A Wolf’s Deception (Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page B

his hair. He had no intention of striking her. He would never hit her. But it was too late. He’d seen her reaction and the expression that transformed his face chilled her to the bone.
    Shit.

Chapter 4
    Gabe took a step back, something ugly and dark twisting his gut.
    ‘What are you doing?’
    She shook her head, not looking at him. ‘Nothing…I…’
    ‘You thought I was going to hit you?’
    She crossed her arms, hugging herself. ‘No. I know you’d never do that…I just…’
    She trailed off, kept her head down, hiding from him and shrugged.
    The truth hit him like a fucking crowbar to the side of the head. If he had the ability to bring her mate back to life he would, so he could kill the bastard all over again.
    ‘Dan, your…’ Jesus, he could barely say it out loud. ‘Your mate…he hit you?’
    She backed up another step, about to take off down the hall. He closed the gap, wrapping his fingers around her upper arms, holding her in place.
    ‘Don’t,’ she whispered.
    ‘Why didn’t you call your family for help?’ Her shoulders were tense, every muscle held tight.
    ‘I don’t want to talk about this. It’s pointless.’
    Her silky, dark hair slid over the backs of his fingers when she shook her head, and he had to suppress a shiver. Being this close to her, feeling the heat of her skin through her shirt brought it all back. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered promise. His beast snarled.
    Mine.
    He needed to shut it down, but the animal in him would have none of it.
    ‘Tress, tell me.’ She still wouldn’t look at him. He shook her more gently.
    ‘Tell me.’
    ‘I did, okay. I told my father after the first time. He told me I’d made my bed, that I’d just have to live with it. I didn’t ask for help again. There was no point.’
    ‘Why didn’t you call me? No matter what happened between us, I would’ve helped you.’
    She’d cast him aside in the coldest, cruellest way, still he would have done anything for her if she’d asked back then. He would have dropped everything to get her back, however he could have her.
    ‘I didn’t think… I thought…’
    A muffled cry came from the end of the hall. ‘Sawyer’s awake.’
    He released her and watched as she rushed down the hall to her son and thanked whatever higher power that decided to end her miserable mate’s life before he’d turned his fists on that defenceless little boy.
    Kate stuck her head around her bedroom door.
    ‘You alright?’
    He sat down at the kitchen table and she came to join him.
    ‘Yeah…no. Fucked if I know.’
    ‘You still have feelings for her?’ Kate took his hand in hers. ‘Even after the way she treated you, how she abandoned you like that for another male?’
    Despite what he’d allowed Tressa to assume, there was nothing but friendship between him and Kate. They’d grown up in the same hybrid camp and were more like brother and sister than anything else. Sometimes he wished otherwise, just so he could forget the maddening she-wolf down the hall.
    ‘Leave it, Kate. I can take care of this myself.’
    The last thing Tressa needed was Kate bailing her up and laying into her. She’d been through enough.
    She narrowed her eyes and held his gaze long enough to make him uncomfortable. As usual, seeing way too damn much.
    ‘Whatever you say. Just watch yourself around that female.’ She stood and kissed him on the cheek.
    ‘I’m off to bed. You know where the blankets are.’
    Gabe didn’t go to bed. He checked the perimeter of Kate’s house, her sheds. If they’d been followed, the Harlow pack would attack under the cover of darkness. He wouldn’t leave Kate alone out here, not until he was sure that big bastard after Tressa and Sawyer was nowhere in her vicinity. She’d had enough shit of her own to deal with without borrowing more.
    As the sun began to crest the hills bordering Kate’s small farm, he lay down on the couch and let his eyelids drift closed. He hadn’t scented anyone