When He Was Bad
Page 36

Maybe hes afraid youre ready to step in as Alpha Male.
I am. But Im not going to fight my own father for it.
But based on my readings
Your readings?
Yes. I stopped by the library yesterday during lunch and read up on wolves and their social structure. Holtz grinned and she hoped he wasnt laughing at her. Dont make fun of me.
Im not. Really. I think its . . . adorable.
She rolled her eyes. You do seem to like that word. Either that or your vocabulary is quite limited. She shook her head. Anyway, based on how wolf culture is structured, you may have to fight your father for leadership.
He laughed. If this were the 1200s, Id agree with you, doc. But the Van Holtzes are civilized. Im not about to maul my father to prove Im ready to take over whenever he wants to hand me the leash. The old man will just have to suck it up.
Holtz let out a breath and his eyes focused on her lips. Now that weve got that squared away . . .
Oh, no, you dont. Out. Irene pushed himwell, he let her push him, Irene guessedto the door and out into the hallway.
Come on, Irene. Resting his hands on the doorframe, Holtz leaned in. Let me stay. I promise you wont regret it.
Your mother and father are six doors down and have heightened senses. There is no way Im letting you spend the night.
You worried about the screaming thing you do?
Holtz
If you ask me nice I can gag you.
Done with the conversation, Irene slammed the door in Holtzs face. Go away. Do not return until breakfast is ready.
Tease.
Van stared into the refrigerator and debated what he wanted to eat. True, hed had a full meal with desserts, but he wanted more. Actually, he wanted Irene but, as usual, shed decided to be difficult. Still, he finally had to admit, he liked being in love. Hed never thought he would. Always thought of it as another trap. But Irene wouldnt trap anyone. She really didnt want to be bothered. Actually, she looked as freaked out as he used to feel. He knew hed convince her, though. Convince her that for some unknown reason, they were perfect for each other. Besides, he had to do something. He hated not having her in his bed. Only one night apart and hed never been so lonely before in his life.
Van caught his fathers scent behind him and didnt bother to turn around. Hey, Dad. He grabbed an apple to control his hunger and thought about hunting something down. But before he could move, his fathers growl had the hairs on the back of Vans neck snappingto attention.
Slowly, Van turned and faced the Alpha Male of the Van Holtz Pack. His father. Standing on the kitchen table, already shifted, Dieter Van Holtz stared coldly at his only son. He bared his fangs.
Still holding the apple, Van raised his hands, palms out. Dad. Please. Dont do this. But he knew it was already too late. Knew what his father would do. Knew that the Pack stood outside the back door waiting for the old to challenge the new.
His fathers paws slammed into him as he leaped from the table, knocking Van through the back door and out onto the porch. By the time Van hit the hard wood, hed already shifted to wolf.
Irene sat in the big comfy chair in her room, her naked legs tucked up under her. She wore one of Vans T-shirts as a sleep shirt. Since she hadnt planned on spending the night, she hadnt brought any clothes.
She turned the page on the hardback potboiler shed found on the rooms bookshelf. This was the kind of book Irene rarely allowed herself the luxury of reading, but with nothing else to do and still too wound up to sleep, she felt no guilt for taking the time out now.
Nearly an hour before, shed heard all sorts of snarling and growling coming from the back of the house. Shed ignored it even as she briefly worried what might be going on. They were probably taking down some poor deer and shed rather not know about it. Kind of like how she didnt need to know where her beef came from.
The glass doors leading to her balcony opened.
I thought we had this discussion, Holtz
Irene watched the dark brown wolf limp into her room. How hed cleared the balcony, she had no idea. A rather disturbing amount of blood followed him in but she didnt know if that was his or anothers.
Holtz?
He walked up to her and rested his head in her lap. By the time she stroked his hair, hed turned back to human. He had bite and claw marks over most of his torso, but the bleeding wasnt as bad as shed first thought.
His long arms wrapped around her and he held on. Carefully placing the book beside her chair, she used both hands to stroke his head and shoulders. What happened? she asked softly.
He let out a soul-deep sigh. I just tore my father apart so I could be the next Alpha Male of the Van Holtz Pack. I left him bloody and lying there so I could take the Pack hunting in the woods.
To prove what youd done didnt bother you.
Right. He burrowed his head deeper into her body, like he wanted to crawl inside her. To prove that I was stronger than any of them.
He challenged you, didnt he?
You knew this was coming. It wasnt a question.