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Nodding, I knock back the whiskey, hoping it’ll drown out the taste of bile rising in my neck. “I have no desire to replace Toby.” And boy is that the truth. Now more than ever. Apart from the fact that he was a despicable person, I want nobody but my own mate.
“We’ll take things slow, but I appreciate your input.” Lucia says quietly, slipping into the room and closing the door softly behind her. Gone is the elegant dress from earlier, replaced by jeans, flats, and a cosy knit sweater. Her blonde hair falls in waves around her and glows in the firelight as she curls up in an armchair across from me.
Joseph stands immediately, pouring her a large glass of red wine.
“So, no PDAs just yet. Got it.” Lucia takes the glass from him and smiles fondly. They’re clearly great friends and I’m glad she has someone to support her. Turning to me, “Sorry about the cold reception. I’d say about half the pack is still loyal to Toby. They saw the improvements he made to the facilities, the money he spent, and they admired him for it. He wasn’t all bad.”
With a sympathetic expression on my face, I wait for her to continue, keeping my lips firmly shut because there’s no way I can agree with that. Toby kicked Leah into a river, hands and feet bound, knowing she’d drown. Only someone who is evil to the core could do something like that. I can appreciate that he may have had a lot of people fooled, including Lucia. The mate bond is a wonderful thing, but it can also make you oblivious to the other person’s faults.
“I was explaining to Ethan that I’ll show him the ropes, then take some time off with Shauna and the baby. Then… if things work out and he likes it here… you can decide what our roles will be. Maybe you’d prefer he be at your beck and call.” He winks at Lucia who blushes, a pale pink dusting her cheeks when she looks at me and shakes her head.
“Ignore him, he’s incorrigible,” she laughs, but I don’t find it funny at all.
My smile is brittle and I take another gulp of whiskey, enjoying the burn as it hits my throat. My wolf is furious that I’m sitting here and allowing this conversation to continue, letting them think I’m entertaining a chosen pairing with Lucia. TELL THEM he roars, clawing inside me, raging at the disrespect to our mate.
“To be honest, I’d be happy to give you my job. Those fuckers won’t listen to me. You’re stronger, you might have a better chance.” Joseph pours another two drinks and flops into the couch, running a hand through his hair and sighing loudly.
“What do you mean?”
He looks exhausted and he’s drinking the whiskey far too fast. With the alcohol loosening his tongue, this might be the best time to get some information from him.
“Toby’s squad. You met Trent and George, but there’s lots more like them and they’re vocal to say the least. They still think we need to get revenge, that Steel is out to get us, that it’s us against the world. Lucia is the only one that can control them.”
Tilting my head, I face Lucia. That’s an interesting comment. Lucia’s not a particularly strong wolf. It’s not her aura that would keep them in line. She couldn’t force the wolves I met today to submit like Cooper could.
“What about your father? The pack always adored him as their Alpha.”
Lucia winces and stares into her glass. “He’s been so sick; he’s confined to his bed at the moment. I’m not sure if it’s stress, or something worse, but the doctors are very concerned about him.”
Wrapping her arms around her body, she shrinks into herself, looking like a scared daughter instead of a powerful alpha. Alpha Anderson is a good man. I’ve met him plenty of times and he was always very reasonable. It must be painful for him to see his beloved pack in such turmoil.
“Hey, hey. I’m so sorry.” I slide from the couch and perch on the arm of her chair, rubbing her back as a tear streaks down her cheek. “I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
“Thank you. I just feel like I’m letting him down. I need you to help me get the pack back on track. I need him to see it back the way it was before…”
Before he dies. She wants to show her father that Toby didn’t manage to destroy his legacy. As well as keeping the Grey Ridge pack safe, this is another reason why staying here and rooting out the perpetrators is so important. Even if it’s killing me. Fuck. I should have gone back to get my phone. My head is pounding as I try to keep my emotions in check and my wolf under control.
Lucia leans her head against my side and sighs, comforted by my presence, her fingers brushing my thigh. Joseph smiles and leans back against the cushions, settling in for a long evening.
“You have the dream team here now, boss. It’ll be okay.”
10
BELLE
Sick of pacing, I lie on the sitting room floor and count the beams in the cabin ceiling. I can’t sit on the couch, it smells like him, and it’s making me even more agitated. Drumming my fingers on the hardwood beneath me, I run through my options, again, as I try to calm myself down.
Go to bed. Except I know I won’t sleep. It’s quite possible I’ll never sleep again, unless I know that he’s safe and well. The bond has turned me into someone I don’t even recognise.
Call him again. Leave a voicemail this time? As if that’s going to make a difference. If he hasn’t seen my last dozen missed calls, he’s not going to get a voicemail. And if he’s chosen to ignore them… well, the likelihood of him listening is slim.
But that can’t be it, can it? Fated mates don’t ghost each other. If he feels anything like I do right now, he couldn’t possibly be out having fun and forgetting all about me. He knows I’d be worried. I thump my head on the floor, the thin rug doing little to cushion the blow.
Who even am I? The mate bond felt incredible while we were together, but I’m not such a fan of it now.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to remain calm.
Maybe he lost his phone.
