Tempted (Two Marks 1)

Since the waitress had been so busy with other guests, we’d dropped a tip on the table and decided to eat back at the house.

While Wade and Landry pulled together burgers like we would have ordered, I got out my laptop and sat at a table in the living room in front of a large picture window. The view was impressive, ecompassing the entire valley. I could see why Wade’s great-grandparents had settled in this exact spot. I imagined the scenery hadn’t changed in the hundred years since.

I pictured myself living here and it felt… right. As if this was where I belonged.

“You’re quiet in here,” Wade said, coming in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

With the windows open, the scent of grilling burgers filled the air. My stomach rumbled.

“Except for that noise,” he grinned, pointing to my belly. “What are you working on?”

I’d turned to face him, but shifted back to look at my laptop screen. “Tracking the wolves and updating spreadsheets.”

He flung the towel over his shoulder. “You’re going to keep going with it?”

I looked at him over my shoulder and frowned. “With what? My research?”

“Yeah.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Landry stuck his head around the corner. “Burgers are up.” He looked between us, then asked, “What’s going on?”

“Caitlyn’s continuing with her research,” Wade said. I didn’t miss the unhappiness in his voice, or his stance.

“I’ve spent years on it,” I countered. “Why would I stop now?”

“Because you aren’t tagging more wolves,” Wade snapped. I couldn’t miss that he was riled. There was a little vein in his forehead that throbbed when he was frustrated or angry.

“And in those years, I’ve got plenty of tracking data. I don’t need more. I can finish it without them.” I could. I hadn’t really considered it, always being driven to get more and more wolves in the study. But things had changed. I’d finish it with the animals I’d been tracking.

“Then why did you come here last weekend?” Wade went on. “Why do you have… eight more trackers in your bag?”

I turned to face them head on. “Because my boss believes our paper will be best received if it’s as thorough as possible.”

Landry stepped fully into the room and decided to join the conversation. “You only tagged the two wolves last weekend. They won’t provide you with much data, or at least only short-term data. When will you stop, and finalize your work? It could go on forever.”

I stared up at him. He had a good point. Data on a wolf was best if studied over a long period of time. Fewer wolves with longer study was better than many wolves with short review times. When was I ever going to finish?

“My grant money is tied to collecting as much data as possible,” I replied, even though I knew the answer sounded thin.

“I thought the grant money was to publish the research, not collect data,” Wade said.

I opened my mouth to speak, then shut it. Considered. “You’re right. I need to use what I’ve got, finalize the data, and publish my findings.”

A muscle tightened in Wade’s jaw. “Now? Even after what you’ve learned? About us, I mean.” He waved his hand between himself and Landry. “You’re going to expose us, our way of life? You’re going to put our entire pack, all shifters, in danger!”

I shook my head. “No. I would never do that.”

Wade crossed his arms over his chest. “If wolf status is changed from predator to trophy game because of your findings, what’s going to keep other wolves, shifters and non-shifters, from being carelessly shot by ranchers or game hunters, like my mother was?”

Landry didn’t say anything because I could tell he agreed with Wade.

He thought I would hurt shifters? Or wolves? “My paper isn’t going to do that.”

“How do you know?”

“Do you trust me to keep your secret?”

Landry’s cell rang, my question hanging heavy in the air between us. Wade was all but vibrating with frustration. I felt for him, but his anger was misdirected. I’d never hurt these animals.

Landry looked at the screen, then gave Wade a glance. “Time’s up,” he said, before he put the cell to his ear.

Wade blew out his breath.

I didn’t know what he meant, but Wade did.

“Gib. I’m guessing you’re home,” Landry said into the phone.

Ah. His brother was back in town.

“Right. Yes.” He looked my way, and I knew whatever Gibson was saying was about me. “Thirty minutes.” Finished, he slipped the cell back in his pocket.

“He wants to see us,” Wade assumed.

Landry nodded, then looked to me. “I told you, Gibson’s my older brother. He’s also alpha of the Two Marks pack. The leader. What an alpha says, goes. On all things. He wants to meet you.”

I swallowed hard. He wanted to see… me?

“After lunch,” Wade added. “Caitlyn’s hungry, and we don’t want to waste the burgers.”