118
KNIGHT
I instantly caught the smell of her arousal before she ran inside the cabin, avoiding me. I shifted and used the back door to get inside.
“Hey.”
She just jumped. “You scare me.”
“You okay?” I wrapped her in my arms, kissing her shoulder.
“Knight, get in the shower.” She loosened my arms around her, getting off me.
“Are you coming with me?” I joked to lighten up the sudden tension between us.
“No.”
“Why are you like this? You suddenly pulled up walls between us and tried to distance yourself from me.”
“Of course not.” She shifted her gaze away, but I could hear her heartbeat racing.
“Did you just lie?” I cupped the back of her next so she could look at me. “Nirvana, there’s no shame in feeling turned on when your mate touches you.”
“Oh, yeah? When you’re in your wolf?”
“Yes. It’s normal. Sometimes, mates licked each other in their wolf forms. They roll around the bushes, ink their scent on their mates to ward off those unmated werewolves from their females. And I’m flattered that I made you feel that way.”
“Just shut up and hit the shower. You smell like a dog that hasn’t bathed for months.” She sniffed my armpit and wrinkled her nose. “You stink, baby.”
I chuckled. “Are you sure you’re not up for a round in the bathroom?”
“In that space? No thanks.” She went to the sitting area and turned on the TV with a sigh.This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
I showered quickly and put on a new set of clothes. When I came to her, she was watching a series.
“Have you heard from Dane?”
“They’re working on my request. I want to end this problem with Cadogan, or he could expose us.”
“That’s true.”
“I have to text Dane.”
She gave me my phone and the burner.
I quickly texted Dane to call me as soon as possible and hit send. When there was a knock on the door, my lips did not reach Nirvana’s neck. She and I looked at each other.
“Stay here.”
“Are you expecting a visitor?”
“In here? No.” I got up from the chair when another knock followed.
Dread settled in my chest as Nirvana went behind the door, sniffing the air.
I caught the scents, too, before I opened it. “What are you both doing here?”
“You mean four of us?” McKaye grinned. “Hey, Alpha.”
“Oh, my God.” Nirvana pushed me aside and dashed out to hug Kailin. “I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too. How’s your little getaway?”
She grinned from ear to ear, and my senses were flooded with contentment. It definitely came from her. “Not fun, but I’m glad Knight came to me yesterday.”
“Are we interrupting something?” McKaye asked.
“No,” she replied gratefully. “I’m glad to see familiar faces. You have no idea.”
“Come inside,” I told everyone. McKaye and Luka went ahead. Then Kailin looked behind her shoulder. Dane just showed up carrying two bags.
“Dane.” Nirvana must be so bored living alone that she was even enthusiastic about seeing Dane. “Glad you’re here. We just sent you a message.”
“Just saw it on our way.” He came to me and dropped a bag to shake my hand. “Alpha.”
“Get inside. We might not be alone in this area.”
“Yeah. Kain told me to inform you that there was an attack a few miles from here. Rogues and infected caught a small pack off guard. He didn’t tell me the casualties, but there are survivors.”
I locked the door behind me, and all eyes were on me. “I went for a run, and this stubborn woman just followed me.”
She just shrugged while her arms crossed over her chest.
“I found a rogue, and then she just appeared out of nowhere. I killed the rogue, and she killed the infected.”
“How?” they asked her in unison.
“With the dagger.”
“Oh.”
She raised a brow at their one-word reply. “What’s the matter?”
“That means you’re a badass but reckless.”
She rolled her eyes at me as she joined the guys in the sitting area. “So, why are you all here? To save our asses or to join the fun?”
“Probably both,” Luka replied.
“Alpha, may I have a word.” Dane stood up next to Kailin.
“What about me?” Nirvana raised her hand.
“Let’s talk outside.” I went out first. Of course, Nirvana wouldn’t want to be left behind, joining me next before Dane.
“The job is done,” he began, but I felt like there was bad news attached to it.
“And?”
“We found photos of you and the vineyards.”
“Okay?” And that was not the bad news.
“As a wolf.”
“What the fuck?” I spat out. Anger pumped through my veins. “Who knows about this?”
“Besides the agency, none. From Cadogan’s side, I don’t know how far he shared that info. Some might believe, some might call him crazy.”
“You found the photos in his house?” Nirvana asked.
“No. At the office in the nightclub. It was closed for operation, but it looked like they were ready to trade drugs underground. We took care of it. We burned the whole building and planted drugs, so if the cops would arrive, they have evidence.” He picked something from his jacket pocket. “Here. A souvenir.”
“What the fuck?” It was the picture of me in my wolf. “It’s a week old.”
“Exactly. Cadogan knew what you were when someone got inside and shot my mate.”
“Are you sure there was no more evidence, maybe a flash drive, a memory card, or something?”
“No. That was from the camera. I took it with me and printed that for you.”
“How many casualties?”
“From us? None. From them, Cadogan didn’t want to die without a fight. Six of his men were there, and three from another group.”
“That would make a deal gone wrong.”
I looked at Nirvana, who seemed pleased with the outcome. “Yeah.”
“I killed his son, Travis. He was alone at home.”
“You went to his house?” she asked in shock.
“No.”
“He’s a sniper. How many yards?” I asked in amusement.
“900.”
“Impressive. Thank you. I’ll make the payment today.”
“No. I didn’t get mine. I gave it to the guys who came with me. I told them this was personal, and they all agreed. They wanted to meet you in person and tell you they have your back. All you have to do is give us a call.”
“Thank you, Dane.” Nirvana hugged him. I held the growl in my chest when my wolf stirred inside me.
“Anytime.”
When we returned to the cabin, the guys settled in and cooked something in the kitchen. Kailin was still in the same position.
“Where’s Victor now?”
“Safe with Alexander. Your grandpa said hi to both of you.”
“So they have additional members hunting deer in the Alaskan forest?”
“He won’t stay longer.” Dane turned to me. “About your message, what do you wanna talk about?”
“Zarah is trying to arrange a meeting between Eloh and Nirvana.”
“Not a good idea. He’s treacherous and dangerous. I don’t trust him even if he will come alone. He has always had a devious plan to get what he wants even if stepping on someone’s toe.”
“I know this is dangerous. That’s why you’ll be a part of my team,” Nirvana told him as a form of invitation in the hope he would say yes.
“It’ll be an honor, Luna, and I will protect you with my life, but I can’t guarantee your safety in just a short time, and we haven’t known the place of meeting yet. It’s our disadvantage.”
“This meeting has to take place, Dane. I’m tired of running. If we don’t settle this agreement, our plan to defeat Cyrius won’t succeed.”