Dana didn’t speak to him on the trip except to give him directions to her den. It seemed she was battling some kind of internal debate. He felt her gaze on him occasionally during the drive. And her scent drove him wild.
When they arrived, Dana still hadn’t said too much to him. Just that they were in Whiskey Hollow and were waiting for her brother. Upon arriving, the Healer was waiting for them, like she’d known they were on their way. Yet Cooper never saw Dana use a phone.
Cooper laid Celeste, in wolf form, on a bed in a clinic that looked more like a home. Dana took Hope to the living room. He was a big emotional mess. His sister was unconscious, and it scared the hell out him that he didn’t know why. He worried about Hope and how she was dealing with everything. But she seemed calm around Dana, which confused him. He’d never seen Hope so relaxed with anyone. Not even him and Celeste.
After he’d tucked Celeste into the bed, he glanced at the Healer. “Why is she so still?”
“She’s healing. Her physical injuries aren’t that severe. She’s in shock and needs to rest. It may take her a few days. Even after that she might need someone to talk to. A submissive’s first kill can be confusing.” The Healer, Piper, he recalled Dana mentioning her name, ran her hands down Celeste’s side. “She is strong. Go be with your daughter.”
Daughter? As much as he’d grown to love Hope and considered her his adopted daughter, he’d never thought to have her call him Dad. But that’s what he’d become to her. Her father. She was his daughter. He’d do anything to protect her. Including challenging Edwin and killing the SOB.
Without another word, he slipped from the room and headed down the hall to the living room. When he entered, he froze, the sight of Dana and Hope on the sofa with a book on their laps stealing his breath. Dana read to the child using sign language.
Suddenly, Dana lifted her gaze to the door a moment before it opened. A large male version of Dana stalked inside, his eyes narrowing on Cooper as he advanced to Dana. Twins. That was why he’d sensed an Alpha’s power from her.
Two males Cooper assumed were enforcers filed in behind the Alpha and then stood on either side of the door like imperial guards. Instantly, Cooper noted the differences between the Whiskey Hollow and Bloodrose Creek Packs. These enforcers reeked of fierce protectiveness and loyalty for their Alpha. Whereas Edwin’s enforcers smelled of fear in the presence of their leader.
“Darin.” Dana’s warning growl took the Alpha’s attention away from Cooper. When Darin looked at Dana, he frowned and then his features softened a bit.
Kneeling down to Hope’s level, Darin signed as he spoke. “Who do we have here?”
Cooper forced himself to stay put when all he wanted to do was gather Hope up in his arms and protect her from the world. He couldn’t do that. He had to trust that Dana had brought them here for a reason. And he wanted to believe in her. She was, after all, his mate. Besides, the more he was around Dana, the more he wanted to know about her. Like how did she and her brother know sign language? Did they have a deaf Pack member?
Dana pushed playfully at her brother, then signed as she said, “You scare her. Now back off.”
Hope laughed. The sound relaxed Cooper. The little girl must feel safe with them. Another reason why Cooper hadn’t taken his sister and Hope and simply run.
“My name is Hope,” the four-year-old signed with pride and a smile that warmed Cooper’s heart.
Darin smiled back at her. “You are very special, little wolf.” The Alpha straightened and sat in the chair across from Dana. Then he spoke without using sign language. “I’m guessing the injured female got that way by protecting Hope.”
Dana nodded and glanced at Cooper. He took that as his cue to speak. “Two enforcers came to my house, saying Edwin saw Hope as a weakness. They were going to take her.”
“Edwin is an idiot. Then again, he isn’t descended from a witch.”
Frowning, Cooper studied Darin for a moment before turning his attention to Dana. “What do you mean?”
Darin gave a half shrug. “My and Dana’s grandmother was a witch. Magic runs in our veins. It also makes our twin bond stronger.” His brows drew together briefly before he relaxed his features. “Anyway. Hope is part witch. Because she is deaf, her other senses, as well as her power, will only grow to compensate for her not being able to hear.”
“Edwin needs to be stopped. If he ordered a little girl to death, then there’s no telling what else he has done. Or will do,” Dana chimed in like she wanted to shift the conversation back to the matter at hand.
Darin set his jaw. “I can’t do anything. I will not bring a war to my Pack.”
At that moment, Piper entered the living room and waved to Hope. Dana signed to the toddler that it was okay, and that Piper had coloring books. Once Hope left the room with the Healer, Dana said, “I’m going to challenge him to be Alpha of his Pack.”
“Hell, no.” The words shot out of Cooper’s mouth before he even realized he’d thought them.
A low chuckle escaped Darin before he spoke. “I cannot get involved.”
“I know,” Dana whispered as she stood and moved to the door. “And you don’t need to be. Not directly.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes, knowing the twins were plotting something big. “What is going on?”
Darin glanced at him and studied him for several long moments before returning his attention to Dana. “He is your mate, yet you don’t trust him.”
“I trust no one.”
Again they fell silent and stared at each other. Cooper fisted his hands, hating the fact that he was the outsider. He was, after all, a member of the Bloodrose Pack. Why should they trust him? “I pretty much sealed my fate with Edwin when I killed his enforcers. Edwin has most likely turned Celeste and me in as rogues. So, whatever you have planned, I’m in.”
Dana snarled, then stalked closer with all the beauty and lethal grace of an Alpha about to snag her prey. “I don’t need your help. Edwin has been asking for an ass-kicking from the first time I met him.”
Darin stood and stepped between them, facing his sister. “Go back to your hideout and form a plan. I’ll take care of Hope and the female.”
Confusion powered Cooper’s annoyance as a result of the twins and their secrets. However, he sensed the power coming from Darin. It was like no other Alpha power Cooper had seen or felt. If Celeste was safe anywhere, it was in Whiskey Hollow. He was sure of it. “Thank you for taking them in.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I am still limited on what I can do.” Darin turned and then disappeared down the hallway.
“Are you coming?” Dana’s annoyed tone drew Cooper’s attention. She stood in the doorway, her brows drawn and lips pursed. His dick hardened at how beautiful she was.
With a half-smile, he followed her to his truck. The sassy alpha female was going to be fun to tease, play with…and seduce. He would claim her if it was the last thing he did. “I don’t want you to challenge Edwin.”
“You can’t stop me.” She climbed into the truck and added, “You can stand with me, or leave me the fuck alone.”
The passenger door slammed shut. For a brief moment, he saw a flicker of pain in her eyes. She’d been betrayed, deeply. It wasn’t going to be easy to break through her walls, but he had the mating urge on his side. She wouldn’t be able to push him away for too long.
He climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’ll stand with you, but we work as a team, no going off on your own.”
She worked her jaw as she rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
* * *
Dana opened the truck door and hopped out before Cooper had even stopped the vehicle in her driveway. She couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Thinking was impossible when he was so near. Well, at least thinking about anything but sex with him.
Damn it.
She’d just placed a foot on the first step of the porch when Edwin’s scent hit her. Letting out a fierce growl, she whirled to her left—the direction his scent was the strongest. The bastard stepped out of the line of trees and smiled at her. Anger tightened in her gut. “What do you want?”
He stalked closer with one brow raised. “You know why I’m here.”
“Do I?” She played coy. The asshat needed to learn whom he was dealing with. Dana didn’t play games like Darin did. She was far too impatient.
“You are harboring a rogue, and I want him turned over to me for punishment for his crimes.”
Crimes? As in more than one? She made a mental note to ask Cooper about all of his “roguish” activity later. However, Edwin’s arrogance and the growl in his tone told her she’d struck a nerve. Good. “He was protecting his child. It was justified.”
Dana turned to go inside the house and ran into Cooper. Fucking wolf stood too close to her. Just as she moved to walk around Cooper, Edwin said, “He stole the child from my deceased mate.”
She flicked a glare at Cooper, searching for some kind of truth to Edwin’s claims. After all, Edwin would say just about anything to get under her skin. Knowing the rogue Alpha, he’d scent Cooper on her and draw his own conclusions. Edwin would use every advantage he’d could, including making threats against her mate.
Cooper’s jaw worked, and he glared at Edwin over her shoulder. “You killed Hope’s mother and then ordered your enforcers to lock the girl up.”
The truth in Cooper’s words reached out to her. Fury exploded inside her, and she pivoted on her heels, coming nose-to-nose with Edwin in seconds. She didn’t bother to contain the power she usually kept hidden deep within. If she were going to challenge the Alpha, she would give him a little taste of the ass-whooping that was coming to him. “You ordered her to death, so I claimed her! She is mine.” The last word was spoken on a growl, like her wolf had spoken it. “You have no further business here.”
Edwin narrowed his eyes, but she smelled the fear he tried to swallow. Then his gaze flicked to Cooper beside her. “He is a fugitive. He killed two of my enforcers and the council will hear about it.”
Damn the Alpha for pulling rank. Edwin was right. Cooper was considered a rogue now, even though he’d been protecting Hope and his sister. According to Pack law, she had to turn Cooper over. Yet, Dana wasn’t an Alpha, and they were on neutral ground.
“I challenge you for your Alpha power and your Pack. If I lose, you can have him.” Dana turned, grabbed Cooper’s hand, and tugged him to the house. “See you in forty-eight hours.”
Edwin let out a growl. “Where?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “The Bloodrose Creek Pack circle, of course.”