Page 5 of Rival Love

“Told ya.” Milton offered me a sympathetic smile though. “Sorry you came all the way over here. Next time, give me a call. I would have checked for you.”

“You’re a sweetheart, Milton.” I laid a hand on his shoulder then gently guided him to my door. “Next time, I will call instead.”

“Here’s hoping you get some work done while the museum is all quiet.” He stepped into the hallway. “At least then, your trip won’t be wasted.”

I bid him farewell then locked myself in my office. Attacking my snacks, I actually did work on a few things. It settled my mind a bit to complete some manageable tasks. Of course, that meant I was avoiding the unmanageable task of organizing a completely new life without my mate and either of my packs. I’d lost my sister too. We’d been tight as children. Ever since my father had picked me to marry Vince, however, Vera had been acting wild. She was a bartender at Pine Mill Tavern, and over the last few years, she’d basically brought a different customer home every night. Guy, girl, it didn’t matter as long as they were willing.

At first I’d seen it as her just being free. She hadn’t been chosen to make sure the Romero bloodline continued. She was without responsibilities. Now I realized, however, she was trying to fuck a worthless feeling away.

Could I fuck a betrayed feeling away?

Of course if I could, I’d need to find someone to fuck because my usual partner for that activity was a douchebag cheater.

I spent two hours in my office, but when Milton came to check on me, I figured I’d better move along. To where, I had no idea.

Back on the streets of Moon Valley, I ambled along, moonlight and streetlight guiding me to Rodgers Lake. Typically, Romeros and Morellis didn’t make a habit of visiting this part of our small town. The area was technically Sinclaire pack territory. The Sinclaires were the largest and most powerful pack in Vermont. In all of New England. Vince had griped about them on more than one occasion, saying how he didn’t think it was fair for them to have all the advantages. I usually tuned him out when he got all werewolf politics on me. Omegas didn’t worry about shit like that. We just worried about not getting our asses kicked.

Still, the pull to the lake was so strong that I found myself standing on its shore before I was consciously aware of having walked there. The water’s surface was motionless, like a black mirror, shimmering where the moonlight reflected off it.

Wait. Something was moving out there. Something shrouded in colors like the aurora borealis but growing whiter as it drew nearer.

I stood rooted to my spot on the shore, not able to move if I tried. I hadn’t believed this night could get any worse, but apparently, I’d been wrong. Whatever this was coming at me would probably zap me out of existence.

Just as well, I supposed.

“Child, all is not lost.”

I recognized the voice instantly and dropped to my knees. “My Goddess.”

Lunai hovered in front of me, her white robes flowing around her and her red hair streaming about her flawless face. This was only the second time I’d seen her, the first being when she’d approved the mating of Vince and me. Most wolves only saw the Moon Goddess once in their lives because the mating bond was forever.

“Rise, child, and let me speak to you.” Her voice was melodic and . . . soothing. Listening to it was the best I’d felt all night. “I have an offer for you.”

Chapter Four

Archer

I was not accustomed to feeling this useless. Normally, my father and I handled all threats to the Sinclaire pack with speed, efficiency, and force if necessary. Although I was the new Alpha with my father’s passing, my current situation was still dire. More strength filled my body though, and the silver bindings hurt less around my wrists.

Or perhaps I’d gotten used to the pain.

“One Alpha down,” the voice in the shadows said. “One to go. Unless you wish to change your mind and surrender Sinclaire territory to us.”

“I don’t make deals with people who won’t reveal their identities,” I growled. “Besides, you’ve given me no reason to care what happens next. You killed the person who meant the most to me.” I angled my head toward my father’s lifeless body beside me. It hurt so much that this was the way my father, my Alpha, had met his end. Bound like a criminal. Shot in an unfair fight. Cut down when he had so many more years to lead our pack. Even if I escaped this situation, how would I ever live up to my father’s legacy as Alpha?

“I know how you Sinclaires are,” the voice said. “You care about every member of your pack. I know you don’t want to leave them without an Alpha to lead them.”

“Someone else will step forward.” I ran through the potentials in my mind. I had three male cousins, none of which had my father’s cool head in conflict, but maybe if the pack was a little more feral, a rival pack wouldn’t have been able to abduct my father and me.

Whoever had us now had been crafty. I had to give them credit for that. From what I could piece together, someone must have tainted the whiskey at Lunar Falls Pub. My father and I had met up for a quick drink to celebrate me being made lieutenant at the Moon Valley Fire Department. I absolutely loved firefighting, and my werewolf DNA gave me some advantages. I could take bigger risks than the human firefighters and that led to more lives saved. My captain was thrilled with my performance, and best of all, my father had been so proud.

“To one hell of a son.” He’d smiled and raised his glass to me at the bar.

“To one kickass role model.” I’d clinked my glass to his, and we’d both tossed the whiskey back. Something had tasted a little off, and both my father and I took sniffs at our empty glasses. It was too late by then though. Whatever had been in the whiskey was already inside us.

Thirty minutes later we left the pub, neither of us feeling quite right. My eyesight was blurry and my head buzzed, two symptoms of drinking I never felt because it took a lot to get a werewolf drunk.

As we’d walked toward my father’s truck, we were ambushed, thrown into a van, and driven off to wherever the fuck we were now.