Chapter Ninety-Eight
It felt like an eternity before her sobbing finally died away. He couldn’t tell if it had been a few minutes or hours that they’d sat in this position on the couch. He’d seen the phone blinking five different times but ignored it. He felt numerous people pushing at his mindlink but he blocked them all. Instead he focused on his mate in his arms. His beautiful, courageous, fate-defying mate who was nearly ripped from his arms… again.
“Graham?” Catherine whispered against his shoulder. He jerked, having thought she’d fallen asleep.
“Hm?”
“We should go.”
“We don’t have to. We can take all the time we want.”
“I want to go home and we can’t do that until we’ve talked to them. Right?”
Graham sighed and let his head fall back on the sofa. “Yes.”
“Okay then, let’s get it over with please,” Catherine suggested, standing up on shaky legs.
Graham stood and looked down at her. He never thought of his mate as being small. Sure, she was nearly a foot shorter than him, but she always carried herself with such confidence and ease. Anger rolled through him at what a five minute encounter with her tormentor could demolish. He pulled his pants up and redid his belt. He glanced down at her dress which was torn up to her hips. His fists clenched and unclenched. He felt his vision tunneling and closed his eyes to take a deep, calming breath. Losing control would help no one right now, especially the woman he didn’t want to scare.
He turned away from her and started to rifle through the cabinets in the desk. He scrounged up a Shepherd’s Bar and Grill t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. Catherine pulled her dress over her head and winced when the shirt brushed against the bruise forming on her cheek where Dominic struck her. It was a testament to how badly she was drained that the bruise was getting worse rather than healing at record pace as it should. She gave him another shy smile, barely letting their gazes lock before she looked away.
“It doesn’t hurt that bad,” she reassured him.
When they first met he was always surprised when she read him so easily. No one else ever could. Now though he had come to accept that he’d never be able to hide anything from her. He reached up and cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed as his warm palm covered the bruise. He bent down and placed a delicate kiss over the purple, swollen skin.
Catherine finished getting dressed and walked to the door. Before she could unlock it, he swept her up into his arms. He strode across the floor toward the door that would bring them to the main room. His grip tightened as he neared it.
“I can walk, you know,” she whispered.
“I’m aware.”
Instead of fighting him further, she buried her face against his chest and gripped his white dress shirt in her small hand. He opened the door. The loud voices awaiting them outside quieted. All heads turned in their direction. Most of the guests had already been questioned and released. Now all that remained were the five lycan alphas, their mates, and each of their main guards. Theo and Lucas waited alongside them.
Dane was the first to speak up. “It’s about damn fucking time! What were you doing in there? Coming up with a strategy to lie about what the fuck just happened?”
Theo spoke up. “It’s protocol when a target is in danger to hide them while everyone else…”
“Was I speaking to you?” Dane roared. Catherine shrunk herself even further down and hid her face in Graham’s chest. “What kind of fucking pack is this? You can’t even have a single event without it being breached? MacTavish has no right being Beta or being mated to a gifted if he can’t…”
Dane’s rant was cut off when Lucas grabbed him by his shirt collar and yanked the alpha down to the ground. Lucas wrapped his hand around Dane’s throat, cutting off his airway along with his ability to shift.
“You are in Blackmoore territory, Alpha. Another word and I’ll happily utilize lycan law in which I have every right to protect my alpha and beta from an active threat,” Lucas said. He leaned down with a sinister expression. “Please, for the love of Goddess, give me a fucking reason.”
Lucas released his hold and Dane immediately kicked him off. Graham sighed as everyone began talking at once, Meanwhile his mate continued to make herself smaller and the commotion caused the tears he’d worked so hard to dispel reemerge.
“That’s it,” he hissed.
Graham pivoted and started walking toward the staff hallway. A chorus of questions followed him but he continued down the hallway until he reached the kitchen. Catherine unfurled herself and glanced around. A small smile graced her face and he ate up the sight like he was a starving man.
“Better?” he asked softly. She gave him a light nod in affirmation.
“Much.”
He bent down and kissed her and she cupped his face. The crowd of alphas were soon upon them and Graham broke the kiss. He walked further into the kitchen. With each step he could feel her relax more and more. He walked to the counter and shifted her so that he could set her on it. She gave him a questioning look before he turned and folded his arms, blocking her from any threat that could come through the door. A moment passed before she wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her chin on his shoulder,
“I told Dane and Gerald to go to their hotel and that none of this was their concern,” Jensen explained as he walked in with Rebecca on his heels.
Graham felt Catherine’s hold tighten and a dark emotion roll through the bond. His entire frame tensed in response.
“I’ve called Muriel,” Lucien said, pocketing his phone as he entered.
“We don’t need your oracle,” Jensen sighed.
Lucien scoffed. “Like hell you don’t. This has gone on long enough, Jensen. She needs a tutor.”
“What about Chloe?” Rebecca offered.
Lucien guffawed. “We all saw what happened in there. Catherine was able to break a corrupted magician’s curse without any training. That witch has no bearing on how to handle Catherine’s gift. She needs an oracle.”
Jensen sighed. “I don’t want…”
“I would like to meet him,” Catherine answered for herself behind Graham.
Lucien nodded and a grin spread across his face. “Thank Goddess. How is that after what just happened you are the only one who still appears to have their
head?”
“Shut the fuck up, Luc,” Jensen barked.
Graham felt the dark emotion spread through his mate. He tried to pinpoint what exactly she was feeling but every time he prodded, it retreated to where he couldn’t see it clearly.
He should leave. The feminine voice in his mind was startling, deep and layered.
“You should be begging for my expertise, Jensen,” Lucien continued. “A magical being just broke through three different wards. Not only did that fucker manage to waltz inside unscathed, he paralyzed the most powerful lycans on this continent all at once! If Dominic’s end game didn’t rely on one of us, then we’d all be dead!”
“Who do you think it is?” Graham spoke up.
Lucien sighed and rubbed his temples. “At least one of you has been paying attention. My money says Gerald. He backed off his contract way too quickly to not be suspicious.”
“I had the same thought,” Graham confirmed. “Morgan wasn’t here tonight. It didn’t go unnoticed.”
Lucien threw his hand up and his expression was grateful. “I wish you’d reconsider joining my pack. I could use someone with your brain.”
“A lot of good my brain did me today. I nearly lost my mate,” Graham growled.
Chapter Ninety-Eight
The door to the kitchen suddenly burst open. Graham spread his arms to shield his mate. An enraged Toma entered the room and his eyes scanned frantically left and right. Two Blackmoore guards were quickly on his heels, and seized him by his arms.
“Let me go! Where is she?!” Toma yelled as they tried to pin him down.
Surrendering to Destiny
