“How did you get here? Does your father knowyou’re here?”
“No.” She picked up Cujo and ruffled hisears. “I had to catch the bus and the train, and then I walked therest of the way.”
“What, on your own?” Luna rarely left themanor, and then only under supervision. “Have you any idea howdangerous that could have been, you silly girl?” She sounded like aconcerned mother, and the worry twisting inside her gut felt likeit too. Anything couldhave happened to the naïve girl; she heard on the news the otherday of a young girl who’d gone missing after she’d got on atrain.
She brought Luna inside and sat her on thesofa.
Luna’s bottom lip quivered. “I thought youwould understand, Jamie.I’m not the baby Dad still thinks I am. I’m half wolf and I cantake care of myself.”
Confusion reigned. Her knees buckled asshe slumped on the sofa next to Luna. “You’re half wolf? But you can’t be…”
Luna frowned. “Yeah, of course I’m halfwolf. My mum was human,like you, Jamie.”
“I… I didn’t know…” It didn’t make sense.Random thoughts swirled inside her head, made her dizzy. Sheassumed Luna was a full-blooded wolf like her father. She had thesame eyes as her dad, werewolf eyes. Grayson hadspoken of his late wife,Piper, Luna’s mother, of how they met and how much he’d loved her,but he’d never mentioned she was human. If it were true, and Lunawould have no reason to lie, then it meant…
Her mouth dried.
It meant Imogen had lied when she toldJamie that Graysonexpected her to become a werewolf.
Her hands trembled.
It meant that Imogen could have lied aboutother things too.
Was the marriage of convenience thing a lie?She thought Grayson had broken that trust, but what if hehadn’t?
How could she be so dumb as to take the word of a she-wolfshe’d only met twice? She was Grayson’s ex, after all. Maybe thebitch wanted him back.
“Are you okay, Jamie? Is it bad that I’m onlyhalf wolf?”
Jamie regarded Luna. Tears gathered on herthick lashes. “No, Luna,it’s not bad. Don’t you ever think that. You are a beautiful youngwoman, inside and out, and your dad will be worriedsick.”
“He probably hasn’t even noticed I’ve gone.He told everyone to go after you left the gathering, then hemorphed into his wolfand ran away.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Did you two have a fight? Don’t you love Dadanymore?”
Her head pounded with unansweredquestions. If only everything was as simple as how kids saw things.“No, we didn’t have a fight, not exactly. I loveyour dad very much, andyou too, Luna, but sometimes… sometimes things getcomplicated.”
Complicated because she’d listened to Imogenand believed everything she’d said. She didn’t even know the woman,but the first time she met her, she hadn’t liked her.
She couldn’t forget the look of regret in Grayson’s wolfeyes before she fled from the gathering, but she’d not even givenhim a chance to explain.
“I don’t understand.” Luna frowned. “Yousaid you love Dad, and he’s totally in love with you. I don’t seehow it’scomplicated.”
There with the innocent reasoning of a childagain. She smiled at Luna. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, littlepup.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “It is the twenty-firstcentury, you know—there are such things as mixed speciesrelationships,” she said as though she was the adult now. “They’renot without their problems, but my mum and dad made it work, so Dadtold me.”
The girl was growing up fast. “I know, Luna,” she saidsoftly. “I’ll have to call your father and tell him you’resafe.”
“He won’t have his phone on him—not as hiswolf.”
“Then I’ll ring the house and let Aliceknow you’re okay. Hopefully she can get a message tohim. In the meantime, I’ll makeyou a hot chocolate.”
Luna beamed.
Jamie left Luna in the lounge and walked intothe kitchen, delving into her pocket for her phone. She dialledBeckett Hall’s landline.
To her surprise, Grayson answered. “Who isit?”
The mere sound of his gruff voice sent her into a tizzy.“Grayson… I…”
“Jamie?” His voice cracked like brittleice. She heard him gulp. “It’s Luna, she’s gone missing. I know youhate me, but if you have any idea where she might be, please, I’mgoing out of mymind—”
“She’s with me,” she interrupted. His deepconcern for his daughter touched her heart. She recalled howdistraught he’d been when Luna had gone missing before, the dayshe’d followed them on their picnic to Gray’s Point. “She’s safe,Grayson. Do you hear me?She’s safe.”
She didn’t know if he did hear her; the phonewent dead.
If she knew Grayson at all, he would be onhis way here.
Jamie frowned as she made two hot chocolates.Why would Grayson think she hated him?
She took the drinks into thelounge and sat with Lunawhile she played with Cujo.
Half an hour later, someone banged on thedoor repeatedly. It had to be Grayson.
Jamie leapt off the sofa, her belly churningwith an odd mix of apprehension and excitement.
She took in his appearance asshe opened the door.
Purple circles looked like bruises beneathhis eyes, his long hair hadn’t seen a brush in a while, and deepworry lines scored his brow, but her magnificent wolf man stilltook her breath away.
Her love for him intensified. Sheyearned to feel hisstrong arms around her and lay her head on his chest, but shehesitated. She had more than a few questions she needed to beanswered, but first and foremost, Grayson was here for hisdaughter.
Behind Grayson, Willow came out of herapartment opposite. Shewent to say something, but spotted Grayson and stopped. She mouthedsomething like, ‘What’s he doing here?’
Grayson was looking at her with alingering gaze that pierced her soul; she doubted he’d noticedWillow. “Luna’s in the lounge,” she told him, the wobble in her voicenoticeable.
“Thank God she’s okay.” He raked hisfingers through that thick mane of his. “Look, Jamie, I’m not goingto hurt you. I just want my daughter, then you’ll never have to seeme again.” Grayson left her standing in her hallway as he marched past her to findLuna.
Willow came rushing over. “What’s going on?What the hell did he mean, he’s not going to hurt you? Should Icall the police?”
“No, it’s okay, Willow.” She glanced overher shoulder. Through the two-inch gap in the lounge door, she saw Grayson pull Lunainto
