Page 60 of The Delta's Rogue
“Are you sure you have to go?” he asks. “Maybe this lead is the one.”
“I doubt it.” I shove through the back door and leave him and the club behind without saying goodbye.
A breeze flutters through the alley, carrying with it a warmth that signals summer is around the corner. It follows me down the sidewalk as I walk past the downtown shops, all the way to my truck. It swirls and spirals, teasing my messy hair and dancing around my limbs, only stopping when I slam the door shut with a growl.
The engine rumbles, muffling the wind that rustles over the roof, and the tires squeal as I pull away from the curb, drowning out that annoying spring breeze rattling the windows.
I hate spring, and I hate breezes. They remind me too much of the night four years ago when she left me.
Four years.
Four fucking years of dead ends. Four years of searching and hoping, four years of let-downs and pent-up desolation.
Sarina and her pack are good at disappearing. I’ll give them that much.
I know she’s out there. Somewhere. I promised her I would find her, and I will. I just wish she wouldletme.
Nothing has worked. Not one of my dad’s connections, not a cent of the money we’ve spent, and none of the deals we’ve made. Nothing.
It’s enough to make me lose all hope of ever finding her.
My lycan growls at me at that thought, teeth bared and hackles raised. I strain my neck as I fight to push him into the bowels of my mind, to leave me alone so I can be miserable in peace.
He does no such thing. He rides shotgun in my mind the entire drive home, adding to my burgeoning irritation from leaving the club without a chance to check the potential lead my dad sent me.
I’m a breath away from snapping, a click away from taking it all out on the next unlucky soul who dares to agitate me. Like so many times over the years I’ve been searching for Sarina, I’m wound up like a top, tied up like a too-tight pair of shoes. But there’s nothing I can do to ease that tension. All I can do is hope this meeting Wesley insisted I join is over quickly.
I leave my truck in the parking lot and trudge up the front steps of the packhouse. I have no desire to see or speak with anyone. If I can’t check the information my dad sent, then all I want to do is head into my apartment, spread out the blue blanket Sarina left me, and lose myself in a mindless television show.
I won’t, though. I’ll be the good little brother, the duty-bound delta. I’ll pretend that seeing them happy and in love with their mates isn’t a searing brand on my heart. I’ll sit through this meeting with the others, with my typical smirk and my armor of snark—exactly like I have for the last four years.
“Where are we meeting?”I ask Wesley through mindlink as I shove the front door open.
“Conference room,”he replies.“Everyone else is already here. We’re just waiting for you.”
I frown but make my way through the pack members lingering in the common areas of the house, skirt around the kitchen, bypass the hall to Wesley’s office, and turn right down the next hall. Usually, we meet in his office or the house Wesley built for Haven as a wedding gift, or even in one of Haven’s dance studios. I can’t remember the last time we used the conference room for a pack leadership meeting.
I pause at the door. I shake the tension from my muscles and glue a smug grin on my lips before I enter the room.
“What’s up, dickheads?” is on the tip of my tongue, but I trip over the words before I can get them out, taken aback by the presence of an extra body seated at the far end of the rectangular conference room table, directly across from Wesley and a very pregnantHaven. My mouth snaps shut, and I close the door behind me, glancing at Wes with a raised brow.
He says nothing and instead nods at the empty chair next to Nolan, silently ordering me to sit down.
I bite back my huff of annoyance and switch my focus to Reid and Taryn.
Reid’s jaw is tight, his light blue eyes shooting occasional scowls towards the male to his left. His pregnant mate, Taryn, holds Reid’s hand on top of the table. His thumb rubs circles into her dark brown skin. It’s clear that the only thing keeping him from outright glaring at the male is her touch.
“Hey, Dominic.” I extend my hand to the former alpha of our neighboring pack, Silver Ridge, ignoring Reid’s pointed stare at my hand and the subtle growl he doesn’t hold back. “What brings you here?”
“Not his daughter,” Reid snarls.
Dominic flinches and ducks his head, dropping my hand after a brief shake.
“He doesn’t give a shit about her,” Reid adds.
“Reid!” Taryn hisses between her teeth. “He said he—”
“Has a reason, I know.” Reid shakes his head and crosses his arms. “I’m still waiting to hear it.”
