Page 34 of Hunted

“I don’t blame you,” he said again. He took a deep breath before continuing. “And now that I think about it, I understand why we both believed those lies so easily. My father and I aren’t as close as you seem to think.”

Abigail turned and looked at him, and he saw such clear distrust in her eyes that Luke had to smile.

“I have always relied on my father for counsel and advice. But we were never close. I could never disagree with him, could never challenge him, because in the mind of the pack, he was still the alpha.”

“I didn’t realize that,” Abigail murmured.

Luke felt a sense of relief that she seemed to be listening.

“He was also always very strict. He had very high standards for me. But he… cared about me. At least I think he did, in his own way. And so, I had no reason not to trust him.”

“So, what are we going to do now?” Abigail asked after they had been sitting there for a while.

The sun had set, but the warmth of the day had bled into the evening and the last light of the sun below the horizon had turned the sky into a kaleidoscope of color.

“We should probably get back,” she added before Luke could speak.

He nodded when he heard the sound of coughing coming from the bushes nearby. The pack soldiers clearly wanted them to leave, too.

They walked slowly back to the house, and Luke noticed then the way Abigail walked stiffly, slowly. And he saw the way she clutched the arm that had been broken close against her body.

I need to be gentle with her. She’s still healing,he told himself.

“I don’t think you’re going to come back with me after all this. Right?” Luke asked Abigail as they headed to a nearby building.

She shook her head.

Dominic came out of the building then, and Luke saw that it was a communal space for the pack.

Dominic had clearly overheard what Luke had just said because he lightly, gently, pulled Abigail toward him.

“She is not going anywhere until I know she is safe.” The other alpha spoke possessively and smoothed his hand down Abigail’s back. Luke swallowed the sour bile that had risen in his throat. “And until I know she wants to leave.”

I really can’t attack him. That won’t fix anything with Abigail.Luke spoke to himself fiercely and tried to tame the wolf that paced restlessly inside him.

As possessive as Dominic was, Luke saw the protectiveness behind his actions. And whatever feelings Dominic had for Abigail seemed to be reciprocated. Yet when she looked at Luke, he saw remnants of the growing love she had for him.

“Abigail,” Dominic said her name with such tenderness that Luke felt the urge to turn away and give them some privacy. “What do you want to do? Whatever you want, you’ll get.”

“I want…” Abigail paused. She looked from Dominic to Luke and then back again. “I want to fix things with Luke. The lies, the manipulation, they weren’t our fault. I want to try and see if we can fix things.”

Luke did not miss the way Dominic’s body stiffened and the way his face hardened, his eyes becoming flint-like.

He also did not miss the expression of hurt that had flashed across Dominic’s face at Abigail’s words.

Luke was also sure that the other alpha did not miss the way hope bloomed on Luke’s face at Abigail’s words.

“Okay.” Dominic was stroking Abigail’s arm lightly, as he spoke. The movement seemed instinctual, as though he wasn’t truly thinking about it. “I suppose what we can do is have Luke stay in some of the extra lodging while you work things out.”

“Really?” Abigail turned to Dominic, her eyes wide with surprise and adoration.

Luke could not help admiring the other alpha for his restraint.

If it had been him, he would have kicked Dominic off his territory after the first five minutes. It was clear to Luke, however, that Dominic wasn’t offering Luke this opportunity while jumping for joy.

Abigail did not seem to notice it, but Luke definitely noticed Dominic’s ambivalence and pure reluctance to be making the offer.

Abigail turned back to Luke with a huge smile on her face. “Luke? What do you think?”

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