Chapter 27

Tak grimaced when he turned his head and something ice-cold flopped onto his shoulder. Eyes still closed, he grabbed the ice pack and pitched it across the room, embarrassed by all the coddling.

Can't a man suffer in peace?

He'd woken up twice before. Once when Hope had snuggled up next to him, which was a slice of heaven. And the other time, he awoke to some asshole barking orders at him. Not someone from Tak's tribe—this guy had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his arm. Tak had a vague memory of telling the man to fuck off.

A bitter taste settled in his mouth, and he slowly opened his eyes to a bright room. A suncatcher of a hummingbird hung high in the window to his right, and Tak furrowed his brow, certain it used to hang in the kitchen.

What time was it? What day?

"Sleep well?"

Startled, Tak snapped his gaze to a man sitting by the door in Hope's working chair. He looked as though he'd been there for a long while—slouched low, legs wide, a short cigarette between two fingers. Tak noticed his skull-and-crossbones tattoo. This guy was also Native American, but not from the Iwa tribe, based on his features. In fact, he kind of looked like…

"You've been asleep for twelve hours," the man said. "Hope crushed up one of those little pain pills by hand and sprinkled it into your mouth like feeding a baby bird. Said she couldn't stand to see you suffer. Before I ask you why Hope is so concerned about your well-being, let's first address your having the balls to tell me to fuck off."

Tak tried to sit up but fell back when a sharp pain lanced through his shoulder. "Who are you?"

"Lorenzo Church," he replied, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "Friends call me Enzo, but you can call me sir."

Just like Hope, he had long straight hair. They also shared the same frown line between their eyes, only his was deeper and menacing. Alpha power rippled off him in waves, so Tak threw a little of his own back.

Lorenzo's eyebrows popped up. "You're brazen to do that, considering your condition. I'm well aware that you're an alpha."

Tak closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything but the pain searing through his neck and shoulder like fiery claws.

"Maybe what concerns me most is the necklace that you're wearing," Lorenzo added.

The man must be crazy.

"My daughter's had that necklace for a long time—longer than the store has been around. It was how she first became familiar with Shikoba's stones. They were a gift from her mother to do with what she wanted. Hope made that necklace and told me it was for her mate. When I saw her put it up in the store, I assumed she'd given up on finding one. No father wants to believe that his child has chosen a loveless life, so maybe I'm curious as to why I came in this morning and found that necklace around your neck."

Tak's eyes snapped open, and he looked down in surprise. He hadn't even noticed the weight of it. Lorenzo had distracted him so much that Tak hadn't realized the squash blossom necklace he'd admired in her store was around his neck.

Damn if his wolf didn't want to howl.

He reached up with his left hand and touched the turquoise stones. It was a handsome piece, and he wished he could stand in front of a mirror and admire how it looked on him. But his right shoulder was on fire all the way down to his fingertips. Aside from that, he was certain his head might explode if he so much as sat up.

"Anything you want to say to me?" Lorenzo asked.

Tak turned his head to meet his gaze. "I love your daughter. I'd die for her. And when I'm strong enough to stand, I'll get down on one knee and ask for your blessing."

Lorenzo stared at his cigarette. "What's the point if you've already courted her?"

"She doesn't know how I feel," Tak quickly said, his throat parched. "Not really."

"You killed a bear for her. I think she knows."

"What I meant to say is I'm not courting her. Not yet. I don't think she'd accept." Tak's eyes blurred, and he struggled to keep them open.

"And why is that? Have you offended her in some way?" Lorenzo's sharp tone raised the hair on Tak's arms.

"My past might offend her," he replied wearily. "Or it might offend you, and your opinion is what she cares about most."

Lorenzo put out his cigarette in a paper cup and set it on the floor beside him. "I know what the markings on your face mean. You dishonored your tribe."

"I would never dishonor Hope."

"How can I accept that promise when I don't know what you've done?"

Tak couldn't stop touching the necklace as he stared at the ceiling. "I used to drink a lot. I'm not proud of it, but I was young and foolish—a spoiled son living in his father's long shadow. One night, I drove drunk and crashed my car. It should have been me who died, but it was the woman I loved."

His admission was met with silence.

"In the human world, I would have served time. But it doesn't work that way with us. I've had to live with the guilt. When my tribe stopped reminding me of it, I got the tattoo. I understand if you don't trust me with your only daughter," Tak continued. "But I'm not that same man anymore. I changed my ways a long time ago, but Hope is the one who's changed me the most."

"How?"

"I took responsibility for my actions, but I never forgave myself. I thought avoiding my vices made me a strong man, but I was wrong. Love made me a warrior."

Lorenzo looked away and shook his head. "What do you know of love?"

Incensed, Tak leaned up on his left elbow and settled his weight on it. He gave Lorenzo a good look at the raw wound across his shoulder and chest. "You can take off a necklace, but you can't erase scars. I've chosen to wear these for the rest of my life as a warning. Every man should know what I'm willing to do for someone I love. My wolf called me to her. I can't explain it, but my people believe in soul mates. Our wolves can sense when the other is in danger. That's why I showed up when I did. Had I not loved her, I would have played another game of pool while your daughter confronted a man holding a can of gasoline and a match. Maybe Wheeler would have fought for her, but would he have died for her? A man with his own family thinks twice about such sacrifices." Tak fell onto his pillow and almost passed out from the pain as it burrowed into his flesh and hollowed him out.

Lorenzo sighed and leaned forward on his elbows. "Why don't you put yourself out of your misery?"

Tak couldn't help but laugh. "If you think I'm going to eat a bottle of pills, think again."

Hope's father stood up and approached the bed, a small purple bottle between his fingers. "It's liquid fire. End your suffering and shift. An injury like that requires more than two more shifts to heal completely, so don't worry about losing the marks. When your wolf shifts back, put some of this on the scars you wish to keep. It'll hurt like hell, but it'll do the job. I know it's not something your people traditionally use, but my stomach turns every time I look at that baseball on your forehead. If you don't do as I say, it might become a permanent attraction."

Lorenzo dropped the bottle into Tak's left hand. "I'm not giving you my approval," he clarified. "I'm only giving you liquid fire. You sacrificed yourself for my daughter, and for that, I'm grateful. But you still need to earn my respect. You might want to start by not telling me to fuck off so much."

The two shared a smile before Lorenzo turned away. Tak briefly wondered if this man walked around with liquid fire in his pocket. But Tak had been knocked out for a while, and Lorenzo could have easily acquired some from a neighbor in the building.

"Sir?"

Lorenzo peered over his shoulder, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yes, boy?"

Tak wanted to fire a comeback, but not as much as he wanted to know that Hope was okay. "Can you send her in?"

"She's gone at my insistence. There's work to be done. Lakota photographed the damages at the store, and they're calling around for repair estimates. Part of the roof caught on fire." Lorenzo stood still and centered his eyes on Tak. "If the fates brought you here to save my daughter, then you have my gratitude. But careful not to mistake that for entitlement. No man deserves my daughter. She is more precious and unique than any gem she sells in her store. The man who wants her heart must honor her in every way. How he speaks to her, provides for her, cherishes and loves her. He must be willing to give her as much love as I do, and that is a high bar to reach."

When Lorenzo gripped the doorknob to leave, Tak chuckled. "I'm a good jumper."

Lorenzo turned around. "I'm going to give you a piece of advice. Not because I like you, but because every man should know this before he starts thinking about a family. It's easy to fall in love; the hard part is being worthy of that love. It's work… every day… for the rest of your life. Some people give up, and they lose everything—even themselves. I can see you're not a young wolf, and maybe that's why I want you to tread carefully. An old wolf misled Hope to betray her Packmaster. She's a stronger woman for it, and I'll not see her weakened by another man again." He held his fist to his chest. "On my word, I'll put that man in the ground."

"So will I," Tak said. "So will I."