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.But I knewenough to see the greedy, manipulative liar she had become.I just think you should neverhave chosen Constance to bear you a daughter. Hartman huffed. Jeez, Alec, it s not like you were there to ask. I know.But Nate is the other half of me.I don t regret leaving the pack to be with him.The only thing I do regret is that I let my friend down when he needed me most. It is what it is, Hartman finally summarised.A wealth of unspoken information passed between them.Years of history and of thepain both men had gone through when Alec had left.Hartman had finally overruledeverything and Alec had been welcomed back by most.Significantly, his sister had been oneof the most vocal against the cross-species lovers. When Shelby was born, the pack lost you.Don t get me wrong you were alwaysthere for Shelby but I think you felt she should be with her mother and I don t think youreally saw how much negativity Constance had for Shelby. Constance was a force to be reckoned with.A stubborn, intractable thorn in Hartman spaw.He thought of Shelby, and the accompanying anger at the way Constance and herobnoxious oldest son were so involved in Shelby s life.A familiar twist of grief stole hisbreath for a moment. I try to have Shelby with me as much as I can, Hartman protested. You didn t know she had been gone for twenty-four hours, Alec said softly. Youwere there, but not there. Despair washed over Hartman.He was a good dad always part of Shelby s life.Heloved her.She loved him.But hell, Alec was right.www.total-e-bound.com THE CASE OF THE WICKED WOLF Amber Kell & RJ Scott82 She needed a mother, Hartman argued.He sat at the nearest table and stared downunseeing at the beer in his hands.The drink that had felt like such a good idea a few minutesago now felt bitter on his taste buds. I m not blaming you, Alec offered. I don t need to.After Shelby was born youretreated into yourself.I also don t have any excuses.I should have been in Shelby s lifemore.Maybe then she wouldn t have been kidnapped. None of it was your fault, Hartman said.He didn t want Alec feeling as if he had totake any of this on his own shoulders.He was Alpha, it was his job to make sure his pack washappy and settled.He d been the one to play final advocate when Alec had approached thepack to introduce Nate, a human and an ex go-go dancer at that. You have to spread some of this around.You re not seeing what s in front of yourface. Which is? That you and Danjal belong together.Any idiot can see that.So stop telling yourselfthat it s okay to be without him. What will the pack say? Will they let us live in peace? Will I lose respect? I don t wantto spend the rest of my life watching my back and proving my worth, Hartman explained. I think you ll be surprised at the sway of opinion.It s only the Aston family that isreally solidly agreeing with everything Constance says. Okay.Thank you. Hartman was happy to hear it, but he had something else to thinkon. I have to go to Sam and tell him what Shelby said.See if he can drag anything up aboutthe kidnappers now that he knows sirens were the ones who took her. I don t believe Shelby was kidnapped, Alec said carefully, and he even winced as hespoke.Obviously he was aware that his thoughts were going to get Hartman s famoustemper to make an appearance. What do you mean? Not kidnapped? I think there is more at play here than you think. Like? Have you considered Constance and her two boys? Ed, her oldest, is strong anddetermined.He turns twenty-one in a month and I see the gleam in his eyes for pack controlthat is only matched by the desire for more in hers.She wants him as Alpha.She s said thingswww.total-e-bound.com THE CASE OF THE WICKED WOLF Amber Kell & RJ Scott83to me, nothing overt, but over the past few weeks she s been soliciting my help with things,even talking to Nate.You know she hates Nate, so why would she talk to him now? You think she wants you on her side in a challenge for leadership? She wants you weak, and what better way to do that than to push that final nail intoyour coffin? First you left Danjal, then Shelby disappeared.What if you had been too late?What if the sirens had done what they planned to? Killed her? How quickly would you havelost the will to lead the pack? Alec, please& Hartman moaned.He couldn t listen to anything in which hisbeautiful vibrant tomboy daughter was dead.Then the rest of what his friend was saying hithim squarely between the eyes. That s your theory? Alec shrugged. It s one that we could follow up on. Hartman didn t want to admit he d thought the very same during the long weeks he dsearched for his daughter.It went against his nature to think a mother could be this evil toher own daughter, but worse things had been known to happen.The door to upstairs opened and Nate walked out, followed closely by Dan.Shelby wassleeping in his arms.She d done little more than sleep since they d got her away from thesirens. You told him? Nate asked Alec. He told me, Hartman answered for Alec.Nate looked relieved
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