“Why did you have a photo of Tess from the WSSO’s files? That picture was taken by a shifter from my pack, a traitor who worked for the WSSO.”
Green eyes widened. “You really don’t start off with the easy stuff, do you?”
“I don’t like to waste time.”
“Ok, then, well, I guess the best way to answer that was that I recently heard through the grapevine that my sister was alive and being held by the WSSO.”
“How’d you get the picture?”
“You don’t need to know that part.”
She wasn’t a good liar. Delilah had a habit of pushing her hair behind her left ear when she lied. “Humor me.”
Her hand landed on his chest and started tracing his pecs. This was not what he meant, and she damn well knew it. “Careful there, Delilah. You may well distract me, but you may not like where it leads.”
The corner of her mouth hitched in the most delicious grin. “Maybe I will like it. After all, we didn’t finish what we started in that office.”
If it weren’t for the heaviness in her voice, he would let her continue. This wasn’t what she wanted; she was merely choosing the lesser of two evils.
“Remember when I said I don’t lie?” Frank asked, taking her wrists in one hand and shoving them high above her. “I don’t like being lied to either.”
She licked her lips, as if this was some form of foreplay. Damn if his mind wasn’t going in a direction it shouldn’t be. He dropped her hands. “I want answers, Delilah.”And honesty. Especially from you.
She placed her hands on her hips and straightened her back which caused those lovely breasts of hers to stand out, almost as an offering. Nowthatwas a distraction, one he was sure she hadn’t intended. With all his power, Frank tore his eyes from her chest and lifted them to her face.
The soft exterior had disappeared. Returned was the female he had met on the covered footbridge. Hard, determined, and guarded. He didn’t like it, not one bit. She had no reason to shield herself from him, and yet that’s exactly what she was doing.
“I’ll tell you what you need, but I won’t let you throw me out of here without giving me a chance to say goodbye to Tess. She’s my sister, the only person I have left in the world, and I won’t let you, your alpha, or anyone else keep me from her.”
So much of what she just said—the assumption that he’d do anything to harm her—infuriated him, but now was not the time to object, not when she was finally starting to open up.
“Noted. Continue,” he said, keeping as much emotion out of his voice as possible.
“I broke into a WSSO office. Several in fact. Until I found information on Tess. It took me a while because they didn’t have her name listed in any of their files. I had to find other ways to get my information.”
“What other ways? Torture?”
“No.”
For the first time since she had started talking, her eyes left his. He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer, but he needed to know. “How, Delilah?”
“None of your business.”
“I’m not judging you,” he snapped a bit too fast. Inside, his wolf was on edge, clawing at him to protect her, not browbeat her, but Frank needed to know the truth from Delilah, no matter what it entailed. The way her eyes narrowed even now had him doubting if he had schooled his features enough to convince her that he wasn’t judging her. And he wasn’t. His Del was a survivor. She was guarded and unafraid to do what she needed to do. Hell, he had seen it firsthand in that office. This rage though—that of his wolf tangled with his own—would drive Delilah away if he couldn’t get it under control.
“Of course, you’re judging me,” she said as her eyes finally met his. A challenge, except this wasn’t for dominance or control. She was challenging him to prove her wrong.
“I’m judging myself.”
She bit her lip. She didn’t believe him.
“The rest of your questions, Frank. Please. I need to get this over with, to put it behind me, so I don’t have to see you look at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you in any special way.”
“I know.”
* * *