Page 43 of The Wolf She Shouldn't Desire

Behind me, I hear the crunch of his boots as he slowly moves through the garden.

“So, since we are friends,” I hear him say behind me and to the right.

“That sounds suspicious,” I state before he says anything else.

“What? That we are friends?”

“No, the way you said that and how you are starting a new topic. Sounds like you are about to ask for something and I’m not sure I can help you, especially since I can’t see how I can help with anything wolf related. Vampire, remember?”

“I didn’t forget, darling. And yes, this is wolf related, but it involves a vampire.”

“And I’m a vampire.”

“I knew you were smart.”

“And you’re an ass.”

“Not going to pretend I’m not at times. Dishonesty at the beginning of a relationship can cause major issues later on down the road.”

“What do you need, Jordan?” I ask in a slightly exasperated tone but chuckle at the end at his continued attempts. I ignore the last part of his statement having no energy to get into it again about us.

My gaze rakes over the bush gently in search of more pruning that it may need. A quiet calm washes over me with the task coupled with the easy banter Jordan has initiated between the two of us.

“You ever heard of a vamp named Zander?”

Every muscle in my body clenches down on my bones ramping up the tension in me that I had a few moments ago as my blood turns cold.

What the fuck?

“Why do you ask?” I whisper after a minute of silence while trying to get my brain to stop freaking out, going from one disjointed thought to the next trying to figure out what the hell is happening right now and why he could possibly be asking aboutthe one person in this world I do not want to think about let alone talk about.

Silence comes back to me in response to my question. With it comes the feeling of the air around me dropping in temperature. It’s ominous and chilling. One moment we were joking and now the air around us is thick with deadly seriousness and from me, dread.

“You know him,” Jordan says knowingly.

“Why do you ask, Jordan?” I repeat back to him, this time through clenched teeth and no added humor.

“He’s been causing trouble with a fellow pack on the north side of the city. Yesterday, the alpha informed us that a teenage wolf was beaten severely by one of Zander’s men.”

My eyes close in response to the shit storm Zander and his men have just caused and that I knew would happen if he didn’t chill the hell out in going after wolves in his idiotically fueled plan to show dominance and power over the wolves.

“How do you know it was one of his men?”

“The alpha said the teenager and his friends that were with him at the time reported the vampires told them. Said the vampires warned them not to fuck with Zander’s coven and territory or they would face death the next time they see them. The alpha and some of his top fighters also went to the scene and confirmed the scents to make sure the teenagers were telling the truth, since it would be a serious misstep if they accused Zander and his men without being sure.”

“Was it just the one wolf that was hurt? What about his friends?”

“Does it matter?” he growls behind me, anger suddenly lacing his voice. “One wolf being hurt isn’t good enough?”

I turn around quickly causing my hair to lash against my face. “That’s not what I’m implying and for you to think that clearly shows you don’t know anything about me.”

He stares back at me with anger pinching his face causing creases between his thick eyebrows and at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m just asking for the facts so I have them all when I confront them and bring it to my father’s attention,” I continue hissing at him.

“I didn’t tell you so you could handle the issue for us, Talia. It’s the pack’s right to handle it how they want since it was their wolves that were attacked unprovoked.”

“They’ll be starting a war!”

---