Wolves Bloodlines Read online

  “Do that.” Paris replied before ending the call. Wiatt pocked his phone and walked back over to the table and sat down again.

  Tatum looked over at him. “I can’t stop thinking about it.” She said resting a hand on her belly as she spoke. Wiatt frowned and took a bite out of his meal. “About what?”

  “What you said before about most women being unable to carry a pup to full term.” Wiatt chewed on his food and cleared his mouth. Putting the sandwich roll back down again.

  “I shouldn’t have been so blasé about that bit of information. I don’t want you to worry about that Tay. Worry isn’t going to help.”

  “Well too late, cause it’s on my mind. I’m pregnant. I’m having this pup that is going to be in some part, paranormal, supernatural, whatever you want to call it, this baby girl is far from normal. I was raped.” She watched Wiatt’s frown deepen. “And I survived almost being killed by well, who knows what, right? I mean I won’t know what the deal is with Robbie until I find him again and I’ve never been pregnant before in my life. Do you understand? This is my first child. I can get through the how part. You’ve shown me that. But I can’t loose this child. Not because I’m not built right, because of what happened to me to get me pregnant in the first place!”

  Wiatt pushed out his chair and stood up. “Tatum,” he walked around the table towards her. “You are remarkable,” he said taking her hand in his as he knelt down on one knee. “And both you and I are going to do everything we can for this pup, our first child, our daughter.” Tatum looked down at him, eyes wide listening to his words as they calmed her. “I promise you I will do whatever is needed for you to bring our girl into this world.” Wiatt sighed and dipped his head. “I had no right to drop that news on you like that. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Would you have told me otherwise?” Tatum asked.

  “No.” He said not meeting her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t have.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of the situation, there’s already more than enough to deal with here. And because,” he said lifting his head to meet her eyes again. “That’s the bit of this that’s completely outside my control. I can manage the rest. And I will. I’ll give you the life you want with me.” Lifting her hand he brought the back of it to his lips. “I love you. I love us.”

  Tatum smiled with tears forming in her eyes. “Me too, what you said.” She said reaching for him and sliding her arms around his neck as he kissed her hard. Wiatt’s hands slid up into her hair, tightening with his determination to take her worries away.

  They parted and Tatum rested her head against Wiatt’s forehead. “Don’t hold back on me okay? On things like that. I’m so far out of the realm of normal here, I need to be prepared if I can’t be two steps ahead. This pup,” She said reaching for his hand and placing it on her stomach. “This pup is going to be a part of both of us, not just one of us. She’s going to be our life, and we can only give her a proper life if it’s both of us in this all the way, not just one of us protecting the other way taking the hard hits.”

  Wiatt’s nose dipped and ran up along the bridge of Tatum’s nose as he closed his eyes, touching her with a light touch before kissing her forehead.

  “Sexy, smart pack mate. I seriously never saw you coming at me did I?”

  “Good thing?” Tatum asked as they grinned at one another.

  “Oh yeah.”

  23

  “That was pretty good.” Wiatt said putting his plate on the tray and picking it up.

  “Pretty good?” Tatum asked surprised. “I think you mean brilliant. That’s a Boston classic baby.”

  “Really?” Wiatt asked grinning and bending down to kiss her lips as he gathered up her cutlery and crockery, adding it to the tray.

  “Only the best for you when you’re in my hometown Mr D’arenberg.” Tatum husked watching Wiatt walk to the door with the tray. “So what’s the next phase of the plan?”

  “Nothing tonight. Other than we use that spa I saw in the bathroom. We’ll pick it all up tomorrow when we’ve,” Wiatt turned the room door handle “had a chance to,” he opened the door only to come face to face with an unknown male. Wiatt’s nostrils flared and the scent of metallic ting and fur greeted him back. The same time his eyes landed on the other two lycan males standing behind the first one. Wiatt growled, his teeth automatically baring to show werewolf fangs in his very human mouth.

  “Just visiting.” The male lycan said putting his hands up quickly to show Wiatt he wasn’t looking for a fight. Wiatt knew Tatum was looking his way, because he could hear her heart beat pick up quickly. Even from across the room.

  “The hell you are.” Wiatt said shoving the tray and all the items on it straight into the lycan male’s chest, hard enough to bruise his solar plexus and momentarily wind him. “Leave now.”

  “Can’t do that.” The lycan male gasped grabbing the tray and dropping it to the side of him, in the hallway. “Like I said, we’re here to make sure you’re just visiting Boston. Not setting up residency here. Boston isn’t a two wolf kind of town.”

  “We’re here to take you to our leader.” The lycan continued talking, as Wiatt’s eyes never left his.

  “To take me to your leader?” Wiatt repeated. “Who talks like that?”

  “A wolf who respects his pack leader. You should know better than most, the common rules of courtesy when visiting another wolf’s territory, so there are no misunderstandings or, accidents.” The lycan smiled back at him.

  “And you should know better than to threaten a werewolf. But I kind of like that you don’t.” Wiatt grinned, widening his mouth and shifting his eyes to his wolf eyes in a quick blink of his eyelids. That made the lycan flinch back slightly.

  “Not looking for trouble, just for you both to come with us.”

  “Well you see, about that, I don’t do what I don’t want to and my missus, she’s even more stubborn than me. So you’re shit out of luck on the trouble front.” Wiatt said grabbing the lycan’s shirt front and pulling him close to head butt him, before throwing him backwards. With enough force to collect the other two lycan lackey’s so the three of them crushed into the wall opposite them in the hallway. Wiatt didn’t wait to see them land, slamming the door and locking it, he rushed back into the room looking around the room quickly. “Grab you’re coat. We got to go.” Tatum moved quickly to reach for her coat, just as the room door cracked and flew off it’s hinges into the middle of the room.

  “Tay!” Wiatt leapt in front of a wide eyed Tatum and grabbing her turned her away from the flying piece of wood and wrapped himself around her as the door hit and smashed across his back. “You okay?” He asked her as she wrapped her hands around her stomach, curled up into him.

  Tatum nodded her head. “Good.” He growled turning around to suddenly face all three of them.

  “You endanger my pack mate and unborn pup, you fucking die!”

  The lycan male tilted his head. “You’re pup?” His response caused Wiatt to hesitate. “The hard way of doing this is, the three of us beat you down and take her to him. The easy way is you both come to him with us without fighting us.” The leader of the three lycans said, his nose oddly shaped with blood dripping down his face, from where Wiatt had broken it.

  It was then Wiatt knew, that whatever was about to happen it would happen to him. Robbie had instructed these lycans not to harm Tatum and the pup. Otherwise he’d have never said that telling statement to Wiatt. Tatum’s fingers slid into his hand and he looked down at them. He’d vowed to never let Robbie near Tatum again. And the best way for that to happen was if he was with Tatum, not separated from her. Wiatt glanced over his shoulder at Tatum.

  “Well we did come all this way to see Robbie, right?” Tatum muttered at him. Wiatt looked unhappily at her, conflict flashing over his face. She could see he wanted to let loose but he was controlling the urge. Because of her. “Let’s get this done so we can leave this fucking town for dust.” Tatum said to Wiatt but glaring
back at the male lycan leader.

  Wiatt realized too late into their forced guided tour, that he didn’t have his cell phone on him. He wondered if Tatum had managed to grab hers. Paris was sending them back up which they could do with sooner rather than later, if he could just alert the Manhattan Maen werewolves to what was going on and where they were. Wiatt kept Tatum, close to his side in the car beside him. He had to figure out a plan of attack and how he was going to get Tatum and the pup out of their current prediction. One werewolf and a pregnant lycan against a pack of what was looking more and more increasingly like lycans, was not good odds, especially when he didn’t know the territory at all.

  “Wish I had Bg’s ability right about now.” Tatum muttered softly to Wiatt.

  Wiatt turned to look at her. “The ability to aggravate any situation to the point of rioting till every male wants to sacrifice himself for her?” Wiatt joked back at her.

  Tatum’s eyebrows shot up. “Not me though.” He said quickly back at her.

  “No. I meant,” she tapped the side of her hairline with one finger quickly.

  “Yeah, that’d be handy.” Wiatt sighed heavily as his eyes ran over the lycans sitting beside them. “Don’t worry baby, I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

  “To us.” Tatum corrected him. “We’re in this together.” She said resting her head against Wiatt’s arm.

  “Hmph.” The bloody faced lycan snickered at them. Wiatt’s eyes narrowed down on him. “Who speaks like that?” The lycan said back at him. “We’re in this together.” Wiatt growled deeply back at him as the lycan broke into a laugh.

  “Oh we got plenty of time for a-go-around.” He said meaningfully back at Wiatt, not phased by the werewolf’s growling. Wiatt tightened his hold on Tatum in response. “After the boss has seen to you.” Wiatt wondered if this lycan understood how easily stupid he was. Two things were apparent from his and Tatum’s encounter with the three lycans so far. One, was that Tatum was not supposed to be touched and possibly Robbie didn’t know for certain that she was pregnant, given the surprise response the lycan leader had given him back at the hotel. Two, he’d just made it perfectly clear to Wiatt’s mind, with his seen to as opposed to see you comment, that Robbie intended to kill Wiatt and keep Tatum instead.

  “Can’t wait.” Wiatt replied back at him calmer than he felt. They were outnumbered, in enemy territory, and he had a pregnant pack mate to care for. The odds of their situation getting better without getting worse, were slim to none.

  24

  The car ride didn’t take long, which made Wiatt think, they’d probably been under surveillance since they had arrived in Boston. Or at least since they’d entered Boston Common and made themselves known there. Wiatt wondered if Trinah had tipped off Robbie to get in favor with the wolf. Either way, it didn’t matter, what mattered was Wiatt keeping Tatum and the pup safe. The car stopped and Tatum looked out the window. “Out.” One of the lycan’s grunted at them both. Tatum slide out of the car with Wiatt following. “Straight.” The monosyllabic lycan stated at them pointing ahead and producing a gun to put behind their backs. Tatum looked over at Wiatt as he was shoved in the back by the gun barrel. Taking Tatum’s hand he lead the way as they headed into the house with the front porch lit up. Wiatt’s eyes started scoping out the property for any telling information that might work to their advantage. Security cameras and lycans with guns. Robbie was clearly living like a gangster, not a werewolf. Dealing with gang bangers wasn’t surprisingly, something Wiatt had to do all that often.

  “Any thoughts or advice?” Tatum asked softly leaning into Wiatt.

  “Yeah, I wish I had my sister in law’s brother with me. Marcus Sommers has dealt with gang bangers before. The one thing I remember that he told me, they’re volatile.” They walked up the front steps and another set of two lycans, opened the door to the house for them.

  “Ahead.” They were again instructed as minimally as possible.

  “But they’re wolves right, gang banger wolves?” Tatum asked out the side of her mouth.

  “Yeah, lycans so far.” Wiatt replied softly as they walked into darkness of a hallway. There was no identifying items anywhere, he walked to the end of the hallway, past a few doors on either side of the hallway. All of which were closed and as far as he could tell, soundless. As they reached the end of the hallway, the back of the house, opened out quite dramatically. It had been renovated to go further back, to accommodate more, but more of what, was what Wiatt wanted to know.

  Tatum looked around them in the open space of the large what she would’ve called a ballroom. Except that it lacked elegance, and glamour and instead, was plain. Cold and a stark reminder of being in nothing short of a box. A skylight overhead was the only feature that stood out, that and down one end of the room, on a what could only be described as a throne, sat a figure in a chair. Lycan guards appeared from either side of the room to fill the lining along the walls, Wiatt counted fifteen but was sure there was more. He looked down at the figure in darkness on the raised platform’s chair on the other end of the room.

  “Come here.” The figure said waving two fingers at Wiatt and Tatum. Wiatt felt Tatum’s hand start to crush his own as they moved towards the elusive figure.

  “I got you.” He said softly as Tatum’s whole demeanor changed and stiffened rigidly. The figure stepped down slowly from his throne of oversight in the room. Tatum’s arm started to shake in Wiatt’s grip.

  As the male figure stepped out of the shadows of his throne and into the room where the night light poured down from the skylight roof over them, Wiatt got his first look at Robbie Harkness. For some reason, that made no sense to him, Wiatt had been expecting an ugly, nerdy looking guy. But Robbie Harkness was as far from that image as could be. Of course he was, he should have known that Tatum wouldn’t be attracted to an ugly guy. Robbie was good looking, too good looking. He was the same height at Tatum, and solidly built. Shot blonde hair cropped close to his head, blue eyes and a thick neck, and defined jawline. The guy looked like a movie star that should be cast in some high school drama TV show. He had an arrogant smirk on his face that Wiatt wanted to rip off his skin.

  “Welcome home Tatum.” Robbie said looking directly at Tatum and ignoring Wiatt completely. Tatum’s shaking arm got worse and Wiatt turned to look at her as she released her fingers through his.

  “Tay?” Wiatt asked as she started shaking violently. “Tatum,” Wiatt tried again and watched her face harden with anger as she stared hard at her rapist. Tatum put her hand to her stomach, before Wiatt knew what to do, she was doubling over, dropping to her knees and heaving. Wiatt squatted down beside her, keeping his hand on her back as Tatum threw up, repeatedly until she was crying beside him. Robbie smirked and chuckled back at them.

  “Tay, talk to me,” Wiatt said in a soft low voice, choosing to focus on his pack mate rather than their enemy as Tatum wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m okay.” She muttered softly. Before raising her head and looking back up at Robbie. “This isn’t my home.”

  “She needs water and to lay down.” Wiatt said looking over at their ungracious host. Robbie looked at him and across to Tatum, as if studying her. “She’s pregnant.”

  “I know.” Robbie replied as Tatum slowly sat back on her heels, still holding her stomach and surrounded by her own vomit. “With my child, that’s why you came to Boston, isn’t it? To advise me of my parental rights.” Robbie said back at them smugly.

  “No.” Tatum said slowly starting to stand, leaning on Wiatt for help as he put his hand under her arm. “That’s not why we’re here.”

  Robbie’s eyebrows shot up. “Should have known a wolf like you wouldn’t come here without an appetite?”

  Tatum growled through her teeth at him, sounding like a wild wolf. “You bastard.” Tatum spat back at him angrily. “This baby is not yours.”

  Wiatt watched as Robbie’s eyes narrowed angrily and looked straight at Tatum’s stomach. “Don’t eve
n try and tell me this guy, managed to fuck you and knock you up within three months of our last night together Tatum, I won’t buy it for even a second.”

  “Our last night together,” She huffed in disbelief back at him. “You mean the night you raped and tried to kill me, that night?” She watched in disbelief as he shrugged his shoulders loosely.

  “We had a little rough sex.”

  “A little?” Tatum whispered hoarsely wobbling.

  “Jesus, at least let her sit down.” Wiatt yelled at him grabbing Tatum tightly. Robbie’s focus shifted to Wiatt. “Very well, there’s a chair right up there.” He said pointing to the throne seat.

  “I’d rather stand till I pass out. Thanks.” Tatum muttered unhappily. “What happened to you?” She asked him. “What happened to the Robbie I grew up with, the one who had my back and helped me survive my own damn destructive family, the good guy?”

  “I’m still him Tatum, you just choose to look at me differently.” Robbie replied back to her as she frowned.

  “Choose to, you changed.”

  “When did you become a lycan?” Wiatt asked cutting into the conversation. Robbie looked back at him in surprise. “You’re scent, I can smell it on you. You’re not a werewolf. You’re a lycan.”

  “Same thing.” Robbie replied back at him. “Werewolf, lycan, wolf, hybrid, we’re all one and same when it comes to being the wolf.” He said slapping his hands against his sides. Wiatt’s eyes sharpened on the movement and he started to contemplate how long Robbie could hold out till he had to shape shift. Was he already fighting it.

  “They’re not the same thing.” Tatum said back at him. “Someone made you like this, like you,” She stopped herself quickly.

  Robbie’s focus shifted back to Tatum. “Like I did to you?” He asked finishing her sentence. “I never intended to. I mean, I don’t think I did. I just, I always thought you and I would end up together. So what did it matter?”

  Tatum baulked. “What did it matter?” She yelled at him. “My life matters! To me!” she yelled as Wiatt pressed his hand warmly onto her shoulder, like a silent reminder that she had someone there for her.