Page 37 of Bullied Wolf Mate

Declan moved away from Lorelei and the open book on the desk to stand in front of me. “Where is she?” Declan asked.

“Luke and Nolan took her into Jameson’s office,” I said. “Oliver’s going to find Jameson.”

“She came on her own?” Declan asked.

“That’s all she needs, and she knows it,” Lorelei said. She’d managed to keep her voice even, but I could see the panic in her eyes and the way her hands trembled slightly.

“Did she say what she wanted?” Declan asked.

I shook my head. “She said she wanted to speak to Jameson.”

“It could be a trick,” Declan considered. “Some way of getting to Lorelei.”

“Which is why I’m not letting Inara get anywhere near her,” I promised. “We’ll go see what she wants and then arrest the bitch.”

Declan nodded, moving toward the door. “Let’s see what she wants before she burns the place down.”

I glanced over at Lorelei. Part of me yearned to stay with her. My wolf snarled, unwilling to let Lorelei and our cub out of sight when he knew a predator was lurking nearby. But I needed to see what Inara wanted. The closer an eye I could keep on her, the less she could do to Lorelei.

I rounded on Will, staring down the other shifter as he regarded me.

“You protect her,” I ordered, snarling. “Don’t let her out of this room.”

Will glanced over at Declan.

“He’s right,” Declan told him. “Stay here with Lorelei.”

Will nodded, taking several steps closer to Lorelei, every inch of him coiled and ready to strike if necessary.

Declan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to me. “Let’s get going,” he said.

Jameson came running up just as we reached his office, his eyes darting between Declan and me. “Do you know what she wants?” he asked.

“No idea,” I said.

Jameson exhaled hard, but his tension remained. “Let’s go find out, then,” he said, and opened the office door.

Inara sat lounging in one of the chairs, her legs crossed as she regarded Luke and Nolan. She looked equal parts amused and bored. I’d heard stories about Inara, but they paled in comparison to seeing her in the flesh. She was superhumanly beautiful: perfect lips, large eyes, long, shapely legs. It was hard to imagine someone like her being so deadly and evil. In fact, I struggled to keep reminding myself of that.

“Hello, Inara,” Jameson said.

Inara raised her head to look at him. Her eyes raked slowly up and down his body, drinking him in as a coy smirk spread across her lips, her body language making it perfectly clear what was running through her mind. I was half-surprised Jameson didn’t blush.

“You must be Jameson,” Inara purred, her eyes fluttering at the alpha. “Your reputation proceeds you.”

“So does yours,” Jameson replied, his face a mask of stone. “Why are you here?”

Inara gave a wide, sinister smile. “To talk, of course. But it seems like one of the interested parties is missing. Tell me, where is dear Lorelei?”

“Nowhere you can get to her,” I growled.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking up and down as she assessed me. “My, my,” she said. “Aren’t you the protective one? Has she caught your eye, then? I can’t blame you. She really is a pretty thing.”

“And you’re not getting your hands on her again,” Jameson said. “And you can’t have actually thought we would just hand her over if you marched in here. Tell me why we shouldn’t tear you to shreds?”

“Because I’m shielded, and it would be a waste of your valuable time and mine.” Inara sounded bored. “I’m here to speak to Lorelei. But I figured if I said that, you wouldn’t let me in.”

“You were right,” Jameson said.

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