Page 17 of Loved By the Wolf

“We can take him down with the whole pack.”

“We don’t even know where he is. You heard what I said—he’s gotten really good at masking his scent. Plus, there’s more.”

“More?” This time, Luc growled even lower.

“Donna called the same day I got the letter from Pac. Told me the guy who broke Luigi’s arm wasn’t just a burglar; he was looking for someone, and he wanted Luigi to tell him the person’s whereabouts.”

“Who was he looking for?”

I looked at Luc, trying to hold back tears. “Becca.”

Luc slammed his fists into the kitchen counter, making the plates and utensils sitting on the surface clatter to the floor. “I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this all to yourself. Did Luigi describe who the person was?”

I shook my head. “Donna said it was too dark for Luigi to see. The guy had a flashlight and shone it into his face so he couldn’t see him.”

“But it was a man?”

“Yes.”

His mouth tightened. “I bet it was Pac.”

“I think so too.”

“We really should—”

“No, Luc. There is no telling the rest of the family. We need to find out where Pac is first.”

“Brandon, I doubt Pac will stop at just threatening you. You’re putting the family in danger by not telling them.”

“Not yet! I need to figure things out on my own first.”

“With my help.” Luc’s voice was firm.

“Fine, but only you.”

I knew what Luc said was true, but I really needed to prove to myself that I was capable of protecting my loved ones on my own.

Pac

I couldn’t help laughing.They had no idea how many steps ahead of them I was.

Thomas had been good at keeping me updated; slow but on time. He even believed the lie I told him that Becca and I were once lovers.

What was even better was no one knew where or who I was. It was absolutely fantastic.

Everything was going like clockwork.

Becca

I was a mess,sitting in my robe with a bucket of homemade ice cream all to myself while belting out “All by Myself” right along with Bridget Jones playing on the television.

I did it. I really did it. I did what my mother couldn’t do all those years ago—I said no to the man I love instead of enduring heartache for the rest of my life . . . and I felt like the most miserable person to exist on this earth.

Looking down into the ice cream tub, I saw there was a small puddle of tears in it.Makes it saltier,I thought as I took another bite. I wished Mom was still around so I could talk to her. She always said she never regretted marrying my dad because she had me, but she was so sad through life. Aside from me, there had been no one else to take care of her.

Was I greedy in wanting more? Wanting someone who could take care of meandbe there for me?

Maybe I was being too picky. But I’d always taken care of myself. Didn’t have a choice, really. Mom had three jobs, and it was all she could do to catch some sleep before she was off to the next one. I’d made sure she was fed before I did my homework and cleaned the house. It would have been nice to have someone to do all of that with, or someone to cook for me every once in a while. Had that been too much to ask?

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