Chapter 199

Asher

When I had told Cynthia of my plan to visit Lamar, her entire face had paled and her breath went quiet. It took the rest of the evening to get her to smile again. I had to reassure her many times that I would be going to face him alone.

I wouldn’t want to have gone at all, if he wasn’t our last source for information. He had already shared some things. Hopefully he wouldn’t feel many qualms with sharing more.

I waited until the next day, until after I walked Cynthia to the library, where Aimee and Nicole were waiting. When I was sure she was safe, I went back to my dorm room alone to meditate.

Every time I had seen Lamar since the incident I had wanted to rip his throat out with my teeth. I needed to center myself first, or this visit was destined to be too short to garner any new information.

I pressed down the desire for violence deep inside of myself, reminding myself that Lamar would never be near Cynthia like that ever again.

He couldn’t hurt her. She didn’t need protected from him anymore, at least not physically. And I couldn’t help her heart heal if I was in the jail cell right next to him.

Calmer, I headed for the police station.

Unlike last time, when Cynthia and I had met Lamar in a holding cell, this time we met in a visitation room with a pane of glass between us.

We had to talk through a pair of telephones that were directly connected to each other, likely with a guard listening in.

We stared at each other for a long moment. I gave him my blankest expression. I could so easily snap into anger. I had to hold myself and my wolf back.

My wolf was furious by Lamar’s presence. He wanted to go to war. “This one hurt our mate.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I assured my wolf. “But we need his help to protect her now.”

Inside, my wolf growled.

I understood the sentiment.

“What do you want, Asher?” Lamar asked through the phone. “Because I doubt you came here just to glare at me.”

“I need more information.”

He laughed bitterly. “Haven’t I given you enough?”

My grip tightened on the phone. Calm, I reminded myself.

“We know one of your club members is related to an executive in the Academy. I need to know who.”

Lamar lifted a brow. “You sure you’re ready for that?”

I narrowed my gaze, showing a hint of my ire. Just enough to make him afraid.

It worked.

“Ah, hell. I guess I’m already in deep anyway.” Still he seemed reluctant.

“Lamar,” I prompted, pushing some ice into my voice.

“Fine.” He took a shaky breath. “Joseph’s uncle is Vice President of the Academy.”

I stiffened.

“He’s been covering for Joseph from the start,” Lamar said. “Turns out, this guy loves the photos and videos we get for the website. Joseph said he even pulls the site up in his office sometimes. He’s real messed up.”

“Says the man who takes those photos and videos.” My wolf’s growl escaped me, lining behind my words.

Lamar, at least, looked ashamed. “Yeah. Fair. For the record, I’m sorry about that.”

I did not believe for one moment that Lamar was in any way sorry for anything he had done. “You’re only sorry you got caught.”

“I said I was sorry, man. How is Cynthia doing?”

The plastic phone cracked under my grip.

Lamar leaned back, eyes going wide.

I didn’t know what I looked like, but I knew what I felt: pure fury.

“Never so much as think about her again, or I will destroy you.”

Lamar swallowed. “Y-yes. Okay. Message received.” He lowered the phone and waved for the guards to come get him.

I sat there a minute longer, trying to talk my wolf back from the surface.

Lamar was in jail. He couldn’t hurt her. She didn’t need our protection.

Eventually I made my way back to campus.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get far before Joseph himself approached me.

We were in a crowded quad. I couldn’t attack him without many dozens of witnesses. And knowing what I now knew, regarding who he was related to, I couldn’t chance it.

What if the Vice President targeted Cynthia?

“I told your whore, but I’ll tell you too.” Joseph spat the words. “If you don’t let this go, you will regret it. Maybe Cynthia doesn’t take my threats seriously, but she’s not the only one with things to lose.”

I stood very still, glaring at him.

Joseph lifted a single finger. “One phone call and I can have your hockey team disbanded. Everything you’ve worked for, gone. And that’s not all I can do.”

With an uncle as the Vice President, I knew this wasn’t an idle threat. Joseph could likely make it happen.

But none of that compared with Joseph’s previous threats against Cynthia.

“Do what you want with the team,” I growled, “But if you harm Cynthia or that baby, I will let my wolf out. All the way out. An Alpha wolf, without restraint, protecting their family. Tell me, Joseph. What do you think would happen?”

Typically the mention of bodily harm would have Joseph cowering, but now it seemed his confidence had soared. Perhaps with the truth exposed, he thought himself invincible.

That wouldn’t do.

Briefly, I let my wolf come to the front, just long enough to let my teeth sharpen and my eyes flash.

Finally, Joseph looked afraid. He backed up a step. Then another. When my growl deepened, turning guttural, he spun around and ran.

How I wished I could give chase and eliminate the threat altogether. But that would place Cynthia at risk of the fallout. For her sake, I held myself back.

I pried my wolf back from the forefront of my mind, but it continued pacing, restless. My skin itched. My hands were curled into such tight fists that my fingernails were digging painfully into my palms.

I needed Cynthia. Only she could calm me and my wolf when we were like this.

I needed my mate.

I found her outside the library, saying goodbye to Aimee and Nicole. Hadn’t she planned on staying longer? Where was she going?

It didn’t matter. We were together now.

Aimee motioned toward me, and Cynthia turned. When she caught sight of me, she hurried to my side.

“Asher?”

Immediately, I pulled her into my arms. She came willingly, with a soft sigh. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders. Her fingers buried into my hair.

I lowered my nose into the corner of her throat and shoulder and nuzzled into her, inhaling her sweet scent.

The wolf within me rumbled in satisfaction.

“Our mate is here. She is safe.”

Our mating bond hummed, warm and pleasant.

It felt good to be near her. Healing, in a way. Like no matter what hardships we faced, as long as we could come back to this, we would be whole.

We stayed like that for some time. I wasn’t ready to let her go, not for anything, but we were standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

Our reunions were better spent away from prying eyes.

Slowly, I leaned back to look down at her.

She watched me with such blatant affection that it stole my breath away.

I wondered what she saw in my eyes. Could she tell how much I loved her in return?

I’d made an awful disaster of things between us. Only now were we beginning to come back together.

I would never forgive those that tried to separate us further, during my folly.

Like Joseph.

Someday I’d put my claws to his throat, and I didn’t know what would happen.