Say My Name Page 9

  "I know your wrist is sore still or you wouldn't be holding it so gingerly," Liam told her, not looking as she rubbed at the sore muscles. "You can type though, on this. It will be less stressful on you until your wrist feels better."

  Elle nodded, stifling another yawn. Her day had started early, as it usually did, and she had cooked a few meals ahead for the weekend. Colleen had mentioned going to the mall, and she didn't want the Alpha to go hungry if she were gone for a meal or two.

  Liam gestured to his desk chair and Elle took a seat, typing out a question before looking back up at Liam who was watching the words appear on the screen.

  What did you want to talk about?

  Liam stood there, contemplating for a moment on what he had to say.

  "There have been foreign wolves scented on the outskirts of the territory," Liam told her, watching her still at his words. "We don't know to which pack they belong, but this hasn't happened before in my tenure as Alpha. I can only assume it can mean one of two things."

  You think they're looking for me.

  Liam hesitated briefly, knowing Elle would think of everyone but herself first, and possibly try to flee.

  "That's the most likely scenario, but don't worry," Liam told her quickly, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "I've upped patrols on the perimeter, and the foreign wolves seem to have gone. They probably won't return."

  Elle wasn't so sure. If it was Jeremiah, the man was stubborn as hell and didn't give up that easily. He could sift through the same areas and not find what he was looking for a hundred times, only to go back and try for one hundred and one. She typed her response.

  I should go. If they find me here, they'll take me and punish you and your pack. I would go willingly, but I can't have anything happening to your pack – not when you have been so hospitable.

  "You're not leaving, Elle." His tone was firm. Almost a command, and she dropped her head a bit until her chin hit her chest.

  Fuck.

  "I'm sorry," Liam said, his voice soft. "I didn't mean for it to come out so forcefully. It's just..."

  Damn it. What was it just? Just that she was still recovering? That she deserved to have a stable foundation and strong pack behind her? Or was he being selfish and keeping her here for...him? He thought it was probably a little bit of everything, although he had to admit he felt it was heaviest on the selfishness aspect.

  "You aren't fully recuperated yet," he told her, only giving her part of the reason she shouldn't leave. "Besides, I've placed you under pack protection. Nothing can happen to you without my say so."

  Her head shot up to his, eyes dilated and wide.

  But...I haven't even taken your oath. I want to when you will allow it, but maybe it's best if I don't. I can't be the cause of ill will between neighboring packs. This isn't your problem. It's mine.

  Liam immediately shook his head, denying her words.

  "If I felt it wasn't worth it, I wouldn't have placed you under our protection," Liam told her. His fingers dug into the skin on her shoulder as if to keep her rooted there. With him. He had been afraid of her running, and that's just what he was afraid she would do now.

  "Promise me you will stay here, Elle," Liam implored. "I'll make this work. I may have to speak with Jeremiah or something eventually, but we will figure this out. You're not his. He made sure of that the first time he laid hands on you in anything but a loving manner."

  Elle's eyes were wide and frightened, and her whole body shifted, facing him. Her mouth opened with only one word.

  No.

  She said it silently, but it held the gravity of a thousand nos.

  No.

  No. No. No.

  "Yes," Liam said, and watched as Elle's face crumpled. Despair. Fear. He couldn't help but feel her emotions any more than he could help it if he was experiencing them himself.

  He also couldn't help himself from reaching out and pulling her small body into his and feeling her pain as she trembled in his arms.

  Chapter 12

  "Say it. Say my name."

  "Leeeeeee..." Her voice petered out like a diminishing howl on the wind.

  "Uhm," he pressed. "Lee – uhm."

  Her nose crinkled as she thought. How was it so hard for one to make sound? Her voice had taken on a raspy quality she hated. She had been told it was nearly musical before her injury.

  "Uhhhhmmmm."

  "Good. Now try it together," Liam prodded.

  "Leeee-uhm."

  "Much better," Liam said as he gave her a genuine smile.

  Over the weekend, Elle had not been able to hit the mall like Colleen had wanted. Liam had been afraid that she would be seen since it was apparent to him that her old pack was most likely looking for her. Though the nearest mall was over half an hour away, he didn't seem keen to press his luck.

  Instead of shopping, Liam had downloaded some documents on speech therapy and started to work on getting Elle talking again.

  At first, she was only able to try for a few minutes at a time before her throat would feel too sore. By Sunday afternoon, she was able to put more time into it, and though the sound was still raw, she was able to speak in monosyllables.

  Elle's voice was throaty and untamed, coarse and unsteady, but it held Liam's rapt attention, especially the appendage currently covered in blue basketball shorts and a pair of boxers. Christ, it was like she was speaking directly to his dick.

  "Lee-uhm."

  Each time she said it, his cock stirred and he had to bite back a groan.

  "Again," he told her, praying the next time she said it, it wouldn't send a rush of blood to his groin. He had to become immune to it at some point – right?

  Wrong.

  After twenty more minutes, she was trying to pronounce Colleen's name. Liam had hoped a change of noun would set things right, but it was useless. It seemed that no matter what she said, whether it was a name, or if she suddenly decided to recite the Gettysburg address, it would have the same effect on him. The effect he might get if she had stripped down to nothing and sat on his lap to grind her pussy against him.

  He cringed at his own thoughts. His dick was betraying him and needed a good spanking. Not that he hadn't tried that. Numerous times. It...didn't really help. If they didn't stop practicing speech therapy for a bit, Liam was likely to whip his dick out and start stroking it right then and there.

  He blamed Trace. And Colleen. And Blake. They had all planted the seeds, though he had a feeling they would have been sown anyway without the meddling of his closest friends.

  "Let's take a break. Drink some water," Liam told her, handing her a half-full, lukewarm bottle of the beverage. All the speech therapy materials he had downloaded had urged that cold water may cause her to strain her vocal cords, and suggested room temperature would be better for her healing throat.

  Elle sat on the couch in the living room, her eyes surveying the space. She looked like she was thinking, and when Liam came back to her with a fresh bottle of water, he asked her about it.

  Can we rearrange the room or something? I have an idea that will keep the glare off the TV during the day.

  "Sure," Liam said, blinking at her. "Any other reason for moving the place around, besides fenging your shui?"

  She cocked her head and frowned a little.

  Well, I'm bored. There's only so much cleaning and cooking one can do before going out of their mind.

  He supposed that was true. Even with the diversion of an iPod playing while she puttered around the house, she had to be dying of boredom doing the same thing over and over again. It had to be mind-numbing to the extreme.

  "Want to help me with some paperwork?" Liam blurted out without thinking. He seemed to do a lot of that around her. "How are you on math?"

  Her brows hiked up to mid-forehead in surprise. Usually, Blake helped him, but he was entertaining Colleen as she nursed the world's longest hangover.

  I know two plus two equals four, but I'm no Archimedes.

  Liam
smiled reassuringly at her.

  "You don't have to be," he told her. "You just need to know how to use a calculator and be able to write. As long as you can do those two things, you'll be just fine."

  Elle nodded and followed Liam to the home office. He was helping her so much it was only fair that she returned the favor, no matter how small the gesture.

  Plus, he wasn't half bad to look at.

  She blinked, not knowing where the rogue thought had come from, and shook her head at herself to ward away her unwanted thoughts.

  Clearing her now sore throat, she brought her drink along with her and hoped she didn't suffer a case of the dropsies when she got into his office. Water, laptops, and calculators were not a clever mix.

  It seemed the work was easier than Elle thought, and soon she was doing calculations and balancing the pack checkbook like she'd been born with a pocket protector in one hand, a balance sheet in the other.

  Her handwriting was neat, and Liam asked her to make out checks to places like First World Title and Remington Mortgage Co. When she asked what the checks were for, Liam answered quickly.

  "Most of my money comes from properties I own and rent out," he told her. "Some were bought outright at short sales and auctions, and others I went through lenders. These checks we're filling out now are all commercial properties I own in the tri-state area. I prefer the commercial sites. Less chance of someone bailing on rent money, and the owners of the businesses tend to be more careful with the properties I lease to them."

  One check stood out from the rest. It was made out to Arden Collier. Elle picked it up and raised a questioning brow in his direction. She didn't know if she was being too nosey, but Liam hadn't told her to stop prying as of yet.

  "Ah, that's for my sister," Liam said. "I started up a college fund for her kid – or kids. She's only got the one now, but I assume she'll probably become pregnant again any time now."

  It was gone in a flash, but Elle noticed the downcast look that whipped across his face. Her frown resurfaced and she grabbed her notepad again.

  You should go to The Claiming next year. I think you'd make a great dad, but that's not happening until you find someone.

  She slipped the pad over to him and hoped he didn't cut her with a look, tell her to mind her own fucking business. She was only trying to help.

  Instead, he sighed, looking out the window.

  "I don't think I'll find what I'm looking for at The Claiming," he told her. "If I ever find it at all."

  ∞∞∞

  "Sir, we've checked the perimeters of all the surrounding packs," the warrior told Jeremiah, whose face had grown colder the week since he had first started searching for his mate. In that time, he had nearly strangled a few enforcers, taken out his rage on the furniture in his bedroom, and punched a few holes in walls when he realized he was out of beer in his fridge.

  Jeremiah gave him a passive wave before speaking.

  "Keep looking," he told the man. "She has to be out there somewhere. Dead in a ditch or shacking up with another pack, I know she can be found."

  "Yes, Sir."

  The man left Jeremiah alone with Carter at his side.

  "What's up your ass, Jere?" Carter asked as soon as the warrior had left. "I would say it was lack of pussy, but you're an Alpha and you can get it anytime you want."

  That was true, but something had fucking changed. Jeremiah was now convinced that Giselle was alive and well and out there somewhere, probably having a good laugh at his expense because she had slipped through his fingers and off into the great wild yonder.

  "Nothing," Jeremiah said, lying through his teeth.

  "Bullshit."

  The Alpha stood, his body towering over his oldest friend.

  "Truth."

  "You fucking miss her," Carter stated, jaw twitching with irritation.

  "Only because of the bond," he excused, waving his friend off.

  "Maybe, but you do," Carter said. "When's the last time you hooked up with a female since you started searching for her?"

  I haven't, Jeremiah thought, his molars grinding as he bit down harder on his own teeth.

  "I'm fine, just fucking dandy. Couldn't be better," the man told him.

  "Is it because you can't get it up without Giselle being nearby? That you don't know where she is?" Carter taunted, against his better judgment. But he had pretty much had it by now. The Alpha was acting like a lovesick fool, and, to be honest, he was a fool that didn't deserve the love of his mate. Not after all he did to her whilst she was still his.

  "Carter..."

  "I don't understand you, man," Carter continued. "You could have been marked and mated with her by now. Possibly be pregnant with your firstborn. Instead, you took her station – something that is not her fault, mind you – out on her with your fists because you think being mated to an Omega makes you look weak."

  "Easy for you to say," Jeremiah spat. "Your mate is someone of stature. Mine-"

  "Was a kind, caring female who would have done anything to please you," Carter finished. "Instead, you tossed her aside, hoping you could overcome the bond someday so you could pair with a female of your choosing. One with status in the pack. You should have just rejected her, Jeremiah. Let her be free and choose an unmated female if that's what you wanted. You should-"

  "But I wanted my mate!" Jeremiah growled out. The words surprised him, even more so when he realized that they were true.

  "And you still do I see," Carter said, his voice low. "And for what it's worth, I hope you never find her. She's better off that way."

  Carter left the room quietly, closing the door firmly behind him and hoping, praying, that wherever Giselle was, she was safe and being cared for.

  ∞∞∞

  Liam paced the floor of his bedroom late Monday night. He was dressed for bed, but his mind was running rampant with unwanted thoughts. Thoughts he didn't desire to have but hijacked his mind anyway until they were all he could think of.

  The foreign wolves. No one had heard from them since the previous Friday, and that made him nervous. It was the old adage. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Not that they were enemies, per se. But he was pretty certain what they wanted, and he was determined to keep it from them. Whatever the cost.

  It made him think he should arrange a meeting with Jeremiah. Tell him to call off his dogs, so to speak. He was afraid, though. Afraid of saying too much – or maybe not enough – to keep the man from snooping around where he shouldn't. Maybe he would go see him the next day. He had to head into town anyway to drop off the checks to be mailed. Jeremiah's pack was on the way there. He could simply contact him and set up a time, warn him off, and pop down to the post office to send out his checks. Simple enough.

  And then there was Elle. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit she consumed most of his waking thoughts. And some of his naughtier dreams.

  Okay, a fuck-ton of his dreams.

  And he always woke up rock solid and having to take a wicked piss. It was irritating, and he'd usually have to rub one out just to get his dick to behave so he could find some damned relief. For both his arousal and his bladder. Otherwise, he'd have been pissing up at the ceiling. His aim wasn't all too steady with his dick twitching like it was first thing in the morning.

  Elle had done well over the past several days and was able to speak names and some simple words. She was coming along fast, faster than he thought she would, and he was starting to relax more. He didn't have to rely so much on body language and facial expressions, not that he paid any less attention to them now. In fact, he paid more attention to them and it was making him cranky and sexually frustrated. He was tired of having to take breaks during the day so he could find some relief for his ever-present erection.

  He left the house early every morning, but even so, he could smell her lovely scent everywhere. It was a heady mixture of jasmine and freesia, and he could smell it on the clothing she had washed, folded, and laid out by his bed every few
days. It was distracting as hell. Distracting and alluring.

  Even as he paced, he could hear Elle walking around her room just a door over. Her small steps sometimes scurried, and the sound of the iPod he’d had Colleen get for her over the weekend and had given her earlier today was soft and inviting. He just wanted to walk into her room and silence her steps with a heated kiss. First her lips, then her neck, her tits, and finally lower...

  At one point he realized he had been padding back and forth across his plush rug for over an hour and the music next door was turned off. No sounds of steps. Elle must have gone to sleep.

  He finally sat down on his mattress, welcoming the soft squeak of the springs beneath his ass. It was familiar, normal, and outside the bounds of everything new he had been feeling recently.

  He covered himself in the duvet and realized...he could smell her there too. She must have washed the sheets for him recently, and he wondered if he should start laundering his own things. Sure, the house would probably be knee-deep in suds the first time he attempted a load, but he'd get used to it. Eventually.

  Liam was close to finally passing out when he heard a door open down the hall and small, soft steps. He scrunched his eyes tighter and tried to ignore the pull to get up and investigate, but ended up losing the battle when the sounds faded off into the distance.

  If he was ever going to get any sleep, he needed to make sure everything was okay. She hadn't sounded distressed, but something in him told him that she wasn't any sleepier than he was.

  He moved toward the stairs, hearing the soft pitter-patter of feet below him. It caused his heart to race and he took a few steadying breaths before making his way down the stairs.

  At the bottom, he walked into the kitchen to find Elle heating up the teapot, a box of chamomile tea sitting on the breakfast bar.

  "Couldn't sleep?" he asked, causing Elle to jump slightly.

  "N-night...m...mmm," she attempted to say, getting frustrated a moment before stomping her foot on the ground.