Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(13)
Just then, two men with long hair—one blond and the other a redhead—caught her attention. The blond muttered, “Nick has a daughter? Had no freaking clue.”
“Nobody did,” the redhead whispered back.
Well, that pretty much summed up how much Daddy Dearest had missed her, didn’t it? Whipping around to look at him, she kept her gaze on his face and sneered, “Guess you’d better toss me in the kennel with all the other bad pups. Wouldn’t want you to have to deal with me like a man or anything.”
His blue eyes flashed with what she could have sworn was pain. “Placing you in custody is the last thing I want to do, but I have the safety of my team to consider. You won’t remain there any longer than necessary—you have my word.”
Her mouth fell open, and she sputtered in outrage. “Your word? Is that supposed to mean shit to me? Giving your word implies you have honor, and you have none!”
“I’m truly sorry you feel that way.”
“You’re the reason I feel that way, you sonofabitch,” she hissed.
He shook his head, sadness shadowing his features, and turned away, refusing to be drawn into an argument. “Aric, run ahead and see if Rowan has any clothes to loan Selene. Everyone, let’s go.”
The redhead named Aric took off. Before she could think of anything else to hurl at his head, Nick changed back into his wolf form. The rest of his Pack followed suit, leaving her no choice but to do the same or fall behind, which they weren’t going to let her get away with anyway. They wouldn’t risk allowing her to escape.
Nick took the lead, and the others surrounded her. She couldn’t help but notice that Zander remained close by her side, as though keeping watch over her, rather than guarding against possible escape. In fact, when one wolf trotted a bit too close, he bared his teeth and snapped, causing his friend to sidle away quickly.
To have someone looking out for her was strange, to say the least. She’d been self-reliant for so long, even among her own clan. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to have a defender. It was sort of nice. Okay, a lot nice—but she couldn’t get used to it. Bonded or not, she and Zander Cole had no future together. She had a mission to carry out.
The Pack kept up a brisk pace, not a full-out run, and within half an hour they trotted onto the property she’d been trying to gain access to for months. Funny—now that she was here, all she wanted to do was leave. That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, if the grim determination of her enemy was any indication.
At the edge of the forest, the men shifted and gathered the clothing they’d left scattered about, dressing efficiently. She was almost sorry to see all of that prime male flesh covered up, especially Zander’s. Beautiful.
She couldn’t stop staring at the man, which annoyed her, but at least the attention wasn’t one-sided. He studied her plenty in return, apparently every bit as curious about her as she was about him. She wasn’t very happy about having a mate, but . . .
She began to see that it might have a few advantages. For one, her mating would dissuade the advances of a particularly insistent suitor from her clan. Taggart had been a friend since childhood, but he hadn’t let up on hopes of a mating with her since he’d hit puberty and discovered what his dick was for. She loved the big, handsome lug to death, but not like that.
Having Zander as a mate might also give her a stay of execution, literally. He had prevented her from killing their commander, so she wouldn’t face a murder rap. Plus, it was forbidden to interfere with the mating bond—at least, in her world. Once, that world had been her father’s as well.
Being reminded of him leaving, and why, was too painful. So she protected herself as she always had—by wrapping herself in a cloak of anger. Rage was the best antidote to pain. Better than food, liquor, sex, or just about anything. That was a sad commentary on the state of her life, but anger was all that had gotten her through for too long.
Aric jogged across the lawn and handed her the clothes. Without a word of thanks, she slipped on a pair of underwear and a bra, stepped into the borrowed cargo pants, and tugged on the black T-shirt. Then she padded barefoot with the group to a side door and straight into what was obviously a recreation room.
She stood, blinking at the spacious room for a moment, trying to make the sight gel with what she’d pictured. There were tables set up for pool, foosball, and Ping-Pong, as well as a dart board and a large-screen TV with a gaming system hooked to it. Two sofas with pillows, several oversized chairs, and rugs made the room homey. Comfortable.
She had expected the inside of the compound to appear stark, more like a barracks. But as they guided her out of the recreation room and into the hallway, she continued to be surprised. The floors were carpeted, and tasteful wall sconces lit the way. The walls themselves were a pleasant, warm cream color.
“You expected a military compound with cement floors and armed guards?” Zander questioned, looking at her.
His voice had a strange flatness. She’d noticed it from the start, and now that the excitement had died down somewhat, she wondered about the inflection that was a bit off.
“Something like that. You all live here full time?”
He nodded. “Makes our jobs easier.”
After a few turns, which she memorized, they led her to a hallway marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. The rest of the party dispersed, while Zander and Nick escorted her through the double doors. Her blood froze as she noted the rows of steel doors on either side of the corridor, sealing off what could only be cells. Her worst fear was confirmed when Nick halted and pulled open one of the doors.