WolfeBite (De Wolfe Pack Generations #10)

Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“C atherine?”

Startled by the sound of her name, and recognizing the voice, Catherine stood up swiftly from where she’d been leaning over the chicken coops in the kitchen yard. But she whacked her head, yelping as she put her hand on what was surely going to be a lump as she turned to Talan, who had come up behind her. He winced at the sound of her skull hitting the wood.

“Did you hurt yourself?” he asked, coming closer.

She shook her head. “I do not think so.”

He pulled her hand away. “Let me see.”

She flinched as he ran a finger over the top of her head, already feeling a bit of a bump. “You should put a cold compress on it,” he said. “But it does not look terribly bad.”

Catherine’s hand lingered on her head for a moment longer before she tried to shake it off. “I can hardly feel it,” she said. “Did you want something? Or did you come here simply to startle me?”

His gaze lingered on her for a moment. He already sensed this was going to be a testy conversation based on her mood. “I wanted to tell you that I am very glad Gabriel was found,” he said. “But I am surprised he went off to find those chickens. I completely forgot about them, too, until Leo told me where he’d been found.”

Catherine nodded. “I do not know why it didn’t occur to me earlier, but I’m thankful to have remembered,” she said. “And I am thankful that he did not go back to the river. That was my fear.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I am so sorry about Georgiana, Catie. I’ve not had the chance to tell you that yet. I cannot tell you how much my heart aches for you.”

Catherine averted her gaze. There were so many raw emotions she was dealing with, not the least of which were what she considered a rejection from Talan and her little sister’s death. Still. Those things had been foremost in her mind for days. So much horrendous emotion that she was having difficulty dealing with.

“I came out here because Georgiana’s pet chicken seems to have wandered away,” she said, avoiding commenting on his sympathies. “I thought it might have ended up in the coop with the other chickens.”

Talan looked over her shoulder at the wooden coop. “It’s not in there?”

“Nay,” Catherine said. “But it must be around here somewhere. It does not stray far.”

“I will help you look for it.”

“That is not necessary,” Catherine said. “I’m sure you have duties to attend to. It is beneath you to hunt for a chicken.”

She was being difficult. She’d had a very hard few days, so he knew her mood was brittle. He felt very sorry for her. He wished he could make it better.

“Catie,” he murmured.

“What is it?” she asked, not looking at him.

“I love you.”

She laughed bitterly. “Not enough to marry me,” she said. “I wonder how much you actually do love me if it is not enough to marry me?”

He didn’t want to argue with her. “It was not my intention to make things worse for you by extending my sympathies,” he said. “I am sorry to have troubled you.”

She looked at him then. “Is that so?” she said. “Talan, you cannot pick and choose the moments you wish to be kind to me. You are either kind all of the time or not at all. And it is horrible for you to tell me that you love me. You are trying to manipulate my feelings.”

He rolled his eyes. “I am doing nothing of the kind,” he said. “I thought it would make you feel not so alone.”

“I am alone,” she said. “The man I love does not love me enough to marry me.”

“I am sorry you feel that way,” he said.

He didn’t say any more, which only seemed to infuriate her. “And that is all you have to say?”

“I do not know what more you want me to say.”

“Aye, you do,” she said. “I want you to say that you will speak with Leonidas and ask permission to marry me. I know you have reservations, but they are not my reservations. Why can you not see that I am simply a woman who loves you, no matter your financial situation? No matter if you do not have titles or riches? If anyone marries you for your wealth, then they are not worth having.”

He was quickly growing weary of the conversation. “You are correct,” he said. “I would never marry a woman because she wanted my wealth.”

“And I do not.”

“But I want to be able to support my wife comfortably,” he said through clenched teeth. “If you do not understand that, then we are an impasse because I will not ask Leo for your hand. The more you push me on this, the less willing I am to talk to him.”

Catherine looked at him as if she’d been struck. Tears were welling, but she fought them. “Then you do not love me as you say you do,” she said hoarsely. “You have lied to me.”

His head snapped to her, and he fought off the fury that was threatening to erupt. “You will not call me a liar again,” he growled. “As for the rest of it, I can only say that I came here to try to give you some comfort, but I can see that you do not need any. If you think that I do not love you, that is your prerogative. If you do not wish to have anything more to do with me, that is also your choice. You will not have to worry over me any longer, and you can find another fool to marry you on command. Best of luck to you.”

With that, he turned on his heel and started to march away from her. The next thing he realized, an egg hit him on the arm. He paused, lifting his right arm to see shell and yolk dripping off it. Increasingly irritated, he continued walking away—and another egg hit him on the bottom. Frustrated, he wiped it off the back of his breeches as he turned to Catherine.

“Behave like a child and I will treat you like one,” he said. “Children do not get married.”

Frowning, Catherine marched up to him. “Then let us be plain,” she said. “In your eyes, I am old enough to love, old enough to bed, but not good enough to marry?”

He sighed heavily. “I will not discuss this with you again.”

“You will speak to Leonidas. Please, Talan.”

“I am not going to speak to him.”

“Then I will tell him you bedded me and you will be forced to marry me.”

He looked at her, incredulous. He took a few steps back in her direction, closing the gap between them so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. “Is that how you want to gain a husband?” he said. “By forcing me into marriage?”

“If that is my only choice, then I will take it. I will do what I must.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “If you do that, you will marry a man who will resent you,” he said. “Is that what you want? My animosity forever? Because I will not be threatened, Catherine. If you feel that you must tell Leo, then tell him. But I will deny it and it will be your word against mine. More than that, I will return to Wales and you will never see me again.”

She was deeply insulted. “You would dare deny our relationship?”

He leaned into her so she could hear him clearly. “By your threats, you are proving to me just how immature you are,” he muttered. “How dare you threaten me like that. You do not love me. You only want to be married and you do not care how you obtain a husband, only that you do. Had I known this side of you a year ago, I would have never engaged with you. You are making me regret everything.”

With that, he marched away from her, heading out of the yard. Catherine watched him go, infuriated and insulted until those emotions turned into genuine hurt. Not that she didn’t deserve everything he said, but it was still difficult to hear.

In tears, she turned back for the chicken coop.