Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(87)

Mena rolled her eyes, but took the bag from him.

Alex's brow popped up. "Other things?"

She huffed, and shook her head as she led Lexi to his bedroom to find a place to put her belongings. "Don't ask," she said over her shoulder. "Believe me when I say that you don't want to know what Phoenix's idea of 'other things' is."

Roel handed the suitcase to Alex and turned to walk back out the door. "I could use a hand getting the rest out of Phoenix's Escalade."

"The rest?" Alex said.

Roel chuckled. "Aww, c'mon. You didn't think that was all, did you? We haven't even brought in the shoes yet."

"Shoes?" Alex said, and gulped.

Roel flashed him a devilish grin. "Lots and lots of shoes."





THE LAST QUARTER MOON





Chapter 45



Roel





After he double-checked to make sure the room number Phoenix had given him was correct, Roel tapped on the hotel room door.

Jaxon opened up after a few seconds to let him in.

As he walked in, he wasn't a bit surprised that Phoenix had splurged for a suite for Jaxon and the girl—Lea, he thought Phoenix had called her, though they had never been properly introduced.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Jaxon said. "She's in the bedroom, asleep. Touch her and I'll make you sorry you did."

"Do you think Phoenix would send me here to relieve you if he thought I meant her any harm?"

Jaxon chortled sarcastically as he headed to the door. "Who knows what the hell Phoenix is thinking? Remember what I said, asshat. I'll break off your damn fingers and feed them to you."

"I wonder if your fingers would be ripped off if you did."

Jaxon shook his head, then closed the door behind him.

Roel blew out a breath as he tossed the binder he'd brought with him on the coffee table then flipped to Tennessee. Was it just a coincidence that the Alpha wolf of Knoxville was named Justice? There were at least four times as many in his pack than Mena had in hers.

He studied the page for a long moment, trying to figure out a different approach than the six of them had been using to interest the alphas, and then he rubbed his palms on his jeans and dialed the number under the physical address listed below the name.

It only rang twice before a male voice said hello.

"Is this Justice?"

"That's a possibility. Tell me who you are and how you got my number then the conversation might be continued with my introduction."

"Right, uh… this is Roel from the Montgomery—"

"David said someone from your pack would call. I'm not interested—"

"Wait! I don't think you understand—"

"That your pack was too stupid to tell your new Alpha that she needed to name her wolf or she would turn into a moonrising wolf? Yeah, I think I was informed well enough. Listen, if I come to Alabama, it will only be to kill your Alpha and take over her pack. If that's what you want, I'll be there by morning."

Roel sighed in defeat. "No, and thank you for your time."

"Sure thing. Call me back if you change your mind. Oh, and, Roel…"

"Yeah?"

"You have until five days after the first quarter moon to let me know the moonrising wolf is under control before I come anyway. I won't be coming for handshakes or to save her. Do you understand?"

"Ye—yes, sir," Roel stuttered.

The call dropped, and Roel fell back against the backrest of the hotel room chair.

He was just about to call Phoenix with the awesome news, when the bedroom door of the suite opened and Lea stood in the doorway, her huge bright blue eyes staring at him.

His heart did a little quick beating at the sight of her. Of course, he'd seen her before, but he had either been too consumed by other issues or never really paid her much attention. She was beautiful. Her hair was such a deep shade of brunette it looked like a rich chestnut in the dim lighting of the room, and the shiny, wavy locks hung almost to her waist.

Jaxon's threat thundered in his mind as his eyes roamed over the curves of her body, and he quickly averted his gaze from her, back to the open binder in front of him.

"Jaxon will be back in a little while. I relieved him so he could go take care of his nutritional needs."


"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

Sit with me? Roel thought. As in, with me in the chair or on my lap?

His confusion must have been written all over his face, because she smiled and pointed to the sofa at the right of the chair he'd been sitting in. "I meant that I would sit on the sofa. You can stay there. Jaxon seems to think I'll get over what I'm going through with sleep, so he has been making me stay in bed. I'm not tired."

"Yes, of course!" he said quickly, and then offered her the sofa with the gesture of his hand. "Please… you are welcome to sit on me—" his eyes slammed shut as embarrassment flooded up his neck and into his cheeks. He took a deep breath and organized the way the words needed to come out before he opened his mouth again. "Join me, please, Lea."

Her smile was small, but it was there, and it appeared she wasn't going to run back into the bedroom, calling him names as she went, so he guessed he hadn't totally screwed up.