"Nope," I said and went to brush past him, when he grabbed myankle.
"Please. Just listen tome."
"I don't want to talk toyou."
"Just for aminute."
I stopped but didn't sitdown.
"I squandered my family's inheritance. My father is about to pass away and he's going to know what I did. I'm just asking for you to help me. That's all. I'll do anything." He looked up at me with beseeching eyes. "Even marryyou."
I snorted with genuine laughter. "Seriously? How's Lila going to take that? And honestly, how amIsupposed to take that? You'll even marry me if youhaveto?" I rolled my eyes. "Wow. Gee. What a ringing endorsement for me as marriage material. And how desperate does that make mesound?"
"It isn't like that!" Harry said, his voice a desperate whine. "I just mean that I'll do whatever you want me to if you help me out of this. I'll divorce Lila.I'll-"
A deadly, low voice came from the trees to the side of my house. "You'll leave Katie Harper's property and neverreturn."
The door behind me opened up and Martin stepped outside, anger all over hisface.
Mark, the Lupin Alpha, was standing in my yard, his lean and powerful build stiff withrage.
Harry slowly stood up. "I was just talking toKatie."
"I know exactly what you were doing," Mark said. "And I know exactly what you've been doing for the past severalyears."
Harry began to shake. I stepped closer to Martin. He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Violence was coiled within Mark, ready to come out the second Harry said or did the wrongthing.
Harry, perhaps sensing this, raised his hands in supplication and began to walk toward Mark. "I'llleave."
"Midnight Cove," Mark raspedout.
Harry's steps stilled. "Excuseme?"
"You will leave Midnight Cove or face execution according to PackLaw."
Even in the dark I could see Harry's face gopale.
"But I haven't done anything," heinsisted.
"You've kept a wife and children away from the pack and have not informed them of your paranormal status. It is within our rights to collect your family and bring them here in order to teach them our ways. You committed adultery, violence against women and you were willing to commit bigamy to save your own skin. This is your ultimatum, and it is a generous one. Leave ordie."
Harry shook his head. "I - Ican't."
"You can and youwill."
I saw the moment Harry made his decision. Martin stiffened against me and maneuvered me so my face was buried against hischest.
Mark struck viciously and without remorse and the sound of claws ripping into skin I would not soonforget.
The Alphaof the Lupin pack sat at my kitchen table wearing a pair of Martin's paint splattered jeans and drinking tea out of a pink mug. If I hadn't seen the result of his anger, I would have thought this comical. But since I had a rapidly cooling werewolf corpse in my front yard, I thought I'd err on the side of caution and stifle myamusement.
After he'd sipped for awhile, he pulled a slip of paper out of his shirt pocket. I stiffened when I saw it, but fortunately there was no blood splatter on it. He'd done an admirable job of cleaning his face and hands off once his claws had retracted and he'd gotten his wolf undercontrol.
"What is it?" I askedhim.
"Reparations," Mark said, studying me. "I meant to get here much earlier, but my pack has been...challenginglately."
"I'm not sure it's necessary," I said, not really wanting to take money from him since I'd just seen him gutsomeone.
