Catching Kate (Book 2.5 She-Wolf Series)
Chapter 20

Kate

Two days after we reached the settlement I stomped into Emerick's office and slapped a newspaper down on his desk.

"What the fuck is this?" I snapped.

He frowned as he picked up the parchment and scanned it. "Powerful Chicago Attorney Caught in the Midst of Sexual Misconduct Allegations Among Other Accusations" was splayed across the front page along with a picture of Thomas Stiler.

"Kate, this wasn't me," he said, sounding confused.

"Then who -"

"Michael," Luke cut me off as he sauntered casually in through the open door. "I see you saw today's headline."

"What? Why?" I asked, completely bewildered.

Luke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "My beta has a very black and white moral code," he shrugged. "Especially in circumstances surrounding violence against women. The king said we couldn't kill him, you didn't want to take him to open court, so this was his attack. In his words, 'No fucking way are we just paying that guy. I'll bury him one way or another'. Ivar agreed and called in a few favors."

My nephew gestured to the article. For once I was at a loss as to what to say.

"Your name’s not mentioned and your situation isn’t even alluded to," he explained. "Turns out you weren't his only victim. Once Michael started sniffing around, plenty of people were willing to be interviewed. Sounds like he might have a few new legal battles on his hands. Apparently, corporations and politicians don't necessarily like being tied to abusive adulterers.

"Any who," Luke drawled lazily, "sorry to barge in. It was supposed to print tomorrow so I planned to talk to you about it this evening over Gran's lasagna. Guess the journalist got a little ahead of us. Hopefully you're not too upset?"

I shook my head as much to clear my head as to answer his question. My thoughts were running wild.

"No, no," I assured him. "Thank you, Lukey. I'm just a little... umm... speechless. I didn't realize Michael cared that much."

"You're a part of this pack Aunt Kate," Luke said, his voice taking on a harder edge. "We protect our own."

A nod was the best I could manage.

The young alpha offered me a kind smile before slipping back out into the hallway. I took a deep breath and bit my lip. Behind me, I heard Emerick rise from his desk and come to wrap his arms around me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze.

"You okay, babe?" he asked, his warm breath tickling my ear.

"I didn't realize," I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. "I had no idea he was hurting other women. If I would've said something sooner -"

"It wasn't you fault, Kate," he said, gently. "It never was. You stood up to him. You got away. Because of that, more attention was drawn to his actions and your pack stepped in to take him down. It's done, honey. He's done."

He lifted my chin to meet his gaze and kissed me gently. I melted into his strength and let myself believe his words.

~

After everything was wrapped up from my life in Chicago, things with the Redclaw Pack carried on per usual. From the articles I tried and failed to ignore, I learned that my former employer was forced to file bankruptcy and would probably be disbarred. It didn’t bring me the joy that I thought it might, but I did feel and odd sense of justice.

My worries that people would treat me differently turned out to be unfounded. Luke and Emerick assured me that only the inner circle was really aware of everything that happened and they were polite enough not to bring it up.

Trinity was able to heal my injuries once we reached the settlement since they no longer needed to serve as potential evidence. It was nice to return to work without worrying that someone would catch a glimpse of a bruise. Luke and the rest of the pack leadership welcomed me back with open arms. Without having to worry about my old career haunting me, I was finally able to give them my best and enjoyed every minute of it.

Emerick and I agreed to be a normal couple for a while. I thought he would struggle to not bring up our potential mating, but in the two months since, he hadn’t mentioned it once. It made me think maybe I was the only one obsessed with the prospect.

There were times I noticed him stretching uncomfortably or rubbing his temple. When I asked about it, he brushed off the question, but it didn’t stop me from suspecting the bond was to blame. In the back of my mind I worried about him, but he seemed unbothered and I chose to focus on building our relationship.

We were together almost every moment that we weren’t at work. I spent my nights at his place and woke up in his bed each morning. It was easy to picture a future for the two of us, and instead of panic it brought me peace.

One Friday after work, Emerick met me in the parking lot in a flannel shirt, jeans and boots. When I gave him a questioning look, he told me we were going out of town for the weekend.

He rented a place near a quiet lake known for hiking and fishing. Apparently my dad helped him gather the gear and Sam packed my things. The thoughtfulness warmed my heart. No one had ever planned something like that for me before.

We arrived at the quaint little cottage just as the sun was setting. The golden glow gave the place a whimsical feel. The outside was made up of large rounded stones and a smoke wafted out of the chimney. Wildflowers were still holding on in the surrounding yard despite the fast approaching frosts of winter.

"Emerick, this place is adorable," I gushed.

He grinned while grabbing our luggage from the trunk, "I thought so too."

I gasped when we pushed the front door open. Not only was the fireplace place already crackling, but the dining table was set with a bottle of wine and a steaming gourmet dinner. There wasn't another soul in sight, so it had to have been perfectly timed moments before we arrived.

"How in the world?" I asked turning to Emerick who was closing the front door. "Isn't this just a rental house? How did you get all of this coordinated?"

He shrugged. "I asked really nicely."

I slapped my forehead. "Oh, right. I forgot your stupidly rich," I teased.

He just laughed instead of responding. We spent the most beautiful evening together and made love well into the night. The next morning, Emerick woke me up early and we headed to the lake down the road.

The first few hours on the water, I noticed he really didn’t seem to be paying any attention to his rod. When I asked him about it, he just shrugged and said, “I’m enjoying watching you have a good time, honey.”

Sometimes I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Realizing a man like that actually existed, was surreal. I didn’t think I would ever feel worthy of his love, but I was becoming more open to the idea of trying.

Emerick

This would probably be my last vacation, I thought as I stared over the pristine lake and the surrounding mountains.

The usual sadness that accompanied such a thought washed over me. Looking at the fiery red-head pulling in a massive bass, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Part of me held out hope that she would change her mind. In the end, she never mentioned the possibility of mating and I was tired of wasting our time arguing.

Truly, I was just tired in general. Each day, my fatigue was becoming more pronounced and it took more effort to keep myself upright. I was sure much of the pack leadership could sense my decline, but I kept as much as I could from Kate. She told me she didn't want to feel guilty, so I wouldn't make her.

"Emerick," Kate called as she sauntered over to me. She looking sexy as hell wearing one of my flannel shirts with the sleeves rolled up as something she called a “shacket”. "Do you want to hike up there? I think the view would be amazing."

I inwardly grimaced as she pointed to a cliff that overlooked the water. My headache was especially pronounced today, to the point my vision was intermittently blurring.

I turned to her and forced a grin. "Sure, hun. That sounds great."

She bounced back over to our gear and started packing up. I heaved my body up and shook off the soreness as best I could. After our things were safely stowed, we started down the secluded trail.

Normally, the short hike would be a walk in the park for me or any other werewolf. In my current state, the climb felt like my own personal Everest. Kate chatted happily ahead of me while I tried to focus on keeping my breathing even and my steps sure.

Even a human can make the climb with ease, I thought darkly. It didn't bode well for my not-so-distant future.

"Oh, wow," Kate breathed as we broke through the trees at the top. "Look Emerick."

I shared her awe. The view was magnificent. We stared out over the placid water that was turned orange and purple by the evening sky.

I wrapped an arm around her and looked at my would-be mate.

"It's beautiful," I said, not talking about the sunset.

She grinned before stepping back and pulling a blanket from her backpack. I tilted my head at her in question.

She shrugged. "Just like our first date, right?"

My mind flashed back to the first evening we spent together. So much had changed since then, but I wouldn't have given up a moment of it. I loved Kate fiercely, and I was happy for the time I had at her side.

"Yeah, baby girl," I agreed. "Although, I think I drove you up the mountain."

"Oh come on," she chided. "That little hill is nothing for a big, strong wolf-man like you."

She stood before me smiling and squeezed my arm. I forced a smile back.

"Oh yeah," I lied with a wink. “Piece of cake."

She grabbed my hand as she sat down to look out from our vantage point, and I settled in beside my beautiful lover. At least contact with her provided some relief from the symptoms of the frayed bond. Although, it was becoming less noticeable.

She tilted her head back to gaze up at me and I took her plump lips in mine. She quickly turned to straddle my hips, and immediately my body responded. Despite the constant pain and fatigue, I couldn't resist her and I was glad I didn't have to.

I pushed my hands up the back of her shirt and splayed them over her smooth skin while she tangled her finger in my hair and pulled back gently before deepening our kiss. I willingly intertwined my tongue with hers.

She ground her center against my groin while I unclasped her bra and trailed a hand up to cup one of her full breasts. A soft moan from her had me stripping the shirt altogether and flipping her onto her back. She reached up to pull my own over my head before her greedy hands pulled at my belt buckle.

She sighed as my erection sprang free.

"You're fucking perfect," she murmured.

I smirked, "I've got nothing on you, baby."

She kicked off her boots behind me and I undid her jeans. I kissed down her legs as I slowly removed them. She pulled me back down to her and I grinned at the feeling of her already wet pussy against the tip of my cock.

"I'll never get tired of fucking you," she said, staring directly into my eyes.

I felt a pang in my chest, but stifled it while pushing hard into Kate's tight warmth. She moaned and I covered it by taking her lips in mine before pulling away to whisper in her ear.

"This place is much less secluded than last time," I pointed out. "We might get caught if you're too loud."

I pull back to watch her bite her lip as I slammed my full length into her. Damn, if that didn't make my already granite-like member that much harder. It hit me suddenly that I didn't have many of these moments left, and I almost collapsed from the weight of it.

Kate must have sensed my hesitation.

"What's wrong?" she asked brushing her fingers along my chest.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"Nothing," I murmured. "Just thinking about how incredible you are. I'm thankful every day to have met you."

"So sentimental, Mr. Stone," she observed, cocking her head.

I thought of the ring stashed in my sock drawer back home and almost broke in my resolve. Then, I remembered her words that she would never mate and the hurt that accompanied them. I didn't want to feel that here. I wanted this trip to be one of happy memories. Maybe when we got back home I would try one more time.

Instead of voicing my inner thoughts, I kissed her hard, willing her to feel what I did for her. I knew I would never get over her intoxicating taste. She was my perfect drug. Like any good addiction, she would be my downfall.