WolfeBlade: de Wolfe Pack Generations by Kathryn Veque (reading an ebook txt) 📕

His utter despair.

“My lord?”

Lukas’ voice broke through his haze of disbelief and he suddenly looked at the man, realizing he’d been lost in his thoughts.

“Aye?” he said simply as a reflex action, then realized he looked foolish. “My apologies. I was thinking of… of de Soulis. They have a reputation for being brutal and unsavory, but usually only to their vassals. They do not venture out of their properties too often.”

Oblivious to the fact that Andreas looked somewhat pale, Lukas nodded. “That is true,” he said. “Unfortunately, they ventured into Deadwater and the results were catastrophic. For Lady Gavriella, anyway. I was saying that it is very possible that they sent this woman who calls herself Giddy, but I do not know their purpose behind it. I suppose it’s possible they are trying to get their hands on Falstone somehow. In that sense, I am grateful you have come, my lord. Lord de Leia would not let me summon you.”

Andreas was still reeling, trying to pretend that he wasn’t. It took him a moment to focus and collect his thoughts, made extremely difficult by the fact that he knew Gavriella was here, somewhere.

He had to find her.

“It seems as if there is far more going on here than meets the eye,” he said as steadily as he could. “Thank you for taking me into your confidence and telling me. I will tell my father, but without Lord de Leia’s cooperation with de Soulis, you know that there is very little we can do.”

Lukas nodded. “I know,” he said with regret. “But you cannot imagine how good it feels for me to actually tell someone what has been happening here. I am the only knight here and there are very few people I can speak in confidence to.”

Andreas took a second look at the man. All shock of Gavriella’s revelation aside, he took a brief moment to focus on Lukas de Dere. He realized that he felt sorry for him. Andreas had any number of cousins, friends, and uncles he could speak with. Even a father and grandfather that he adored. But Lukas evidently had no one at all.

A difficult situation, indeed.

“I hope this establishes trust between us, de Dere,” he said. “I do not want you to feel as if you are alone in the world. I am the garrison commander of Monteviot Tower, which isn’t terribly far from here, and I embarrassed to say that I’ve not taken the time to become acquainted with my neighbors such as Falstone. Most of my family’s properties are concentrated to the east and that is where our focus lies, but I fear we have forgotten our western neighbors in the process. You have my apologies for that. I will make sure we make amends.”

Lukas smiled weakly. “Thank you, my lord.”

“You will call me Andreas, please.”

Lukas’ smile grew. “I am appreciative, truly,” he said. “I will answer to Lukas.”

Andreas returned his smile, but it was hollow. His mind had all it could take of focusing on de Dere and was now whirling back to Gavriella.

He had to find her.

“Now we can move forward, Lukas,” he said. “I understand the situation here and the issues with de Soulis, for which I am most grievously sorry, but my focus for now is on the movements of the Scots.”

“Understood.”

“That does not mean we will not deal with de Soulis at a later time.”

The way he said it came out as a growl, causing Lukas to peer at him rather closely. “Deal with them?”

Andreas couldn’t put it into words. He had too much else going on in his mind. “Do not ask me to elaborate at the moment,” he said. It was the truth. “Not until I speak with my father. Meanwhile, I would like to settle my knights. Where are we to bed down?”

Lukas stood up. “I will summon Lady Gavriella,” he said. “She is chatelaine and she will show you the hospitality of Falstone. And, please… do not ever mention to her what I told you. She would be greatly shamed that I confided something like that to a stranger.”

Andreas shook his head. “I would not dream of betraying your confidence.”

Satisfied, Lukas headed out of the hall, but not before he ordered a servant to bring food and drink to the commander of the de Wolfe army.

I will summon Lady Gavriella.

All Andreas had to do was wait and she would come right to him. After all these months, he could hardly believe it. What would he say to her? What would she say to him? His heart was thumping against his ribs and his palms were sweating as he thought of her, feeling the same way he did the moment he went to meet her at The Fox and The Wolf.

Excited.

Hopeful.

Happy…

Even though he knew something terrible had happened to her, something that most men would look upon as a disgusting event that would easily change their minds about a woman, Andreas didn’t look at it that way. Gavriella had been forced to endure something no woman should have to endure. When he thought about that sweet, beautiful woman being abused, he could feel the bile rising in his throat.

The anger rising in his heart.

Pure, black rage.

Aye, she’d been hiding something. Now, he knew what it was.

And he didn’t care.

But it was quite possible she didn’t feel the same way about the situation, or about him. She was the one who left him sitting there, after all. She was the one who had run out.

He was going to find out why and hope it didn’t emotionally destroy him forever.

He braced himself.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Gavy?”

Lukas was standing in the kitchen doorway as Gavriella stood with the cook, both of them sampling the stew the old woman had made from a wooden bowl. Spoon in hand, Gavriella looked up when she heard her name.

“I am here, Lukas,” she said, peering around one of the pillars that