The words that followed burned like fire on his tongue. “Fox has a history with Ivy. Not the kind a girl wants to talk about. He raped her when she was sixteen.”
Austin’s face turned an ugly shade of red. Lorenzo took a step back when Austin bent forward with his hands on his knees as if he were going to be sick.
When he finally looked up, his eyes were dead. “Well, that changes the game.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Cole. Your pack can’t afford to lose their Packmaster because you went chasing after him on your own. I’ve known you many years, and I remember the impulsive boy you once were. The one who couldn’t hold his temper and who looked for any reason to start a fight. Control your anger before it controls you.”
Austin shook his head. “Maybe I’m not like you, Church. Maybe hearing about a young girl being raped—one I care about—isn’t something I can talk about with such indifference.”
Lorenzo lunged and almost knocked him down. Austin shoved back and thrust out his chest, daring Lorenzo to take a swing. Lorenzo’s face tightened. “Don’t mistake my words for apathy. There are bigger matters at hand that need your focus. Ivy won’t go to battle with Fox. She just might surrender willingly.”
“Bullshit.”
“They had a child.”
Austin blanched.
“She was forced to give up the baby. Fox didn’t say it in so many words, but he threatened to kill him if she doesn’t heed his command.”
Lorenzo watched apprehensively while Austin rubbed his jaw, his eyes downcast. “Are you going to turn your back on that woman?”
Austin lifted his resolute eyes. “I don’t turn my back on family. And I sure as hell won’t let her walk into the arms of a man who violated her. Is that all the good news you have to share?”
“You can pass along the word to William that he’ll stay indefinitely until I give him further orders. But I want you to do me a favor, and this is something I’ll be in your debt for.”
Austin rubbed his hand across a few whiskers on his chin. “And what’s that?”
“Reno has connections. See if he can trace Ivy’s son. It’s your choice whether you tell Ivy or not, but we need to track him down before Fox does.”
“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll put that favor in my pocket and call on it another time. Jesus, I can’t process this.” Austin shook his head, collecting his thoughts. “But if the kid lives far away, that poses a problem. I can’t afford to send one of my men after him; that’s the kind of job that would require at least two. If Fox is smart, he’ll order his pack to weaken our defenses and continue with their attack. Tell me one thing.”
“Yes, I’m still more handsome than you,” Lorenzo said, completely deadpan.
“Did Ivan tell you about the assault, or Ivy? Ivan isn’t the kind of man who warms up to strangers easily, and I can’t see Ivy trusting a man like you enough to tell that kind of thing.”
“That woman single-handedly speared a wolf who was one second away from locking its jaws on a woman in my pack. I wouldn’t underestimate what Ivy is capable of doing. She’s steadfast and the kind of Shifter who’ll do anything to protect her family. Consider that, Cole. Keep a close eye on her and open your ears to what she has to say. She’ll fight by your side, but Fox is a sly one. He’s taking advantage of her weaknesses, and a man like him knows what they are: her devotion to those she loves.”
Lorenzo’s voice almost broke. A fierce pain gripped him—as if his wolf was calling for blood.
Before he left, he placed his hand on Austin’s shoulder as he passed by him. “If anything happens to Ivy because you were careless and didn’t protect her, I’ll end your life.”
Chapter 14
Most of the men stayed out of the kitchen while I sat with Lynn and Lexi, drinking a cup of hot tea. I told them everything about my stay with Lorenzo. Well, almost everything. True to my word, I kept our relationship a secret, although, could I even call it that?
I lifted the white cup to my lips, blowing on the hot steam and gazing out the row of windows behind the wooden table. The sun reflected brightly off the glass, and a shower of rainbows glittered on the walls from a prism little Maizy had hung on the window.
I wouldn’t regret a single moment I’d spent with Lorenzo as his lover. He’d shown me that sex could be a beautiful experience. Maybe it didn’t have to incorporate love, but it felt good to know that maybe I had something to look forward to in my life.
I glanced at the wolf’s head on top of my cane, which I’d propped against the table. The polished silver gave off a luster that made me want to smooth my thumb over it.
“Can I see?” Maizy asked. “Is it magical?”
Her hair was the color of golden wheat and fell softly past her shoulders. She touched the tips of the wolf’s fangs, and I placed the cane in her hand.
“What’s it for?” She held it like a sword and pointed it at Denver, who appeared in the doorway.