Catching Kate (Book 2.5 She-Wolf Series)

Samantha

I paced restlessly in mine and Ivar’s bedroom. He purposefully distracted me before leaving me behind so that I wouldn’t hunt down the piece of shit that hurt my baby sister. My bastard husband took my cell phone with him, and the immortal werewolves who shared our home were inexplicably missing. It left me completely in the dark about what was happening.

Trinity was the one to face my wrath when she refused to teleport me to Ivar. I felt somewhat guilty for venting my anger on her, but being that she assisted him in his escape I couldn’t help but blame her. Leaving my family to move to Canada didn’t mean I worried about them any less, even if they currently seemed not to want anything to do with me.

A light knock on the bedroom door pulled me from my thoughts. I ripped it open and it slammed into the wall behind. Ivar flinched then looked down at me.

“How fucking dare you,” I growled.

“I know, Sam,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” I demanded. “You left me here to worry about my sister while you ran the show? You really think 'sorry' is going to fix this?”

“No, I don’t, little wolf,” he said, his head hung low.

"When we got married, you promised me I would stand at your side to make decisions as your equal," I snarled. "How could you do this?"

“You’ve been having a hard time lately. I didn’t want you to do something you would regret.”

“I can control myself, Ivar,” I spat.

He pursed his lips. “If I thought you wanted to control yourself, I would’ve taken you with me. You want blood.”

“Of course I do!” I shouted, and threw up my hands in exasperation. “He beat the shit out of her!”

”I know.”

”You’re the king!”

”I’m aware.”

”How can you sit back and do nothing?”

He ran a rough hand through his hair. “I don’t enjoy sitting back, Sam. We cannot be fighting a two front war with The Others and the humans.”

”Do you really believe the humans would attack you?” I huffed. “They know that they benefit from your protection.”

”No they don’t,” he said coolly. “They know they benefit from my benevolence. The minute they think they could defeat the supernatural, I have no doubt they would try. Countless lives would be lost. They would destroy this planet in the process. Right now, we need them in line while we figure out where the fuck Tatianna is hiding.”

I paused for a minute and mulled over his words.

”We could make it look like an accident,” I offered.

He chuckled darkly. “I know this is difficult, little wolf.”

”No this is impossible!” I shouted. “What about the other people this bastard hurts when he leaves Redclaw?”

”I love that you care for others so deeply,” he said carefully, “but the humans and their problems are not my concern. If the humans allow him to run unchecked, that is their problem. My only concern is Kate.”

He took a deep breath as I seethed.

”Stiler is extremely well connected. To the extent that if your sister were to ever want to leave the pack, he would probably have her killed and no one would bat an eye,” he explained. “His pockets are deep and his influence is far reaching. He’s helped human leaders obtain positions of power, Sam. We have to stand down for the safety of the realm and your sister.”

”I cannot believe you are forcing my hand, Ivar,” I growled. “Every piece of my being wants to rip his heart from his body.”

He nodded. “I fully expect you would need to make the same decision for me if it was Trinity.”

I paused my tirade and thought about it. Numerous times, Ivar went over all the reasons we needed to send Thomas Stiler away through human means. Still, I insisted I would take his head. I never voiced such to Kate, but Ivar and I argued relentlessly for the past few days.

In the end, he may have been smart to go behind my back. Kate haexperienced enough violence and heartache. That didn't stop me from being extraordinarily pissed at my new mate.

“That's not the point and I would never take it upon myself to decide for you," I argued. "You wouldn't stand for it and you know it. You and Emerick have been have been discussing things behind Kate’s back all week. What gives you the right?”

"You want the truth, mate?” He snapped, finally sounding as annoyed as I felt. “The red-headed demon spawn scares the shit out of me. The other day she told me she had a recommendation for a new barber and handed me a business card for a fucking dog groomer. What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?”

I stared at him for a moment, stunned.

"You faced down the most powerful witch of all time three weeks ago, and you’re scared of Kate?” I asked incredulously. “She's a human who typically runs around in six-inch heels King.”

The powerful werewolf rolled his icy eyes and put a hand on his hip.

"First off all, Trinity is the most powerful witch of all time. The fact that you would suggest otherwise is quite frankly insulting,” he started. “Secondly, I can kill Tatianna. I’d be facing your wrath if I took care of your sister the same way, and there is no creature I fear more than you.”

Despite myself, I laughed at the dead-serious man before me.

"What?” He snapped.

"Your logic in handling problems is entertaining,” I admitted. “What could I possibly do to you?”

The ancient warrior moved in front of me then took a knee. Even kneeling, he only had to tilt his head slightly to meet my gaze.

He took both of my hands. "Your Majesty, you hold my heart in the palm of your beautiful hands. I face no greater threat."

At his admission, my anger cooled slightly. His stare was pleading and his tone was sincere. While I may not agree with his tactics, I knew without a doubt his intentions were pure. The rest we could work on later.

I sighed. "How did it go?”

Ivar stood and rubbed a hand over his face. “As well as probably could be expected. We settled - or I guess Emerick settled? He agreed to pay Stiler two million dollars on Kate’s behalf for him to stay away for good.”

“Was Kate happy?” I asked.

“No,” he frowned. “She sent Emerick away. He sort of attacked Stiler. He didn’t hurt him, but Kate looked terrified. Then she yelled at him and told him she would never mate him.”

“What did she say after he left?” I asked.

“Not really anything,” he said, shaking his head. “She went back to the Alpha’s Residence.”

Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. Leave it to a man to not address obvious emotional distress.

“How’s Emerick?”

"About as could be expected," he said. "Stiler said some really nasty things to Kate. Stone barely maintained control."

No shit, I thought.

"Where is he?"

“Lucian’s tracking him through the woods on Redclaw territory,” he explained. “I’m not sure if he can’t take control back from Zef, or if he doesn’t want to. He’s not leaving pack lands and he’s not hurting anyone, so Lucian is letting him burn off steam.”

I didn’t know Lucian well. He mostly kept to himself, and seemed to always have a book in his hands. He was polite and pleasant, but our conversations stayed on the surface level. I hardly knew anything about him personally. I hoped at the very least he would offer Emerick a calming presence when he was ready to stop running.

“I need to get to Kate,” I told Ivar after a moment.

He nodded. “Trinity is ready when you are.”

I tried to push past my powerful mate, but he stopped me with a hand around my waist. I crossed my arms with a huff.

“Little wolf, I really am sorry,” he said, quietly. “I was trying to do what I thought was best.”

I stared hard into his gaze. “What you did was wrong on so many levels, Ivar. This is my family. I had a right to be at the table whether you thought I could handle it or not."

"Sam -"

I cut him off. "We can figure this out later. Right now, my sister needs me.”

“Okay,” he relented. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I sighed. “But I’m still pissed and you will make this up to me.”

He grinned. “Sounds like that could be fun.”

“It won’t be,” I said and marched down the hall to find my sister-in-law.