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Chapter Nine

“Take care of yourself,” Juno whispered, swiping a stray tear from Catherine’s face.

“I promise. I’ll call you as soon as I’m settled.”

“Video call! I want to see the new digs,” Juno said, batting her eyes to keep the moisture from escaping.

Catherine gripped her in another hug and squeezed. She stepped back and let Toma wrap his arms around Juno’s shoulders.

“I’ll look after her, Cat. Don’t worry,” Toma said, putting a small kiss on Juno’s hair.

“Stay out of trouble, Toma and away from…”

“Debbie, I know,” he said with a smile. She wanted to hug him too but they both looked to her mate, leaning back against his mustang with his arms folded. His eyes narrowed at the male wolf. “Get out of here,” he whispered. “Before he kills me.” Toma pulled at his collar and gulped, making her laugh.

“Fuck it,” she whispered, pushing Juno aside so she could hug him.

Toma chuckled and hugged her back tightly. Graham growled and she heard him approaching. “Don’t let him push you around, Kitty,” Toma whispered. “You’re a strong firecracker. Set his world on fire, okay?”

Catherine nodded into his shoulder before Graham pulled her away and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a possessive grip. She wiped the tears from her face, ignoring her mate whose fists were flexing with the need to beat Toma into the ground. She gripped his hand on her shoulder and his muscles relaxed. Well, that’s a neat trick.

Toma resumed his position with his arms around Juno. “Go on, Short Stuff, get out of here. Give us a call any time. And you,” he said, looking up at Graham with a hostile expression that soon faded into a look of acceptance. “You’re a lucky man. Don’t ever take her for granted.”

Graham nodded and looked down at her. She smiled and his lip tilted upward. “Come on, Baby.”

He took her hand and led her to the car. He held the passenger door open for her. She stepped up and turned back to her friends. Juno waved and Toma shooed her forward. She sank down into the seat and allowed Graham to softly close her door. She rolled the window down as he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. It purred to life and Juno fanned her face with her hand as she mouthed, "hot." Catherine smiled and rolled her eyes. She felt Graham take her hand in his and pulled her eyes from her friends to look at him. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it softly.

“Are you ready?” he asked, giving her the opportunity to say goodbye again.

Fresh tears sprang to her eyes but she nodded. He pulled her hand down to his lap, used his free hand to put the car in drive and let the car drift forward. She jerked her head back to watch her friends. Their bright smiles soon faded away, too distant to make out. As they turned the corner, she said goodbye to her old life and looked forward to the new.

“I may have an awkward question for you,” Catherine said, keeping her eyes trained out the window.

“What’s that?”

“Um, lycans live a very long time, right?” Catherine asked, looking to her mate to gauge his reaction. He smiled softly but kept his gaze forward.

“Yes, there’s a misconception that we’re immortal. We’re not. We just live a lot longer than most. We age too, just much much slower,” he explained with that same soft, knowing smile.

“So, um, how old…”

“I’m 32,” he answered, glancing at her with a humorous grin. Catherine let out a big breath of relief causing Graham to burst out laughing. “What would you have done if I said 327, huh? Would it have been a dealbreaker?”

Catherine studied his sharp jawline and the smile lines crinkling his eyes. She blushed furiously. No, she thought to herself, No, the thought wouldn’t have ever crossed her mind. “How far is Blackmoore?” she asked, changing the subject before she could delve too far into those thoughts.

He played with her fingers in his hand. “About an hour and a half to my house.”

“Really? I thought it was much closer, just outside of the city?” Catherine had chosen Sterling because it was supposed to be close to the lycans. Was their packhouse really that far? Was she really never safe?

“The first gate is about 15 minutes out.”

First gate?”she asked, studying his handsome face in the afternoon light. He glanced her way and smiled, noticing her gaze.

“There are three,” he whispered, bringing her hand to his lips again while maintaining eye contact. “There’s no escaping me now.”

She scoffed before smiling. Maybe Juno was right. Surely he couldn’t get through three highly secure fence lines and then try to take her from a pack of lycans? Her free hand reflexively touched the inside of her thigh and she looked back over to Graham who was smiling and watching the road. She would have to tell him soon, or he would find out on his own. She shook her head, not feeling like dwelling on that quite yet. She looked forward down the road and at the first gate of the Blackmoore lycan pack.

Nearly two hours later, Graham pulled his car into the driveway of a cute one story stone cottage with ivy crawling up one side. There were several stained glass windows and an invitingly large porch with a swing and several wooden chairs. Catherine stepped out of the car and waited for him to grab a few of her bags from the trunk. He waved his arm forward, inviting her to go first.

“You don’t live in the packhouse?” she asked as they walked up the cobblestone sidewalk.

“I like my privacy,” he replied.

They stepped up the uneven porch steps and he placed his hand on the small of her back. He unlocked the door. He entered before her and she noticed his shoulders go rigid. She looked around but nothing seemed out of place.

The interior was filled with warm wood. From the floors to the tasteful furniture and the stone fireplace in the living room she felt she’d walked into a fairy cabin located in the middle of the forest. She inhaled, expecting to smell the pungency of her mate mixed with cedar but froze mid way. There was another smell here, one that made the hair on her arms rise. A low growl vibrated through her chest, taking her by surprise. She stalked forward.

In the back of her mind she could hear Graham trying to stop her but she ignored it. She opened a door and saw the origin of the sweet scent, laying across Graham’s bed, completely naked. The woman smirked at her but changed her expression the moment Graham walked in behind her. The woman looked shocked and hurt as she covered the bare minimum with the bed sheet.

“Grey? Who is this girl?” the woman asked, sitting up and holding a hand over her chest.

Catherine scowled. A fission of pain shot through her chest and she turned to leave. Graham gripped her upper arm, keeping her from escaping. At least he wasn’t making her watch.

“Arabella, what the fuck are you doing?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“I… I don’t understand. You’ve been gone for several days. I thought you’d be happy to come home to your girlfriend…” Arabella whispered, fake doubt laced through her voice. “Who is this girl you’ve brought home?” she asked again.

Catherine tried to pull her arm free, not wanting to be a part of this exchange. Graham’s hold only tightened. Humiliation overrode every other emotion within her. She tried to keep the tears from leaving her face. Her mate had a girlfriend? Was that what kept him away for several days? Did he want to have one last weekend with the woman he loved? Was…

“You are not my girlfriend. You never were. How the fuck did you get in my house? Was it Leonora??” Graham asked, cutting off her spiraling thoughts. Leonora now?

“You gave me a key, remember? Why are you being like this, Grey? Are you not happy to see me?” Arabella asked, using that odd name again.

“Do not call me that. Get the hell out. I know exactly what you’re doing and it won’t work. Out!” Graham ordered.

He let his aura slip out and the effects nearly knocked Catherine to her knees. How could his command be so strong if he didn’t hold a high position? Was it a male lycan trait? Just as quickly as it went out, the aura faded and she could breathe easier again. Catherine could hear the woman stepping off the bed and walking bare-footed toward the door, toward them.

“Leave the sheet,” Graham demanded.

Arabella waited until she was beside them, half a foot away from Catherine before she let the sheet drop from her perfectly formed body. Catherine noticed she was covered in tattoos like many of the other lycans but hers were wrapped around her body in an intricate, pretty pattern that wove around both of her legs and then joined at her back going up along her spine. Arabella smirked at Catherine, thrusting her perky round breasts up into the air.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Grey.” She winked at Catherine and then walked out, leaving a trail of her sickening sweet scent behind her.

Catherine’s breathing was labored as she fought the raw emotions swirling within her. Rage, jealousy, humiliation, confusion warred within her for dominance. With each ragged breath she drew in more of the woman’s scent. Clearly she had been intimate with her mate. When the last time was, she couldn’t be sure. She could ask, Graham would tell her, but she didn’t really want to know. Did she?

While she fought to think and clear her mind, the woman’s scent continued to mock her. Her skin was crawling. The emotions became more potent the more she scented the rival female. In the distance she could hear a voice calling her name, telling her to breathe. But she couldn’t breathe.

Each breath brought her closer to the brink. She felt the hairs rise on her arms. Her vision tunneled, widened, tunneled again. She shut her eyes to fight the nausea threatening to overcome her. A pair of hands cupped her cheeks and her mind went blank.

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