Hugh glared at Mary Elizabeth. “You didn’t tell me that. Exactly when were you planning on revealing it?”
“I wasn’t. I knew how you would react, and I didn’t want to hear it.” Shannon interrupted. “He made you the executor of his estate?”
“Who’s Charles?” Rory wanted to know.
Mary Elizabeth and Hugh were still glaring at each other. Kiesha appeared to be in a daze. Shannon was still waiting for an answer to her question so Alex answered Rory.
“Charles is Mary Elizabeth’s brother-in-law. He recently showed up in Refuge, trying to get her to move back home.”
“Wait, how did you know? Mary Elizabeth just told me about it a few minutes ago,” Kiesha stated to her mate.
“Because I’m alpha, and my men were involved.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? As your mate, I’m alpha too,” Kiesha exclaimed.
Mary Elizabeth finally answered Shannon, dragging her attention from Kiesha and Alex and the argument brewing, the whole while maintaining eye contact with Hugh.
“Actually, he did a bit more than that. He left half of his estate to me. I won’t know all of the details until the will is read.”
40 Zena Wynn
Hugh’s eyes got big as a vein in his temple began to throb. Shannon could actually see it pulsing.
“Oh! My! God! He left you half of his estate? Do you have any idea how much money we’re talking here?” Kiesha exclaimed.
Not a clue, Shannon thought, but I definitely want to find out, and mentally urged Kiesha to continue.
Mary Elizabeth started cursing under her breath. “Damn, I was hoping to keep that bit of information to myself for as long as possible.” She glared at Kiesha.
Hugh stood up so fast the table jolted. Shannon grabbed a glass to keep it from toppling over as Hugh reached over and dragged Mary Elizabeth out of the booth. “Excuse us. We need to talk.” He towed her behind him. When she didn’t move fast enough, he swung her over his shoulder before disappearing with her through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen.
Shannon looked at Kiesha and said dryly, “This is just a wild guess on my part, but I don’t believe he knew.”
Kiesha dropped her head onto Alex’s shoulder. “Oh damn, she’s going to kill me. Of course, he didn’t know. That’s not something she would have told him unless she absolutely had to. I was so shocked that I didn’t think. I just blurted it out.” Rory asked what they all wanted to know. “How much money are we talking here?” Kiesha looked up and her eyes grew unfocused as she made a mental tally. “There’s the main house, the cars, the vacation house, and the condo. I guess in personal assets alone he’s worth several million. Then there’s the family business, plus a few subsidiaries that Charles owned. He and Babs, Mary Elizabeth’s sister, never had children, and as far as I know, Charles didn’t have any siblings. There are a few cousins and some aunts and uncles in the way of relatives. I’ve never heard Babs mention his parents so I assume they are no longer living. I do know that he comes from old money, the kind you don’t hear much about. I was surprised when he gave in to Babs’s demands and had a home built in Pirate’s Cove so she could be close to her parents.”
Shannon’s jaw dropped lower and lower as the list of assets went on and on. No wonder Kiesha was shocked.
Just then they heard a loud roar, the sound of an angry bear. Right on its heels they heard Mary Elizabeth yelling, “Don’t you roar at me, Hugh William Mosely!” The women smiled while the men grimaced. Hugh was in for it now.
“Mary Elizabeth must have just told him about the money,“ Kiesha stated.
Mary Elizabeth came storming through the swinging doors with Hugh right behind her. “I refuse to talk to you while you’re being unreasonable,” she raged at him.
Hugh didn’t give a verbal response. He scooped her up in his arms again. A moment later, they all winced as the office door slammed behind him.
Nikolai’s Wolf
41
“Looks like they’ll be discussing things for a while,” Shannon said. “How long is Shayla going to be here?”
“She said it shouldn’t take her more than three or four days to get everything set up and running. Then a couple more days to download the programs and verify all of the computers are connected and running properly. I’m going to make sure she has things set up so that you and I can both work from home without any problems.” Shannon did some mental calculations and then frowned. “That will put her here at the start of the blue moon. I hope that won’t be a problem.” Rory looked at her sharply. “There’s a blue moon this month?” He sniffed the air, making no attempt to hide what he was doing. “Dammit, Shannon! Are you telling me there’s a blue moon coming right when you’re coming into heat?” he bellowed at her.
Shannon looked around the diner. Thank goodness they were the only ones in the place. The last thing she needed was for that bit of information to get out. “Jeez, Rory. It’s not like I planned this. And could you have been just a little bit louder? I’m sure the folks over in Colbyville didn’t hear you.”
Rory didn’t respond to her comment, but he did lower his voice. “Is that why you’re building a panic room? Why aren’t you taking something to control the heat?” He fired the questions at her rapidly. “Wait, you already went through your heat cycle this year. Why are you going through it again? What’s going on with you that you aren’t telling?” She saw Kiesha open her mouth to interfere, probably hoping to take some of the pressure off her, and Alex motion for her to keep quiet. “This is a family squabble,” he murmured. “As her alphas, we can only interfere if things begin to get out of hand.” Shannon clammed up. It wasn’t like there was anything Rory could do. She would handle this. She didn’t need big brother riding to the rescue. When she didn’t say anything, Rory turned to Alex and demanded, “What’s going on with my little sister?” Alex shook his head. “While I understand your position and would feel the same way if I were in your shoes, I can’t help you. Shannon will have to tell you.” Rory stood and slid into the booth opposite Shannon, reaching for her hands. The concern he felt was visible on his face. “Come on, little bit, tell me. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what the threat is.”
Shannon flushed to the roots of her scalp. Rory hadn’t called her by that name since she’d become an adult. Hearing it brought back all the times she’d run to him as a child, wanting him to soothe her hurt. She studied him carefully. The fact that he was making no effort to hide what he was feeling let her know exactly how worried he was.
“You might as well tell him, Alex. I really don’t understand everything well enough to explain it correctly.”
42 Zena Wynn
“About damn time,” Alex muttered, obviously relieved. Still, he hesitated. “You sure?
I’ll keep your secret if you want me to, but I really feel that this is something Rory needs to know.”
“I’m sure. Go ahead. He won’t let it drop until you do.” Alex explained about her medical condition and the complications it was causing. As he spoke, Rory fired questions at him, his face becoming redder and redder in proportion with his growing anger. Shannon tried not to fidget under the weight of his glare. Only Rory had the power to make her feel like a guilty teenager.
“That does it!” He slammed his hand down on the table. Kiesha startled. “You’re coming home with me where I can keep you safe.”
“Keep me safe? You’re more likely to throw me to the wolves.” His eyes widened in unfeigned shock. “Throw you to the wolves? Where do you come off with an idea like that?”
“Rory, you’ve been throwing men at me for the last couple of years. Why wouldn’t I think that you would take advantage of this situation?” His chest rumbled as he growled in frustration. He dragged his hands across his face and up into his hair, then folded them on the table, leaning as close as he could get.
“Shannon Fioana McFelan, listen to me and listen well. I threw those men at you hoping it would make you get up off of your arse and do something about claiming a mate for yourself and birthing the children you want. Don’t you think I see the look on your face every time a mated pair is formally recognized, or the longing in your eyes whenever a newborn is introduced into the pack? I’d hoped you would go after what you wanted and make it happen. What I do not want is a choice being forced on you because you’re in heat and can’t protect yourself.”
“What about Michael and Caleb?” she asked suspiciously.
“Caleb’s a good man. He would have made a decent mate if your wolf had accepted him. He’s my second-in-command, loyal to the pack. He’s always had feelings for you, and I didn’t have to worry about you with him as your mate. MacDougal was just there as a diversionary tactic. I knew you could beat him with one hand tied behind your back.”
“Then why did you attack me?”
He gave a long sigh and looked at his hands folded on the table. “You had gone through all of the unmated males in our pack. I knew the Ravens had unmated alphas and betas, Alex included. You would have never left the Sparrowhawks on your own. You’re too loyal. I had to do something. I just didn’t know Alex had found his one.” It all made sense, in a Machiavellian kind of way.
She was touched and angry with him. Touched that he’d gone through all of this to get her to go after what she wanted, and angry at the manipulative way he’d gone about it.
Nikolai’s Wolf
43
“I’ve met some devious people in my time,” Kiesha said, “but you are a mastermind.
Hell, I can’t even be upset that you tried to set Shannon up with Alex.” Kiesha’s gaze drifted over Shannon in a manner she wasn’t sure she liked. “And you’re right. Shannon would have made a fine mate for Alex. She’s strong enough, and she already has what it takes to lead.” Alex shook his head. Whether at Rory or Kiesha, Shannon wasn’t sure.
“One day I’m sure I’ll appreciate all that you’ve done in an effort to get me mated, but I’m still not coming home with you. For the first time in my life, I’m standing on my own two feet. I’m not going to run home at the first sign of trouble. The blue moon will only last for a few days. I can lock myself in for that long. You’ve made sure that nothing human or otherwise is getting into that room unless I want it to, and I’ve set up a few precautions of my own to make sure that doesn’t happen.” She ignored the small voice of uncertainty lingering at the back of her mind. She could do this without Rory.
“Fine. If you won’t show any sense and come home, then I’ll be moving in with you until this is over. They’ll get to you over my dead, broken body.” At his words, she fought to keep the relief she was feeling from showing. Yes, she could handle this without her big brother’s help, but it didn’t mean she wanted to.
“What’s so important about the blue moon?” Kiesha asked. “And why is everyone so concerned?”
“You know that a blue moon is a second full moon in the same month, and that it only happens about once every two years, right?” Alex asked.
Kiesha nodded.
“The full moon is the one time of the month when we’re ruled completely by instinct.
Since the beast within us operate primarily on instinct, it’s at its strongest during this time.
In all but the strongest of us, the beast takes over completely. This is the one part of shape-shifter lore that is actually true.”
“The blue moon is also a time when we’re at our most fertile,” Shannon added.
“Shifters are driven by the need to mate and procreate. It affects everyone, mated and nonmated. Mated couples have been known to hole up for days on end, neither eating nor sleeping, driven by the need to copulate over and over again until conception occurs.”
“Unmated females usually hide or lock themselves away to keep their male counterparts from rutting on them until they conceive,” Alex continued. “In Shannon’s case, because her peak is going to coincide with the blue moon, her wolf will take over and could force her to rut with any male that manages to get within touching distance. Even if she is strong enough to keep from going to them, her scent will drive them to hunt for her until they manage to catch her.”
“What about Shayla? Should I be worried about her? It’s too late for me to call her and tell her not to come.”
44 Zena Wynn
“Your cousin is human, right?” Rory asked. Kiesha nodded. “Then she should be fine.
Shifters know better than to go after humans during a blue moon. They usually stay with their own kind.”
“Maybe, maybe not. There are exceptions to every rule,” Alex said. “Kiesha has shifter DNA. Her cousin may too. If she does and it’s strong enough in her, she may be targeted, especially if she happens to be ovulating -- the human version of the heat. If she meets up with her true mate during the blue moon, the combination of the mating fever and the blue moon fever may overwhelm her. How are you related to Shayla, Kiesha? On your mother’s side or your father’s?”
“Our fathers are brothers. Twins, actually. Why? What difference does it make?”
“Shifter DNA is usually strongest in males. That being the case, the odds are higher that you got it from your father, which means Shayla did too.”
“Alex, you’ve got to do something. Shay has no idea what she’s letting herself in for by coming here. I don’t want anything happening to her. She’s more than my cousin; she’s like a sister to me.”
Shannon was a bit concerned as well, for different reasons. The safe room was built for one, not two. Especially not a human who didn’t understand the danger and might balk at being cooped up in close quarters for five days with a woman she didn’t know. That brought up another question. “Does Shayla know what we are?”
“I don’t keep secrets from Shay. She knows about me and Alex, and I explained a little bit regarding true mates. I didn’t tell her about the pack or anyone else. I’m not even sure she believed what I said.”
Well, that was something, Shannon thought. How much it would help, she didn’t know.
“Was that wise?” Rory asked. “In general, we frown on outsiders knowing about our existence. It’s safer that way. People still fear the unknown, and what they fear, they usually try to destroy.”
“Shay’s cool,” Alex said. “Besides, she and Kiesha are so close, she would have realized something was amiss sooner rather than later. Better to tell her ourselves than have her figure it out on her own. Cuts down on confusion.” Shannon turned on Rory as yet another thought occurred. “Just where are you planning on sleeping? The house only has two bedrooms since one of them was converted into an office. Shay will be in one. I’ll be in the other one.”