Page 10 of Wild Wolf
Tristan said nothing, only waited. She sucked down several deep gulps of air. It made nosense.
She blamed it on the emotional trauma of herpast.
When they cleared the hill and walked to the front of the lodge, their steps crunching the gravel drive, Jordan’s heart banged against her chest. Not from the altitude or the exercise, but the fear mingling with anticipation. Would Nolan recognizeher?
Tristan opened one of the double oak doors and held it for her. “Afteryou.”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. Everything looked the same – the comfortable sofas sprawled before the river rock fireplace, the moose and deer heads hanging from the wall near the staircase. She and Nolan had whimsically named them Ma and Pa, and she’d asked MeeMaw, Nolan’s great-grandmother, to show her how to knit ahat.
The faded pink results of her childish labor still sat upon Ma’s antleredhead.
Tightness settled in her chest. This living room with the stacks of magazines, bookshelves and rag rugs had been the only real home she remembered. Six years of being on the road, hitchhiking and being on her own allfled.
Then she remembered the real reason she’d left. Her gaze sharpened on Tristan. “You sure he’s nothere?”
“Bryce is dead. He will never return to bother you,” Tristan said gently, his expressionkind.
He knows. He knows what happened to me.Panic squeezed her insides, but she forced herself to calm down.Silly. Of course he probably knew. He kneweverything.
Suddenly she wanted to ask him why he hadn’t done anything, hadn’t prevented her from running off. But there was no time, for Nolan appeared at the top of the oakstaircase.
He looked far taller than she remembered. As he descended, Jordan realized the good-looking boy had been replaced with a striking man with good looks, a man’s muscled body, strong cheekbones, an aquiline nose, his ash brown hair cutshort.
For a moment her heart leapt in eager anticipation. Nolan had always loved her, treated herwell…
He reached the landing. His caramel gaze looked far colder than she remembered, his expression unsmiling. Not welcoming. Nolan was as icy as his distant cousin, AidenMitchell.
My reluctant groom.She swallowed hard. “Hi Nolan. Good to see youagain.”
“Jordan.” Nolan gave a brusque nod. He inclined his head to Tristan. “Tristan, thank you for escorting her here. Welcome to myhome.”
No welcome for me? Thanks.This quiet, stone-cold man had replaced the affectionate Lupine who kissed away her bruises and joined her in long scampers over the hills for berry picking andadventures.
The Lupine who’d tumbled her into the hay in the barn and took her virginity, and swore he’d never love another female, onlyher.
The Lupine who looked as if she crushed him beneath her heel when she told him she didn’t love himback…
The Southern twang remained the same, the lilting accent she had loved. His manner of dress looked familiar as well – cherry red cotton shirt rolled up at the elbows to reveal strong, tanned forearms, and well-worn jeans and leather workboots.
But she recognized nothing else about the Lupine who had been her bestfriend.
Maybe he’d changed after assuming leadership of the pack? The thought struck her as Tristan talked with Nolan about the harvest, asked polite questions about the pack’swelfare.
Jordan waited for Tristan to stopspeaking.
“I’m sorry about your father’s death.” She paused, realized that was a lie, and shrugged. “Well, I’m sorry for you. Not for anyone else in the pack. He wasn’t such a terrificalpha.”
Nolan’s gaze turned to ice. He ignored her and focused on Tristan. “How’s my cousinAiden?”
Annoyed, she bit her lip.Fine, ignore me. This isn’t going to work out.Then she reminded herself that Nolan was saving her butt through thismating.
Jordan wanted to snap her fingers in Nolan’s face. Instead, she settled for words. “Nia’s terrific. The baby is adorable and sweet. Your cousin Aiden, on the other hand, is a rightdick.”
Amusement danced in Tristan’s dark gaze, while Nolan scowled. But he finally turned to acknowledgeher.
“Around here, we don’t swear and we don’t disrespect the alpha,anyalpha. We work hard as a team. Suppose you don’t remember those other four-letter words – work andteam.”
She turned to Tristan. “Maybe prison would be better afterall.”
