Chapter Six

Had he given her signals without knowing it? Then he realized she wouldn’t have known the signals because she didn’t know anything about their way of life. This had to be basic training so she would understand their mating etiquette. Placing the tablet on the table next to where she was sleeping, he went back to cooking.

The more he thought of her finding a mate now that she knew her truth, the more he found he didn’t want to think about it. She needed someone who would be kind to her. Then he realized he had been such an ass to her. She probably only saw him as a fling. Maybe this was a good thing. It sure didn’t feel like it, but he had always found a way to end his other relationships. Perhaps the thought of her ending it instead of him didn’t fit right. Conor didn’t like the way his thoughts were going so decided to focus on his new creation.

“That smells good.”

He looked at the doorway and saw Sarah standing there. Her hair was slightly mussed. She looked so cute. He found her even more attractive at this moment. “I’m trying a new recipe. Would you like to be my guinea pig?”

“Are you kidding? To be the first person to taste one of your famous meals? Hand me a fork.” She sat at the island in the kitchen.

“It might not be that good.”

“I’m pretty sure you can’t make a bad meal.” She rested her elbows on the counter and rested her head in her hands. “What have you done so far?”

“Are you going to critique me?”

“Don’t be absurd.” She lifted her tablet. “I want to take notes for you so if something isn’t right, you’ll know what you used before.”

That surprised him. When he did this before he always had to remember and there were a few times when he forgot what measurements he had used. He had gotten better at it but to not have to worry about the little details allowed him to create the way he wanted to. He listed off the ingredients he had used with the steak and the sides he wanted to try it with. She diligently wrote everything down, asking questions so she could get all the details right.

Once done he set the dish in front of her and waited. It normally took him a few tries to get it right. Would she gush and tell him it was perfect? Or would she tell him what he wanted to hear?

She closed her eyes and took a bite. A smile filled her lips, and she took her time with what she had eaten.

“Well?” What was taking her so long?

“I taste sage, mushrooms and something else? I’m not sure what it is but I know you used truffles so that’s my guess.” She mentioned a few more of the spices she could taste adding she liked the blend.

“Very good.”

“First, as I suspected it is delicious. Even your first tries are wonderful, but maybe a little too much truffle? It takes over as it sits on the palate.”

He took a bite as well. Sarah was right. Conor started the sauce again. This time with half the amount of truffles that he had used before. With Sarah’s help he created a new meal quickly.

“I think this will be a very popular dish,” said Sarah. “I like this one the most out of all the meals I’ve had by you.”

“You haven’t had that many yet.”

“You had a dinner for Max. I was there and I know you. Max is your Alpha, and you won’t stand for anything but perfection when it comes to pleasing him.” She looked at him. “Am I wrong?”

“No.” He wanted to laugh. She had him down to a tee. “But every meal I create I want to be the best.”

“Okay.” She held her hand up. “Everything I’ve had so far would blow the socks off any other chef, but I understand the perfectionist in you. You’re not happy with anything unless it passes your board of approval.”

“Am I that bad?”

She nodded. “But I know anything that comes out of your kitchen is going to be out of this world. Anyone who has watched your shows knows this. Why do you think Max raffled off tickets for your pop-up? He knew people would be chomping at the bit to get their hands on tickets.”

“How did you get tickets? Max only raffled those within his company. Everyone who works for him is a werewolf.”

“My best friend, who I’m going to kill for not telling me what I am, won tickets and she knew how much I loved you…loved your work so she used it as a surprise birthday gift.”

“When was your birthday?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, it does.” He came to her side. “I love birthdays and I love to cook. I want to create you a special meal for your birthday.”

“You did.”

“I didn’t know you then. Now I do and I can do a much better job.” He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “Tonight, I can give you part of your gift. I know you’ve enjoyed it so far.”

“You have too.” She draped her arms around his neck. “I think you’re just using this as an excuse to be with me.”

“You know I’d find something to bring us together, even if I have to tie you up and have my way with you.”

“Really?” A little thrill raced through her.

“Does that excite you?” He studied her face.

“The thought of you having your way with me does.” She watched him as well. “What is that smell?”

“What do you smell?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Close your eyes and think about what the smell reminds you of,” he said the words softly. “What emotion does it evoke in you?”

“It reminds me of the way I feel when we’re together. That moment after my release when I feel like I’m floating.”

“You’re picking up my desire for you.” He brushed his fingers against her jaw. “Like I said our sense of smell is very sensitive. I know when someone is lying to me. I know who I can’t trust by the scent they give off. I think you’ve been using your sense of smell for a lot longer than you realize. You put yourself with other werewolves even though you didn’t know it. They probably smelled safe to you.”

“I knew I could trust them the moment I met them. Growing up I didn’t have any real friends. I mean, I wasn’t a shut-in or anything, but I never had that friend I could tell everything to.”

“Not until college when you met your roommate.”

“I didn’t know the truth then. I didn’t know until I met you.” She pressed her hand against his cheek. “You opened my eyes to a whole new world.”

“Your scent intrigued me. I hadn’t seen you, but I loved your scent. I knew I had to meet you and I’m so glad I did.” He captured her lips with his. The kiss started gently but became more aggressive as she opened her mouth for him. Conor tightened his hold on her as he deepened the kiss.

His hands slipped inside the dress she wore, touching her in the places he knew aroused her. He had always been gentle with her, but tonight his desire was too strong to be gentle. He wondered how she was going to handle the next few minutes.

He backed her up against a wall. It was the only section of the wall that was clear, and he was grateful. Without it, he would be taking her on the floor. Conor broke the kiss as he pressed her against the wall. Wrapping one arm around a leg he lifted it to his hip and drove into her.

Sarah sucked in her breath. Her other leg came up to his hip as well as he set a pace for them. She was shocked for a moment, before she gave in to him once again and moved with him.

He heard her breath hitch when he continued to fill her again and again. Her scent changed as she got caught up in the sensations. Her body hugged him just right. He moaned his pleasure when she tightened against him. Conor knew he wasn’t going to last much longer.

Sarah started grasping him. Her legs started moving. “I-I…”

She gripped him hard, and he felt it to his toes. Sarah looked at him with such a beautiful smile before her orgasm took over. He flew through his as well. He pressed soft kisses against her cheeks and throat.

“That was amazing.” Sarah’s voice was soft.

“You’re amazing.”

***

Sarah and Conor fell into a comfortable routine. She worked with Catherine in the morning and some afternoons. If Conor was home she helped him with new recipes. If she had the house to herself she read. She read as much as she could, learned as fast as she could, and was feeling more comfortable with her new ability. She and Conor made love every chance they got. She also gained Catherine and Alicia as friends.

Alicia asked her and Conor to meet her and Max at the local restaurant. Max had gotten some information on the symbol on her baby blanket. She wasn’t sure how she felt about finally knowing. Part of her was excited, but what if they didn’t accept her? Or worse considered her an outsider. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that after feeling like she belonged somewhere for once.

Conor drove them to the restaurant which was outside the college, but basically for the families of the students. The hotel was across the road from the restaurant. Soon there would be a small grocery store and a mercantile.

The moment they saw Max and Alicia they bowed before joining them at the table.

“Thank you for inviting us,” said Sarah.

“Sarah told me you have some information on who her family might be.” Conor took her hand. “She’s been a bit nervous about it.”

“I recognized the emblem but needed to do a little research before I said anything.”

“Emblem?” asked Conor.

“There was this weird image on my baby blanket and Max asked me to show him what it looked like.” She looked in her purse and pulled out her phone. Scrolling through the pictures she tapped on the image and handed him the phone.

“This is a crest.” He looked up and looked at Max.

“What? You know this crest?” She looked at Conor and then Max.

“I do. This represents the oldest pack in Ireland,” said Conor. “The Murphy’s are very powerful. How could you be from them? They would have looked all over for you if you had been lost.”

“Not if they thought she was dead. Sarah is her real name. Her parents were in Germany when they were in a car accident. The car went over the side of a road up in the Bavarian Alps. By the time they were able to pull the car up the only person in it was her father. They never found her body or her mother’s. There was a big investigation, and it was ruled an accident. They think one of the turns got the best of them and the father lost control of the car.”

“Yet here Sarah sits. How did that happen?” asked Conor.

“That is the question of the day.” Max looked between them. “The moment I started investigating I raised some eyebrows. The family wanted to know why I was looking into the accident, and I explained that I had a young lady with the family crest on a baby blanket. They have asked for a DNA test.”

“Okay.” Sarah wasn’t sure how she felt about this.

“Sarah, you don’t have to do this,” said Alicia. She placed her hand on Sarah’s hand. “No one is going to force you if this makes you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable, but I feel like I’m betraying my parents by wanting to know about my birth parents.” She gave them an apologetic smile. “That just sounds so strange. I’ve always known my parents adopted me, yet I’ve always seen them as my parents.”

“They raised you and loved you. They are your parents.” Max’s words relaxed her.

“What will happen if I decide against giving this sample?” she asked.

“Nothing. I’m going to assume the family who is represented by a lawyer will think you refused because the test would have shown them you weren’t related.”

“But what if I am?” She looked at him. How much would that change her life?

“Then you will have new family members. You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. You don’t have to change anything about your life.”

“Right. All of you just said they were one of the oldest families in Ireland. You also said they were very powerful. What if they demand I go back to Ireland? What if they want me to forget my family here and be with them instead?”

“Sarah, you need to take a deep breath,” said Max. “First, I won’t let them tear your world apart if they tried something like that. If that is a real fear, I will make them aware of it.”

Conor placed his hand on her leg under the table. She laced her fingers with his. Just that simple gesture calmed her.

“I’m sorry, but this is something I have thought about a lot as I grew up. In the beginning, I imagined that both families would get along famously, but someone made a comment one time that they would be afraid that their birth mother would want to take them from their parents and that stayed in my head.”

“Do you want to know if you’re related to them?” asked Alicia.

Sarah was quiet for a moment. “I do.”

“Then I’ll have our doctor come up to the college and gather your DNA.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“He’s the head of our medical school. He’ll be coming up to work with his staff soon anyway. You’ll just be added to his calendar.”

Sarah nodded. Max’s charismatic ability just took over and basically told her what to do. It was something to watch, but she wasn’t sure she liked the outcome. But how could she go against him?

“You okay?”

She heard two different voices ask her that question. All she could do was smile.

“I’ll let Conor go first.”

She wanted to laugh. Instead, she looked at Alicia before answering him. “I’m fine. This whole thing is just a bit overwhelming.”

He squeezed her hand and spoke to Max, giving her time to talk to Alicia.

“I am fine. I’m also in awe of how smoothly I was manipulated into going along with this.”

“Max is the best at getting people to do what he thinks is best, but he will protect you from the family if they decide to force you into something you don’t want to do. They might be powerful but they see Max as the leader of us all so they will honor any request he makes.”

“I’ll just feel better when I know they won’t interfere with my life.”

***

Sarah sat in Catherine’s office when her phone rang. They were between meetings, so Catherine gestured for her to answer the phone. Sarah looked at the screen for a moment before she answered. “Hello, Dad.”

“Caller ID?”

“Of course.” He didn’t sound good to her. What was going on?

“Sarah, you need to come home as soon as you can.”

“What’s going on?”

He sighed. “It’s too much to explain just come as soon as you can.”

The call ended and Sarah stared at her phone.

“Sarah?”

“Um, I-I need some time off? My father…” She lifted her phone. “How many more appointments do you have?”

“Today?”

“No. Altogether.”

“What did your father say?” Catherine walked up to her. “Sarah?”

“He asked me to come home.” She looked at Catherine. “He refused to tell me why, but he sounded weak.”

“Then you should go.”

“It will take me time to get a flight. I can at least finish the day off.”

“Now you’re going to appreciate being part of our pack.” Catherine grabbed her phone and called Max. “Sarah just got a call from her father, and she needs to go home.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Thank you, Max. I know she’ll appreciate it.”

Sarah waited.

“Max will have a plane waiting for you at the airport. He’s going to send my mate with his private helicopter to take you to the airport. Go home and pack.”

Sarah gave her a quick hug before she raced out the door. She ran to their house and banged her way into the front door.

“Sarah?” Conor came out of their room. “Are you all right?”

“Um, yes?” Then she looked down. “I don’t know. My dad called and asked me to come home. He didn’t sound right.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I need to pack.”

“When are we leaving?”

“I-I don’t really know. Catherine said a helicopter will be here to take us to the…wait. We?”

“You can’t go by yourself. You’re not thinking straight. I can take care of the little things so you can focus on your family.”

“But you still have a couple more shows to shoot.” Sarah couldn’t believe he wanted to come with her. His work was everything to him.

“Are you saying you don’t need me?”

Once again, she was being manipulated. She grinned. “Are you saying you want to drop everything and follow me to my parents' house? They’re going to wonder why you would do that.”

He blinked. “Oh, you’re good. I finished the last episode this morning so I’m free to be your support. If your parents start asking if we’re serious then we’ll deal with it at that time.”

“I’d love to have your support, but know my father is no slouch. He will watch us like a hawk.”

***

They arrived at the small airport right outside her small town. A car waited for them.

Sarah looked at Conor.

“Max.” He gestured toward the car.

“He barely knows me.”

“Max doesn’t see it that way. You work for his third, and our relationship makes you important to him.”

“That’s a little bit scary.” She walked toward the car. “He’s the most powerful werewolf in our world and I am nothing.”

“We don’t see it that way.”

They reached the car. Conor opened the door for her, and she climbed in, then he walked around the car and climbed in on the other side. She had become someone of interest to Max just because she realized she was a werewolf. What would those people who had been trying to get close to him think if they learned that she suddenly became part of Max’s small group of trusted friends?

“Hey.” He scooted over to her and put his arms around her. “Let’s deal with your father first. I learned he’s in the local hospital.”

“Hospital? Oh my god, what happened?”

“I can’t answer that. I’m not a family member. One of the nurses is one of us and made Max aware that your father had been brought in yesterday.”

“That means he called me from there but didn’t say anything. Did he hope to be home before I got here?” She climbed out of the car before Conor could reach her. She marched toward the door, only to find her way blocked. “What?”

“What are you planning to do? Charge in there and demand what’s going on?”

“I…” She smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. That was automatic pilot. I’m worried about him and want to see him.”

“Remember that when you do see him.” He took her hand and walked in with her.

She found out his room number and stopped in front of the door. Sarah looked at Conor for a moment, took a deep breath then went into the room.

“Dad?”

“Sarah?” He sat up when he saw her. “How did you get here so fast?”

“Why? Were you hoping to be out of here before I could land?” She walked to the bed and took his hand. “Dad, why didn’t you tell me you were here?”

“I’m fine, Sarah. Had a mild stroke.”

“Stroke?” She felt her heart stop for a moment. “Dad.”

“The doctors said that I should have a full recovery.”

One of the nurses came in and took his vitals. A look passed between them, and the nurse nodded.

What was that all about?

“And who did you bring with you?”

“This is Conor.”

“Why do you look familiar?” Her father stared at Conor. His eyes widened. “You’re that cook my daughter watches all the time. Honey, you didn’t kidnap the poor man, did you?”

Conor laughed.

“Dad!” She was mortified. “I met him a few weeks ago. And no, I didn’t force him to come with me.”

“She’s right, sir. I volunteered.”

“Then you’re a brave man. My daughter probably knows more about you than you know about yourself.”

“Dad, you’re changing the subject.”

“Not really. What I’m doing is stalling.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I have a lawyer coming with some paperwork for you to sign.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why?” She sat on the edge of the bed her father was in.

“You need to have control of everything.”

“Dad, that can wait.” She stood and walked over to Conor.

“No, it can’t.”

“Come on, Dad.”

“Sarah Elizabeth you will listen to me.” The voice her father used was the same one he used when she was in trouble.

She turned to face him, fear filling her. “You said the stroke was mild.”

“And it was.” He sighed. “But the doctor also found evidence of earlier ones. I don’t want something to happen before I have you and your mother protected.”

“How is Mom?”

“Doing good considering.” He leaned back against his pillows. “I have a nurse caring for her while I’m in here.”

She nodded.

A knock on the door startled her. She opened the door.

“I’m here to see Jonathan?”

Sarah stepped aside so one of her father’s oldest friends could enter the room.

“Jon! You in here so you can miss our weekly dart game?”

“I have you two to one right now, Wayne. If anything, you’re the one who will probably find a reason to weasel out.”

“Ha.” He set his briefcase on the hospital table. “You might want to be nice to me while I’m helping you with these papers.”

“You two still act the same,” said Sarah. “And if I remember correctly, I’m the one who beats both of you at darts.”

Wayne chuckled as he gave her a quick hug. “How are you doing?”

“Good, Uncle Wayne.” She hugged him back.

“Your father has several forms you need to sign. First is Power of Attorney.” He handed her several pages stapled together. “You need to sign and initial where I marked the pages. Once you’re done with those I have more.”

Great, now she had to sign her life away.