Isaiah's Haven

Chapter Seventeen

Isaiah’s thigh stung like a sonofabitch. When he’d taken a good look at the wound, he’d noted the bullet had only skimmed him. Thankfully, the bullet hadn’t lodged in his leg, allowing the silver coating to poison his system. It made for a bloody wound, but not a serious one.

“You okay?” Joshua had asked him that question several times as they’d loaded up the bodies in the back of Joshua’s truck and driven to a secluded area well beyond the city to bury the bodies. They wanted no trace of either male found and linked to them in any way.

“I’m fine.” They were now sitting in Joshua’s truck outside Haven. They’d snuck up the back stairs to Isaiah’s apartment building and used his shower. They’d both needed to wash away all the blood, sweat and grime, and Isaiah had needed to get some clean clothes since most of his had been bloodied or shredded during the fight.

Joshua hadn’t commented on the fact that Isaiah was no longer staying at a motel, but had moved in just down the street from Meredith. He could sense his brother wanted to say something more to him but was choosing his words carefully.

“You’re really staying?”

Isaiah didn’t even need to think about it. “Yeah.” Whether Meredith eventually accepted him fully into her life or not, he loved her and wanted to be with her. More than that, he needed to protect her. “She’s the one for me.”

Joshua tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “You sure don’t do things the easy way.”

A rough laugh broke from Isaiah at his brother’s dry tone. “I guess I don’t.”

“You deserve this, man.” Joshua turned, resting his back against the truck door. “You were always meant to be alpha of your own pack.”

His brother had struck the nail on the head. That was what terrified him the most. What if he let them down as he had his sister? He rubbed his hands over his face, feeling the heavy scrape of stubble against his palm. “I don’t know.”

Joshua snorted. “What’s to know? I’ve never seen you look at a female like this before. And she looks right back. Love her and protect her. You’ll figure the rest out.”

“When the hell did you get so smart?”

His brother grinned, white teeth flashing. “I always told you I was the smart one of the bunch.”

Isaiah punched Joshua on the shoulder. “You told James?” He hadn’t had time to contact his alpha yet.

“Yeah, James is good. If anyone understands needing to find your own way, it’s him. He wishes you well.”

“I’ll call him in a day or two when things settle down.” He glanced up at the third floor. The lights were on even though the sun was starting to lighten the sky. Meredith was up there with her sons, her family.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Isaiah closed his eyes and swallowed hard as a wave of love rose up inside him. He could always count on his brother. Always. He was going to miss Joshua. Not that he’d ever tell him to his face. His younger brother had a swelled enough head as it was. Ever since he’d married Alexandra, he’d been strutting around like a peacock, more than pleased with himself.

He opened his eyes. “No. I’m good.”

“Hey, it’s not the end. You’ll come to visit. And you know Alex is going to want to meet Meredith and the rest of your pack.”

Your pack.

Isaiah liked the sound of that. But they weren’t his. Not yet.

“I’ve got work to do before too many people wake up and start their day. The club is wrecked inside. It’s going to take a while to make repairs.” He opened the door and slid out. “Thanks again. For everything.”

Joshua’s gaze was somber, his dark eyes a mirror of Isaiah’s. “Call me if you need anything. I mean it,” he added. “I’ll be in the city a few more days. I’ll leave my truck at Riley’s Garage and drive the moving truck back to Wolf Creek.”

“Be careful, brother.” Isaiah couldn’t shake the nagging feeling they hadn’t seen the last of the bounty hunters in spite of Damek’s mind-meld vampire trick.

“You too.”

Isaiah stepped away from the truck and gave the roof a thump. Joshua pulled away from the curb and the vehicle disappeared down the street.

He made his way to the front entrance of the club. He had no idea how he was going to get inside. He shrugged. He could always go up the fire escape around the side and enter through Meredith’s apartment. Wouldn’t be the first time.

The door opened and Michael stood poised in the entrance. Every muscle in Isaiah’s body tightened. Would Michael let him in or turn him away?

Not that it would matter. He wasn’t going anywhere until he talked with Meredith. “I came to help clean up the place.” That was true too. The club was important to Meredith. Therefore, it was important to him.

“That’s funny, I thought you’d come to see my mother.” Michael stared at him, as though he was trying to see into Isaiah’s soul. He could have told Michael it was a dark, desolate place and, whatever he was searching for, he wouldn’t find it there.

Michael suddenly stepped back. “Come on in.”

Isaiah strode through the door, shutting and locking it behind him. Glass and shards of wood crunched beneath his feet as he walked across the floor. The stench of liquor and blood permeated the place. Glass glittered everywhere. Shelves of glassware and booze had been shattered when Michael had been thrown over the bar. Tables and chairs were smashed. There were several large gouges in the bar.

Isaiah winced. “You okay?” The younger male was moving surprisingly well, all things considered.

“Yeah. I’m a bit stiff, but nothing is broken.” He paused. “You?”

Isaiah nodded. “I’m fine.” He didn’t want to talk about himself. “Do you have anything we can use to put over the windows to block the destruction from the outside? We also need to post a note on the door saying we’re closed for renovations. Then we need to contact the human staff and give them all a week’s vacation.” He looked around, studying the damage. It wasn’t too bad on second inspection. “We should be able to handle the bulk of the repairs in that time and it will give the rest of the pack time to recover.”

“We should be able to do a lot of things, according to you.” Meredith’s voice was soft and thoughtful. Isaiah froze as she walked into view. Dark circles gave her eyes a slightly bruised look. Her face was pale, her lips compressed in a thin line.

He refused to apologize for wanting to make things easier for her, for taking on some of the burdens. She had enough to deal with. Most of her pack had minor injuries and those who didn’t had to be shocked by what they’d just gone through.

She glanced over his shoulder. “Your brother didn’t return with you?”

“He’s gone to complete the business I came to Chicago to handle.”

Meredith wrapped her arms around her upper body. “I see.”

Frustration filled him. He was glad that she seemed to understand something because he was totally lost.

“Umm, I’ll just get some brown paper to cover the windows.” Michael left without a backward glance, stopping only to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

Meredith meandered farther into the room, checking out the damage.

“I’m sorry about wrecking the joint.”

“Not your fault,” she countered.

Her leather loafers weren’t very sturdy and Isaiah worried about her cutting her feet. “Maybe we should talk in your office.”

Her cheeks flushed a flattering rosy shade and her hand shook slightly as she pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Not a good idea.”

Memories of what had happened the only other time they’d been in her office slammed into him. His muscles rippled, his dick springing to attention. His need for her was always simmering just below the surface, taking little to send it surging to life.

He shifted slightly, trying to find a way to stand comfortably with a huge erection. An impossible task.

“Why are you here?” Meredith tugged on the hem of her top, not meeting his gaze.

Isaiah narrowed his eyes, studying her. He could skate around the issue or he could be totally honest with her. He went for the second option. There was no reason to hold anything back. Whether he stayed with her and her pack or lived down the street, he wasn’t leaving.

“Because I have to be.” He took a step closer. Meredith’s head jerked up but she stood her ground. Pride filled him. She’d fought alongside him to protect the pack, to protect him. “Because whether you ever accept my claim or not, you’re my mate, the only female I’ll ever want.”

She tilted up her chin and swallowed hard, the slender column of her neck rippling. He wanted to put his lips against her fluttering pulse and feel her life’s blood pumping through her. He wanted to taste her soft skin.

“Why do you want to claim me?”

Isaiah raked his fingers through his hair. The motion tugged at his shoulder wound, reminding him he wasn’t at a hundred percent yet. Still, the pain in his body was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.

“Why? After everything you need to ask me why?”

Her chin went even higher and her stormy blue eyes flashed. “Do you want a brood mare as those other men wanted? A female at your beck and call? A pack of your own? The financial stability of the club? What?”

He rubbed his hand across his chest, surprised his damaged heart wasn’t bleeding through his shirt. The red furrow from where Adam’s knife had ripped through him stung, reminding him of how much he was willing to sacrifice for this woman.

“What do I want?” He prowled forward, cupping her chin in his hands. He lowered his face until their noses were practically touching. He could smell her spicy fragrance and knew she was aroused. But he could also smell the slightly sour bite of fear mixed with the coppery flavor of spilled blood.

“I want you in my bed every night. I want to take you once, twice, three times a day. I want to shoulder some of the burdens you’ve carried. I want to protect all your kids and teach them. But most of all, I want you to love me.”

She blinked and her eyes filled with tears.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and soothe her, but resisted the urge. She needed to know what she was getting herself into if she accepted him. He did, however, give in to her lure and rub his thumbs over her cheeks. She was so soft, so beautiful.

“Do you think I want to live in the city? I hate the crush of people, the stench and the lack of fresh air to breathe. I live for the woods, the wide-open spaces. Freedom.

“My younger brother, Joshua, is in charge of pack security when the job should have been mine. Want to know why?”

She slowly nodded.

“I had a sister,” he began.

Meredith gave a small cry.

Isaiah nodded. “Hunters got her. Rachel was only fifteen. She was in the woods alone.” He gave a bitter laugh. “I was going for a run and she wanted to go with me. I told her no. I never knew she followed me and got lost. By the time I returned that night the pack was in an uproar. She was gone. That was thirty-five years ago, but I’ve never given up looking for the hunters that took her.” He heaved a sigh of frustration. “For all I know, I’ve killed the sonofabitch who took her. I’ll never know for sure.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Meredith whispered. She slid her arms around his waist, hugging him to her.

He closed his eyes and savored her touch and the caring behind it even though he didn’t deserve it. Opening his eyes, he pinned her with his dark gaze. “It was my fault and I’ve had to live with that. It’s why I refused to take over as protector of the pack after my father was killed. My family is everything to me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep them safe. I couldn’t put the pack ahead of them.”

He buried the relentless feelings of helplessness and fury that filled him whenever he thought of his baby sister. “But your safety comes ahead of all of them. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you. And since your children are an extension of you, that protection extends to them.

“You asked me what I wanted.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and took a step back. “I want you as my mate. Forever. But even if you say no, I’ll be watching out for you.” The corners of his mouth quirked up. “We’re neighbors. I rented an apartment down the road.”

Meredith didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Isaiah was so brash, so male, so everything. She couldn’t believe he’d rented an apartment in her neighborhood. She’d figured for sure he’d leave the city as soon as his pack business was done, and now he was telling her he was moving in, had already moved in.

The story of his sister tore at her heart. It had happened many years ago, but the anguish tearing at him was as raw as if it had occurred only the day before.

She pulled him closer, unable to let him bear such pain alone. Meredith had a feeling he’d spent too much of his life alone. And for a wolf, that was the worst punishment of all. Pack life was everything.

Her heart was pounding, her blood racing. She hadn’t expected Isaiah to put everything on the line—his heart, his pride, himself. He’d held nothing back. She could only do the same, praying she could be as honest and brave as him.

“I was mated once,” she began. Isaiah tensed, every muscle in his big body rippling. She told him the story of her mating, the way Maxwell had taken her when she was in heat and too weak to refuse him.

His jaw tensed and a nerve pulsed beneath his eye. “I would never do such a thing to you, Meredith. It is your choice.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked the final question she needed an answer to. “What about Hank, Teague, Kevin and Neema? They’ll always be half-breeds.” As much as she loved Isaiah and wanted to be with him, she wouldn’t do anything to put her kids at risk.

Isaiah snorted. “So what? My sister-in-law is a half-breed. All wolf pups are to be protected.”

A huge weight slipped off her shoulders and she laughed. “Just don’t let any of them hear you calling them pups.”

He shrugged. “That’s what they are. They might be a few years past adulthood, but they have a lot to learn.”

She sobered. “That’s my fault. Maybe I’ve protected them too much. Living in the city certainly hasn’t allowed them to explore their werewolf side as much as they should.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Isaiah’s expression was fierce as he curled his hands into fists by his sides. “You’ve protected them and loved them. You’re a hell of a female, Meredith.”

Her decision was so easy to make she knew it was the right one. Smiling, she held out her hand to him. “Come with me.”