“And if he comes after you again don’t expect me to play the waiting game any longer.”

“Sure thing, Flinstone. Now let’s go home.” Apparently not willing to part with her just yet, he ordered Tao to drive her car home while he pulled Taryn on his lap in the backseat of the Toyota. He didn’t say a word during the entire journey, not even to contribute to the ‘We hate Darryl’ chat that Dante, Trick and Marcus began. She could tell that the guys were eager to discuss who the informant might be, but they knew their Alpha well enough to know that he needed time to calm the hell down before having any discussion.

Knowing how much he liked it, Taryn snuggled into his arms and melted against his chest, but not even that or her feather-light kisses to his neck or her soft petting to his chest was able to ease the tension from his body. His rigid body barely moved other than to run his hand gently through her hair. When they arrived home he did what he always did when things didn’t go his way – brooded. And Taryn did what she always when did he brooded – left him to get on with it alone.

After stashing Trey’s gifts in the bedroom and hanging up her new clothes, she took the groceries she’d bought to the kitchen and helped Grace with getting started on dinner – chicken curry. It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Trey didn’t appear for dinner. When he sulked, he did it good.

Greta was the last to take a seat at the table and her grim expression had Taryn smiling. “I bet you wish Darryl’s wolves had given me a good beating.”

Greta harrumphed. “There’s no such luck.” After swallowing a mouthful, she whispered – loudly and very much for Taryn’s benefit – to Cam, “Does this taste funny to you?” How he managed to keep his expression neutral, Taryn wasn’t sure.

“I’ve got no complaints,” he replied before shovelling a chunk of curried chicken in his mouth.

“Dinner seems to always have a funny taste when she helps.”

“Oh that’s just the poison, Greta,” said Taryn. The old woman made a face but, of course, continued to eat the meal – like she hadn’t eaten in a week.

“How much longer do you think the brooding will go on for?” asked Dominic.

Trick shrugged. “Maybe a day or so.”

“Give the guy a break,” chastised Dante, “he got a scare.”

“So you’re not hurt or anything?” asked Kirk, sounding awkward. “Other than the gash on your head, I mean.”

Taryn shook her head, wondering at his sudden concern. Or apparent concern.

“You should have seen the way she took those guys out,” said Lydia, still a little shaken but refusing to admit it. “It was absolutely awesome.”

“Well if she hadn’t gone out all day shopping for herself none of it would’ve happened.” Greta gave Taryn a withering look. “That would never have happened in my day. No. The women stayed at home and took care of their mate. If I did go out, my Arthur came with me.”

Taryn just smiled. “Well I suppose it was better that you didn’t venture out alone in case a T-Rex got hold of you, huh.” The muffled laughs coming from some of the pack had Greta growling.

“I’ll never know what he sees in you. Selma’s so much prettier.” More laughing from some of the pack as it was well-known that Greta disliked Selma even more than she did Taryn. Even Selma herself looked surprised. “Such beautiful long hair. Not like yours.”

“Speaking of hair, your moustache needs a trim.”

That shut Greta up and the conversation turned to lighter, general things, but although Taryn chatted away to the others, it was forever on her mind that Trey was outside somewhere, hungry, pissed, and unable to calm himself. She knew this because she could feel it through their mating link, but she could also feel that he wanted to be alone. So she didn’t do what she wanted to do and track him down and force some food down his throat. Instead she watched some T.V. with the others, hoping that Trey might turn up at some point. Unfortunately, it had been a pointless hope.

She rose from her seat on the sofa. “I’m heading to bed. Can’t stay awake any longer. Goodnight.” She had only taken two steps toward the door when Dominic called her name. She turned and raised a brow questioningly. He motioned with one finger for her to go to where he was on the end of the chaise. Rolling her eyes, she walked over and sighed.

He smiled. “I just made you come with one finger. Imagine what I could do with my whole hand.” Everyone groaned. “What? That was a good one.”

Shaking her head and chuckling, Taryn left the room and made her way through the tunnels when Tao suddenly caught up with her.

“Um, Taryn, I just wondered if we could talk for a minute. Here, alone.”

Surprised that he had gone out of his way to speak to her when usually he only did if she asked him a question, she shrugged. “Sure. What’s up?”

For a minute he didn’t say anything; just fidgeted and ran a hand through his hair and repeatedly cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” he finally burst out. “You’ve no idea how sorry I am.”

“For what?”

“Maybe if I hadn’t been such an idiot I still would’ve been your bodyguard and then I’d have been there today and -”

“No, Tao, don’t do that. Don’t even think like that. The second I officially became the Alpha female of the pack I would have insisted on not having a bodyguard. I know some Alpha pairs have them, but Trey doesn’t and it would have made me look weak to have a bodyguard when he didn’t.”

He nodded a little. “I’m still sorry. I’ve been an ass and I know it. Look, I’d really like it if we could be friends again. I get that you’re with Trey. I look at you both now and…you make sense – if that makes sense. You suit each other. The jealousy…it isn’t there anymore. You’re my Alpha female and I respect that. And I’d really like it if we could go back to being friends.”

Pleasantly shocked, she smiled. “I’d like that. Goodnight.”

Feeling a little lighter, she made her way to her room. Once she had taken a quick shower, being sure to wash away the scents of the strange males, she threw on one of Trey’s old t-shirts and hopped into bed. She had planned to lay awake so that they could talk when he finally joined her, but she must have nodded off at some point because she abruptly woke some time later to the feel of a light touch on the tiny wound on her forehead.