Chapter Seventy-Four
Catherine used the wall to stay upright as she made her way to the kitchen. She closed her right eye when the light from the kitchen doors struck her. She glanced around to find Mable sitting at the table with her hands in her hair as she glared down at her coffee. Annabelle laid flat atop that same table with sunglasses over her eyes and her hands clasped on top of her stomach. Heather, the only one saved from drinking thanks to her pregnancy, was at the stove cooking them all breakfast.
“Good morning!” Heather cheered.
Annabelle and Mable groaned.
“How do I have a hangover? Wolves don’t get hangovers,” Catherine argued with the universe. She sat down next to Mable.
“Cause we’re not hungover,” Annabelle said.
“You’re still drunk,” Heather chirped. She sat down a nasty green shake in front of Catherine. “Drink it. It’ll make you feel better.”
Heather skipped back to the stove. Catherine sniffed the drink and grimaced. She looked up at Annabelle who raised a doubtful eyebrow before pushing her sunglasses back over her eyes with her middle finger. Mable gave her a quick shake of her head.
“Thank you, but I don’t think I’d be able to keep it down,” Catherine said, picking up on their cues.
“It’s not that bad, guys!” Heather argued.
“Then why is it you’ve handed all three of us that same glass and yet only three sips have been taken from it?” Annabelle asked.
“Because you all are a bunch of wussies,” Heather said, snatching the drink. She took the straw out and took several gulps. After she was done, she wiped the remaining green liquid from her mouth, slammed the rest of the drink down, gave them a sharp nod and went back to the stove.
“Where’s Betty?” Catherine asked.
“Couch,” Annabelle answered. “Juno?”
“Still passed out in bed,” Catherine said.
“I wish I was still in bed,” Mable groaned, sliding her elbows forward and lowering her head to the table.
“Good morning, ladies!” a booming voice called from the open glass doors.
Catherine turned and blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she was actually seeing correctly. “Toma?”
“Hey, Short Stuff!” Toma exclaimed, holding his arms out wide before taking three long strides to wrap her in a hug.
“Toma,” Catherine warned. “Let go or I’ll throw up on your shoes.”
“Yuck, hello to you too, Kitty,” Toma said, letting her go. He took a step back and lowered himself into a crouch beside Mable. “Hey there, Beautiful, miss me?” he asked, before rising slightly to place a kiss to Mable’s lips. Mable’s eyes went wide and her cheeks plumed red.
Chapter Seventy Four
“Yeesh, tough crowd,” Toma said, pulling at his collar. He glanced around at the other two women. He stood to his full height and pointed at Heather. “MacTavish…” He turned to Annabelle. “MacTavish?” Annabelle shot him the gun with her fingers.
“What are you doing here? Did Graham invite you to go out with him and the guys last night?” Catherine asked, trying to piece together the puzzle.
Toma scoffed. He picked up what remained of Heather’s green goop and chugged the rest without a single grimace. “Hell no, he asked me to take care of some business and I brought said business to him last night.”
“Color me intrigued,” Annabelle said, taking her sunglasses off to squint at Toma.
“That’s why I’m here actually. Your new beta is requesting his mate,” Toma said, standing. He crossed his arm over his stomach and bowed low while his other arm swept in the direction of the back door.
“Uhh…” Catherine looked at Heather.
“It’s okay, I’ll stay and make sure all the children get home safely,” she assured her.
“Alright then… lead the way, my liege. But go easy on me. I’m not one hundred percent yet,” Catherine told him.
Toma escorted Catherine to his Range Rover out front of the house. They drove in silence but as they grew closer to the packhouse,
she noticed Toma become nervous.
“So, you and Mable, huh?” Catherine asked, trying to break the tension.
He gave her a triumphant smile. “Yeah, she’s been visiting me on her days off.” He shrugged. “She’s a bit hesitant to get too involved. She’s still hoping to find her mate.”
Catherine observed him carefully and noticed the sheen of sadness he tried to smother behind his cocky expression. “I’m sorry.”
“Meh, it is what it is. You girls are all about finding the one the Goddess set aside for you. I get it, it’s easier and I’m not trying to sound misogynistic, I hoped I’d find her too but you know if you’re good together with someone, why do you need a God to tell you they’re the one?”
“I don’t know… since I met Graham my whole life has felt…”
“Complete, yeah, yeah I know.”
“I was going to say worth it. I agree, I don’t think you need the Goddess to tell you who to love, but I think you should listen when she makes the suggestion,” Catherine explained.
Toma’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel. They pulled in front of the packhouse. Catherine moved for the door handle when his hand stopped her.
“I need to ask you something, Short Stuff,” Toma said, holding her hand between his.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
“Graham… he never…” he fought for words. He sighed and hung his head. “He never hurts you, does he?”
Catherine pulled her hand away. “No, of course he doesn’t. Where is this coming from?”
“Tell me the truth. Has he ever been physically, emotionally or mentally abusive towards you?” Toma asked.
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Chapter Seventy-Four
Catherine took Toma’s hand back. “Graham has never hurt me. He’s never even raised his voice at me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Toma quickly lied. “I just saw some stuff last night… Graham’s an intense guy. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
“What the fuck is going on, Toma?” Catherine demanded.
“Come on, I’ll show you,” Toma promised.
Toma and Catherine walked through the packhouse. They walked down the familiar stairway down to the cells beneath the house. They went through both gates but rather than turning right as she did the last time she was there, he directed her left. They went down another set of stairs and past a third security gate. Toma lead her down a long grey hallway. She heard voices ahead and peaked over his shoulder to get an idea of what they were heading into.
She saw the hallway ended just ahead. There were two closed doors but otherwise the hallway seemed nondescript. Lucas, Theo and Mark were propped against a wall outside of the two doors looking jovial. Their heads turned toward them. Lucas pushed off the wall and knocked on the door closest to him. A moment later Graham emerged. Catherine’s feet stopped moving as she took her
mate in.
Graham had a smile on his face that contradicted the state of his clothes. His light grey Henley was shoved up to his elbows but the bunched fabric was coated in blood. She tracked splatters of blood down his shirt to the thick coating on his thighs. Gooseflesh rose over her skin as she took in what Toma asked versus how her mate appeared. What had happened last night?
“Graham?”
Graham’s eyes pivoted to her and his smile grew. He walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply.
“Did you have fun last night?” he asked.
“Not as much fun as you apparently,” Catherine said. He chuckled and stepped back. “Graham, someone needs to explain to me what’s happening before I start pulling my hair out.”
Graham gave the other men a look. They nodded and walked toward the other end of the hallway to give them privacy. He leaned back against the wall, pulling her with him. She stepped between his legs and waited. He brushed some hair behind her ear as he watched her thoughtfully.
“We’ve had a silent agreement to pretend nothing is wrong,” he began. Catherine’s nerves jumbled together, coiled tight and sank. “I’ve been allowing you time to accept a few of the wrongs you’ve been forced to face but… The time has come to face our problems
head on.”
Catherine looked down and fiddled with her fingers. “This week has been so nice.”
Graham touched her chin and she looked back up into his turbulent brown eyes. “It’s been almost perfect. I want thousands more of them but I don’t want to waste another one with Dominc DeAngelo in the back of my mind. We need to get rid of him, Baby, and then we can spend the rest of our lives just as we’ve done this week.”
Catherine sighed and nodded. “Okay, tell me.”
Graham looked at the door he’d walked through a few minutes ago. “Do you remember how you were poisoned in Sterling when we met?” Catherine nodded. “I asked the wolf…”
“TO-MA!” Toma yelled from down the hall, drawing Graham’s glare. Toma shivered slightly and turned his back to the lycan.
Graham ran his hand through his hair. “I asked Toma to look into the poisoning.
3/4
The Jouni TED”
“How?”
“Through your food, Baby.”
Catherine shook her head as she absorbed what he was telling her. “That can’t be right, Graham. I never ate out. In Sterling I always made my own…”
Her mind worked and her eyes became glued to Graham’s as he allowed her to figure it out herself. She always made her own meals. After living in the packhouse with Dominic and Curtis who often slipped drugs into drinks and food, Catherine became incredibly paranoid about what she consumed. It took her three years to accept a drink poured by Juno, her own savior and roommate. She would shop at the market each weekend, choosing her own food from only local, organic farms. She stayed true to that routine, eventually choosing a couple of farmers to trust completely. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she shook her head. Graham nodded once.
Catherine pulled away from him. She strode toward the door, ignoring Graham’s warning for her to wait. She shoved the door open but stopped in the doorway. Her breathing was harsh and heavy as she looked in on the man hanging from a chain in the center of the room. He was shirtless, his pants were ripped, every inch of his skin was stained in his own blood. His face was bruised and swollen, his grey hair was now matted with dried blood but she would recognize those sky blue eyes anywhere.
“Well, hello, handsome,” she growled.
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Surrendering to Destiny
