Dreaming of the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #8)(39)

Jake glanced at Darien, knowing that with their enhanced hearing, his brother could hear what was being said through the mouthpiece.

Darien raised his brows again.

How could he tell Mary that, in werewolf fashion, they didn’t marry but mated for a lifetime? And since Alicia was human, that meant turning her. But with her carrying a baby, no way in hell could he or any other wolf risk the consequences. Turning a human was chancy at best and rarely done on purpose.

“Thanks, Mary. I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

They ended the call, and he handed Darien his phone.

“My office,” Darien suggested, although it was more of an order.

Jake knew Darien would tell Lelandi what was going on because she jointly led the pack and she had a need to know. But he didn’t have to like it.

As soon as Jake shut the door to Darien’s office, Darien took a seat in the sitting area instead of behind his desk.

“What’s going on, Jake? She has a gray wolf name.”

“But she’s not one of us. She has a wolf’s name, but you and I both know that the names we’ve chosen are not exclusive to our species.”

“All right.” Darien leaned back in his tall leather chair. “So what’s this all about?”

“She’s human and got into trouble at a restaurant where I had eaten breakfast while waiting for the gallery to open. The opening had been delayed. Anyway, she’s a bounty hunter and—”

“Bounty hunter?” Darien looked surprised as hell.

“Yeah, and she’s after a couple of mobster types.”

Darien didn’t say anything for a minute, then shook his head. “She’s pregnant? What in the hell is she doing chasing down members of the Mob in her condition?”

He didn’t voice any opinion about why Jake would have been having sex with a human woman who was pregnant. He had to figure that Jake had sense enough to know better.

“She didn’t look pregnant when I saw her. She had a man under surveillance, and he’d sent one of his thugs to remove her from the restaurant where I was having breakfast. So I came to her rescue. We were supposed to have lunch together, but she left before we could do so. That’s why I stayed overnight. I thought either some harm had come to her after all, or she was trying to ditch me.”

“You were at a motel together, though.”

The shower incident came back to Jake in a vivid recollection. He frowned at his brother. Normally, that should have been his own business. He let out his breath in exasperation. “She didn’t look pregnant. All right? Give me credit for having better sense than that.”

Darien tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Maybe she broke the engagement because she wasn’t showing and she was too embarrassed to tell you she was having a child out of wedlock. Or maybe she’s still married. Or separated from a husband.”

Jake sighed darkly. “I assume it’s something like that now, yes. But I’m glad she’s not in danger.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re returning to Breckenridge.”

When Darien’s probing look changed to one of concern, Jake sat taller and ground his teeth. “It’s just something I have to do.”

“Why, Jake? What the hell is going on between the two of you?”

Jake raked his fingers through his hair and stared at the floor before he again held Darien’s gaze. “Tell me about this dream mating that happened between you and Lelandi.”

Darien’s mouth parted. Then he clamped his lips tight and didn’t say anything for a moment. “You’ve never believed in it.”

“Hell, Darien, I dreamed of her last night. And every night for the past seven weeks. Ever since the day she disappeared.”

“The human woman?” Disbelief coated Darien’s words.

“Yeah, damn it. She’s so real, I swear I made love to her last night. Again.”

Darien looked at him thoughtfully, then shook his head. “Can’t be happening. Must be just that you’re so fascinated by her, you’re dreaming about her. We can’t dream mate with humans.”

Jake let out his breath in exasperation. “Maybe it’s an anomaly. Maybe it’s just a really rare occurrence. But from what you’ve told me about you and Lelandi, this is the same thing that happened between the two of you.”

“If this woman’s not a wolf, she’s carrying a human child. You can’t change a woman and her child. A woman, if the situation is dire enough, but not her unborn child.”

“All right, all right. I hadn’t planned to turn her. I just want to know she’s safe.”

Darien frowned at him. “I’m serious about this, Jake.”

“Your concern is duly noted. Is that all?”

“Jake…” Darien’s tone was consoling.

Jake didn’t need consolation. He needed to see Alicia again, craved seeing her, and had to find out what had happened to her over the past seven weeks. He had to be sure she was truly safe and well.

Jake nodded. “I know my place, Darien. I know what I can and can’t do. See you in the morning.”

His heart warring with his mind, he left Darien’s office and headed for the stairs. He was past ready to move out.

He hated that a dream could make him crave someone so badly that she’d keep him up half the night. Hated that he couldn’t have her in the flesh the way he wanted.