Page 88 of The Thief

The sound of a mockingbird outside the window broke the pressing silence.

“Do you want me to leave the pack?” I asked. “I never intended to lie or deceive you. I only wanted a home—people I could trust and love as family. But this is something I don’t know how to fix, not without disappearing.”

“He found you before; he’ll find you again. Can you convince him that you no longer have it, or that it was only a lie?”

“I don’t know him well enough to lie convincingly. There might be things that transpired between us that would make him skeptical. Not to mention, I killed his progeny.”

“He won’t speak of that to anyone, not if it’ll compromise getting his hands on this. He wants to terrorize you, and he may come after one of us. That’ll give me permission to hunt him, so I don’t think he’ll risk it. Only time will tell if he’s a smart man or a desperate one. How old is this Mage?”

“I have no idea.”

“We know nothing of his tactics or history. I trust you’re telling the truth, but I can’t act on hearsay. You’re right about the letter not being enough evidence.” He scratched his jaw. “How can you trust if your own words on paper are the whole truth? How do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you didn’t steal this from him? You might have been conning yourself.”

Tak had a point. Old Mercy could have been so clever at conning that she planned to manipulate her future self into believing she wasn’t at fault. Only reversing my memory wipe could uncover the truth, but would it be worth it?

“I know everything now, correct?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Then he has nothing more to blackmail you with. That will weaken him. We have security cameras, and we have the numbers. A Mage is no match for me.” Tak scooted his chair back. “Wolves show no fear because we are the hunters and they are the prey. They have a long history of keeping our kind in chains, and now that Shifters are free, the ancients have grown bitter. They want our land and possessions. I cower to no one, and as long as you’re my packmate, you’ll receive protection. But there’s one thing you must do.”

“What’s that?”

“Confess. I believe in second chances, and that’s why I’m not forcing anyone to disclose their past. We each have a right to move forward without the stain of past deeds. Stealing is a crime in my tribe. It brings shame to the leader. I’m guilty of this myself even if I felt my actions were justified.” He pointed to the intricate marks on the side of his face. “I marked myself as a lesson to others. It was a reminder and an opportunity to tell them my story. I’m not asking you to mark your face, but you must be vulnerable with those who trust you. Your honesty could prevent someone from making similar poor decisions. Keep the diamond between us, but come clean with the rest. Secrets will only bury you in shame and guilt.” He stood and clutched the gem against his stomach.

“Do I have to?” I looked up, afraid of the backlash.

“If that Mage comes for you, he’ll have to fight the pack. But if your pack is to fight for you, they need to know who and what they are fighting for.”

“I guess you’re right,” I said, sinking in my chair.

Tak offered a sympathetic smile. “Since the day you rode in on that blue scooter, I knew I would have many laughs with you. Laughter is medicine. Never let the malicious intentions of one man be the ruin of your happiness. Go to work. Laugh.” Tak grabbed his tank top and wagged his finger at me. “No more sulking, or I may have to find you a mate to put a smile on your face.”

With that, he whistled a merry tune and disappeared into the kitchen.

Chapter 16

Bear left the house early that morning after Calvin called him in. A supply truck had shown up at the Rabbit Lounge, and Calvin couldn’t leave the bar unattended to deal with it. Bear was only glad to help—he enjoyed being needed by others outside the pack. It reminded him of his worth.

Mercy, on the other hand, stayed home. Tak wanted to ride his mare for a spell, but afterward he planned to iron out details with Mercy regarding her new position.

Bear was proud of that girl. Other than the rank of beta wolf, there was no greater honor than the Packmaster assigning you as pack accountant. Next to that was pack chef.

When he arrived at the Rabbit Lounge, he helped the delivery driver unload the equipment from the truck and move it all into the kitchen. Then the real work began. After choosing a spot for the wire racks, he spent the rest of the day emptying boxes, logging inventory, and finding a home for everything. He hand-washed every dish, fork, and glass before putting them away. It was a little overboard, but he wanted everything to sparkle for the debut service. First impressions were paramount.

When the HVAC technician arrived to inspect and clean the ventilation system, Bear sat in the bar and took a break. By then Mercy was on duty. She had bounced back from the somber state she was in earlier, and he guessed it had to do with her new promotion.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She had on floral capris and a black blouse that made her silver hair stand out. But the tight fit of her pants was criminal, and desire licked over his body until his clothes were strangling him. A stab of jealousy knifed him each time he noticed other men looking. The urge to protect her was strong, but he couldn’t fault a man for admiring her.

Wolves had certain rituals when it came to inviting attention—signals to the opposite sex to pursue. A female turning her back to a male at a certain time in the conversation was one. Bending over was another. They were both submissive gestures that expressed interest. A waitress learned to dip if she had to pick something up off the floor. Mercy was always careful not to bend over in front of the males.

But he started to wonder if she was teasing him.

Whenever she was in a position where her back was to him, she would bend extra far over the table she was wiping. Bear got hard watching the way her body rocked, the way her legs would part slightly, the way she would peer over her shoulder at him. Whenever she walked behind his chair, she would graze his back with her fingernails.

Loving her in secret was becoming his new favorite thing.

After the air-conditioning guy finished, Bear decided to give the kitchen a test run and make cinnamon rolls. The commercial oven worked perfectly. He’d tried to repair the existing one since professional ovens ran thousands of dollars, but it had seen its day. Baking the pastries gave him a chance to get familiar with where everything was located and figure out the best use of the counter space. The mixer was like music to his ears, and he quickly realized he wanted a bakery rack with wheels.

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