Page 64 of Wolf's Redemption

Bek sighed. There was no point keeping her shady past a secret now.

“I ended up in prison for something my partner did. I paid for his crime. Now, I’m trying to get my life back on track and put my past behind me. I got the phoenix as a reminder of that, and the promise I made to myself to never again fall for a man like Spider. To never put myself in the hands of a man who’d allow another person to take the blame for something he’d done.”

Erin’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear.”

“What? What did I say?”

Erin chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t knowexactlywhat happened to Ulrik. Gaharet hasn’t told me the full story, but Ulrik did something that angered Comte Lothair. To keep him safe from retribution, his parents sent him away to Bretaigne. While he was gone”—Erin cringed—“Lothair imprisoned his family and had them condemned to death as punishment for Ulrik’s crime.”

Bek stared at the other woman, the food forgotten. “Are you serious?”

Erin nodded.

“Oh,bollocks.”

He’d worshipped her body more fervently than a teenager with his first everPlayboymagazine, and what had she done? Told him he’d never have a chance with her. Not intentionally, but still…

She stared down at her bowl. “I didn’t know. He never told me. When I said that, I didn’t meanhim.” She closed her eyes.Fuck.“It was all going so well, too.” She made to rise. “I should talk to him.”

Erin’s hand on her shoulder halted her. “Let Gaharet talk to him. Give Ulrik some time. He’ll figure it out once he’s cooled down.” Understanding glimmered in her eyes. “I was right. You really like him.”

“I didn’t want to,” Bek mumbled, settling back into her seat. “He’s everything I’ve avoided since…well… since I got sent to prison.”

Erin chortled. “Don’t I know that feeling.”

Bek rolled her eyes. “Been to prison, have we?”

Highly doubtful.As if a woman who’d lived a far better life than she could hope to understand.

Erin, unperturbed by her sarcasm, stared her down. “No. But Gaharet wasn’t my idea of a perfect match either. Wealthy, arrogant and used to getting his own way, I thought he was everything I loathed in a man. I busted my ass trying to find the reverse spell for the amulet and get back to the twenty-first century. Now look at me.” She raised her hands in a shrug. “I’m a werewolf. I’m mated to the man I thought I loathed and”—she rubbed her hand across her belly—“I’m carrying his—our—baby.”

She locked on Bek with a stare every bit as intense as her husband’s. Bek had to give her credit. The woman was no pushover.

“Any regrets?”

Erin chewed on her bottom lip. “No. Not really.”

Could Bek stay here?Ifshe could patch things up with Ulrik. Give up her life in the twenty-first century, as Erin had. Not much of a sacrifice. Not like Erin.

“You were an archeologist. What’s that, like four years of study? And a decent career. And you, what? Gave it all up for him? For love?”

Erin’s expression softened, and a smile crept across her lips. “I did.” Her smile slipped, and two little frown lines appeared between her eyebrows. “I won’t lie to you and tell you it was easy. It wasn’t. It took me almost dying to change my mind. Right until the moment I made my decision, my thinking was more aligned with your reaction than you might think. All I could think about was modern conveniences and clothes and what I had achieved. What I was still to achieve in my career. All the things I would have to give up, not what I would gain.”

Erin slid onto the seat next to her. “Do I miss things? Hell, yes. I had some good friends and great colleagues. My mom and I…well…our relationship wasn’t the best.” She frowned. “The bra and knickers I’m wearing won’t last forever. I’ll miss those.And coffee—God—waking up without coffee every morning is the pits. But I have Gaharet. I can make new friends.” Her hand slipped to her belly. “And I’ll soon have my own family.”

“Yeah, but…what about your career?”

“Look around you, Rebekah. I’m living in the very thing I spent years studying. I’m seeing things firsthand. Wait until you see Gaharet’s keep, his library, and oh, my lord, hisarmory.”

Bek arched an eyebrow. The woman looked as though she’d give herself an orgasm just thinking about a building, some old books and a bunch of swords.Whatever floats her boat.

“Hey.” Erin held up her hands. “I’m not saying my decision would work for everyone, but it worked for me. How about you, Rebekah? What do you have to leave behind?”

Bek focused on a piece of bread, tearing pieces off it and dropping them into her stew. Whatdidshe have to leave behind? Nothing. Well, nothing she cared about losing. A crappy apartment, a criminal record, a dick of a parole officer and dead-end job at Charlie’s, avoiding his grabby hands and disgusting propositions. Nothing worth shedding a tear over.

Like Erin, she’d miss coffee. And flushing toilets and hot showers. She looked down at her boobs. Lack of bras could be a problem. Unless she got some regular support, they’d lose their lift quicker than a helium balloon on a hot day. Not a good look. But wine appeared plentiful.Happy days.And if, eventually, she ended up living in some sort of castle or keep, chances were, she’d eat better here, too. No more two-minute noodles. Even living in this little cottage didn’t look so bad. Erin was surviving here just fine.

Then there was Ulrik. She stared at the stubbornly closed door. But Ulrik had made no promises beyond sex, and now…

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