chapter Eleven
Chayton
“As I was saying, Alpha, we have three new members from the Springhill pack,” Hans, a member from my board says.
“They’re coming in almost every day now,” Zyion adds.
They continue speaking, but my mind wonders again. The human will be the death of me. It’s a possibility I overreacted yesterday, but she has no idea what I’ve been dealing with. I’ve been in a battle with my wolf trying to keep him from pinning her to the nearest surface and fucking her until her belly is round with my seed. Yet, she gives me a hard time for being away from home.
Then, the day I finally manage to wrangle some control back from my wolf and come home early, I walk up on that prick vet drooling over her. I don’t care that we aren’t truly a mated couple. I’m still a damn wolf. What belongs to me is mine alone. I didn’t owe her an explanation for my actions.
I wanted to kill that fucking vet. The entire time Enzo had to talk sense to me through our link in order to keep me calm. I still want to rip the vet’s throat out. All I can think about is him touching her. I wonder, would she get as wet for him as she did me.
“Alpha,” the shouting of my name causes me to zone back in.
“I’m sorry what?”
“Men, I think we need to postpone this meeting for another time. Our Alpha is a newly mated man,” Enzo says, teasingly.
The men in the room chuckle. They stand from their seats, gather their things and say goodbye. I’m left alone with Enzo.
“You’re driving me crazy. Your emotions have me wanting to kill one minute and fuck the next.”
After standing, I meet him halfway to the door. “It’s not my fault. It’s that crazy mate of mine.”
“Have you apologized yet?”
I narrow my gaze at him. “What the hell do you mean, have I apologized?”
“Come on, Chayton. You accused the woman of cheating.”
“You saw her,” I shout.
“I saw her talking very calmly to a man. Besides, she made a good point. Why do you care? At every turn, you’ve made it seem as if you don’t want her. Why not let her be with the vet.”
Fury bubbles up inside me. My wolf growls as I make a partial change. My snout forms and my fangs protrude from my gums. Enzo steps back with a smirk on his face. I fight my beast down and transform back.
“Not exactly the actions of an uninterested man.” Enzo taunts
I groan and run a hand down my face. Stepping outside, I allow the cool breeze and the fresh air to cool me down further. Enzo follows me out, standing beside me.
“Sorry about that.”
He laughs. “It is to be expected from an Alpha that likes his mate more than he lets on.” He claps me on the back. “Now tell me, what’s the real issue?”
I turn to look at him, my hands stuffed down in my front pockets. “I don’t know how to connect with her.”
“Yes, you do. You just don’t want to. You’ve spent so much time trying to avoid her, you forgot to get to know her.” He turns, facing me fully. “She’s a good woman, Chayton. Give her a chance.”
Suddenly, a scream registers in my head loud and clear. At first, it catches me off guard. Kamyra’s voice was never this clear. Not to mention, not even with Enzo’s connection does it allow me to feel his emotions as strong as I feel hers.
“What’s wrong?” Enzo must notice my alarm.
“She’s in danger. Get Phaedra and meet me at the house.” I don’t wait for his reply.
I leap through the air. One moment I’m in human form and the next I land on all fours as my wolf. Shooting off through the forest, I race toward Elizabeth. I forced Miko to come with me this morning, now I wish I would have left him with her. What if she’s being attacked? Miko is only a child, but he would be a better defense than she would against an attacker.
Rushing through the woods, I allow my wolf to find his mate. It’s one of the things that comes with bonding, we have an automatic tracking system. It leads me to the clearing near the river. What I find has my heart leaping into my throat. Elizabeth is facing off with a Grizzly bear.
“Stay calm, don’t make any sudden moves.” I push the command into her head. I can tell the instant she hears it. Her eyes grow large for a second, and she seems to forget about the bear.
“Chayton?” she whispers in my head.
The sound sends a shiver down my spine. It has never been this fucking sensual when anyone else speaks to me in my head. I shake off my thoughts and charge for the bear.
I rush in between Elizabeth and the grizzly. I’m as tall as the bear when she’s on all fours. The bear lumbers back, roars and stands upright.
I dip my head low and growl a warning. She swings a large paw at me. I dodge the blow and snap at the bear doing everything I can, not to hurt her. I have no issues with the grizzly. She is only doing what’s natural to her.
The bear lumbers toward me again, and I dip my head showing my fangs. She swings and at that exact moment Elizabeth stumbles over a log. I turn toward her and take a grizzly paw to the shoulder.
Fuck that hurts. My shoulder is on fire, but I push through it. I charge at the bear, dodging her paws, I nip at her side. Not enough to harm her, but enough to warn her to back off.
The grizzly looks to Elizabeth again. Probably trying to determine if she will be worth the risk of taking me on. I growl once more, and the bear turns and runs off.
I turn to face my mate. My wolf wants to go to her and comfort her, I fight him for control. When I approach her, I’m a fully dressed human again.
“What were you doing out here?” I demand my hands clenching at my side.
She slowly stands, I notice she’s favoring one foot more than the other.
“Mate hurt,” my wolf whimpers.
“I was doing research.” She reaches for my shoulder, touching the spot where the bear mauled me. Already I can feel the skin reforming and mending. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’ll be fine.” My tone is a lot calmer when I speak this time. “What were you researching?”
She drops her hands to her hips. “I’m an author. I have a scene in my book where the two main characters have this romantic moment by a river in the middle of the woods. I was trying to get some inspiration and get ideas for the scene.”
“And you thought it was okay to come out into the woods alone this close to fall?” I ask baffled. “This is high grizzly bear season. Had you not smelled like me, she would have killed you instantly.”
I’m upset. Even my wolf agrees with me on this one. These woods are not good for people like her. Not only are there regular predators like grizzly bears, black bears, and mountain lions, but this property runs right next to Springhill.
My thoughts run unbridled with ideas of some Springhill scout finding her with my scent and hurting her to get back at me. As her mate, it is my responsibility to keep her safe.
“I’m not that crazy. The scene was supposed to be at night under the stars, but I had enough sense to do it in the day. Besides, this scene in the book has been driving me crazy. I’ve skipped over it, but I can’t move the romance on without it.”
I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about or why it’s important enough to risk her life.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I exhale. “In the future, you will not travel without someone from the pack with you, even if it’s Miko. I’m not saying this to be an asshole, the forest isn’t safe. Do you understand?”
“Aye, aye, captain,” she salutes me then cracks a smile. One that I reluctantly return.
Enzo is right. I’ve done everything I could to not connect with her. It’s time I change that. I can start off by simply trying to be friends.
“Let’s get you back home.”
She takes a step and nearly collapses. As I suspected, she’s hurt.
“Shit. I must have twisted my ankle when I fell,” she says with a wince.
I lift her up, carrying her like a bride. She wraps her arms around my neck. The urge to tuck her into me and never let her go hits me hard. I shake my head trying to dislodge the thought.
We make it home and find a restless Miko, along with Enzo, Torak, and Phaedra on the steps waiting for her.
“I told you to get Pheadra,” I say to Enzo’s thoughts. “Not bring the damn pack.”
“When they heard the Luna was hurt, they all wanted to come, be glad it’s only these three with me.”
I open my connection to the pack and their concern for Elizabeth hits me hard. They are so happy to have a Luna. I quickly reassure them she’s fine before closing the link.
“Get her inside and put her on the couch,” Phaedra says jumping in with healer duties.
Torak holds the door for me as I carry Elizabeth inside.
“Guys, it’s not that big of a deal. I only twisted it,” Elizabeth tries to argue.
“Nonsense. My Luna will not be in pain on my watch,” Phaedra says.
I place Elizabeth down on the couch I’ve been sleeping on since we mated. As soon as I step back Phaedra and Miko nearly knock me over to get to her side.
The moment Phaedra touches the ankle Elizabeth hisses. Miko follows her cry with a whine and my wolf howls. He’s not happy with her being hurt.
“It’s a little more than twisted,” Phaedra says before turning to Torak. “Go boil some water. I’m going to need to soak the rags before I wrap the ankle.” The young man rushes off to aid his mother.
Phaedra turns back to Elizabeth and rolls her pants leg up, revealing her swollen ankle. She gently takes off her shoe. Reaching for her canvas bag she nearly steps on Miko.
“Little Prince, your tail is in the way,” Phaedra lightly scolds him.
“Miko, outside. You can be no use to us in wolf form,” I fuss.
He drops his head down between his shoulders and whimpers.
“Actually, I need him here,” her comment causes everyone to look down at her on the couch. “I like to play in his fur when he’s in wolf form, it keeps me calm. Isn’t that right, Buddy?”
My son’s head lifts and his tail wags happily. He places his head right at her shoulder and nuzzles her face. She turns to him and plants a kiss on his furry head.
Jealousy and sadness flood my veins. This is all I ever wanted for my boy. To have a mother in his life who cares for him, unfortunately, this isn’t the mother he’s supposed to have.
“Well, if he’s going to stay and be in the way, you two need to clear out. Alpha, I noticed her wood supply is pretty low and winter will be here in four months.”
I love Phaedra, but she takes the role of being my self-appointed big sister too serious sometimes.
“Oh, it’s okay. I have central heat,” Elizabeth says, waving us off.
All three of us look to each other and then back to her.
“Your central heat won’t hold up,” Enzo informs her. “You’re going to need wood and probably a backup generator.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I announce before storming out of the house.
I’m angry, more with myself than anything else. I should have checked this stuff already. Instead, I’ve been staying away like a coward because my dick wouldn’t go down. What kind of mate am I? No wonder my first one didn’t believe in me.
Taking care of Elizabeth should be my main concern. I don’t need to love her to make sure she has enough firewood for the winter or see to it she wouldn’t be in the woods alone to get hurt. I also wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t take care of her bills. I have no intention of living with her without covering the cost of the bills. One more thing I should have already handled.
“Fuck,” I grumble to myself, raking a hand through my hair.
“I’ll say this,” Enzo’s voice catches me off guard as he comes up behind me. “You may not want to claim her as your mate, but that boy of yours sure will. He’d drink from her tit if she’d let him.”
I growl. “Don’t give me that visual.”
Grabbing one of the logs off the ground, I place it on the chopping block then pick up the ax and sever the log in half. Phaedra is right, there’s only about a weeks’ worth of wood here.
“She’s good for him,” Enzo says out of the blue.
“She coddles him.”
“She loves him,” he says in response. “And she lets him be who he wants without pressure. He needs that.”
After placing another log on the block, I sever it.
“Are you saying I pressured him?” I turn to glare at my Beta.
Enzo sighs and grunts before placing his hands in his front pockets, a sure sign he’s about to say something I won’t like.
“There must be a reason he changes for her. As hard a pill as it is for us to swallow, he chose her over us. Instead of spending my time being angry about it, I’d much rather figure out what she does that I don’t.” He walks away after dropping those words of knowledge. Grabbing the scattered pieces of wood off the ground, he starts to stack them up for me.
I spend the rest of the afternoon chopping the small amount of wood she had and gathering more. Even though my hands kept busy, my mind was on both conversations I had with Enzo.
The creaking of stairs makes me open my eyes. Right away, her smell alerts me to her approach. She’s trying to tiptoe and has no idea she sounds more like an elephant stomping through the forest to my sensitive ears.
“Why are you out of bed?” I look at my watch. “And why are you still up?”
“Sorry, I tried not to wake you,” she says softly.
Sitting up, I place my feet on the floor and rub a hand over my eyes. I’d just gotten to sleep after spending most of the night listening to her toss and turn.
“You didn’t answer my questions?”
She’s in a T-shirt and those skintight bottoms I’ve noticed she wears often. A satin bonnet is on her head and her long braids are tucked underneath. Even in her night clothes, she’s still an exquisite sight.
“I’m out of the bed because my stomach is grumbling louder than my sleep companions’ snores. And I’m still awoke because insomnia mixed with horrible sleep habits never make for a good night’s sleep.”
I pat the seat next to me, inviting her to sit. She obliges, tucking her feet under her.
“Sleep is an issue for you?”
“Yes. When I was seventeen, my mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her first flare up was mild compared to what she later experienced. Initially, the doctor had high hopes. That first flare up didn’t last long and she soon went into remission.
“However, we later found out she had a rare form of the disease called Progressive- Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. Basically, she would only get worse over time with each flare up. By the time I was twenty-two I was the only caretaker she had. I spent many nights sitting by her bed watching her chest rise and fall. It was the start of my insomnia. Add that to a creative mind with a hard time turning off, well, I’m a perfect storm of sleep problems.”
I don’t like that she doesn’t sleep. I don’t need much rest, two to three hours and my body is fully charged, but she’s human and I know they need more sleep.
“Have you tried anything to help with your sleep problems?”
She lifts a slender shoulder before letting it fall. “I’ve tried a few things. The pills make me sluggish the next day. The music doesn’t work and gets stuck in my head for days. I’ve tried every tea you can think of, and it still keeps me up. The only thing that kind of works, is Miko. He calms me and lets me play in his fur.”
The gentle smile that crosses her face tears me in two. A part of me feels proud she finds comfort in my boy, but the possessive wolf part of me doesn’t enjoy the fact it isn’t me bringing her joy.
“Play in my fur,” My wolf whines like a sulking child. I ignore him.
“I’m sorry,” I say out loud.
Her brow lifts. “For what?”
“For the past few days. For all of the trouble my son has caused you. You were right the other night in your kitchen. You have given up a lot to help us and I should be more considerate of that.”
She ducks her head hiding her face and I wish she wouldn’t. Her face is always expressive, especially when I was buried deep inside her. I groan mentally at the route my thoughts take. Trying to be her friend is going to be harder than I thought.
“Thank you,” she says drawing my attention. “He’s a good kid, you know?” She looks in my eyes when she says this as if she wants to make sure I understand it.
“What does he look like?” I ignore the shame I feel, having to ask a practical stranger how my child looks.
“Exactly like you.” She grins. “He has your eyes and your nose.”
Pride fills me. I’ve always wanted a boy who looks like me and a daughter that took after her mother. Unfortunately, the dream of a daughter will never come to fruition.
“He resembles his mother too.” She goes on to say and my head swings in her direction. She shrugs. “I’m assuming the mixed chick from the meeting is his mom?”
I clear my throat “Yes. Kamyra is his mother.”
“She’s beautiful.”
I don’t acknowledge her comment. I don’t even want to continue this conversation. Not with her.
“What about you? Are you still mad at me for ruining things with your vet?”
She rolls her eyes playfully. “My anger wasn’t because you ruined things with David. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice, attractive, smart…”
No matter how hard I tried to hold it in, a growl slips out. She chuckles and her entire face lights up. I have to admit, I like seeing her like this. Her joy brings a smile to my face.
“What I meant,” she says getting serious. “Is although David is great, I have no intentions of seeing him again. When I said I do, I meant it. I’ll do everything I can for that kid.”
“Thank you for that.”
I can never express how grateful I am that she cares enough about Miko to do this.
She nods as a reply.
Folding my arms across my chest, I turn slightly in my seat to face her. “It’s still hard for me to believe that a woman as beautiful as you doesn’t have a collection of men at her doorstep. Not that I’d let any of them in, but I did expect more competition.”
She laughs, ducking her head, but I still catch the tinting in her face.
“There wasn’t much time for dating when you’re worried about your mother surviving. Instead, I buried myself in my writing. I placed my heart inside my books, creating the relationships I wished I were in.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met an author before,” I say.
“And now you’re married to one.” She winks. I laugh enjoying her playfulness.
Silence floats between us, but for the first time since we met, it isn’t awkward. I don’t feel as if I’m on pins and needles with the human. I sink back into the couch, getting comfortable.
“Are all those your books?” I point to the collection of books on the bookshelf behind us.
“Yeah, those are mine.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I admire the way her eyes light up when she talks about her books.
“You know a little what to expect being married to an Alpha, but what should I expect being married to an author?”
Is it normal the way I fill with pride every time I make her smile? It seems vain, but I can’t help it. The woman is beautiful, but when she smiles, she turns into a goddess.
“Well, we keep long hours.”
“As do Alphas,” I say.
She chuckles. “We constantly have voices in our head.”
“Same.” Funny, it seems our occupations have a lot more in common than I initially thought.
“I may have times when I forget to eat or sleep because the muse has a hold of me. And sometimes, I have to reenact things, or research weird things to make my story come to life.”
“Like going into the woods alone,” I ask giving her a pointed look.
She ducks her head. Initially, I was angry with her for her poor decision, but I think I’m getting a better idea of why she did it. Not only why, but I realize she has no idea the dangers lurking out here. Elizabeth is a city girl, and although city living comes with its own hazards there is a difference out here. Her enemy doesn’t always look like her.
“I really didn’t mean to freak you out about that. I know you have important stuff to do and don’t have time to run to my rescue.”
I let out a deep breath. “You’re important, Elizabeth. Honestly, these first four days haven’t been our best,” I leave out the part where it’s mostly due to me.
“You’re right about that.” she slinks back in her seat.
“I really wish we could start over. Maybe learn to be friends?”
“I’d like that very much,” she says, placing a hand on my thigh momentarily.
Ignoring the way the simple gesture makes my cock hard, I hold out my hand. She looks down at it before placing her warm palm into mine. We shake. This isn’t the life I would have chosen. However, if this woman is going to be a part of my life, we at least should be able to get along.
“Now as your friend, maybe you can tell me about this book you’re writing.” I settle into the couch listening as she tells me about a runaway bride settling into a small town in Montana, only to fall in love with a retired hitman. I watch her face light up and her hands move animatedly.
Our conversation goes on well into the morning. We talk about many things—from her books to Miko’s childhood, to ours. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to anyone for so long.