Everyone wanted to come, but Dane put his foot down. It would look suspicious if everyone stood around a hospital waiting area for a sprained ankle, so he ordered them to keep Graham company. Since we had some leftover catfish, Uncle agreed to cook it up as long as they stayed and played a few rounds of Pinochle. To my surprise, Riley was a pushover for my uncle's kindness. The promise of a free meal was nothing more than an incentive. Uh-huh.

Dane drove us to the hospital and checked me in as his wife. We explained to the receptionist that we went on vacation and had our identification stolen on top of my sprained ankle while trying to catch a cab. When the nurse asked how we would pay, Dane took out his checkbook and wrote a check for five hundred dollars, promising more if they needed it. I hated being a charity case, so I promised to pay Dane back every penny. Then I remembered how he played a part this by leaving me at the hotel. So I recanted my statement and demanded he buy me soda from the vending machine.

Once he got me situated, Dane stepped outside for a few minutes to check his messages. Several minutes later he returned with knitted eyebrows and pursed lips. Scott had left a message about Matt going off the deep end again, wanting to know if he should intervene. Friends—the Goergia Pack, I'd wager—hovered around the house trying to calm him down, but a chair flew out the window and into the backyard. If someone didn't intervene, one of the neighbors might call the police and make matters worse. Before that happened, the pack would take drastic measures like beating him unconscious and taking him back to the den.

Dane handed over the phone and ordered me to call him. At the rate our hospital visit was going, I had about a good hour or two before I could see a doctor. I took the phone and limped out of the emergency room doors.

Stephan answered. Although it warmed my insides to hear the slight ruggedness in his voice, the background ranting bound my attention to the problem at hand. Likewise, he also seemed a touch elated right before handing the phone to Matt.

"Where are you?” he asked, voice cracking. “I've been scouring the city, calling your family. Honey, please, tell me where you are."

"Matt, I'm fine,” I said, then gulped through the lump in my throat.

"Then tell me where you are. I'll pick you up. Please."

"Matt, I don't want you to.” Yikes! Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. Something about that silence on the other end told me so. “Sweetheart, I love you. But coming home will only make things worse. I need some time. You couldn't help me even if you wanted to. Just stay with the pack for—"

"The hell with the pack!” He paused, taking a breath. “I can't live without you. I need you."

Tears welled up, hanging by the threads of my bottom eyelashes. “I know, but you also need a pack. Please. For me. Don't waste what you have with them. I'll come back; I just can't do it now. And don't be mad at Seth. This isn't his fault. He only did what he had to do to protect his pack. I respect that."

"But what in god's name did you do?"

I hesitated for a long time as a silent war waged inside me. “I can't tell you over the phone. I'd rather do it face to face when there's time. Just do me a favor and keep Vaughn and Adam safe."

He paused this time. “It goes back to their contracts, doesn't it?"

"How did you—” I cut myself off. I knew Vaughn was one of the best in the business when it came down to pack security. After all, I found out at the picnic that he also made his living as a private investigator. “It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. You knew about the contract on me. You knew about the ones on Vaughn and Adam. How? Tell me something so that I don't go crazy trying to figure this shit out for myself. I've earned that much of an explanation, haven't I?"

The whole scene reeked of déjà vu. I didn't want to have another bedroom fight over the phone with more than three hundred miles separating us. Matt didn't deserve to find out this way, but at the same time, if I said nothing, who knew when I'd muster up enough courage again? This had reached the point where Matt would walk out whether I told him or not. What did I have to lose that I hadn't lost in the past twenty-four hours?

Taking a deep breath, I replied, “I'm a bounty hunter, Matt. I've been hunting rogues—among other things—for years."

The tears cascaded down my face. Several heads turned, ignoring the smoke billowing from the ends of their cigarettes. Annoyed, I turned my back to them and stepped away. Matt hadn't said a word on the other end of the phone. Who knew what was going through his mind? In a way, I didn't want to know, so I kept talking.

"A lot has happened over the last eight months. So many hunters—friends—have died, so the group disbanded. I never thought we'd get back together. Our lull gave me time to start thinking about the family we've always wanted. But then I got a message that some of our people went missing. I couldn't turn my back on them, so I got involved.” I snorted a laugh and shook my head. “Dedicated to death ... that's me. Or at least that's what I'm beginning to—"

A loud speaker blared above my head, paging a string of doctors to the emergency room. The noise startled me so bad that I ducked out of the way, thinking the speaker would drop on my head. Dane strolled through the sliding glass doors, scanning the area until he found me. He jerked his head, gesturing to come back inside.

"What the hell was that?” Mat shouted. “You're at a hospital, aren't you? You're hurt! Son of a bitch, Lex, how bad is it?"

"Would you stop treating me like a baby? It's not that bad."

"Like the hell it's not! We don't go to hospitals unless we're dying or dead, or can't find a hole to bury ourselves in. I'll find you no matter what, so you might as well tell me where you are."

"It's nothing, Matt, I can handle it.” Nothing like an injury to delay the good tongue-lashing I'd get for keeping something like this from him.

"Just like you handled telling me about your past?"

Ouch! Now that hurt. But did I tell him? Of course not. “Look, I have to go. The doctor's waiting. Just promise that you won't do anything to jeopardize your place in the pack. Watch over Vaughn and Adam for me. Prom—"

"Honey, I just want to see you for myself. To know that you're okay. Please, tell me where you are."

"Promise me, Matt. Don't cause any trouble for the pack."

Dane offered his arm, guiding me back to the emergency room.

"I have to go. Promise me.” I didn't want to let go of his voice until he said the words.

After a slight hesitation, he murmured, “I promise. I ... I love you."

"I love you, too.” And I ended the call.

As minutes blinked on the cell phone screen, my past, present, and future flashed before my eyes. Dane pulled me into a tight hug, taking a few moments to shelter me in his comforting arms. The damn doctor would have to wait. I needed a hug.

By the time we saw the doctor, Dane asked if it was okay to leave the blood work for last because he wanted my pain to go away. I thought it was my job to complain about pain. After asking a few questions, and looking too tired to care, the doctor didn't see any problem with going to x-ray first.

It turned out that I had three small stress fractures on the meta-something bones and a bad sprain. The doctor was about to do something when a screaming ambulance rolled up to the ER. He had just enough time to put a gelled splint on it—for the time being—before leaving the exam room. Since we already had the prescription, we took that as an invitation to get out while the gettin’ was good. He mentioned something about casting it up, but we couldn't risk the phlebotomist coming around and shoving a needle in my vein. Dane scooped me in his arms and out the front door we went.

When we arrived at the double-wide, the guys had snored their way to dreamland, leaving the dishes piled in the sink. Riley had taken the recliner, rubbing his stomach and licking his lips, while Fisk took the couch. Dane snatched his Steeler's cap and slapped him across the top of the head with it to wake him. Graham didn't wake, so I went back to his bedroom and checked on him. Before I could make it to the door, his snoring stopped me in my tracks. The old man sounded like a garbage disposal with all that congestion. Sighing, I turned around and hobbled back to my bedroom.

The thought of Matt and what he was going through infected my thoughts. Taking a chance, I picked up my cell phone, noticed six new messages from him, and decided to call him back. Every time I reached his cell, it clicked over to his voice mail. So, I took a chance and called the den.

Isabella answered. After our last discussion about basically kicking my ass if I caused problems, I thought she would be hostile and belligerent. A sensuous, mothering voice wasn't what I expected.

"Matt told us what happened,” she said. “He and some of the others are out searching hospitals around the city."

"They're wasting their time,” I said. “I'm not even in the state."

She paused. “Oh, little one ... Where are you?"

I half-smiled. “Somewhere."

"I know you're upset, Alexa, but this isn't helping. Matt's going out of his mind looking for you and I don't blame him. We had to use sedatives to calm him down last night. He's still pack, so naturally we're all worried about him ... and you. Pack or not."

"What about Seth? I'm sure he's busting a gut of concern.” I clenched my jaw to stop the sarcasm.

"I stand by my husband's decision. But that doesn't mean I worry about you any less.” Isabella paused. “Damn it, Lex, why didn't you tell us? What did we do to earn your mistrust?"

I could have pointed the finger at so many things, but it call came down to one in particular. Loyalty. I was comfortable with the Club more than the Georgia Pack because they weren't “pack” wolves. The only experience I've ever had with pack wolves was with Parry putting me in my half-bred place. Seth exacerbated matters by making me the omega. So in the end, I didn't trust anyone in leadership. Dane was different. I had known him all my life. That kind of friendship and love doesn't disappear overnight. I talked a good talk about never going back to the Club or washing my hands of them. But when it came down to it, I'd jump whenever Dane said jump. Of course, how high was another story. We women can't let the men think they're always in charge.

Scuffling from the other side of the phone brought me back to the conversation.

"Enough of these foolish games,” Seth snapped, his voice deep, British accent thicker than ever. “Tell us where you are. If you're in a hospital, then you need to leave."

I hacked a laugh. “You're the last person who needs to give me advice about hospitals,” I sniped. A tiny voice in the back of my head shouted a warning about being mindful of his rank, but I ignored it. If I had screwed myself by getting thrown out of the pack, then I didn't have anything to lose by being nasty right back. “As for your two cents’ worth, I'm not in the hospital anymore and I've covered my tracks."

A deep sigh. “Then where are you? We'll send someone to pick you up."

"Save your love and support for someone else. It sure as hell wasn't there when I saved your sorry ass from a sniper. Instead you returned the favor by telling me to get the hell out."

"That's my privilege, in case you haven't noticed! Who the bloody hell do you think you are to challenge me in front of my pack? Maybe someone should have clued you in, but being an omega gives you no special privileges. If anything—"

"Everyone respects you because you have the brains for leading the pack. You'll go to any lengths to protect them as only a father would. That's commendable and all, but most fathers I know give their kids the benefit of the doubt. God forbid you should have to stoop so low to a half-breed. And don't deny it. You said as much when you made me the fucking omega."

"Are you finished? Because I hate to break the news to you, but you're not one of us. You think because you're half-werewolf that only half the rules apply to you? Not if you want to live in our world. You've been warned about endangering the pack. So what do you do? You bring trouble right into our backyard. We ask you to trust us. What happens? You can't even trust your own husband with your deep, dark secrets. In case you didn't know, your married life reflects the type of life you'll live with the pack. Then again, that should have been instinctual. Instincts seem to be a bit difficult for you to grasp."

I evened off my tone, though I kept the sting. “Everything was fine when I stuck my neck out to save someone you couldn't save. One slip up and you waste no time at tossing me to the curb. No questions asked. Pack your bags and leave. I'm sorry if I'm not the perfect soldier you had hoped for, but you sure as hell aren't the general I'd look up to."

"You're not an entity unto yourself. If you want a life among werewolves, then get off your human high horse and learn what it's like to be one of us. You can't pick and choose which rules apply to you and which ones don't. It's all or nothing."

Dane slipped inside the room and waved a hand for me to tone it down. I nodded. My grim conversation must have traveled beyond the walls. Surprise surprise. Dane's eyes rested on mine, and he hesitated a moment. He squeezed my shoulder and offered a supportive half-smile before leaving the room.

"Are you still there?” Seth asked.

"I'm here.” Pausing, I gathered my thoughts and slumped onto the bed. “At this point, I'm too tired to care anymore. I have a marriage to save—again—and hopefully some friendships to salvage. Do or say whatever you want, but I won't stop loving your pack. I'd still give my life for them. I've got a foot broken in three places to prove it."

I hung up and tossed the phone on the bed.

Leaning back on my arms, I stared at the ceiling. I'd give anything to have it all back. Falling in love with the Georgia Pack came when I least expected it. The warmth of Stephan and Aiyana's bodies caressed my subconscious in a way I never thought possible. The pack's utopian den called to me just as it did my full-blooded husband. I'd had a taste of their world and I wanted it back. But I couldn't take Seth's autocratic rule or the pack's concern for my delicate half-human nature. I wasn't a fluffy Barbie Doll or someone's kid sister. I was a woman who had tasted more death than the majority of the people in Seth's precious pack.

So why didn't I fit in?

Because I couldn't even trust my own husband with my “deep, dark secrets” as Seth had put it. We were a mated pair and yet I kept him at a distance. I had dug this ditch and now I had to lie in it. That scared the hell out of me.

Angry, I screamed at the top of my lungs, not caring who I woke up. I snatched a picture frame off the desk and hurled it at the wall. Glass and wood framing shattered into dozens of tiny pieces.

Dane burst through the door. Crying, I turned my back, slipped off the edge of the bed, and crumpled to the floor. From behind, his arms snaked around me. I turned into his shoulder. One of these days Dane would tire of “fixing” me. I soaked his shoulder with tears.

"Don't worry, Angel,” he whispered, petting my hair and kissing my crown. “We'll figure something out."