Read Online KEEPING YOU: Howlers Motorcycle Club 1: A Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Motorcycle Club Romance by Lauren Devane - Free Book Online
Authors: Lauren Devane
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the compound.
There was nothing I needed. Sam never came out. Ten minutes later, Michael walked out and gestured for me to follow him. “Are you sure you want to leave?” He asked.
“I care for Sam.” Do I love him? “But there are other people I care about, too.”
Accepting my answer with a nod, he handed me an extra helmet. I climbed onto the rumbling bike behind him and without any more words between us, we left the compound.
Nine
Sam
“Fuck you!” I roared at Michael, hitting the clubhouse wall to keep from wiping the father-knows-best expression off his smug face. The asshole is only two years older than me. “You didn’t have the right to tell my mate to leave.”
For the last week I’d been stalking around the compound, avoiding this confrontation. Only a direct order to come to the clubhouse had pulled me from my rage long enough to get me to meet with Mike.
“I had every right. And what did you do? You stood there and didn’t even try to convince her to stay.” Mike sat down and stared at me. “I’d have thrown myself in front of Madison and begged. In the fucking dirt, brother. And she’s not even my damned mate. If the man in you couldn’t stand up, the wolf sure as fuck should have.”
He didn’t get it. “I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“It would have been disrespectful to you.” Michael wasn’t only owed respect as the President of the Howlers and as my alpha, but because he was good man when he wasn’t a sanctimonious piece of shit.
“I said you couldn’t stop her.”
“So?”
“I never said you couldn’t go after her.” His lips curved up as he studied my suddenly animated face. “Can’t force her, but you can curl up at the foot of her bed and refuse to leave if you want. Just make sure you’re here for the monthly meetings if it takes you that long to convince her to come home.”
“She won’t come. There are ties that bind her to the outside world.”
“She doesn’t have to come back as a prisoner.” He sighed. “We need more ties to the outside world. If I hadn’t cut us off, maybe I’d have known more about what Jagger was planning. Your mate can be the first stone we use to build a bridge. Tell her she’s free to come and go as she pleases, as long as she respects our rules about exposure.”
“What about my duties here? It’ll be awhile before Matt is on his feet.”
“We’re patching in Jeremy at the next meeting,” he said. “Unless you have objections.”
“None.” Jeremy was a good man, a strong wolf and had fulfilled all his duties as a prospect with pride.
“Then he can deal can help me with the grunt work around here. We aren’t leaving the compound as a group until we decide how to deal with Jagger.”
“Don’t make any moves without me.”
“Just leave your phone on,” he said. “Now go get your woman.”
I was out the door and on my way almost before he’d finished speaking.
Ten
“Never do that to me again.” Sarah’s eyes were red-rimmed and her posture was stiff. I’d been home more than a week and she still couldn’t look at me without breaking into tears.
I’d explained that I’d hit my head when my car crashed and hadn’t been able to find my way out of the woods for weeks. I’d expected a barrage of questions, but the police seemed content to let me go on with my business and work on finding someone who did need help—some woman who’d gone missing two towns over. To my surprise, there’d been no search parties in the state park. Jeremy had told them I’d gone to Running Hills, not Green Lake.
“I’m sorry,” he said my first day back at work. “I didn’t pay attention to where you were going.”
“Why would I have gone to Running Hills? I told you Green Lake.”
“I thought you said Green Lake was played out and you wouldn’t be able to find more samples there. A few weeks ago, you said that.” I had no recollection of saying anything like it, but I nodded and left the
There was nothing I needed. Sam never came out. Ten minutes later, Michael walked out and gestured for me to follow him. “Are you sure you want to leave?” He asked.
“I care for Sam.” Do I love him? “But there are other people I care about, too.”
Accepting my answer with a nod, he handed me an extra helmet. I climbed onto the rumbling bike behind him and without any more words between us, we left the compound.
Nine
Sam
“Fuck you!” I roared at Michael, hitting the clubhouse wall to keep from wiping the father-knows-best expression off his smug face. The asshole is only two years older than me. “You didn’t have the right to tell my mate to leave.”
For the last week I’d been stalking around the compound, avoiding this confrontation. Only a direct order to come to the clubhouse had pulled me from my rage long enough to get me to meet with Mike.
“I had every right. And what did you do? You stood there and didn’t even try to convince her to stay.” Mike sat down and stared at me. “I’d have thrown myself in front of Madison and begged. In the fucking dirt, brother. And she’s not even my damned mate. If the man in you couldn’t stand up, the wolf sure as fuck should have.”
He didn’t get it. “I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“It would have been disrespectful to you.” Michael wasn’t only owed respect as the President of the Howlers and as my alpha, but because he was good man when he wasn’t a sanctimonious piece of shit.
“I said you couldn’t stop her.”
“So?”
“I never said you couldn’t go after her.” His lips curved up as he studied my suddenly animated face. “Can’t force her, but you can curl up at the foot of her bed and refuse to leave if you want. Just make sure you’re here for the monthly meetings if it takes you that long to convince her to come home.”
“She won’t come. There are ties that bind her to the outside world.”
“She doesn’t have to come back as a prisoner.” He sighed. “We need more ties to the outside world. If I hadn’t cut us off, maybe I’d have known more about what Jagger was planning. Your mate can be the first stone we use to build a bridge. Tell her she’s free to come and go as she pleases, as long as she respects our rules about exposure.”
“What about my duties here? It’ll be awhile before Matt is on his feet.”
“We’re patching in Jeremy at the next meeting,” he said. “Unless you have objections.”
“None.” Jeremy was a good man, a strong wolf and had fulfilled all his duties as a prospect with pride.
“Then he can deal can help me with the grunt work around here. We aren’t leaving the compound as a group until we decide how to deal with Jagger.”
“Don’t make any moves without me.”
“Just leave your phone on,” he said. “Now go get your woman.”
I was out the door and on my way almost before he’d finished speaking.
Ten
“Never do that to me again.” Sarah’s eyes were red-rimmed and her posture was stiff. I’d been home more than a week and she still couldn’t look at me without breaking into tears.
I’d explained that I’d hit my head when my car crashed and hadn’t been able to find my way out of the woods for weeks. I’d expected a barrage of questions, but the police seemed content to let me go on with my business and work on finding someone who did need help—some woman who’d gone missing two towns over. To my surprise, there’d been no search parties in the state park. Jeremy had told them I’d gone to Running Hills, not Green Lake.
“I’m sorry,” he said my first day back at work. “I didn’t pay attention to where you were going.”
“Why would I have gone to Running Hills? I told you Green Lake.”
“I thought you said Green Lake was played out and you wouldn’t be able to find more samples there. A few weeks ago, you said that.” I had no recollection of saying anything like it, but I nodded and left the
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