Chapter 167
AARON
This woman.
This infuriating woman.
My wife. My mate.
She imed to love me, once.
But nothing she’s ever done would indicate she truly feels that deeply for me.
She flinches as I toss the barbed words about our son at her, and I take some dark satisfaction in that,
even as my wolf howls in
protest within me.
I can’t believe that bas tard Liam is still managing to ruin my life from beyond the grave.
I wish I could drag him back from he ll, just so I can ki ll him all over again.
However, Liam is getting thestugh, because I can’t do that.
All I can do is clean up yet another Roberts pack disaster.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her in a cold voice. “I’ll take care of your problems. Again.”
At this, Leah’s head snaps up, and for the first time, I see her eyes sh gold as her wolf surges up,
threatening to rise up and take
over
She’s beautiful and fierce, and my own wolf is desperate for her.
“The way you took care of my problemsst time?” she demands furiously. “The way you denied my
one wish, that I should di e if it meant saving our baby? If you want someone to me for our situation,
Aaron, then don’t look to me. Take a good hard look in the mirror instead.”
She strides forward, and for a second, I’m struck with the hope and furious disbelief that she might
attack me, her mate and
Alpha.
However, she only pauses as she draws even with me.
“Our son is dead because of you. And I will never forgive you for that.”
Guilt erupts through me likeva, blistering and burning through my veins.
But before I can say anything, she’s stalked away to leave me standing here alone.
Fury gets the better of me again, and this time an entire desk falls prey to my paranormal strength. By
the time it’s nothing but splinters and kindling, I’m left panting, but not feeling any better about things
When I leave the room, I find James standing impassively in the corridor, not looking the least bit
worried about me smashing up the furniture.
Of course, it’s not the first time.
My own temper is only eclipsed by that of my wolf.
“How has she been?” I ask him, trying to keep my voice regted.
James scowls and crosses his arms.
He doesn’t need to say out loud that he thinks me abandoning my mate and running all the packs and
business remotely is taking the co ward’s way out.
And maybe it looks that way from the outside, but I don’t have a choice.
I had to keep the single most important person in my life safe, and I’d quickly found I was willing to do
anything to make it possible, including letting people think I’d turned my back on them.
“She’d be better if her mate was helping her through her grief. Instead she’s throwing herself into her
work and running the packs that are supposed to be your responsibility, Alpha.”
The way he uses my title makes it sound like an insult.
“Watch your tone with me, Beta,” I growl as I step closer to him, bristling for a fight, but he doesn’t take
the bait.
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Instead, he lowers his eyes in a show of submission.
“Keep me updated,” I say, stepping back again. “And know that if anything happens to her, it’s on you.”
He nces up again briefly, a spark of wolf in his eyes, and I know he wants to argue back-James has
grown more than a little fond of my wife, it seems, but he has to know if it even seems like he’s thinking
about crossing a line with her that I’ll rip him to shreds-however, he only nods his agreement.
I walk away without another word, my thoughts already turning to thistest trouble with Roberts Corp
and the Al weapons
system.
I don’t need this on top of everything else.
Not when my own te is already full and I’m getting closer to my ultimate goal-finding Ryker, Michail,
Dorian and any other wolves who’d been helping Liam that fateful night he’d tried to scr ew over my
wife, and got dead for his troubles.
I don’t care that they are Old Country Wolves.
I don’t care how powerful they are.
I’ve absorbed the abilities of three Alphas.
I’m almost unstoppable.
So I will find them.
And then I’ll make them pay.