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anyone.
    Damien made no
more comments as he followed her, only half listening as he mulled
over something that had just struck him. When she’d asked about
Beth, the searing pain that always appeared in his heart at the
mention of his mate had only been a dull twinge. Given the night
he’d spent, he’d expected his emotions to be raw, but for some
reason they weren’t. After all this time, the pain of Beth’s memory
was almost like a friend, a constant in his life that reminded him
of all he’d lost. Why hadn’t he felt it just now? Were his emotions
dulled from his night of drinking? Had the well of grief finally
run dry? No. That wasn’t possible. His love for Beth would live
forever. Hadn’t her last words to him been ‘never forget’?
    “You with me,
Dante?” Sam’s voice intruded on his thoughts.
    “Damien,” he
corrected automatically. “What were you saying?”
    Sam rolled her
eyes. “Pay attention if you expect to keep this job. Rogues are a
dime a dozen.”
    Her tone of
voice stirred his temper. He wanted to counter that the cost of
hiring him would be a lot more than a dime, but he kept his mouth
shut and merely raised a brow in query.
    “I was
explaining that the office is out of bounds unless I’m with you. No
snooping in the files. No answering the phones. Stay away from the
computer; it’s password protected.”
    Damien leaned
against the door frame and crossed his arms. “Then exactly what am
I supposed to do as Beta? That is the position I was hired
for, isn’t it?”
    Sam looked him
up and down then snorted. “Act impressive. Be the ‘big, strong,
he-man’ that everyone expects an Alpha to be.”
    She moved to
brush past him, but he blocked the doorway with his arm. Even
though he wasn’t the rogue she’d hired, her casual dismissal of him
rankled and he wasn’t going to put up with it. Plus, he needed to
figure out exactly what was going on with this pack. Kane had sent
him here to gather information and pack hierarchy was a good place
to start. “So why do you need me? Why not promote one of your own
members to the Beta position rather than putting on an act?”
    Sam glared at
him. He could see the battle waging inside her and wondered if he’d
pushed too hard. She clenched her hands into fists and he prepared
himself to dodge a blow. Instead, she turned, walked over to the
desk and sat on the edge. “Close the door.”
    After eyeing
her for a moment, he complied. “What, exactly, is going on
here?”
    She exhaled
loudly then pursed her lips and looked away. It was obvious she was
reluctant to answer his question.
    A second
ticked by and then another. Damien hooked his thumbs in his belt
loops and leaned against the door, ankles crossed. “Are you going
to tell me or should I go looking for the Alpha? I assume Sam
Harper is your father.”
    His comment
had her snapping her eyes back at him.
    “ Assume . Ha! That’s what everyone does.” A bitter look
twisted her face and she shoved off from the desk and strode
towards the window. Pushing the curtain aside, she gestured at the
street that ran in front of the house. “The whole world assumes an Alpha has to be a male. Even the humans out
there, with their insipid paranormal books, have men leading every
pack they write about.”
    Damien nodded.
“And your point is…?” She scowled at him and an idea slowly began
to form. “You? You’re the Alpha of the Chicago pack?” He wasn’t
able to mask the incredulity in his voice. Kane had said she was
the spokesperson.
    “Acting-Alpha.” Her chin lifted slightly and her eyes narrowed as
if she were daring him to challenge her. “My grandfather has been
unwell for some time, but he hasn’t abdicated his title yet.”
    “And your
father?”
    “Died when I
was four, though according to the stories I’ve heard, he was never
interested in the position.” A shadow passed over her face before
she squared her shoulders and gave him a challenging look. “My
grandfather