Free The Road to Redemption by Nicky Charles Page A

telling him she was pregnant, the glow of
excitement in her eyes, the pride that had filled him. The fierce
protectiveness he’d felt for her and their unborn pup. And the pain
that still overwhelmed him when he thought of the child he’d never
hold…
    He controlled
his reaction, no clenched jaw, no tightening fist. Sam would pick
up on it and this wasn’t the time to wallow in self-pity. The past
was just that and he had a job to do. “And how does this relate to
your finances?”
    “My
grandfather spent a good deal of money on research, trying to
discover the cause and a cure. Several of the supposed ‘experts’
were nothing more than charlatans in my view. Now, the money is
mostly gone and we’re no better off than we were before. On top of
that we’ve had some issues with other packs. A misunderstanding
over the Finding clause got quite messy.” Sam sat down at the
weight machine and began to pull the weights.
    Damien
grunted, recognizing that she wasn’t about to elaborate on that
final point. He moved to a set of free weights. Choosing one, he
began to do some arm curls. “So what’s your plan now?”
    “We carry on
as best as we can. There are a few minor investments left. In time,
we’ll build up a reserve again. Then we’ll look at our options for
expansion.”
    “Why not join
forces with Sinclair? From what I’ve heard, he has money—”
    “No!” She let
go of the handles and the weights fell down with a resounding
clang. “I’m not giving up. I’m the Alpha here. The Chicago pack
might be small, we might have our problems, but I’m not letting
anyone take it from me.” She rose to her feet and stalked towards
him.
    He’d
definitely touched a nerve. Setting down the weight he’d been
using, he warily watched her approach.
    Her cheeks
were flushed and her eyes seemed to spark with fire. “This has been my pack’s territory for over one hundred and fifty years and
it will continue to belong to us for the next hundred
and fifty years.”
    Sam stopped
directly in front of him. Damien flicked a glance at her clenched
fists and then looked back at her. He could tell she was fighting
to stay in control of her temper.
    “Careful,
Sugar. I don’t take kindly to people taking a swing at me simply
for making a suggestion.” He narrowed his eyes as he issued the
warning.
    “Sugar?” As
he’d planned, the name momentarily distracted her. “Why the hell
would you call me that?”
    “I thought you
could use a bit of sweetening up.” Damien struggled to keep the
corner of his mouth from twitching up into a smile as he watched
the expressions that flitted over her face. Outrage, bewilderment,
anger. She finally settled on glaring at him.
    “I don’t need
‘sweetening up’. I need you to shut up and can the crap talk about
allowing Sinclair to take over my pack.” She walked a short
distance from him, exhaled loudly and combed her fingers through
her hair. Eventually, she turned to face him, appearing calmer.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. But how would
you feel if someone suggested taking your pack from you?”
    “I’ve no idea.
I’ve never had a pack, not since I was a child.” Damien shrugged,
but he could feel a wall settling around him, locking out all
feeling.
    “Never?” She
tilted her head and studied him. “What about with your mate?
Surely, you must have belonged—”
    “No. Not even
then.” He slowly clenched his fists as he recalled the plans he and
Beth had made. Of how they’d strike out someday. Leave Lycan Link.
Perhaps even join with Reno as his Beta.
    “Oh.” She
appeared about to question him further and he lowered his brows, a
slight growl appearing in his voice.
    “The topic is
off-limits. You don’t want to discuss Sinclair taking you over, and
I don’t want to discuss my mate or my past. Understood?”
    Sam
straightened to her full height—what there was of it. Her chin
lifted slightly, her shoulders went back. They stared at