Outliers

BONUS CONTENT: II

THANE
CHAPTER 6

"So," Sandra drawled, as she appeared in the open doorway to my office. She leant against the door frame, folding one ankle over the other and crossed her muscular arms against her chest. With her head tilted at an angle - her thick, short black hair swaying with the movement - she eyed me with an intense scrutiny that only my Head Hunter could manage. Sandra was well acquainted with the act of intimidation; she was a wolf who knew how to leave you quivering in her wake. Had I not been her Alpha, I'm sure the effect on me would be the same.

"So?" I asked, offering her an arched brow as I feigned obliviousness as to why she was here, and what she wanted to talk about. 

"I didn't expect you and Adriel to be returning with anyone, least of all a new pack member," she said, her mouth stretching into a large, teeth baring grin.

I couldn't tell whether it was amusement or irritation that fuelled her smile, as was often the case with Sandra. Most would do well to offer the wolf a wide berth at all times; she'd spent a century learning to control her body language and her expressions, showing only what she wanted to, in order to fool her prey. Under her attention, as I was right now about to engage in a conversation that was both uncomfortable yet necessary, I felt very much as if she were regarding me as her prey, something for her to conquer. Unfortunately for her I did not feel an ounce of intimidation; she could stare at me with her intensity all she liked, but I would not crack under her gaze.

"Given your intentions for her, a little heads up would have been nice. I would hate for her to dislike me on account of my history with you."

I had not thought of Sandra and Emily meeting one another, too overwhelmed by the mere fact that Emily existed at all, though I certainly should have, considering. Now Emily knew of Sandra and I's intimate relationship, and I had been force to respond in a way that could only arise suspicion from Sandra.

While outwardly I did not react, I felt my heart clench painfully in my chest. "My intentions for her? What exactly is it you think I intend to do?" My voice too low, too gruff to be considered normal. Sandra's eyes brightened.

"How long have we known one another?" Sandra pushed off from the door and stalked further into the room, stopping a foot before me and staring up with narrowed eyes, her previous humour still prominent.

"Long enough."

Sandra nodded slowly, uttering, "Exactly. Long enough to know you're evading the truth. In all the years that we've known one another, you have only ever been direct and honest with me."

While she didn't know for sure, it was clear what Sandra suspected. But I wouldn't confirm her suspicions, if only to save Emily the added attention during this monumental shift in her life. I had no doubts that once our bond became known to the pack, she would garner far more than just a few curious glances - and I had yet to learn how she would fair under such pressure. 

"Emily Jefferson is here because her Alpha made an official request for such during the Alpha Meetings."

"She was Acting-Alpha of Idaho," Sandra said. I was surprised to learn that she had spoken to Emily since their uncomfortable meeting in my office this morning, and more than a little concerned. Surprised more so that Emily's position in Idaho had been revealed. "Are you saying that you accepted the transfer request of another Alpha's bed partner, and it has absolutely nothing to do with your own interests?"

Bed partner. It was difficult to reign in my scowl at that phrase - even if I knew it not to be true. While whatever relationship Emily and Jack Athen shared, seemed to be intimate, I had not scented Jack on her. Not that her past with other males mattered; it would be awfully hypocritical of me to scorn her for being intimate with others, when I had done the same. That wasn't what irritated me - it was the threat of her existing emotional relationship with Athen that I despised. Whatever bond she had formed with him, threatened any future I had with her.