Page 24 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

His breaths were heavy and ragged. He tipped his head back to stare up at the ceiling and said nothing for a few seconds. “We’ll have to put the visit to Talia’s on hold. That was Logan Holland. He called me to say that three of our pack members have been seriously injured by a trio of rogue wolves who are making a play for our territory.”

“Oh my God, are they all right? I mean, obviously not; you said they’re seriously injured. Will you be heading to the hospital? I can come with you,” I offered, not caring that we would be raising a lot of eyebrows if we showed up at the hospital together. I wanted to be there for him.

“They’re not at the hospital, but at Pam’s—the senior pack healer. She’ll heal some of the damage so that they’re not in critical condition when we do transport them to the hospital. But I need to be there and provide her with some of my power for healing,” He looked around the house as if looking for something. “On second thought, why don’t you head over to Talia’s place anyway. I don’t want you staying here alone in case the rogues get it in their heads to show up here. Or you can take my car and drive to your sister’s palace,” he offered.

“I’ll come with you. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but the more hands the better, right?” I walked toward him, taking his hands in mine and lacing our fingers together. “I want to be there for you, Adrian.”

“And what if someone asks what we’re doing together?” His eyes flickered between mine, searching for something.

“We’ll cross that road when we get there. Your packmates need you right now. Let’s get going.”

CHAPTER 17

Pam’s house was a ten-minute drive from Adrian’s place. There were two more cars parked along her yard, and although I got a few curious and confused glances when I got out of the truck with Adrian, no one said a thing.

“They’re in the guest room with Pam. She’s already started healing West and told me to tell you to keep your power in reserve for now,” Carter told Adrian the moment we entered the kitchen door. “Hey, Olivia.” He gave me one of those manly nods of acknowledgment that guys do.

I expected him to ask me what I was doing there, but he pulled out a seat at the kitchen dining table, joining another man and woman I’d seen at Jumpin’ Beans before but wasn’t really acquainted with. I think their names were Rina and Tony, and judging by the militaristic way they held themselves and the almost feral glint in their eyes, they were also soldiers.

“So, they got West. I’m guessing Will was the other casualty. Those two are joined at the hip these days. Who was the third?” Adrian asked, pulling out a seat for me before taking the one next to it. Three sets of eyes followed the action and Carter bit back a smirk, but Tony and Rina looked more curious than anything else.

“Malcolm Jennings,” Rina answered in a hard voice, taking a sip of the black coffee in front of her. “All three bozos who’ve been stirring up conflict since your ascension to Alpha. But what were they doing hanging out with rogues in the first place?” The corners of her lips were turned down in a sneer.

“Rina!” Tony hissed in warning. My eyes shifted between the four wolves in the room, wondering about the bigger picture I was missing. Adrian already told me that there were some amongst his pack who did not want him as leader, and I guessed the attack had something to do with that.

“No, the woman has a point,” Carter growled out, cracking his knuckles. “As predatory shifters, there are strict rules about going into another pack’s territory. Those three rogues should have cleared it with Adrian before stepping a foot into Mystic Cove. The fact that West and his cronies met them in some dingy dive bar does not paint them in a good light. You’ve been lenient with them long enough, Brother. But if West, Will, and Mal are the reason we have three dangerous wolves lurking about our territory, they must be exiled.”

“Or challenged to a duel to the death. Any one of us in this room can take them in a fair fight, use them to set an example for the rest of the pack and all other packs out there that unfounded insurgency of any kind shall not be tolerated,” Rina added.

“I agree with Rina,” a new voice added from the kitchen doorway. Logan strolled in, his mouth and eyebrows set in grim lines. Carter and Rina shot to their feet, aggression rolling off them in waves. The hairs on my arms stood on end when one of them growled low in their throat, the sound visceral and spine chilling, but Logan ignored them as one would a kitten playing at being a lion.

“Adrian.” He tipped his head in a shallow nod and did a double-take when he saw me at the table. Like the others, he did not say anything, but I saw his nostrils flare and his eyes go a fraction wider. As if he could shield me from Logan’s gaze, Adrian shifted, blocking my view of Logan. The latter took a seat at Adrian’s side, which left only the seats on either side of the head of the table vacant.

“What are you doing here, Logan? I thought I told you to lead the group searching for the rogues.” Adrian’s voice was gruff, as if he and his wolf were both speaking at once. Placing my hand on his knee under the tablecloth, I gave a gentle squeeze. My way of comforting him and reminding him to keep his cool. He’d been silent the entire drive over, but the fury rolling off him concern for his packmates had been suffocating. Although, now knowing who it was lying injured somewhere in this house, I felt no pity for them, considering how they’d been acting toward Adrian lately.

“And I will be heading out soon, but two of the wolves being treated by Pam are my cousins—”

“And you came to defend them from the ‘incompetent’ Alpha, is that it?” Carter cut in, making air quotes around the word incompetent.

“That’s not it at all.” Logan held his hands up in surrender. “If anything, I agree with what Rina was saying. I love West and Will, but if they were colluding with outsiders, then that’s a step too far. Whether you challenge them to a duel or exile them, it’s up to Adrian, but something must be done. We don’t know what these other wolves are like. The fact that one of us invited the enemy into our territory where our women and children live, that is unforgivable.”

“Glad to hear we’re on the same side. At least now you’re acting like a proper Beta,” Carter mumbled. His statement seemed to catch Logan off guard. He blinked thrice, as if Adrian’s brother had spoken in a foreign language.

“Y-you don’t mind that Adrian wants to make me Beta and not you?” he asked Carter, whose mouth curled in a condescending smirk.

“Please! I hate dealing with people. Diplomacy and pack politics are not for me,” Carter scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, get back out there Logan. I’ll join you guys as soon as I can.”

“I’ll just go check up on them before I leave.” Logan pushed up from his chair. Adrian stood up with him.

“I’ll go up with you, give Pam some help. You’ll be okay here?” he asked me.

“A-okay,” I replied lamely, touching the tip of my thumb to my index finger and holding the remaining three fingers up. Adrian let out a quiet huff and leaned down to kiss my forehead before walking out of the room.

In front of friggin’ everyone!

The only thing missing in the wake of his departure was the noise of crickets chirping in the distance. I slumped down low in my seat, too embarrassed to look any of Adrian’s packmates in the face. With that kiss, he’d pretty much just outed us.

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