Half Blood by Lauren Dawes Read Free Book Online

newspaper, but he turned on his heel and stalked out. Vaile followed him and Rhett came up the rear, closing the huge mahogany door behind him and leaning against it for support.
    ‘ I bet you’re pretty fucking proud of yourself, aren’t you?’
    Rhett opened his eyes to find Sabel eye-fucking him about two inches away from his face. Rhett’s wolf bristled. ‘Get out of my face Sabel,’ Rhett growled.
    He didn’t move. ‘You weren’t even supposed to be in that meeting.’
    ‘ And I didn’t ask to be there either,’ Rhett replied, glancing over Sabel’s shoulder at Vaile. He had propped himself up against the opposite wall just watching them as he always seemed to do. He wouldn’t intercede unless blood was going to be spilled.
    ‘ That doesn’t stop it from happening though, does it?’ Sabel snarled, still not giving an inch.
    Rhett’s eyes ratcheted sideways back to Sabel. ‘Fuck you Sabel. I didn’t ask for this.’ He shouldn’t have been in that meeting and he sure as shit shouldn’t have been chosen as Guardian to the félvair. That honour usually went to the strongest, unmated wolf, which meant that Vaile or Sabel really should have been selected—not him. He tried to sidestep the guy, but he moved in front of him again.
    ‘ The only reason you’re still breathing is because of our alpha.’
    ‘ And that’s the thing that really gets to you, isn’t it? How a defective wolf, who should have been put down when he was a pup, has the ear of the alpha. I’m the only family he has left. I should be alpha. Just be thankful that I’m not because I would have had you killed the moment I assumed leadership. Now get out of my fucking way before I make you get out of my way,’ Rhett snarled. After a long, hard minute, Sabel backed away from Rhett and stalked up the stairs. After getting his temper back in check, Rhett looked up to find Vaile staring at him from the same position he was in before. He didn’t say anything, but Rhett could have sworn that he nodded at him before navigating his way through to the kitchen.
    So here he was, six months later, still her Guardian and still with no idea why he had been chosen. He’d started just going to the café to see her, to make sure she knew who he was before he applied for a job there. He figured he’d keep her close. He just had no idea that by keeping her so close that he’d develop feelings for her. He ran his hand through his hair again, laughing at the hopelessness of the situation when his phone started ringing.
    He pulled it out of his pocket without checking who it was. ‘Yeah?’ he answered gruffly.
    ‘It’s Vaile. Get back to the house. We’ve got a situation.’
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘Just get back to the house,’ he said, the line going dead a second later.
    With a curse, Rhett jogged to his car and began driving home. Even though he’d just seen her, he drove past Indi’s apartment block—relieved to see the lights on. Lights on meant she was safe and just where she was supposed to be. Driving north, he got out of Buxton and headed towards the farmhouse.
    Rhett pulled his 1993 Volkswagen Jetta onto the gravel road that lead to the pack’s farmhouse on the outskirts of Buxton. The place had been built at the turn of the last century, and had been in his family ever since. His father should have been alpha, not his uncle, but being killed sure put an end to that particular dream. Leadership ran from family to family, and father to son unless the son abdicated from the duty—in which case the next eldest son would step forward. If there were no sons to take control, the alpha could choose their own predecessor. That’s what had happened to Rhett. When his father died, he was supposed to become alpha of the Helheim pack, but his defect would never be acceptable, so leadership went to his uncle. Rhett brought the car to a stop next to the house and got out; leaving the bitterness that constantly lapped the angry shores in his