clubhouse. It not only covered what happened on the property but any member activity as well.

By default, that covered shifter stuff too. Not that it would keep all mouths shut, but it gave most people pause.

No one wanted to fuck with the Kings unless it was worth it. And they made sure it was never worth it.

Prowler nodded, and Langley handed Allie the pen again.

“If you sign and agree to tell none of my secrets. I’ll not only let you have time with Cass, I’ll send monthly payments until you die.”

She turned her gaze up to him for the first time. Greed glittered in the eyes he once found attractive. Now they only repulsed him.

“Even if I remarry?”

Prowler nodded. “Even then. It will be enough that you won’t ever have to work. You can—what was it you said? Realign your stars. But I’m serious about never seeing you again. Someone else will be a go-between with Cass. If I see you again …”

He let the threat hang because it wasn’t really a threat.

Wolf would rip her limb from limb, and Prowler didn’t know if he could stop it.

Hell, he could barely hold him back being so close to her.

Prowler didn’t understand his anger, his agony.

He just knew that Allie had to go. Luckily, Langley pretended he was shuffling papers and not paying attention to his words.

“I’m as good as gone.” She smiled, and it felt greasy. Like he’d just been played and maybe he had.

After signing, she picked up her bag and sashayed out the door.

Wolf needed to watch her leave so Prowler followed her to her car. Once she cranked it and put it in gear, she rolled down the window.

“Head’s up, there’s a man looking for your whore, and he’s bad news.

” She reached her hand out and dragged her nails along the exposed skin between his zipper flaps.

He caught her hand, lightning quick, and stopped her downward exploration.

She ripped it free easily, as Wolf couldn’t stand to touch her.

“By the way, I love the new piercing.” Her gaze dropped to his denim-covered crotch, and she licked her lips. With those parting shots, Allie pulled out of his driveway and left.

He’d recently gotten it done as a surprise for Taylor. Thank God for shifter healing. She hadn’t had a chance to see it yet, but his ex had. That was not good. It made him sick to think that …

It was then he’d realized how thoroughly he’d been played by her. She wasn’t going to Tucson. She hated her fucking parents.

And time with Cass? That was a fucking joke. If she cared at all, she would have wanted to say bye and then realized she wasn’t there.

Fuck.

Speaking of Cass, his gaze was following the progress of Allie’s car and spotted Cass and Taylor walking up the drive.

His smile fell when he took in the look on both their faces. The two people he loved most in this world were disappointed in him. He could smell it.

“Hey, Jellybean.”

He held his arms out to his daughter, but her gaze dropped.

He zipped his pants and held them out again. She accepted his embrace but whispered, “Dad, how could you? With Mom?” That fucking broke him.

Yeah, he knew how it looked, and he would explain to Cass later, but right now his Wolf was pushing against him to go to Taylor. The pain coming off her was gagging his senses. It was bitter and pithy, but then he smelled something else … blood.

The morning had been too overwhelming for him and Wolf already. He couldn’t hold back the snarl.

“Are you hurt?” His gaze snapped from Cass to Taylor. Taylor’s gasp told him it was Wolf’s eyes staring at her and not his. But Wolf wanted nothing to do with Prowler’s anger. He was whimpering in the corner. They were completely out of sync again, but Prowler was in charge.

“Why is my daughter bleeding?” he asked as he stalked toward Taylor. “Your note said it was nothing bad. You lied. To me.”

Wolf came from his corner, trying to burst free, to stop Prowler, but instead of listening, he cowed Wolf. His daughter was hurt, and he couldn’t deal with that. Not now, not ever.

“Oh my god, Dad. This is so embarrassing.” He heard his daughter retreat and the door close.

“Answer me,” Prowler ordered. “I smell her blood.”

“God, you’re such an overbearing jackass. She got her period, you fucking idiot. Here.” She thrust a bag against his chest, and both man and beast calmed at the contact. Her touch was everything.

He didn’t speak, just kept staring at Taylor.

“It’s a period survival kit. Once she decides what she likes, remember it so you get the right ones. Nothing worse than being bloated and cranky and not having the one thing you need be right.”

She turned to go, and Wolf snarled at Prowler.

God damn it.

“Taylor, wait.”

She turned and crossed her arms over her chest. Prowler couldn’t control his gaze when it dropped to her tits. She was practically presenting them to him.

When she cleared her throat, he shifted his eyes to her, and there was pain there.