A Wolf's Pride (52 page)

“
What about
unintentionally mutt? You’re a lot stronger than her, can you
honestly tell me that that strength hasn’t hurt her?”

Silence
followed Harry’s harsh questions. Her father was right, he had hurt
her, several times, bruising and chafing her soft skin. She brushed
off the bruises created by their passionate encounters, they healed
quickly now that their lives were linked but he was always aware of
the damage he caused. He tried hard to be gentle with her but there
were moments when he and his wolf merged and the coupling became
wild, his handling of her body less that completely
careful.

“
Ryan, let me
talk to him. I can calm him down.”

He handed the
phone back to her. “Dad, I swear, Ryan hasn’t hurt me. He treats me
with more care than you can even imagine.”

“
I’m sorry
Chloe but I find that hard to believe. The only way I could even
consider believing what you’re saying is if I saw you myself. If
what you’re saying is true and this wolf is such a
good
man then have him
bring you home. Let us see for yourself that you’re fine.”
Give us the chance to catch him and if we can’t
do that then we’ll kill him, put him out of his misery and then
maybe you’ll start to see sense.

She gulped,
turning pleading eyes on Ryan. He shook his head frantically, no,
but as he stared into her stunning violet eyes, he could feel the
instinct stirring within him, demanding that he give her what she
wanted.

I should have
known better. What made me think this phone call business was a
good idea? It wasn’t. But how can I say no to her?
He already knew the answer to that question. He
couldn’t.

Chapter Forty
Four

“
Ryan, I don’t
see why we couldn’t have had this meeting at home,” Chloe groaned,
sliding down his body to put her feet on once familiar
ground.

The trip back
to her familial home had been short in comparison to her abrupt
departure. Ryan had run the entire distance without any help,
stunning her with just how fast he could move. He’d held her
tightly against his chest the whole way as though he feared that he
would lose her if his grip slackened in the least. Standing in the
park she’d practically grown up in should have given her a sense of
comfort but instead she felt a worrying feeling of foreboding.
Something was going to go wrong, she could feel it and she wished
desperately that she knew what it was.

“
I told you
angel, I refuse to let hunters know where we live. I won’t endanger
the clans’ survival. Besides, I might have promised not to hurt
your family but if others saw them, they might kill them.”
Just like I wish I could.

“
My family
isn’t dangerous Ryan. There’s been a huge
misunderstanding.”

He snorted in
disbelief. Her father’s words had condemned him in Ryan’s eyes.
Only a hunter would know of the existence of werewolves. How much
evidence did his mate need before she could believe what was right
in front of her eyes? “I know you don’t see them the same way that
I do but promise me angel, promise me you won’t tell them where we
are. I mean it, not even the slightest inkling. Not a right or a
left, not a north or a south, nothing.

“
Fine,” she
sighed. “I won’t say anything.”

“
Good, then I
can rest easy. Here, take this.” He pressed his mobile into her
palm. “Call me when you’re done and I’ll come get you. If I don’t
hear from you in an hour, I’m coming for you and I won’t be
peaceful about it so make sure you call.”

“
You’re
leaving?” she asked, visibly shocked at the prospect of Ryan’s
imminent departure.

“
Yeah, I don’t
want to intrude on your family reunion.”
There’s only so much my wolf will be willing to take before I
pounce on them and rip their heads off. No, it’s better to keep our
exposure time to a minimum that way I can keep my promise to
you.
“Remember, even if you lose the phone
or for some reason can’t dial the number, just shout for me and
I’ll come running, no matter where you are.” She smiled at his
words. “Call them angel.”

Nodding, she
dialled Jonathan's mobile, he was her most reliable brother, the
one most likely to answer quickly. In less than two rings, his deep
voice was on the other end of the line. “Hello,” she croaked. She
felt a slight pressure against her lips, her body shivering in
response to the all too brief contact and then Ryan was gone. She
missed him already.

“
Chloe is that
you? Chloe, are you okay? Please answer me.”

“
Huh? What’s
the matter with you?”

“
You went quiet
for a minute, I thought the wolf had done something.”

“
How many times
do I have to tell you, Ryan doesn’t hurt me. He even brought me
down to see you guys but if this is how you’re going to behave I’ll
get him to come back and pick me up.”

“
Where are
you?”

“
In the park,”
she sighed in resignation, “you know, the one mum used to bring us
to when we were younger.”

“
We’ll be there
in two minutes. Don’t go anywhere.” The line went dead.

I suppose they
have a right to be worried,
she mused,
sitting down on one of the many benches in the park.
I was technically kidnapped, anything could have
happened to me. A lot has happened to me but I wouldn’t change a
minute of it. I really do love that man, I hope my family can see
that.

“
Chloe!”
Christian’s relieved voice sang through the air before his arms
wrapped themselves around her, lifting her from the seat. More
hands came into play as her family passed her between themselves,
hugging her so tightly that air was becoming a problem.

She wheezed,
“That’s enough guys.”
If Ryan saw this,
he’d go wild. Maybe it’s for the best that he left.
The stray thought brought a smile to her face.
“Give me a chance to breathe.”

Finally
allowed some breathing space, she took a step back, looking over
the familiar faces. “I’ve missed you guys.” She took each one into
a gentle embrace.

“
Where did he
take you?” Daniel demanded, his usually calm voice
harsh.

“
I can’t tell
you.”

“
Where did he
take you Chloe?” Her father repeated, his voice stern as though
expecting her immediate compliance.

“
I’m not going
to tell you. Ryan made me promise not to tell you anything, not
even the direction we travelled from. I’m not going to tell
you.”

Jonathan
looked at her aghast, shocked by her refusal to cooperate. “We’re
your family Chloe. Tell us.”

Ryan’s family
too,
her mind muttered rebelliously but she
chose to keep that little bombshell to herself for the moment. She
wanted to wait until her family believed that Ryan wasn’t a threat
to her before she told them that she’d essentially married the man
in their absence. She tightened the scarf around her neck, keeping
the intimate mark hidden from their sight. “It doesn’t matter how
many times you ask me, the answer is always going to be the same.
No. I’m really disappointed in you guys, you haven’t seen me in
weeks and all you can think to ask me is where I’ve been? If it’s
that important maybe I should just go back there.”

“
Come with me,”
Harry stated, his voice brokering no room for
compromise.

Grabbing her
wrist tightly, he pulled her from the park and led her into his
car. Her brothers piled in around her, surrounding her on all sides
before Harry turned the engine on and drove away from the park. Her
heart stuttered for a moment, questions filling her mind.
What’s going on? Why do they all look so serious?
Where are we going? Will Ryan still be able to find me?
As soon as her mind asked the last question, her
heart calmed. Her family wasn’t going to hurt her and Ryan would be
able to find her anywhere. She knew it; after all, he’d told her
enough times. The drive was conducted in a tense silence and as the
scenery changed around her, Chloe’s heart sunk for an all-together
different reason.

It had been a
long time since the five of them as a whole family had visited her
mother’s grave and she was distinctly aware of her empty hands. She
had nothing to bring her mother except for news. So much had
happened since she’d last seen her. Despite the sombre
surroundings, Chloe smiled. Her mother had been a true romantic and
had often regaled her with stories of how her and her father had
fallen in love in two short months. Chloe had done the same, her
whirlwind romance with Ryan making her fall in love with the man in
less than half the time. Her mother would be proud. She gently
fingered his mark beneath her scarf. When she called him, she would
introduce him to her mother.

The car
stopped and the five of them poured out of the car and walked to
Rachel’s grave. A few minutes passed in silence, each of them
reflecting on the tragic loss of the woman who had been so
important in their lives, before Harry spoke.

“
I thought the
same thing that had happened to her would happen to you,” he ground
out, his voice unexpectedly low.

“
Mum died dad.
In a car crash,” she responded gently.

“
I know that
but we thought he’d kill you. I thought I’d have to bury my
daughter, if I ever got your body back that is. We can’t afford to
lose you too Chloe. You’re this family’s pillar of support. Without
you we’d fall apart.”

“
That isn’t
going to happen.” She knelt down and cleared the debris cluttering
the smooth stone. “I know you want to protect me but that’s Ryan’s
job. Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine, more than fine,” she
corrected. “I’m in love.”

“
What!” The
combined voices of her family echoed through the empty cemetery and
she rolled her eyes before standing to face them, finally removing
the scarf around her neck.

“
I didn’t
stutter. I love him.”

Christian’s
eyes widened as he took in the deep bite marks on her neck. “No
Chloe, no! He bit you.”

Daniel
gripped her arms rightly, his fingers biting into her skin, making
her wince at the pain. “Why did you let him bite you? You’re going
to turn into one of them.”

“
You think I’m
going to turn into a werewolf?”

“
Of course you
are,” Harry snapped. “You’re already half way to being a
monster.”

She laughed,
confusing them. “I’m not going to turn into a werewolf. Most of the
things you told me about werewolves are wrong dad. Werewolves are
born not bitten. They don’t change into mindless monsters at the
full moon either.”

“
How would you
know?” Jonathan snapped. “We’ve been dealing with these creatures
for years, less than a months worth of knowledge can’t even compare
to that.”

“
A month of
informed knowledge Jonathan. I’ve lived with them, spent the time
to get to know them. I’ve seen them under the full moon and while
Ryan might have been an idiot at the time, he wasn’t a monster. And
Alex, his cousin’s mate, is human. She was bitten as well, months
ago, but she’s still human. You’ve been wrong about them for years,
they’re nothing like what you think.”

“
Their very
existence is an abomination, a crime against humanity. Don’t you
understand that?” Harry screamed while her brother shook her as if
hoping to dislodge the new thoughts she had acquired.

“
Let go of me,”
she whispered, her voice cold, seething. Daniel released her from
his iron grip. “Ryan is different, yes, but he’s a good man and I
love him. He’s not a monster and he’s not an abomination. I’ve seen
him as a wolf, he’s beautiful.”

“
The only good
wolf is a dead one,” Christian hissed, his normally jovial voice
harsh.

She gulped in
apprehension, her eyes narrowing as an unwanted suspicion crept up
on her. The very wolves she was now defending had been adamant that
her family was the enemy and their own words were confirming that
belief. “You haven’t killed them, have you?”

“
Of course we
have.” Jonathan’s voice was filled with pride as though his actions
were worthy of admiration, a great achievement of some
sort.

“
I defended
you,” she gasped horrified. “People accused you of being murderers,
someone tried to kill me because of it but I defended you at every
turn. Oh god, I can’t deal with this. I need to go home.” She
stepped away from them in a daze, still reeling from the revelation
that her family was exactly what Ryan thought them to be. She
dialled the only number recorded in the mobile, Ryan’s rich voice
calming her the instant he answered.

“
Ryan?”

Her voice
quivered and he instantly knew that her family meeting hadn’t gone
exactly how she had hoped it would. “Angel, what’s
wrong?”

“
Ryan, I want
you to come and get me. I want to go home.”

The sadness
in her voice worried him, what could have happened in so short a
time to make her normally cheerful demeanour turn sour? “I’m on my
way right now. Wait for me. Love you angel, be careful until I get
there okay?”