know.”
She spun around and walked as fast as she could in the other direction.
Chapter Ten
O ver the next two weeks , Naomi focused on finishing her novel. Its plot kept veering off course, the hero screwing the heroine around at every turn, and Naomi kept forcing herself to change the dialogue to make him sound less like a bonafide asshole.
She heard nothing from Tyler, and had managed to avoid chatting too much with Miri about him. What was there to discuss, anyhow? He was a self-proclaimed bastard, though the title seemed more like a shield than reality. Whatever was in him, that wild, aggressive animal, needed taming. But he didn’t want to let the lion tamer in. And so there was no hope.
At nine o’clock on a Wednesday night, she was sipping a glass of white wine, reading the finished rough draft of her novel, when a frantic knock sounded at the door. She sprang up to open it.
“Miri,” she said. Her friend stood in the hallway, a worried look on her face. “What’s going on?”
“We have to go,” Miri said, grabbing Naomi by the arm. “It’s Tyler—he’s in the hospital.”
“What? Why?”
“He got badly beaten.”
“What? Another boxing match gone wrong?” Naomi scoffed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to support his violent nature.
“No. He was defending Lucas. It seems that the Pack ambushed him when he was out jogging. Tyler was with him, but they were alone and five wolves came down on them. Tyler did his best, but he took a beating before he could shift.”
“Oh my God.” Naomi’s heart felt like it might explode if it beat any faster. “Is Lucas…”
“Lucas is fine. Tyler took every blow and bite. Malcolm’s in the hospital working and called me just now. He said Tyler’s in pretty bad shape. There’s a cab waiting. Come on.”
Naomi grabbed her coat and dashed to the door with Miri. The two didn’t speak much on the way to the hospital; they didn’t need to. Naomi knew exactly how she would feel if something happened to Tyler: devastated.
When they arrived, they were directed to a private room, where Lucas sat in a chair next to his employee. He stood when he saw the women. But as he approached, Miri headed into the hallway.
Naomi froze, her eyes solidly fixed on Tyler. His eyes were shut and his neck, head and shoulder were bandaged so that he looked as though his entire shape had changed.
“How is he?” she asked, not daring to move closer.
“He’s going to be okay, they think. A little battered and bruised. But there’s no serious damage.”
“Thank God,” she said. Her eyes went to Lucas for the first time. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks to this guy. He didn’t let them near me. He’s a good man, you know.”
“I know.” It was the truth. Somewhere, deep inside, she knew perfectly well just how good he was.
“Listen, there’s something you should know. I realize that Tyler wouldn’t want me telling you. But since you two went your separate ways, he’s been a mess. I’ve never seen him like this. I mean, the guy’s often in a dark mood, but he’s been well beyond dark. I’ve wanted to slap him silly more than once.”
“I wouldn’t do that. He’d take your hand off.”
“Don’t I know it. Anyhow, you deserve to know why he is the way he is. And if he won’t tell you, screw him. He’s a fool for hiding it.”
“What do you mean?”
Lucas pulled out his phone and typed something into the search engine before handing it over.
“Read it,” he said.
It was a newspaper article, dated over a decade earlier, about an incident of domestic violence in which a man had tried to kill his wife.
“I don’t understand,” Naomi said, looking at the Sovereign once again. “What is this?”
“Keep reading.”
The teenage son attacked his father as he attempted to stab his wife for the third time,
it read.
The boy managed to take on the man, who died instantly. The boy’s mother died later in hospital. Because he’s a minor
She spun around and walked as fast as she could in the other direction.
Chapter Ten
O ver the next two weeks , Naomi focused on finishing her novel. Its plot kept veering off course, the hero screwing the heroine around at every turn, and Naomi kept forcing herself to change the dialogue to make him sound less like a bonafide asshole.
She heard nothing from Tyler, and had managed to avoid chatting too much with Miri about him. What was there to discuss, anyhow? He was a self-proclaimed bastard, though the title seemed more like a shield than reality. Whatever was in him, that wild, aggressive animal, needed taming. But he didn’t want to let the lion tamer in. And so there was no hope.
At nine o’clock on a Wednesday night, she was sipping a glass of white wine, reading the finished rough draft of her novel, when a frantic knock sounded at the door. She sprang up to open it.
“Miri,” she said. Her friend stood in the hallway, a worried look on her face. “What’s going on?”
“We have to go,” Miri said, grabbing Naomi by the arm. “It’s Tyler—he’s in the hospital.”
“What? Why?”
“He got badly beaten.”
“What? Another boxing match gone wrong?” Naomi scoffed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to support his violent nature.
“No. He was defending Lucas. It seems that the Pack ambushed him when he was out jogging. Tyler was with him, but they were alone and five wolves came down on them. Tyler did his best, but he took a beating before he could shift.”
“Oh my God.” Naomi’s heart felt like it might explode if it beat any faster. “Is Lucas…”
“Lucas is fine. Tyler took every blow and bite. Malcolm’s in the hospital working and called me just now. He said Tyler’s in pretty bad shape. There’s a cab waiting. Come on.”
Naomi grabbed her coat and dashed to the door with Miri. The two didn’t speak much on the way to the hospital; they didn’t need to. Naomi knew exactly how she would feel if something happened to Tyler: devastated.
When they arrived, they were directed to a private room, where Lucas sat in a chair next to his employee. He stood when he saw the women. But as he approached, Miri headed into the hallway.
Naomi froze, her eyes solidly fixed on Tyler. His eyes were shut and his neck, head and shoulder were bandaged so that he looked as though his entire shape had changed.
“How is he?” she asked, not daring to move closer.
“He’s going to be okay, they think. A little battered and bruised. But there’s no serious damage.”
“Thank God,” she said. Her eyes went to Lucas for the first time. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks to this guy. He didn’t let them near me. He’s a good man, you know.”
“I know.” It was the truth. Somewhere, deep inside, she knew perfectly well just how good he was.
“Listen, there’s something you should know. I realize that Tyler wouldn’t want me telling you. But since you two went your separate ways, he’s been a mess. I’ve never seen him like this. I mean, the guy’s often in a dark mood, but he’s been well beyond dark. I’ve wanted to slap him silly more than once.”
“I wouldn’t do that. He’d take your hand off.”
“Don’t I know it. Anyhow, you deserve to know why he is the way he is. And if he won’t tell you, screw him. He’s a fool for hiding it.”
“What do you mean?”
Lucas pulled out his phone and typed something into the search engine before handing it over.
“Read it,” he said.
It was a newspaper article, dated over a decade earlier, about an incident of domestic violence in which a man had tried to kill his wife.
“I don’t understand,” Naomi said, looking at the Sovereign once again. “What is this?”
“Keep reading.”
The teenage son attacked his father as he attempted to stab his wife for the third time,
it read.
The boy managed to take on the man, who died instantly. The boy’s mother died later in hospital. Because he’s a minor
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