The Wolf Within

Chapter 6

Julie jerked awake at the pounding on her door. What the hell? The crisp hair on the naked chest beneath her palm ticked her hand. Her head fell back to Brendan’s shoulder with a groan. Apparently, the pounding didn’t disturb him in the least. How he could sleep through that racket was beyond her.

“Julie, damn it. Open this door before I break it down.” Danny’s frantic voice boomed from behind the panel.

“Hold your horses will you?” she called back.

Brendan grumbled at the sound of her voice, opening his eyes at last. When he saw her, the corners of his mouth curled into a smug smile, causing her heart to trip. His hands reached for her, trying to roll her under him. The man was insatiable. Anyone else would have been worn out for a week after their sex marathon the night before.

“Stop. You have to hide. Into the bathroom,” she whispered. The last thing she needed was Danny catching them together. She’d never hear the end of it. Her family still viewed her as the poor little human girl in need of protection.

“Huh?” Sleep still clouded his eyes, and she watched him shake his head to clear it.

“Who are you talking to?” Danny demanded from behind the door. Damn his wolf hearing. He sounded angry, but Danny never got angry. Not since he’d broken her arm by accident during a fight when they’d been kids. From that day on, he’d never let his emotions get the best of him.

At the sound of her brother’s voice, Brendan’s gaze flew to the door. He looked as if he wanted to call back, but Julie shoved him out of the bed before he could. Grabbing his hand, she tried to tug him into the bathroom. Brendan just stood there, staring at her with a confused smile on his face. Exasperated, Julie dropped his hand and walked behind him, shoving him inside.

“You could at least pretend to cooperate. Keep quiet until I get rid of him.” She grabbed a robe from the hook before shutting the door.

Flinging it over her shoulders and tying it, she moved to the door and yanked it open. A hassled Danny stood on the other side, glaring.

“What the hell, Danny?”

His gaze ran over her from head to toe before trying to peer behind her. She closed the door tighter around her frame, blocking the mess within. No way would she let him see the clothes and condom wrappers scattered throughout the room.

“Why the hell is the lock broken on the door downstairs? You scared the daylights out of me.” He seemed calmer now, seeing her unharmed.

Her lock was broken? Shit. She’d forgotten Brendan had broken in last night. Frantically, Julie searched for a reasonable excuse.

“I locked myself out and had to break in last night. No big deal. The top lock still worked, and I was going to call someone to fix it this morning.” There, that seemed good.

His eyes told her he half-believed her story, if at all. But she didn’t have to answer to him. There was nothing he could do but take her at her word.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked, tilting his head again, trying to see past her.

“No. I’m not. Is there a reason you’re here so early?”

“We’re going to breakfast. I offered to pick you up.” He met her gaze at last.

“Oh. Okay, I need to get dressed first. Why don’t you wait downstairs? I’ll be there in ten–” Her gaze strayed toward the bathroom. “Make that fifteen minutes.”

Suspicion entered his eyes again, but he nodded, turning around to tread down the stairs. That was a close one. She didn’t need lectures from her family about getting involved with someone from the pack. She was old enough to make her own mistakes.

Brendan tried to clear the sleep from his brain as he listened to Julie’s conversation with her brother. He made no apologies for eavesdropping. Not that he had a choice. Short of turning on the shower–which would have alerted Danny to his presence and put him in hot water with Julie–every word of their conversation bled through the walls.

It might make things easier if Danny discovered he was here. Her brothers had to find out at some point. He was Julie’s mate, after all. He didn’t want to hide their relationship. And after they beat him up–he had no doubt they would beat him up–they’d accept it. Because he would do everything in his power to protect her and cherish her every day of their lives together.

He forced himself not to open the door and go to Julie, her voice drawing him like a moth to a flame. He rested his head against the wooden panel, not really listening until the word “breakfast” penetrated his foggy pleasure.

He frowned, tuning in to their conversation. He wanted to take Julie to breakfast. Better yet, breakfast in bed. In fact, he wanted to spend the whole day in bed, wrapped around each other. His frown deepened as he heard Danny stomp downstairs to wait, unaware of Brendan’s presence.

Didn’t she want to tell her family about him? He wanted to shout it from the rooftop, take out an ad in the paper, so everyone would know she was his.

Her feet thumped past the bathroom, and the sound of a drawer opening reached his ears.

Turning on the faucet, he ran cold water over his face. It was possible she wanted to wait until her siblings had breakfast before breaking the news. Wolves were always better tempered with full bellies. Easing them into the truth made sense. Hell, maybe if he let her handle things he wouldn’t even have to deal with three angry alpha wolves trying to beat the crap out of him.

With a clearer head, Brendan opened the bathroom door and walked out. Julie brushed her hair, clothed in another lacy underwear set. He stared as her breasts swayed with each stroke of the brush.

She looked at him in the mirror, her surprised gaze running over his naked form. Desire darkened her eyes, and he stiffened in response.

“Oh no, you don’t. We don’t have time. Danny is right outside,” she said, turning around as he advanced on her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.”

“Yeah, that’s what every girl wants to hear. ‘Don’t worry, baby, I’ll be quick.’” Julie’s voice deepened as she mocked him.

“Come on, baby, I promise I’ll make it good for you,” he joked back.

“Be quiet! And get dressed.” She giggled, turning around to pull on her jeans. He wanted to rip off the offending article. How dare it cover her perfection.

“I can’t believe you broke my lock last night.”

Broke her lock? He frowned. He hadn’t thought he’d broken it. Just broken in. Then again, he hadn’t picked a lock in a long time. And he had been anxious to see Julie. It’s possible he’d made a mistake in his rush.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

“You do that.” As she crossed the room, she stood on tiptoes to place a chaste kiss against his lips.

“I’ve gotta go.” He watched her pick up her purse on the way to the door.

Wait, that was it? They’d just spent a mind-blowing night together, and all she had to say was “fix my lock” as she ran out the door?

“Will I see you tonight?” she asked, turning in the doorframe. A puff of relief surged out. She did care.

“Swing by my place. I’ll cook the salmon I bought last night.” Regret flashed in her eyes.

“I’m sorry about last night…”

“I’m not,” he interrupted, hating any uncertainty in her. He never wanted her to doubt one minute she spent with him. “Last night was incredible. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Her smile lit up the room, and he felt her wiggle a little deeper into his heart. He wanted to keep her smiling like that forever.

“Okay. I’ll see you tonight.” And then she was gone. His wolf wanted to chase her, not ready to let go, but the man kept him in place. She’d be back. Right now he had a lock to fix and a romantic dinner to plan.

“Did you just smell me?” Julie’s gaze shot toward Danny, narrowing her eyes on her brother as he stared out the windshield. She’d swear he’d leaned over and sniffed her. She glanced at his hands as they tightened on the steering wheel and back at his darkening frown. Something was definitely wrong. This was not like Danny at all.

She was about to repeat the question, but swallowed the words as he glanced her way. Wolf eyes stared out at her. Danny was holding onto his control by a thread. A thin thread.

Clearing her throat, Julie searched for a safer topic.

“Where are we meeting for breakfast?” A lame question. She knew where they were going. Had known since he’d pulled out of the parking lot, heading north. There weren’t a whole lot of options in a town the size of Alpine Woods. The diner was within walking distance, and Samuel’s restaurant was in the opposite direction, which meant one thing. Mom was cooking.

“How did your lock break again?” he asked, ignoring her question. Why was he so obsessed with the damn lock?

“I told you. I locked myself out. No big deal.”

The wolf growl made her jump. Danny of the iron control was losing it over a busted lock?

“What’s wrong with you? I’m fine.” She shoved his shoulder, knowing he would never hurt her.

Tires squealed as he slammed on the brakes in front of their parents’ house. Danny threw off his seatbelt and stormed out of the car.

“Oookay,” Julie muttered to the empty car, following at a more sedate pace.

Her mother greeted her at the door with a hug. No matter how old she got, she’d never be too old for this. Her mother’s embrace brought more comfort than chocolate, a warm bath or wine.

The hand stroking her back stilled and her mother pulled away, assessing her with shrewd eyes. Julie fidgeted under the perusal. Long moments passed before Judith finally stepped away.

“Everyone’s in the dining room.” She gestured, heading in the opposite direction toward the kitchen.

What was up with everyone this morning? She looked down to make sure she was appropriately dressed. Jeans and a t-shirt might not be dressy, but they weren’t eating at the Ritz, either. Why then was everyone acting as if she’d shocked them?

Conversation halted the moment she entered the room. Six sets of eyes stared at her like an interloper. She’d always been different than her siblings, but never before had she felt so unwelcome. As if she’d stumbled into a pack meeting where she wasn’t allowed.

If they didn’t want her to hear them, they shouldn’t have started the conversation in the first place. No, actually, if they were going to act like this they should’ve just left her in bed with Brendan. After all, she wasn’t the one pounding on their doors at ten in the morning.

Confusion gave way to anger as they continued to stare at her as if she didn’t belong. She was about to demand Danny take her home when Jason stood. The sound of his chair scraping against the floor echoed in the silence like a gunshot.

Ready to go off at the slightest provocation, she glared as he approached. She hadn’t asked to be human, and never expected special treatment as sister to the Premier. She knew she didn’t belong in their discussions, because she didn’t belong in their pack. And they’d never hear her ask to be included, either. But this was their parents’ home, her home. How dare they make her feel as if she didn’t belong.

Instead of talking, Jason swept her hair aside with one hand. His face darkened as he looked at her neck. Without a word he leaned down and took a deep breath.

Shock made her step back. She’d never seen them act this way, and was clueless how to deal with this new side of her family.

“You said the lock was broken?” Although he stared at her, the question was directed behind him. Unable to break Jason’s stare, Julie wasn’t sure who he spoke to until Danny answered.

“Yeah, like someone had torn it off.” The words jerked her out of her stupor.

“I told you to stop worrying about that.” Her exacerbation reached new levels as they continued to ignore her. After exchanging some silent wolf communication they left the room as a unit. Julie stared after them until she heard a car starting.

“What. The. Hell. Is going on?”

“Come. Sit.” Samantha patted the chair next to her. The desire to continue arguing was strong, but after a moment Julie relented. She wanted answers more than she wanted to argue. Like when had everyone been possessed by aliens?

“Are you okay?” Concern poured off her brother’s mate in waves. Glancing around, she saw similar worry on Laurie and Gwen’s faces.

“Besides being utterly confused and frustrated with my family’s trip to bizarro land, yes, of course I am. Now would someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s your smell,” Gwen said, leaning forward.

Okay, creepy. Julie leaned down to sniff her armpit, but Samantha stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“That’s not what she means.”

“You reek of Brendan. And even if the hickey on your neck wasn’t a glowing neon sign, we all know what you did last night.” Laurie paused, letting her words sink in. “And you know how protective those boys are about their baby sister. They’d go after him regardless. But the broken lock makes us all think Brendan may have stepped over the line. I’ve half a mind to go join them.”

Cold eyes stared back at Julie, the fierce expression one she hadn’t seen since coming home from kindergarten with bruises after being bullied.

They knew? All of it? Why hadn’t Brendan warned her? He had to have known something like this was going to happen. She almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. What was she supposed to say? Hey, guys, how was your evening? I spent the night screwing Brendan in every way imaginable. That would’ve been fantastic breakfast conversation. Besides, she was twenty-three years old. She didn’t need to explain her love life to anyone.

“Damn it, I’m old enough to make my own decisions about who I sleep with. It’s none of your, or their, business.”

“The question isn’t whether you’re capable of making those decisions,” Laurie continued. “It’s whether Brendan took advantage, or forced you in any way. Well, that’s my concern. The guys would have beaten him up regardless.” The intensity of her stare belied her relaxed pose.

“Beat him up? Brendan was a complete gentleman last night. He in no way ‘forced’ anything on me.”

“A complete gentleman?” Gwen asked, smiling at her outburst. “How boring!”

A blush heated her cheeks.

“Well, ‘complete’ might have been the wrong word. Still, it’s none of their business.”

“You know, I think I believe you. Now you have to go convince the men or warn Brendan, if there’s anything left of him at this point. Those boys looked pretty determined.”

This was not good. Squatting outside Julie’s place, Brendan examined the remains of her front door. The knob had been torn right off. Whoever had done this had been not only determined but incredibly strong. More-than-human strong. Claw marks surrounded the hole where the knob had been. This had shifter written all over it. But most worrisome? There was no way he’d done this.

When Julie had said broken lock, he’d assumed he’d done something wrong. But this damage was something else entirely. This wasn’t a botched lock picking. There was no finesse in this damage–the lock was irreparable. In fact, the whole doorjamb would need replacing.

How had he not heard anything? The perpetrator couldn’t have been quiet while tearing the door apart. Then again, they hadn’t been quiet themselves. If whoever had done this had struck at the right time, it was no wonder they hadn’t heard anything. He shuddered as he thought about what might have happened had he not come over last night. The thought of Julie alone–of someone breaking into her apartment when he wasn’t around to protect her–left him cold.

Whether she liked it or not, Julie would be staying with him tonight and every night thereafter until he figured out who had done this and eliminated the threat. He refused to risk her safety.

Now the hard part, telling her without causing panic. Worse, telling her brothers.

A car barreled into the parking lot, screeching to a stop behind him. He turned to see Julie’s three brothers pile out of the car. Judging by the looks on their faces, the secret was out. And it was apparent Julie hadn’t been able to talk sense into them.

If there’d been anger on their faces, he might have tried to explain, to reason with them. But the emotions seething in their eyes went deeper than mere anger. It was all Brendan could do to brace himself before Ethan’s punch landed. The force of the impact drove him to the ground. He was grateful his jaw hadn’t flown off. This might be more difficult than he’d originally thought.

Shaking his head to clear it, Brendan looked up at the three men from the ground. He held up a hand to stay them as they advanced.

“Wait. Just wait. There’s something you need to know. It’s about Julie’s safety.” If nothing else, the word safety would stall them. They’d do anything to keep their sister safe and happy. Beating him up was about protecting her happiness. But in a competition, “safe” beat “happy” hands down.

“If you care about her safety, you have a funny way of showing it.” Jason gestured toward the broken door. A growl burst out as he saw the damage. “It’s worse than you said, Danny. I ought to beat you to a bloody pulp.” Jason took a threatening step toward him.

“Yes, I broke into her apartment last night. But–” he held up a hand as they started toward him again, “I picked the lock. I didn’t do this to her door.” He paused, letting the information sink past their rage. “Which means someone else did.”

Fear seeped into their expressions as they examined the wreckage. When he thought they wouldn’t hit him again, he rose. At least he wasn’t alone in his concern.

“You didn’t do this?” Danny asked, leaning down to examine the broken doorframe.

“Not even close.”

“But you did break in.” It wasn’t a question. They already knew the answer. Judging by the Premier’s expression, there would be hell to pay later. But right now they had bigger fish to fry. On some level, her brothers must have been aware he would never hurt Julie, and would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Otherwise, they would kick him out of the pack so fast his head would spin.

“What did Julie say?” he questioned, not wanting to contradict whatever they’d already been told. From the uncomfortable expression on Danny’s face, he knew they hadn’t even asked. Instinct had taken over. Protect. Defend.

Then again, he looked down at the doorknob in his hand and realized he would have done the same.

Rubbing a hand over his abused jaw, he considered how best to reply. He opened his mouth to answer, but shut it as Laurie’s car tore into the parking lot, Julie at the wheel. Fire snapped from her eyes as she flung open her door and charged head first into the middle of the group. Pushing her brothers away from him, she stood between Brendan and the three alpha wolves like an avenging angel.

“What the hell do you three idiots think you’re doing?” She poked Jason in the chest as she continued her rant. “Whatever happened last night is none of your business. How dare you take turns sniffing me then dash out to defend my honor. Without even discussing it with me! I am an adult, and I’m old enough to make my own mistakes.”

Brendan frowned. Mistakes? Nothing about last night had been a mistake. His mouth opened to protest, but Jason beat him to it.

“Now, Julie–” he placated, but Julie wasn’t finished.

“Don’t you ‘now, Julie’ me! This in no way concerns you. And you better get used to it, because it’s not stopping anytime soon!” Brendan almost snickered at the shocked looks on all three brothers’ faces. He knew his answering smile was a bit smug, but he couldn’t help it. Watching his mate defend their relationship made his chest puff out with pride. She was so beautiful when riled. It made him want to do inappropriate things to her, even while confronting her three alpha brothers.

He stepped forward and ran soothing hands down her arms. Now that she was near, he and his wolf had settled, comfortable knowing their mate was safe. Besides, how could he stay upset when she made him so happy?

“It’s okay, beautiful. They’re looking out for you. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now since I know you couldn’t have eaten yet with the hubbub, why don’t all of you get back to your parents? I can pick you up there later.” He looked at her brothers, exchanging a silent message with them. Take care of her. I’m entrusting her to you. All three nodded in understanding. For now, they were on the same team.

“Why don’t you join us? I’m sure Mom made enough for one more.”

Brendan looked at Danny in surprise. An olive branch? Sure, he’d eaten plenty of meals with the Callahan family in the past, but everything had changed last night. He’d broken their one rule: Julie was off-limits.

“Sounds great,” he heard himself say. Julie’s hand slipped into his as they walked back to the car. His heart overflowed with love. He’d die if anything were to happen to her. Which meant he couldn’t let her out of his sight.