Page 6 of The Wolf King's Demand

“That’s okay,” Tyler reassured her. “Whatever you remember. We’ll go from there.”

She started telling the story. Tyler sat still, listening attentively, and occasionally asking clarifying questions. Addison told him everything from finding the software sabotage to the moment of attack and then to the security guards bursting into the office.

To her surprise, it actually felt good to let someone else share it, someone who seemed to care.

Whoever this killer was, at least she didn’t have to deal with him alone.

FOUR

TYLER

Tyler still seethed under his skin the next morning. The wolf within cried for blood. How dare someone attack his chosen mate. It didn’t matter that no one but himself knew she was his fated mate. It was public knowledge they were to be married. Whoever had perpetrated the attack did so, knowing it was a direct aggression toward the royal family.

He paced outside her quarters. She had shooed him out so she could shower and change. He thought they’d crossed a boundary the night before when they had shared a bed. Okay, so he slept above the covers, fully clothed, but he had still spent the night in her private room.

I was only trying to protect her, he thought. He couldn’t put her in a bubble all the time, but she had to understand that as King of Somberglen, he had to protect her. As her future mate, he had to protect her. Damn it, why couldn’t she see what she meant to him?

“What a frustrating woman,” he muttered to himself as he kept pacing.

Eventually, she came out looking refreshed. He exhaled with relief when he saw her. He knew he was being overprotective. The entire building had guards posted on every corner. It would destroy him if something happened to her now when he had only just found her.

He noticed her wince as she got into the car. The wolf inside wanted blood for the wounding of his mate.

He quizzed her again about the attack on the way to the office until, eventually, she got fed up.

“We’re going in circles on this,” she said. “I don’t remember anything other than what I’ve already told you. You can stop grilling me now,” she finished firmly.

“Yeah, okay. I’m pushing you too hard,” he admitted. “But it’s my job, okay?”

They sat in silence for the rest of the journey. He needed to get her on his side, but he didn’t know how. She wasn’t like most of the girls he had met, who would do anything to please the king. She was stubborn and argumentative. It vexed him, but at the same time, he loved it. Those other girls were all brainless pushovers.

They took a break, grabbed some food, and decided to have lunch in his office. As he thought about his lack of progress, he realized it was time to try a different approach. A change in strategy was in order, and he felt the need to include her in the inner circle.

It was clear that she deserved to know what had transpired lately. He needed to open up to her and reveal the events he had been purposely protecting her from.

“Yours isn’t the first attack,” he admitted to her. “There have been several attacks in local villages recently.”

“Really?” she said. “I didn’t know that. Do you think it’s the same people?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “These strikes have been going on for weeks. Minor skirmishes, really. There was one yesterday, too.”

“What? While I was being attacked, there was also an attack on a village? Do you think they were connected?”

“I’m almost certain,” he replied. “I’m beginning to think the attacks are a decoy to draw me and my men away from you. It’s possible you were the target all along.”

“And you’ve no idea who it was?” she asked. She wrapped her arms around herself, grateful that Tyler was home to protect her with his wolf form rather than chasing these troublemakers through the local villages.

“Not yet. There doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern. We have seen some activity from one group in particular, but we haven’t linked these incidents back to them for certain. They were a faction we had a lot of problems with a few years back. We had thought it was all sorted out, though,” Tyler told her.

“It might have been nice to have a heads up that there were problems going on,” Addison said reproachfully.

“We just figured it was a few rogue skirmishes,” Tyler replied, not appreciating the scolding. “And you know you haven’t exactly made yourself approachable,” he added.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll give you that. I’m sorry. I will be more involved from now on.”

A wave of relief washed over him. All he wanted was to keep her close and safe. He smiled at her. “I appreciate that,” he said.

It seemed to Tyler that they had reached some sort of truce. Addison was more friendly and open as they worked on their separate projects for the afternoon. He hoped the new familiarity would last a long time.

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