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her mother’s attention was
locked on her husband, a dangerous glint in her eye.
    It dawned on Kaitlin then that her
mother had never known the truth.
    Oh, no!

 
    Chapter 8
     
    “What is he talking about, Paul?”
    Her father shook his head, raising
a hand to wave away her question as his gaze narrowed on Rhys. “Nothing. He’s
just trying to cause trouble.”
    Her mum’s gaze moved between their
three faces, trying to find the truth. Her gaze eventually stalled on Kaitlin,
eyes searching.
    She gave her mum a slight nod to
tell her that what Rhys had said was true and watched as she transferred her
attention to her husband.
    “Why can't she control her puma,
Paul?”
    Kaitlin saw the anger flush her
father’s face. “She can, Ruth! You can, can't you, Kaitlin?” His eyes dared her
to say no and she swallowed nervously.
    Rhys’ hand clasped hers and it gave
her the strength to tell the truth. “No. I can't,” then added, “no thanks to
you.”
    Power was suddenly flowing through
the room and her father took a threatening step towards her. Rhys instantly
blocked his forward motion, moving Kaitlin behind him, and stared the older man
down. More power rolled through the room as the two Alpha’s squared off.
    Kaitlin struggled to breathe as it
pushed against the restraints of the room. Forcing her hand up, she clawed at
her throat where she was beginning to burn from lack of oxygen.
    “Kaitlin? Kaitlin!” Her mother’s
worried voice barely registered.
    The power let up suddenly and she
found herself clasped against Rhys’ hard body, his arms holding her against his
chest as she gasped for air.
    Turning, he glared over his
shoulder at her father.
    A loud smacking sound filled the
room and Kaitlin glanced up to see a red blotchy hand print on her father’s
cheek where her mother must have slapped him. “How dare you! She is our
daughter, Paul!”
    A tic pulsed under his right eye as
he glared at her mum. “And I am head of this family, Ruth, as well as
the council. What I say goes.”
    Her mum’s chin rose defiantly. “I
won't let you use our daughter as a pawn in whatever game you’re playing.”
    Paul snorted and brushed past his
wife to sit down at his desk once more. He indicated with his hand that they
too should return to their seats. Rhys sat reluctantly as did her mum and then
she settled on the arm of Rhys’ chair.
    “Tito,” he called.
    Kaitlin tensed as the door opened
and she held her breath as her on/off lover walked into the room. She felt his
attention on her like a laser beam; his anger almost burning her skin. She felt
his attention shift from her and let out a soft, unsteady breath.
    He came around the desk and stood
beside her father.
    At nearly seven feet tall Tito was
an imposing figure and one you wouldn’t necessarily want as an enemy. His dark
hair was messy as usual and his usually twinkling brown eyes were hard and flat
as he watched her. It had her wondering if he had cared about her.
    The muscles in his arms bulged as
he crossed them over his chest and she couldn't help but admire him. He was a
magnificent specimen of man. He was toned everywhere from hours in the gym and
the sparring he did with his brethren. A small part of her wept at the loss of
him from her life.
    A low rumble from her right had her
glancing across at Rhys. He was tense, ready to spring into action at a
moment’s notice—probably in Tito’s direction judging from the glare.
    Kaitlin placed a hand on his and he
quietened almost immediately. Turning his hand over, he linked their fingers
together and rested their joined hands on his thigh.
    Hearing a snort she glanced up just
in time to watch Tito look away, a sneer on his face. Anger burned through her.
“Get over it already, you didn’t want me ,” she growled. Rhys’ fingers
tightened around hers but she didn’t take her gaze from Tito.
    “You have no idea what I wanted,”
his eyes flared hot when he glanced at her and she had a moment of