“Suck it, Fraser. You had time to come to my house, so you have time to explain yourself. And don’t call me Red.”
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair I’d been using when he came in. “And make yourself at home, why don’t you?” He nodded at the book still lying where I’d dropped it.
“Your manservant told me it was okay.”
He barked out a laugh. The joy in it surprised me and I couldn’t stop my smile. “Manservant? Philip will like that one.”
I shrugged. “He acts like a butler.”
“He started working for my father when I was a child. Now he works for me, managing the house staff and helping me with my businesses.”
“So, he’s your Alfred.”
“Alfred?”
“Yeah, Batman’s butler dude,” I said, earning another laugh from him.
“Yes, I guess that’s a better way to explain it.” He shot me a smile. A genuine smile and I almost forgot how much I hated him. Almost. He must have seen something in my expression because the smile quickly disappeared. “I had come by to make sure you were okay.”
“What? Why?” I asked, skeptically.
“I had a hunch about what had happened with Chris. He had always been an issue. Even as a child. I’d tried everything to get him under control. I’d even given him a job so I could keep a closer eye on him. Nothing worked.” He ran a hand through his hair, and as I watched, my hand twitched again. What the hell is wrong with me? I thought before tuning back into what he was saying.
“A couple of days ago, three women from my pack came to me to tell me he’d raped them. Before I could confront him, six more, two from the Spring pack and four from the Winter pack, came to me. When I heard you’d kicked the shit out of him I wanted, needed to know what had happened.”
“Nine women. Nine.”
“Who came forward, yes. I can only hope there aren’t more out there.”
I pressed a hand to my churning stomach. “I thought he’d singled me out because of who I am. If I had known… I should have killed the slimy fucker when I had the chance.”
“I’ve taken care of that, so you no longer have to worry about it. I am sorry I didn’t stop him before he got to you.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He met my eyes. “I’m serious, Ember. No matter who you are or what your father did, I am sorry. No one deserves to suffer that treatment. He was a sick man, and I regret not putting him down sooner.”
Again, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I believed him. “Yeah, and I’m sorry my dad killed yours. Even if yours tried to kill me first.” I smiled to soften my words.
“I guess we both come from fucked up families.”
“Wouldn’t be true shifters if we didn’t, would we?”
He chuckled as he rose from his seat. “I hate to cut this short, but I really do have some work I need to finish. Help yourself to whatever books you’d like, just return them when you’re done.”
“Is that your way of inviting me back to Fraser Manor?”
His features turned dark and the look on his face knocked the smile off mine in a heartbeat. He was back to his surly self, and I remembered why I hated him.
“No. You can send them back via messenger.” And with that he left the room.
“Geesh, talk about mood swings,” I muttered to myself. I glanced at the book in my hand. As tempting as it was, I slipped it back on to the shelf where I’d gotten it and bid adieu to my dream book collection. I didn’t want to be indebted to Liam Fraser, even if only for a book.
The drive home seemed to take forever as I replayed our conversation in my head. Nine women. That son of a bitch had raped nine women. I kicked myself for not killing him when I had the chance.
As shifters we may turn into wolves, but we do not act like animals. Rape is the highest offense you can commit. A female in heat is not fair game and can turn down anyone she wants. We spend a lot of time on this subject with the kids at the Academy, and until now I hadn’t heard of anything like this happening. Sure, we get the occasional overzealous boy who doesn’t leave the girls alone, but he learns real quick to back off.
The knowledge that Chris seemed to be an outlier comforted me. A sole loser put down by his Alpha. Killing a pack member is a big deal. It usually required a petition to the Council, but sometimes shit just needed to happen.