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amusement from her voice but failed.
 I suppose he is attractive in a feline way.
A knock at the door interrupted the females conversation. Riza
reached for her gun as she asked,  Who is it?
 It s Emil, Gionne has sent me.
Riza crossed to the door cursing.  Will Gio never trust me?
Jenna watched the other female open the door. She was
surprised when Riza gasped, turned for a second to look at her then
crumpled to the floor in a heap. Terror rose in Jenna but before she
could react, Emil stepped over the prone female and into the room.
He held a dart gun in his hand, aimed at her.
Emil was shaking his head.  The son is prone to make the
father s mistakes. I advised them both but neither would listen to
me. The Royal Valde bloodline must remain pure. I thought I had
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put an end to the two of you before but I did not make it final. This
time there will be no mistakes.
 You put an end to us?
 Yes. Gionne thought it was his father s wish but it was mine.
Emil stepped closer.  He thought his dying father was opposed to
the two of you but in truth he was pleased. He thought the joining
of the two royal families would benefit the Valde and the
Carbonesse. It was because of that feline mate of his. He had never
forgotten her and she colored his view. If I had not intervened he
probably would have taken her as his lifemate after Gionne s
mother passed away.
 You lied to Gio about his father s wishes, and you stopped
Riza s parents from taking a life bond.
 I did what was best for the Valde. It is my responsibility to
protect the ruler even from himself. The welfare of the pack must
come first. He waved the gun around as he spoke.
Jenna considered her options. Her only hope of overcoming him
was in feline form. She had never seen Emil in his wolf form. By the
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size of the man, he would not be extremely large, she hoped, and he
was older. Possibly, she could take him.
 Do not even think about it, a small feline is no match for a male
wolf, Emil said, his voice sounded agitated. Obviously, he had read
her intentions in her eyes.
 What do you intend to do with me?
 I will rid Gionne of you just as I rid his father of the other feline
bitch.
 You killed Riza s mother?
 It was the only way. I hid her away until the offspring was born
then I eliminated her. If I had known that one day Gionne would
find his sister I would have killed the whelp as well. He shook his
head before continuing his frantic rant.  That could have been a
fatal mistake.
 Riza saw you, now she knows.
 Yes. So, she will have to be taken care of as well.
 You don t think you can get away with this. The longer Jenna
listened, the more horrified she became. Emil was obviously very
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disturbed, she wondered how he had managed to hide it all these
years. Possibly the strain had finally snapped his demented mind.
 It matters little what happens to me, it is what is best for the
pack.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jenna saw Riza begin to stir on the
floor and she hoped to distract Emil long enough for the sleep agent
to wear off.  How did you convince Gio that his father was against
him mating with a feline?
 It was easy, too easy. He was afraid his father would be against
the match so he came to me for advice. He did not know of his
father s previous relationship with a feline. I suggested that I broach
the subject with his father since he had been unwell. Emil paced
the floor, his eyes had taken on a glazed look as he remembered.  I
had not expected his father to be so receptive to the idea. I had no
choice. He forced me to take action. He was shaking his head, a
bewildered look upon his face.  You understand, don t you, I did
not wish to hurt him. I had to. I poisoned his drink and he slipped
into a coma.
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An evil smile curled his lip.  It worked better than I thought
possible. I told Gionne that his father had a stroke while we were
discussing his love of a feline.
Jenna gasped, she couldn t believe anyone could be so cruel. She
thought back to that day in the woods. Gio had been so upset but he
never mentioned his father s illness. She thought of the way she had
acted. She felt horrible that she had turned her back on him when he
needed her more than ever.  How could you possibly let Gio think
he was responsible for his father s illness? He was your alpha and
you poisoned him, Jenna screamed.
 The end justifies the means. The Valde are strong. Gionne is
strong. Of course, I told him he was not responsible for his father s
illness and subsequent death but the idea lingered. The guilt made
him a strong leader, putting the welfare of his pack first, until you
came here uninvited.
 Gio insisted I stay. He forced me to stay, Jenna retorted.
 You came here as a bitch in heat, sashaying under his nose. He
thought with his cock not his mind. In time, he will tire of you but I
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will not wait. You are bad for the pack. I will not have the next alpha
to succeed carry feline blood in his veins.
Chaos broke loose all at once. A low groan escaped from Riza as
she began to rouse, spurring Emil into action. He fired the dart gun,
nearly hitting Jenna as she dove to one side.
Off balance, Jenna fell to the floor, expecting any moment to feel
the sting of the dart. Instead, she heard the door shatter and a
menacing growl. She turned just in time to see Dirk burst through
the door accompanied by a lupine Gio. The large salt-and-pepper
wolf lunged at Emil. He had the older male pinned to the ground in
a split second. His massive jaws closed around Emil s neck.
 No, Gio& no, Jenna yelled.
Emil was sick and deserved punishment but she didn t want Gio
to rip him to shreds. That was something that could haunt him the
rest of his life.
By now, several of Gio s guards had filed into the room. Dirk
helped a disoriented Riza to her feet. Gio released his hold upon
Emil as one of the guards hauled the terrified man to his feet.
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Dirk crossed the room to Jenna s side, lifting her up.  Are you all
right? Concerned eyes ran over her.
 I m fine. She turned her eyes to Gio as he approached in wolf
form.
Gio growled at Dirk and he released Jenna, stepping away. The
large salt-and-pepper wolf turned worried eyes to her. He padded
to her side, running his eyes and nose over her, checking for any
sign of injury. Finding none, he sat next to her and licked her face
affectionately.
Jenna sighed deeply. It appeared her ordeal was over but there
was so much to tell Gio. She wrapped her arm around the large
beast, burying her face in his thick coat. Even in this form, he was a
great comfort to her. She hugged her dark beast closer, crying into
his fur coat. She cried for herself, for his father and sister but mostly
for Gio and the years they had lost. She had much to tell him but for
now, she just wanted to be near him in any form.
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Chapter Twelve
The next few hours passed in a blur. Jenna explained all that
Emil had told her to an angry, disbelieving Gio.
Tear-filled eyes watched Gio as he tried to come to terms with
the truth.  At least it is over, Gio; he cannot harm any of us further.
Drawing her into a tight embrace, he rested his chin on her head.
He absorbed her strength.  I blame myself. I should have sensed the
evilness that resides within Emil.
 Why? No one else did. Not your father, any of your guards or I.
So, why blame yourself?
Gionne had no words to respond to this, but he knew it was his
responsibility to protect his pack and his mate from harm and he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]