Catching Kate (Book 2.5 She-Wolf Series)

Emerick

Kate’s absence weighed on me heavily. My chest hurt as though a piece of my heart was missing. In a way, I supposed that was the case.

I kicked off my shoes at the front door and set about trying to keep busy. I rolled up my sleeves and finished up the dishes we had left out from dinner. The work calmed my racing thoughts. I couldn’t help but worry that Kate asking me to leave could be a sign of our unfortunate future.

I resigned myself to the fact that loving Kate might mean I lost my life in the process. Deep in my soul, I knew rejecting her was a fate worse than death.

After tidying the house, I settled into my favorite chair in front of the fireplace with a glass of bourbon. Sam warned that heavy drinking is what ultimately caused King Ivar to lose control of his wolf. However, in Kate’s absence, the renewed pain of the mating bond was too much to bear without it.

Just as I took the first sip, my cell phone rang from where I had tossed it on the counter. Grumbling, I set the drink down and pulled myself up from my seat.

I frowned when I saw the caller ID.

“Alpha, is everything okay?” I asked.

“Hey man,” Luke greeted me, “Uh yeah. Sort of, I guess. Listen - can you come stay the night with Aunt Kate?”

Before I really processed what he said, I was moving to grab my keys.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“She’s, uh, having bad dreams,” he said, hesitantly. “She keeps calling out for you.”

Fuck. My heart broke at the thought.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I growled.

“She’s okay, Emerick,” he explained, quickly. “I don’t think she’s even waking up, but it’s hard to listen to. I want to help, but I’m not sure that I can.”

“I understand,” I said, quickly extinguishing the fireplace and heading towards my bedroom to grab a change of clothes.

“Thanks, Emerick,” Luke said, sounding relieved.

“Of course, Alpha.”

There was a pregnant pause at the other end of the phone.

“Hey man, I super appreciate the sign of respect of you using my title and stuff, but you’ve been my best friend since I moved here. When we’re not at the office, can you just call me Luke?” he asked.

I chuckled as I held the phone to my ear with my shoulder to slip my shoes on.

“Yeah, Lukey,” I teased. “You got it.”

The young wolf groaned. “I should’ve known you would take it too far. That’s it, just call me Alpha Paulson and forget the whole ‘friend thing’ altogether.”

I grinned. It had been a while since I heard the usually laid-back teen engage in his normal banter.

“You know I love you, kid,” I told him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “I’ll see you soon.”

We hung up and I started the engine of my car. I debated running over as a wolf, but I needed clothes for the following morning. I still had to bring Kate back to my house so that Stiler’s people got their chance to serve her with a lawsuit. The thought made my blood boil. Killing him would save so much time and nuisance.

I took a calming breath as the trees on either side of the road passed in a continuous blur. Heightened senses and speed allowed me to navigate the dark, forest road with ease. I made it to the Alpha’s Residence in record time.

I jumped out as soon as I cut the engine, eager to see my mate. Luke opened the door as I approached. Although faint, with werewolf hearing I could hear Kate whimpering from her room upstairs.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“You could say that again,” Luke agreed, running a hand over his face. “As much as I love the both of you, I have no desire to listen in on whatever we are calling your current relationship. I’m going to go stay at my grandparent’s place. I already let Gran know, so they’re expecting me.”

He glanced back towards the stairs. “Plus I have to get out of here. I’m going to go hunt down that mother fucker myself if I keep listening to her cry like that. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, man.”

“We can talk about it later,” I told him and pushed past to take the stairs two at a time. All I wanted was to see Kate to confirm she was okay.

I opened her bedroom door and found her curled in a ball in the middle of her bed. She visibly shook and her hands gripped a pillow so tight I could make out the white of her knuckles.

“Emerick...” she murmured.

I dropped my things and scooped her up to cradle her. Her eyes shot open in panic, but she relaxed the minute her gaze found mine. I kissed her forehead and breathed in her scent.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I was having a bad dream,” she said, softly.

“I know, honey,” I said.

She nuzzled in and wrapped her arms around my neck. I laid down on the bed with her and she curled herself around me as we lay facing each other.

“Did you miss me too much to stay away?” she asked.

“Something like that,” I whispered. “Luke thought you could use company.”

“He’s a smart kid,” she yawned. “Is he still awake? What time is it?”

“It’s late. He went over to your parent’s place,” I told her. “You were, uh, talking in your sleep. He didn’t want to barge in, so he called me.”

I didn’t want to tell her that she was crying or calling out for me. If she thought her nephew heard her, I knew she would be embarrassed. She seemed to read between the lines anyway.

“I think I was yelling for you,” she admitted.

“Mmm,” I hummed.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said after a moment.

“Me too,” I told her.

I rubbed her back until I felt her breathing even out once again when she fell asleep. Then I buried my nose in her hair and let myself drift off alongside her.

~

It was early when I heard the back door open. Based on what I could sense Luke was grabbing something before heading into work. In the Alpha’s Residence, I knew we were undoubtedly safe. No creature, werewolf or otherwise, would dare to strike here. The entire property was heavily monitored and under the protection of spells since the threats made against the royal family.

The sun was barely peeking in the curtains and Kate slept soundly beside me. She hadn’t seemed to have any more nightmares and I was thankful she was able to rest peacefully. I could only imagine what haunted her dreams earlier in the night and the thought made my blood boil.

I knew it was going to be another hard day for the fiery woman, but I didn’t doubt her ability to face her fears head on. She would get through this, but I hated that I couldn’t take the pain from her.

My phone started buzzing and I groaned inwardly before slipping carefully out of bed to answer in the hallway.

“Hello?” I answered without checking who was calling.

“We tried to work the back end to get Stiler to drop the suit, but he’s sticking with it,” King Ivar explained without a greeting. “My guy provided his attorney with proof of their affair and Stiler’s abuse from the documents Kate sent over last night. They are changing tactics. Apparently, she had six months left on a non-compete clause in her contract of employment. Her taking the job with the pack is in direct violation.”

“Why the fuck does he care so goddamn much?” I spat. “He’s going to get himself killed coming after her.”

“Maybe,” the king mused, “but for now we are working on a counter suit. He’s going to try and seal the case from the public so that his misdeeds remain private. We are going to make that impossible.”

“Kate won’t want everything public, King,” I told him.

He paused.

“Stone, you’re going to have to decide what’s most important to you,” he said, slowly. “Do you need revenge? Or do you need to close the door so that Kate can move on?”

“You’re asking me to let him get away with this?” I asked in disbelief.

He sighed on the other end of the phone. “We tried for criminal charges in Chicago without Kate having to testify. It’s not going to happen. I’ve told you we can’t kill him, especially now with his public accusations against Kate. You’re saying she doesn’t want her personal business plastered everywhere either. So, are you going to have to get even? Or is peace for the woman you love enough?”

I was seething. “How dare you suggest that I’m putting my feelings ahead of her.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said, quietly. “Once upon a time, the light witches came after Trinity. She was scared and would’ve turned herself over to them just to avoid more bloodshed. They came for her one night. I wanted to kill every last one of them because that’s how werewolves solve problems, Stone. We will fight and hurt and kill to protect the people we love. Instead, my baby sister begged me to forgive them and come to an agreement so that we could all have peace.”

I listened quietly, trying to understand what he was saying through my anger.

“Sometimes, it takes more strength to walk away than it does to fight,” he explained. “I have to stand by Kate in whatever she wants to do. She’s been through hell, and she’s my family. I’m hoping that will be enough for you.”

I ran a hand over my face and through my hair.

“How did you do it?” I asked. “How did you let go of the rage?”

“Hmm,” he murmured. “It took time. I focused on what was important, which was the safety of my people and Trinity’s happiness. I had to be there for her as she healed psychologically.”

“I don’t know if I can do it,” I told him, honestly. “Every time I picture him hitting her…”

Just speaking the words had claws elongating from my hands. I took a couple deep breaths trying to keep Zef at bay.

“I don’t blame you,” Ivar said. “It’s in our nature to defend our mates. On top of that, you’re still balancing the unfinished bond. Like I said, it takes strength.”

He paused briefly before saying, “Lucian and I will be there in a few hours.”

I frowned. “Who’s Lucian?”

“My attorney,” he said, simply. Right, Michael mentioned him.

“Will your mate be joining you?” I asked. I thought Kate would appreciate her sister at her side.

“I don’t think it’s safe for Sam to accompany us with Stiler in the area. If you think you’re having a hard time not killing him, imagine a protective, werewolf older sister who is already on edge because of the contentious relationship with her teenage-werewolf-alpha son. I was informed last night that she ‘doesn’t fucking answer to me’.”

“Maybe I should’ve called her,” I muttered.

“Only if you want to lose your tongue,” the king shot back. “Like I said, I’ll be there in a few hours.”

I shoved my phone in the pocket of my sweatpants and paced in the hallway to calm myself before returning to Kate's side. I could hear her rustling in the bedroom and I hoped that I hadn’t woken her.

While the werewolf king was probably right about allowing Kate to move on as she saw fit, the thought of Stiler still breathing had me seeing red. It wasn’t lost on me that Ivar mentioned the slimy attorney would also be in the area. I thought he was sending someone to serve Kate with a lawsuit, so something seemed off.

I decided now was not the time to dwell on it, and quietly pushed open the door to Kate’s room. Her eyes fluttered open and she greeted me with a lazy smile.

“Good morning, handsome,” she murmured, stretching her arms above her head.

I crawled into bed alongside her. “Good morning, hun. Did you sleep okay?”

“With you here, I slept like a log,” she smiled and cupped my cheek. “Thanks for coming.”

“I will always be wherever you need me, Kate,” I said seriously.

Her smile faltered slightly, but I could see she tried to hide it. I kissed her lips gently, but she pulled away after a moment.

“We should probably get ready for the day,” she sighed.

“Okay,” I agreed. “Ivar already called and we have a few hours.”

She smirked at me. “Oh a few hours, huh? How will we ever find a way to pass the time?”

“Young lady, are you suggesting that you would like to take advantage of me?” I grinned at her.

She wagged her eyebrows and leaned in to kiss me. I returned it before she suddenly pushed me away and hurdled over the edge of the bed.

“Last one in the shower is a rotten egg!” she called over her shoulder.

I laughed and took off after her, following the trail of clothes she left behind.