N. Walters - Isaiah's Haven

Isaiah slipped through the darkness, keeping to the shadows. He ducked into a doorway just as one of the men turned suddenly. Shit, he was too close.

“This is the spot,” said a large male with long brown hair, an experienced werewolf from the way he carried himself.

The other two looked around the ground. “The guy who contacted us said there were two females and several males in the park last night.”

“Why would he email us?” the guy who’d almost caught Isaiah asked. That was the same question Isaiah wanted answered. He stood in the shadows, not moving a muscle.

“There’s really only one reason why he would.” He didn’t elaborate, but kept on searching the ground. “I want to know what we’re supposed to be looking for,” the large man complained. “Why couldn’t he have just given us the details in the damn email? This cloak and dagger shit is for amateurs.”

“That’s what you get when you’re dealing with humans.” The wolf who’d done the talking back at the restaurant ignored the other two while he scanned the ground. He suddenly pointed at a bottle. “I think there’s a note in there.”

The male who was closest stalked across the alley, grabbed the bottle and opened it. “Hmmm, looks like our friend has had several men watching the street all day and found what he was looking for.” The male smiled and it wasn’t a pleasant sight. Isaiah peered between a crack in the brickwork and waited with bated breath. Had they found Meredith and her pack?

“Show me.” The largest male, and obviously the leader of the three, held out his hand. He took the note his friend offered and scanned it. “Seems as though our mysterious contact did more than find them. He had a guy watching and he saw something he thought would interest us.”

“What?” the younger man asked. “Women?”

“Yup. And possibly a half-breed male. Maybe more.” The leader of the three crumpled the paper in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. “Gotta love online social networking. We’re going to pay a little visit later tonight when the club closes down. I’m just glad we were close enough to Chicago to get here tonight.”

“That’s why they contacted us.” The man who’d done the talking at the restaurant smiled.

“Why don’t we just go and get them?” the younger male asked.

Isaiah’s entire body tensed, ready to fight. No one was touching Meredith or her family. Over his dead body. Or rather, over their dead bodies.

His fingernails elongated and his fangs lengthened. The wolf was close to taking hold. Protecting his mate superseded all else.

The big man smacked the younger one in the back of the head. “Because you never take the word of a human, one who is most likely a hunter. We don’t want to destroy one of our own. Besides, it could be a trap for us. We’ll watch until the club closes, then we’ll pay our visit.”

The three men continued down the alley and disappeared.

Isaiah released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Meredith was safe. For now. It had to have been the sniper on the rooftop who’d contacted these wolves. Either that or someone he was working with. Meredith’s cover was truly blown.

Shit . He swore as he leaned against the wall of the building and hit the back of his head against the brickwork. This meant that both the hunters and a group of purist werewolves knew about Meredith and her family. This was turning into a clusterfuck of epic proportions. And it was all his fault.

There was nothing to be done about it. Their secret was out. The only thing he could do now was protect them. They’d have to be ready to move, and fast.

His heart hammered and blood surged through his veins. He longed for a fight. He needed an outlet for his anger and these males were it. He’d send Meredith and the rest of the pack to safety. Then he’d give these wolves a little something they hadn’t been expecting.

Pushing away from the wall, he listened. He was alone. Still, he was cautious as he loped down the alley and back onto the sidewalk. He could see the lights of Haven down the street. His heart ached at the thought of what he was about to do.

Meredith had sent him away after what happened. He’d be lucky if she didn’t try to kill him, given the bomb he was about to drop on her.

Straightening his shoulders, he strode down the sidewalk. He glanced at his watch. It was still early. But he couldn’t afford to wait.

Hank was leaning against the doorframe chatting with two women when he spotted Isaiah. He straightened and said something to the women that had them laughing and walking into the club.

Music, laughter and happy voices drifted out from the open door. Isaiah hated that he was the one who was going to put an end to it. For all time.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.” Hank spread his legs and rested on the balls of his feet, ready to fight.

“This isn’t about Meredith and me. This is about the safety of all of you.” He stopped two feet from Hank, hands at his sides. He wouldn’t attack, but he would defend himself.

“You can tell me and I can pass your message on to her.”

Isaiah shook his head. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I’m going to see Meredith.”

“What’s going on?” Michael stepped out, eyeing Isaiah cautiously.

“He wants to talk to Meredith.”

Isaiah studied Michael. He looked older, harder than he had twenty-four hours ago. He was sorry for that. He was sorry for all of it.

He couldn’t change the past. All he could do now was try to minimize the damage from the fallout.

Meredith’s son studied him. Isaiah didn’t shift position, didn’t fidget under Michael’s scrutiny.

“I thought you’d be long gone by now.”

“You thought wrong.”

Isaiah sensed no antagonism, no anger from Michael. The younger male actually smiled. That worried Isaiah. What the heck was going on?

“She’s in her office. You know the way.” Michael stepped back and motioned Isaiah inward.

Not hesitating, Isaiah walked into the club. The familiar sounds and smells surrounded him. It felt like home. He hated like hell that Meredith was going to have to leave it to protect her family.

Tammy waved at him as he passed by. Teague glared at him from his post just outside the kitchen door. Kevin was behind the bar, filling drink orders. He nodded, his gaze solemn, and went back to work.

Isaiah cut through the crowd like a shark through a pool of minnows. Everyone moved out of his way without his having to ask. He was throwing off don’t-fuck-with-me vibes even an idiot could sense.

The narrow hallway closed around him and then he was in front of her office door. He didn’t knock, didn’t want to give her the opportunity to send him away without allowing him to see her first.

He gripped the handle, turned it and shoved the door open.

She looked tired. That was his first thought. Meredith was sitting at her desk working on her computer. She wasn’t wearing her usual flashy, sexy dress, but a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater. The sweater was soft and clung to her breasts like a lover’s caress.

She glanced up, her eyes widening as she jumped to her feet. Her gaze went behind him and narrowed. “Did you hurt any of them?”

He took the punch to his heart without flinching. “I wouldn’t hurt any of your children.” And they all belonged to her, heart and soul.

She nodded and glanced down at her computer screen, downsizing whatever she’d been working on. Her hair was pulled back in a braid rather than flowing down her back. He wanted to release it, to set it and her free.

“We need to talk.” He shut the door and the room suddenly felt smaller. The noise from the club muted and he could hear every breath Meredith took.