To Tempt the Wolf

Chapter 11

SOMEONE POUNDED ON THE MASTER BEDROOM DOOR the next morning, jump-starting Hunter's heart. Tessa cuddled against him, her voice whisper soft as she nuzzled his chest. "Tell whoever it is to go away."

"Hunter! We need to talk!" Meara said. "Now!"

Hell, what now? Leave it to Meara to ruin a perfectly good morning wake-up.

He kissed Tessa's lips, gently at first, then building up steam as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his arousal. Instantly, he hardened.

"Hunter!"

Hunter growled under his breath. "Time for Rourke and me to check out Bethany's place anyway." With reluctance, he kissed Tessa's cheek, then left her warm embrace, dressing as she watched every move he made, licking her lips, purring, a slight smile curving her lips. Vixen.

"More, later."

"Promises, promises."

He gave the siren one last look, then took a deep breath and joined Meara in the hall and scowled at her. Giving him an equally disgruntled look, she motioned to the guest bedroom as he shut Tessa's door. He knew then what this was all about. Meara entered the room and waved at a stack of wolf photos spread out on the desk, the sepia picture of the man he'd thought was Seth taking center stage.

"What's all this?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Her brother paints wolves. Did you see his oils in the closet?"

"This!" she said, lifting Seth's photo. "Explain what an old-time photograph of Seth is doing here."

But it wasn't that photograph that interested him now, or the concern that she also thought the man pictured was Seth, but another photo lying underneath that caught his eye. Sepia like the other, but this one was of a group of gold miners--their great-grandfather included, and a great uncle, Seth, and some others Hunter didn't know. Although one seemed familiar.

"Where did you find it?" He studied it more closely, his heartbeat ratcheting up several notches.

"Buried at the bottom of the drawer underneath all these wolf pictures. So, what's going on? We both know Seth had a mate who died in Colorado and then he left his small son to live with his pack while he went to California because of the Gold Rush. But this woman isn't his mate, and he didn't have another when he died. So who is the woman and infant in the photo? And why does Tessa Anderson have the two photos?"

Hunter rubbed his chin in thought. "Hell, Tessa thought Seth, by another name--Jeremiah Cramer--was her great-grandfather and the woman, his wife and child."

Meara's eyes widened and she looked at the photo again and at the one with their great-grandfather in it. "I would say she's mistaken, or that this wasn't Seth, but the one with our great-grandfather proves he was." She stared at Hunter. "She's not a lupus garou and our kind can't produce offspring with a human."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So, what if he was fooling around with the human woman after his mate died, and this woman already had a baby?"

"Possibly, except for the fact that Tessa's as much of a magnet for male lupus garous as you are. Why? There's got to be a reasonable explanation."

Meara touched the baby in the photo. "She's not one of us."

"What if for the sake of argument, her grandmother had mixed parents. What if through some freak mistake of nature, her human great-grandmother conceived Seth's child?"

Meara shook her head as she studied the photo again. "We've never known a case like that in all the years we've lived. Never."

"So explain the photos, Tessa's fascination with wolves, and their interest in her."

"What about her brother?"

"The females have enough males to choose from. If they weren't so picky," he amended, giving his sister a pointed look. "Most lupus garou females wouldn't be interested in a male who had only a small percentage of lupus garou genetics running through his veins, I suspect. But Michael seems to be as drawn to our kind-- well, wolves--as Tessa is."

"She doesn't have any of our senses. I know because she can't tell what we are."

"It's just a thought. I don't know how else to explain this."

Meara's stubborn streak was shining through. "She's not a lupus garou."

But if Tessa was in part, it would make it a hell of a lot harder for Hunter to leave her as she was. Word would undoubtedly spread about a mixed lupus garou female who didn't have a pack to protect her.

The back of his neck prickled, and Hunter rubbed it.

"Okay, Hunter, so if Tessa's grandmother was half lupus garou, who protected her from lupus garou suitors during her lifetime?"

"Probably none in the area so no one learned about her. Which makes me wonder if the woman was Tessa's maternal or paternal grandmother."

"Had to be paternal," Meara said. "Otherwise they'd have had another generation of females with the lupus garou pheromones ."

Hell, did Uncle Basil know about this all along? "Do you have your cell phone?"

"Why?"

"I'm wondering why Uncle Basil befriended her, then implied I had to take drastic measures to eliminate her."

"Did he mean as in mating the woman? Making her one of our own?"

Hunter swore under his breath. It was one thing for it to be his own idea, but he sure as hell didn't appreciate his uncle setting him up.

Meara handed him her phone and folded her arms. "I knew he was up to something and that his sudden desire to retire was due to something lots more devious."

Yeah, Hunter should have known the way his uncle was so eager to leave, something was up.

When his uncle's answering machine came on, Hunter let out his breath and left a terse message. "What's the true story behind Tessa Anderson? What's her relationship to Seth? Call me soonest."

Meara raised her brows. "He's not answering?"

"I got his machine." He handed her the phone.

She snorted. "You should have been more cryptic. Said you'd run into troubles. Call back. ASAP. Better yet, get your butt back here and explain yourself. Once he sees what you're calling about, he'll undoubtedly let it slide until you resolve it one way or another on your own."

As if Hunter had any intention of worrying his uncle when there wasn't any need.

"You can't turn her," Meara finally said, her voice softened.

"I don't plan to." Yet the more things got out of control with Yoloff and his brothers, the more he was considering just that option.

The doorbell rang and the master bedroom door opened. Tessa.

Hell, she'd better not go near the door without his protection. His heart pounding, Hunter bolted out of the guest bedroom and gave her a warning look as she was going in the direction of the door. "I'll get it." He was certain his sister was shaking her head at his overreaction, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the grays tried for Tessa again.

The doorbell rang once more, and he heard Cara and Ashton stirring in Michael's bedroom.

Hunter opened the door to find the red lupus garou pack leader of Portland standing on the front porch.

Meara said under her breath, "Uh-oh."

His expression dark and menacing, Leidolf barged into the house. "Your people are causing trouble in my city. When I attempted to contact you at home where your pack members said you were living, I got your sister. She gave me this address. I want them out in three days, or I'll take care of the situation myself. And you don't want that to happen if you care anything about them."

Hunter slanted his sister an irritated look that she would give the red Tessa's address. Meara gave him a half smile.

Leidolf was bigger than most reds Hunter had seen. Although that amounted to only a couple of dozen over the years. But the man was as tall as Hunter, his chestnut hair tinged red, his eyes a slightly more olive color than Tessa's. But it was the dark brooding look that really defined Leidolf.

He glanced at Tessa, his eyes widening when he saw her. Surprised to see a human in a house full of lupus garous? Or was he interested in the redhead?

Irritated that Leidolf had seen Tessa, Hunter moved across the floor to block Leidolf's view of her. "I've got a situation here I need to resolve before I can go to Portland."

"With the woman?" Leidolf asked, his voice and brows raised.

"I'm Tessa Anderson, and you are?" She moved around Hunter to shake Leidolf's hand. She didn't look pleased Leidolf would treat her as some woman when the house was hers, or that Hunter would stand between them.

But Hunter didn't like that she would get near another alpha male. Where Rourke and Ashton were concerned, they seemed to know their place. Leidolf was an unknown quantity--and an alpha leader.

"Leidolf Wildhaven." He tilted his nose up and took a deep breath, his eyes darkening as he took her hand and held on longer than necessary, not shaking it, but restraining her.

For long enough that Hunter's blood heated.

Hell, if her pheromones were triggering Leidolf's interest--and worse, she seemed intrigued by him also and didn't pull away... "Fascinating." Then Leidolf released her hand and saw the wolf photos on the coffee table. He motioned to them. "Who took these?"

"I did." Tessa sounded as ready to defend herself as Leidolf's tone was accusing.

"Let's go outside, Leidolf." Hunter motioned for him to take the lead and shut the door behind them before he gave in to his wolf nature and fought him over Tessa. "Like I said, I have a situation here, and I need to resolve it before I can leave."

"Concerning the woman? She knows what we are?"

"No."

"I smelled at least six different lupus garous in the house, and she doesn't have a clue what's going on?"

"None. A gray is trying to change her. I need to stop him before it gets that far."

"The one who's been in the house? The one in the photos? Hell, he's Yoloff and he and his brothers and three more of their pack members are from La Grande. All males. All looking for mates. They came sniffing around Portland, but we don't have any unattached red females, so the grays moved farther west. You're bound to have more trouble with them. I take it you want the woman for yourself?"

"I don't believe in changing humans."

"At least that's something we agree on." Leidolf offered an arrogant smile. "Yet two are newly turned, am I right?"

"Yoloff changed the one and the other was an accident."

"Ah. I don't blame you about the woman. I'm a royal and mixing our kind with a newly turned lupus garou doesn't appeal."

A royal? But Leidolf's attentions toward Tessa hinted at more than a little intrigue. Mixing his purer lupus garou line with a human just turned might become an option if the red got desperate enough for a mate.

"I'd guess she has a red in her family tree because of her hair color and as petite as she is."

Hunter snorted. "A lupus garou can't impregnate a human."

"In all of the years I've lived, I've learned one important thing: there are exceptions to nearly every rule."

Hunter snapped his gaping jaw shut, glanced back at the house, saw Tessa watching him through the picture window, and turned his attention back to Leidolf. In all the years Hunter had lived, he'd never seen a case like that. "You know someone like that?"

Leidolf motioned to the house. "Right inside. Maybe a couple of generations back. Maybe more. But she's got a lupus garou in her genes somewhere along the line. Got to have if she's chasing down lupus garous like Yoloff, drawn to us, curious, and we're just as attracted to her."

Hunter glanced back at the house. Tessa's brows lifted.

"She may not smell like us or have our enhanced wolf abilities, but she triggers your craving, doesn't she? I can see in your expression you don't believe me, but I met one other nearly a hundred years ago. A human female.

She moved close to where my father's pack lived in Wildhaven. Several of our unmated males fought over her. Finally, a red won her over and that was that. But she had lupus garou pheromones that triggered quite a bit of testosterone between our males before the situation was resolved. A grandfather was the culprit."

"But the woman didn't interest you."

Leidolf shrugged. "I told you. I want a lupus garou who's close to being a royal. Why don't you bring the woman to Portland where you can keep an eye on her, and then you can force your pack to return to the coast?"

Bring her to Portland to watch over her? Or give Leidolf another opportunity to check her out? Only this time in his territory.

"If I don't resolve this by week's end, I might do that."

"Good." Leidolf looked back at the house and bowed his head to Tessa. "Too bad she isn't a red lupus garou. I imagine though, you wish she were a gray."

So Leidolf was interested in her. "She's human, and I intend for her to stay that way. But if she were part lupus garou, she would have gray lineage." Hunter made the comment as pointed as he could. He didn't want one horny red thinking he might claim her.

Leidolf perked up. "How so?"

"If it's true she has distant lupus garou lineage, her great-grandfather was probably Seth Greystoke."

Leidolf's eyes rounded. "The devil gray who beat Alfred's great-grandfather?"

Hunter frowned. "Who?"

"Alfred was the previous red pack leader in the Portland area. His great-grandfather was as much of a terror when he was the pack leader in the Oregon territory. Seth had come here with the gold fever. Made a mint. Then after he took down Alfred's great-grandfather, he returned to his home in Colorado. Seth's great-grandson, Devlyn, came here looking for a female red, Bella, and destroyed Alfred three months ago, after Alfred and some of the males in his pack had killed young women in the area."

"Seth." Hunter shook his head. "We'd heard he had a son."

"Yes, whose own son fathered three boys. But everyone died in a house fire set by vigilante humans, except for Devlyn. Being punished for disobedience, he was sleeping in a shed that night."

Hell, if Tessa and her brother were truly Seth's descendants, they were Devlyn's distant cousins. Which could be more of a problem, or Hunter's solution, depending on the way he looked at it. "Never would have figured Seth to oust a leader. He was in California when my great-grandfather met him."

"Earlier gold fever?"

"Yeah, guess he never did get over it."

Leidolf glanced back at Tessa. "I'll get word to Devlyn that he's possibly got a couple of distant relations still living. Never know. He might want to take her back to his pack--for safekeeping. Once others discover she's available, the stream of lusty suitors will never end. You know as well as I, a vulnerable human will soon succumb. As for your people, don't wait too long to get them." Leidolf climbed into his black Hummer, gave a wave, and drove off.

He'd had every intention of getting rid of Yoloff to protect Tessa, but if Leidolf was right and Seth truly had been her great-grandfather, the trouble would never end. So why not take the easy way out and hand her over to Devlyn? If he truly was family, he'd take care of her. Her brother, too. So why did that make Hunter want to fight to the death for her before anyone took her away?

His only other option as he could see it was to change her and claim her for his own. But not without her consent. So if he chose that path, how the hell was he going to get it if she knew what they were without using some damn caveman approach? And then there was one other nagging worry--that she might not be alpha enough to be his mate.

Hunter ground his teeth and headed back inside.

"What did he say, Hunter?" Meara's brows pinched together in worry.

"Nothing. Rourke, hurry up and finish eating so we can go."

Looking sour, Ashton shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can't I be the one to go with you?"

"You can shoot. Rourke can't. Stay here and protect the women."

Cara ran her hand over Ashton's arm. "Besides, we can take a nap later since we didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Wouldn't you like that?"

Ashton threw his coat on and stalked out back.

"Watch him, Cara. Make sure he stays here when we leave," Hunter warned.

She smiled. "That I will, Hunter. He's all mine."

He wasn't so sure. Ashton didn't seem to be taking the change well, unless something else was bothering him. Maybe he didn't like that Rourke seemed to be Hunter's favorite now. But it wasn't that. It really had all to do with who could use the rifle.

While Rourke was finishing off a banana, Hunter took Tessa aside, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her mouth, enjoying the warm, soft feel of her. Her tongue flicked against his lips, her arms reaching around his neck, her body screaming she wanted him to take her. And he sure as hell wanted to oblige. Some of it was the need to prove he was more to her liking than Leidolf was, damn him for interfering.

He took another deep breath of her uniquely heady scent and groaned inwardly. Afraid Leidolf was right in speculating Tessa was in part one of them and with him notifying Devlyn of the situation, Hunter knew he had to take drastic measures one way or another soon. "Don't take a nap without me."

"Wouldn't be half as satisfying."

He kissed her again and gave her another warm embrace, not wanting to let her go, but he had to take care of this matter with her brother. "Come on, Rourke.

Let's get this done."

She gave Hunter a concerned smile. Afraid for his safety? Or that he wouldn't learn who Bethany's murderer was? She had a lot more than that to worry about.

He and Rourke headed outside and into the woods, wary of signs of danger in the form of three lupus garous. Although if Leidolf was right, there were six of them he'd eventually have to contend with.

Praying they wouldn't encounter any trouble, Tessa watched Hunter and Rourke until they disappeared into the woods. Cara coaxed Ashton inside. Tessa couldn't understand why he was behaving like a spoiled child.

Meara cleared her throat. "They'll be all right, Tessa. Let's go back in the house."

In one respect, Meara acted as though she wanted to keep Tessa safe. But on the other hand, she didn't seem to care for Tessa and Hunter's relationship. Although why it would matter to Meara was a puzzle.

Leidolf was another mystery, the way he tore into the house, roaring about like he was in charge, when if he'd known Lord Hunter at all he would have realized Hunter was always the one in charge.

Tessa turned to Meara. "What did Leidolf mean about Hunter's people being in Portland and that they had to leave? Was he talking about more of your relatives? Why does he act like he owns the place? Sounds like he's head of an organized crime ring in the city."

Her expression indifferent, Meara shrugged. "A couple of Hunter's friends must be causing trouble in Leidolf's business."

"What does he do?"

Meara paused too long before answering, which made Tessa suspicious.

"He has a... bar in town. You know, the guys probably have been drinking a little too much and stirring up trouble."

"So... why does Hunter have to take care of them?"

"They're friends from way back. You know."

Meara and Cara exchanged looks, and again Tessa felt like an outsider, while the women who'd never met each other before shared some dark secret. Fine. She'd ask Hunter when he returned.

Tessa unloaded the dishwasher while Meara and Cara put away leftovers from a hastily grabbed breakfast. Tessa thought she heard Ashton stacking more wood by the fireplace. But Cara suddenly dropped the napkins she'd gathered on the table and dashed through the house and out the front door.

"Damn, Ashton!" she yelled. "You come back here this instant!"

"We could go after him," Tessa offered, although why he was acting the way he was, she didn't have a clue. Unless he felt hurt that the "boys" were leaving him out. Probably didn't want to be tied down to babysitting the women.

With tears in her eyes, Cara closed the door and shook her head. "No, we can't leave. It wouldn't be safe for us."

Meara actually looked sympathetic.

"I can use the rifle, so don't worry." But of course Tessa did worry about Ashton. What if the wolf attacked him again? No. She had shot it and it was probably half-dead somewhere in a pile of snow.

Remembering she'd neglected to write the suspect list and glad for the diversion, she grabbed a piece of paper. Except for Michael, Ashton, Rourke, and half a dozen of her brother's artist friends, she couldn't think of anyone else that visited regularly. A man cleaned their chimney once. An electrician checked their heater when it kept flipping the circuit breaker. A plumber had to repair a frozen pipe. That was it.

"Hot cocoa, anyone?" Meara asked, while Cara watched out the front window.

"That would be great." Tessa considered her list. "The chimney sweep didn't look like the guy Ashton described--dark haired, same approximate build as Hunter. Michael had dealt with the electrician and plumber so I didn't get a chance to see either. I think I was selling photographs to shops in Portland at the time."

"Hell," Meara said in the kitchen.

Tessa dropped the list on the coffee table and hurried to join her. Ashton was pacing on the back patio. "What's wrong with him?" She had never seen him so agitated, except for maybe the time he was drunk and had attacked her.

"Uhm, Cara!" Meara said. "Ashton's back here. Why don't you take care of him?"

Cara raced from the front window to the back door. She bolted outside, slammed the door shut, and grabbed Ashton's arm, but he shook loose. Tessa couldn't hear their words, but his face was red, his brows furrowed, and he snarled back at Cara when she tried to calm him.

Then he started tugging off his clothes as if he had gone totally mad. Tessa's mouth gaped.

Meara seized Tessa's arm. "Come on, we don't want to watch this. Cocoa's ready."

But Tessa did want to watch. What if Ashton had rabies? What if Cara was in danger? "Wait, Meara. Cara could be at risk. We need to get her away from him."

"No, she'll be fine." Meara tried to yank Tessa toward the living room, but she was rooted to the floor. "Finish your list. I'll bring--"

Ashton stretched his arms upward toward the gray clouds, his face began to distort, elongate, and his naked lean body began to change, his back arching. Pale gray hair, no it was more like... fur, began to cover his body, the whole thing happening so quickly it was like watching a movie playing at triple speed or more in a blur. He dropped to his... his paws, no longer a man, but a gray wolf. A beautiful creature, wild and dangerous.

She barely breathed. If she hadn't seen the sudden transformation with her own eyes, she would never believe it. Even now, she had a hard time accepting it. Every inch of him looked like a real wolf.

Her heart pounding and her head swimming, Tessa's knees buckled. Meara was still holding her arm and when Tessa collapsed on her knees, Meara fell with her. "Ohmigod... did... did you see... what happened to Ashton?"

Meara watched Tessa with wide eyes.

"Cara! We've got to get her away from him." Tessa scrambled to her feet and peered out the window, clinging to the kitchen sink for support.

Shaking her finger at him, Cara scolded the wolf-- Ashton. For a couple of seconds, he listened to her, but then bolted for the woods.

Turning, Cara saw Tessa watching. Her face turned pasty despite the fact her cheeks had been cherry colored from the cold. Tessa stepped away from the window, her heart thundering.

Cara was one, too. She had to be. Had she turned Ashton last night when she seduced him? Turned him? What was she saying? They were shapeshifters?

Tessa bolted for the door and locked it.

"Let me in, Tessa. I don't have my coat on and it's freezing out here." Cara half-coaxed, half-demanded, rubbing her arms with her bare hands.

Tessa couldn't find her voice. What if the wolf that had bitten Ashton was the culprit and not Cara? But then, why wasn't Cara surprised when Ashton shapeshifted?

Tessa didn't realize how much she was shaking until Meara touched her arm. "It's too cold out. We've got to let her in."

Tessa stared at Meara. She saw Ashton turn into a wolf. She observed the whole thing and wasn't surprised.

What if she was one? And what did Ashton say about Hunter? He saw him naked in the freezing weather before he dressed and charged up the hill after Ashton for shooting him. Why? Because Hunter had been shapeshifting beforehand? Ashton hadn't been drunk. She groaned.

"Tessa, we have to let Cara back in."

"You're one of them." Tessa's eyes misted. "You're one and Hunter is one and he bit Rourke. Leidolf is, too, isn't he? Everyone but me is." Her heart beating too rapidly, she backed up.

"Tessa, you're just imagining things." Meara took a step forward, cautious, concerned.

Where had Ashton left the rifle? In the living room?

Tessa dashed for it just as the back door squeaked open. Meara was letting Cara in.

The door shut and the lock clicked, but no one said a word. They didn't need to. They'd share one of those conspiratorial looks that said it all.

She grabbed the rifle and headed back into the kitchen where Meara was pouring Cara another mug of hot cocoa. "I want you both to leave, now. Get in your vehicles and drive away. I won't say anything to anyone. Hell, what could I say? Anyone would think I was nuts. But I want you out of here, now."

"We can't leave," Meara said, softly. "Hunter would kill us if we left you unprotected."

"He would kill his own sister?"

"In a manner of speaking. He'd be angry, and I don't want to go there. You know how upset he was with me for taking off with three other guys. Believe me, this would be worse."

"Do you want to know why, Tessa? Because that intruder who's after you is also one of our kind," Cara piped in. "We can't leave you to face him on your own. If he manages to get you alone now, he'll change you."

Tessa sat down hard on the dining chair. "The one who bit Ashton, was he the same man/wolf?"

Meara sighed. "I imagine he's the same one."

Everything that had happened in the last few days ran through Tessa's mind--Hunter being naked on the beach, the way he knew the man had been in her bed, and that it was him and not some other man. He knew things he shouldn't.

"Tell me what you are, exactly."

Meara shook her head. "You know too much already. In most cases, the pack leader would have two options. Kill you, or turn you. Hunter won't want to change you."

"Why not?" Not that Tessa wanted that option, no way, but death wasn't the greatest choice either. Not that she would go willingly either.

"He doesn't believe in it," Meara said. "We haven't known anyone personally changed by a bite. It's just something we prefer not to do."

Tessa gave a haughty laugh. "Yeah, right. He changed Rourke, didn't he?"

"By accident."

"So then he'll have to kill me. That's why he said the relationship would never work." Tessa swallowed a lump in her throat. "Will he at least get my brother free first?"

"I don't believe he'll want to eliminate you. But enough said. Like you mentioned, people will think you're certifiable if you breathe a word of this. So here's the deal. You don't ask questions or learn anything more about us, and when we free your brother, we all will..." Meara snapped her fingers. "... disappear. You'll never hear from us again."

"Unless Hunter wants to terminate me."

Meara took in a ragged breath. "We won't tell him."

She cast Cara a warning look.

Cara bowed her head slightly.

In disbelief, Tessa stared at Meara. "Why?"

She shrugged. "He'd want to eliminate all of us for putting him in this bind. It'll be our little secret."

Keeping secrets from Hunter was like trying to drive a car across the ocean. Tessa knew she would sink and drown before she got anywhere.

"Want some cocoa?" Cara put on a fake smile and offered Tessa a mug.

Tessa had known something would go terribly wrong after she had come home from Michael's trial, but she never guessed the nightmare could get this bad.

Rourke looked over the edge of the cliff where the men had pushed Hunter. "I don't know how in the hell you managed to survive. The tide must have come in just at the right time."

Hunter examined the nearby trees, looking for signs of a struggle. Half a foot of snow had fallen, so the ground would yield no clues.

"Looks like you gave them a hell of a time." Rourke twisted a broken branch back and forth.

"I still can't figure out why they would have attacked me. If I came into a wolves' territory unannounced, the pack leader would either welcome me, or tell me to leave. The only way he would fight me with the intent to kill was if I had seriously violated pack laws, killed one of his wolves, tried to claim a female he had other plans for, or threatened to take over his pack. Maybe I was headed in the direction of Tessa's cabin and Yoloff, the one who wants her, got riled, thinking I was after her."

Hunter led the way to Bethany's log cabin. Like Tessa's place, the house sat cliffside with a view of a rocky beach, woods all around, and no sign of any other homes.

"Why she would live out here by herself is what puzzles me," Rourke said. "I can understand Tessa's situation. She and her brother lived together and had inherited the house. But Bethany?" He shook his head as Hunter unlocked the door. "She was kind of a loner, like... ." Rourke stopped dead inside the house. "It's him, isn't it? The smell of Tessa's stalker."

"Yoloff, yeah. He's been here. His brothers, too. And recently. Did they have a key to her place also? No broken windows." Hunter checked over the two-bedroom, one-bath house. "She wasn't killed here."

"No, the coroner said she'd died when she fell to her death on the rocks."

"But why not here? Why a mile away?" Hunter searched through her bedroom drawers.

"She loved to take walks in the woods. That's what Michael said at the trial. He didn't like it that she was taking them alone. Of course, it sounded like a perfect alibi since no one could confirm that she was seeing someone behind his back. Either this phantom guy did it, or some stranger. Neither the sheriff or his deputies bought Michael's story."

"Sheriff's been here. So has Ashton. And three of the wolves that had been around Tessa's place? They've been here, too. Which meant they were tied into her death, or curious possibly."

"And a ton of other humans. Coroner, deputies. But I wouldn't know whose scent I'm smelling unless I got a whiff of them now." Rourke motioned to the house. "What did you want me to look for?"

"Any sign of anything out of the ordinary."

"You won't find her diary. The D.A. kept it as evidence. But there was nothing incriminating in it about Ashton. Or anyone else for that matter. Just Michael. They fought concerning her seeing someone else, but she never confirmed it one way or another."

"Ashton said he kept a pretty low profile," Hunter said.

They moved back into the kitchen. Rourke pulled open a cabinet door. "Yeah, he didn't leave any clothes in the house. Nothing personal to tie himself to her."

Hunter paused. "Don't you think that's odd?"

"What? He didn't want Michael to learn that he was here with Bethany on the sly. Ashton still valued his friendship, even if he wasn't showing it in a very loyal way."

"Unless he had some things here and got rid of them after he'd murdered her." Hunter pulled open another drawer.

"I thought you believed the grays had killed her."

"I'd considered it. The one might have wanted Michael out of the way so he killed Bethany, and then Michael was blamed for it. Tessa would be left unprotected."

"But why not just kill Michael?"

"The wolf's a beta. If he'd been an alpha, he would have killed Michael and taken Tessa. But he didn't. He's stalked her, waited, watched, for what? He couldn't get up the nerve. Maybe he cared for her too much and was afraid if he turned her and things didn't work out, he'd have to destroy her. On the other hand, what if the guy couldn't even kill Bethany? What if Ashton did it? But now Bethany's murder played into the gray's hands, and he had a chance to make Tessa his. Only he still stalked her, worried about her acceptance of him."

"Then you appeared on the beach."

"Right. And he got anxious. Started playing games. Showing how he could get in, leaving his scent on her sheets, wanting to claim her, getting more and more rash."

"And then he bit Ashton to...? "

"I believe at that point he wanted to kill Ashton so he could get to Tessa since you and I were gone. Even more desperate, he took a bigger chance, but when Tessa got the gun and started shooting, he tucked tail and ran."

Rourke shoved his gloved hands under his arms. "What if the gray did it? Or Ashton for that matter? We can't prove either did because they can't go to prison. Not when they're werewolves."

"We just have to find the evidence, and I'll sort it out from there."

Rourke took a deep breath. "All the evidence points to Michael."

"He didn't have an alibi?"

"Nope. He was supposed to be home sick with the flu, but nobody was there to verify he'd stayed home in bed either. Tessa had run to the city to get supplies and sell some more of her photographs. When she arrived home, the sheriff had already arrested Michael and taken him in for questioning."

Not that Hunter wanted to believe anything bad about Tessa, but his wolf's wariness instantly made him suspect anyone and everyone. "How long was she in the city?"

"Four hours." Rourke's eyes widened. "Oh, no. Don't you go thinking Tessa had anything to do with it. Between receipts and store personnel and surveillance tapes at the stores where she sold her work, she had an airtight alibi."

"For all the time?"

Rourke looked out the living room window. "Yeah."

"Not for all the time. You'd make a lousy liar, Rourke. Don't try it with me."

"All right. So she had enough time. But she wouldn't have done it."

Hunter smelled the air. "She's been here before."

"Sure, Tessa has. She was friends with Bethany, too, damn it, but she didn't do it."

"Did the defense think she might have?"

Rourke looked at the floor.

"Did they, Rourke?"

"Yeah. Michael's defense attorney said she had motive because the attorney was trying to cast doubt on Michael's supposed guilt. Tessa suspected someone else was seeing Bethany, too. That's what the defense attorney said. That as loyal as Tessa was to her brother, she could have killed Bethany in a fit of rage. Two police officers had to restrain Michael to keep him from hitting his attorney, he was so pissed. His temper didn't help his case."

"Did Michael always have a temper?"

"Not that he showed publicly. I always thought he kept pretty quiet, except for getting in trouble for minor infractions of the law. Breaking and entering, joy riding in a car once, but I figured Ashton was the mastermind."

Hunter returned to the bathroom and sifted through the drawers.

"What are you looking for?"

"I can understand why Ashton wouldn't leave anything incriminating here in case Michael came across it, but why wouldn't Michael have left anything?"

"He didn't like coming here, so he said at the trial."

"Why not? Seems to me it would be a great place to have private time with his girl."

Rourke gave a derisive laugh. "He thought it was haunted."

"Haunted?" Hunter shook his head. "I need to pay Michael a little visit at the jailhouse."

Rourke peered out the bathroom window. "The wind is really picking up. Holy shit!"

"The grays?" Adrenaline instantly flooded Hunter's system, preparing him for another fight.

"No, that idiot Ashton."

Hunter's blood heated several degrees. "I'll kill him." Although Hunter's sister and Cara were still at Tessa's house to protect her, if the three male grays tried to take off with Tessa, his sister and Cara could be in a world of trouble.

As soon as Hunter headed outside with Rourke on his heels, a patrol car drove into the driveway. Hell. Ashton in his wolf form judiciously moved away from the house, slinked deeper into the woods, and slipped out of sight. But Hunter and Rourke had a lot of explaining to do.

"Have you got permission to be breaking into Bethany Wade's house, gentlemen?" the deputy asked, as he climbed out of the car, his hand on his holster. He was a scrawny, sawed-off little guy and Hunter could have eaten him for a midnight snack if he gave them any real trouble.

"This is Deputy William O'Neal," Rourke said. "And, William, I want you to meet my friend, Hunter Grey. He's an ex-navy SEAL. He's done quite a lot of investigative work for the navy, and he's trying to dig up more clues concerning Bethany's murder. I'm doing an investigative report for the newspaper."

"You didn't answer me, Rourke. Did you get permission from her family first, or not?"

"They want this resolved one way or another. Got the key right here." Rourke dangled it from a heart-shaped key chain.

With his head turned slightly south, Hunter listened for Ashton. He better be in a dead run, heading straight back to Tessa's place.

"That's good. Then I'll call the sheriff and have him verify with her family that you had permission and you can run along." The deputy glanced around. "Where's your vehicle?"

Rourke shoved the key in his pocket. "We walked from Tessa's house, looking for any clues on the way over and by the cliff where she fell."

"In this weather? It's only going to get worse. After I clear this matter up, I'll drop you off at Tessa's place."

"Why don't you take us back to Tessa's house while you're verifying this?" Hunter asked. "The winds are whipping up more, and we don't want to get stuck here in whiteout conditions."

The deputy held the phone to his ear and he nodded at Hunter, but then turned his attention to the phone. "Hello, Katie. Is the sheriff there? Where?" He laughed. "Tell him to call me when he has a chance." The deputy shook his head and pocketed his phone. "Sheriff's seeing some new woman. After all those years of pining over his two-timing ex-wife, it's about time, but he's trying unsuccessfully to keep it under wraps. Climb in. I'll get you back to Tessa's."

The road conditions worsened by the mile. A violent gust of wind blew the deputy's car to the other side of the road. Between the slick conditions and the increasing wind, Hunter was surprised they weren't blown off the cliff.

"The sheriff will probably issue an evacuation order soon. We've never had winds this high. And waves cresting forty-five feet? Unheard of. Some fool kids were even trying to surf. If you can imagine," the deputy said.

"William and I played soccer together on the high school team," Rourke explained to Hunter. "We always said we'd blow this town when we graduated."

The deputy chuckled. "Yeah, look at us now."

The two continued to talk about old school days while Hunter watched out the window, hoping Ashton would get to Tessa's place and that Hunter's worries about the grays were unfounded. But he could still thrash Ashton for leaving the women alone.

At one point, he had to fight the urge to take over the deputy's driving, they were inching along so slowly. Hell, at this rate, Hunter could jog faster.

As soon as the house came into view, Hunter grabbed hold of the door handle. Once the deputy stopped the vehicle, Hunter threw open the door and bolted for the house.

"He's worried about Tessa," Rourke explained to the deputy. "Sheriff probably mentioned to you that she's had a couple of break-ins. You drive safe."

"Will do. I'll let you know if the sheriff issues an evac order."

Rourke waved good-bye and the deputy drove off. Hunter tried the front door. Locked. He rang the doorbell. No answer. He and Rourke raced to the back of the house. Ashton's clothes were sitting half-buried in snow on the patio. Hunter stared at the kitchen window. If Tessa had been at the sink, she could have seen Ashton shapeshift.

Hunter bolted to the back door and tried the doorknob. Locked. He pounded hard enough he figured he'd break the door down.

"Coming!" Meara yelled.

He released the breath he had been holding. Everything sounded fine. But when Meara let him in, he sensed the tension in the air. Meara was the only one of the three women who hid her fear well. Cara reeked of it and he figured it had to do with the fact Ashton was still missing. Tessa stared at Hunter as if he had sprouted devil's horns, her back rigid against the dining room chair.

Ashton's disappearance was probably the reason why all of them were so fearful. Unless something else was wrong, like Tessa had seen Ashton change into the wolf.

"Have you seen Ashton?" Cara asked, her voice wobbly.

"He's coming." At least he hoped he was. Despite being angry over Ashton's actions, Hunter still felt responsible for him.

Rourke patted the snow off his gloves. "I'll take a look to see how far behind us he was."

Hunter nodded and Rourke exited the house, seized Ashton's clothes from the patio, and headed for the woods.

Cara grabbed her coat and gloves. "I'll go with him." She slammed the door shut behind her.

Meara looked like she wanted to search for Ashton also, but it wasn't in her nature. She was more the wait-and-see kind of woman. Except in Hunter's case when he disappeared. He figured she knew he would go after her "friends" when he discovered her missing and wanted to stop him from killing them. They were lucky Hunter didn't find them with her still.

Then he wondered if something else was going on with Tessa. "We didn't find anything incriminating, I'm sorry to say, that would automatically clear your brother of the crime, Tessa."

Her shoulders slumped and her jaw tightened.

He drew close and ran his hand over her arm, the muscle tensing. "We'll keep looking. I need to speak to Michael. When the weather clears up, I'll see him."

Her teeth were so tightly clenched, he assumed she was fighting tears. "Tessa, maybe we could--"

"No!" she snapped.

Meara grabbed her coat and gloves. "Maybe you could fix Hunter some cocoa? Warm him up a bit? I'll see what's happening with the others." She threw on her coat and hat and bolted outside.

Hunter stared after his sister. What the hell was up? Meara didn't want him to make anything of a relationship with Tessa, yet her actions were tantamount to proving otherwise. She wouldn't have cared about Ashton's welfare when the others were handling it.

Hunter crouched next to Tessa, lowered himself to her level so he wouldn't appear so imposing like a wolf who lay down before one who was standing--a non-threatening posture.

She wouldn't look at him, but toyed with the full mug of cocoa, cold now.

"Tessa, I know you're disappointed that we couldn't find evidence to support your brother's case of innocence, but I've only begun to look into Bethany's murder."

Still, she refused to look at him. He wouldn't press the issue.

"When Ashton returns, will you take a nap with me?"

Her gaze shot up and he sensed her fear--the look in her eyes, the smell of it on her skin, the hint of perspiration on her brow, the tension in every muscle returning. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him. She remained seated as if the chair and table shielded her from his getting too close.

"What's wrong? Is it something other than Michael's situation that distresses you? My sister? Did she upset you in some way? She can be pretty unconventional at times."

Tessa choked on a laugh. "Unconventional." But the way she said the word was bitter, not with humor.

"Yes," Hunter said softly. He reached for her hand again and this time she didn't avoid him, but she didn't respond with tenderness either as if he had captured her, the reluctant victim, and held her hostage. "Tell me what's wrong. Did Cara upset you? Or did Ashton's actions worry you when he left the three of you alone?"

"I can shoot, Hunter. You know that already." Her eyes flashed annoyance.

Something else then. "Yes, you're a damned good shot."

"Yes." She looked like she wanted to say something more, but clammed up.

He rubbed his thumb over her hand, wanting to set her at ease, but she didn't relax. "So what's wrong? I promise I'm not going anywhere until I discover who murdered Michael's girlfriend."

The back door opened and Meara entered first. "You didn't say how bad the storm was getting. Jeesh, the winds must be topping one hundred miles per hour."

Cara and Ashton both entered after that, Ashton's arm around her shoulders, neither of them looking very happy. "Sorry," Ashton said to Hunter, slouching as if he thought he was about to be whipped.

"I'll have a word with you later." Hunter would not accept this kind of insubordination, not when it endangered others' lives.

Rourke closed the door behind him. "That shed's about ready to--"

A grinding metal sound and then a scrunching noise and a bang followed. Everyone went to the window to see what happened.

"Hell, there goes the shed," Rourke said. "We saw several trees uprooted when we located Ashton and if this weather keeps up, we're bound to lose the--"

The kitchen light flickered and died.

"Electricity," Rourke finished.

"The beach will be flooded so we can't get any more firewood," Hunter said.

"Makes for good snuggling weather." Cara tugged at Ashton's arm. "Right?"

"We've got enough firewood for a couple of days, if we conserve," Ashton said.

Hunter turned to speak to Tessa about the candles and flashlights for when it got dark, but she had left the dining room.

"What happened while we were gone?" Hunter asked his sister.

She shrugged. "Ashton left. Tessa wrote a list of suspects. We had cocoa. That's about it."

He didn't think that was all of it. "Where's the list?"

"Living room. Coffee table, I think."

Hunter headed into the living room and grabbed up the piece of paper. "As soon as the weather clears, I want every one of these men checked out. In the meantime, Ashton, Rourke, see if you can salvage anything from the shed before everything blows away."

"Will do." They headed out the back door.

Meara looked guilty as hell. Cara did, too, although he didn't know her that well, but in the short time he had been with her, he hadn't seen her so nervous--the way she avoided looking at him and chewed her bottom lip instead of challenging him like she usually did. Ashton was back safe and sound. So what was the problem? The storm?

"What's the matter, Meara?"

"Nothing. I thought you were going to take a nap with Tessa." She motioned to the kitchen. "I'm going to clean the cocoa mugs."

"I'll help you." Cara vamoosed to the kitchen.

A strange noise sounded in Tessa's bedroom. He listened, trying to discern what it was. A grating sound? A window opening?

He raced down the hall and grabbed Tessa's doorknob. Locked.

His blood chilled. "Tessa! Open up!"

No response, but the wind was blowing into the room, papers fluttering, curtains flapping, the frigid air seeping under the bottom edge of the door. "Tessa!"

Turning, he saw Meara watching him, wringing her hands. He didn't even want to know why at this point. He made a dead run for the front door and threw it wide open.

Tessa struggled with the key in her car door lock. His heart beat out of bounds, the thrill of the chase deeply ingrained in him.

She wasn't leaving him. Not unless he chose for her to do so.

He glanced at the key. Not making any headway on the lock. Frozen?

He stalked toward her, his footfall crunching on the glazed snow. She glanced up at him, held herself rigid, testing him with an icy gaze, but she shivered and looked like a rabbit caught in a trap. He gave her credit for not running away.

"Let's go inside and discuss this, Tessa."

"Like two human beings?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips, but then he frowned at her. "If you stay out here, you're going to catch pneumonia."

"But you won't?"

"We can discuss this inside, now."

Her brows knit together, and she stormed past him. Meara and Cara watched from the front entrance, but quickly moved out of Tessa's path. Hunter gave Meara a look that meant he would have a word with her later. Cara closed and locked the door behind him. Ashton and Rourke came inside from the back way.

"Not much worth saving at this point." Ashton shook snow off his parka.

Everyone was glowering at Ashton, except for Tessa. Trembling, she knelt before the fire, her hands spread over the flames.

Hunter crouched beside her. "Ask me what you will."

She glanced at the others and then focused on Hunter. "You have two options as far as taking care of me. Make me one of you, or kill me."