Book 1 - Page 25 (1/2)

The headlights of an approaching car blinded her. She dashed into the din of the club.

Alfred and his buddies danced with human girls at the edge of the dance floor, too preoccupied to see her. Where the h.e.l.l was Devlyn?

But then the song ended and Alfred and Ross headed for their table; the only sound now was the noisy conversation all around her. Her skin p.r.i.c.kled for an instant, but she could barely glimpse them, so she figured she was pretty well s.h.i.+elded unless the ceiling fans in the place circulated her scent to them.

Nicol hurried to join Alfred and Ross. Alfred started speaking to them, his voice raised as he slammed an empty gla.s.s on the table. She moved closer to hear what the red leader was saying, but so many people congregated around her that she was still obscured from the reds’ view.

“Which legend?” Ross asked, his eyes wide.

Nicol pressed closer to the table. “You mean the one about the gray?”

“Yeah, just what I mean. The gray ousted our leader, what, close to three hundred years ago?” Alfred said, his voice heated.

Ross tossed down the rest of his drink. “Oh, yeah. Your great-grandfather.”

“h.e.l.l, yeah. So what if this is a case of deja vu? What if this b.a.s.t.a.r.d is going to try and take me down and ‘cleanse’ the pack?”

Nicol shook his head. “He probably doesn’t even know about the legend.”

“He doesn’t need to know about the d.a.m.ned legend to do what happened before, d.a.m.n it!” Alfred cast him an annoyed look and then leaned closer to his pack members. “Grays are not to be trusted, period. Particularly when one is after the pack leader’s chosen b.i.t.c.h.”

Nicol’s lips turned up slightly.

“What?” Alfred bit out.

“She hasn’t agreed to be your mate.”

“She doesn’t have to. Ancient pack law states that a lone rufus female in a red’s territory is game if the pack leader doesn’t have a mate.” He tilted his chin up, waiting for anyone to challenge him.

Ross nodded. “Yeah, he’s right about that. But if the rest of the pack begins to think of the legend... it could go bad for you. You know, they could worry that the scenario might have the same outcome. Gray wolf kills red pack leader and removes the bad seed from the pack because the reds couldn’t do it.” He gave a slight sneer.

Alfred moved so quickly that no one had time to react. He seized Ross’s throat and growled, “Better hope not, because if he kills me, you’ll still want the little red wolf, and the big gray will eat you alive.”

Bella’s skin chilled, and although she wanted to leave, she felt frozen to the floor. She hadn’t heard of the legend they spoke of — probably because the tale was relevant to the ones who lived here and the story hadn’t carried farther east. But it showed that the gray’s arrival concerned them in a deeper way than she had suspected.

What else might she overhear between the reds? Who murdered the girl?

Alfred released Ross and sat back down. “Get us some more beers. I’ve got to figure out a way to eliminate this sorry gray before it comes to a real fight.”

He wouldn’t fight fair — that’s what raced through Bella’s mind. And she began to think that leaving the area might be the best thing after all. Then she smelled a trace of Devlyn’s scent and turned. From the direction of the restrooms, Devlyn stalked, his eyes full of fury, his face hard.

Until he saw her.

Surprise registered and then anger again. Legs shaking, she strode toward him, still fighting with her conscience which course of action to take. Get rid of Volan’s body or just leave him dead in the parking area and sneak out the back way with Devlyn. She wasn’t the sneaky type normally. But this was one of those times when she felt her life could depend on it.

Devlyn seized her wrist and pulled her toward the entrance. “What the h.e.l.l are you doing here, Bella?”

“I came to... to tell you I’d be your mate, but... “ She balked at going out the front way for an instant, still trying to decide what to do.

He stopped. “You agree to be my mate? Despite Volan?”

She nodded, tears threatening to spill.

“All right. You don’t have to worry about Volan, Bella. He’s a dead man. Just remember that.” He pulled her tight against his chest, warm and loving, which made her feel even worse about what she’d done.

“I... we have to talk... outside,” she managed to get out.

“What’s wrong, Bella?” Devlyn grunted. “As if I didn’t know. You’re still worried Volan will beat me.”

How could life be so d.a.m.ned complicated? She walked him outside but noticed a man and a woman standing where she’d left Volan’s body between the two cars in the lot. From where she and Devlyn stood, they couldn’t see Volan, but by the way the people were bending over, she figured they were checking him for vital signs.

She yanked Devlyn back inside the club. Too late to hide Volan now. “Too dark outside. Maybe too dangerous.”