“Where the hell have you been?” Aiden demanded. “We are supposed to be at a meeting with the alpha in ten minutes. I’m not getting my ass chewed because you can’t tell time.”
Xavier glared at Aiden, flipping him off as he stalked passed him to get to his bedroom. “I was busy,” he muttered, slamming the door shut in his brother’s stunned face.
“Dammit, X. I’m going without you,” he threatened.
Xavier ignored him as he stripped out of the shorts he was wearing and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. After sliding his feet into a pair of boots, he slipped a knife into a hidden holster in his right one, then went to get his Glock. He was exhausted, worried about his mate, and pissed because he knew he was about to be sent away on another assignment. He was tired of being gone all of the time. He wanted to be home. He wanted time to try and get to know the woman who was supposed to be his for the rest of their lives, even if she didn’t realize it. He wanted to be there to protect her and her daughter, instead of relying on others to do it. He wanted to be a father to little Laynie. He wanted so much, but it was all just out of reach.
With a snarl, Xavier swung around and put his fist through the wall, his fangs throbbing as they threatened to punch through his gums. He just wanted his fucking mate. It was so hard to see her, breathe in her scent, and not be able to talk to her or hold her close. He made sure to keep his distance so that he didn’t scare her. After everything she’d been through, he knew she had to be terrified of anything with a dick. And that just made him even more angry.
The door opened, and Aiden stepped quietly into the room. “Xavier.”
“I sleep outside her window in my wolf form, Aiden,” Xavier ground out. “Every night that we are home, that is where I sleep. I can’t help it. I can’t stay away. I have to be near her, and it’s the only way I can get close.” Walking over to a chair in the corner of the room, Xavier sat down, placing his elbows on his knees and lowering his head. Shoving his fingers into his long, brown hair, he rasped, “Last night she had a nightmare. She woke up screaming and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. She has them a couple times a week. It’s better now. It used to be every night.”
He felt his brother cross the room to stand beside him, and then Aiden rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. I know this is hard on you. It’s been a year. Maybe she will be ready to accept you now. You will never know unless you try.”
Xavier stiffened, slowly raising his gaze to meet Aiden’s. “And if she rejects me? You know what those bastards did to her, Aiden. There is a good chance she might never be able to accept me. What the hell am I going to do then?”
Aiden squeezed his shoulder, before taking a step back. “Then you fight like hell for her, little brother. I’ve never known you to give up before.”
Xavier’s eyes hardened, and he gritted his teeth. Giving his brother a quick nod, he rose and stalked to the door. “You’re right. She’s my mate. I would do anything for her. Hell, I will wait forever if I have to.”
“Right now I am more worried about what the alpha and his mate are going to do to us since we are about to be late,” Aiden teased, following him out the door of their apartment and down the stairs.
Xavier reached up and pulled his hair back, tying it at the nape of his neck. “Yeah,” was all he said, quickly crossing the street to the office building and taking the front stairs two at a time. He had never been late to a meeting before, and he knew he needed to get his head out of his ass, but none of it seemed to matter like it used to. There was only one thing that mattered, and she was in the apartment complex across from his, probably still sleeping since it was the ass crack of dawn.
Aiden knocked on Chase’s door when they reached the alpha’s office, opening it after they were told to enter. Chase sat behind his large desk talking on the phone. His mate, Angel, stood behind him, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder. They’d just recently had their mating ceremony, which gave Xavier hope that someday he would have his own. Chase had also waited over a year for Angel to accept the mate bond. Unfortunately the circumstances were very different. Angel thought she was doing what was best for her children at the time, whereas Janie had been violated in ways no woman should ever be put through. Just the thought of it had Xavier fighting to control his wolf, who wanted out to hunt down and kill anyone and everyone who had hurt his sweet mate.
Leaning casually against the wall beside the door, Xavier tapped his fingertips impatiently against his thigh as he waited for Chase to finish the call he was on. A low growl of frustration slipped out before he could contain it. Today was worse than normal. The desire to be with Janie, to slay all of her demons and make her his, was clawing at his insides. Hell, maybe it would be best if Chase did send him on a mission. Who knew what he was capable of in the state he was in right now. He would never hurt his mate, but he did not want to push her into anything she wasn’t ready for, either.
“Am I keeping you from something, Xavier?” Chase asked quietly, raising his eyebrows in question after he ended his call.
Knowing he was being an ass, Xavier bared his neck in submission, and as an apology. “No, Alpha.” He kept it short and sweet. The sooner this conversation was over, the better.
Chase leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Xavier, “Anything you want to talk about, son?”
Stiffening, Xavier focused on a spot just above Chase’s shoulder. No one had called him son in the past twenty years, and that was the way he wanted to keep it. When Xavier and Aiden were just seven years old, their father became a traitor to the White River Wolf pack. He had been jealous of Chase’s father, wanting the power and prestige the alpha title gave the other man. Because of this, he divulged information about the White River wolves to a rival pack that was trying to take over the Montgomery’s territory. In doing so, he caused the death of several innocent men and women, including Xavier and Aiden’s mother, and Chase’s parents. When Chase became Alpha, his first order was to have Xavier’s father killed. Xavier and Aiden were placed with their aunt to be raised. Aunt Sadie loved them unconditionally, and treated them like her own until she passed away just five years ago.
Unfortunately, the twins had to live with knowing their father was not only a traitor, but also a murderer. Xavier could handle it most of the time, but no one called him son. He’d had one father, and did not want or need another one.
“No, Sir,” he responded, once again keeping his answer short. He did not want to disrespect his alpha, and in his current mood he knew he would if he said too much.
Sighing deeply, Chase reached up and settled a hand over Angel’s. “I have had reports of suspicious activity on the northern region of our property. To make sure that the compound is not infiltrated again, I have decided to set up a patrol unit on all of the outer regions of our land for the next month or two. I sent enforcers to the north, west, and east edges of our property lines and need the two of you to go to the southern edge. You will be gone for two weeks, so plan accordingly.”
Xavier clenched his hands tightly into fists as he listened to Chase. It was a direct order, one which he had to obey. And in truth, a part of him wanted to go if whatever was out there was a threat to his mate and her child. He just hated leaving her alone for so long, especially at night. They were the hardest for his Janie.
Lowering his head, Xavier sucked in a deep breath, trying to get control of his emotions. He could feel his nails lengthening into claws, and digging into his palms. He knew his eyes had gone wolf and his fangs had dropped at the thought of a threat so close to Janie and Alayna. It will only be for a couple of weeks, Xavier told himself. Just fourteen days. He would make sure there were no enemies trying to sneak into the compound from the southern border, and then he would come back home to his mate and child.
“You have your orders,” Chase told them. “I will send someone out to relieve you in two weeks.”
“Yes, Sir,” Aiden responded. “We will leave within the hour.” Reaching over, Aiden grasped Xavier’s arm and tugged, trying to pull him out of the room, but Xavier didn’t budge.
“X,” he growled softly, “let’s go.”
Eyes narrowing on Xavier, Chase rose and walked around the desk, stalking slowly towards him. “Xavier, are you ready to talk yet, son?”
“I’m not your fucking son,” Xavier growled, raising his head to glare at Chase before turning to walk out the door.
“Xavier,” Angel called out softly, making him pause and glance back, even though he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. “I promise, I will make sure your mate is safe while you are gone.”
“And if you leave for a mission?” he snarled, knowing he was walking a thin line, but unable to stop himself.
“I will be going to look for Jeremiah soon,” Angel told him, “but I will leave four of my team members behind to watch over Janie.”
“Flame,” Xavier said immediately. “She feels comfortable with her.”
“Flame will stay,” Angel agreed. “Who else?”
The tension slowly began to leave him, and his claws retracted, his vision going back to normal as he replied, “I trust you to choose the other ones.”
“Steele, Storm, and Bane will stay,” Angel decided. “We will give them an apartment in Janie’s building to use while they are here.”
Xavier swallowed hard, his eyes going from Angel to Chase. “Thank you, Alpha,” he managed to say, before turning and leaving the room quickly. He knew he was being rude, but he wanted to try and catch a small glimpse of his beautiful Janie before he and Aiden left. Something to hold him over for the next long, lonely couple of weeks.
“Shit,” Chase said, raking his hand through his hair as he watched Aiden follow his brother out the door. “I forgot about Janie. No wonder he’s pissed. Not too long ago that was me. I know how the young wolf feels.”
He sighed when he felt Angel’s hand slide lightly across his shoulders, then down his back and around his waist as her arms encircled him from behind. “We both know how he feels,” she whispered, kissing the middle of his back. A shiver ran up his spine at the feel of her lips through the material of his shirt. “He’s a good man, trying to put Janie’s fears and feelings first, but I think it is about time he let her figure out what those feelings are.”
Chase clasped her hands tightly in his own, bringing one up to gently kiss each knuckle individually. “Now, tell me why you are really leaving four of your teammates behind to watch over Janie when you leave tomorrow, instead of just sending one of them in Xavier’s place.”
Angel chuckled softly, tugging her hands out of his grasp so that she could step around in front of him. Her light blue eyes sparkled with humor as she admitted, “They were staying behind anyway, all except Flame. I can’t take the entire team with me anymore. My plane isn’t big enough. I need to buy a new one.”
“And you didn’t send one of them with Aiden because?”
A devilish grin on her lips, his mate responded, “Like I said, it’s time for Janie to decide what she wants. Xavier is almost to his breaking point. I think these two weeks away from her will be just enough to get him there.”
A short burst of laughter left him, and Chase shook his head in wonder. “You never cease to amaze me, woman. Let’s hope you aren’t poking the beast.”
Angel shrugged. “Maybe it’s a beast that needs poking.”