Dark Secrets

Such a Shame

Author’s Note: This is my story I created it. I own the rights. All ideas and characters are my creations.

Dark Secrets

Chapter 1

(Such a Shame)

It was late as River headed out of his office. Locking the door he went down in the elevator and into the lobby. He stopped seeing a large sculpture of a white wolf. It was a wolf walking down a path. It was 6ft by 10ft. Although very large it looked good in White wolf headquarters. River took a moment and just looked the lobby over.

A smile graced his handsome smooth face. His wife, Tori, had taken the company from barely there to cutting edge in the blink of an eye. The woman was incredible in the retail industry. She understood things River had never even considered. Where he was clueless she caught him and led him by the hand.

“I am the luckiest man in the world,” He said as his eyes fell on a picture of Tori and him with Athena hanging in the waiting area. A chuckle escaped him as he looked at the blonde woman’s smile and the white malamute he’d given her in the picture. ‘Who would’ve thought?’ He mused to himself.

Tori hadn’t been his type in the beginning, or so he thought. River had always gone for the dark, exotic beauty. The girl that looked like a sex toy. He never imagined the real woman of his dreams would have blonde hair, green eyes, and be a badass in a fight. Like her father, Tori was not someone to piss off. The blood of the Enforcer ran deep in her veins and it showed.

River’s wife wasn’t a hothead but she could break you in half if you threatened her or anyone she cared about. They didn’t have children but that was alright. They’d only been married a little over a year and at 24 and 23 they were still young. But it didn’t keep the two from practicing to get pregnant.

“Everything alright, sir?”

River turned around; his blue eyes falling on a security guard that had worked for the family for years. “Yeah Don. Just taking a moment to let this all sink in.”

“You did good kid. Tori is quite a lady.” The older man said understanding.

“Yeah she is. I think I will head home to her now.” River said happily.

“Yes sir.”

River left the door and didn’t lock it, knowing Don would in a few minutes. He took a nice long breath stepping out into the cool air. The sky was clear. A small crescent of a moon showed along with several tiny stars.

His blue eyes scanned the parking lot. It was empty except for his car and a few company vehicles. River was never afraid of the dark but for some reason he felt chills run down his back. Not liking the sensation he headed for his car.

He reached his car and took out his keys. “Hello River.” River looked across his car but was hit from behind before he could react.

*

River opened his eyes feeling groggy. His head hurt, leading him to believe he’d been knocked out from behind. He went to touch his head and found he couldn’t move. His hands were tied to the steering wheel of his car.

“What is…” He looked around and knew he was in the middle of nowhere; on some unpopulated highway. Glancing around there was nothing for miles. In front of him was a guard rail and he was guessing it was a long way down the other side.

“It’s a shame it has to be like this.” River couldn’t even say the name of the man before him as duct tape was put over his mouth. “You should’ve walked away River; it would have been easier on everyone.”

Rivers eyes went wide.Liquid was suddenly poured on not only his car but his body. The smell of gasoline hit his nostrils and he knew. They were going to kill him. He started to struggle but it was no use. Shifters knew how to immobilize shifters.

“You got to be happy for a time. You can even claim you had Tori first but it doesn’t matter. It matters who has her last. If you had just walked away and let Lucas have her this wouldn’t be necessary. You were told to walk away and you didn’t.”

A tear rolled out of Rivers eye and down the side of his face. “Don’t worry Tori will be taken care of. If by any chance she’s pregnant we’ll let the kid live. But your time is over. In case you’re wondering Lucas didn’t order your death. He wouldn’t. It wasn’t even Logan or Landon.”

River began to try and struggle more but they had tied him to the seat of his car. As the few men he knew backed away he knew he was out of time. A moment later his car was hit from behind and River’s car went flying through the railing with Lord Gregory’s son still in it.

There was nothing River could do as his car raced toward the ground several feet below. His only thought, ‘I love you, Tori. I love you.’

The group of men hidden by the night looked down at the burning car and semi truck. Flames soared high in the sky and even the men standing there felt hot from the intense fire. There was no way River Marks would survive.

Hearing a phone dark eyes looked at the number and turned it on. “Is it done?”

“River’s dead. Painful way to die.”

“It’s for the good of the kingdom. If he was smart he’d have walked away when he had the chance.”

“This will hurt Tori,” Concern in his voice for the blonde woman that seemed to win the heart of everyone that met her.

“Lucas will take care of Tori. River never should have had her.” The phone went dead.

“If anyone ever finds out...”

Brown eyes looked into the night at hazel ones. “No one will ever know. It was an accident.” The men got into their vehicles and drove away. The lord would lose a son but the kingdom would be secure once the Tribunal was informed and Tori was given back to Lucas. Lucas may have lost Tori to River to protect the royal family and prevent an investigation of River’s near death over two years ago but it no longer mattered.

The Tribunal of Prince’s had reluctantly accepted Lucas’ with drawl and allowed River to marry Tori. However they had made the stipulation that if River and Tori’s marriage ended within three years that Tori would belong to Lucas. With River dead within less than two years of marriage there was no doubt that Tori would be married to the heir to the wolf throne. Tori and Lucas would secure the future of the wolf kingdom.